Trump's third term possible? Chinese-Canadian professor Jiang Xueqin’s startling predictions for America’s next 30 years, including a civil war, balkanization and a ‘Christian AI theocracy’

Chinese-Canadian professor Jiang Xueqin, whose earlier predictions about Donald Trump’s second term and a US war against Iran have since come true, has built a huge following through his Predictive History YouTube channel, notably one with no profile picture. Often dressed casually in a polo shirt, the Beijing-based educator has earned the nickname “China’s Nostradamus” for his forecasts on American politics and the changing global order.

Now, in September 2026, Jiang has made a fresh set of predictions about the United States that will give Republicans a big smile but may plunge the world order into chaos. Speaking at a meetup in Austin, Texas, he said that Trump could secure a third term, that America could eventually descend into civil war, and that Austin could later emerge as the country’s “new center of gravity”.

Trump’s third term: Xueqin Jiang’s predictions vs the US Constitution

In his latest lecture, titled “American Prophecy,” Jiang laid out predictions for what he believes could happen to the country over the next several decades. Speaking at the event on August 23, 2026, Jiang divided his forecast into short-, medium- and long-term predictions.

His first prediction was that Trump would secure a third presidential term. “I think Trump gets his third term,” Jiang told the audience.

Trump, 80, had earlier not ruled out a third presidential term. In a previous interview with NBC, Trump had said "there are methods which you could do it".

The Trump Organization, led by Donald Trump's older sons, is selling red caps that read "Trump 2028," seemingly to promote the president as a candidate in the upcoming election.

The US Constitution appears to prohibit anyone from serving a third term. The 22nd Amendment clearly states: "No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once."

Amending the US Constitution requires a two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, along with approval from three-quarters of the state governments.

A Civil war and balkanization of US

He then made a much broader prediction about the country's political future, saying he believed the United States could experience a civil war followed by what he called the “balkanization” of the country.

Looking further ahead, Jiang predicted that the United States could eventually become what he described as a “Christian AI theocracy.” “So these are my predictions for the next 30 years,” he said.

Austin could become America’s new center of gravity

Jiang also predicted a major geographical and economic shift within the United States. According to his forecast, influence would gradually move away from coastal cities toward the American heartland. He specifically pointed to Austin, Texas, as a future center of American cultural, economic and technological influence.

“I think that Austin will be the new center of gravity [of the] United States,” Jiang said. He predicted that New York City and Los Angeles could lose some of their present influence, while Austin could become “the new capital of the United States,” not in the political sense, but as a cultural, economic and technological center.

Why Jiang believes Trump could seek a third term

Jiang devoted a substantial portion of the lecture to explaining his prediction about Trump. He argued that Trump is determined to remain in power beyond 2028 and would succeed in doing so.

“I’m fairly convinced that right now he is intent on remaining in power and he will succeed,” Jiang said. Jiang's reasoning focused partly on what he described as Trump's political and legal incentives to remain in office. He argued that Trump's actions over the previous several years suggested to him that the president was planning to remain in power for a long time.

Jiang also connected his prediction to what he sees as a broader American strategy abroad. “The American Empire needs someone like him,” he said, arguing that Trump was more willing than his predecessors to use American power internationally.

Iran war becomes part of Jiang’s larger prediction

Jiang also placed the US-Iran conflict within his broader interpretation of American foreign policy. In the lecture, he argued that Trump's approach was consistent with American “imperial interests,” rather than necessarily with the interests of the country as a whole.

“The main purpose of the national defense strategy of course is to maintain American imperial interest even though it may go against the interests of the nation as a whole,” Jiang said.

He described the United States as attempting to shape regional balances of power while maintaining its own influence. In his formulation, Europe would see NATO and Russia facing each other; the Middle East would involve Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council states confronting Iran; and Japan and China would become the principal opposing powers in East Asia.

Jiang argued that this arrangement would allow Washington to remain above direct confrontation while continuing to influence events.

Jiang says US power depends on controlling strategic routes

Another part of his argument focused on global trade routes and resources. Jiang said the United States would seek to control major maritime chokepoints and access to global resources as part of maintaining its international influence.

“If you want oil, maybe in the future the only place you get oil is the Western Hemisphere,” he said, before arguing that this could happen because the Western Hemisphere would be the part of the world least affected by war.

He connected this strategy to what he called America's effort to maintain its position as a global power in his two-and-a-half-hour-long lecture.