Trump suggests ‘methods’ exist for bid for unconstitutional third term
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Sunday declined to rule out seeking a third presidential term – an unconstitutional act explicitly barred under the 22nd Amendment – saying that “there are methods which you could do it.”
In a phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump suggested that multiple plans have begun to circulate for him to run for a third term. He pointed to unspecified polling as an indicator of his popularity and claimed he had the “highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.”
“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said. “But we have – my thinking is, we have a long way to go. I’m focused on the current.”
Asked whether any third-term plans have been presented to him, Trump said: “There are methods which you could do it, as you know.” Welker then mentioned a hypothetical plan where Vice President JD Vance would run in 2028 and “pass the baton.”
“Well, that’s one. But there are others, too,” Trump responded.
“I’m not joking,” Trump said. “But, I’m not – it is far too early to think about it.”
Pressed again by Welker on the toll of the presidency and if he would want to serve a third term, Trump, who would be 82 years old in 2028, said, “Well, I like working.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the idea he floated.
Trump, as a candidate and as a second-term president, frequently teased running for a third term and mused with supporters whether he should run again. The concept has gained traction with some of his most ardent allies – despite the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, which flatly and explicitly limits presidents to being elected to two terms.
The 22nd Amendment was led by Republicans and passed in 1951 in response to the four-term presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. An amendment can be proposed with two-thirds of votes in the House and Senate or by two-thirds of state legislatures proposing a constitutional convention. Three-quarters of state legislatures or conventions in three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment to change the Constitution.
Some allies have taken such comments seriously, including podcast host and former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon. In December, Bannon suggested that Trump should run again, asking a crowd at a New York dinner, “Are you ready for Trump ’28?” and raising the idea that a constitutional loophole could allow Trump to run for a third term.
Less than a week into Trump’s second term, Rep. Andrew Ogles, R-Tenn., also proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would allow Trump to serve a third term to “sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”