Donald Trump is not allowed to run for a third term as president. This is not an open constitutional question but rather open-and-shut under the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms. “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,” the Amendment, enacted in the 1950s, says.
However, in a nationally televised interview over the weekend, Trump made clear that he was considering running for the third term, which he was not allowed to serve.
Pres. Trump did not rule out seeking a third term for president, telling NBC’s Kristen Welker on Sunday, “There are methods which you could do it.”
Read more: https://t.co/QT3nYocKF5 pic.twitter.com/CgDI4KfvHq
— ABC News (@ABC) March 30, 2025
“I’m not joking” about another run for president, Trump said in the Meet the Press phone interview that aired Sunday. “There are methods which you could do it.”
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Later, Trump told reporters, “I have had more people ask me to have a third term, which in a way is a fourth term because the other election, the 2020 election, was totally rigged. ” However, he added, “I don’t want to talk about a third term now because no matter how you look at it, we’ve got a long time to go.”
Among those arguing that Trump is wrong is Robert George, the conservative Princeton professor, who stated “You do not have to be a constitutional scholar to understand [the words of the Amendment]. They are not ambiguous.”
I will quote below the words of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. You do not have to be a constitutional scholar to understand them. They are not ambiguous. So, if (as NBC is reporting) President Trump believes that there are “methods” by which he could…
— Robert P. George (@McCormickProf) March 30, 2025
Some workarounds have been proposed, from Trump going on the ticket as vice president to J.D. Vance or someone else, or perhaps an attempt to repeal the 22nd Amendment before 2028. However, experts doubt whether the vice presidential gambit could work, and it’s not likely enough states could ratify a constitutional amendment that quickly.
Of course, Trump continuing to promise his supporters that he plans to run for a third term could stand to screw over Vance, or the Republican Party in general, once the 2028 election cycle approaches. After all, how will any other candidate raise money for a run if Trump remains on the stage?
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
