Former President Donald Trump has asserted he is “not joking” about the possibility of running for a third term in the White House, a move that would violate the U.S. Constitution. This bold statement came during an interview with NBC News, marking a significant indication of Trump’s intentions as he approaches the end of his second term in January 2029.
Understanding the constitutional limits
The U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, clearly states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice,” which includes both consecutive and non-consecutive terms. When questioned about his persistent comments regarding a third term, Trump, who had previously framed such remarks as jokes, clarified, “Well, there are plans. There are – not plans. There are methods – there are methods which you could do it, as you know.” He emphasized, “I’m not joking.”
Political reactions and implications
As Trump continued to voice his belief that he won the 2020 presidential election, he claimed, “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 tempered his remarks about actively pursuing a third term by stating, “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.”
His comments were met with quick criticism from political opponents. Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, took to social media, declaring, “This is what dictators do. In three months, Trump has crashed the stock market and spiked costs. Now, he’s scheming for a third term instead of doing anything to make Americans’ lives better.”
Additionally, Trump ally Steve Bannon expressed confidence earlier this month, stating he believes Trump will “run and win again in 2028.” During the NBC interview, Trump acknowledged a theoretical scenario where U.S. Vice President JD Vance could run for president and “then pass the baton to you.” When questioned about other methods to secure a third term, Trump did not elaborate further.
Legal experts have weighed in on the viability of Trump’s assertions. Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment also renders Trump ineligible to run for the vice presidency following his second term. He remarked, “I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits.”