Donald Trump teased a possible third term in office and hinted at legal loopholes despite the Constitution’s clear two-term limit.
Donald Trump floated the idea of a third presidential term, brushing off constitutional limits and claiming “a lot of people want me to do it.”
Trump said he is “not joking” about seeking a third run for the White House, despite the clear restrictions in the 22nd Amendment, which bars anyone from being elected president more than twice.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said durijng a phone call with NBC News Sunday (March 30), though he declined to offer specifics.
He floated one hypothetical scenario involving JD Vance, suggesting the Vice President could win the presidency and later “pass the baton” back to him.
Trump did not explain how that would work under the Constitution, which also blocks anyone ineligible for the presidency from serving as vice president.
While he admitted “it is far too early” to seriously pursue a third term, Trump made clear he hasn’t ruled it out.
“A lot of people want me to do it,” he said, adding that he believes his work is unfinished.
The idea of extending Trump’s time in office has gained traction among some of his allies.
Rep. Andy Ogles and former White House strategist Steve Bannon have publicly supported amending the Constitution to allow Trump to run again.
Such a change would require a steep climb: either a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress or a constitutional convention called by 34 states, followed by approval from three-fourths of state legislatures.
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951 after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four-term presidency, was designed to prevent this kind of extended hold on executive power.
It also stipulates that anyone who has served more than two years of another president’s term may only be elected once.
The Twelfth Amendment further blocks any attempt to return to office through the vice presidency, stating that no one ineligible to be president can serve as vice president.
