Donald Trump isn’t allowed to run for a third term — but now he’s hinting that the idea might not be completely off the table.
”A lot of people want me to do it. But I usually tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s still early in the administration,” Trump tells NBC News.
”I’m not joking”
We’re still early in President Donald Trump’s second term, but speculation is already swirling about whether he could extend his time in office.
Despite the constitutional two-term limit, Trump has not completely dismissed the idea of a third term. In a recent interview, he hinted that there may be ways to make it happen.
In an interview with NBC News on March 30, Trump addressed the idea of running for another term, saying, ”A lot of people want me to do it. But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”
He added, ”I’m focused on the current.”
While the 22nd Amendment bars anyone from being elected president more than twice, it doesn’t explicitly prevent someone from returning to the role through other means. Although Republicans have often dismissed his past comments about serving beyond two terms as jokes, this time, he made his stance clear.
”I like working. I’m not joking. But I’m not – it is far too early to think about it,” he said.
He also noted, ”there are methods which you could do it.”
NBC News then asked about the possibility of Vice President JD Vance running for office and then passing the role to Trump. Trump responded, ”That’s one” way.
”But there are others, too,” he added.
When asked for another example, Trump just said, ”No.”
Criticism from members of both parties
Donald Trump’s suggestion that there may be a way around the U.S. Constitution’s ban on a third term has been drawing criticism from members of both parties.
Amending the Constitution to remove this restriction would be an extremely difficult process. According to NBC, such a change would require either a two-thirds majority in Congress or approval from two-thirds of U.S. states to call a constitutional convention. Even then, any proposed amendment would still need to be ratified by three-quarters of the states — a nearly impossible political hurdle.
Earlier this year, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a resolution calling for the extension of presidential term limits, which would allow Trump to run for another term in office.
Meanwhile, Trump ally Steve Bannon discussed the possibility in an interview with News Nation, stating that he believes Trump will ”run and win again in 2028.” Bannon also mentioned that he thought ”we’ll have a couple of alternatives” when it comes to figuring out how Trump could pursue a third term, despite the two-term limit on the presidency.
This raises some serious questions about the future of presidential term limits and whether the system might be in for a major change. Could we see a push for constitutional amendments or workarounds to allow Trump or future presidents to serve beyond two terms? Share your thoughts — should the two-term rule stand, or is it time for a change?