Former President Donald Trump on Sunday did not rule out the possibility of seeking a third term in the White House, despite the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution prohibiting it. He suggested that “there are methods” to achieve this and emphasized that he was “not joking.”
“A lot of people want me to do it. But … my thinking is, we have a long way to go. I’m focused on the current,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker.
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
When asked whether strategies exist to circumvent the amendment, Trump responded, “There are methods which you could do it.” Welker referenced a scenario in which Vice President JD Vance might run in 2028 and then “pass the baton” back to Trump. “Well, that’s one. But there are others too,” Trump replied, declining to elaborate.
Trump has previously hinted at a third term but reiterated on Sunday that he was “not joking” about the possibility. “I’m not joking,” he told Welker, though he added, “It is far too early to think about it.”
He has made similar remarks in the past, including at a Nevada rally in January, where he said, “It will be the greatest honor of my life to serve, not once but twice or three times or four times,” before later clarifying, “No, it will be to serve twice. For the next four years, I will not rest.”
Weeks later, at a Black History Month event at the White House, Trump asked supporters if he should run again, prompting chants of “Four more years!”
Steve Bannon, a key Trump ally, has argued that Trump remains eligible since the amendment does not explicitly require terms to be consecutive.
Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, has introduced legislation aimed at amending the 22nd Amendment to allow a president who serves nonconsecutive terms to seek a third four-year term. The proposed revision would exclude two-term former presidents such as Barack Obama from running again.
Changing or repealing the 22nd Amendment would require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate, followed by ratification from three-quarters of U.S. states. The only president to serve more than two terms was Franklin D. Roosevelt. The amendment was enacted in response to Roosevelt’s unprecedented four-term presidency and was ratified in 1951.
“It’s illegal. He has no chance. That’s all there is to say,” Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s law school, told CNN last month.
If Trump completes a second term in January 2029, he would be the oldest person ever to hold the presidency at 82 years and 7 months old, surpassing Joe Biden, who was 82 years and 2 months old when he left office.
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