Former President Donald Trump has recently fueled speculation about the possibility of a third term. He has mused publicly about how he would like to serve past the two terms set by the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution seems to forbid anyone from serving as president more than twice, Trump is still thinking about running again. He even engages with the question of this happening with his supporters.
During recent rallies, Trump has joked about running for a third term and has teased his followers with “Trump 2028” merchandise. He understands the constitutional hurdles that exist. Against all odds, he has proposed finding a workaround — one many constitutional scholars believe would be stillborn with his approach.
The Constitutional Barrier
The 22nd Amendment explicitly prohibits any person from being elected president for over two terms. Trump’s hopes for a third act now seem even more improbable. Unfortunately for him, he’s barred from running for vice-president in the next 2028 election since he has already served two full terms as president. Many of his devoted backers have suggested outlandishly inventive ways to work around this ban. They advocate even more nonsensically that Trump should run as vice-president under another candidate who’d somehow resign during his first week in office.
This is due in large part to Steve Bannon—President Trump’s most influential ally and pro-Trump commentator—who has stoked these fires. He alluded to some form of plan to sidestep the 22nd Amendment and took credit for coming up with that plan’s inception. The vast majority of constitutional scholars reject these proposals as wildly unconstitutional.
Supporters and Allies Weigh In
In spite of these legal limitations, many of Trump’s fans are convinced that he might somehow claw his way back into the presidency. Bannon stated, “Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that.” He assured them that “in due course, we’re going to present what the plan will be. But there is a plan.”
Trump’s journey back has been anything but determined. He’s made it very clear that he will not be running for vice president. He stated, “Yeah, I would rule that out because it’s too cute. I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It’s not — it wouldn’t be right.”
A Mixed Message
When confronted about his intentions regarding a third term, Trump responded enigmatically: “Am I not ruling it out? I mean you’ll have to tell me.” This uncertainty has had the effect of keeping most of his supporters optimistic while causing several political pundits to scratch their heads.
Trump has made the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028 his own personal playground. In the same clip, he called JD Vance and Marco Rubio great guys. Despite this, he walks all over these successes to promote his own ambitions. In response, he said without a flicker of uncertainty, “I wouldn’t be permitted to doing that,” if asked about running for a fourth term.
