NewStats: 3,261,916 , 8,175,546 topics. Date: Saturday, 31 May 2025 at 02:54 AM 52335i

Donald Trump has said he is "not joking" about wanting to serve a third term as US president.

The US Constitution says that "no person... shall be elected more than twice", but some Trump ers have suggested there could be ways around that.

Why is Trump talking about a third term?

Trump was asked in an interview with NBC about the possibility of seeking a third term and said "there are methods which you could do it".

"I'm not joking... a lot of people want me to do it," he added. "But, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the istration."

Trump, who would be 82 at the end of his second term, was asked whether he would want to keep serving in "the toughest job in the country".

"Well, I like working," he replied.

These were not his first comments on the topic. In January, he told ers that it would be "the greatest honour of my life to serve not once, but twice or three times or four times". However, he then said this was a joke for the "fake news media".

What does the US Constitution say?

On the face of it, the US Constitution seems to rule out anyone having a third term. The 22nd Amendment states:

"No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once."

Changing the constitution would require a two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval from three-quarters of the country's state-level governments.

Trump's Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress but does not have the majorities needed. Additionally, the Democratic Party controls 18 of the 50 state legislatures.

How could Trump be president for a third term?

Trump ers say there is a loophole in the constitution, untested in court.

They argue that the 22nd Amendment only explicitly bans someone being "elected" to more than two presidential - and says nothing of "succession".

Under this theory, Trump could be the vice-presidential running-mate to another candidate - perhaps his own vice-president, JD Vance - in the 2028 election.

If they win, the candidate could be sworn into the White House and then immediately resign - letting Trump take over by succession.

Steve Bannon, the podcaster and prominent former Trump adviser, said he believed Trump would "run and win again", adding there were "a couple of alternatives" in determining how.

Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican in the House of Representatives, introduced a resolution in January calling for a constitutional amendment to allow a president to serve up to three - as long as they were not consecutive.

This would mean that only Trump of all former surviving presidents would be eligible - Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush all served consecutive , whereas Trump won in 2016, lost in 2020, and won again in 2024.

However, the high bar for constitutional amendments makes Ogles' proposal a pipe dream - although it got people talking.

Who opposes a Trump third term?

Democrats have deep objections.

"This is yet another escalation in his clear effort to take over the government and dismantle our democracy," said Daniel Goldman, a New York Representative who served as lead counsel for Trump's first impeachment.

"If Congressional Republicans believe in the Constitution, they will go on the record opposing Trump's ambitions for a third term."

Some within Trump's party also think it's a bad idea.

The Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma, said in February he would not back an attempt to put Trump back in the White House.

"I'm not changing the constitution, first of all, unless the American people chose to do that," Mullin told NBC.

What do legal experts say?

Derek Muller, an election law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the Constitution's 12th Amendment says "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to [quote]that of vice-president of the United States".

That means serving two in office disqualifies anyone from running as a vice-presidential candidate, in his view.

"I don't think there's any 'one weird trick' to getting around presidential term limits," he said.

Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston's Northeastern University, told CBS New there were "no credible legal arguments" for a third term.

Has anyone served more than two ?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected four times. He died three months into his fourth term, in April 1945.

The Great Depression and the Second World War coloured Roosevelt's time in office - and are often cited for his extended presidency.

At that time, the two-term limit on US presidents had not been written into law - it was instead a custom followed since George Washington refused a third term in 1796.

Roos0evelt's extended stewardship led to the tradition being codified into law in the 22nd Amendment in 1951.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx20lwedn23o

Let him complete his reelection first

Someone that's yet to use a year in his reelection that some Americans are already fed up

Trump is like a greedy black man in a white skin.

helinues:
Let him complete his reelection first

Someone that's yet to use a year in his reelection that some Americans are already fed up

He might not even finish his first term. I regretted ing this guy. He used anti lgbtq to garner . We didn't know he such a fellow

godliman:

He might not even finish his first term. I regretted ing this guy. He used anti lgbtq to garner . We didn't know he such a fellow

People don't understand why I stayed out of the election even though I knew Trump would win. The way I would have been dragged about this news heh

The policies of both Democrats and Republicans are sometimes not making any sense

Trump is dreaming. He's fantasizing.

Even our country with a weaker institution stopped Obasanjo from achieving his 3rd term ambition talk less of a nation like the US. It won't even fly with his Republican party.

The same OBJ the Agulu fraud and his mumudients are forced to deceptively love

helinues:


People don't understand why I stayed out of the election even though I knew Trip would win. The way I would have been dragged about this new heh

The policies of both Democrats and Republicans are sometimes not making any sense

Like which policy of the democrats?

Daddy please finish up the one you have at hand let see how far.

This man has disappointed many of his ers... Others are still fanatical about him.

CLOWN. I HOPE HIS ERS ARE ENJOYING HIS FOOLISHNESS.

Don't count your chicks 🐤 before they hatch...

You might not survive this term.

The village idiot is not different from what we have here
Like OBJ/Paul Biya like the village idiot

ImpartialGuy:
Trump is like a greedy black man in a white skin.

Leave that matter.
He has been nursing it and All the Americans are aware,as he even spoke it slowly in one of his Campaign meme,then.
I don't blame this man,but for he had told them his Agenda through his footsoldiers MAGA AND PROJECT 2025 by Right Wing elements.
But trust the Great American People- they will Checkmate him.

.Never

Tales by moonlight

Why not? He is leading drug addicts and sex confused vagabonds. The other time he lost an election, his drug addicted followers invaded their National Assembly and destroyed their heritage, what else can’t happen in the evil infested country

Flangelo12:


Like which policy of the democrats?

Don’t mind them. Ask them to name the policy and the policy number.

Getting a third term is not workable for him

The very fact that this discussion is even being entertained in the first place shows that the society is cooked

The world needs to ignore Trump. He forgot that US is not Russia, Nigeria or all these 3rd world countries.

helinues:
Let him complete his reelection first

Someone that's yet to use a year in his reelection that some Americans are already fed up

Typical Nigerian, giving opinion on an excellent country with a superb economy, you can't feed yourself properly and your people are starving but yes you know what Americans are fed up of? Joker

This is why you Nigerians will continue to suffer you have so many problems, insecurity, fulani are taking over your whole country while you dance on tiktok all your women have turned to prostitutes. Your country is dying but it is what Americans are fed up with you know?
Wagbe o!

Kingozymandias:

Typical Nigerian, giving opinion on an excellent country with a superb economy, you can't feed yourself properly and your people are starving but yes you know what Americans are fed up of? Joker

Stop talking nonsense early in the morning.

Express yourself without making tantrums your trademarks

Anything is possible

This is the type of news that social media e-rats like so they can sensationalize it

helinues:


Stop talking nonsense early in the morning.

Express yourself without making tantrums your trademarks

Typical illiterate. You can't understand a thing I wrote.

You must be a babatunde or an emeka.
Ozuor

ImpartialGuy:
Trump is like a greedy black man in a white skin.

What's "black" about greed?

Whites are the greediest lot in human history.

The whole world is suffering today due to the insatiable greed of the white man.

Jeezuzpick:


What's "black" about greed?

Whites are the greediest lot in human history.

The whole world is suffering today due to the insatiable greed of the white man.

You cannot win this argument. That your country is a mess today is because of your greedy leaders. That's the same story in most African countries

godliman:

He might not even finish his first term. I regretted ing this guy. He used anti lgbtq to garner . We didn't know he such a fellow

Really?

After 4 years as president?

It's just like Tinubu, after having Lagos is a chokehold since 1999 and saying he will continue where Buhari stopped, can we honestly say we are surprised at how he's doing?

Trump is now doing rubbish. If he pushes this he will be thoroughly embarrassed

Under this theory, Trump could be the vice-presidential running-mate to another candidate - perhaps his own vice-president, JD Vance - in the 2028 election.

If they win, the candidate could be sworn into the White House and then immediately resign - letting Trump take over by succession.

What a shallow way to reason 🤦🏿 Politicians and greed 🤦🏿