US President Donald Trump indicators an government order alongside US singer Child Rock within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2025. Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump could also be publicly musing about serving a 3rd time period within the White Home however the twenty second Modification to the US Structure makes such a state of affairs extremely unlikely.
Trump, 78, stated Sunday he was “not joking” about serving a 3rd time period as president and instructed NBC Information there are “strategies” that may enable it to occur.
Most constitutional students disagree.
And any critical effort to amend the founding doc — which as presently written bars a president from serving a 3rd time period — would ship the nation into uncharted territory.
Presidential historical past
America’s first president, George Washington, set a precedent by stepping down after serving two phrases in workplace however the two-term presidential restrict was solely formally codified greater than 150 years later.
READ: Trump doable third time period as president? He says he’s ‘not joking’
Just one US president — Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt — has served greater than two phrases within the White Home.
Roosevelt was elected president 4 occasions — in 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944. His fourth time period ended prematurely along with his April 12, 1945 loss of life at age 63.
Different former commanders in chief, notably Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, have sought a 3rd time period in workplace however didn’t win the nomination or re-election.
Trump is barely the second president to win a nonconsecutive time period in workplace, having gained in 2016, misplaced in 2020, and gained once more in 2024.
READ: Trump says he’s contemplating methods to serve a 3rd time period as president
The primary was Grover Cleveland, who gained in 1884, misplaced in 1888, and gained in 1892.
twenty second Modification
The twenty second Modification limiting a president to 2 phrases in workplace was handed in 1947 — two years after Roosevelt’s loss of life — by two-thirds of the Home of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate.
It was ratified by three-quarters of the 50 US state legislatures in 1951.
The textual content states: “No individual shall be elected to the workplace of the President greater than twice.”
It additionally bars a president who has served greater than two years “of a time period to which another individual was elected President” from being elected once more greater than as soon as.
– Longshot decision –
Throughout his presidential marketing campaign and since taking workplace, Trump has jokingly speculated on a number of events about serving a 3rd time period.
However his remarks over the weekend have been his most detailed but in regards to the chance and have been punctuated by the phrase “I’m not joking.”
“Lots of people need me to do it,” the Republican president stated.
Trump was requested by NBC of a state of affairs whereby Vice President JD Vance would run for president in 2028 after which “go the baton” to Trump as his working mate.
“Nicely, that’s one. However there are others too,” Trump stated, with out elaborating.
The twelfth Modification would appear to bar the door on that, nonetheless.
“No individual constitutionally ineligible to the workplace of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the US,” it states.
In January, Republican lawmaker Andy Ogles of Tennessee launched a protracted shot decision within the Home tailor-made to Trump that may enable a president who served nonconsecutive phrases to serve a 3rd time period.
A constitutional conference may be convened to amend the US Structure, however that’s thought of equally unlikely.
At 82 years and 7 months previous, Trump will already be the oldest president ever on the finish of his second time period in January 2029.
Democrat Joe Biden was 82 years and two months previous when he left workplace in January.
Regardless of the obvious difficulties of overcoming the constitutional two-term restrict, punters have taken word of Trump’s feedback, and his odds of profitable the 2028 presidential race have jumped.
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In keeping with offshore bookmaker BetOnline.ag, the percentages of Trump securing a 3rd time period improved to 6 to 1, up from 10 to 1 earlier, rating him in second place behind present Vice President JD Vance amongst those that might win the election.