Since winning his second term, President Donald Trump keeps floating the idea of a third term, despite the constitutional limits set by the 22nd Amendment.
Prediction: After another 4 years of Trump, the public will have had more than enough of him. He’d have no chance of winning even if he could run.
While some view Trump’s messages as a joke, others believe it is a strategy to maintain influence and control within the Republican Party.
Repeated Mentions
- Las Vegas Rally – At a rally in Las Vegas, Trump quipped about serving “not once, but twice or three times or four times,” before retracting and saying he would serve twice.
- Prayer Breakfast Remarks – Trump mentioned at a National Prayer Breakfast that “they say I can’t run again.”
- House Republicans – Trump has also alluded to the possibility of a third term in speeches to House Republicans.
And let’s not forget that Trump will be 82 at the conclusion of his term.
Some allies are pushing for a constitutional amendment to repeal the 22nd Amendment, though the chances of this occurring are slim. In fact, Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a resolution to allow presidents who have served two non-consecutive terms to run again.
According to Politico, Trump could run for vice president and then assume the presidency, or he might run for president again, hoping a supportive Supreme Court would not intervene.
Fact: Wrong. Trump couldn’t run for vice president because vice presidential candidates must be eligible for the presidency and Trump, after serving two terms, would be ineligible.
Opinion: Trump is already sending subliminal messages that are, after four years, supposed to set the expectation for a third term. Keep in mind that he, despite winning, insisted the 2016 election was rigged thereby laying groundwork for falsely insisting he lost the 2020 election due to fraud. Immediately after he was sworn in he told the media that Democrats would try to steal the 2020 election. And, nearly four years later, he convinced almost 40 percent of Americans there was illegal activity in the election despite not having a shred of evidence.
By floating a third term, Trump is wisely planting another seed, hoping a third term will be more of an expectation among Americans than a surprise.