US President-elect Donald Trump, who scored a landslide victory in the general polls leading to his return to the White House, on Wednesday said that he could be open to a third term in office.
According to AFP, Trump made the remarks before the House Republicans ahead of the start of his second term.
“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we got to figure something else,” AFP quoted Trump as saying in a downtown Washington hotel, drawing some chuckles from his supporters.
Ever since Trump secured a return to the Oval Office, a significant point in American political history, doubts and questions about the possibility of him running for a third term in 2028 have emerged.
Does the law allow Trump to run for the third time?
The United States Constitution states that no person can be elected to the Oval Office for more than two terms. So, legally, Donald Trump cannot run for the presidency again.
This legislation came into existence after the 22nd Amendment, which was ratified in 1951 after Franklin D Roosevelt completed unprecedented four terms as US President.
This amendment explicitly states that no individual may be elected to the presidency more than twice.
Additionally, anyone who has served more than two years of a predecessor’s term is restricted from being elected more than once.
Thus, while Trump may be seeking a second term in 2025, the law states cannot pursue a third term. However, there is an exception.
How can Trump aim for the presidency a third time?
Despite the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment, the piece of legislation can technically be repealed. However, this would be a lengthy process.
For Trump to reclaim the White House for a third time as he has suggested today, a new amendment will have to be passed and approved by both the US House and Senate with two-thirds majorities, followed by ratification from three-fourths of the 50 states.
This process requires a lot of time and bipartisan support from both Democrats and Republicans, which given the current political landscape seems quite unlikely.
Given the challenges in the process of such an amendment, it remains highly improbable that the two-term limit will be lifted anytime soon. Consequently, Trump’s 2025-2029 term is likely to be his last in the White House.
