US President Donald Trump has asserted that his intention to govern for a third term is “no joke,” something expressly vetoed by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, and stressed that “there are ways” that would make re-election possible.
“A lot of people want me to do it, but I tell them there’s still a long way to go, we’re very short in office. I’m focused on what’s here,” he explained Sunday morning in a telephone interview with NBC.
Asked if he would like to serve another term, Trump replied, “I like to work.” “It’s no joke, but I’m not… It’s too soon to think about that,” he added.
The next question was whether he had been presented with plans to allow him to serve a third term. “There are ways that could be done,” he explained.
One of the possibilities being considered is for his vice president, JD Vance, to run for office and then cede the presidency to Trump. “That’s one” method, he responded when this option was raised during the interview, “but there are others,” he argued. When asked if he could explain what any of those other methods would be, he responded with a blunt “no.”
In any case, Trump referred to his positive poll results and that “many people would like me to do it,” referring to a third term.
A constitutional amendment to abolish term limits would be very difficult, as it would require a two-thirds majority in Congress or two-thirds of the states to call for a constitutional convention to propose the change. In either case, ratification by three-quarters of the states would subsequently be necessary.
This isn’t the first time Trump has speculated about a third term, but until now other Republican leaders have dismissed this stance as a joke or a gag to provoke his political rivals.
On February 19, the White House itself published an image of a smiling Trump wearing a royal crown with New York City in the background, mimicking a magazine cover, with the headline “Long Live the King.”
