POLITICS
Can Donald Trump serve a third term as U.S. president?
April 1, 2025 - Donald Trump says he is “not joking” about seeking a third term as U.S. president, while some of his supporters speculate on possible ways to bypass the Constitution’s two-term limit.
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The U.S. Constitution says that “No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice”, but some Trump supporters have suggested there could be ways around that.
They argue that the 22nd Amendment only explicitly bans someone being “elected” to more than two presidential terms – and says nothing of “succession”.
In an interview with NBC, Trump said one possibility would be for his vice president, JD Vance, to run for president in 2028 with Trump as his vice presidential candidate.
Vance would then resign as president if he wins, paving the way for Trump to return to the White House.
Prior to Franklin D. Roosevelt, no president had served more than two terms – a tradition started by George Washington and respected for more than 150 years.
But Roosevelt was elected four times. In response, legislators moved to pass the 22nd Amendment in 1951. The goal was to codify the two-term tradition and prevent any future president from holding office for more than two terms.