Trump floats 3rd term idea, suggests 'methods' to extend presidency
Trump Inaugural Parade at the Capital One Arena
President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance attend the inaugural parade with their families at the Capital One Arena.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - President Donald Trump said Sunday that "I’m not joking" about trying to serve a third term.
It's the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends in early 2029.
What they're saying:
"There are methods which you could do it," Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News.
He also said "it is far too early to think about it."
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How can Trump run for a third term?
NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Trump if one potential avenue to a third term was having Vice President JD Vance run for the top job and "then pass the baton to you."
"Well, that’s one," Trump responded. "But there are others too. There are others."
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United
"Can you tell me another?" Welker asked in the early morning interview, before Trump left his Mar-a-Lago resort to spend the day at his nearby golf course.
"No," Trump replied.
Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
What does the Constitution say?
Dig deeper:
The 22nd Amendment, added to the Constitution in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row, says "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."
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The other side:
Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804, says "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."
Muller said that indicates that if Trump is not eligible to run for president again because of the 22nd Amendment, he is not eligible to run for vice president, either.
"I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits," Muller said.
In addition, pursuing a third term would require extraordinary acquiescence by federal and state officials, not to mention the courts and voters themselves.
He suggested that Trump is talking about a third term for political reasons to "show as much strength as possible."
"A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every incentive in the world to make it seem like he’s not a lame duck," he said.
Trump, who would be 82 at the end of his second term, was asked whether he would want to keep serving in "the toughest job in the country" at that point.
"Well, I like working," the president said.
He suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity. He falsely claimed to have "the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years."
Why you should care:
Gallup data shows President George W. Bush reaching a 90% approval rating after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. His father, President George H.W. Bush, hit 89% following the Gulf War in 1991.
Trump has maxed out at 47% in Gallup data during his second term, despite claiming to be "in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls."
Trump has mused before about serving longer than two terms before, generally with jokes to friendly audiences.
"Am I allowed to run again?" he said during a House Republican retreat in January.
Representatives for the congressional leadership — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the AP.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a telephone interview Donald Trump gave to NBC News, where he discussed the possibility of serving a third term. This story was reported from Los Angeles.