President Donald Trump has caused a stir by discussing the possibility of serving a third term as president, despite the constitutional limit of two terms. In an interview on March 29, 2025, Trump stated, “I’m not joking” about considering ways to remain in office beyond his second term, which ends in 2029.
Trump’s Comments on a Third Term
Trump discussed his idea of a third term during a phone interview with NBC News from his private club in Mar-a-Lago. When asked if he was serious, Trump said, “There are methods which you could do it,” suggesting that there might be ways around the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms.
Trump later elaborated on Air Force One while traveling back to Washington, saying he had been asked by many people about a third term, calling it “a fourth term” because he believes the 2020 election was “totally rigged” — a claim that has been widely discredited.
Despite these remarks, Trump added, “I don’t want to talk about a third term now because no matter how you look at it, we’ve got a long time to go.”
The Legal Barrier: The 22nd Amendment
The 22nd Amendment, added in 1951 after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times, says that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” This constitutional rule makes Trump’s suggestion legally complicated, with constitutional law experts like Jeremy Paul of Northeastern University pointing out that there are no credible legal arguments for a third term.
A Third Term Would Require Extraordinary Measures
Even if Trump were to pursue a third term, it would require significant cooperation from federal and state officials, as well as the courts and voters. Derek Muller, a Notre Dame election law professor, stated, “I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits.”
Trump’s comments may be more about political posturing than a serious attempt to breach the constitutional limit, as Muller suggested that a lame-duck president like Trump has every incentive to appear as if he still has power.
Support and Criticism
Despite the controversy, Trump has support from some of his followers. Steve Bannon, a former Trump strategist, has urged the president to run again, stating at the Conservative Political Action Conference that “We want Trump in ‘28.”
On the other hand, critics, including Rep. Daniel Goldman, a New York Democrat, have raised concerns about Trump’s ambitions, calling them a threat to democracy.
Trump’s Popularity and the 2024 Election
Trump also claimed that his popularity would help him secure a third term, boasting of having “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years”. However, Gallup data shows that Trump’s approval ratings have never reached more than 47% during his second term, far below the 90% approval ratings reached by George W. Bush after 9/11.
Trump has hinted at serving longer than two terms before, often in a joking manner during speeches to Republican audiences.
Trump, who would be 82 years old at the end of his second term, was asked if he would still want to serve as president at that age. He responded, “Well, I like working.”
Trump’s remarks have raised questions about his future plans and whether he will continue pushing his political agenda as his second term nears its end.