President Donald Trump said Sunday he is “not joking” about serving a third term—despite the Constitution’s term limits.
Trump told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on Sunday that there were “methods” to circumvent the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which limits presidents to two terms, adding that “a lot of people would like me” to serve for another term.
“I’m not joking. I’m not joking,” he said. “But ... it is far too early to think about it.”
Since assuming office in January, Trump has publicly mused about running for president again, and longtime adviser Steve Bannon has said he is exploring “alternatives” to allow Trump to do so.
“A lot of people want me to do it,“ Trump told Welker. “But we have—my thinking is, we have a long way to go. I’m focused on the current.”
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was adopted in 1951 after former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt served an unprecedented four terms over the course of World War II. To change the Constitution, two-thirds of Congress must pass a proposal or two-thirds of states must agree to call a constitutional convention. Three-fourths of states, or 38, must then sign off on the change.
Trump told Welker he agreed with her hypothetical that Vice President JD Vance could run for office and cede the job to Trump thereafter.
“Well, that’s one,” he said. ”But there are others, too. There are others."
Welker interjected: “There are others? Can you tell me another?”
“No,” the president replied.
For the moment, though, he said he wanted to focus on his second term.
“I basically tell them, ‘We have a long way to go,‘” he said. “You know, it’s very early in the administration.”
Trump also told Welker he wouldn’t have a problem serving a third term.
“Would you want to serve a third term, Sir?” Welker asked. “It’s a lot of work. President is the toughest job there is. It’s the toughest job in the country. You think you have—“
“Well, I like working,” Trump said. “Unlike Sleepy Joe, unlike Sleepy Joe.”
Trump also said it was premature to wonder whether he’d pass the baton to Vance for 2028.
“It’s too early to even think about it,” he said.
Trump ally Bannon has indicated he is considering ways to allow Trump to remain in office.
“We’re working on it,” Bannon told NewsNation on March 19. “I think we’ll have, I think we’ll have a couple of alternatives. Let’s say that. We’ll see, we’ll see, we’ll see what the definition of term limit is.”
Three days into Trump’s second term, Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennesee, proposed a bill to amend the Constitution to allow a president to serve up to three terms—unless they’ve already served two consecutive terms. Ogles said the amendment was necessary to “sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”
