Trump concedes he can’t run for a third term
US President Donald Trump conceded the constitutional reality, saying it was “too bad” he wasn’t allowed to run for a third term, despite expressing interest in continuing to serve.
“If you read it, it’s pretty obvious,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea. “I’m not allowed to escape. This is too bad.”
The president’s comments, which continued his off-again thoughts about a third term, came a day after House Speaker Mike Johnson said it would be impossible for Trump to remain in the White House.
“I don’t see a way around this,” he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
Republican leader Johnson, who built his career by getting close to Trump, said he discussed the issue with the president.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution does not allow for a third presidential term, the speaker explained, and replacing it with a new amendment would be a cumbersome, decade-long process of winning over states and votes in Congress.
Trump’s explanation for the third-term ban was a little less definitive.
“Based on what I’ve read, I think I’m not allowed to run,” he said Wednesday. “Then we’ll see what happens.”
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of trying to stay in power. Hats reading “Trump 2028” are being distributed as souvenirs to lawmakers and others visiting the White House, and Stephen Bannon, Trump’s former 2016 campaign manager and podcaster, has revived the idea of a third Trump term.
“I would love to do that,” Trump told reporters Monday aboard Air Force One during a trip to Japan.
He said the Republican Party has great options for the next presidential election, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who traveled with him, and Vice President J.D. Vance, who visited the Capitol with senators on Tuesday.
Trump demurred when asked whether he had rejected a third-term bid. When asked about a strategy in which he could serve as vice president, which is permissible by law, and then run for office himself, he dismissed the idea as “too sweet.”
“You would be allowed to do that, but I wouldn’t do that,” he said.
This rambling conversation comes as Trump shows how far he can take the presidency; this includes sending National Guard troops into cities over the objections of several state governors and accepting untold millions in private donations to pay the military and fund the new White House ballroom.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who quickly rose to become House speaker with Trump’s approval, described concerns about a potential third term as “trolling Democrats.”
