Donald Trump Tells House Republicans He Won’t Seek a Third Term Unless They ‘Figure’ Out a Way to Allow It
Trump has thrown out the idea of a third White House term before, despite an amendment to the Constitution that established term limits for presidents
President-elect Donald Trump told House Republicans that he won’t seek a third term as president — unless they find a way to make it possible.
“I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you say, ‘he’s so good, we’ve got to figure something else,’ ” Trump said while addressing the House Republican Conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The crowd chuckled in response to his remark.
According to the22nd Amendmentto the Constitution, no president can serve three full terms. A person can only be elected president twice and cannot serve more than 10 years total, meaning a vice president-turned-president could seek two additional terms if their initial presidency lasted less than two years.
Trump has mentioned a three-term presidency before. At the National Rifle Association convention in May 2024, the former president referenced the last head of state to serve more than two terms.
“You know, FDR, 16 years — almost 16 years. He was four-term,” Trump said. “I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term or two-term? You tell me.”
The 22nd Amendment was passed in 1947 and ratified in 1951, after Roosevelt’s four-term presidency.
Just before casting his ballot for himself on Nov. 5, the president-elect told reporters outside Mar-a-Lago that his 2024 campaign would likely be his last, The New York Timesreported.
Trump is the oldest president to be elected in United States history. Joe Biden, who is just three years older, holds the record for the oldest sitting president, but Trump is set to surpass him by the end of his upcoming term.
The president-elect will become the 47th U.S. president on Jan. 20, 2025.
