Donald Trump has recently talked about the idea of running for president a third time, even though the U.S. Constitution clearly says a person can only be elected president twice. Normally, this would make a third run impossible, but Trump hinted that there might be a way around the rules.
After becoming president again in January for his second term, Trump spoke about a so-called “loophole” that might let him run again. The 22nd Amendment, which was added to the Constitution after Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms, clearly states that no one can be elected president more than twice. However, Trump said he wasn’t joking about his interest in running again and suggested there are “methods” to get around the law.
During a phone interview with NBC News, Trump mentioned these methods but didn’t go into details. Later, when TIME Magazine asked him directly how he could run again, he replied that he preferred not to discuss it for now. He admitted that there are some well-known loopholes but added that he personally doesn’t believe in using them.
One possible interpretation of the loophole comes from U.S. Representative Andy Ogles. Ogles suggested that the law could be understood differently: that a person cannot be elected more than twice *consecutively* but could run again if their terms were not back-to-back. Because Trump had time between his first presidency and his return to office, some argue he might still qualify to run again for a second consecutive term.
Despite the legal talk, it’s not clear if the public actually wants Trump to run again. His approval ratings have recently dropped, with only 40 percent of people surveyed by Pew Research Center saying they approve of his performance — a noticeable drop from earlier in the year.
Even with the talk of loopholes, Trump would still need a path to pull it off. One idea that’s been mentioned is that if Vice President J.D. Vance were elected president in 2028 with Trump as his running mate, and then Vance resigned, Trump could possibly take over.
When asked about all the speculation, Trump said he’s getting a lot of encouragement from people asking him to run again, but he didn’t commit to anything yet. He simply said he’s focused on doing a good job.
Interestingly, Trump’s view on this has changed over time. In the past, when asked if he would ever try to challenge the two-term limit, he said he planned to serve one term, do a great job, and then leave. But now, he says he’s serving two terms and that the main difference is that more people are asking him to stay because they like how he’s handling the country.
So, while Trump hasn’t officially announced plans for a third run, he’s definitely keeping the door open and hinting that he might find a way if he really wanted to.
