Washington — President Trump has suggested in a handful of appearances in recent months and years that he’s looking at ways to run again for president, though the Constitution limits any person to being elected to the office twice. But in his latest comments on the issue, the president downplayed talk of a third term.
The president told NBC News in an interview that aired on May 4 that “I’ll be a two-term president.”
The comments came after he told NBC in March that he was “not joking” about seeking another term in office, after repeatedly publicly musing about the possibility. He also said at the time that despite the constitutional limitations, “there are methods which you could do it.”
Trump supporters like former strategist Steve Bannon have called on the president to run again, and Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, introduced a resolution earlier this year to amend the Constitution to allow Mr. Trump to be elected to another term. Senate Majority Leader John Thune also said of Mr. Trump’s prospects of serving a third term, “not without a change in the Constitution.” He told reporters, “I think that you guys keep asking the question and … I think he is having some fun with it, probably messing with you.”
Experts say changing the Constitution is extremely unlikely. Election law scholars raised the possibility that talk of a third term, whatever its likelihood, may function as a show of strength to try to stave off the perception that Mr. Trump is a lame-duck president.
Here’s a timeline of Mr. Trump’s comments on a third term:
“We’re probably entitled to another four after that”
Mr. Trump flirted with additional time in office beyond two terms when he sought reelection in 2020. During a rally in Minden, Nevada, the president predicted he would win four more years in the White House, and even suggested that he could go on to another term after his second.
“We’re going to win four more years in the White House. And then after that, we’ll negotiate, right?” Mr. Trump said. “Because we’re probably, based on the way we were treated, we’re probably entitled to another four after that.”
“Am I allowed to run again?”
Shortly after returning to office, Mr. Trump again made reference to another term at a rally in Las Vegas on Jan. 25.
“It will be the greatest honor of my life to serve, not once but twice — or three times or four times,” Mr. Trump quipped to applause from the crowd, before adding that “no, it will be to serve twice.”
Then on Jan. 27, Mr. Trump joked to Republican lawmakers about a third term. Speaking before the House GOP conference in Florida, Mr. Trump touted the money he’d raised for another race that he said “I assume I can’t use for myself.”
“But I’m not 100% sure because, I don’t know,” the president continued, to laughter from House Republicans. “I think I’m not allowed to run again. I’m not sure. Am I allowed to run again?”
“Should I run again? You tell me.”
At the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 6, Mr. Trump said, “They say I can’t run again — that’s the expression.”
“Then somebody said, ‘I don’t think you can.’ Oh,” the president added.
On Feb. 20, the president again joked about an additional term at a White House event to mark Black History Month, as he celebrated the support he saw from Black Americans in the 2024 election.
“Should I run again? You tell me,” Mr. Trump said, as supporters chanted, “four more years!”
“There are methods”
In an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on March 30, Mr. Trump said, “I’m not joking” about serving a third term, and for the first time mentioned an awareness of potential paths.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Mr. Trump said in a phone interview, adding that “it is far too early to think about it.”
The president pointed to his favorability rating and suggested that Americans would like him to serve a third term. Mr. Trump told Welker, “I have had more people say, ‘please run again,'” while noting “we have a long way to go before we even think about that.” On Air Force One Sunday night, he spoke with reporters and briefly addressed questions about a third term and reiterated that it’s still a distant consideration.
“No matter how you look at it, we’ve got a long time to go. We have a long time. You know, we have almost four years to go,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “But despite that, so many people are saying, ‘you’ve got to run again.’ They love the job.”
While speaking to reporters on Monday in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump denied that he has ever looked into running for another term.
“People are asking me to run,” he said. “There’s a whole story about running for a third term. I don’t know. I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it. But I don’t know about that. But I have not looked into it.”
Mr. Trump was also asked whether it would open the door to Democrats running former President Barack Obama, who served two consecutive terms, against him.
“I’d love that,” Mr. Trump said. “That would be a good one. I’d like that.”
“I’ll be a two-term president”
In another interview with Welker conducted on May 2, Mr. Trump downplayed talk of seeking another term. The president said “so many people want me to do it,” saying he has “never had requests so strong as that.” But he added that “it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do.”
“This is not something I’m looking to do,” Mr. Trump said. “I’m looking to have four great years, and turn it over to somebody — ideally a great Republican, a great Republican — to carry it forward. But I think we’re going to have four years and I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular.”
Asked about moves by his allies to make another term possible, like by seeking a constitutional amendment, the president said “that’s because they like the job I’m doing, and it’s a compliment. It’s really a great compliment.”
“There are ways of doing it,” the president added, alluding to a possible write-in vote or move to elect Vice President JD Vance and have him turn the power over to Mr. Trump. But the president said he’s “not looking at that” and hasn’t had official meetings about possible avenues.
“I’ll be an eight-year president,” Mr. Trump said. “I’ll be a two-term president.”