Trump to be president for third term, inner circle has a plan: Bannon

Steve Bannon, in his interview, stated that the United States needs Trump, adding that they had longer odds in 2016 and 2024 than they got in 2028

Steve Bannon, a former White House advisor to US President Donald Trump, claimed on Thursday (local time) that several members of Trump’s inner circle are serious about him serving a third term, adding that there is a “plan” to get it done. 

Bannon, who was Trump’s former strategist during his first term and a loyal supporter of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, made these remarks in an interview with The Economist.

 

“He’s gonna get a third term. Trump is gonna be president in ’28, and people just sort of [need to] get accommodated with that,” he added. When asked about the 22nd Amendment, which prevents candidates from being “elected to the office of the President more than twice,” Bannon said there are many “different alternatives.” Without elaborating further, he said that at an appropriate time, they would lay out a plan.

Bannon backs third-term presidency for Trump

 

Bannon, in his interview, stated that the United States needs Trump, adding that they had longer odds in 2016 and 2024 than they got in 2028. He further added, “We have to finish what we started.”

 

Calling Trump a “vehicle of divine providence,” the MAGA loyalist said that even though Trump is imperfect and not particularly religious, he remains an instrument of divine will. “You could tell this by how he’s been able to pull this off,” Bannon said.

 

Continuing his praise for Trump, Bannon noted that the president has had to make several compromises in accommodating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing him as “nothing but a series of negotiations” and saying Trump is constantly making “trade-offs.”

Trump hints at ‘methods' to serve a third term

 

Earlier in March this year, just months after Trump came into office for his second term, he claimed that he is now eyeing a third term, despite constitutional limits.  ALSO READ | Trump eyes a third term, quips he would 'love' to run against this Democrat

  According to reports, Trump told Fox News, “People are asking me to run, and 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.” However, he clarified that he had not explored any legal avenues for a potential third run.

What does the US Constitution say?

 

The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution does not allow more than two terms for a president in office. It states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

 

The amendment was added after Franklin D Roosevelt was elected president four times. While the Constitution limits the number of terms a president may serve, it includes one exception.  ALSO READ | Donald Trump eyeing a third term as US President: Is it really possible?

 

Under the 22nd Amendment, a person who has completed less than two years of another president’s term—such as a vice-president assuming office after a resignation or death—is still eligible to contest two full presidential terms, allowing a maximum tenure of up to 10 years in office.

 

The only circumstance under which a president could legally seek a third term would be through the repeal of the 22nd Amendment. Repealing it would require a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, followed by ratification from three-fourths of state legislatures.