Trump eyes a third term, quips he would 'love' to run against this Democrat

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends in early 2029

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) expressed that he would like to compete against former President and Democrat Barack Obama, if he were to contest for a third time in office.

 

Trump made these remarks while he was signing an executive order on ticket scalping. Last week, Trump said that he is ‘not joking’ about trying to serve a third term, a clear indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends in early 2029, an AP report noted.

 

The 22nd constitutional amendment in the US Constitution prohibits more than two terms to a president in office. It says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” The 22nd Amendment was added to the Constitution after President Franklin D Roosevelt was elected as the president four times.

 

 

Speaking to Fox News about his plans to run for a third term, Trump noted, “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 added that he has not looked into the legal avenues of running for a potential third term, further stating that he has nearly four years of his term left and is currently focused on doing a “fantastic job”.

 

Can Trump run for a third term?

According to a report by NBC News, Trump said he is not joking about serving a third term and that there are ways to make it possible. 

While the 22nd Amendment limits the number of terms a person can run for the presidency, there is an exception. According to the US Constitution, a candidate who has served less than two years of a term to which someone else was elected (for example, a vice-president who became president due to death or resignation) may run for two full terms.

 

Another way under which a president can run for a third term is if the 22nd Amendment is repealed by a constitutional amendment. However, repealing the 22nd Amendment would require a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.