US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that he is “not allowed” to seek a third term in office, despite enjoying his “highest poll numbers” yet.
“I have my highest poll numbers that I’ve ever had, and you know, based on what I read, I guess I’m not allowed to run, so we’ll see what happens… It’s too bad,” Trump said, before adding, “…But we have a lot of great people.”
The president made similar remarks earlier in the week during his trip to Japan, saying, “I would love to do it,” when asked if he would consider another run for the White House.
Trump praised members of his Republican Party, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who was travelling with him — and Vice President JD Vance, who met with senators at the Capitol on Tuesday. “All I can tell you is we have a great group of people,” he said.
When pressed if he was definitively ruling out a third-term bid, Trump avoided a direct answer. Asked whether he might attempt a workaround by running as vice president — a move technically permitted under US law — Trump dismissed the suggestion as “too cute.”
“You’d be allowed to do that, but I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “The people wouldn’t like that, it’s too cute, it wouldn’t be right.”
What the US Constitution says
Under the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” The amendment, ratified in 1951, was introduced after Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only president to serve more than two terms.
Wayne Unger, a constitutional law professor at Quinnipiac University, said the legal limit was unambiguous. “I would predict the Supreme Court to say nope, it’s clear, two terms of four years each, Donald Trump, you cannot run for a third,” Unger said.
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