Trump Mulls Third Term, Challenges Constitutional Limits

President Donald Trump is contemplating how he might secure a third term, despite the constitutional constraints that stand in his way. By the conclusion of a second term, the 47th president will be 82 years old, looking to 2029 for potential political maneuvers.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On Sunday, President Trump expressed his intent about pursuing a third term with a serious tone, arguably his most direct acknowledgment yet of seeking to navigate around constitutional boundaries that restrict him from continuing beyond the early months of 2029.

“There are ways you could approach it,” Trump remarked during an NBC News phone interview, yet also acknowledged “it is premature to consider it.”

The 22nd Amendment, introduced into the Constitution in 1951 following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four terms, clearly restricts anyone from being elected to the presidency more than twice.

In a conversation with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump was questioned if he would consider having Vice President JD Vance ascend to the presidency as a method to “pass the baton” back to him.

Trump confirmed this as a possibility, “That’s one way. But there are alternatives as well.”

“Can you elaborate on another possibility?” Welker inquired during the early morning segment before Trump’s departure from his Mar-a-Lago estate to his nearby golf course.

“No,” was Trump’s succinct reply.

Vice President Vance’s office did not provide a comment to The Associated Press upon request.

Derek Muller, an election law scholar at Notre Dame, highlighted that the 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, clarifies that “no person constitutionally ineligible for the presidency shall be eligible for the vice presidency either.”

Muller concluded that if Trump is barred from the presidency per the 22nd Amendment, he equally cannot assume the role of vice president.

“There doesn’t appear to be any ‘trick’ to side-step presidential term limits,” Muller stated.

Embarking on a third term quest would demand significant endorsement from federal and state authorities, as well as the judiciary and the public.

Muller proposed that Trump’s talk of a third term might serve strategic purposes, projecting strength politically.

“A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every motive to dispel the notion that he’s a lame duck,” he added.

When asked if he envisions maintaining “the toughest job in the country” as an octogenarian, Trump’s response was simple.

“Well, I enjoy working,” the president affirmed.

Trump suggested that his popularity might persuade Americans to accept a third term. However, his claim of “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last century” was inaccurate.

According to Gallup, President George W. Bush achieved a 90% approval following the 9/11 attacks, and his father, President George H.W. Bush, reached 89% post-Gulf War success in 1991.

In contrast, Trump’s approval rating peaked at 47% during his second term according to Gallup, counter to his assertion of polling “in the high 70s in genuine surveys.”

Trump has previously jested about extending his tenure beyond two terms, typically in amiable settings.

“Can I run again?” he once asked at a Republican House retreat in January.