President Donald Trump again mentioned a third term as president, but a House resolution to allow it hasn’t advanced.
“I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself, but I’m not 100% sure because I think I’m not allowed to run again. I’m not sure. Am I allowed to run again?” Trump remarked to House Republicans at Trump National Doral, the president’s golf club and resort near Miami on Monday.
Republicans in the audience laughed.
Trump’s comments come days after a Tennessee lawmaker filed a proposal for a constitutional amendment that would allow presidents to serve for three terms.
U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said he introduced the measure with Trump in mind.
“President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years,” Ogles said. “He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.”
The resolution has not advanced at all in the chamber. Ogles’ proposal has no co-sponsors and it has no companion legislation in the Senate. The House assigned the proposal to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
The U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, set a two-term limit for the presidency. That amendment came after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944. Roosevelt died in 1945, months after being sworn in for his fourth term. He is the only president who served more than two terms.
Trump has mentioned a third term in the past. In November, Trump told House Republicans: “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something.”
However, the president has also said he wouldn’t challenge the 22nd Amendment.
“I wouldn’t be in favor of a challenge. Not for me. I wouldn’t be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. And I want to bring our country back. I want to put it back on the right track,” Trump told Time magazine in April 2024.
