Donald Trump quips he can't run in 2028 unless Republicans 'do something'
Donald Trump has long joked about serving more than two terms as president, and on Wednesday got laughs from Republicans in Congress when he said he probably wasn’t running in 2028 unless they “do something.”“He jokes all the time,” said Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., who was in the room at the time. “I think it's one of the problems with politics is you can't even tell a joke without being excoriated.”
Trump has made similar comments at rallies and in press gatherings going back at least to 2019, according to a video reel by the Washington Post. At a 2020 rally in Wisconsin, after the crowd chanted, “Four more years,” Trump quipped, “Then, after that, we’ll go another four years.”
Can Trump serve three terms?
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution bars anyone from being elected president “more than twice,” and Trump has already been elected twice, first in 2016 and again in 2024, meaning he has reached the maximum under the Constitution.
Amending the Constitution is a lengthy and time-consuming process that has only happened 27 times in nearly two and a half centuries. Congress could begin the process if two-thirds of the House and Senate agree to do so, but neither party holds that many seats.
Trump said he would serve one last term
Trump told Time in April that he would retire after his second term because “I don't really have a choice.”
He added: “I'm going to serve one term, I'm gonna do a great job. We're gonna have a very successful country again … And then I'm gonna leave.”
Trump said in that interview he would not support challenging the 22nd Amendment. “Not for me,” he said. “I wouldn't be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job.”
This article was updated to add a new video.