Hello and welcome to the details of Trump says he won’t seek third term, citing US constitutional limits, but sceptics doubt finality and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - US President Donald Trump gestures at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 29, 2025. — Reuters pic
SEOUL, Oct 30 — US President Donald Trump said yesterday he would not seek a third term in office, a marked shift after months of teasing the idea despite constitutional limits though it was unclear whether it was his final word on the matter.
Trump, who is known for changing his mind on major issues, was speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his three-country Asia tour. His flirtation with the idea has alarmed opponents and constitutional experts, who say a third term would test the 22nd Amendment, which states no person shall be elected to the presidency more than twice.
“If you read it, it’s pretty clear — I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad, but we have a lot of great people,” Trump said, adding he thought Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be “unstoppable” if they ran together in 2028.
Trump, however, frequently takes what appear to be firm positions on issues, only to reverse course later.
Trump, 79, has in the past repeatedly refused to rule out the possibility of seeking a third four-year term in 2028. He often teases a third term at his rallies and hands out “Trump 2028” hats to his friends at the White House.
His latest comments came the day after a close political ally, US Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, said he had told Trump he did not see a path toward changing the Constitution to permit a third term.
“It’s been a great run. But I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution,” Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill.
“I don’t see a way to amend the Constitution because it takes about 10 years to do that, as you all know, to allow all the states to ratify ... what two-thirds of the House and three-fourths of the states would approve,” said Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer who earlier this year also said Trump understood the legal barrier to serving a third term.
Remaining relevant
Johnson’s latest remarks drew a sharp contrast with some members of his House Republican majority, who have said publicly that they want Trump to seek a third term to prevent a Democrat from entering the White House after his current term ends in January 2029.
George Washington set the standard for two-term presidencies when he chose not to seek a third term. But Franklin Roosevelt, who led the US through the Great Depression and World War Two, was elected four times and died in office. Roosevelt’s example prompted Congress to approve the 22nd Amendment, and it was adopted in 1951.
Some political analysts see Trump’s third term references as a strategic way to remain relevant, antagonise his political opponents and avoid becoming a lame duck.
“He probably thought it would keep him relevant and prevent lame duck syndrome, or he might actually have thought he could figure out some way to do it,” said Republican strategist Charlie Black.
A Republican lobbyist who spoke on condition of anonymity said some of Trump’s friends had been reaching out to the White House to say Trump’s talk of a third term is “not helpful” because it was giving Democrats talking points “about how you’re ending democracy.”
Some allies have taken Trump’s signals seriously, suggesting they are exploring legal or political pathways to make a third term a reality, even as most constitutional scholars dismiss the concept. A group known as “The Third Term Project” says on its website that it is “a think-tank devoted to getting President Donald J. Trump his rightful third term in office.”
A far-right influencer and former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, told The Economist last week that there are a variety of alternatives for Trump to stay in office. “At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is,” Bannon said. “But there is a plan.”
Bannon did not respond to a request for comment yesterday about Trump’s new comments.
One theory from his supporters has been for Trump to run as vice president, while another candidate stood for election as president then resigned, letting Trump again assume the presidency. The Constitution’s 12th Amendment would seem to prohibit that outcome as well, as it says: “No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice president of the United States.”
Trump said on Monday he would be allowed to run for vice president but would not do it because “it’s too cute” and people would not like it. “It wouldn’t be right,” he said. — Reuters
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