Trump’s Third Term Tease: Exploring the 22nd Amendment’s Limits

When it comes to rules, President Donald Trump hasn't been known to just follow the status quo without pushing some boundaries. During a recent interview with NBC News, the 47th President, who is currently serving in his second term, said that "there are methods" that would allow him to run for a third term.

Roosevelt's Precedent

The only U.S. president to have served more than two terms is Franklin D. Roosevelt. World War II was a major contributing factor to Roosevelt's reelections as well as the fact that he helped pull the country out of the Great Depression.

The 22nd Amendment 📜

After Roosevelt passed away in 1945 the 22nd Amendment was ratified which limited anyone from being president to more than two four-year terms. Prior to the 22nd amendment, there wasn't any legal ruling that prohibited reelection to more than a second term, however, since George Washington stepped down after two terms it was a tradition set forth by that precedent.

Legal Scrutiny ⚖️

Legal experts agree that that there is no viable way to get around the 22nd amendment. There are some people that think since the two terms were not consecutive then it would be possible for Trump to run for a third term. The 22nd amendment does not say that the two terms have to be consecutive, so that would not provide the exception to the rule.

Trump's Response 🗣️

When NBC News pressed Trump to expand on the idea of him running for a third term he said, "I don't want to talk about a third term now because no matter how you look at it, we've got a long time to go." For now, it seems that even though it may be something that the current President would consider trying to achieve it isn't his number one priority.