Editor’s note: That image is not a joke — it appears on the actual White House homepage as of publication.
President Trump said Sunday he’s “not joking” about the possibility of a third term — a statement drawing renewed attention to the constitutional two-term limit and prompting criticism from legal experts and political observers.
In a phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump dismissed the idea that he was joking about another run: “No, no, I’m not joking.” When asked how he could legally return to office for a third term, he said: “There are, there are methods which you could do it, as you know.”
Welker proposed a hypothetical in which a future President Vance could resign, allowing Trump to take office. Trump replied: “Well, that’s one. But there are others, too. There are others.” He did not elaborate.
Trump also said he enjoys “working” and noted that he has “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.” He claimed “we’re in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls… a lot of people would like me to do that.”
In a statement to The Hill, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump remains focused on “undoing all the hurt Biden has caused and Making America Great Again.”
However, critics say that claim doesn’t align with recent economic indicators. The Biden administration oversaw record job growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, a sharp decline in the deficit, and bipartisan legislation to invest in infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy. Consumer sentiment and GDP growth also rebounded in the final two years of Biden’s presidency.
Legal scholars note that the 22nd Amendment, adopted in 1951, clearly bars any U.S. president from being elected more than twice. Trump’s repeated suggestions of a third term, while vague, have raised alarms among constitutional experts who warn against normalizing rhetoric that undermines established democratic limits.
Texas Reporter 