(NewsNation) — Ideas of a third term for President Donald Trump have been floated around by some representatives, but one ex-White House lawyer told NewsNation this just isn’t possible.
At least not without amending the Constitution.
“They can try to amend the Constitution. I just don’t see it happening,” Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, said.
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Trump has touched on this topic before. During a speech at the Congressional Institute in January, he said, “I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself. … I think I’m not allowed to run again. I’m not sure. Am I allowed to run again?”
Can Trump run for a third term?
Despite claims that this is possible, Trump cannot run for a third term based on the current Constitution. An amendment to the Constitution could make this possible, but it isn’t an easy path.
Painter believes this type of amendment isn’t likely, telling NewsNation, “I don’t think the United States wants to run like Putin’s Russia. And I don’t think the vast majority of Republicans want that.”
On the other hand, Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser and campaign CEO, said, “We’ve had greater long shots than Trump 2028.” He also added that they’re “not prepared to talk about it publicly, but in a couple of months, I think we will be.”
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Painter told NewsNation he doesn’t believe the Trump administration could get support for a third term.
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According to The New York Times, when Trump allegedly made remarks in November that hinted at a third term, Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democrat from New York, introduced a resolution to reaffirm the 22nd Amendment.
He told Bloomberg TV, “How he operates is by floating trial balloons that he often claims are jokes, but he’s very serious about it. And he’s been talking about staying on past this next term for years.”