Former President Donald Trump has done it again, ruffling feathers. Even though the 22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution expressly forbids it, he hinted that he would run for a third term in office. The amendment clearly states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Whether warranted or not, this speculation has further revived interest in the political, and possibly bipartisan, promise of amending the constitution.
Trump’s new sweeping statements have raised alarm, but highlighted the ways in which he thinks he could go around current restrictions. To change the rules that presently prohibit a third presidential term, two-thirds of each house of Congress would have to agree on it. Then, three-fourths of state legislatures need to ratify the amendment. Despite the clear constitutional roadblocks, Trump has previously suggested the possibility of serving another term, fueling debates among both supporters and critics.
Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogles further fueled the conversation with the introduction of a new resolution. He voiced support for changing the Constitution to let a President serve no more than three terms. This proposal goes a step further by making the condition that the President cannot serve two terms in a row. Yet, considering the contentious political state of the U.S., chances of such an amendment passing are long at best.
John Dean, an attorney and former counsel to President Richard Nixon, noted that discussions regarding a third presidential term are not new. Yet some Trump supporters have come forward with an extremely interesting idea. They propose that a term-limited President should be allowed to run for Vice President and then ascend to the presidency through a new President resigning. However, this approach has faced pushback and opposition from public health advocates, transportation advocates, environmentalists, and many others.
In reaction to Trump’s comments, Democratic congressional leaders and a host of editorialists have denounced the administration for its authoritarian impulses.
“This is what dictators do,” – Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee.
“In three months, Trump has crashed the stock market and spiked costs. Now, he’s scheming for a third term instead of doing anything to make Americans’ lives better.” – Jasmine Crockett, a Democratic congresswoman.
Many of Trump’s own party members have mocked the concept of him running a third-party campaign. This latter critique indicates the controversial reception even among his own party. Republican senator John Curtis laughed at the idea, laugh out loud at the idea stressing how difficult that amendment would have to be a very, very tall order.
Despite losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden after winning in 2016, Trump remains a significant figure within the Republican Party. Many Republicans insist that he should be given a pass for another run for office based on his strong leadership.
Those in the GOP who know what’s at stake warn against writing off Trump’s ambitions too quickly.
“The biggest mistake of the last eight years is that we somehow failed to give credibility to Donald Trump’s whims and impulses, but we know it’s true,” – David Jolly, a former Republican member of Congress.
“January 6 was a perfect example. If he says he’s not ruling it out, then he’s not ruling it out, and we should consider it a constitutional threat.” – David Jolly, a former Republican member of Congress.