(NEXSTAR) – President-elect Donald Trump made an apparent joke during a meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday, noting that the GOP might want to “do something” that would somehow allow him to become one in 2028 to complete a third term.
“My guess is that unless you do something, I won’t be running again,” Trump said, according to an audio recording shared with him The hill. “Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we just have to find out.'”
Trump’s comments drew some laughter from Republican lawmakers, some of whom dismissed them as a joke. But Trump has made similar comments in the past, he had previously floated the idea of “extending” his term or somehow disregarding term limits.
However, as it currently stands, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits any president from serving more than two terms, regardless of whether those terms are consecutive or not.
“No person may be elected to the office of President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President for more than two years or served as President during a term for which another person has been elected may become President .” elected to the office of president more than once,” reads the amendment, partially.
The idea behind this amendment was submitted for examination in 1947, in response to President Franklin D. Roosevelt winning four consecutive terms. Franklin, who died just months into his fourth term, was the only president to be elected more than twice (although other presidents before him had actually attempted to secure a third term).
There were those too Dozens of attempts to repeal the change However, in the years since its introduction, none had made significant progress.
But could the 22nd Amendment be repealed under the incoming Trump administration with GOP majorities in the Senate and House? It’s unlikely.
Repeal of an amendment would require a up-to-date amendment itself National Constitutional Centera nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and education of the U.S. Constitution, explains. But any up-to-date amendment must have the support of two-thirds of the House and Senate — and the up-to-date GOP doesn’t have enough seats to ensure its passage.
Two-thirds of state legislatures could also call for a constitutional convention to propose the up-to-date amendment, but three-quarters of states would have to agree to it — another unlikely scenario.
But one Democratic lawmaker in New York isn’t taking any chances. Rep. Dan Goldman said last week that he had filed a motion to clarify the language of the 22nd Amendment to make it clearer that the terms described therein apply “to two terms as a whole.” The New York Times reported.
A vote on the resolution will likely never occur under House Speaker Mike Johnson, the source said.
However, Congress has previously acknowledged that it could still be possible for a two-term president to become president again, largely due to language in Congress 22 And 12 Amendments that could be interpreted as suggesting the possibility of a former president assuming the presidency in very specific situations.
“… [N]”Each amendment addresses the eligibility of a former two-term President to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives or as any of the other officers who could serve as President through the operation of the Succession Act,” one said overview from the online database of the congress.
