In theory, any talk about a modern American president serving more than two full terms is folly. The language of the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment in unambiguous: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” It’s straightforward, black-letter phrasing for which there is no wiggle room.
And yet in practice, the chatter in some Republican circles continues. Politico reported this week on Steve Bannon’s latest comments about Donald Trump running — in 2028.
‘Donald John Trump is going to raise his hand on the King James Bible and take the oath of office, his third victory and his second term,’ Bannon said in a speech at the New York Young Republican Club’s 112th annual gala. ‘Since it doesn’t actually say consecutive’ in the Constitution, Bannon continued, ‘I don’t know, maybe we do it again in ’28? Are you guys down for that? Trump ’28?’
The Washington Post reported that the audience “roared in approval” in response to the rhetoric.
The comments came a month after Fox News host Trey Gowdy, a former Republican member of Congress, said on the air, “Keep using our justice system as a political weapon and he may, who knows, they may amend the Constitution and let him serve a third term.”
Less than a week later, the president-elect spoke at a House GOP conference meeting. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out,’” Trump said, presumably as some kind of joke. (The next day, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York unveiled a resolution clarifying that the Constitution’s two-term limit applies to presidents who serve non-consecutive terms.)
I’m mindful of the fact that Trump, Bannon and others who make comments along these lines are probably trying to get a rise out of the president-elect’s critics, well aware of the constitutional restrictions. This is almost certainly an example of trolling, not a genuine effort to help Trump run a 2028 campaign.
Nevertheless, the frequency with which this comes up is notable.
At a campaign stop in Arizona in August 2020, for example, Trump was greeted by supporters chanting, “Four more years.” Before the then-president could even begin his remarks in earnest, he endorsed the chant and added some related thoughts: “Thank you very much. And you know, considering that we caught President Obama and sleepy Joe Biden, spying on our campaign — treason — we’ll probably be entitled to another four more years after that.”
The day before his event in Arizona, Trump suggested to a Minnesota audience that he intends to serve more than two terms, adding in Wisconsin, “We are going to win four more years. And then after that, we’ll go for another four years because they spied on my campaign. We should get a re-do of four years.”
It was around this time when CNN’s Daniel Dale highlighted the Republican’s shift in tone: “Trump has modified how he talks about staying in office beyond two terms. He used to frame it as a pure media-trolling, libs-triggering joke; this week, he’s been offering an actual reason why he should get more time in office.”
I came to a similar conclusion. There were countless instances in which Trump would headline a 2020 rally and, when there was a bit of a lull, he’d start making random comments about serving three or more terms, the Constitution be damned. It was obvious that he was trying to generate outrage — he’d even point at journalists and tell the crowd something like, “That line drives them crazy.”
But there came a point in 2020 when Trump started to sound like someone who felt entitled to more than two terms.
Earlier this year, the Republican turned to the subject again, declaring at a National Rifle Association event, “You know, FDR 16 years — almost 16 years — he was four terms. I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?”
Now that Election Day 2024 has come and gone, the rhetoric has apparently returned to the fore — and if recent history is any guide, we’ll be hearing it again soon.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
