Can Trump Serve a 3rd Term? The 22nd Amendment Explained

Donald Trump is the 47th President of the United States.

Currently, this means the Republican’s second term in the White House would be his last, as his 2024 election win follows his 2016 victory. However, Trump has raised the possibility of serving another term, a position he reiterated in an interview with NBC on March 30.

“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said in a phone call with NBC News, referring to his supporters. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”

Earlier, in January 2025, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow President Trump to serve a third term, arguing that the country “can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”

Ogles’ proposed amendment states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

JUST IN: Representative Andy Ogles is reportedly proposing an amendment to the constitution to allow Trump to serve a third term.

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— Congress Tracker (@QuiverCongress) January 23, 2025

Find out below if it’s possible for Trump to run again in 2028.

Can Trump Serve a 3rd Term?

The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution limits a president to two terms in office, including non-consecutive terms. As a result, the next four years will be the final time Trump can hold the nation’s highest office.

According to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, George Washington, the first U.S. president, set the precedent by stepping down after two terms. This unofficial limit was observed by every president after Washington, until Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected to four terms from 1932 to 1944.

In response to Roosevelt’s unprecedented tenure, a proposal to limit presidents to two terms was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1947, two years after his death. After revisions by the Senate, the amendment was approved and ratified by the states on February 27, 1951.

In March 2025, when asked if he had been presented with plans to seek a third term, Trump said, “There are methods which you could do it.” One method mentioned was for Vice President JD Vance to run for office and then pass the role to Trump.

Is Trump Planning for a Third Term or More?

Trump has made several remarks about term limits and his time in office since being elected for a second term. It was unclear whether he was speaking seriously, but in March 2025, he clarified that he was not joking.

When asked if he wanted another term during a phone interview with NBC, Trump responded, “I like working. I’m not joking.”

In July 2024, he told attendees at a conservative Christian event that they wouldn’t “have to vote anymore” if he was elected to office in 2024.

“Christians, get out and vote. Just this time,” he said during a speech at the Believers’ Summit, an event hosted by the conservative advocacy group Turning Point Action. “You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It’ll be fixed. It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

Before Election Day, the 78-year-old stated he wouldn’t run again in 2028 if he lost in the 2024 race. In an interview with Sinclair Media Group, he was asked if he could envision another run if he lost to Harris. “No, I don’t. I think… that will be it,” Trump said. “I don’t see that at all.” He added, “But hopefully, we’re going to be very successful.”