President Donald Trump has caused controversy by implying that he may run for a third term in office, even though the 22nd Amendment forbids it.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday, stressing that he was “not joking” but that it was “far too early to think about it.” Making reference to his followers’ demands and calling the 2020 election “totally rigged,” he also asserted that the public supported such a move.
Presidents are expressly limited to two terms by the 1951 ratification of the 22nd Amendment. Experts in law have rejected the idea of getting around this restriction. According to constitutional law scholar Jeremy Paul and election law specialist Derek Muller, there are no sound legal justifications or exceptions to permit a third term.
Muller added that if Trump is constitutionally ineligible to compete for president, the 12th Amendment prohibits him from running for vice president.
Trump’s comments have come under heavy fire. Representative Daniel Goldman encouraged Congressional Republicans to fight such goals, calling them an increase in attempts to subvert democracy. Constitutional experts have pointed out that changing the Constitution to permit a third term within Trump’s timeframe is politically and logistically impossible.
The 22nd Amendment was created because Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only American president to hold office for more than two terms in history. Trump’s remarks seem more serious and unusual in contemporary politics, even if other presidents have mockingly considered doing away with term limits.
Trump keeps making references to ways to stay in power in spite of these obstacles, which raises questions about his readiness to go against constitutional limits and democratic traditions.
