Trump says he’s ‘not joking’ about a possible 3rd term. The Constitution bars it, scholars say

President Donald Trump was often thinking, even joking to look for a third term, but over the weekend he made his most strong and most serious comments, but still in the move that constitutional scientists Abc News spoke with a call in practice impossible.

“I’m not kidding,” he told NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Kirsten Welker in a phone interview on Sunday before adding that it was “too early to think about it.”

“There are methods you could do,” Trump said, including a scenario where Vice President JD Vance is running on the top of the ticket in 2028 with Trump as his ruling half, only for Trump to take over the oval service after the election.

Legal and election experts have told ABC News every attempt to win four more years, as the president will be an unprecedented violation of the Constitution.

“Trump may not want to exclude a third term, but the 22nd amendment to the Constitution makes,” said David Schultz, a professor at Hamline University and an expert in constitutional law.

He partly points out the amendment: “No one can be elected to the president’s post more than twice.”

It was ratified in 1951, years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt collapsed with the two -time tradition set by George Washington and provided a third term when World War II broke out.

“It would be completely unprecedented for the president to openly oppose the dictates of the 22nd amendment and, moreover, to try to run or serve as a president again,” said Michael Gerhard, a constitutional expert at the University of North Carolina.

“The threats and insinuations undoubtedly excite his base, but there is no constitutional foundation for the current president to try to perform the functions of the president after two mandates elected,” Gerhard said.

Trump’s only legitimate way to run for a third term, experts said, it will be to amend the constitution-increasingly unlikely, as two-thirds of the House, both the Senate, or two thirds of countries that agree to call the Constitutional Convention will be required. Then any change will require three -quarters of the countries to sign for ratification.

“This claim by Trump was brilliant in terms of capture and diverting attention,” Schultz said. “His supporters love him and his offenders will rage over him. In the process, no one will talk about the price of eggs, tariffs and the shaken stock market.”

Experts break the “methods” floating by Trump and his allies

As for Trump’s claim that one of the “methods” may be to run as Vice President of Vance and then accept the stick, the experts point to the 12th amendment of 1804 as a barrier.

“The 12th amendment states that anyone who does not meet the requirements is also considered unreadable to serve as a vice president,” said Barry Burden, director of the Wisconsin-Medison University of Election Center. “This means that Trump could not serve as a vice president, who is the position he will need to fulfill the Vance scheme.”

Steve Bannon, a fierce ally of Trump, also sails what he calls alternatives to allow Trump to run in 2028.

Bannon, in remarks at the New York Young Republican Club Gala in December, claims that it can be ranked again as Trump’s two terms are not consistent.

“Since he doesn’t really say consistently, I don’t know, maybe we do it again through ’28? Are you guys for it? Trump ’28?” said Bannon.

Schultz said the argument had no stable foundation.

“The overall implementation limit as a president for ten years is both textual proof of the bar to run for a third term and an indication of the intention of the compilers of the congress that they do not want anyone to serve for more than two terms,” ​​Schultz said.

He added that the measure “was introduced to enable a situation in which the president dies more than half of the deadline and the Vice President succeeds.

What happens if Trump tries anyway?

Trump has already tested the boundaries of the Constitution governing the presidential power several times during the first months of his second term.

Several Democrats viewed his comments on Sunday as another escalation against the rule of law. The chairman of the democratic National Committee Ken Martin wrote to X: “This is what dictators do.”

In the past, Republicans largely played Trump’s reflections around a third term as a joke designed to gather his opposition. But just days after taking office, Republican hard leader Andy Ogell presented a resolution calling for the expansion of presidential restrictions to allow Trump to look for another more years in the White House.

“A crisis can occur if Trump is running for president or vice president in 2028,” Burden said. “The Constitution prohibits from serving a service but not to run for a position. If the Republicans nominate him, they will bet that they can violate the Constitution and somehow allow him to serve if he wins.”

If Trump tries to run, it will depend on the election and then the courts will eventually decide. This took place in the campaign in 2024, when several countries disputed his right to seek the Republican Presidential Nomination in accordance with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment due to his actions around January 6, 2021, an attack on the US Capitol. The legal battle went to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Trump.

“If it does not meet the requirements for an incapable person like Trump to run, knowing that he has no right to serve, this is a dangerous clash course in which the US Constitution and the rule of law would be seriously tested,” Birdon said.

James Sample, an expert in constitutional law at Hofstra University, said Trump would lose in court if he tried to run again.

“The bigger part of the Constitution is written in broad, textured, difficult to determine terms. What is a quick test? What is a cruel and unusual punishment? What is equal protection? How much process is a proper process? 22, however, is black -white,” Sample said.

“But if you can be able to turn issues that are clear into debate, then the common goal of undermining the constitution and undermining the rule of law and maximum maximum executive power is serviced, even if you lose the particular battle,” he continued. “This particular battle is not a victorious battle. He will not serve a third term, but only by creating this as a debate, he will be able to more respect for respect for the Constitution.”