Look, I’m not gonna side-eye anyone on politics here, because 1, I’ve been doing it for 20 years and 2, I think we’re a bit burned out by it all.
American politics is inherently absurd.
There are 340 million of us in America. Each state gets two senators. Each state gets a certain number of representatives to, well, represent them (yes, it’s based off population).
And I remain annoyed that D.C. is not a state since “Chocolate City” has more people than Vermont and Washington — Washington the state, not the capital of the free world.
Anyways, President Trump has recently signaled that he would not rule out running for a third term.
Alarm bells should be ringing in everyone’s heads now, because one of the reasons America broke away from England is we didn’t want a monarchy — literally the thing we fought against, and as someone with Irish heritage, I’m pretty in tune with that.
But there are ways for Trump to seek a third term … (cue scary music)
Let’s try to keep this brief.
Elected twice = done.
America literally fought wars to get away from monarchies. Spoiler alert: It was called the Revolution.
VP-turned-president who serves under 2 years + 2 full terms = also done.
Trump served one full term and has another. He won in 2024, that’s two. No legal way to run again after that.
Constitutional Amendment?
To get a legal third term, the 22nd Amendment would have to be repealed or rewritten. That’s a hell of a lift. You’d need:
- Needs two-thirds of Congress to propose
- And three-fourths of state legislatures (38 out of 50) to ratify
- Let’s be real — highly unlikely. There’s no broad political will for it, even among Republicans.
Loophole Territory
Now here’s where things get spicy:
He runs the country from behind the curtain
Trump gets someone else elected, but it’s a puppet arrangement. He’s calling shots unofficially. Legal? Maybe. Constitutional? Murky. Dangerous? Oh, absolutely.
VP trickery
What if Trump runs as vice president under a loyalist? If that president resigns or is removed — boom — Trump is back in office. But there’s debate about whether the 22nd Amendment and 12th Amendment would block that path.
Speaker of the House route
Trump gets elected to Congress, becomes Speaker (third in line), then the president and VP resign or are ousted. It’s unlikely—but technically not forbidden. He even joked about this in 2021.
Wildcard: Ignore the Constitution
If democracy fully unravels? Legal lines blur. The “third term” doesn’t come from law — it comes from power. This is potential dystopia territory. Blade Runner vibes. Let’s not let it come to that.
So, no — he legally can’t run for a third term after two wins. But this case ain’t closed. He’s a man who pushes limits. And we’re the ones watching the shadows.
