U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi did not rule out a potential third term for President Donald Trump when confronted about the possibility during an interview appearance on Fox News Sunday.
Why It Matters
Trump and his allies have repeatedly teased the idea of him seeking a third term, despite most legal analysts agreeing that this would violate the U.S. Constitution as all U.S. presidents are limited to two terms in office, with Trump now in his second and final term.
Calls for Trump to be allowed to run for a third term follow warnings issued by Democrats during the 2024 campaign that he would rule as an authoritarian once back in the White House. Nonetheless, former Trump administration official Steve Bannon, who hosts a popular right-wing podcast, suggested in an interview with NewsNation last month that it’s a real option on the table.
What To Know
Bondi appeared on Fox News Sunday and discussed a potential third Trump term with host Shannon Bream.
The U.S. attorney general praised Trump and said she wished he could remain president “for 20 years,” but that he was “going to be finished, probably after this term,” which drew an incredulous “probably?” from Bream.
“We’d have to look at the Constitution,” Bondi said, admitting that it would prove a “heavy lift” to achieve. When Bream pressed Bondi on whether that means the nation’s top lawyer views a Constitutional amendment as the only way to achieve a third Trump term, Bondi only repeated that it would be a heavy lift.
Most legal analysts say there is no constitutional path to a third term for a president. The 22nd Amendment reads: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, 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 once.”
Some have suggested unconventional paths for Trump to get around the Constitution, as repeal of the amendment is believed to be all but impossible given current political dynamics. One idea floated by some is for Trump to be the vice-presidential nominee, and then whoever serves as president could step aside after winning.
However, legal analysts believe even this would be constitutionally tenuous and would likely be blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. Others have warned that Trump could just ignore the Constitution and simply remain in office, with no clear way to force him out.
Representative Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, within days of Trump’s second inauguration, proposed a constitutional amendment that allowed presidents to serve up to three terms in office provided they had not served two consecutive terms. The amendment has made no progress since Ogles introduced it, and no further discussion of that proposed amendment has taken place.
Meanwhile, Trump himself started to float the idea, seemingly in a humorous manner, which House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, stressed when he spoke the issue directly. Johnson told reporters that he and Trump had “joked about” the president seeking a third term, but noted that it would require a constitutional amendment, which he called “a high bar.”
During an interview with NBC News host Kristen Welker last month, Trump said he was “not joking” about considering a third term in office, adding there are “methods which you could do it.”
What People Are Saying
About changing the 22nd Amendment, President Donald Trump in an April 2024 interview with Time magazine said: “I wouldn’t be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. And I want to bring our country back. I want to put it back on the right track.”
Representative Daniel Goldman of New York, a Democrat, wrote last week on X, formerly Twitter: “Trump was never joking about a third term—he’s simply socializing the idea as the final step in taking total control over our government. Trump is implementing Project 2025 to become a dictator like Putin. It is time we all open our eyes to what is happening.”
Representative Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, last week wrote on X: “There is absolutely NO situation in which Donald Trump will serve a third term as President of *these* United States, full stop. Don’t get distracted. This Administration and the GOP are undermining the Constitution and Rule of Law. We must continue to raise our voices!”
Senator John Curtis, a Utah Republican, to NBC News in March when asked about a possible third Trump term: “I wouldn’t have supported a third term for [former President] George Washington. That’s a no, yeah.”
Steve Bannon speaking to NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo last month: “I’m a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028, so I’ve already endorsed President Trump. A man like this comes along once every century. If we’re lucky, we’ve got him now. He’s on fire, and I’m a huge supporter. I want to see him again in 2028. We’re working on it. I think we’ll have a couple of alternatives, let’s say that…I’ve had greater long shots than this.”
What Happens Next?
Trump and his administration will continue to address the immediate economic fallout from his highly controversial and sweeping tariffs that he announced last week that caused a near-free fall in the stock market over the past few days.
The post Attorney General Pam Bondi Doesn’t Rule Out Third Term for Donald Trump appeared first on Newsweek.
