President-elect Donald Trump in remarks made to House Republicans suggested that he could be open to a constitution-breaking third term in office.
“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we got to figure something else,'” Trump told his audience in a downtown Washington hotel.
What does the US constitution says
The US Constitution, specifically the 22nd Amendment, establishes clear limitations on the number of terms a president can serve. Ratified in 1951, the amendment states:
Section 1: “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”.
This amendment was largely a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four terms in office, which raised concerns about prolonged executive power. The framers intended to prevent any future president from serving more than two elected terms, thereby ensuring a rotation in leadership and avoiding any potential for an “elective monarchy”.
Section 2: “This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress”.
Implications for a Third Term
Given this constitutional framework, a president who has already been elected twice is legally prohibited from running for a third term. For instance, Donald Trump, who has been elected for his second term in 2024, cannot seek re-election in 2028 due to this restriction.
Trump’s return to White House
The Republican is returning to Washington after defeating his Democrat rival Kamala Harris, where President Joe Biden will host him at the White House for an Oval Office meeting.
This has been customary practice to ensure peaceful handoff of power transition. However, this was not done by the Republican four years agon when he lost to the Democrats.
Trump’s schedule includes meetings with Congressional Republicans to discuss his initial priorities and strategise for potential unified governance under Republican control in the capital.
A Trump aide also told news agency AP that billionaire Elon Musk will be with Trump. However, he isn’t scheduled for the White House meeting buthe will attend Trump’s discussion with House Republicans.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Republicans are “ready to deliver” on Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Earlier in 2016, Trump met President Barack Obama in the Oval Office after his victory when he defeated Hillary Clinton, describing it as “a great honour.” However, he subsequently resumed criticising Obama, including unsubstantiated allegations of campaign surveillance.
Trump contested his 2020 defeat to Biden, persistently making unfounded claims about voter fraud. He neither invited then President-elect Biden to the White House nor attended his inauguration – the first such absence since Andrew Johnson missed Ulysses S Grant’s ceremony 155 years ago.
Biden however pledges full cooperation for a smooth transition to Trump’s administration, despite having campaigned extensively against Trump, portraying him as a threat to democratic values.
Meanwhile, Biden post-election has moderated his stance on Trump, recently stating, “The American experiment endures. We’re going to be okay.”
The scheduled visit carries significant administrative importance. “They will go through the top issues — both domestic and foreign policy issues — including what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East,” NSA Sullivan told CBS of Wednesday’s meeting.
“And the president will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things … and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office,” he added.
Interestingly, Melania Trump is not planning to attend the traditional meeting with the the outgoing first lady in the residence while the presidents meet in the West Wing.
