"Is Trump Ready for 2028?"... Close Aide Mentions 'Third Term Challenge'

Bannon "3 Terms Possible as Terms Are Not Consecutive"
Expert "Low Possibility of Abolishing Article 22"

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist known as the "mastermind" behind U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, claimed that Trump could run again in the 2028 presidential election. Although the U.S. Constitution stipulates that a president cannot be elected more than twice, Bannon argued that since Trump was not re-elected consecutively, a third term is possible. However, legal experts consider this scenario unlikely.

According to The Washington Post (WP) and others, Bannon, who served in Trump's first administration, asked the audience at a New York Young Republicans Club event on the 15th (local time), "Are you ready for 'Trump 2028'?" drawing cheers.

President-elect of the United States Donald Trump. Photo by AP Yonhap News

He said, "Because the Constitution does not include the word 'consecutive,' we might be able to do it again in 2028." He also mentioned that Mike Davis, a close aide to Trump and a conservative lawyer, made similar claims. However, Davis drew the line when asked by a WP reporter if a third term was possible, saying, "Of course not." Trump was elected in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections but lost in 2020.

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that no person shall be elected to the presidency more than twice. This generally applies regardless of whether the terms are consecutive. Although Trump’s terms are non-consecutive, he is set to enter the White House for the second time next January.

Some speculate that Trump’s camp might attempt to amend the Constitution to allow a third term, but experts dismiss this as highly unlikely. Commit Roosevelt, a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said, "I realistically do not think there is any chance the 22nd Amendment will be repealed. That would require another amendment to repeal it, which would need a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, which is even less likely."

Trump has publicly stated in media interviews and official settings that running in 2028 is not possible. In an interview with Time magazine in April, he said he would not repeal the 22nd Amendment.

However, privately, he has hinted at the possibility of a third term. On the 13th of last month, he met with Republican House members and left the door open by saying, "Unless you say the president is doing so well that we need to find a way, I will not run again." In May, he suggested a third term possibility by saying, "President Roosevelt served almost 16 years. He was elected four times." Born in June 1946, Trump will be 82 years old in 2028.