Will Trump's 3rd Term 'Joke' Become Reality? "Vance Is Not the Successor"

"Raising Funds for the Next Election" Joke
Expert: "A Strategy to Prevent Lame-Duck Status"
NYT: "Concerns It Could Spread and Gain Weight Among Supporters"

President Trump has been making jokes hinting at a third term, and The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 10th (local time) that this "pointed joke" could gradually spread and gain weight.

In an interview with Fox News aired that day, President Trump praised Vice President JD Vance as competent but answered "No" when asked if he considered him his successor.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by UPI Yonhap News

President Trump often mentions the possibility of running for a third term as a joke. On the 6th, he referred to a plan to create a national garden composed of statues of famous people at a National Prayer Breakfast, saying that the decision on who would be included was "entirely the president's opinion" and that "the plan is to select the person for 25 years." He also mentioned the prospect of his term continuing at another breakfast meeting held at a hotel in Washington that day. "They say I can't run again," he said, "but then someone said, 'I don't think you can't.'"

On the 28th of last month, during a speech at the Republican House Conference, he said, "We raised a lot of money for the next campaign, but I don't think I can use it for myself, but I can't be 100% sure," and asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, "Can I run again?"

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits the president to two terms. This generally applies regardless of whether the terms are consecutive. President Trump entered the White House for the second time last month, following his 2017?2021 term.

According to sources, President Trump told advisers in private that his hints at a third term were jokes meant to attract attention and irritate the Democrats.

Political experts analyze that President Trump's third-term jokes are strategic remarks. Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said, "Trump's talk of a third-term challenge helps prevent a lame-duck status," and explained, "It implies that President Trump is one of the great figures like Franklin Roosevelt, and that people are demanding another term."

However, the NYT argued that this should not be taken lightly. The media explained, "Even if President Trump jokes, the ideas he proposes are often spread by his supporters, that is, public officials and right-wing media," and "then the concept gradually gains weight and becomes important even to President Trump himself."

In fact, President Trump's remarks about a third-term challenge have not remained mere jokes. Recently, some Republicans have moved to push for a constitutional amendment to enable President Trump's re-election. Representative Andy Ogles (Tennessee) submitted a resolution to the federal House last month on the 23rd to amend the constitutional provisions related to the presidential term. The resolution stipulates that "no one may serve as president more than four terms" and prohibits "a third term after three consecutive terms," essentially allowing only presidents who have completed their first term without re-election to run for a third term, a provision tailored for President Trump.

Then, on the 25th of last month, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "People are already talking about changing the 22nd Amendment so that President Trump can serve a third term," adding, "If this pace and success continue for four years, the majority of Americans will not want President Trump to leave."

Earlier, in December last year, Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and close aide to President Trump, said at a New York Young Republican Club event, "Are you ready for 'Trump 2028'?"

However, the NYT viewed that Representative Ogles' resolution has little chance of passing Congress. It requires approval by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states.