On February 20, 2025, during a Black History Month reception at the White House, President Donald Trump reignited conversation about the presidential term limits by expressing interest in a third term, despite the constitutional restrictions against such a move.
“Should I run again? You tell me?” Trump queried the audience gathered in the White House’s East Room. As the crowd responded with loud chants of “four more years,” Trump recognized the contentious nature of his comment, remarking, “There’s your controversy right there.” He humorously predicted that the clip would make its way to evening news shows.
Trump’s latest remarks about prolonging his presidency come in the wake of a resolution introduced by Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) in the House of Representatives. This resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution to enable Trump and future presidents to run for an additional term. Ogles argued that Trump is the only recent leader capable of reversing the country’s decline and restoring its greatness, asserting that he needs more time to accomplish this mission. The resolution, however, faces significant obstacles—it requires approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate before it can be considered by the states, where it needs a three-fourths vote to be enacted.
Constitutional scholars and law experts stress that the 22nd Amendment provides clear-cut rules about presidential term limits. The amendment unequivocally specifies that no individual can be elected to the presidency more than twice, and anyone who has served as president for over two years of someone else’s term can only be elected to the presidency once.
Trump’s repeated mentions of serving more than two terms have been met with strong disapproval from Democratic lawmakers. Representative Dan Goldman voiced concern that Trump’s habit of “joking” about unconstitutional or authoritarian ideas could gradually become accepted beliefs among his followers. Goldman cautioned that such propositions, even if made in jest, could potentially compromise democratic principles.
Legal analysts have outlined several theoretical strategies that Trump or his supporters might explore to extend his presidency: officially amending the Constitution, exploiting perceived ambiguities in the 22nd Amendment, or contesting its interpretation in court. However, these strategies are faced with considerable legal and political hurdles, making their success extremely unlikely. State officials and courts would probably block any attempt to put Trump on the ballot for a third term.
The tradition of presidential term limits in the U.S. dates back to George Washington’s voluntary decision to retire after two terms—a precedent that wasn’t significantly challenged for over 140 years. This changed when Franklin D. Roosevelt secured four consecutive terms during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. This prompted the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, formally imposing the current two-term limit.
Trump, who would be 82 years old at the beginning of a potential third term, has made similar comments about prolonging his presidency in recent meetings with House Republicans. Having served two non-consecutive terms, Trump has already joined Grover Cleveland as one of the only two presidents to have done so.
At the Black History Month reception, where Trump proposed the possibility of a third term, he also criticized the Biden administration’s approach to education on historical matters. He specifically opposed what he described as an attempt to “reduce all of American history to a single year: 1619,” referring to The 1619 Project.
The 1619 Project is a journalistic endeavor by “The New York Times Magazine,” initiated in August 2019 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans’ arrival in colonial America. The project, developed by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, sought to reshape the U.S. historical narrative by focusing on slavery and its enduring impacts.
The Black History Month event underscored persistent debates over diversity and inclusion initiatives, as Trump defended his administration’s executive orders aimed at these programs in government agencies and other establishments.