President Trump said Tuesday he would “probably not” seek a constitutionally prohibited third term.
“No, probably not,” Trump said with a chuckle when asked about the idea on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
“I’d like to run. I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had,” Trump added.
The president and some of his allies have repeatedly floated the idea of seeking a third term. At times, those comments have been dismissed as a joke, though Trump has at other points appeared more serious about the idea.
“People are asking me to run. I don’t know, I never looked into it. And they do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that,” Trump said earlier this year.
The 22nd Amendment prohibits an individual from being elected to more than two terms as president.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) in January proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would effectively allow Trump to vie for another term in the White House by creating a carve-out for those who served nonconsecutive terms to run for a third time. The proposal has essentially no chance of passing Congress.
While many Democrats have waved away Trump’s comments as a distraction from kitchen-table issues, the president’s refusal to acknowledge his legitimate defeat in the 2020 election has sparked fears that he may not leave office in 2029 when his current term ends.
Some political strategists have suggested that Trump’s talk of a third term also helps keep a lid on chatter about the 2028 presidential race, taking the spotlight away from the president’s administration.
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