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United States President Donald Trump refused to rule out running for a third presidential term, despite the US Constitution limiting presidents to two four-year terms each.
"I would love to do it," Trump, 79, told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan during his week-long tour of Asia.
Trump already has a $50 baseball cap for sale with the slogan “Trump 2028.” The president showed European leaders Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron a cap with the words “four more years,” on display in the White House gift shop along with other Trump 2028 hats, as they visited the presidential residence in Washington, D.C., in August.
So how serious can Trump actually get about running in 2028? And can he find a way to do it?
The U.S. Constitution clearly prohibits any candidate from holding the office of president for a third time. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution states: “No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice.”
Constitutional experts say there is no other solution.
The 22nd Amendment was passed by Congress in 1947 and later ratified in 1951. It was a direct response to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat who was president during World War II. Roosevelt held office four times - 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944.
He died a few months after his fourth term began in 1945.
Wayne Unger, a law professor at Quinnipiac University, told Reuters news agency that, while the amendment has never been tested in court, any objection by Trump would likely be unsuccessful.
"I would predict the Supreme Court would say no, it's clear, two terms of four years each, Donald Trump, you can't run for a third," said Unger, who teaches the constitutional law course.
What would it take to change the 22nd Amendment?
Before Roosevelt, presidents voluntarily followed George Washington's two-term precedent.
To protect against overconcentration of power, Republicans had proposed an amendment limiting elections to two times.
To change it again, the proposal would require approval by two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of the states (38 out of 50 states) – an extremely high standard.
Currently, Trump's party holds a very narrow 219-213 majority in the House of Representatives and a 53-47 majority in the Senate, while Republicans control 28 state legislatures.
Constitutional experts say there is no way to bypass the laws and take office for a third time.
MAGA supporters and leaders from Trump's camp have suggested that he run as vice president and then demand that the presidential candidate resign once he takes office, which would lead him back to the White House.
It's a bit like the Netflix hit House of Cards, in which the main character, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, becomes president through manipulation and political intrigue. "One moment away from the presidency, and not a single vote cast in my name," he says, enthusiastically. "Democracy is so overrated."
But Trump dismissed that notion about MAGA on Monday.
"I think people wouldn't like that. It's very cool. But it wouldn't be fair," he said.
In theory, Trump is also barred from running for vice president because he is not qualified to be president. The 12th Amendment to the Constitution states that no person constitutionally disqualified from the office of president shall be qualified to be vice president of the United States. /Al Jazeera
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