Yes, it would be unconstitutional. Yes, it would be unprecedented. But these words don’t hold a great deal of weight when dealing with President Trump. However, his apparent consideration to run for a third-term in office may be inspired by you-know-who…
ALSO READ: ‘There are methods’ – Trump opens the door to third-term in office
Can Donald Trump run for a third-team? Legally, no…
It is enshrined in the US Constitution that no President can serve more than two terms – whether that is in a consecutive manner, or on separate occasions. However, in recent weeks, Team Trump have become a little braver in speaking about this rule-bending.
Donald Trump himself has said that there are ‘methods’ to keep him in the White House beyond 2028. He has also shown his disdain for diplomatic norms extensively over the years, encapsulated by his refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 Election.
What are the methods he has mentioned?
With all this chatter, the only ‘legal’ route to achieve a third-term would be to secure a constitutional amendment, as voted for by the House of Representatives. However, this would require the support of two-thirds of members – and a significant number of Democrats.
That assumes Mr. Trump is happy to play fair. An alternative approach that has been punted – and acknowledged by POTUS – is that JD Vance could run as the Republican candidate in 2028, win the election, make Trump his Vice President, then resign and hand the power back.
Speaking on this week’s episode of ‘Have I Got News For You’, panellists Paul Merton and Ian Hislop discussed the possible subversion of the rules – and Hislop was quick to note that this method was the same one used by Vladimir Putin to stay in power.
Ian Hislop draws comparisons between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin over ‘third term’
Russia, now an authoritarian state and something of a pariah to the west, could be the blueprint for Donald Trump. And, speaking in an entirely sarcastic manner, Hislop hinted that Trump is capable of ‘copying Putin’, given his apparent admiration for the leader.
“Having a candidate win and resign is the exact same method used by Vladimir Putin to stay in power in Russia. But of course, I’m not saying Trump copies, admires, and loves Putin… not at all [audience laughs]” | Ian Hislop