I'm not joking.
President Donald Trump raised many an eyebrow when he said in an interview with NBC News over the weekend that he was open to a third term.
Many want me to do it. But I think it's a long way off. My focus is on the present, he said, adding that "there are methods" to get an additional term.
"No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." That's what it says in the 22nd amendment to the US Constitution. It was ratified in 1951, after Democrat Franklin D Roosevelt won four presidential elections.
A tricky process
Amending the Constitution is, to say the least, a complicated process. It requires that an amendment proposal is voted through with a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress, and that two-thirds of the states approve the text. Then, a constitutional convention must be held, and at least 38 of the 50 states must ratify the amendment – a process that took four years in the case of the 22nd amendment.
Despite the legal difficulties, Trump has several times flirted with the idea of a third term. At a political rally in Nevada in January, the Republican said it would be his life's greatest honor to be president "not once, but two or three or four times", reports CNN.
A few weeks later, at an event at the White House, he asked supporters if he should run for re-election.
"Four more years", they chanted in response.
A finished proposal
Trump's allies have also embraced the idea. Ideas about Vice President JD Vance running in the next presidential election and, in the event of a win, handing over to a Vice President Trump are circulating. And former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has hinted that the Constitution may not apply to Trump, since he would not be president during consecutive terms.
Are you ready for Trump 28, Bannon asked a dinner party last winter, according to The Washington Post.
Andy Ogles, a representative from Tennessee, has gone further. He has submitted a proposal for a constitutional amendment to enable Trump's "bold leadership" during a third term.
The text states that presidents who do not serve two consecutive four-year terms should be allowed a third term. Those who have served two consecutive terms – like Bill Clinton, George W Bush, and Barack Obama – should not be allowed to make a comeback.
When the current term expires in January 2029, Donald Trump will be 82 years and 7 months old, and the oldest president in US history. Joe Biden was 82 years and 2 months old when he handed over to Trump.
