Trump: 'I'm Not Joking' About a Third Term

President Trump said Sunday that though it's early to be thinking about a third term in office, there are ways around the 22nd Amendment's prohibition on being elected president more than twice. Asked during a phone interview with NBC News if he wants another term, Trump answered, "I like working." When asked to clarify his comment, the president said: "I'm not joking. But I'm not—it is far too early to think about it." When Trump has mused about serving multiple terms before, he's later said he was joking, as have Republicans.

Asked whether anyone has brought him plans to circumvent the Constitution, the president said, "There are methods which you could do it," suggesting that one is Vice President JD Vance being elected president and then turning the office over to Trump. "But there are others too," he said, declining to specify them. GOP Rep. Andy Ogles has proposed wording changes for the amendment to allow another term, and Steve Bannon said this month that he believes Trump will be reelected in 2028. "A lot of people want me to do it," Trump told NBC about finding a way to hold on to the presidency. "But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration." (More President Trump stories.)