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The president admitted in October that the Constitution is ‘pretty clear’ that he’s ‘not allowed’ to run again
Kelly Rissmanin New YorkTuesday 02 December 2025 18:41 GMTComments
CloseTrump admits he can't run for a third term
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Donald Trump admitted he has just a "little more than three years" left of his term — just days after posting a “Trump 2028” sign.
Even before reclaiming the White House in 2024, Trump has flirted with running for a third term and has offered $50 “Trump 2028” hats — despite the 22nd Amendment prohibiting anyone from serving more than two terms as president.
Conservative podcaster and Trump ally Steve Bannon has insisted that there’s still a path for Trump to run again, but the president admitted in October that he’s “not allowed” to do so.
This week, Trump conceded this week that he only has three more years left as commander-in-chief.
“We have a little more than three years left and three years for Trump is an eternity,” he said at the White House Christmas party Monday, eliciting a roar of laughter from the crowd.
The remarks stand in striking contrast to his Truth Social post from just days earlier. On Saturday, the president appeared hopeful that he had more than just three years left, posting an AI-generated image of himself holding up a sign that read: “Trump 2028, yes!”
President Donald Trump admitted he only has a ‘little more than three years’ left of his term, despite posting about a 2028 bid. (Getty Images)Trump has been back-and-forth on his intentions to pursue another presidential bid.
Just two months earlier, Bannon said “there is a plan” for Trump to be president in 2028. Citing Bannon’s comments, a reporter on Air Force One in October asked the president about his thoughts on another presidential bid. Trump declined to rule out running for a third term, saying that he hadn’t really thought about it, but “I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever.”
When pressed about whether he could circumvent the 22nd Amendment by running as the vice president, Trump replied he’d “be allowed” to do that, but he wouldn’t want to, calling it “too cute.”
Following Trump’s comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on a potential 2028 bid for the president.
“It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I’ve talked about the constraints of the Constitution,” Johnson told reporters at the time.
Trump then admitted that the Constitution makes it "pretty clear" that he can't run again after his current term expires. “I would say that if you read it, it's pretty clear. I'm not allowed to run. It's too bad, but we have a lot of great people,” he told reporters.
Bannon, however, has not backed down.
On his War Room show last month, he insisted "you can drive a Mack truck through the 22nd Amendment,” citing a "top constitutional lawyer."
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