Trump Says He has the ‘Right to Run Again’ for Third Term

President Donald Trump is once again floating the possibility of staying in the White House beyond his constitutionally permitted two terms, telling supporters he believes he has the right to run again in 2028 because the 2020 presidential election was supposedly stolen from him.

The 80-year-old president made the remarks during a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, October 22, reigniting questions about his willingness to accept the constitutional limits on presidential power.

Speaking before an enthusiastic Republican crowd, Trump suggested he could defeat any challenger in another presidential election, even as his approval ratings have fallen to some of the lowest levels of his political career.

“I don’t know who’s going to be your next president,” Trump told supporters, before acknowledging the constitutional restrictions that would prevent him from seeking another term.

“I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think the law says that I’m not allowed to run again,” he said.

But Trump quickly returned to a familiar argument, claiming that his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020 should somehow entitle him to another opportunity.

“I think I have the right to run again because they cheated,” Trump declared, repeating his allegations that the election was rigged.

Those claims have been repeatedly discredited. Biden legitimately defeated Trump in 2020, winning 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. Recounts, investigations and court proceedings failed to establish widespread fraud that would have changed the election’s outcome.

More importantly, Trump’s argument has no basis in the Constitution.

The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, explicitly prohibits anyone from being elected president more than twice. Trump won the presidency in 2016 and again in 2024, meaning his current term is his second and final elected term under existing constitutional law.

The amendment makes no exception for presidents who believe an earlier election was unfair, and Trump’s repeated allegations about 2020 do not change his eligibility.

Changing the Constitution would require an extraordinary political effort, including approval by two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, or an alternative amendment proposal process followed by the same state ratification requirement.

Trump’s latest remarks also come at a politically vulnerable moment for the president.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey released October 19 found that just 31 percent of Americans approved of his job performance, the lowest rating recorded by that poll during either of his presidential terms.

The same survey showed Democrats leading Republicans by 47 percent to 35 percent among registered voters when asked which party they would support in the upcoming congressional elections.

For Democrats, Trump’s renewed third-term rhetoric adds another dimension to their criticism of his presidency, raising concerns about democratic institutions and whether the nation’s longstanding constitutional safeguards will continue to be respected.

The president, however, appeared focused on energizing his supporters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, where Republicans face increasingly competitive races, including several in Iowa.

Meanwhile, uncertainty is also growing over who might succeed Trump as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2028.

Vice President JD Vance, 42, widely considered an early frontrunner for the nomination, recently acknowledged that he may not seek the presidency at all.

During a CBS News town hall in Michigan, Vance was asked whether there was any possibility he would sit out the next presidential election.

“Of course there’s a chance,” he replied, explaining that his wife, Usha, and their four young children would factor heavily into his decision.

Vance admitted that he tends to procrastinate when making major life decisions and indicated he would give the possibility of a presidential campaign more serious consideration after the midterm elections.

His hesitation leaves Republicans facing an unsettled succession battle, while Trump’s repeated suggestions about another White House run threaten to keep the focus on the outgoing president rather than the party’s next generation of leaders.

Although Trump has not announced a formal 2028 campaign, his latest comments ensure that the issue of presidential term limits will remain part of the political conversation.

And with his approval ratings sinking and voters preparing to decide control of Congress, the president’s insistence that he deserves another chance at the White House presents a striking contrast: a leader publicly contemplating four more years in power while a growing share of Americans express dissatisfaction with the job he is doing now.