Almost half of the Republicans who identify as members of the Make America Great Again movement have said President Donald Trump can run for a third term in office despite being term-limited by the Constitution, according to a new poll.
A SurveyUSA poll of 2,491 registered voters found that 21 percent of all respondents said Trump was eligible for a third term in the White House, while 49 percent of MAGA-identifying Republicans said the same.
Why It Matters
Trump, who began his second term in January, has repeatedly suggested that he could run again in 2028. Though his comments are often made jokingly, he has said in recent weeks that he is not joking about pursuing a third term. If the president decides to run for another term, he may propose legal routes never before tested in U.S. history.
What To Know
The SurveyUSA poll, conducted between April 2 and April 6, found that 71 percent of respondents did not believe Trump was eligible to run for president again—including 91 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of independents.
Among Republicans, 45 percent believed the 78-year-old could not seek a third term in 2028, while 42 percent believed he could.
When broken down further, 49 percent of MAGA Republicans believed the president was eligible for a third term, compared to 36 percent who thought he was not.
Among non-MAGA Republicans, 64 percent said Trump was not eligible to run again, while 28 percent believed he was. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”
In March, Trump told NBC‘s Kristen Welker he was “not joking” about considering a third term, adding that there were “methods which you could do it.”
Trump said one such method could involve having Vice President JD Vance lead the Republican ticket in 2028, with Trump as his running mate. Vance could then resign once in office in 2029, allowing Trump to assume the presidency for a third time.
According to the 12th Amendment, anyone who is “constitutionally ineligible” to serve as president also cannot serve as vice president.
Steve Bannon, who hosts the War Room podcast and served as White House chief strategist during Trump’s first term, has also suggested the president will win the 2028 election.
In an interview on Real Time With Bill Maher on April 11, Bannon said he had a “team of people” working on circumventing the 22nd Amendment, without specifying further. Bannon previously suggested the Constitution’s wording would allow Trump to run again, as his two terms were not consecutive.
Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, introduced a joint resolution in January to amend the part of the Constitution that prevents a president from being elected more than twice.
Ogles proposed that the 22nd Amendment be changed to say no person shall be elected to the office of president more than three times, nor serve any additional term after serving two consecutive terms. The amendment’s wording would prevent former two-term presidents, such as Barack Obama and George W. Bush, from running for a third term.
What People Are Saying
Philip Klinkner, a government professor at Hamilton College, previously told Newsweek: “If Trump somehow manages to stay in office beyond the end of his second term in 2029, then we will need to close the book on American democracy. It will show that there are no longer any laws, practices, or institutions that can contain him. And if Trump can stay in office past 2029, then we might as well declare him ‘president for life,’ similar to the title given to several African dictators.”
Steve Bannon said in an interview with Bill Maher on April 11: “President Trump is going to run for a third term, and President Trump is going to be elected again. On the afternoon of January 20, 2029, he’s going to be president of the United States.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News on April 6: “President Trump has served one full term. He’s on his second full term. He’s a very smart man. I wish we could have him for 20 years as our president, but I think he’s going to be finished, probably, after this term.”
What Happens Next
Any attempt to amend the Constitution to allow Trump to run for a third term is unlikely to succeed, as it would require significant support from Democrats.
If the president pursues a third term in 2028, he is almost certain to face legal challenges.
