The Constitution expressly forbids presidents from running for a third term. But that hasn't stopped Donald Trump from raising it repeatedly — and this time from an official White House event.
“Should I run again? You tell me.” Trump said on Thursday before a crowded East Room filled with mostly Black supporters who were there for a Black History Month event held just a month into his second term.
The crowd, which included elected officials, like Republicans Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Rep. John James of Michigan, as well as political appointees and athletes like famed golfer Tiger Woods, responded with chants of: “Four more years!”
Trump joked that the reaction from the crowd — and his mere floating of the idea, which he frequently does before friendly crowds but the first time he has done so in an official capacity — would draw “controversy.” The remarks were first reported by The Washington Post.
The scene took place amid a backdrop of growing concerns that Trump is wielding his presidential power in a way that the Constitution doesn’t permit. The Constitution’s 22 Amendment bars any president from being elected to more than two terms and was ratified some 74 years ago. But Trump's early actions in office have indicated he's willing to challenge constitutional law, by issuing spending freezes on funds allocated by Congress and issuing orders to shutter departments and take over independent federal agencies.
And there's no sign that the MAGA base is tiring of him.
Hours after Trump made remarks about a third term, former adviser Steve Bannon echoed similar sentiments before the gathering of the Conservative Political Action Committee.
“The future of MAGA is Donald Trump,” Bannon said to a cheering crowd. “We want Trump in ‘28. That's what they can't stand. A man like Trump comes along only once or twice in the country’s history. We want Trump!”
Trump’s remarks about a third term, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as his administration’s official social media account on X, posted a photoshopped image of him posing on a magazine cover in the style of Time, with a caption that read: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" Trump is known for hyperbole and boosting his own personal brand and image.
It was a reference to the Trump administration revoking federal approval for congestion pricing a day earlier in New York, legislation that aims to reduce traffic by charging certain sections of Manhattan to charge a $9 fee to enter.
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