Could Trump Run Again In 2028? Here’s Why The Answer Is No—Despite Bannon’s Claims

 Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon suggested President-elect Donald Trump could run again in 2028 in a speech at the New York Young Republican Club gala Sunday, since Trump technically wouldn’t serve three consecutive terms—but the Constitution explicitly bars anybody from winning the presidency more than twice.

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution imposes a two-term limit for presidents, stating explicitly: “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Bannon said at Sunday’s event Trump-aligned lawyer Mike Davis told him, “since it doesn’t actually say consecutive, … maybe we do it again in ‘28.”

However, the 22nd Amendment “directly restricts” Trump’s ability to run for a third term, according to the National Constitution Center—and the text of the amendment doesn’t spell out an exception for non-consecutive terms.

When asked for comment, Davis referenced a tweet saying Bannon “is obviously trolling,” and accusing former President Barack Obama of getting a third term with his “puppet Biden” (Forbes has reached out to Bannon for comment).

Trump will be only the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms, after former President Grover Cleveland, and the only president to serve more than two terms is Franklin D. Roosevelt, after which the 22nd Amendment was ratified.

There are no loopholes for a president to get around the 22nd Amendment, Michael McConnell, a law professor at Stanford University specializing in constitutional law, told Vox. “There are none. This will be his last run for president,” he said.

Trump has previously joked about figuring out a way to allow him to run again, but he has also said that he thinks 2024 is his last presidential campaign. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out,’” Trump said in a meeting with House Republicans last month. He also pondered at the National Rifle Association annual meeting in May whether his tenure would be “considered three-term” or “two-term.” On his campaign trail in 2020, he suggested that he would win another four years, then “negotiate” after that, saying “we are probably entitled to another four.”

The 22nd Amendment specifically bars anybody from being “elected” president more than twice, so some experts think Trump could serve in a temporary presidential role under specific circumstances, such as if he were to become vice president and ascend to the presidency.

It would be difficult as it requires a two-third majority in the House and Senate to propose a constitutional amendment, or for two-thirds of states to have a constitutional convention. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in both bodies of Congress. Three-fourths of state legislatures are needed to ratify an amendment.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution last month that would reaffirm that the 22nd Amendment prohibits presidents who have served two full terms from running again, and reaffirm that the amendment applies to Trump. The resolution is unlikely to reach a vote under House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La..

After casting his ballot in West Palm Beach, Fla., in response to a question about whether this year’s campaign would be his last, Trump said, “I would think so.” He also indicated prior to his victory he wouldn't run again in 2028 if he lost to Vice President Kamala Harris.