A US House Republican congressman has proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would enable President Donald Trump to run for a third term.
"He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation's decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal," said Andy Ogles, urging an extension of the current limit of two elected terms.
Trump, like all US presidents, is barred from a third term by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which says: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." As founding father and first President George Washington served two terms, the reasoning goes, that should be enough for any president.
Ogles' proposed amendment states: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times."
"President Trump's decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years," said Ogles. Trump's second term-a return to the White House, after his first term in 2017-2021-is less than five days old.
Ogles, a member of the Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus, has also introduced a bill that would give Trump the power to negotiate the purchase of Greenland.
Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both served two terms as popular presidents, and many supporters wanted them to serve more, but there was no serious effort to change the rules.
Trump has suggested many times that he deserves a third term as a matter of "fairness," arguing that his enemies made his first term less productive than it might have been.
Last year, when former President Joe Biden initially sought reelection, many Republicans called him too old at age 81. In November 2028, when the next US election is due to take place, Trump will be 82.
