President Trump on Thursday again raised the idea of his seeking a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution, this time drawing loud approval from supporters at a Black History Month event.
“Should I run again? You tell me?” Trump asked the crowd assembled in the East Room of the White House.
“There’s your controversy right there,” he said as supporters cheered.
Trump laughed as attendees began chanting “four more years,” and he quipped that the clip would be shown on evening newscasts.
The president has on multiple occasions floated the idea of running for a third term since he won a second in November, including twice during meetings with House Republicans.
Most presidents followed former President Washington’s tradition of not running for more than two terms. A few attempted a third term, but none were successful until former President Franklin Roosevelt won four terms amid the crises of the Great Depression and World War II.
The 22nd Amendment established that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has introduced a constitutional amendment that would specifically allow Trump to run for another term but not any of his two-term predecessors. The proposal has virtually no chance of passing through Congress.
Trump is only the second U.S. president in history, after former President Cleveland, to serve nonconsecutive terms.
