President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of campaigning for an additional term.
“RECORD NUMBERS ALL OVER THE PLACE! SHOULD I TRY FOR A FOURTH TERM?” he posted on Thursday evening.
The U.S. Constitution bars Trump from serving another term; the 22nd Amendment states: “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.”
However, Trump and his supporters have openly discussed the potential for another candidacy. Last year, the Trump Organization began selling merchandise featuring “Trump 2028” and items stating “Trump 2028 (Rewrite the Rules).”
In October, the President informed reporters that he “would love to” run again. When pressed on whether he was dismissing the idea, he responded, “Am I not ruling it out? I mean, you’ll have to tell me.” Shortly before that, his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, an advocate for Trump serving another term, indicated to media that a “plan” exists to circumvent the 22nd Amendment. Bannon did not disclose the plan’s specifics but mentioned there are “many different alternatives” and that details would be revealed “at the appropriate time.”
The President has also incorrectly claimed in the past that a potential “third term” would be his “fourth term.” Last year, he told reporters that “in a way,” a third term would be a “fourth term because the other election, the 2020 election was totally rigged.” Trump has often promoted unfounded theories that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.
Contrary to Trump’s assertion of “record numbers all over the place,” his approval ratings are negative—although he maintains solid backing from his core supporters. Approximately 40% of American adults approve of his performance in his second term, based on a poll from earlier this month. A majority of voters—56%—disapprove of his handling of key issues such as the economy, immigration, federal government management, and the cost of living, according to a survey released on Thursday. Additionally, about 49% of respondents in the Times-Siena poll believed the U.S. was in a worse state than a year ago, prior to Trump’s second inauguration. Fewer than a third thought the nation was doing better.
Trump responded to the poll on social media, stating he would add it to his “lawsuit against The Failing New York Times” and alleging, without evidence, that the findings were “fake.”
