Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Iowa States Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Rachel Mummey)
President Donald Trump has sparked controversy by indicating he is exploring "methods" to serve a third term, despite constitutional limitations, and expressing he is "pissed off" at Vladimir Putin, threatening "secondary sanctions on Russia" regarding the Ukraine conflict.
President Trump has ignited debate by suggesting he is considering ways to extend his presidency beyond the constitutional two-term limit. In an interview with NBC News, Trump stated, "I'm not joking" about pursuing a third term, adding, "There are methods which you could do it." These comments, delivered during a telephone interview from Mar-a-Lago, have drawn immediate legal and political scrutiny.
Trump further elaborated on his remarks while on Air Force One, telling reporters, "I have had more people ask me to have a third term, which in a way is a fourth term because the other election, the 2020 election was totally rigged." He also acknowledged, "I don't want to talk about a third term now because no matter how you look at it, we've got a long time to go."
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1951, states, "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." Legal experts, such as Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Northeastern University, have asserted, "there are no credible legal arguments for him to run for a third term."
Trump also alluded to a potential strategy involving Vice President JD Vance, stating, "Well, that's one. But there are others too. There are others." When pressed for further details by NBC's Kristen Welker, and asked "Can you tell me another?", Trump replied, "No."
In addition to the third-term discussion, Trump expressed strong disapproval of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statements regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump stated he is "pissed off" and "very angry" with Putin, and threatened "secondary sanctions on Russia" if they do not cooperate on a ceasefire.
"If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia's fault -- which it might not be -- but if I think it was Russia's fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia," Trump said, as reported by NBC News.
Trump also defended his third-term notion by citing his popularity, claiming, "I have the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years."
Trump also said, "A lot of people want me to do it." And that "But, I mean, I basically tell them, we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration."
