AI reveals how Trump could become first president to serve a third term since 1941
The race to the White House is heating up, and while there are whole websites dedicated to counting down how long President Donald Trump has left in office, some are convinced that our 47th president could also be eyeing an unheard-of third term.
Many thought it would be impossible for the business mogul/former host of The Apprentice to get into office back in 2017, and although he was later bested by Joe Biden in the 2020 election, 'The Don' returned in 2025. Even though the US Constitution seemingly makes it clear that no one can serve more than two terms, there's rampant speculation that the sitting POTUS could use a series of legal loopholes to run for a third term.
If Donald Trump somehow managed to make it back to the Oval Office, it would be the first time since Franklin D. Roosevelt secured a third term back in 1941.
Roosevelt was something of a big deal in Washington, not only entering the history books as the longest-serving president and the only to have served more than two terms, but also dying shortly into his fourth.
Could Donald Trump run for a third term?
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The question of a potential third term for Donald Trump is becoming more of a regular one as we head into the 2026 midterms. It's here that the various movers and shakers will start announcing their interest in being considered a presidential candidate, so expect there to be plenty of discussion about whether DJT could run again.
The main stumbling block is the 1951 ratification of the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution.
As well as determining that no one can be elected president more than twice, it decrees that no one who has served more than two years of a term that someone else was elected into can be elected more than once.
At a time when AI seemingly has the answer to everything, it notes there are several potential avenues the Republican Party could go down if President Trump were going to seek a third term.
Notably, the wording of the 22nd Amendment says: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."
AI says that 'shall' doesn't explicitly say that someone who has been elected twice can never hold office again.
ChatGPT highlights three routes:
Route A
One popular idea is that someone like JD Vance is elected president, with Trump serving as vice president under them. Vance (or whoever wins) then steps down after inauguration, and Trump is promoted from VP to president.
There's a problem with this option, as the 12th Amendment currently prohibits anyone who is constitutionally ineligible to be president from serving as vice president. Lawyers continue to debate whether the 22nd Amendment makes Trump ineligible for VP or just for another presidential election.
Route B
Becoming Speaker of the House is another potential way in, with ChatGPT reminding us that the Constitution doesn't expressly state that they have to be a sitting member of Congress.
If both the president and vice president vacate their positions, the Speaker of the House is next in line for succession.
Again, there are questions about whether a two-term president could use this loophole.
Route C
The final route would require a lot of legal overhaul by changing the Constitution. Repealing or modifying the 22nd Amendment typically requires two-thirds support from both houses of Congress, as well as ratification by 38 of the 50 states.
Legal scholars continue to argue about how the Constitution's wording can be interpreted, while the Constitution Annotated itself acknowledges issues between the 12th and 22nd Amendments. Although a legal challenge could head to the Supreme Court, there's no controlling ruling that establishes any of these third-term succession theories are lawful.
What has Donald Trump said about a potential third term?
Trump isn't alone in musing about a third term, with Tennessee representative Andy Ogles proposing an amendment to the 22nd Amendment that would allow presidents who'd served two nonconsecutive terms to seek a third.
As you can imagine, the idea of a third term hasn't gone unnoticed by Trump himself. The current POTUS has flipped between thinly veiled comments, claiming he'll run, and reminding us this is his last term.
Alongside referring to himself as an 'eight-year' president, he's pointed to potential successors like Vance and Marco Rubio while telling reporters, "It's pretty clear I’m not allowed to run." More recently, his messages have remained mixed.
August 2026 saw him say, "I'd love to run, but the law is very strong," although he's again teased it could be a case of third time lucky when he told a chanting crowd at an Ohio rally: "I would love to do it."
It feels like the clock is winding down on Trump's political ambitions, as it's been noted that more of his conversations have turned to talk about his life post-presidency.
As he's already earned the record of being the oldest person ever to be elected president, and will be 82 at the end of his current term, this hardly seems surprising. Speaking at a Pennsylvania rally, he reiterated: "Whoever the next president is, he's going to be talking about what a brilliant president he is. And I'll be home. And I'll be saying, 'That son of a gun,' because we did the job."
Then again, he also told crowds in Michigan, "In two and a half years, you may have a different president — may," emphasizing the 'may'. While it sounds like even Trump himself doesn't know if he can serve a term, we don't imagine that'll stop him from trying to sell 'Trump 2028' hats.