Trump claims he has the right to seek a third term despite the Constitution's two-term limit

US President Donald Trump has again suggested that he could run for a third term in 2028, even though the US Constitution does not allow presidents to serve more than two elected terms. Trump's argument is that the 2020 election was stolen from him — and that he should therefore be allowed to run again.

Speaking at a rally in Iowa, Trump acknowledged that the law leaves little room for interpretation. But he claimed he had studied the constitutional wording for a long time and had not changed his mind: he believes the 2020 election was rigged, and that he should be allowed to run again because of it.

It should be noted that Trump's oft-repeated allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election have not been substantiated. Even so, he revived that old claim before his supporters and brought the question of a third term back to the centre of discussion.

Under the Twenty-Second Amendment to the US Constitution, no person may be elected president more than twice. That limit has stood for decades as one of the most fundamental principles of American politics. Trump himself has said the law's wording is so clear that there is almost no gap for interpretation.

Even so, his remarks carry political weight, because a sitting president speaking publicly about the possibility of a third term is a rare sight in American politics. Delivered from a rally stage in Iowa, the comment is therefore not being seen as mere campaign talk; it has brought the debate over the constitutional limit back into the open.

At the heart of Trump's argument is the 2020 election. He claims that election was 'stolen' — in effect, that one of his terms was taken away from him. On that basis, he believes he has a moral right to be a candidate again in 2028. That logic ran through his remarks again and again.

In the eyes of legal experts, however, the constitutional barrier is specific, and Trump himself has not denied that reality. He said he had reviewed the constitutional phrasing for a long time. His claim, then, sounds more like political stagecraft than a legal pathway — possibly also a strategy to keep discussion and enthusiasm alive among his supporters.

The 2028 election is still a long way off. But with the sitting president voicing the idea of a third term, a question has arisen in Washington's political circles: is this just talk, or the beginning of a real future debate over the constitutional limit? For now, Trump appears determined to stand by his position.

In the end, the matter cannot move forward without a hard path such as the courts or a constitutional amendment, because the two-term limit is written into the Constitution itself. Only time will tell whether Trump's remarks can change that limit. But one thing is almost certain: as the 2028 presidential election draws closer, this question will grow louder in American politics.