President Donald Trump keeps floating a potential third presidential term because he’s desperate to stay politically relevant, according to a former senior aide.
Trump privately told staffers that one reason he has publicly mused about serving another term, despite being constitutionally barred from seeking one, is to avoid being perceived as a lame duck and slipping into “irrelevance,” the former senior aide told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Trump, who turns 80 on Sunday, has made frequent public comments about serving beyond his current term, even though the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution limits presidents to two elected terms. Trump will be 82 when his second term ends in January 2029, and he is legally prohibited from running again unless the Constitution is amended.
The president has nevertheless continued to flirt publicly with the idea.
In an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker last March, Trump said he was “not joking” about the prospect of serving another term and claimed that “a lot of people want me to do it.”
“But we have—my thinking is, we have a long way to go. I’m focused on the current,” he told Welker.
Trump has also teased that there are “methods” to circumvent the constitutional restriction, although he has not explained how.
Amending the Constitution would require two-thirds of Congress to pass a proposal. Three-fourths of states must then ratify the change.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that some members of Trump’s inner circle remain uncertain whether the president is genuinely considering a third-term bid or merely trolling the media. Others within Republican circles reportedly believe Trump is serious. The newspaper also reported that some of Trump’s closest advisers have discussed the possibility internally.
The comments come as Trump approaches his 80th birthday on Sunday amid growing questions about his political standing nearly 17 months into his second term.
According to Reuters, Trump “is trying to project political strength” even as courts have pushed back against parts of his agenda, his push to resolve the Iran war has fizzled, and his approval ratings have plummeted.
The White House has reportedly worked to push back against any narrative that Trump is already entering a lame-duck phase ahead of November’s midterm elections.
A presidential adviser told Reuters that administration officials have been forceful in reminding Republican lawmakers that Trump “can still make or break them.” The adviser also acknowledged that Trump’s diminishing authority is inevitable.
“He’ll naturally start to lose leverage, especially after the midterms,” the adviser said.
When contacted for comment, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump “is the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party who is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress.”
“In just over one year, the President has made our country greater than ever before with the most secure border in American history, the largest middle-class tax cuts ever, and the lowest murder rate since 1900,” she said.
“President Trump will continue to draw a sharp contrast with his commonsense agenda and the radical Democrats in Congress who allowed millions of illegal aliens to flow through the border, unanimously opposed the Working Families Tax Cuts, and are soft-on-crime,” Wales added.
