Donald Trump Says He Has 'the Right to Run Again' for a Third Term: 'They Cheated Us'

Donald Trump can’t stop talking about running for a third term as president of the United States, despite the clear text of the Constitution prohibiting it. At a rally in Iowa, he once again raised the possibility.

“I don’t know who’s going to be your next president,” Trump declared. “And I think the law says, I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think the law says that I’m not allowed to run again.”

However, the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” This clear text, which was passed in 1947, has never been challenged.

The 80-year-old Trump, who would be 83 if he received the third term he craves, claimed he had in fact read the law, despite his vagueness. “I’ve studied that phrase forever,” he admitted. “Unfortunately, it’s quite concise. There’s not a lot of wiggle room.”

Never one to let a chance at wiggle room pass, Trump attempted to find some anyway.

“They cheated us on the second one because we won it three times, so I think I have the right to run again,” he insisted. “I think I have the right to run again because they cheated. They rigged the election.”

Dozens of courts, including the Supreme Court, have rejected Trump’s allegations of fraud, and no proof of cheating has ever been presented. Even if there was, there is no clause within the Constitution permitting a run for a third term under any circumstances.

Trump’s continued musing on a third term comes amid record-low approval ratings.

“A lot of people want me to do it,” he said in March. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in July, he donned a Trump 2028 hat and told the assembled crowd he planned to run again.

“I'm pleased to announce my intention to, and this is somewhat of a scoop, my intention to run for a fourth time as president of the United States,” he declared. “I think I won three times. Now I'm going to do it again.”

Trump’s defenders occasionally dismiss his third-term speculation as joking or trolling, but Trump has repeatedly told the media he is “not joking” about it. He has frequently posted AI-generated images plugging a third term, and he sells a “Trump 2028” hat to his followers.

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon, whom Trump himself dismisses as “Sloppy Steve,” expects Trump’s efforts will succeed. "Trump is gonna be president in ‘28 so people just ought to get accommodated with that," he predicted, without elaboration as to how.