RismadarVoice Reporters
October 23, 2026
United States President Donald Trump has suggested that he should be allowed to seek a third presidential term, despite acknowledging that the country’s Constitution prohibits anyone from being elected president more than twice.
Trump made the remarks on Thursday, October 22, during a Republican campaign rally at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Addressing supporters, the 80-year-old president said he was uncertain about who would succeed him in the White House and referred to the constitutional restriction preventing him from contesting another presidential election.
“I don’t know who’s going to be your next president,” Trump said, before acknowledging that the law appeared to prevent him from seeking another term.
He further admitted that the wording of the constitutional provision was clear and left little room for alternative interpretation.
However, Trump subsequently argued that he deserved another opportunity to contest the presidency because of his longstanding allegation that the 2020 election had been rigged against him.
“I think I have the right to run again because they cheated,” he told supporters.
Trump was elected president in 2016 but lost his re-election bid to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. He subsequently returned to office after defeating Kamala Harris in the November 2024 presidential election.
Despite repeatedly claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, no credible evidence has established widespread electoral fraud sufficient to overturn Biden’s victory.
Under the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, no individual may be elected president more than twice.
The amendment, ratified in 1951, was introduced to limit presidential tenure following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s election to four consecutive terms.
Trump’s victories in 2016 and 2024 mean that he has already reached the constitutional limit, making another election to the presidency in 2028 incompatible with the amendment as it currently stands.
The president has repeatedly entertained the possibility of another campaign, including through references to a potential 2028 candidacy.
At other times, he has acknowledged the restriction and discussed leaving office when his second term expires in January 2029.
His latest remarks came during efforts to mobilise Republican voters ahead of the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
Although Trump continues to raise the prospect of seeking another term, he has not announced a legally viable route to overcoming the constitutional restriction.
Any proposal to remove the two-term limit would require a constitutional amendment through the procedures established under Article V of the United States Constitution.
