President-elect Donald Trump is headed back to the White House, and that may prompt the question of whether he can run again in the 2028 elections.
Trump is the second president to lose the White House and win it back four years later. But a third term?
He has been inconsistent in his remarks about running again. In September, Trump said he wouldn’t run again in 2028 if he lost the 2024 election. But in May at the National Rifle Association annual meeting, Trump talked about running for a third term.
“This has been an incredible journey, and it’s very sad in a way because we’ve done all these (rallies) and this is the last one,” Trump said during his final rally on Nov. 5 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Trump is 78 years old and would turn 82 in 2028. Voters have already voiced concerns about his age.
Here’s what you need to know:
2024 Election:Kentucky results
Can Donald Trump run in the 2028 elections?
Legally, no.
The two-term limit was set after Franklin Roosevelt was elected to four terms as president. He died in 1945, shortly into his fourth term.
The 22nd Amendment says: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”
Can the Constitution be amended?
Constitutional amendments can be repealed, but it’s a difficult process. Any proposed amendment to the Constitution must be passed by the U.S. House and the Senate with two-thirds majorities. It then must be ratified by three-fourths of the 50 states.
USA TODAY reporters Michael Collins and David Jackson contributed to this article.
