Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, introduced a resolution on Thursday to amend the US Constitution to allow President Donald Trump and any future president to be elected to a third term. “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, 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 twice,” read the language of the proposed amendment, according to a press release available on Congressman Ogles website, which also explained his reasoning.Ogles stated that Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.”The resolution comes just days after Trump was sworn in for a second, non-consecutive term, becoming only the second US president to achieve this feat. It also follows a resolution introduced two months ago by Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, reaffirming that the 22nd Amendment applies to two terms in the aggregate as President of the United States and applies to the 78-year-old Trump.”It is imperative that we provide President Trump with every resource necessary to correct the disastrous course set by the Biden administration,” Ogles said in a statement. “He is dedicated to restoring the republic and saving our country, and we, as legislators and as states, must do everything in our power to support him.”The 22nd Amendment currently states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”Trump has repeatedly hinted at his willingness to serve more than two terms in office. In November, he reportedly mused to House Republicans, “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out.'” In May, he had said, “I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term or two-term? Are we three-term or two-term if we win?”The former Fox News journalist Geraldo Rivera, who was friendly with Trump for decades in New York, predicted in December that Trump and his allies would soon turn their attention to the 22nd Amendment.Amending the Constitution is not the only way Trump could stay in power after his current term ends. According to Philip Klinkner, a professor of government at Hamilton College, the 22nd Amendment only prohibits someone from being “elected” more than twice and does not prohibit them from serving as president beyond January 2029.Klinkner suggested hypothetical scenarios, such as Trump running for vice president in 2028 with Vice President JD Vance running for president. If elected, Vance could resign, making Trump president again. Alternatively, under the 25th Amendment, if a president declares that “he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office,” the vice president would serve as acting president.Another scenario involves Trump encouraging a family member to run for and win the White House, serving as a figurehead president while Trump makes key decisions.
