Claim:Trump ‘would love’ unconstitutional third term but rules out running for VP

Question

Presidents are constitutionally limited to two elected terms but some had suggested unorthodox gambit to stay in office. This article is implying that trump would be willing to bend the rules in order for himself to benefit, however, it is stated that he doesn't think that this third term would be right and even if he could he would not run for VP. This article is using buzz words such as unconstitutional to paint the story in a different light. However, trump is rejecting the idea of a third term in office as vice president.

Answer 1

This statement is true. On Monday, October 27th, 2025, Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he would "would love" to serve a third time in office despite the constitution disallowing it, this according to the New York Times. The BBC also reported Trump's statement, although also mentioned that he would not use the VP loophole in order to serve a third term. Trump describe this route as "too cute" but that it "would not be right". However, it is important to note that among Trump's supporters there is talk about him serving a third term. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist during his first term, said that there was a plan in place for Trump to serve a third term and that people "ought to just get accommodated to it". 

The source linked above is an article from The Guardian does support this claim, and is generally considered a very reliable source. Notably, the article reported that Trump did in fact think that there was a way for him serve a third term, saying that he'd "be allowed to do that" and falsely claimed that his approval ratings were at an all time high thus giving him the political support to do so. 

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/us/politics/trump-mri-third-term.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c797q57ple9o

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/27/donald-trump-third-term-vice-president

Answer 2

Recent reports confirm that former President Donald Trump said he would “love” to serve a third term, despite the U.S. Constitution explicitly limiting presidents to two. According to coverage from The New York Times and BBC News, Trump made this remark to reporters aboard Air Force One on October 27, 2025. The BBC also noted that Trump dismissed the idea of using what some call the “vice president loophole,” describing it as “too cute” and “not right.” Although he appeared to acknowledge the constitutional restriction, his comments have fueled ongoing speculation among his supporters about the possibility of a third term. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, even claimed that there was a “plan” for Trump to serve again, telling audiences that people should “get accommodated” to the idea.

Still, while Trump’s comments and Bannon’s statements have stirred political conversation, there is no legal basis for a third presidential term under current U.S. law. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, clearly prohibits anyone from being elected president more than twice. Discussions among Trump supporters and conservative media figures reflect enthusiasm for his continued influence, but constitutional scholars agree that serving a third term would be unlawful without a formal amendment to the Constitution. In short, Trump may have expressed his desire and some allies may talk about it openly, but the claim that he could or will serve a third term remains legally impossible for now.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c797q57ple9o

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/27/donald-trump-third-term-vice-president

Answer 3

This claim is true. Trump is loving the power he has right now, and would love to keep it going for as long as he can. House Speaker Mike Johnson claims that it would be impossible for Trump to stay for another term as president. According to an article from PBS News, “The speaker described how the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment does not allow for a third presidential term and changing that, with a new amendment, would be a cumbersome, decade-long process winning over states and votes in Congress” (PBS News, 2025). This shows that although Trump wants to stay another term, or even multiple more terms, he can’t. Also even if he changed a law that made it so he could stay another term, like Mike Johnson stated it would take too long and would have to win too many people over. So the likelihood of Trump being able to run for a 3rd term is basically impossible. On the other hand, Trump  is trolling audiences. Even though he knows he technically can’t run for a third term, he and people on the internet are not ruling it out and are kind of subtly rubbing into people’s faces. Steve Bannon, a former chief strategist of Trump claimed that Trump’s third term was a certainty. According to NPR, Bannon claimed “ ‘Well, he’s going to get a third term,’ Bannon said in a recent interview with The Economist. ‘Trump is going to be president in ’28 and people just ought to get accommodated with that’ ”(NPR, 2025). This is concerning because even though it is legally impossible, it is being spread around that there is a chance, and according to Bannon basically a certainty. Just because this is said obviously doesn’t mean there is actually a chance that this is possible. Also thoughts of a way that Trump could keep his hand in office would be to run for vice president under JD Vance in the next election. When asked about this, Trump’s answer was clear. According to PBS News, “‘I think the people wouldn’t like that,’ Trump said of running for vice president. ‘It’s too cute. It’s not, it wouldn’t be right.’”(PBS News, 2025). It's very apparent that Trump is not going to run as vice president. This backs up the original claim that I am responding to is true.Trump would love to run for a third term, but will not run as vice president.

 

Lebowitz, M. (2025, October 29). Trump says “it’s pretty clear” he can’t run for a third term. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-rule-out-third-term-constitutional-amendment-rcna240438 

Megerian, C., & Mascaro, L. (2025, October 29). Trump says “it’s too bad” he can’t run for a third term. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-its-too-bad-he-cant-run-for-a-third-term 

 

Answer 4

Looking into the claim that “Trump would love an unconstitutional third term but rules out running for VP,” I found this to be mostly true but exaggerated by the way it’s phrased. After reading the PBS article, Trump did say it’s “too bad” he can’t run for a third term and admitted that the Constitution doesn’t allow it. He also mentioned that running as vice president would be “too cute” and said he wouldn’t do that either. So the facts check out he did express that he’d like to serve longer but clearly recognized that the law doesn’t allow it.

What stood out to me is how headlines can take a real quote and spin it to sound way more dramatic than it actually was. The PBS article shows he was joking around with reporters and making casual comments, not actually trying to break constitutional rules. The News Detective claim adds words like “unconstitutional” and “would love” that make it sound like he was seriously planning to go around the system. That kind of wording shapes how people react, even when the details say otherwise.

Doing this one reminded me how media framing can make a normal statement seem extreme. It’s not that the claim was fake it just left out tone and context, which matter a lot. News Detective made it easy to cross-check what he actually said and what the Constitution says about term limits. I feel like this assignment really trains you to read past the surface and notice when language is being used to grab attention rather than to tell the full truth.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-its-too-bad-he-cant-run-for-a-third-term

Answer 5

This claim comes from the Guardian, a fairly well-known and reputable source to begin with. This article states that, when referring to the possibility of a third term, Trump "would love to do it." He said that he had his "best numbers ever," indicating his presumption of success in a hypothetical third term. But the 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution bars anyone from running for a third term. In response to this, many have floated the unorthodox idea that Trump run as Vice President under JD Vance's campaign, who would then resign and allow Trump to step up to the Presidential position. In response to inquiries about running for VP, Trump states that he "wouldn't do that," that he "would rule that out," and that "it wouldn't be right." 

NBC News corroborates Trump's stance against running for VP. While NBC did not investigate his quote about "loving" to run for a third term, it did mention that on Wednesday, Oct. 29, Trump admitted that it's "pretty clear" he is not allowed to run for a third term. In supposedly ruling out running for a third term while also claiming that a run for VP wouldn't be right, it seems that Trump will not be vying for President in 2028. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-rule-out-third-term-constitutional-amendment-rcna240438

Reuters, another reputable news source, corroborates both claims that Trump "would love to" but will not be attempting presidency through the avenue of running for VP, since it "wouldn't be right." Reuters actually follows "Trust Principles," established in 1941, that require all employees to "act at all times with integrity, independence, and freedom from bias." https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-would-not-run-vice-president-2028-2025-10-27/

Again, the New York Times has evidence of Trump's claim to "love to" run for a third term, but that it is "not allowed," and that the approach through running for VP is "ruled out" and "wouldn't be right." https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/us/politics/third-term-limit.html

PBS News also shares Trump's expressed interest in a third term, followed by his claim that while he'd "be allowed" to run for VP, he "wouldn't do that." https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-its-too-bad-he-cant-run-for-a-third-term

Nearly every article I read similarly establishes claims of Trump loving the idea of a third term, claiming that it could be successful and that it may not be ruled out. Each article subsequently explains the unconstitutionality of a third term, followed by Trump's more recent admissions that a third term is simply not possible. They then go on to quote Trump's claims that he does not support the idea of running for Vice President. 

It seems clear that the claim is true that Trump does love the idea of an unconstitutional third term, but that he will not be pursuing the presidency by running for VP (or by attempting to run at all, it may be reasonably assumed). I have additionally added the YouTube clip where Trump states that he would not run for VP, but that he may love a third term. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=bc0aa39c15f4c826&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS917US917&sxsrf=AE3TifOw2o1EqSg38n44kEvNrihBYvUDXw:1761869957651&udm=39&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZPH5QghoXViUOqdFyhkUfHhA90f6RZnLvcDKUWyhDavEB0GGDOT3-g6-c9W8Pjy1gZAXDnqFJqVXLvD0e_AkTILB1bpX2xQHajXok6NJfp0bhrLs6Y1KmscZmWkoPPVR3ly53S0EAkj0i1284GSNZIyxrDS5syIS7rqefforhRhC9dhLahO8j5Gmjd_vLA6XsTICjPQ&q=trump+%E2%80%98would+love%E2%80%99+unconstitutional+third+term+but+rules+out+running+for+VP&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1jd2Hlc2QAxXeGTQIHY-XChkQs6gLegQIEhAB&biw=1440&bih=778&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:57998dd9,vid:Zgawn8_s9Y0,st:0