Trump Says He’s Barred From Running for Third Term After Weeks of Speculation

The president’s comments come after his allies promoted the idea of another term.

President Trump acknowledged that the Constitution prohibits him from seeking a third term, following weeks of speculation among some of his allies.

President Trump

“If you read it, it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One en route to South Korea, the last swing of his three-country Asia tour.

His remarks early Wednesday local time came after he recently said he would “love” to campaign for a third term as president, while noting the move “wouldn’t be right” since there are others he thinks would be suitable to run for president in 2028 instead. Trump has mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance as strong potential contenders to be his successors.

Trump’s remarks arrive after some allies have promoted the idea of him running for a third term, even producing red 2028 Trump hats.

Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has previously said there is a “plan” in place for Trump to secure a third term in 2028, despite the 22nd amendment of the U.S. Constitution barring anyone from becoming president a third time. That amendment, passed by Congress in 1947 and ratified in 1951, followed former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s record fourth term. It stipulates that no president could be elected to more than two four-year terms, hewing to President George Washington’s example.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R., Tenn.,) has introduced a bill that, if passed and signed into law, could initiate a constitutional amendment which would allow Trump to run for a third term. The Republicans for National Renewal, a nonprofit advocacy group, has launched a campaign called the Third Term Project, which urges people to encourage Republican lawmakers to support Ogles’s bill, according to the group’s grassroots director Shane Trejo, who is helping lead the effort. Ogles is the only sponsor of his bill.

Trejo told The Wall Street Journal earlier on Tuesday the group’s policy team is writing a white paper that makes the case for why third terms for presidents might be necessary. “It might be time to consider the potential benefits of allowing truly exceptional leaders to stay in office long enough for consequential nation-building goals to be properly seen through,” excerpts of the white paper say. Trejo said the group plans to distribute the paper to Republican lawmakers.

The organization is also planning a December party on the sidelines of Turning Point USA’s America Fest in Phoenix to promote the Third Term Project.

Trump made his comments en route to South Korea, where he will meet Wednesday with the country’s president and other Asian political and business leaders. The next day he will host the most important meeting of his weeklong Asian swing, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Busan’s international airport.

Trump confirmed on Air Force One that he is considering lowering tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on fentanyl entering the U.S.

Write to Brian Schwartz at brian.schwartz@wsj.com