Standing inside the Capitol at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Donald Trump resurrected an idea from his first term: a national garden featuring statues of notable Americans. The choice of figures, he quipped, would be “the president’s sole opinion”—and he was giving himself “a 25-year period” to make the selections.
Later that morning, speaking at a separate event, Trump once again hinted at the prospect of extending his presidency beyond two terms. “They say I can’t run again; that’s the expression,” he said. “Then somebody said, I don’t think you can. Oh.”
Since securing a second term, Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of a third, despite constitutional limits barring it. Publicly, he frames it as a joke. Privately, however, sources say Trump views it as a way to command attention and unsettle his opponents. Some political observers believe it also serves another purpose—keeping Republicans in Congress aligned with his broader push for executive authority.
“It benefits him to suggest he could serve a third term,” said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. “It makes him seem indispensable, much like Franklin D. Roosevelt, who won four terms before the 22nd Amendment was passed.”
While the White House did not respond to requests for comment, some of Trump’s allies are actively pushing for constitutional changes. On Jan. 25, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted on X that people were already discussing repealing the 22nd Amendment. Three days later, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee introduced a resolution to allow presidents who serve two nonconsecutive terms to run again. Though Ogles admits he did not consult Trump before proposing it, he argues that giving voters the choice “is the path to saving our Republic.”
The odds of such a measure passing are slim—it would require a two-thirds vote in Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. Still, Trump’s repeated musings about the idea, even in jest, have gained traction among his supporters.
At a rally in Las Vegas, he teased, “It will be the greatest honor of my life to serve not once, but twice or three times or four times.” When the crowd cheered, he quickly added, “Headlines for the fake news. No, it will be to serve twice.”
Even Speaker Mike Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer, was drawn into the speculation at a recent event in Florida. “Mike, I better not get you involved in that,” Trump said with a laugh, hinting at the role Congress would play in any constitutional change.
Whether Trump’s remarks are merely showmanship or a strategic move, the idea of a third term is no longer just hypothetical chatter—it has entered the realm of political discussion, with some Republicans willing to entertain the possibility.