"American Presidents are plainly meant to be term-limited. The Twenty-Second Amendment, ratified in 1951, spells it out: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." Donald Trump has sometimes sung a different tune, though. In March, he told NBC News that "there are methods" by which he could continue serving past the end of his term, and that he was "not joking.""
"Riffing on this, the Trump Organization's website began selling "Trump 2028" paraphernalia. More recently, the former Trump aide Steve Bannon told The Economist that Trump is going to stay in office, and that "there is a plan" for Trump to sidestep term limits, which would be revealed "at the appropriate time." Whether Trump is serious (as opposed to just trolling the opposition and staving off lame-duck talk), the uncertainty he has created presents an opportunity to shut down this possibility once and for all."
"These questions are legal ones, but the best solutions are political. If an actual case ever arises, courts may struggle to resolve the matter without causing massive political unrest. Far better to avoid an actual case in the first place. When a president starts talking about constitutional loopholes and third terms, leaders in his party need to push back, with firm and specific support for a strong reading of the Twenty-Second Amendment."
The Twenty-Second Amendment bars election to the presidency more than twice. Public statements and hints from a former president and aides suggest possible methods to bypass that limit, creating political uncertainty. Merchandise and public commentary have signaled interest in extending tenure beyond two elected terms. Legal adjudication of any actual attempt could inflame political unrest, so prevention is preferable. Political leaders should proactively support a robust interpretation of the amendment. A proposed loophole treats the amendment as forbidding only election, not service, which could allow a former two-term president to return via succession rather than election.
Read at The Atlantic
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