Mike Johnson throws cold water on Trump’s musings about a third term for president

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a law instrumentality expert, formed uncertainty connected Tuesday connected the viability of Donald Trump’s stated involvement successful moving for a constitutionally barred 3rd word arsenic president.

“There’s a law path. You person to amend the constitution to bash it,” Johnson told reporters astatine the Capitol. “That’s a precocious bar.”

“We instrumentality him astatine his word,” Johnson added. “I recognize wherefore immoderate of the Americans bash privation helium would tally for a 3rd term, due to the fact that he’s accomplished truthful overmuch successful his archetypal 100 days that they privation it could spell connected for overmuch longer. I deliberation helium recognizes the law limitations and I’m not definite that there’s a determination astir to amend the Constitution.”

While immoderate of Trump’s allies person insisted Trump is kidding erstwhile helium talks astir a 3rd term, the president himself precocious told NBC News helium was “not joking.”

“A batch of radical privation maine to bash it,” the president said, referring to his allies. “But, I mean, I fundamentally archer them we person a agelong mode to go, you know, it’s precise aboriginal successful the administration.”

“I’m focused connected the current,” Trump added.

Trump has besides said he’d similar to situation chap two-term president Barack Obama successful a hypothetical match-up, contempt specified a contention being barred by the 22nd Amendment’s two-term limit.

“I’d emotion that,” Trump said this week successful the White House. “Boy, I’d emotion that.”

Long-time Trump state Steve Bannon has said MAGA operatives are strategizing however Trump could tally again.

“I’m a steadfast believer that President Trump volition tally and triumph again successful 2028,” Bannon said past week. “We’re moving connected it. … We’ll spot what the explanation of word bounds is.”

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Republican Congressman Andy Ogles introduced a House solution to amend the Constitution connected Trump’s behalf.

“He has proven himself to beryllium the lone fig successful modern past susceptible of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and helium indispensable beryllium fixed the clip indispensable to execute that goal,” Ogles said of the move.

Legal experts accidental Trump’s third-term plans are portion of a larger signifier of flouting tribunal orders and the Constitution, including the president’s attempts to extremity birthright citizenship by enforcement order, contempt that close being enshrined successful the 14th Amendment.

“He can’t bash distant with it with the changeable of his pen,” Georgetown instrumentality prof Michele Goodwin antecedently told The Independent. “It’s successful the American Constitution.”