Trump claims he will try to “negotiate” a third term
President Donald Trump continued to elude contemporary presidential norms on Saturday when he suggested that he would negotiate a third term if he wins re-election. The president made the statement Saturday night at a campaign rally in Nevada.
During his speech to his supporters, President Trump said “We’re going to win four more years in the White House and then after that we’ll negotiate because we’re probably, based on the way we were treated, we’re probably entitled to another four after that.”
It remains to be seen whether or not President Trump made the comments in jest, but this is not the first time he has hinted at pursuing more than the Constitutionally allowed two terms. Per Business Insider, the president has hinted at challenging the 22nd Amendment several times throughout his presidency and during the 2020 campaign. In mid-August, the president reiterated potentially violating the 22nd Amendment during a campaign event in Wisconsin.
In his calls for a third term, he has referenced the self-made claims of the Obama Administration spying on his 2016 campaign, the Russian investigation on his campaign and his impeachment by the House of Representatives. These events, he has said, entitle him to a third term.
CNN recently reported that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen believed the president is being serious. “Donald Trump believes that he should be the ruler — the dictator of the USA.”, said Cohen.
If President Trump does indeed plan on challenging the 22nd Amendment, he faces an uphill legal battle.
