President Donald Trump addressed his recent claim that he’s “not joking” about running for a third term in a new interview with TIME magazine, published on April 25
- Trump doubled down on his claim that “there are methods” of bypassing the Constitution, telling TIME that “loopholes have been discussed,” though he does not “believe in using” them
- When asked whether he would use one of the most well-known “loopholes” — running as vice president to J.D. Vance, who would later resign if elected — Trump dodged the question, instead taking the time to brag once again about his cognitive test results
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The president, 78, first made the comment during a phone interview with NBC News last month, insinuating that “there are methods” of bypassing the Constitution. When asked about these claims in a new interview with TIME magazine, Trump doubled down, stating there are some well-known “loopholes” to the supreme law.
As TIME asked Trump, “You recently said you were ‘not joking’ about seeking a third term and that there were methods to do it. What methods?” the politician responded, “I’d rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known.”
“But I don’t believe in loopholes,” Trump added. “I don’t believe in using loopholes.”
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When asked if he would attempt this method in his latest interview with TIME, Trump dodged the question and instead opted to brag about the cognitive test he “aced” — while insisting that his interviewers could not attain or surpass his results.
“I don’t know anything about, what, look, all I can say is this, I am being inundated with requests,” Trump said.
“I’m doing a good job,” he then told the magazine. “Great physical exam, and unlike every other president, I took the cognitive test and I aced it 100% and I bet you guys couldn’t get 100% on that exam. It’s a tough exam. You know, when you get into the mid questions, it gets to be pretty tricky and pretty tough, and the last questions are very tough, and I aced it.”
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Earlier in his conversation with TIME, Trump also reacted to a quote he gave a year ago, which contradicts his recently stated desire to seek a third presidential term.
“When we spoke to you a year ago, we asked whether you would challenge the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms. You said, and I quote, ‘I’m going to serve one term. I’m going to do a great job, and I’m going to leave.’ What changed?” TIME asked the president, who responded, “Well, I’m serving two terms now.”
After the magazine attempted to clarify, asking, “You meant one in addition to the one you already served,” Trump pushed back, “You mean one more.”
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In teasing an attempt to seek a third term, Trump — who will be the oldest president in U.S. history by the time his second term ends in January 2029 — is at direct odds with the Constitution.
The 22nd Amendment, which was added to the Constitution in 1951 following Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s historic four terms in office, states that a president cannot be elected to more than two terms. And though Trump didn’t expand on the “methods” or “loopholes” he could attempt to enlist to serve a third term, his supporters have proposed a few different possibilities.
The most straightforward would be amending the Constitution, either by a two-thirds vote in Congress or by two-thirds of U.S. states agreeing to call a constitutional convention to propose the changes. Both of these methods are considered highly unlikely.
* Original Article:
https://people.com/donald-trump-loopholes-have-been-discussed-for-a-third-presidential-term-11722689
