Trump’s seriously talking about a 2028 re-election bid. Can he do that?

For several years, Donald Trump has joked about running for president again in 2028.

But as time goes on, his remarks seem less like a joke and more like a genuine ambition.

At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday, Trump made his re-election announcement as a statement of fact.

“I won three times, now I’m gonna do it again,” he said, while putting on a cap that read “Trump 2028″.

“I’m gonna do it again. It should be easy.”

And over the weekend, the president posted a series of increasingly bizarre AI-generated images beating the slogan: “Trump 2028”.

One was a photo of a younger Trump bearing a Trump 2028 hat, and one featured him smoking a cigar. A third featured an enormous mug of coffee reading “Trump 2028” in a public square, surrounded by a series of identical screaming liberals.

It seems the president is serious in his attempts to claim a third term in office.

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The only problem is, legally he can’t.

The US Constitution only allows presidents to serve two terms in office, even if they aren’t consecutive.

“No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once,” the 22nd Amendment reads.

There isn’t any wriggle room in the amendment, which means if Trump wants a third term he would need to overturn it.

Overturning an amendment is as difficult as passing one in the first place. He would need to convince two-thirds of both the House and the Senate to vote in his favour.

Then he would need three-quarters of the legislatures of every state to vote for it.

It is technically possible, in the same way it is technically possible to run an ultra-marathon while giving a sumo wrestler a piggyback.

In history, only one constitutional amendment has been repealed, the 1919 amendment banning the sale of alcohol.

That amendment was repealed in 1933.

But even if every Republican in Congress voted to repeal the amendment, Trump would fall well short of the necessary numbers.

The 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951 under the presidency of Harry Truman.

Truman was at the tail-end of his term in office, though the amendment had a sub-clause which exempted him from the rule.

He attempted a run in 1952, but his dire approval ratings led him to withdraw after the New Hampshire primary.

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Trump may find himself in the same position as Truman. At present, Trump is deeply unpopular among the wider electorate.

And there is little sign the president will be able to turn things around, with his focus on the war in Iran, building monuments to himself and renovating the White House not popular with voters.

Nevertheless, he remains confident in his own abilities.

Speaking in Michigan today, he touted his importance to a group of carmakers.

“Those people love Trump because I’ve done more for you than your parents,” he said. 

“OK, your parents are good. I’m not going to knock your parents, but I have been better to you than your parents.”

And at the Press Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump told the crowd of how important he was to the media.

“When I’m gone, you people will be broke,” Trump said.

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“There’s going to be no one to report on. No one gives a damn about anyone else.”

Trump’s 2028 talk puts other potential Republican candidates in an awkward position.

Vice President JD Vance, the heir apparent for the Republican nomination, is reportedly preparing his own bid for the presidency behind the scenes.

Vance would be loath to cross his boss in a presidential contest, even if Trump would be running unlawfully.