Republican leader reveals he spoke to Donald Trump about 'constraints of the Constitution' for a third presidential term
Mike Johnson and Donald Trump, on the scene of an event on October 20, 2025. Credit: Joey Sussman/Zuma / SplashNews.com / Splash / Profimedia
The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said on Tuesday that he has discussed with President Donald Trump the possibility of running for a third term in the White House, but that he sees no way for such an approach, as the US Constitution cannot be amended in a timely manner, according to CNN and Reuters.
Trump, 79, on Monday refused to rule out the possibility of running for a third term, fueling speculation about that scenario.
“Well, it's the 22nd Amendment,” Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, said when asked about the president floating the possibility of a 2028 run.
“I think the president knows, and he and I have discussed this, the constraints of the Constitution,” the Republican added.
“I don't see a way to amend the Constitution, because it takes about 10 years to do that, as you all know, to allow all the states to ratify (…) which would be two-thirds of the House and three-quarters of the states approving,” Mike Johnson explained.
“I don't see a way around this,” the leader of the House of Representatives said.
“Trump 2028 cap is one of the most popular”
Donald Trump's allies have floated plans to test the two-term limit provided by the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution. The president has spoken publicly about this and is selling crackers with the message “Trump 2028”, a reference to the year of the country's next presidential election.
Mike Johnson argues that the president is actually laughing at Democrats when he speaks publicly on the subject, with Trump's opponents alarmed by the very prospect of a new term for the Republican in the White House.
“The Trump 2028 cap is one of the most popular hats ever produced,” Mike Johnson told reporters at the Capitol.
Johnson said he spoke with Trump on Tuesday morning while the president was in Japan, but did not say when the discussion about the Constitution and a third-term scenario took place.
Trump claims he is the US president with “the best results in history”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Japan on Monday, Trump named Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the top Republican candidates for the 2028 presidential election.
However, the current president did not rule out the possibility of running himself.
“I would love to do it — I have the best record in history,” Trump said, as quoted by Politico.
