A week after President Donald Trump claimed there were “methods” for securing a third term, his attorney general admitted his current term was likely his last.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Sunday it would “be a heavy lift” to change the Constitution to give Trump, 78, a third term. Trump told Meet the Press last week he was “not joking” about running for a third term and insisted there were multiple ways to seek one that did not involve changing the Constitution.
“I wish we could have him for 20 years as our president,” Bondi said. “But I think he’s going to be finished, probably, after this term.”
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Bondi told moderator Shannon Bream on Sunday that Trump would likely leave the White House after this term.
When Bream picked up on Bondi’s use of “probably,” Bondi admitted the Constitution was Trump’s biggest obstacle.
“We’d have to look at the Constitution,” she said.
The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment prevents presidents from serving more than two terms. To change the Constitution, two-thirds of Congress must pass a proposal, or two-thirds of states must agree to call a constitutional convention. Three-fourths of states, or 38, must then sign off on the change.
Trump has mused about running for president again repeatedly since the November election, and some allies have plotted ways to grant his wishes.
Longtime adviser Steve Bannon said last month he was exploring “alternatives” to allow Trump to do so, and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) proposed a bill to amend the Constitution to allow a president to serve up to three terms—unless they’ve already served two consecutive terms.
Constitutional scholars told The New York Times on Sunday that Trump’s public musings are unrealistic, and 60 percent of Americans in a March YouGov survey do not support him seeking a third term.
