President Trump is a divisive figure, spurring massive protests and receiving low approval ratings. Will he be able to run again in 2028? Does he want to?
Trump organization sells “Trump 2028” hats
Trump’s organizations are selling “Trump 2028” hats as they continue to push the idea that the president will run for an unconstitutional third term.
- Trump has suggested he will take office and seek a third term, but recently he has not considered that.
- Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump were all found wearing “Trump 2028” products.
Protesters in some cities were taken to the streets on June 22 after President Donald Trump decided to bomb three nuclear facilities in Iran.
Since he took office in January, it has been far from the first protest against Trump’s actions, and since the beginning of this year, far more Americans have been protesting than the same time slot in President Joe Biden’s first term.
Trump is one of two presidents in American history and has been in a non-continued term, and his approval rate remains historically low. But back in the White House, he messed around with his prospects for running for a third term, prohibited by the US Constitution.
Recently, he said he hasn’t considered it. Still, Trump’s organization sells “Trump 2028” hats. Here’s what you need to know.
Will Donald Trump be running for president in 2028?
Under the Constitution, Donald Trump cannot be elected for the third term. This is explicitly prohibited by the 22nd amendment.
Constitutional changes are extremely difficult and rare. Because they require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate. The state can also urge amendments, but two-thirds of the state legislature must call a constitutional treaty and three-quarters to ratify it.
Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton and became the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He then lost the 2020 election against Biden.
Trump won the 2024 election. First, before Biden dropped his reelection bid, Trump went out for a rematch, and was replaced by Democrat tickets by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump won the election, and his second term as the 47th US president is scheduled for 2025-2029.
What did Trump say about a potential third season?
Trump has repeatedly come up with ideas for a third term through his second presidency. In an NBC interview in March, he said there are ways to make that happen, such as when Vice President JD Vance runs for the office and then takes on a role in Trump.
In a later interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which aired on May 4th, Trump retreated the idea and said he wasn’t watching the run again.
“I say this. A lot of people want to do it on me. I didn’t have that strong demand,” Trump said in an interview with NBC. “But that’s something you’re not allowed to do as far as I know. I don’t know if that’s the constitution that you don’t allow it.”
The Trump organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the “Trump 2028” hat.
Only one president has served more than three terms.
President George Washington, America’s founding father and president, voluntarily resigned after two terms, creating an informal tradition for future presidents to follow suit.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first and only president to break that tradition. The country is still recovering from the Great Repression, and at the dawn of World War II he was re-elected for his third term. After leading the country through the Earth War, he was elected again in 1944, but died the following year.
The House movement to formally limit the presidential term, now ratified as an amendment to Article 22, began two years after Roosevelt’s death.
Contributors: Riley Begin, Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA Today Network. Contact her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and Tiktok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
