Top House Republican sees no path forward for 3rd Trump term

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday he had discussed the limits of the U.S. Constitution with President Donald Trump, and that there was not enough time to amend the founding document to allow the Republican a third White House term.

Trump, 79, on Monday declined to definitively say he would not seek a third term, keeping alive speculation about how he might seek to extend his time in office.

“It’s been a great run. But I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution,” Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill, adding that he had most recently talked to Trump an hour ago during the president’s Asia trip.

“I don’t see a way to amend the (U.S.) Constitution because it takes about 10 years to do that, as you all know, to allow all the states to ratify … what two-thirds of the House and three-fourths of the states would approve,” he said.

“I don’t see the path for that.”

Trump’s allies, including Steve Bannon, have cited plans to test the two-term limit laid out in the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment. Trump has publicly talked about it at rallies and sells “Trump 2028” hats, referring to the next presidential election that year.

“He has a good time with that, trolling the Democrats whose hair is on fire about the very prospect” of another Trump term, Johnson said. Trump’s current term ends in January 2029.

Trump on Monday also pointed to Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “great people” who could seek the presidency in 2028.

If he did try to seek another term, Trump would be 82 in 2028, making him the oldest U.S. president in history.