Steve Bannon fuels latest talk of third Trump term

President Trump and his allies are flirting with the idea of a Trump 2028 bid, with the president refusing to rule out the possibility and some influential supporters signaling they are prepared to test the constitutional limits that allow presidents to serve just two elected terms.

Talk of Trump running again in 2028 has repeatedly bubbled up, with the president making tongue-in-cheek remarks about it during interviews, appearances with GOP lawmakers and White House events. It picked up steam again after Steve Bannon, a Trump ally and former top adviser, said in a recent interview there was a “plan” to keep Trump in office.

The president on a Monday flight to Japan played coy when asked about the idea. He said he’d “love” to run again, though he ruled out an idea floated by some supporters to run as a vice presidential candidate and then take over after the election, and he propped up two potential successors in Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I would love to do it. I have the best numbers ever. … Am I not ruling it out? You'll have to tell me. All I can tell you is we have a great group of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump, who would be 82 in 2028, has spoken about the prospect of running for a third term — something prohibited by the 22nd Amendment — at least a half dozen times during the first nine months of his second term.

Some Trump supporters see it as a way to rile up critics while keeping the attention on the president, who is a lame duck heading toward 2028. 

“It’s just a troll as far as I’m concerned,” said one Republican strategist.

But Trump himself has said he is not joking about the idea, and some opponents view the third term talk as part of a pattern of Trump trampling norms and amassing power. Trump spent weeks after the 2020 election falsely claiming the result was fraudulent, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to stop the certification of former President Biden’s victory.

The latest chatter around Trump seeking a third term stems largely from comments Bannon, who does not work for the White House or Trump’s political operation, made to The Economist in a recent interview.

“Well he’s going to get a third term. So, Trump ‘28, Trump is going to be president in ‘28 and people ought to just get accommodated with that,” Bannon told the news outlet.

“There’s many different alternatives,” Bannon said when asked about the 22nd Amendment. “At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.”

Bannon did not elaborate on what “the plan” entailed. Circumventing the 22nd Amendment would require changing the Constitution. Another idea that has made the rounds is Trump running as another candidate’s vice president, then having the presidential candidate step down after the election.

Trump ruled that idea out on Monday, however.

“You'd be allowed to do that, but I wouldn't want — I wouldn't do that,” Trump said. “I think it's too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out.”

One source close to the White House laughed off the latest news cycle as a product of Bannon’s tendency to say provocative things.

“Bannon is very good at making news,” the source said.

Bannon is one of a handful of Trump supporters who have leaned into the idea of Trump 2028. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) in January proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would effectively allow Trump to seek another term by creating a carve-out for those who served nonconsecutive terms to run for a third time. 

At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) earlier this year, an outside group pushed something called the “Third Term Project,” which urged supporters to back a separate push from Ogles to extend presidential term limits from eight years to 12.

Ideas that require amending the Constitution are essentially dead on arrival, however, as they would likely not have the requisite support in Congress or the number of states needed to ratify an amendment.

Some Trump allies have suggested the third term talk is a way for the president to raise money and keep the spotlight from shifting to the next wave of potential GOP candidates.

Trump himself has in recent weeks talked up a pair of likely presidential contenders serving in his own administration: Vance and Rubio.

“We have JD obviously, the vice president, is great. I think Marco is great. I’m not sure if anyone would run against those two,” Trump said. “I think if they ever formed a group it would be unstoppable. I really do.”