President Donald Trump ended his speech at the White House Congressional Ball with what sounded like a nod to a never-ending presidency.
The president again hinted at his wish to remain beyond the end of his second term, having previously told reporters he would love a third term.
At the moment, that would mean breaking the Constitution’s term limit laws in the 22nd Amendment.
“Have a great Christmas, a great Hanukkah, and a fantastic year,” he told attendees at the ball as first lady Melania Trump stood at his side. “We’re going to have a great three years, four years, 10 years, we’re going to make it great. Our country’s going to be strong, safe, rich, it’s going to be great. We’re going to make America great again!”
He also made waves in October with a video posted to Truth Social that showed him ruling for thousands of years, all the way up to the year 90,000 and beyond, ending with a sign that simply read, ‘TRUMP 4EVA.’
The president’s official merch store even began selling ‘Trump 2028’ hats in April, encouraging supporters to “make a statement” by wearing them.
Others in Trump’s orbit have also hinted at a potential circumvention of the 22nd Amendment, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who said in November that he was in talks with “one of the top constitutional lawyers” in the U.S. about the potential paths to a third Trump term.
“As he works through this, his quote to me is ‘Bannon, you can drive a Mack truck through the 22nd Amendment,’” Bannon recounted on his War Room podcast, adding, “So, suck on that.”
Bannon also told The Economist in an October interview that there were “many different alternatives” to overcoming the 22nd Amendment.
“At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is, but there’s a plan and President Trump will be the president in ’28,” Bannon said.
Others, like former DOGE head Elon Musk, have also expressed support for continued MAGA control of the White House, albeit with Vice President JD Vance taking over in 2028 instead. Polling currently has Vance leading the pack of preferred potential nominees for 2028, although his lead is shrinking.
Polling released earlier this month found that among voters who backed Trump in 2024, 45 percent oppose the president running for a third term in 2028, and 43 percent support the idea.
But among all Americans, just 21 percent are in favor of a third Trump term.
