Steve Bannon Says Trump “Will Have a Third Term” — But Can He Really Pull It Off?
“There’s a plan,” Bannon insists. But the U.S. Constitution couldn’t be clearer: two terms, and you’re done.
The Claim: Bannon’s Third-Term Bombshell
At this year’s CPAC in Washington, D.C., Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former chief strategist turned far-right media figure, made a jaw-dropping declaration:
“He’s gonna get a third term. Trump is gonna be president in ’28, and people just need to get accommodated with that.”
Speaking to The Economist’s editors Zanny Minton Beddoes and Ed Carr, Bannon claimed Trump’s inner circle has “a plan” to get around the 22nd Amendment, the constitutional rule that bars anyone from being elected president more than twice. Pressed on how this would work, Bannon refused to elaborate, saying only:
“There are many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.”
The comment adds fuel to growing fears that Trump’s allies are openly plotting to erode or bypass constitutional safeguards in a bid to extend his hold on power, a concern that echoes autocratic playbooks from Russia, Hungary, and Venezuela.
Trump’s Own Third-Term Teases
Bannon’s remarks follow months of hints from Trump himself. He has repeatedly floated the idea of staying beyond 2029 joking, then later insisting, that “a lot of people” want him to continue leading after two terms. In March, Trump told NBC News he was “not joking” about serving longer and confirmed that his team has discussed “methods” to make it possible. He even allowed “TRUMP 2028” hats to appear in the White House gift shop, a symbolic middle finger to the 22nd Amendment.
For context, the 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951 after Franklin D. Roosevelt broke the long-standing two-term tradition and won four elections. Since then, no president has served more than eight years — and any attempt to do so would represent a full-blown constitutional crisis.
How Could They “Get Around” It?
Trump’s allies and online MAGA circles have floated three main “workarounds”:
Amending the Constitution.
The most direct, and least likely method would be a constitutional amendment approved by two-thirds of Congress and ratified by three-quarters of U.S. states. Experts agree this is politically impossible in the current environment.The “Vice President Swap.”
A more conspiratorial option: Trump could run as vice president on a ticket with JD Vance or another loyalist, who would then resign, making Trump president again. But legal scholars, including Brian Kalt of Michigan State University, say the 12th Amendment explicitly prevents this: anyone ineligible for the presidency cannot serve as vice president.Declaring a National Emergency or Delaying Elections.
Trump has previously joked about “postponing elections” during war or national crisis. But constitutional law experts including William Baude of the University of Chicago and Justin Levitt of Loyola Marymount University have dismissed that outright.“There is no wiggle room on the 22nd Amendment,” Baude said. “No serious person believes a president can legally extend their term.”
The Real Agenda: Power Through Chaos
Even if a literal third term is impossible, the rhetoric itself serves a purpose. By normalizing talk of “divine will,” “loopholes,” and “plans,” Bannon and Trump keep their base loyal — and primed for confrontation if Trump’s power ever appears threatened.
Bannon called Trump “a vehicle of divine providence,” saying:
“He’s not perfect, not particularly religious, but he’s an instrument of divine will. We need him for at least one more term.”
This messianic framing that Trump is chosen by God to “finish what we started” mirrors the language used by authoritarian movements worldwide to justify breaking democratic norms.
The Constitutional Reality
Experts across the political spectrum agree: Trump cannot legally serve a third term.
The 22nd Amendment leaves no ambiguity:
“No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Even if Trump’s allies tried to reinterpret or defy it, any such move would spark immediate lawsuits, mass protests, and likely Supreme Court intervention. In practice, the “plan” Bannon refers to may be less about governing and more about galvanizing supporters keeping them engaged through the illusion of an unstoppable movement that transcends law and precedent.
The Bottom Line
Steve Bannon’s claim that Trump “will have a third term” isn’t just political theater, it’s a test balloon for authoritarian ambition. Whether Trump’s team truly believes they can engineer a legal loophole or simply wants to desensitize Americans to the idea of permanent power, the effect is the same: They’re pushing the boundaries of democracy to see how far they can go before someone, or something, pushes back.
Sources:
- The Economist – Interview with Steve Bannon (October 2025)
- People Magazine – Steve Bannon Says Donald Trump ‘Will Have a Third Term’ and There’s a Plan to Get Around It
- NBC News – Trump says he’s ‘not joking’ about serving a third term
- NPR – Could Trump Serve a Third Term? Experts Explain Why He Can’t
- Associated Press – Legal scholars dismiss Trump’s third-term talk as unconstitutional
- History.com – The 22nd Amendment and Why Presidents Are Limited to Two Terms
