The White House has provocatively stated that the United States "would be lucky" to have President Donald Trump remain in office "for even longer," directly challenging the constitutional two-term limit. The comment adds significant fuel to a simmering political debate about the potential for an unprecedented third presidential term.
White House Remarks and Legal Contradictions
When questioned by Axios about the possibility of a third Trump term, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson pointed to the administration's claimed achievements. "There has never been an Administration that has accomplished as much in less than one year than the Trump Administration," Jackson said. "The American people would be lucky to have President Trump in office for even longer."
This statement, made on Thursday 18 December 2025, stands in stark contrast to the clear language of the U.S. Constitution. Both Trump and his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, have publicly conceded that the law prohibits a third run. However, the president has repeatedly floated the idea over the past year, a move Wiles told Vanity Fair was designed to have "fun" and because it drives people "crazy."
Legal Scrutiny and Dershowitz's Book
The constitutional debate gained new traction when The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's former lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, presented the president with a draft of his upcoming book. The work, titled "Could President Trump Constitutionally Serve a Third Term?", explores potential legal avenues to circumvent the 22nd Amendment.
Dershowitz, the former Harvard law professor who represented Trump during his first impeachment trial, discussed these scenarios with the president in the Oval Office. He told the WSJ that his conclusions show "it's not clear if a president can become a third-term president and it’s not clear if it’s permissible." Despite this intellectual exercise, Dershowitz believes Trump will not ultimately run again, stating, "Do I think he’s going to run for a third term? No, I don't think he will."
The Unambiguous Constitutional Limit
The legal barrier is explicitly defined. Section one of the 22nd Amendment states: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." It further clarifies that anyone who has served as president, or acting president, for more than two years of a term cannot be elected more than once.
Trump has acknowledged on his Truth Social platform that "a lot of people" want him to run for a third term, feeding speculation. Yet, he has also stated he is "not allowed" to do so. This duality—publicly recognising the constitutional limit while simultaneously teasing its violation—creates a persistent state of political uncertainty and media frenzy.
The ongoing saga presents a direct tension between political provocation and foundational constitutional law. While the White House indulges in hypotheticals that energise the president's base, the 22nd Amendment remains a formidable, unambiguous legal obstacle. The discussion, fuelled by figures like Dershowitz, ensures the question of presidential term limits will remain a heated topic in American politics, testing the resilience of the nation's governing document against the force of personal political ambition.
