Why legal experts dismiss Donald Trump’s 2028 proposal

Legal experts have dismissed Steve Bannon’s suggestion that President-elect Donald Trump could run for re-election in 2028 because his previous two terms would not be “consecutive.” Bannon, a top Trump ally and host of the War Room podcast, made the comments during a speech at the New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala on Sunday evening.

Why it matters

Democratic figures have previously warned that the president-elect could rule as an authoritarian figure if he returns to the White House. During her 2024 campaign against Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris often described him as a threat to democracy.

Trump has sometimes jokingly floated the idea of ​​running for a third term, but he told Time magazine in April that he “would not be in favor” of repealing the 22nd Amendment. The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment states: “No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice.”

What to know

Speaking at the New York Young Republicans Club, Bannon told the crowd that Republican lawyer Mike Davis, who was reportedly once a contender for attorney general, said the Constitution did not specify whether the two-term limit only applies to consecutive terms.

“Donald John Trump will take the oath of office with his hand raised on the King James Bible, for his third term and his second term,” Bannon said. “And Viceroy Mike Davis told me, because it hasn’t really been said consistently, that, I don’t know, maybe we do it again in ’28? Are you guys ready for that?