Rep. Andy Ogles, a close ally of Donald Trump, proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Thursday that would allow the president to serve a third term, extending his time in the White House until 2033, when Trump would be 86 years old.Because this proposed change to the 22nd Amendment would not pass Congress nor be ratified by the needed 38 states, this is a non-starter.
As a matter of law, the 22nd Amendment currently limits presidents to two terms in office. Trump served from 2017 until 2021 and, given his recent win in the election of 2024, is already eligible for a second term. He became the second president, following Grover Cleveland, to win non-consecutive terms after defeating Kamala Harris.
According to Ogles, Trump should be allowed to serve a third term so that the country “can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.” This will, however, not benefit past presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush, among others. Any president serving non-consecutive terms will benefit from this proposed amendment, whereby the person is permitted to serve for a third term. The amendment reads: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
So far, no response has come from the White House to Ogles’ proposal.