President Trump jokingly floated the idea of seeking a third term while addressing House Republicans on Wednesday.
Trump, while addressing Republican lawmakers, shared, “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you do something.”
He added, “Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.’”
Watch the moment he said it here:
Donald Trump jokes about a third term as U.S. president in closed-door remarks. “We’re looking good for another four years, and then if we want to—another four.”
— Christian Martin ✟ 🇺🇸 𝕏 (@ChristianM_28) November 13, 2024
Here’s what The Hill reported:
President-elect Trump floated the prospect of seeking a third term in an apparent joke to House Republicans on Wednesday as they met ahead of internal leadership elections.
“I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something,” Trump said, according to pool reports and audio shared with The Hill. “Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.’”
ADVERTISEMENTThe comment got laughs from the GOP lawmakers in the crowd — several of whom later told reporters that the comment was not serious.
“That was a joke. It was clearly a joke,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said after the meeting. “I leaned over to somebody beside me, [Arizona Rep.] Andy Biggs, and I said, that’ll be the headlines tomorrow, ‘Trump trying to thwart the Constitution,’ which — there’s nothing further from the truth.”
“That was a joke. I mean, he jokes all the time,” Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) said, adding that a problem with politics is that “you can’t even tell a joke without being excoriated.”
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), sporting a Trump tie, dismissed a question about whether he would support Trump seeking a third term.“Are you kidding me? Just stop it,” Nehls said.
Trump just dropped a "joke" about running for a third term in 2028.
It bears repeating that the U.S. Constitution does NOT prevent Trump from running again, NOR does it prevent him from serving as President after January 2029.
It prevents him from being ELECTED three times.
— Travis D. Hughes (@TravisDHughes) November 13, 2024
Trump floats seeking third term in joke to House Republicans https://t.co/IuxjI2RRqb
— The Hill (@thehill) November 13, 2024
Per Newsweek:
President-elect Donald Trump quipped about running for a third term during a meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday.
Trump’s meeting with House Republicans comes just over a week after his victory against Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, which saw him sweep every key swing states in his bid to return to the White House. House Republicans are also holding leadership elections on Wednesday as control of the House of Representatives remains uncalled by major networks as several House races remain close.
During the meeting, which preceded Trump’s meeting with President Joe Biden in the White House, Trump quipped about the possibility of running for a third term. The remark sparked Democratic outrage, though others said his comment was simply a joke.
ADVERTISEMENT“I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you say, ‘he’s so good, we’ve got to figure something else,” he said.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!