U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is giving a speech at the Republican Party Congress held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington on the 13th (local time). /AFPBBNews=News1
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made remarks suggesting the possibility of running for a third term even before the launch of his second administration.
According to the New York Times (NYT) and The Hill on the 13th (local time), President-elect Trump hinted at the possibility of running for a third term as president, which is prohibited under the Constitution, during his presidential election victory speech in front of the Republican House of Representatives to which he belongs. Republican lawmakers in the speech at the time explained that “Trump’s election was just a joke,” but the Democratic Party is said to be planning to propose a resolution to ban Trump from running for a third term, pointing out Trump’s possible unconstitutionality.
According to reports, President-elect Trump met with Republican congressmen at a hotel near the Capitol ahead of the White House meeting with President Joe Biden and gave a victory speech. As Republican lawmakers welcomed him with a standing ovation, he responded, “Isn’t it great to win?” and asked them, “Unless you say, ‘He (Trump) is doing too well. We need to find a way (for a third term),’ I will never do it again.” “I don’t think I will run,” he said.
This can be interpreted as meaning that if the House of Representatives finds a way to adjust the president’s term to three, he will run for a third term. The NYT reported that President-elect Trump had previously considered circumventing the U.S. Constitution, which limits presidential terms to two. Article 22 of the Constitution limits the president’s term of office to a maximum of two terms. The U.S. presidential term lasts four years, and if Trump runs for a third term, he will be 82 years old.
U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump meet and shake hands at the White House in Washington on the 13th (local time). /Reuters = News 1
Foreign media outlets point out that Trump’s statement about the possibility of running for a third term may have made Republican lawmakers laugh, but it is a statement that could be controversial. The lawmakers at the scene seemed to be aware of this and explained to reporters at the time, “The remarks in question were not serious.” Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Nes. told reporters, “It was clearly a joke. I told Andy Biggs (Ariz.) next to me that the headline tomorrow would be ‘Trump is trying to sabotage the Constitution.’ “I said it would be true, but this is far from the truth,” he emphasized.
Even if the Republican members of the House of Representatives support it, it does not seem easy for the president-elect to run for a third term. Although the Republican Party took control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives through this election, it is not enough to amend the Constitution to run for a third term.
According to Nihon Keizai, constitutional amendments for President-elect Trump’s third term can be promoted in two ways. The first is a method in which two-thirds of state legislatures convene a constitutional convention to discuss constitutional amendments, but in less than 60% of states across the United States, the Republican Party holds a majority in the legislature. The second method is to propose it to the Federal Assembly. In this case, an amendment can be proposed with a two-thirds vote in each of the Senate and House of Representatives and three-quarters of the state legislatures must approve it, but this is difficult with the current composition of the National Assembly. According to the NYT, the Republican Party currently has 52 seats in the Senate, two more than the majority, and 218 seats in the House of Representatives, which is two more than the majority, falling short of the level to push for constitutional amendments.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party plans to work on banning President-elect Trump from a third term. According to the NYT, Democratic Representative Dan Goldman of New York plans to submit a resolution on the 14th to confirm the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which will further clarify the ban on running for a third term. This amendment seeks to close loopholes that may arise in interpreting the existing Constitution by stating that even non-elected candidates, such as President-elect Trump, ‘apply to a total of two presidential terms.’ However, independent, a political media outlet, said, “It is unlikely that Goldman’s resolution will be voted on in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.”
Reporter Jeong Hye-in chimt@mt.co.kr
