Johnson said he sees ‘no path’ for third Trump term

Oct. 28 (UPI) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday threw cold water on the idea of a third term for President Donald Trump, saying there is no way around the constitutional hurdles that limit presidents to two terms.

Johnson made the remarks while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, suggesting that the chatter around Trump returning to the White House for a third time was just a fun way of trolling Democrats “whose hair is on fire about the very prospect.”

“It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about the constrictions of the Constitution, as much as so many of the American people lament that,” said Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer.

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice.” But “Trump 2028” hats have been spotted in the Oval Office and the president hasn’t ruled out the idea.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump said he “would love to do it.”

“Am I not ruling it out? You’ll have to tell me,” he added. “All I can tell you is that we have a great, a great group of people, which [Democrats] don’t.”

Johnson’s remarks Tuesday marked a clear dismissal of the idea from one of Trump’s closest political allies. They came a week after former Trump adviser Steve Bannon told The Economist he was confident the president would be propelled to a third term by the will of the American people.

“Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that,” Bannon said.

But Johnson, R-La., said he did not “see the path for that.”

“I don’t see a way to amend the Constitution because it takes about 10 years to do that,” he said.

He added, “But I can tell you that we are not going to take our foot off the gas pedal.”