The president is the leader of our country. In almost every case, they run the country for no more than two terms, following in the footsteps of George Washington. The only exception to this was Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was president for almost the entirety of WWII, being elected for four terms as there were no laws stopping him. Since then, an amendment has been put in place to ensure that this would never happen again.
Recently, though, President Donald Trump has been talking about his interest in running for a third term. Trump claims, “There are methods that you could do it,” and as outlandish as it sounds, it is very possible.
The Vice President Method
One of the ways, and the most likely way, it would happen is to have JD Vance run for president while having Trump as his Vice President so he can pass the power of the presidency down to Trump. This is the method that Trump supporters talk about and most accept
. This way is supported by the 22nd Amendment, passed after Roosevelt’s four terms. The 22nd Amendment states “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, 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 once.” This means that even though Trump can not technically run for a third term, he has the chance to run under Vance and eventually have the powers given to him through Vance’s resignation.
The Law-Changing Method
A more unlikely way for Trump to attempt a third term is to propose a law changing the rule that was set in place after FDR’s presidency. While unlikely to happen due to the complicated journey a law has to go through to pass, Trump has had a history of ignoring and/or violating laws and acts, such as in March 2019, when Trump withheld almost $400 million in aid to Ukraine to help defend itself. By withholding, Trump violated the Impoundment Control Act, which requires the president to notify Congress when they wish to halt or spend money, which he failed to do. But even with a history of ignoring laws, would he get away with it? When interviewing a Pentucket history teacher on the logistics of being able to do this, Richard Harty said, “I have to believe that the Constitution will be upheld and the 22nd Amendment will remain intact.”
Trump Should Not
There is a reason that the law was changed after FDR passed away. When the Founding Fathers began this country, they made it the least like its monarch-based predecessors. A large reason a third term became frowned upon and outlawed was that the government didn’t want America to become too much like a monarchy.
An extreme example of this could be Russia. More specifically, the allegorical book Animal Farm, wherein the animals fought for change from their cruel farm owners, but the leaders they put in place became corrupt with power and made the farm just like it was before the Animal Revolution.
Trump is a controversial figure, and everyone has a different opinion of him. Whether you like him or not, there is no reason he should be able to run for a third term. The idea of a third term sounds amusing because of the sheer lack of possibility, but when you look at the options he has, it can become a scarier thought. Again, whether you like Trump or not, this could open up a new way to surpass the second term for someone terrible.
While at first glance the third term can be seen as delusional, maybe even a joke, it has a deeper significance than it seems. It poses potential dangers, and America should approach it with caution. It is wise for the country to proceed carefully and hold the value of the Constitution with them.
