US President Donald Trump has once again raised the possibility of standing in the 2028 presidential election, despite the constitutional ban on serving more than two terms in office. During a speech on 22 October 2026 in Sioux City, Iowa, the US leader stated that he considers himself the winner of three presidential elections, as he is convinced that the 2020 election was rigged. In his view, this may entitle him to stand as a candidate once again.
Trump has stated that he has the right to stand for election again
During a campaign rally in Iowa Donald Trump He has once again raised the issue of his political future following the end of his second presidential term.
He acknowledged that there are legal restrictions which could prevent him from standing in the next election.
«I don’t know who your next president will be. I’m not 100% sure, but I think the law says I’m not allowed to stand for election again,» said Trump.
The US President then returned to his long-standing claim that the 2020 election had been rigged. In his view, he has won not twice, but three times, and therefore has grounds to seek a further presidential term.
Trump stated that he believes he is entitled to stand for re-election because, as he put it, the results of the 2020 election were rigged. At the same time, he acknowledged that the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution leaves little scope for any other interpretation of the restrictions on presidential terms of office.
Did Trump really win the election three times?
Donald Trump stood as a candidate in three consecutive presidential elections, but officially won only two of them.
In 2016, he defeated the Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and became the 45th President of the United States.
A Democrat won the next election in 2020 Joe Biden, who received 306 electoral votes compared with Trump’s 232.
The result was officially certified by the US Congress in January 2021. The courts found no irregularities that could have altered the outcome of the vote.
In November 2024, Trump won Kamala Harris and returned to the White House, becoming the 47th President of the United States.
Trump’s claim of three victories therefore contradicts the official results of the US election.
What does the US Constitution say about a third presidential term?
The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on 27 February 1951, governs the re-election of the US President. It expressly stipulates that no person may be elected President more than twice.
The restrictions were adopted following the presidency Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who won four consecutive elections — in 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944. Roosevelt remains the only American president to have been elected more than twice.
For Donald Trump, this means that his victories in 2016 and 2024 have already exhausted the possibility of re-election provided for in the Constitution. The fact that his presidential terms were not consecutive does not alter this restriction.
Can the US amend the Constitution to allow a third term?
In theory, it is possible to amend the restrictions, but this requires a complex constitutional procedure. An amendment may be proposed with the support of two-thirds of the members of both Houses of Congress. Another possible route is to convene a constitutional convention at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures.
For the amendment to come into force, it must be ratified by 38 of the 50 US states.
Previously, some of Trump’s allies had raised the issue of changing the rules governing the presidential election. Alternative scenarios for the twice-elected president’s return to power without directly participating in the election were also discussed.
However, legal experts have expressed serious doubts as to the constitutionality of such mechanisms. None of them has received definitive legal confirmation.
This isn’t the first time Trump has hinted at a third term
This is not the first time Donald Trump has raised the issue of a possible extension of his presidency.
In July 2026, during a dinner hosted by the White House Correspondents« Association, he jokingly announced his intention to stand for election again and showed off a cap bearing the words »Trump 2028’.
In August, the President acknowledged that constitutional restrictions remain a major obstacle to the implementation of such plans.
The issue has resurfaced in the run-up to the US mid-term congressional elections, scheduled for 3 November 2026.
During a rally in Iowa on 22 October, Trump also spoke of the need to support Republican Party candidates. He urged voters to view the upcoming election as crucial to the continuation of his administration’s policies.
At the same time, the US President acknowledged that there are just over two years left until the end of his current term.
