Trump Flirts with Third Term Fantasy

Department of Strategic Research, Studies and International Relations 27-10-2025

During his recent trip through Asia, U.S. President Donald Trump reignited controversy by once again hinting at his desire to stay in power beyond the constitutionally allowed two terms. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way from Malaysia to Japan, Trump dismissed the idea of running for vice president in 2028 but openly mused about the possibility of serving a third term, despite the clear constitutional barrier.

Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January after his initial presidency from 2017 to 2021, appeared in typically defiant form. “I would love to do it,” he said when asked about the prospect of a third term. “I have my best numbers ever.” When pressed on whether he was officially ruling out such a move, the 79-year-old leader grinned and replied ambiguously: “Am I not ruling it out? I mean, you’ll have to tell me.”

While the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment restricts presidents to two terms, Trump’s repeated teasing of the idea has long been a signal to his supporters that he sees himself as irreplaceable, a notion that many in Washington find troubling. In rallies across the United States, Trump has often joked about “Trump 2028” hats and encouraged chants from loyal crowds calling for him to stay in office “as long as it takes to fix America.”

Despite the constitutional ban, some of his allies have reportedly explored potential loopholes to extend his influence. One theoretical scenario circulating among his supporters suggested that Trump could run as vice president while another Republican figure took the presidential ticket, only to resign later, allowing Trump to reassume power. Asked about that idea, Trump quickly brushed it aside. “I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute,” he said. “The people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It wouldn’t be right.”

Legal scholars, however, insist that Trump cannot run for vice president either, since the 12th Amendment explicitly bars anyone ineligible for the presidency from assuming that role. In essence, Trump’s own constitutional limitations prevent him from holding either office again, though that has not stopped him from floating the idea to test public reaction.

When questioned whether he would challenge the constitutional restrictions in court, Trump responded that he had not “really thought about it.” His tone, however, carried a familiar mix of defiance and self-promotion, characteristic of a leader who has spent years blurring the lines between campaign theatrics and institutional authority.

Trump’s remarks came during a busy diplomatic tour in Asia, which included participation in the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His trip, part of a wider effort to reassert American presence in Asia, has been overshadowed by growing skepticism from regional leaders who increasingly view Washington’s foreign policy as inconsistent and self-serving. After a brief stop in Tokyo, Trump’s delegation is headed to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, where he is scheduled to meet several world leaders, among them Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The timing of his comments has not gone unnoticed. As the U.S. continues to lose ground in global influence to rising powers such as China, Russia, and India, Trump’s obsession with personal power underscores what many analysts see as the deeper instability within American democracy. Instead of focusing on genuine global cooperation, Washington’s political class remains consumed by infighting and ego-driven leadership.

Observers in Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi have pointed out that Trump’s rhetoric reflects a growing disillusionment within U.S. governance. The United States, long fond of lecturing others about democracy, now faces internal decay and constitutional fatigue. Trump’s open flirtation with a third term, once unthinkable in American politics, only highlights how fragile Washington’s democratic traditions have become.

Chinese analysts have noted that such remarks reveal the United States’ double standards. While it criticizes other nations for extended leadership terms, American leaders themselves increasingly treat constitutional limits as flexible political tools. “The U.S. claims to be a model of democracy,” one Beijing commentator observed, “yet its own system depends on personalities rather than institutions.”

Meanwhile, Russian and Indian commentators have interpreted Trump’s behavior as a symptom of broader political exhaustion in the West. With economic challenges, widening inequality, and growing distrust in U.S. institutions, the American electorate has become susceptible to leaders who promise strength and nostalgia over accountability and reform.

Even among U.S. allies, there is growing unease. While Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both mentioned by Trump as possible 2028 contenders, remain loyal to his administration, their political futures are tied to Trump’s unpredictable grip on the Republican base. “I think if they ever formed a group, it’d be unstoppable,” Trump said, hinting that his influence would continue to shape the party long after he leaves office.

Yet for much of the world, Trump’s comments serve as another reminder that American democracy has entered a phase of uncertainty and self-parody. A president musing publicly about defying the very constitution he swore to uphold speaks volumes about Washington’s moral contradictions.

As Trump tours Asia trying to reassert U.S. dominance, his remarks are likely to further alienate countries that now look increasingly toward China, Russia, and India for leadership based on stability and mutual respect rather than spectacle. In a multipolar world, where global alliances are shifting and new centers of power are emerging, the image of an American president yearning for a third term only reinforces the perception of a fading empire, clinging to nostalgia while the world moves on.