Trump third term unlikely, 'too similar' to Russia, says ex-lawyer

Ideas of a third term for President Trump have been floated around by some lawmakers and allies of the president, but one ex-White House lawyer says this just isn't possible.

At least not without amending the Constitution.

"They can try to amend the Constitution. I just don't see it happening," Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, told NewsNation.

Trump has touched on this topic before, including during a speech at the Congressional Institute in January.

"I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself," he said at the time, adding, "I think I’m not allowed to run again. I’m not sure. Am I allowed to run again?"

Can Trump run for a third term?

Despite claims that this is possible, Trump cannot run for a third term based on the current law. An amendment to the Constitution could make this possible, but it isn't an easy path.

Painter believes this type of amendment isn't likely, telling NewsNation, "I don't think the United States wants to run like Putin's Russia. And I don't think the vast majority of Republicans want that."

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr as he arrives to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was expected to address Congress on his early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on March 4. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
US Vice President JD Vance, from left, US President Donald Trump, and US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Donald Trump's primetime address Tuesday night from Capitol Hill, billed as a chronicle of his "Renewal of the American Dream," comes at a critical juncture early in his second term, as voters who elected him to tackle inflation and improve the economy are beginning to weigh the impact of his agenda. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025
President Trump is seen as he holds a meeting with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C., on Feb. 11, 2025.
President Trump listens during a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)

On the other hand, Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser and campaign CEO, said, "We've had greater long shots than Trump 2028." He added that they're "not prepared to talk about it publicly, but in a couple of months, I think we will be."

The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, states that "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."

Painter told NewsNation he doesn't believe the Trump administration could get support for a third term.

According to The New York Times, when Trump allegedly made remarks in November that hinted at a third term, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) introduced a resolution last month to reaffirm the 22nd Amendment.

He told Bloomberg TV, "How he operates is by floating trial balloons that he often claims are jokes, but he's very serious about it."

"And he's been talking about staying on past this next term for years," Goldman said.

Trump kept up with the idea earlier this month, joking at a St. Patrick's Day event alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin — also known as the taoiseach — that "we’re gonna be doing this three more times, at least."

“Taoiseach, I want to just thank you once again for being here, it’s an honor, and hopefully we’re gonna be doing this at least three more times," he said.

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