Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican congressman from Tennessee, has proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permit former President Donald Trump to run for a third term. Ogles argued the change is necessary to provide the “bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”
The proposed amendment, introduced on Thursday, January 23, states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, 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 twice.”
Currently, the 22nd Amendment prohibits U.S. presidents from serving more than two terms. However, Ogles believes Trump’s leadership warrants an exception.
“President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years,” Ogles said. “He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness.”
Trump has joked in the past about running for a third term. Following his 2024 presidential election victory, he told House GOP lawmakers during a meeting, “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you do something… unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to figure it out.’”
Lawmakers present laughed at the comment, dismissing it as a joke. “It was clearly a joke,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). “That’ll be the headlines tomorrow, ‘Trump trying to thwart the Constitution,’ which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, praised Trump’s swift action since returning to the White House, citing executive orders addressing issues such as border security, energy production, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
“In just a few days, President Trump has already taken steps to undo the catastrophic policies of the Biden administration and restore the United States to strength and prosperity,” Ogles said.