President Donald Trump told  NBC News in March 2025 that he is considering seeking a third term in 2028, even though the Constitution currently limits presidents to two terms.

The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, states that no president may be elected more than twice.

However, in March of 2025, Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker he was “not joking” about doing a third term, that there were “methods which you could do it.”

According to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll released on April 29, nearly 8 in 10 Americans oppose the idea of Trump seeking a third term. That includes 95% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and even 54% of Republicans. The same poll also found that most Americans opposed several other controversial Trump proposals, including “taking control” of Greenland and parts of Canada.

Students at West Chicago Community High School voiced their own concerns.

“I would say that shouldn’t be allowed, because I think two is enough. It’s been eight years. If people want to do a third, then what’s stopping them from wanting to do more and they could be in power forever. So I’d say two should be the limit,” senior Luke Turley said.

Those sentiments were echoed by other students.

“I think it should just be the two terms. That way it’s, a refreshing new unit going into the office, and that way, it’s not one person, a Putin, like a Russia situation, where it’s just the same guy. I think two terms is enough,” senior Dominic Wasserstrom said.

In the history of the United States, only one president has served a third term: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Around the time Roosevelt was president, the Constitution did not limit the number of terms a president could serve. The 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two elected terms, was passed in 1947 and ratified in 1951.

The amendment was established after Roosevelt served four terms, as many Americans wanted to prevent future presidents from holding too much power for too long. 

“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,” the amendment states.

While many students oppose the idea of a third term, junior Josh Rojas reflected on the broader implications.

“I feel that the idea of Donald Trump possibly running for a third term as president could bring up a lot of mixed feelings. On one hand, some people support him and believe he has the experience and policies that resonate with their values. On the other hand, many others are concerned about the divisiveness and controversy that his previous terms brought to the country,” Rojas said. “It raises questions about the impact on democracy and whether a third term would be beneficial or detrimental to the nation’s political landscape. Ultimately, it’s a complex issue that reflects the broader divide in American politics today.”