On May 20, 2026, President Donald Trump once again floated the possibility of remaining in office beyond his current term — this time while addressing Coast Guard Academy graduates in New London, Connecticut.
Speaking at the commencement ceremony, Trump noted that newly purchased icebreaker ships from Finland would begin arriving in 2028. “I’m going to be here in ’28,” he told the graduating cadets. “Maybe I’ll be here in ’32 too. I don’t know. Maybe I will. But I’m going to be here in ’28.” Earlier in the same address, claiming he had become the first president to deliver a second keynote address at the Academy — a distinction that overlooks Barack Obama, who addressed Coast Guard graduates in both 2011 and 2015 — he added: “We’ll have to try it a third time. We’re gonna have to try it maybe a third time too to keep that record intact.”
The crowd cheered. Constitutional scholars, as has become customary, did not.
The NBC Interview That Kept the Door Open
It was the latest in a long-running pattern — one that has played out repeatedly since Trump returned to the White House, with the president advancing the idea just far enough to detonate across the news cycle, then retreating just enough to keep his options open.
During his Feb. 4, 2026, interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas — conducted at the White House, with an initial portion airing on NBC Nightly News on Feb. 4 and a separate segment airing during NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show on Feb. 8— Trump again declined to rule out attempting to run for a third term. When Llamas asked whether he would endorse a candidate in the 2028 presidential primary, Trump said he’d be inclined to, praised both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but declined to say who should top the ticket — keeping the door open to the possibility that the answer might still be himself.
“I’m Not Joking”: How the Pattern Started
The most unambiguous statement had come on March 30, 2025, when Trump told NBC News plainly that there were “methods” to circumvent the constitutional barrier — and confirmed he was “not joking” about seeking a third term. Among the scenarios raised was a loophole floated by some supporters in which Trump would run as Vice President Vance’s running mate, with Vance then resigning so Trump could assume the presidency by succession. Trump neither embraced nor flatly dismissed it.
By late October 2025, the pendulum swung both ways within days. Flying to Japan on Oct. 27, Trump told reporters he would “love to” run again. Asked if he was ruling it out, he replied: “Am I not ruling it out? I mean, you’ll have to tell me.” Two days later, aboard Air Force One en route to South Korea on Oct. 29, he appeared to concede the constitutional reality: “If you read it, it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad. But we have a lot of great people.”
Bannon Beats the Drum — But May Have His Own Agenda
The infrastructure around the idea has grown as steadily as Trump’s own remarks. Steve Bannon — Trump’s former White House chief strategist who was fired during the first term and later served four months in federal prison for refusing to comply with a Jan. 6-related congressional subpoena, and who now runs the far-right “War Room” podcast — has been among the loudest voices insisting a third Trump term is coming. “I’m a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028, so I’ve already endorsed President Trump,” Bannon told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on March 18, 2025. “A man like this comes along once every century if we’re a little lucky.” Pressed by Cuomo on how Trump could clear the constitutional hurdle, Bannon replied: “We’re working on it. I think we’ll have a couple of alternatives, let’s say that. We’ll see what the definition of term limit is.”
Close associates of Bannon told Axios in January 2026, however, that he has an ulterior motive — privately knowing a third Trump term is not realistic, while publicly pushing the idea as a way to position himself for a 2028 presidential run of his own.
What the Constitution — and Republican Leaders — Actually Say
The constitutional barrier is unambiguous. Constitutional law professor Jeremy Paul of Northeastern University has said flatly: “There are no credible legal arguments for him to run for a third term.” The 22nd Amendment prohibits any person from being elected president more than twice, and changing it would require supermajority support in Congress and ratification by three-quarters of U.S. states.
House Speaker Mike Johnson was equally direct on Oct. 28, 2025, saying he does not see a path for Trump to remain beyond his current term and that the two have discussed the constitutional constraints. Johnson put it plainly: “It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows — and he and I have talked about — the constrictions of the Constitution.”
Whether the Coast Guard quip, the Llamas interview, or some future remark becomes the moment Trump crosses from provocation to declaration remains unclear. What is clear is that he is not stopping. And as long as he keeps talking, so will everyone else.
