Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Jason Husser spoke with WFMY News 2 about President Trump's comments on running for a third term.
Jason Husser, associate professor of political science and public policy, spoke with WFMY about President Donald Trump’s remarks about running for a third time.
In March, President Trump said he is “not joking” about a third time, despite being barred by the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Husser noted that the 22nd Amendment stipulates both that no person can be elected as president more than twice and that no person who has held the office or acted as president for more than two years of a term can be elected more than once.
“A half term (or less) doesn’t count against this (rule),” Husser told WFMY. “This means the Constitution has an exception, where if a person became president, say a person who was vice president, ascended to the presidency…that person could go on to serve two full terms, meaning you could have a person who was president almost 10 years.”
However, Trump would likely be unable to become president again due to the line of succession, according to Husser, because of the 12th Amendment, which states that “No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice president.”
The other avenue would be a constitutional amendment, which could require two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. Husser says Trump does not have that kind of public support.
“Never say never, if, all of a sudden, you know, President Trump invents the cure for cancer — then, all of a sudden, maybe people (who would not vote for him currently) change their minds,” said Husser.