Can Donald Trump run for president in 2028?
No. The 22nd Amendment bars anyone from being elected president more than twice. Having won in 2016 and 2024, Trump is constitutionally ineligible to be elected president again in 2028.
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, states that 'No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.' Donald Trump was elected president in 2016 (serving 2017-2021) and again in 2024 (serving 2025-2029). Two elected terms is the constitutional maximum.
This is not a gray area. The text is straightforward: the limit is on being elected, and Trump has been elected twice. Whether he could constitutionally be appointed as a Cabinet member, act as an advisor, or run for another office is a separate question, but the presidency in 2028 is closed to him by the plain language of the amendment.
Some commentators have raised creative legal theories suggesting a path to a third term, but mainstream constitutional scholars across the political spectrum view these arguments as meritless. The 22nd Amendment was written specifically to codify the two-term tradition after Franklin D. Roosevelt won four terms.
For a dedicated analysis of this question and its implications for the 2028 race, see the full page on this site. The short answer for 2028 voters: Trump is not a 2028 presidential candidate under any orthodox constitutional reading.
Related questions
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What is the 22nd Amendment exactly?
Related explainers
The 22nd Amendment limits the president to two elected terms. Ratified in 1951, it bars any person from being elected president more than twice.
Yes. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms (1933-1945). No president has served a third term since the 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951, which now constitutionally bars more than two elected terms.
Probably not. The 12th Amendment bars anyone constitutionally ineligible to be president from serving as vice president, and the 22nd Amendment makes Trump ineligible for the presidency.