'There is a plan' for Trump to seek third term in 2028, Steve Bannon says

WASHINGTON – MAGA podcaster and former West Wing aide Steve Bannon suggested in a recent interview that a plan exists for President Donald Trump to attempt to defy the Constitution and seek a third term in office in 2028.

"Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that," he told The Economist on Oct. 23.

Though Bannon, who served a four-month stint in prison last year and has pleaded guilty to separate fraud charges, isn't empowered in the White House like he was during Trump's first term, he indicated there are "many different alternatives" for keeping his former boss in the presidency.

"At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is," Bannon said. "But there is a plan."

Trump has toyed publicly with the idea on many occasions since he won reelection in 2024, despite the fact that the 22nd Amendment forbids a president from seeking office for more than two four-year terms, regardless of whether they were consecutive.

“Should I run again? You tell me,” Trump asked an audience gathered for a White House reception in February.

Presidential term limits are a central tenet of American democracy and the U.S. political system. Trump's assertions about his lease on the White House are just one of many examples of his willingness to prod the bounds of executive authority, and the prospect of him not stepping down has become a central rallying cry in the early days of Democrats' jockeying on the national stage to win back the presidency in 2028.

Trump's statements on the issue have also been inconsistent. He told NBC News in May that running again wasn't something he was considering, acknowledging it would run afoul of the Constitution.

"I will say this: So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that," he said. "But it's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do."

Congressional Republicans have so far brushed off the president's comments about serving a third term. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, told reporters in March that Trump couldn't remain in the White House "without a change in the Constitution."

In an interview with CNN in September, Thune said those pushing for a third Trump term are usually expecting a "pretty light-hearted response" to the notion.

"I think the Constitution speaks to that issue, and I think it's pretty plain," he said.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.