Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon stirred up a crowd — and national reaction — by suggesting that President-elect Donald Trump could run for a third term in 2028.
Bannon, a longtime ally of Trump's, made the assertion in a speech before the New York Young Republican Club, celebrating its 112th annual gala, on Sunday night in Manhattan.
"Donald John Trump is going to raise his hand on the King James Bible and take the oath of office, his third victory and his second term," Bannon, host of the "War Room" podcast, told the crowd, a nod to Trump winning the 2020 election. "And the viceroy Mike Davis tells me, since it doesn't actually say consecutive, that, I don't know, maybe we do it again in '28? Are you guys down for that? Trump '28?"
Davis, a Republican lawyer who was also at the gala, would later say that Bannon was "trolling" given that the 22nd Amendment precludes a third term under any circumstances. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, states "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."
All of which Bannon knows, said Davis, who was reportedly being considered by Trump for U.S. attorney general.
"Dear Reporters: Here is my response to the many of you reaching out to me for comment: "Steve Bannon is obviously trolling. Only [former President Barack] Obama gets a third term, with his puppet [President Joe] Biden," Davis said in a post to X on Monday morning.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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