U.S. President Donald Trump listens as first lady Melania Trump speaks during a Women's History Month event, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. March 12, 2026.
The U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, clearly states that presidents are limited to two terms (which can be either consecutive or nonconsecutive). Yet "War Room" host Steve Bannon and other MAGA Republicans continue to claim that there's a legal way for President Donald Trump to run for a third term in 2028. And according to the i Paper's Simon Marks, Bannon and others in the MAGA movement are hoping that their "third term" claims will save them in the 2026 midterms.
"With just 78 days to go before America's midterm elections," Marks explains in the UK-based i Paper, "Steve Bannon — Donald Trump's on-again, off-again political adviser — is suddenly a deeply worried man. On Friday, (August 14), the president's political Svengali told viewers of his daily 'War Room' broadcast that he has looked at the state of play in the midterm election campaign and fears Republicans are destined to come up short. Citing figures showing that Democratic candidates are ahead — in some cases, comfortably ahead — in several key states, Bannon insisted the party is on the brink of what he termed 'a disaster… completely, an absolute debacle.'"
Marks continues, "But Bannon insisted there is still a way of saving the Trump project. He urged Republicans in Congress to immediately double down on their support of the president, warning the party's leaders that they are now complicit in a looming electoral disaster."
On "War Room," Bannon told viewers that MAGA voters "are not going to show up" in November "if you treat President Trump as a lame duck."
"Bannon is one of several Republican strategists who believe the answer to the party's woes is more Trump, not a retreat from him," Marks observes. "A self-confessed 'huge advocate of President Trump's third term,' Bannon also continues to maintain that a way will be found to circumvent the Constitution and keep Trump at the helm for another four years…. In recent weeks, Trump has referenced the possibility of seeking a third term. He also sidestepped a reporter's question about whether he would rule out the prospect of trying to secure one, despite it being against the U.S. Constitution…. For now, Democrats are watching with glee."
Marks adds, "The latest modelling shows Republicans more than 8 per cent behind their opponents, with the political statistician Nate Silver saying that 'everything is breaking the Democrats' way.' But cornered, Trump may become more erratic and less rational than ever. In the remaining days of the campaign, anything could happen, as the MAGA grassroots seek to protect their leader at all costs."
