President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Iowa on Thursday that he believes he has the "right to run again" for president. He made the remark even as he acknowledged the Constitution appears to bar it 2.
The rally was in Sioux City, part of a tour to boost Republicans in close midterm races. Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes, and NPR reported he returned to his false claims that he won in 2020 and that he should be able to run again 1.
What Trump said
Trump first said he was unsure of the law. Then he said he had studied the rule closely and found little room to argue 2.
I've studied that phrase forever
Moments later, he offered a reason to run anyway. He tied it to his continued false claim that the 2020 election was stolen 2.
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They cheated us on the second one because we won it three times, so I think I have the right to run again.
There is no evidence that fraud changed the outcome of the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden, Newsweek reported 2.
What the Constitution says
The 22nd Amendment says: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." Trump was elected in 2016 and again in 2024, so another win would conflict with that limit 2.
This is a change from his tone in August. Then he told reporters he would like to run again but that "the law is very strong" 2.
A pattern of third-term talk
In July, at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Trump wore a red hat promoting a 2028 run and said he would do it again. He has also shared 2028 campaign-style imagery on social media, and his allies have discussed ways he could stay in power past his current term 2.
At other times, Trump has spoken about leaving the White House in January 2029 2. The latest remarks went further by giving a specific reason he thinks he should be allowed to run 2.
What happens next
Trump plans to return to Iowa on November 1, two days before the midterm elections on November 3 1. Republicans face a tougher fight statewide there. A new poll for the Cook Political Report puts Democrat Josh Turek 2 percentage points ahead of Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in the Senate race, within the poll's margin of error 1.
Trump also urged voters to elect Republican Zach Lahn as governor. Polls give his Democratic opponent, state auditor Rob Sand, an 11-point lead 1.
That matters because the two-term limit is one of the plainest guardrails in the Constitution. A president who says he has a "right" to ignore it, based on a claim of a stolen election that has no evidence behind it, is testing that guardrail in public. Newsweek also reported his approval has hit record lows of 32 percent among U.S. adults in a CNN/SSRS poll and 36 percent among likely voters in a New York Times/Siena University poll 2.
The Record
- At the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Trump wore a red hat promoting a 2028 run and said he would do it again 2.
- Trump told reporters "the law is very strong" on running again 2.
- At an Iowa rally, Trump said he has "the right to run again" because of false claims about the 2020 election 2.
Sources
- NPR, “Trump's midterm campaign tour stops in Iowa” (2026-10-23). npr.org/2026/10/23/nx-s1-6009838/trumps-midterm-campaign-tou
- Newsweek, “Trump Says He Has 'Right' to Run for Third Term: 'They Cheated Us'” (2026-10-23). newsweek.com/trump-wants-to-run-for-third-term-12608607
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