It is noon in Washington on Saturday, January 20, 2029. Inauguration Day. A bearded man steps forward in front of the US Capitol and raises his right hand, placing his left on the Bible.
‘I, James David Vance, do solemnly swear…’
Moments later, with a knowing smile, the new President of the United States declares: ‘I resign.’
His running mate embraces him in a bear hug. The crowd of hundreds of thousands on the National Mall erupts in cheers of ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’ and ‘Four More Years.’
Donald Trump has become President for a third time.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory, or a MAGA flight of fancy. After all, as everyone with a passing knowledge of the Constitution knows, the 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms.
But could a scenario where Trump remains in the White House beyond that really happen? The surprising answer from experts is – yes.
In fact, the path for Trump to serve a third term – and potentially a fourth until January 2037 when he would be aged 90 – is not only possible, it is simple, thanks to a glaring loophole in the amendment.
The idea of exploiting this loophole has