Trump can’t run for a third term without changing the Constitution, but he’s still raising big campaign bucks
Third term comments no longer a joke, says President Trump
President Donald Trump says he’s “not joking” about possibly running for a third term. This would require a constitutional amendment.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump just hosted a $1 million-per-plate campaign dinner – a fundraiser despite a constitutional prohibition against him running for a third term.
The event on April 24 at the Trump National Golf Club in suburban Washington, D.C., raised money for the MAGA Inc. super political action committee, which can raise unlimited amounts but can’t coordinate with Trump’s own campaign committee.
Details on what was said at the dinner remain under wraps. TV cameras and reporters were kept out of the event, which the president traveled to via helicopter and a motorcade from the White House. Since his January inauguration, Trump has hosted at least three such big-dollars dinners at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida to raise funds for the super PAC.
“Presidents are the fundraisers in chief,” said Ray LaRaja, a political science professor at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. “It’s only the first year of his term. He’s not quite the lame duck with donors.”
Trump raises campaign funds despite term limit
The event came the same day the Trump Organization began selling “Trump 2028” caps and when the Republican president signed a memo calling for a criminal investigation of a Democratic fundraising group, ActBlue.
Trump has continued prolific fundraising during his second term, including $239 million for his inaugural committee through April 20, according to a Federal Election Commission filing April 20.
His fundraising comes despite the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment barring him from running again in 2028, when he’d be 82 years old on Election Day. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,” the amendment states.
The amendment was ratified in 1951, in the wake of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s four terms in office. Since then, second-term presidents traditionally raised money for congressional or state-level candidates but not their own campaigns because of the term limit.
Despite the apparent restriction, Trump has talked about running for a third term repeatedly − and insists he’s not joking. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a House Joint Resolution three days after Trump was sworn in to amend the Constitution and allow a president to serve for up to three terms, but no action has been taken on it yet.
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Even if Trump doesn’t campaign himself, the war chest gives him outsized influence over congressional and gubernatorial campaigns beyond his heavily sought endorsements.
“He doesn’t want to give the money away. He doesn’t care about these traditional institutions,” LaRaja said. “He cares about control. He wants to control exactly how it’s spent.”
Jon Golinger, democracy advocate for Public Citizen, which pushes for greater transparency in campaign funding, said the contributors should be named to track whether they are seeking government contracts, tax breaks or other benefits.
“This exorbitant level of payment for presidential access raises serious concerns about the possibility of corruption by candlelight,” Golinger said.
Trump sells 2028 caps, targets Democratic fundraising group with investigation
Earlier in the day, the Trump Organization began selling red ballcaps with “Trump 2028” embroidered on the front for $50. The online store is operated by the family rather than the president’s campaign committee.
At his signing ceremony, Trump’s memo directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ActBlue and other and online fundraising platforms for possible “‘foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law,” according to a White House statement.
Leaders of Democratic campaign committees issued a joint statement arguing Trump was trying to undermine participation in elections. The statement was from Ken Martin, head of the Democratic National Committee; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, head of the party’s Senate fundraising committee; Suzan DelBene, head of the party’s House fundraising group and Laura Kelly, head of the party’s gubernatorial group.
“He knows Americans are already fed up with his chaotic agenda that is driving the economy off a cliff, so he’s trying to block lawful grassroots donations from supporters giving just $5 or $10 to candidates who oppose him while further empowering the corrupt billionaires who already control his administration,” the statement said.
In another campaign development, a federal judge blocked parts of an executive order Trump signed in March aiming to require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens. The order also sought to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots after Eection Day.