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By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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Republican Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles is continuing to push his amendment to allow President Donald Trump to run for a third term in office.
In a Sunday interview with Newsmax, Ogles said his bill to amend the Constitution will face an uphill battle to be ratified but said the plan is "very important" for the future of the U.S.
Newsweek has contacted Ogles' office for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
Democratic figures have previously warned that Trump could rule as an authoritarian if he returns to the White House. Trump himself has said he would not support amending the Constitution to allow him to run for a third term.
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What To Know
Ogles introduced a House joint resolution on January 23 to amend the part of the Constitution that prevents a president from being elected more than twice.
Ogles suggests that the 22nd Amendment be altered to state that no person shall be elected to the office of president more than three times, nor serve any additional term after serving two consecutive terms.
The wording of Ogles' amendment proposal suggests that previous consecutive two-term presidents, such as Barack Obama or George W. Bush, would not be allowed to run for a third term.
Under Article V of the Constitution, any amendment requires approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and must then be ratified by at least 38 of the 50 U.S. states.
This means that multiple Democratic lawmakers and states would need to support the amendment to allow Trump to run for a third term in office. Some Republicans have criticized the idea.
Speaking to Newsmax, Ogles said his amendment will need "a lot of work" to get ratified. He added that Trump should be allowed more time in office as it will take "a decade to unwind" the damage caused by the Biden administration.
Several Democrats and constitutional law experts criticized Ogles for his hopes of allowing Trump to run for a third term.
The 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951, primarily as a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms as president. The two-term limit for presidents was put forward by Congress to prevent potential abuses of power.
The Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was written in 1787. The most recent amendment, in 1992, prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during a current session.
What People Are Saying
Republican Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles told Newsmax: "I have a bill that would amend the 22nd Amendment. It has to be ratified in the House and the Senate and then by 38 of the states, three-quarters. So it's a lot of work to get it done. If this was ratified, if Trump decided to run for a third term, and if the people wanted him, he could technically or would be allowed to run and serve a third term in the context of this. In the context of this, the damage done by the Biden administration in four years, they did a decade's worth of damage. It's going to take a decade to unwind, and that's why this amendment is so important."
New York Representative Dan Goldman previously told Newsweek: "By now, Donald Trump's pattern is predictable: 'joke' about something unconstitutional or authoritarian; normalize the 'joke'; allow sycophantic Republicans to adopt the 'joke' as a serious idea until it becomes MAGA orthodoxy. Rep. Ogles has followed the playbook perfectly by proposing a constitutional amendment to allow Trump to serve a third term. While I'm grateful that he acknowledges that a third term would require a constitutional amendment, nothing Donald Trump says or does is funny."
Harvard law professor Stephen Sachs dismissed the chances of Ogles' amendment succeeding in an interview with CNBC: "[It is] impossibly difficult, assuming that it would receive no or very few Democratic votes, either in Congress or in the state legislatures. As of today, there are only 218 Republican representatives, 53 Republican senators, and 28 Republican-controlled state legislatures."
President Donald Trump said he would be against repealing the 22nd Amendment in an April 2024 interview with Time: "I wouldn't be in favor of a challenge. Not for me. I wouldn't be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. And I want to bring our country back. I want to put it back on the right track."
What Happens Next
The Judiciary Committee must approve any constitutional amendment proposals before they are potentially sent to the House floor for a full vote.
Ogles' amendment to allow Trump to run for a third term would likely be rejected in the House.
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