Donald Trump told graduating cadets at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday, 20 May, that he would still be in the White House in 2028 and possibly even 2032, despite the US Constitution limiting presidents to two terms and his own approval ratings sinking to historic lows.
For context, Donald Trump is now serving his second, non-consecutive term after returning to office in January 2025. That victory made him, at 78 years and seven months, the oldest person ever to assume the presidency.
Under the 22nd Amendment, which caps presidents at two elected terms, his tenure is meant to end in January 2029. Trump has, nevertheless, spent much of his political career toying in public with the idea of pushing beyond that hard stop.
At the Coast Guard ceremony, the president's latest remarks came during what should have been a routine policy aside. Trump was lauding a reported $6 billion defence arrangement with Finland to construct 11 polar icebreakers, telling cadets that the first vessels were scheduled for delivery in 2028. He then veered into a familiar riff.
Trump: I'm gonna be in office in 2028. Maybe I'll be here in 2032, too. I don't know. Maybe I willpic.twitter.com/6pPmTftf0l
'I'm going to be here in 2028! Maybe I'll be here in 2032, too, I don't know, maybe I will,' he said, standing behind bullet‑proof glass as the new officers looked on.
The line drew laughs from some supporters but also underlined a pattern. Trump, now 79, 'often floats the idea of bypassing normal term limits for the presidency,' as the original report put it. Earlier in the same week, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said he would 'love' to run for a third term, attributing that appetite to what he described as strong polling numbers.
The numbers tell a different story. According to the latest New York Times/Siena College survey cited in the report,Donald Trump's job approval has fallen to 37 per cent overall. That leaves him 21 points underwater in net popularity and breaks what the outlet described as a 17‑year historical floor.
No sitting president, the survey's analysis noted, has managed to sustain an approval rating below 38 per cent for more than a few days. Trump, by contrast, appears to be settling into it.
The political contradiction is striking. A president suffering record‑low approval is publicly fantasising about clinging to power beyond the maximum the Constitution allows. That may explain why his remarks, while not new, triggered a sharp reaction online.
Source: International Business Times UK
