Screenshot: Trump Store
The Trump Organization is encouraging supporters to “[m]ake a statement” with a “Trump 2028” hat, now available on the official Trump Store.
The big picture: President Trump said last month he’s “not joking” about serving a third term, but the 22nd amendment bars him from running again in 2028.
- Amending the Constitution is an arduous process that’s unlikely to succeed.
- While Trump later told reporters he’s not looking at the scenario now, he first told NBC “there are methods” by which he could make it happen.
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Context: The 22nd amendment clearly states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
- Though Trump suggested his path back to the White House could be on the coattails of a JD Vance victory, top Republicans on the Hill shrugged off the third-term chatter.
- House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) characterized the idea as “too fanciful to really discuss seriously,” Axios’ Andrew Solender reported.
- But for $50, supporters can flaunt those fanciful musings.
Flashback: From sneakers to Bibles to perfume, the Trump branding bonanza is nothing new.
- Even after he assumed the presidency a second time, his political operation continued to hawk merch inspired by his agenda — such as “Make Greenland Great Again,” “Gulf of America” and “DOGE” t-shirts.
- Part of that push, Axios’ Alex Isenstadt notes, is to tap into issues that fire up his base — and get under his opponents’ skin. Case in point: plastic Trump straws.
Zoom in: But some legal scholars told Axios they’re taking the 2028 push, no matter how improbable, seriously.
- Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced a longshot measure in January that proposed a change to the Constitution that would allow Trump — but not former Presidents Bush, Obama or Clinton — to seek a third term.
- And former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said in an interview last month that he’s a “firm believer” that Trump will run and win the White House for a third time in 2028.
- Asked how Trump would sidestep constitutional limits, Bannon replied, “We’re working on it.”
Go deeper: MAGA already looking to anoint Vance for 2028
