by Rod Williams, Jan. 28, 2025- We know that Andy Ogles is ethically challenged. From his raising money for a burial garden for children which was never built, to his fraudulent campaign finance reports, to his enhanced resume, he has demonstrated a lack of character and problems with the truth. We also know Ogles is somewhat of a Trump suck-up. It looks like Ogles is trying to earn the title of Trump's Number One Suck-up. Andy Ogles has introduced a bill to amend the Constitution to remove the two-term limit for a president.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first person to serve more than two terms. Up until then it was a norm that no one serve more than two terms but not a law. A few had considered it and a few tried it, Teddy Rosevelt being the most prominent. Teddy attempted a third term but was unsuccessful. After FDR was elected to an unprecedented four terms in a row, especially after he died not long into his fourth term the public supported restricting a president to two terms. Congress created what is now the 22nd Amendment restricting a president to two terms and it was ratified by the States. Now Andy Ogles wants to make changes to the 22nd.
The Constitutional amendment Ogles is proposing is drafted in such a way to only apply to a situation like that of Trump's. It would not simply allow for a president to serve more than two terms. So, while Trump could serve a third term, should Ogles' amendment pass, it would not open the door for an Obama or Clinton to seek a third term.
Passing such an amendment will take some effort. First of all, a proposed amendment would have to pass both houses of Congress by a two-thirds vote. Republicans only have a three-vote margin in the House and hold only 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate. There is no way an amendment to allow Trump to run for a third term could get a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress. If by some miracle it did, then it would be sent to the states to be ratified and would have to be approved by 38 of the states.
Trump only won 31 states in the recent election. Having won the state in a presidential election does not mean that state will necessarily ratify an amendment giving President Trump the right to seek a third term. To be ratified, the governor of the state submits the amendment to the state legislature for its consideration or convenes a state ratifying convention. In many of these states, the legislature is not dominated by Republicans and the governors of these states are not all Republicans. Also, should a governor attempt to go the ratifying convention route, it would be difficult to motivate low-information voters to turn out to vote for convention delegates. I would put the chance of this proposal by Ogles leading to a Constitutional amendment at almost zero. I don't believe the House, Senate, States or the American people would support it. I don't think even the majority of people who voted for Trump would support it.
Some in Trump world have been hinting that Trump may serve a third term. That would require amending the Constitution or circumventing it. I don't think Trump would have any qualms about subverting or suspending the Constitution to serve a third term. After all, in 2020 he attempted to stay in office despite losing the election and he has publicly stated that at times it may be necessary to suspend the Constitution.
While I don't think Trump would have any qualms about subverting the Constitution to stay in office, I am not very worried about it. If he attempts it, I won't be shocked, however. There is not much Trump could do that would shock me. I am not too concerned about Trump seeking to stay in office past this term, simply because he is old. On January 20, 2029, he will be 82 years old if he is still living. I doubt he will want a third term at that age. He may want to retire and play golf. Also, I suspect that Americans will be sick of him by then and will want to make America normal again. I suspect that Trump is at his most popular now and expect his popularity to decline. In four years, I don't expect there to be a groundswell of public support for Trump, demanding he be given a third term.
So why is Ogles doing this? Maybe there is some grand strategy to plant the seed in the public's mind of Trump serving a third term, so that if Trump does decide to stay in office after the end of this term and Trump does declare a national emergency and suspend the next election, that the public will already have been softened up to the possibility of Trump staying in office past the end of this term. I think that may be a possibility, but I don't think so. I think this is simply Ogles trying to curry favor with Trump. I think it is simply Ogles trying to be the number one suck up.
Below is the press release from Ogles office announcing his resolution to amend the Constitution to allow Trump to serve a third term.
Press Release from Andy Ogles, January 23, 2025- Congressman Andy Ogles introduced a House Joint Resolution to amend the Constitution of the United States to allow a President to be elected for up to but no more than three terms. The language of the proposed amendment reads as follows:
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.
"President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years. He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal. To that end, I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms. This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs," said Congressman Ogles.
“It is imperative that we provide President Trump with every resource necessary to correct the disastrous course set by the Biden administration. President Trump has shown time and time again that his loyalty lies with the American people and our great nation above all else. He is dedicated to restoring the republic and saving our country, and we, as legislators and as states, must do everything in our power to support him.”
"In just a few short days, President Trump has already taken action to undo the catastrophic policies of the Biden Administration and put the United States back on the path to strength and prosperity. He has tackled the crisis at our Southern border by declaring a national emergency, deploying additional troops and resources to curb illegal crossings, and expediting the completion of the border wall. In a similar vein, he issued an order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal aliens. Placing American safety as his top priority, President Trump designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, empowering law enforcement to dismantle these violent networks with greater force. Aside from the border, he has set American energy free by declaring a national emergency to lift the Biden Administration’s oil and gas drilling restrictions. President Trump has also broken the chains of DEI by eliminating federal programs and reaffirming legally that there are only two genders, male and female. He has also initiated the process to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, a decision I am personally very excited about following the Biden Administration’s disastrous COVID pandemic response,” said Congressman Ogles.
“Compared to the prosperity and protection offered under President Trump, the Biden Administration has subjected Americans to relentless abuses that will take a decade to correct. Small towns and major cities alike have been overrun by millions of illegal immigrants trafficked across the border, fueling a surge in drug overdoses and violent crime. Soaring gas and groceries costs have crushed countless families' financial security. Radical LGBTQ+ agendas have infiltrated schools and workplaces, while DEI mandates have destroyed small businesses, wasted taxpayer dollars, and corrupted hiring practices. Social media platforms were coerced into censoring free speech and suppressing vital medical information. Meanwhile, servicemembers have been stripped of their pay and rank for refusing a hastily-approved experimental vaccine. The list of this administration’s failures is as long as it is egregious," said Congressman Ogles.