At Iowa Midterm Rally, Trump Says He Has 'Right' to Run in 2028 Minutes After Saying the Law Bars Him

President Donald Trump told a rally crowd in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday night, Oct. 22, that he believes he has the "right to run again" for president. He said this after acknowledging that the Constitution appears to forbid it.

The remarks came at a stop meant to boost Republican Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson, 12 days before the Nov. 3 midterms.

What Trump said

"I don't know who's going to be your next president," Trump said. "And I think the law says, I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think the law says that I'm not allowed to run again."

He then described the 22nd Amendment. "I've studied that phrase forever," the 80-year-old said. "Unfortunately, it's quite concise. There's not a lot of wiggle room."

Then he pivoted. "They cheated us on the second one because we won it three times, so I think I have the right to run again. I think I have the right to run again because they cheated." He added: "They rigged the election. They rigged that."

The Daily Mail reported that the crowd booed when Trump said he was not allowed to run again.

The constitutional problem

The 22nd Amendment says: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." Trump was elected in 2016 and 2024. The text has no exception for elections a candidate disputes.

Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. There is no evidence that fraud altered the outcome, and Trump has repeated the claim for years anyway.

This is not a new riff. In late February, at a speech in Texas, Trump made a similar argument that he had been "cheated" in 2020 and could seek another term.

His position has also moved around. In August he told reporters, "I'd love to run, but the law is very strong." In July, at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, he wore a red "Trump 2028" hat and said: "I won three times. Now, I'm going to do it again." At other points he has talked about leaving the White House in January 2029 and watching his successor from home.

Trolling or a real plan

Trump's supporters have a different read. The Daily Mail noted that backers argue he is merely trying to troll Democrats, pointing to how often he hands out "Trump 2028" hats.

No one in the reporting has said how he would get on a 2028 ballot given the amendment's text. No filing, campaign or legal theory has been described. What exists is the rally line.

Rally tour with a weak hand

Trump goes into the final stretch with his approval at record lows for his second term. The CNN/SSRS poll put it at 32 percent among U.S. adults. The New York Times/Siena poll had it at 36 percent among likely voters.

In Iowa, Hinson is deadlocked with Democrat Josh Turek, according to polling cited by the Daily Mail. In the governor's race, Democrat Rob Sand leads Republican Zach Lahn. Trump carried Iowa all three times he was on the ballot.

He opened by saying how much he loved the farmers, then drifted to other races and states. He also went after Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, saying she is disqualified from Congress because she used a "fake name" to be sworn in, and repeated a claim that she married her brother.

He claimed recent polling shows "I'd kill everybody, I'd beat 'em."

Ohio ad splits Republicans

Trump also spoke about Ohio from the Iowa stage. He defended Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton. The ad has drawn bipartisan criticism, and Acton's stepfather has been accused of abuse.

Trump said he told Ramaswamy to keep it up and to "say thank you, God." A source told CNN that Trump believes Republicans were "weak" for criticizing the ad and that the backlash inside the party is damaging.

Hinson has said the ad "needs to come down." She did not mention it on stage with Trump, and did not mention him either.

Money in the final stretch

Elon Musk has donated at least $445 million this cycle, making him the largest disclosed donor in the midterms.

In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico raised $17.6 million in the first two weeks of October, after a record $64 million third quarter, according to new FEC filings. He spent about $22 million in that stretch and had just under $10 million on hand. Republican Ken Paxton raised about $2.8 million, spent just under $3 million and had about $4.8 million in cash.

The midterms are Nov. 3. Iowa's Senate race between Hinson and Turek is among the contests analysts rate too close to call, and Trump's third-term comments are now part of what Republican candidates in tight races will be asked about before then.