Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said Sunday that President Trump was joking when he floated running for a third term, adding he could not seek to change the Constitution without the consent of voters.
“First of all, he joked. And so I think we need to take that as a joke, not being literal,” Mullin said when asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he would support changing the Constitution to allow Trump to seek a third term.
Anchor Kristen Welker noted that some of Trump’s allies “say they are deadly serious” about a third term and asked Mullin whether he would support that.
“No. I'm not changing the Constitution, first of all, unless the American people chose to do that,” Mullin said.
“I will say, just as what you said in the beginning, it was a joke, and people need to take it as a joke,” Mullin continued. “The president is a very interesting guy that you can find extreme humor when you sit down to visit with him. At the same time, he can be deadly serious. That's why I call him my friend.”
The president has on multiple occasions floated the idea of running for a third term since he won his second in November, including twice during meetings with House Republicans.
Trump on Thursday again raised the idea of his seeking a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution, this time drawing loud approval from supporters at a Black History Month event.
“Should I run again? You tell me,” Trump asked the crowd assembled in the East Room of the White House.
“There’s your controversy right there,” he said as supporters cheered.
Trump laughed as attendees began chanting “four more years,” and he quipped that the clip would be shown on evening newscasts.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that Trump is trying to “disorient” by talking about a third term and being a king, a reference to language Trump used when discussing his push to halt New York's congestion pricing policy.
During an appearance on CNN's “State of the Union,” Jeffries said Trump “is intentionally unleashing extremism and outrageous things on the American people to try to disorient everyday Americans.”
“Donald Trump is not a king. We will never bend the knee. Not now, not ever. And we’ll continue to point out that he’s focused on the wrong things,” he added.
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