California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that President Donald Trump will try to stay in office beyond the two-term limit.

The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution limits presidents to two terms in office, but Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea. Newsom has ramped up his attacks on Trump in recent weeks, trolling him on X as his state enters a redistricting battle that may impact who gains control of the U.S. House after the 2026 midterms.

“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” Newsom said on Aug. 27 at POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit," where he repeatedly told the audience to "wake up."

“You think he's joking about 2028?" Newsom said. "You think when he brings foreign leaders to the Oval Office and he goes to the White House store … and he shows them the 2028 hats that he’s not being serious?"

Newsom said Trump's people have also sent him more than 20 "Trump 2028" hats. Even as Trump has said he will "probably not" run for office again, the Trump Organization still sells "Trump 2028" hats for $50 on its online store.

Can Donald Trump run for a third term?

Under the Constitution as it stands, Trump cannot serve a third term in office. It is explicitly barred by the 22nd Amendment.

Changes to the Constitution are extremely difficult and rare, as they require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate. States can also spur an amendment, but it requires two-thirds of the state legislatures to call a constitutional convention and three-fourths to ratify it.

Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton, becoming the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He then lost the 2020 election against former President Joe Biden.

Trump won the 2024 election. At first, Trump was up for a rematch before Biden dropped his re-election bid and was replaced on the Democratic ticket by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's second term as the 47th U.S. president is slated for 2025 to 2029.

What has Trump said about running for president again?

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of a third term throughout his second presidency. In a March NBC interview, he said there are methods to make it happen, including if Vice President JD Vance runs for office and then hands the role to Trump.

In a later interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that aired on May 4, Trump backed off the idea, saying he was not looking at running again.

"I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that," Trump said in the interview with NBC. "But it's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do. I don't know if that's constitutional that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else."

Then on Aug. 5, Trump was asked whether he would run for a third term in a CNBC interview.

"No, probably not ... Probably not, I'd like to," he said.

The Trump Organization did not previously respond to a request for comment on the 2028 hats.

Who else may run for president in 2028?

Newsom has acknowledged he may run for president in 2028, part of what could be a crowded and competitive Democratic primary. Other potential contenders are Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Vance is brushing off committing to running in 2028, though he is expected to. In an exclusive sit-down interview with USA TODAY, he said he is focused on his current job. "And if that door opens later on, we'll figure it out then."

Trump has also mentioned former Florida senator, now the Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a potential leader in the future of MAGA.

Only one president has served more than two terms

America's founding father and first president, President George Washington, voluntarily stepped down after two terms, creating an unofficial tradition for future presidents to follow suit.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first and only president to break that tradition. The country was still recovering from the Great Depression, and at the dawn of World War II, he was re-elected to his third term. After leading the country through the global war, he was elected again in 1944 but died the following year.

A movement in the House of Representatives to officially limit the presidency terms, now ratified as the 22nd Amendment, began two years after Roosevelt's death.

Contributing: Josh Meyer, Francesca Chambers, Riley Beggin, Deborah Barfield Berry, Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Trump run for a third term? Newsom says president's team sent him ‘Trump 2028’ hats

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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