President Donald Trump has alluded to running for a third term several times despite the constitutional two-term limit, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is worried there will not be a presidential election in 2028.

Newsom appeared on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert on Sept. 23 and called the Trump administration's actions “authoritarian.”

"I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul − unless we wake up to the code red, what's happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is," he said.

Newsom, one of the Democratic party’s most forceful critics and a potential Democratic candidate for the next White House race, has also said Trump's team sent him "Trump 2028" hats. Can Trump have another term in office?

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.

Trump said he 'probably' won't run for a third term

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.

Trump also suggested to reporters that Vance was “most likely” the heir to the MAGA movement, though Vance has dodged talking about the possibility.

Gavin Newsom blasts Trump administration's 'authoritarian actions'

Newsom has previously expressed concern for the 2028 election, saying on Aug. 27 at POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit," that he didn't think Trump wanted another election. Newsom said Trump's people have also sent him more than 20 "Trump 2028" hats. The Trump Organization still sells "Trump 2028" hats for $50 on its online store.

While appearing on Colbert's show, Newsom blasted the Republican administration for taking “authoritarian actions” amid a nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown.

Federal agents have arrested immigrants in courthouses and other places across the United States, including in Florida, stripping them of due process protections, as NBC News reported. Family members and pro-immigration advocates have said that in some of the arrests, immigration judges dropped active cases against migrants, potentially expediting the deportation process.

Newsom recently signed a bill barring local and federal officials from wearing masks during operations.

“I mean if some guy jumped out of an unmarked car and a van with a mask on and tried to grab me. I mean by definition, you’re going to push back,” Newsom said. “And so these are not just authoritarian tendencies. These are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government.”

Newsom also criticized Trump for pushing a redistricting effort in Texas aimed at helping Republicans win as many as five more seats in the 2026 midterms. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas’ new congressional map into law in August.

In response, Newsom is leading his own redistricting effort in California that could give Democrats up to five new seats in the 2026 midterms. Voters are set to weigh in on Newsom's proposal in November through a ballot measure.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson previously called Newsom's remarks about the 2028 election "absurd" and a "conspiracy theory."

Contributing: Josh Meyer, Francesca Chambers, Riley Beggin, Deborah Barfield Berry, Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY; Jeff Abbott, El Paso Times

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: Gavin Newsom warns about 2028 election. Can Trump run for a third term?

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley and Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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