[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2149-S2150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 154

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on a matter that 
should not require clarification.
  In the United States of America, no President, Republican or 
Democrat, serves more than two terms. That is not a suggestion; that is 
not a tradition; that is the law of the United States, enshrined in the 
U.S. Constitution. Yet, once again, President Donald Trump is openly 
suggesting that he should have a third term.
  In an interview with NBC News, he was asked directly about his 
repeated comments on seeking a third term. This time, he left no room 
for doubt. He said he was ``not joking'' about a third term--``not 
joking.''
  So let's be clear. This is not the first time Donald Trump has toyed 
with the idea of clinging to power beyond what the Constitution allows. 
He has mused

[[Page S2150]]

about serving 10 or 12 or even 16 years. He has floated the notion of 
repealing the 22nd Amendment. His supporters have worn T-shirts reading 
``Trump 2028.'' His allies have spread the baseless notion that he was 
``owed'' extra years because of supposed injustices against him.
  Each time, when confronted, his defenders--Members of this very 
body--have dismissed it as a big joke. But the man himself has now made 
it clear: He was not joking. So why are congressional Republicans still 
pretending that he was joking?
  Let's review what the Constitution actually says. The 22nd Amendment, 
ratified in 1951, states unequivocally:

       No person shall be elected to the office of the President 
     more than twice.

  No exceptions. No loopholes.
  The 12th Amendment makes clear that no one who is constitutionally 
ineligible to serve as President may be elected as Vice President, 
closing the door on any scheme where a President resigns to elevate an 
unelected successor. The law is settled. The case is closed.
  The reason we have these protections is simple: America is a 
republic, not a monarchy. The people's power is enshrined in the 
peaceful transition of leadership.
  George Washington set the precedent of serving only two terms, and 
after Franklin Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms, both parties, 
Democrat and Republican, came together to enshrine term limits into 
law--the George Washington tradition into law. Every President since, 
Democrats and Republicans alike, has respected this safeguard until 
right now.
  What we are witnessing is the continued erosion of constitutional 
order, met not with outrage from Republicans but with shrugs and 
chuckles and excuses. And those who claimed he was joking before now 
claim he is joking still after he says he is not. That is in violation 
of his own explicit statement that he is telling the truth. They are 
not just enabling a man's delusions of infinite power; they are setting 
the stage for something far more dangerous: The normalization of 
sedition.
  Let me say this plainly: There is nothing funny about sedition. There 
is nothing amusing about a former President who incited an attack on 
this Capitol now openly fantasizing about defying the Constitution to 
remain in office. There is nothing humorous about Members of Congress 
excusing, enabling, and covering for a man who has already demonstrated 
his willingness to subvert democracy for his own personal gain.
  So, at this moment, I will ask the Senate to take up and pass by 
unanimous consent my resolution making clear what should already be 
obvious: That under the 22nd and 12th Amendments to the Constitution, 
Donald Trump is ineligible in any future election to be elected as Vice 
President or President of the United States or to serve as President 
beyond the conclusion of his current term.
  This resolution is incredibly simple. It says that ``the Twelfth 
amendment to the Constitution States that `No person constitutionally 
ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of 
Vice-President of the United States'. . . . [T]he Twenty-second 
amendment . . . states that `No person shall be elected to the office 
of the President more than twice, 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 President more than once.' ''
  So, therefore, President ``Trump is ineligible in any future 
elections to be elected Vice-President or President, or to serve as 
President beyond the conclusion of his current term.''
  That is it. That is the totality of what it says.
  This is not a partisan statement; it is a constitutional one. Every 
Member of this Chamber, regardless of party, should be able to agree: 
No President is above the law. No President is entitled to more than 
two terms.
  If my colleagues truly believe that it is all in jest, then let's put 
this to the test. Let's pass the resolution now because if they won't, 
the cost will be nothing less than the future of our Republic. And that 
is not a joke.
  With that, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule 
XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of S. Res. 154, which is at the desk; further I ask that 
the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.