President Donald Trump raised eyebrows Thursday night, December 11, 2025, when he told guests at the White House Congressional Ball they would have great years ahead, stretching far beyond his current term. Standing beside first lady Melania Trump, the 79-year-old president said the country would have “a great three years, four years, 10 years, we’re going to make it great.”
The statement marks the latest hint that Trump envisions staying in power beyond the two-term limit set by the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment. He previously told reporters he would love a third term and posted a video in October showing him ruling for thousands of years, ending with a sign reading “TRUMP 4EVA.” His campaign merchandise store started selling Trump 2028 hats in April, encouraging supporters to make a statement by wearing them.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said in November he was talking with top constitutional lawyers about ways around the term limits. Bannon told his War Room podcast that one lawyer said you can drive “a Mack truck through the 22nd Amendment.” He also told The Economist there were many different alternatives to overcoming the amendment and that Trump would be president in 2028.
Polling shows Americans are divided on the idea. Among people who voted for Trump in 2024, 45 percent oppose his running for a third term, while 43 percent support it. But among all Americans, only 21 percent want Trump to serve a third term.
Trump has also been clear about using federal law enforcement to go after his critics. Last September, he released a book threatening to jail Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, warning that if Zuckerberg does anything illegal, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Trump posted on social media that when he wins, those people who cheated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which will include “long-term prison sentences.” The threats extend to lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters, and corrupt election officials.
Legal experts say the Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision gives presidents significant power. Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University Law School, said Trump has enormous power if he really wants to pursue prosecutions and that there would be almost no stopping him from obtaining an indictment. Gillers added that fear is Trump’s most potent weapon because high-profile prosecutions can scare people into compliance even without winning convictions.
Conservative lawyers close to Trump have argued the attorney general should follow the president’s direction more closely. Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official, wrote that all executive power belongs to the president, including control over the Justice Department. Mike Davis, a former aide to Senator Chuck Grassley, said Democrats involved in legal cases against Trump should get lawyers and prepare for accountability starting January 20.
Trump’s broader agenda includes creating what he calls the most extensive mass deportation program in history. He plans to use the National Guard and local police to remove people living in the country illegally. He wants to end birthright citizenship, which currently gives citizenship to anyone born in the United States regardless of their parents’ legal status. On the economy, Trump has promised to bring down prices, extend his 2017 tax cuts, and eliminate federal taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits. He plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico and even higher rates on Chinese goods.
The administration published its 2025 National Security Strategy on December 4, outlining foreign policy priorities. The document focuses heavily on the Western Hemisphere rather than global competition with China and Russia. It includes what officials call a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, asserting American influence closer to home and pushing back against Chinese presence in Latin America. In Europe, the strategy claims that the continent faces major cultural changes and calls for supporting what it terms “patriotic parties,” referring to hard-right groups in countries like France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Trump’s plans also include eliminating the Department of Education while using federal funding as leverage over schools. He wants to cut money for schools teaching critical race theory or what he calls gender ideology. He plans to take over college accreditation processes and collect money from university endowments that don’t follow his policies.
Project 2025, a policy blueprint created by former Trump administration officials and the Heritage Foundation, outlines many of these goals. The 900-page document calls for major changes, including limiting abortion access, expanding deportations, reducing voting protections, and rolling back transgender rights. At least 140 people who worked on Project 2025 previously worked in Trump’s first administration. Several now hold key positions in his second term, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Budget Director Russell Vought, and Border Czar Tom Homan.
Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, but has not explained how. When reporters asked what an end to the fighting would look like, he said he didn’t want to reveal his plans. The new National Security Strategy calls ending the Ukraine conflict a core American interest.