Michelle Obama has given her thoughts on a third term for Barack Obama should the rules be changed to allow two-term presidents to run again.

The former first lady is married to former President Barack Obama, who held office for two consecutive terms from 2008 to 2016, where he was succeeded by President Donald Trump. Joe Biden held office for one term after beating Trump in the 2020 election, but Trump made a return to office for a second term following the 2024 election.

Now, Michelle Obama has responded to the idea that Barack Obama could run for a third term if Trump bypasses the Constitution and runs for a third term. Newsweek has contacted the Obamas and the White House for comment on this story.

Why It Matters

Trump has floated the idea of running for a third term, despite the 22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution barring a president from serving more than two terms. It states: "No person...shall be elected more than twice."

In early 2025, official merchandise from the Donald Trump online store bore the words: "Trump 2028 (Rewrite the Rules)."

In a March 2025 interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, Trump said he was "not joking" about running for a third time, and said there were "methods" to be able to do it.

However, he has backtracked previously, including an interview with the same journalist in May 2025, where he said: "I'll be an eight-year president, I'll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important."

According to a March 2025 report from Politico, Trump said he has "never looked into" running for a third term, but said "people are asking me to run."

He was then asked about, should that happen, whether Democrats could potentially run Obama again, to which he said: "I'd love that. That would be a good one. I'd like that."

What To Know

Speaking with Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast uploaded on January 21, former first lady Obama was asked "for fun" whether, if Trump "changed the law and runs for a third term, hypothetically, do you think your husband would consider running?"

And she answered: "I hope not."

"I would actively work against that," she said. "I would be at home working against it."

She added: "I do believe in the need for new vision. The two terms is not just about 'we like him,' we're changing and growing so fast. This is a hard job, it requires new energy, new vision all the time, new ways of looking at the world.

"I do believe that eight years is enough. And there are so many talented people out there—why would we keep going with the same people? How are we going to build young leaders if the same people keep doing it again and again and again?

"I think there's room for that wisdom, but there's room for new ideas to come in. I think two terms is enough, for everybody."

She said she was "really curious" about the younger generation's perspective on how to run the country, pointing out that people are traveling more and have different experiences to the older generation.

What Happens Next

In January 2026, Democrat Tom Umberg, a California state senator, introduced a new bill which would ensure Trump would be excluded from the ballot in the 2028 presidential election.

The proposed bill would allow the California secretary of state to request proof of a candidate's eligibility, and exclude candidates from the ballot if they are constitutionally ineligible.

Read more here: Newsweek