Why newly proposed bill would let Trump run for a third term but not Obama

A newly proposed bill could see Donald Trump remain in office until 2032.

Trump has only been president again for a mere few days, but some Republicans are now campaigning for the 78-year-old to be able to turn for a third term — something that's currently prohibited as part of the country's 22nd Amendment.

A proposal has recently been put forward by US Representative Andy Ogles, who has argued that Trump needs at least eight years to restore America to 'greatness'.

What has Andy Ogles said about the proposal?

"President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years," Ogles said of the proposal.

"He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal. To that end, I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms.

"This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs."

Why Barack Obama wouldn't be able to run for a third term

While the bill would allow Trump to run for a third term, people have noticed that the wording would prohibit Barack Obama from running for office again.

Obama served two consecutive terms as POTUS between 2009 and 2017.

Andy Ogles has suggested that changes be made to the 22nd Amendment (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The wording proposed by Ogles would also prevent George W. Bush and Bill Clinton from running for a third term.

As to why they wouldn't be able to, the proposed new bill stops someone from running for a third term if they have already been president for two consecutive terms (eight years in a row).

Ogles wants the language of the amendment, which was first passed by Congress in 1947, to now read: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, 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 the President more than twice."

The changes wouldn't allow Barack Obama to run for a third term (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

What do people think of the proposal?

Experts have since weighed in on the matter, with some saying they don't expect the proposal to go through.

Mark Shanahan, an American politics expert who teaches at the University of Surrey, UK, described the proposal as 'heady stuff, but with no chance of success'.

He continued to explain to Newsweek: "A Constitutional Amendment requires a Supermajority in both houses of Congress. With a small majority in the Senate, and a wafer-thin GOP advantage in the House, this is just wishful thinking on the part of Rep. Ogles.

"It's a visible way of showing his fealty to the president, but one that highlights that there are still checks on Trump's power."