Why Trump believes he's already 'served three terms' as president despite constitutional limit

Donald Trump has argued why he's 'actually already served three' terms as US President but why he doesn't 'count' the 'middle term'.

Clearly, being sworn in as the President of the United States for a second time wasn't enough for Donald Trump, as not long after he was made the 47th POTUS the 78-year-old joked about running for a third term.

It may be banned by the US constitution, but US Representative Andy Ogles later suggested making a change to the 22nd Amendment that would allow Trump to run a third time.

Former White House strategist and senior advisor to Trump in 2017, Steve Bannon, accused of doing a 'Nazi salute' weeks after Elon Musk was similarly accused, said they might not even necessarily need to 'amend the constitution' so Trump can make it a hat trick.

However, Trump has now claimed he's 'already served three' - but what does he mean?

On April 29, Trump put in an appearance at a rally in Michigan to mark the first 100 days of his second term as president.

Crowds chanted 'three' in support of the idea of Trump making his time in office a hat trick.

And Trump responded: "Well, we actually already served three, if you count.

"But remember, I like the victories, I like the three victories which we absolutely had. I just don't like the results of the middle term," he continued.

Trump's answer refers to both the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections.

The Republican indeed won the 2016 election, alongside the 2024 election, however, the 2020 election?

Well, that was Democrat Joe Biden. Although, not according to Trump, that is.

Pro-Trump supporters stormed the White House in 2021 (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

With vote counting ongoing but Biden confirmed as the 46th President by several major news outlets, Trump took to Twitter to allege voter fraud had occurred.

He wrote: "He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!"

Not long after, the Capitol Riots occurred, in which five people lost their lives.

Trump was also later charged with four criminal counts - including conspiracy against the right of citizens and conspiracy to defraud the US - accused of pressuring officials to reverse the results of the elections alongside spreading misinformation.

He pleaded not guilty to all.

However, in late 2024, the federal case, among others, was ultimately dismissed at the Justice Department's request.