Washington Was Right

President Trump is floating the idea that he can serve a third term; George Washington's wisdom shows why that's a bad idea.

President Donald Trump says he won’t rule out running for a third term—even though the Constitution prohibits it. He claims there are “ways.” It’s a reminder of why term limits exist, and why George Washington’s voluntary departure after two terms set a precedent that still defines the presidency.

First, a little history.

Whether referred to as the English or the British, the people of the United Kingdom have faced some of the most formidable adversaries in history. They fought the French for hundreds of years, culminating in Wellington’s showdown with Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. They stood shoulder to shoulder with the French against the Russians in the Crimean War. In World War I, they held their ground with the Allies against the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. And they resisted—and ultimately defeated—Hitler’s Nazi march across Europe in World War II.

Over the course of British history, they’ve fought countless wars and skirmishes. In modern terms, only 22 countries have never faced British troops or ships in battle.

So, against this backdrop, who is Britain’s greatest adversary? According to a 2012 poll, it’s George Washington—by a wide margin.

Yes, that Virginia farmer turned surveyor, turned soldier, turned rebel, turned statesman is regarded as the greatest enemy of the British people, owing to his tenacity and enduring perseverance to stay in the fight and, ultimately, drive the British out of the American colonies at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

Washington Was Flawed but Wise

I have mixed feelings about Washington. We Americans consider him our first president (he wasn’t—under the Articles of Confederation, that was John Hanson of Maryland). We call him the father of our country (he wasn’t, though he was instrumental). We think of him as some grand strategist and military genius (he wasn’t). And if he hadn’t married well, he might have gone down in history as a failed businessman and ordinary worker. Oh, and we can’t forget that he was an unapologetic slave owner and elitist—not all white men had standing in his eyes.

And yet, Washington had a wisdom that has transcended generations and set the tone for what the United States would become. People forget that before our constitutional republic, there were the Articles of Confederation. During that period, the former colonists—who had spent years and blood shaking off the shackles of the British monarchy—were wary of giving the central government too much power. The confederation system didn’t work, and the Founding Fathers crafted the structure we have today.

Setting the Presidential Precedent

Enter Washington. The Constitutional Convention asked him to run for president. The Electoral College—a new invention—unanimously supported the former general. And he was re-elected, unopposed, for a second term. He was that popular and trusted by political leaders and the public alike.

In the 1790s, there was much debate about what to call the head of state. Some proposed “His Excellency.” Some even suggested anointing a king. It was Washington who settled the matter, saying “President” was a fine title and “Mr. President” was respectful enough.

For all his pompousness, Washington was level-headed and exercised common sense with greater proficiency than even the wisest members of contemporary society. He knew that as the first president, he was setting the tone and tempo for what would come after him. He and his contemporaries couldn’t have imagined the world that would unfold in the decades—much less centuries—after their passing. But Washington had the wisdom to know that his actions had meaning, and that meaning would transcend time immemorial.

In March 1797, after eight years in office, Washington voluntarily stepped down from the presidency. He relinquished the power and trappings of the office without reservation. Though he remained popular enough to serve a third term, he chose not to. Washington believed that staying in office too long would concentrate too much power in one person. He felt it was better to initiate a peaceful transfer of power and reinforce the continuity of the republic.

The Roosevelt Exception

In his act of patriotism over personal interest, Washington set the standard that presidents should only serve two terms. Grover Cleveland, the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms, was asked to serve a third, but declined. It wasn’t until Franklin Delano Roosevelt sought and won a third and fourth term that the tradition was broken.

Some could excuse FDR, given the circumstances. He was pulling the country out of the Great Depression and leading it through World War II. A change in leadership during such critical times could have had disastrous consequences. And yet, FDR stood for election and won both the popular vote and the Electoral College.

We have the 22nd Amendment—barring presidents from serving more than two terms—thanks to Washington and Roosevelt. Republicans, concerned about the growing power of the presidency, proposed the amendment in 1946. It was ratified in 1951. They didn’t want to see presidents, no matter how effective, serve indefinitely and accumulate the power of monarchs.

Trump and the Temptation of Power

Enter Donald J. Trump. He talks of patriotism but shows little allegiance to history, tradition, or law. He continues to claim the 2020 election was stolen, following the advice of his mentor Roy Cohn, who taught him to fight, lie, and deny—even in defeat. Despite the constitutional prohibitions, Trump now says he won’t rule out a third term.

“There are methods” for running for a third term, he said in recent reports.

Let’s be clear: the 22nd Amendment makes no exceptions for lost time, stolen elections, or popularity. It doesn’t matter whether the president has served two consecutive or nonconsecutive terms—a person can only hold the office twice. The only exception is if the president dies and the vice president is elevated halfway through a term. In that case, the vice president may run for two full terms, theoretically serving for as long as 12 years.

The only way Trump could serve a third term is if the Constitution is amended. Someone would have to sponsor a proposal to repeal or modify the 22nd Amendment. Good luck. Since 1788, more than 11,000 constitutional amendments have been proposed. Only 33 have passed Congress, and just 27 have been ratified by three-quarters of the states.

Republicans could call for a Constitutional Convention to rewrite our governing contract. It’s a nuclear option, technically part of our structure, but the United States hasn’t had a Constitutional Convention in 238 years.

What Term Limits Are Really About

When the time comes to elect a president again, Trump will be 82 years old. Electing him to a third term—even under the most improbable circumstances—would mean handing control of the United States to someone well beyond the average life expectancy. It would also mean surrendering to the centralized power of an authoritarian—the very scenario Republicans aimed to prevent when they created term limits.

Over the course of my political life, I’ve wrestled with the idea of term limits.

We have representatives and senators in Congress who serve for decades. Former Speaker and current Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is 85. Senator Mitch McConnell is 83. Rep. Maxine Waters is 86. Rep. Hal Rogers is 87. Senator Chuck Grassley is 91. At a certain point, you have to ask: why are these people still holding office instead of making room for a newer, more in-touch generation?

On the other hand, if voters are satisfied with their representatives, why not let them stay? There’s a case to be made that longevity has value. These lawmakers understand the machinery of government and how to wield power effectively.

But the presidency is different. The person in the White House sets the national agenda and wields immense authority. That power must be cycled. The presidency must rotate on a predictable schedule—not just for balance, but for the health of the republic. New thinking, fresh ideas, and evolving public will demand new leadership.

Washington was right. We don’t need imperialism. We should recognize the wisdom of the man we call our founding father and adhere to his conventions.