--- title: Amid Third Term Talk, Trump Says: 'We Already Served Three' description: Trump once again appeared to deny the 2020 election results, telling a Michigan crowd: "We actually already served three, if you count." canonical: https://time.com/7281485/is-trump-seeking-a-third-term-rally-comments-election-denial/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-04-30T12:34:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:51:55.851Z article:section: Politics og:title: Amid Third Term Talk, Trump Says: 'We Already Served Three' og:description: Trump told a Michigan crowd: "We actually already served three, if you count." og:url: https://time.com/7281485/is-trump-seeking-a-third-term-rally-comments-election-denial/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35a1552c84ae645e/6998c633d32e93d420cd6f54/GettyImages-2212061211.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6536 og:image:height: 3677 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Amid Third Term Talk, Trump Says: 'We Already Served Three' twitter:description: Trump told a Michigan crowd: "We actually already served three, if you count." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35a1552c84ae645e/6998c633d32e93d420cd6f54/GettyImages-2212061211.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:02 video:published: 2025-04-30 section: politics topics: Trump rally, presidential terms, two terms, three victories, radical left, fake news, Doctor Oz, middle term results genre: news, speech tones: boastful, casual, political, rhetorical emotions: confidence (high), humor (medium), resentment (low) sentiment: neutral audience: news viewers, political followers, voters, political analysts people: Donald Trump, Doctor Oz, John content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:02] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # After Much Talk of Seeking a Third Term, Trump Tells Crowd: 'We Actually Already Served Three' > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9eee31d7-1fc6-4731-8944-c7d5a1bb72f3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: After Much Talk of Seeking a Third Term, Trump Tells Crowd: ‘We Actually Already Served Three’ [Watch (HLS stream): After Much Talk of Seeking a Third Term, Trump Tells Crowd: ‘We Actually Already Served Three’](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bUQIMrKS.m3u8) (1:02)  _Published 2025-04-30. At a rally in Michigan on Tuesday, April 29, held to mark the first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump smiled as the crowd chanted “three,” a call for the President to serve a third term._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary President Trump speaks at a rally about what it takes to be a great president, saying the expectation of two terms is something he is now set to serve. He asks Doctor Oz to cross something off and refers to what people say when he was out of office. He says the radical left has been ended and that he has actually already served three terms, referring to three victories. He says he does not like the results of the middle term. ## Key points - Trump says the fake news used to claim that to be a great president, you have to serve two terms. (00:03) - He says 'now we're going to serve two terms' and adds that 'they've taken that one for us.' (00:08) - Trump asks Doctor Oz to cross something off, repeating the instruction. (00:16) - He says people say things all the time about what happened when he was out of office. (00:21) - Trump claims 'we've ended the radical left.' (00:41) - He states 'we actually already served three,' then qualifies it with 'if you count.' (00:46) - Trump says he likes the three victories, which he says were absolutely had. (00:50) - He says he does not like the results of the middle term and repeats that he does not want those results. (00:55) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:41] Two terms and the great president claim. Trump discusses the idea that a great president serves two terms and asks Doctor Oz to cross something off. - [00:41 to 01:02] Claim of already serving three. Trump says the radical left has been ended, claims he already served three, and explains he dislikes the results of the middle term. ## Key quotes - [00:46] Donald Trump: "Well, we actually already served three," - [00:50] Donald Trump: "But remember, I like the victories." - [00:55] Donald Trump: "I just don't like the results of the middle term, the results." - [00:41] Donald Trump: "Sure. But we've ended the radical left." - [00:16] Donald Trump: "Right. Doctor Oz, cross that one off. Cross that one off." ## Questions this video answers - What does Trump say about serving two terms to be a great president? [00:05] - What does Trump say he has already served? [00:46] - Whom does Trump ask to cross something off? [00:16] - What does Trump say he likes about the three victories? [00:50] - What does Trump say he does not like about the middle term? [00:55] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:02]: Political rally remarks by President Trump about presidential terms, the radical left, and election results. by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Apr 30, 2025 12:34 PM UTC At a rally in Michigan on Tuesday, April 29, held to mark the first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump smiled as the crowd chanted “three,” a call for the President to serve a third term. by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Apr 30, 2025 12:34 PM UTC At a rally in Michigan on Tuesday, April 29, held to mark the first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump smiled as the crowd chanted “three,” a call for the President to serve a third term. In response, [Trump said](https://youtu.be/AnXWSjimNNA?t=2185): “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.” Trump, who won his first election in 2016 but [then lost to former President Joe Biden in 2020](https://time.com/5906423/2020-election-results/), appeared to once again be denying the results of the 2020 election. In actual fact, 2020 saw Trump fall short in key battleground states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where he was on Tuesday. During his rally, he also incorrectly stated that[ he won Michigan three times](https://x.com/atrupar/status/1917339525321281869). **Read More**: [_Inside Trump’s First 100 Days_](https://time.com/7280114/donald-trump-2025-interview-transcript/) Trump has repeatedly claimed that he won the 2020 election, arguing that [_voter fraud_](https://time.com/5914377/donald-trump-no-evidence-fraud/) occurred. Two days after election day, whilst vote counting was still ongoing, he posted on social media [“STOP THE COUNT!”](https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1324353932022480896) And once major news outlets had confirmed Biden as the 46th President, [Trump again remarked](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/timeline-donald-trumps-election-denial-claims-republican-politicians/story?id=89168408): "This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election." Amid this election denial, the [riots of Jan. 6, 2021](https://time.com/6692956/trump-supreme-court-insurrection-jan-6/), occurred. Meanwhile, Trump’s comments at the rally come after much discussion and teasing of a possible [third term](https://time.com/7222820/trump-third-term-president-explainer-pathways-constitution-courts-legal-experts/), only strengthened by the fact the Trump Store is now [selling “Trump 2028” merchandise.](https://www.trumpstore.com/?s=trump+2028&post%5Ftype=product&type%5Faws=true) **Read More**: [_Will Trump Seek a Third Term? The President Settles Ongoing Speculation_](https://time.com/7282460/will-trump-seek-a-third-term-as-president-comments-plan-successor-talk/) Due to the [22nd Amendment of the U.S. constitution](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt22-1/ALDE%5F00001008/#:~:text=No%20person%20shall%20be%20elected,the%20President%20more%20than%20once.), this is the second—and final—term that Trump can serve. But this has not stopped him and his Administration from talking about a third. In an [interview with TIME](https://time.com/7280114/donald-trump-2025-interview-transcript/) on April 22, marking his first 100 days back in office, Trump was asked about the possibility of seeking a third term and how he had recently said he was “not joking” about pursuing that avenue. He said: “I'd rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known. But I don't believe in loopholes. I don't believe in using loopholes.” **Read More**: [_The Full Transcript of Donald Trump’s ‘100 Days’ Interview With TIME_](https://time.com/7280114/donald-trump-2025-interview-transcript/) It echoed what he told [NBC in an interview ](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-third-term-white-house-methods-rcna198752)at the end of March, in which he said there are methods available to do it, something he emphasized he was not joking about. But [in an interview with the _Atlantic_](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/06/trump-second-term-comeback/682573/), published on April 28, Trump said that running for a third term in 2028 is not something he is looking into. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also [recently shared a similar message](https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/donald-trump-2028-hat-karoline-leavitt-b2739798.html), saying that Trump running for a third time “is not something that he is thinking of,” whilst joking that Trump 2028 hats are “flying off the shelves.” ## Transcript [00:00] You know, I don't know why it was so important to win. [00:03] Because they used to say the fake news. [00:05] To be a great president, [00:06] you have to serve two terms. [00:08] So now we're going to serve two terms. [00:11] Now they've taken that one for us right? [00:16] Right. Doctor Oz, cross that one off. Cross that one off. [00:21] No. They say it all the time. [00:22] When I was out, they say, [00:24] well, there they go. [00:34] Thank you. Thank you. [00:41] Sure. But we've ended the radical left. [00:46] Well, we actually already served three, [00:48] but if you count. [00:50] But remember, I like the victories. [00:53] I like the three victories, [00:54] which we absolutely had. [00:55] I just don't like the results of the middle term, the results. [00:59] I don't want those results, John. 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