During a White House Hanukkah celebration, Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson ignited controversy by publicly urging Donald Trump to consider seeking a third presidential term, and by dangling an enormous financial incentive to support the effort.
Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate behind Las Vegas Sands Corp. and one of the wealthiest people in the world, reportedly told Trump she would contribute an additional $250 million if he pursued another run for the White House. Trump relayed the exchange to the audience, saying Adelson had encouraged him to “think about it,” and she quickly affirmed the pledge while standing nearby.
What to Know…
Miriam Adelson publicly encouraged Donald Trump to consider a third presidential term and pledged up to $250 million in support, bringing renewed attention to the role of billionaire donors in U.S. politics.
The U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment clearly limits presidents to two elected terms, making a third Trump term legally implausible without an extremely difficult constitutional amendment.
Speculation persists about potential loopholes, including succession scenarios, highlighting ongoing debates about constitutional interpretation, political power, and democratic norms.
The moment underscored how talk of a third Trump term has moved from fringe speculation to open discussion among some of his most powerful backers, even as Trump himself has acknowledged the constitutional barriers involved.
The Constitutional Roadblock
Trump began his second term in January 2025, having previously served from 2017 to 2021. Under the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, no person may be elected president more than twice, a provision designed to prevent the indefinite accumulation of executive power.
Despite that clear language, some supporters continue to explore whether there might be a workaround. Adelson suggested she had consulted legal minds, telling Trump she had spoken with prominent attorney Alan Dershowitz about possible paths forward. Her comments prompted chants of “four more years” from the crowd, highlighting how receptive some audiences are to the idea, regardless of the legal reality.
In practice, overturning or altering the 22nd Amendment would be extraordinarily difficult. Any constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate, followed by ratification from at least 38 states. As of late 2025, Republicans held narrow majorities in Congress and controlled a majority, but not a supermajority, of state legislatures, making such a change highly improbable in the near term.
A Succession Scenario?
The only theory that occasionally gains traction does not involve Trump being elected president again, but rather returning to the White House through succession. Because the Constitution bars someone from being elected to more than two terms, but does not explicitly prohibit them from assuming the presidency through the line of succession, some legal analysts have floated a hypothetical scenario.
Under that theory, Trump could run for vice president in 2028, perhaps alongside a candidate such as JD Vance, and later assume the presidency if the elected president resigned or was otherwise unable to serve. While this idea has been discussed by commentators, it remains untested, controversial, and far from certain to withstand legal scrutiny.
For now, it remains speculative, but it illustrates how far some supporters are willing to go to keep Trump in power.
Trump, Money, and the NBA
Adelson is not the only NBA owner to align financially with Trump over the years. Other prominent team owners, including Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, and New York Knicks owner James Dolan, have all donated to Trump or Republican causes at various points.
Players, by contrast, have often taken more critical public stances. LeBron James famously referred to Trump as a “bum” during his first term, amid disputes over race, protest, and White House visits. More recently, former NBA star Dwight Howard sparked backlash after suggesting compulsory national “service” as a way to instill discipline, comments that drew Trump back into sports-related political debate.
A Familiar Pattern
Whether the discussion centers on constitutional law, billionaire donors, or professional sports, Trump’s presence reliably transforms speculation into a national flashpoint. Adelson’s third-term pitch, delivered in the ceremonial setting of the White House and amplified by her NBA ownership, fits neatly into that pattern.
For Trump and his supporters, the boundaries of law and tradition often appear less like firm limits and more like obstacles to be challenged.
For critics, the episode is another reminder of how wealth, politics, and celebrity continue to collide, keeping Trump at the center of attention, regardless of what the Constitution ultimately allows.