The Utah Republican Party voted down a resolution that would have condemned any effort by President Donald Trump to seek a third term in office.
At its annual organizing convention Saturday, more delegates appeared to raise their credentials to vote down a “Resolution To Direct Federal And State Officials To Promote Term Limits, And To Condemn Actions Allowing A President To Serve Longer Than Two Terms” than those who held name tags up to support it.
Votes for proposed resolutions were, generally, not counted. “Alright, that does not get a majority,” former party chair Thomas Wright, who was conducting the convention, announced from the podium.
The resolution was sponsored by a handful of delegates, largely from Salt Lake County.
“This is about the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution,” lead sponsor Matthew Drachman, from Riverton, told delegates.
The resolution read, “There are recent efforts to do away with limits on the President. A measure introduced to Congress on Jan. 23 by Representative [Andy] Ogles of Tennessee seeks to do just that.”
“THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,” the document continued, “The Utah Republican Party calls upon its federal delegation, along with state officials, to oppose and condemn any measure or action that would seek to allow anyone seeking the office of President to serve longer than is outlined in the 22nd Amendment.”
The Republican representative from Tennessee wants to amend the U.S. Constitution in a direct effort to allow Trump to run for a third term.
Delegates who stood to speak against the resolution dismissed discussion of Trump running for reelection in four years as “just a rhetoric thing.”
“I’m against this resolution because I view it as just basically a counter signal to President Trump,” one delegate, who said he was also from Salt Lake County, said. “And you know, if Trump is still floating running for a third term, we can address that two years from now.”
While traveling in the Middle East this week, Trump hinted to American troops in Qatar that he was weighing another presidential campaign.
“We won three elections, OK? And some people want us to do a fourth. I don’t know. We’ll have to think about that,” Trump, who won twice — in 2016 and 2024 — reportedly said.
Before convention proceedings began, a booth filled with Trump campaign gear sold “Trump 2028” hats in red, white and blue.
