President Obama: 'I Could Win' Third Term In White House
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- President Obama thinks he 'could win' a third term in the White House if term limits didn't bar him from running in 2016.
“I actually think I’m pretty good president,” he said today in a speech before the African Union in Ethiopia. “I think if I ran, I could win. But I can’t.”
Even though he's confident in his re-election abilities, Obama said he's more interested in life after the presidency.
“I'll be honest with you, I'm looking forward to life after being president. I won't have such a big security detail all the time,” he said. “It means I can go take a walk, I can spend time with my family, I can find other ways to serve, I can visit Africa more often “
The president’s comments came as he explained he does “not understand” why some leaders are insistent they remain in power when their term limit ends.
“The point is I don't understand why people want to stay so long. Especially when they've got a lot of money,” he said. “When a leader tries to change the rules in the middle of the game just to stay in office, it risks instability and strife, as we've seen in Burundi.
Earlier this month, Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza won a controversial third term, which opponents called unconstitutional.
As he advocated for term limits, Obama said, “old people think in old ways,” before making a joke about his own aging.
“You can see my gray hair, I’m getting old,” he said to laughter.
