US President Donald Trump on Monday ruled out running for vice president in the 2028 election but declined to say definitively that he would not seek a third term, keeping alive speculation about how he might seek to extend his term.
Trump has repeatedly flirted with the idea of serving beyond the two constitutional terms, joking about it at rallies and taunting his supporters with “Trump 2028” hats. Some allies have taken those signals seriously, suggesting they are exploring legal or political avenues to achieve this, a possibility dismissed by most constitutional scholars.
The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits anyone from being elected president for a third time.
Some supporters have suggested that one way to circumvent the ban would be for Trump to run for vice president, while another candidate runs for president and resigns, allowing Trump to once again assume the presidency.
“I would be allowed to do that,” Trump said today in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew from Malaysia to Tokyo.
But he added: “I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute. Yeah, I would write it off because it’s too cute. I think people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It’s not… it wouldn’t be right.”
Scholars say Trump is barred from running for vice president because he is ineligible to be president.
The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution says: “No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to the office of Vice President of the United States.”
“I have my best numbers ever”
Referring to the possibility of a third term, Trump said: “I would love to do it. I have the best numbers in my history.”
When a reporter asked him if he didn’t rule out a third term, he said: “Am I not ruling it out? I mean, you’ll have to tell me.”
Asked if he would be willing to fight in court over the legality of another presidential bid, Trump responded: “I haven’t really thought about that.”
Trump, 79, would turn 82 in 2028 if he sought another term, making him the oldest US president in history. Despite his age, he has maintained a rigorous public agenda, frequently interacting with journalists even during long international trips, underscoring his resilience and active participation in daily presidential tasks.
Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump made former President Joe Biden’s advanced age a focal point, often highlighting verbal and physical errors as evidence that his Democratic rival was too old to effectively lead the country.
Trump also said that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “great people” who could run for president in 2028.
“I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable,” he said. “I really believe that. I believe that.”
Rubio, standing behind Trump in the plane cabin, chuckled and bowed his head sheepishly when Trump predicted a bright political future for him and nodded when Trump mentioned Vance.
Trump’s talk about a third term has clouded the future of the Republican Party, and jockeying is already underway among potential Republican successors, even as some Trump allies back the idea of him staying in office.
In an interview last week with The economistSteve Bannon, the pro-Trump podcaster who briefly served as Trump’s White House chief strategist in his first term, said there was a plan to circumvent the 22nd Amendment and suggested he was involved in its development.
“Trump will be president in ’28 and people should adjust to that,” Bannon said. “At the appropriate time, we will lay out what the plan is. But there is a plan.”
He added that Trump was an “instrument of divine will,” echoing language Trump himself has occasionally used.
