‘Very important’: Trump makes big 2028 announcement
Donald Trump has given a definitive answer on speculation he is seeking an unconstitutional third term, saying “so many people” want to see it.
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Donald Trump has dismissed plans he is considering an unconstitutional third term in the White House.
The US President, who previously said he was not “not joking” about seeking an additional term, downplayed speculation during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, saying “this is not something I’m looking to do”.
“I’ll be an eight-year president, I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important,” Mr Trump said.
The President said “so many people” want him to run for a third term – the possibility of which has been sharply questioned by legal and constitutional scholars.
“I have never had requests so strong as that. But it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do,” he said.
“I don’t know if that’s constitutional that they’re not allowing you to do it or anything else.”
The 78-year-old acknowledged there are “many people” selling Trump 2028 hats, including the Trump Organisation’s official store.
“But this is not something I’m looking to do. I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward,” he said.
When asked who he sees as a possible successor, Mr Trump mentioned Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding: “We have a lot of good people in this party.”
The 22nd Amendment in the US Constitution states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice”.
Changing the Constitution to allow a third term would be difficult, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by at least 38 of the 50 states.
The comments come after Mr Trump said in March he was “not joking” about seeking a third term, adding there are “methods” that would allow it to happen.
‘Don’t know’: Trump makes bold US Constitution claim
Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Trump said he did not know whether he needs to uphold the US Constitution.
The President has drawn widespread criticism for repeatedly brushing up against constitutional guardrails since returning to the White House in January, notably over his policy of mass deportations of undocumented migrants, some without the benefit of a court hearing.
He insists such rapid expulsions are necessary in the face of what he has declared to be a “national emergency,” and that giving every migrant a court trial would take “300 years”.
When asked if people in the US – citizens and non-citizens alike – deserve the due process of law, as the US Constitution states, Mr Trump said: “I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”
Pressed more generally on whether he believes he needs to uphold the supreme law of the land, Trump repeated: “I don’t know.”
The remarks quickly made waves in Washington, including among some Republicans.
“We’re either a free society governed by the Constitution or we’re not,” Republican Senator Rand Paul, a self-described constitutional conservative, posted on X without additional comment.
‘We subsidise Canada’
The President also exaggerated some of the success he has had in bringing down prices, claiming gas has dropped to $1.98 per gallon in some states.
According to the American Automobile Association, the lowest US price per gallon this week was $2.65, with the average at $3.16.
With two days before Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney visits the White House, Mr Trump was asked whether he planned to reiterate his call for Canadians to give up their sovereignty and become the 51st US state.
“I’ll always talk about that,” he said, as he griped about how “we subsidise Canada” through a massive trade deficit.
Mr Trump, when pressed, said it was “highly unlikely” that he would use military force against Canada.
“I think we’re not going to ever get to that point,” he said.
But he did speak glowingly about US power, ruminating on an upcoming military parade in Washington to coincide with his 79th birthday, on June 14.
“We’re going to have a big, beautiful parade,” he said, dismissing concern about the event’s high cost as his administration lays off thousands of government workers.
“We have the greatest weapons in the world, and we’re going to celebrate it.”
Mr Trump’s first 100 days in office were marked by economic turmoil, primarily over his plans to impose sweeping tariffs on most countries.
But despite the world’s largest economy shrinking in the first quarter of 2025, he struck an optimistic if defiant tone in the interview, insisting US economics were sound and that “tariffs are going to make us rich.”
“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy,” he said.
Originally published as ‘Very important’: Trump makes big 2028 announcement
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