President Donald Trump appeared to end months of speculation that he might seek a third term on Tuesday.
“I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad,” Trump said.
Since assuming office in January for the second time, Trump has repeatedly declined to rule out running for another term in 2028, giving vague replies when pressed on the matter as recently as Monday. His ambiguity has stirred controversy, given constitutional restrictions in the 22nd and 12th amendments on such a move.
As he flew to South Korea for the latest leg of his trip to Asia on Wednesday, Trump provided some closure on the matter, saying that the Constitution is “pretty clear” he’s “not allowed” to assume the presidency again.
“It’s a very interesting thing. I have the best numbers for any president in many years,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“And I would say that, if you read [the Constitution], it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad,” Trump added. “But we have a lot of great people.”
The 22nd Amendment states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
However, the idea of Trump running as vice president and then assuming the position of president again if elected has been raised as a loophole to the constitutional restriction.
Legal experts are divided over whether the 22nd Amendment would bar such a scenario, due to arguments that there is room for different interpretations.
Regardless, Trump ruled out the idea on Monday, saying it was “too cute.”
“I would rule that out because it’s too cute. I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It’s not — it wouldn’t be right,” he said.
Still, as Trump has done numerous times over the past year, he appeared to leave the door open earlier this week to some sort of run for a third term.
“I’d love to do it,” the president said. “I haven’t really thought about it,” he added, before naming other leading Republican figures, such as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as optimal candidates for a 2028 run.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Tuesday that Trump “knows” about the constitutional “constrictions” on a third term but has allowed and even encouraged speculation because he enjoys “trolling” Democrats and getting a reaction out of them.
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The 2028 hat Trump dangles from time to time and sells on his website is “one of the most popular hats ever produced, and it drives the Democrats crazy,” Johnson said.
Trump has “a good time with that trolling the Democrats, whose hair is on fire by the very prospect,” he added. “It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows — and he and I’ve talked about the constrictions of the Constitution, as much as so many of the American people lament that.”