SAT . President Trump appeared to acknowledge Wednesday that he cannot run for a third term, after previously declining to rule out the possibility.
President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge Wednesday that he cannot run for a third term, after previously declining to rule out the possibility.
“I have my highest poll numbers that I’ve ever had, and, you know, based on what I read, I guess I’m not allowed to run. So, we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Gyeongju, South Korea.
“I would say that if you read it, it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad, but we have a lot of great people,” he added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that he does not “see the path” for Trump to seek a third term.
“It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution, as much as so many of the American people lament that,” Johnson said during a news conference on Capitol Hill.
Trump sidestepped questions about Johnson’s comments, instead touting his strong polling numbers.
“I don’t want to even talk about that because, you know, the sad thing is, I have my highest numbers that I’ve ever had,” Trump continued.
Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of serving a third term, despite being barred from doing so by the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment explicitly states that no person shall be elected president more than twice.
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On Monday, Trump said he would “love to do it” when asked about a potential 2028 bid but Johnson, on Tuesday, said he doesn’t see a way forward when it comes to amending the Constitution.
“I don’t see a way to amend the Constitution because it takes about 10 years to do that,” Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, said. “As you all know, to allow all the states to ratify what two-thirds of the House and three-fourths of the states would approve. So I don’t, I don’t see the path for that, but I can tell you that we are not going to take our foot off the gas pedal.”
On Monday, Trump appeared to rule out the prospect of running on the 2028 Republican ticket as vice president.
“Yeah, I’d be allowed to do that,” Trump said. “I guess I think it’s too cute. Yeah, 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.”
