Asked who might succeed him as leader of the Republican Party, Trump said it was too soon to tell. However, he noted that Vice President JD Vance is “doing a fantastic job.”
President Donald Trump brushed off speculation about seeking a third term in office during a recent interview that aired Saturday, saying he is focused on serving another strong four-year term and handing the reins to another Republican afterward.
Trump addressed the rumors after Meet the Press's Kristen Welker pointed out that the Trump Organization is selling merchandise bearing the slogan "Trump 2028." Welker asked if the president was seriously considering a third term, even though the US Constitution prohibits it under the 22nd Amendment, or if it was simply a political move.
“I will say this, so many people want me to do it. I’ve never had requests so strong as that, but it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do,” Trump said. “I don’t know if that’s constitutional that they’re not allowing you to do it, but there are many people selling the 2028 hat. 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, to carry it forward. I think we’re going to have four years, and I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular.”
Welker followed up by pointing out that the Constitution does prohibit a third term, but said some of Trump’s allies are actively looking for legal paths to make it happen. “Obviously, the biggest way would be the constitutional amendment,” she said.
“That’s because they like the job I’m doing, and it’s a compliment,” Trump replied.
When asked whether anyone had formally presented a plan to him on how he could pursue a third term, Trump said, “Well, in the capacity of being a big supporter, many people have said different things, but I’m not looking at that.”
Welker noted that Trump had fundamentally reshaped the Republican Party and the country. He responded, “The greatest political movement in history, MAGA—Make America Great Again.” Asked whether the movement could continue without him at the helm, Trump said yes.
“I think it’s so strong. I think we have tremendous people, and I think we have a tremendous group of people,” he said, naming several Republican leaders. “You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who is fantastic. I could name ten, fifteen, twenty people now just sitting here. I think we have a tremendous party.”
He added that he doesn’t see similar talent on the Democratic side and specifically mentioned Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett as someone he found particularly unimpressive: “I can’t name one Democrat. I look at the Democrats—they’re in total disarray. They have a new person named Crockett. I watched her speak the other day—she’s definitely a low IQ person. They said, ‘She’s the future of the party.’ I said, 'You have to be kidding.'”
“It’s good to be challenged. Being challenged keeps you sharp.”
He went on to criticize former President Joe Biden and other aging Democratic leaders, calling Biden “grossly incompetent."
"I watched Bernie Sanders—he’s a nut job, but he’s still sharp. He’s sharp, he’s the same guy he was. He hasn’t gone down, but Biden is really the worst thing to happen to old people.”
Asked who might succeed him as leader of the Republican Party, Trump said it was too soon to tell. However, he noted that Vice President JD Vance is “doing a fantastic job.”
“It could very well be,” Trump said when asked if Vance would be at the top of the list. “I don’t want to get involved in that. I think he’s a fantastic, brilliant guy. Marco’s great—there’s a lot of them that are great. I also see tremendous unity. But certainly, you’d say that somebody’s the VP—if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have the advantage. But I think the other people would all stay in unbelievably high positions. But it could be that he’d be challenged by somebody. We have a lot of good people in this party.”
The remarks come weeks after Trump stirred controversy in March by saying he hadn’t ruled out the idea of a third term. In a phone interview with NBC News, he said, “A lot of people want me to do it,” referring to allies who support extending his time in office. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”
“I’m focused on the current,” adding, “I like working.” When pressed about whether he was joking, Trump replied, “I’m not joking,” though he added, “It is far too early to think about it.”
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