When pressed by a reporter whether he was not ruling out a third term, he said, “Am I not ruling it out? I mean you’ll have to tell me.”
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Asked about whether he would be willing to fight in court over the legality of another presidential bid, Trump responded, “I haven’t really thought about it”.
Trump, 79, would be 82 in 2028 if he sought another term, which would make him the oldest US president in history. Despite his age, he has maintained a rigorous public schedule, frequently engaging with reporters even during long international trips, underscoring his stamina and active involvement in daily presidential duties.
Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump made former President Joe Biden’s advanced age a focal point, often highlighting verbal and physical missteps as evidence that his Democratic rival was too old to effectively lead the country.
Trump on Monday also said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “great people” who could seek the presidency in 2028.
“I think if they ever formed a group, it’d be unstoppable,” he said. “I really do. I believe that.”
Rubio, standing behind Trump in the plane cabin, chuckled and bowed his head sheepishly as Trump predicted a bright political future for him and nodded when Trump brought up Vance.
Trump’s statements about a third term have muddied the Republican Party’s future, with jockeying already under way among potential Republican successors even as some Trump allies back the idea of him remaining in office.
In an interview last week with The Economist, Steve 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 developing it.
“Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that,” he said. “At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there is a plan.”
Bannon added that Trump was an “instrument of divine will”, echoing language Trump himself has occasionally used.
Reuters
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