Trump rules out 2028 vice-presidential bid, says idea is too cute. Can he run for presidential position instead?
President Trump denied plans to run as a vice presidential candidate in 2028, dismissing suggestions from supporters. He acknowledged strong Republican contenders for the election, including Marco Rubio and JD Vance.
US President Donald Trump has denied the idea of running as a vice presidential candidate in the 2028 election, as some of his supporters ask him to find ways around the Constitution’s ban on being elected as president for three terms.
While ruling out the possibility, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, “It’s too cute.”
Some supporters of the Republican leader suggested that Trump, who is currently serving his second term as president, could run for vice president, allowing someone else to take the top job and keeping him in the Oval Office again.
Trump has not outrightly ruled out the possibility of running for another term as president, despite constitutional prohibition.
On Monday, Trump mentioned that Republicans will have a strong lineup of candidates for 2028, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also present at the reporters' gathering, and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump expressed his wish to run for President
Trump's remarks come months after he expressed his interest in running for president again in 2028. However, he quickly denied it, saying, “probably not.”
“No, probably not, probably not. I’d like to … I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC, while mentioning his current popularity among Republican voters.
Although Trump has not definitively ruled out a run in the future, his remarks imply he might be hesitant to pursue a third term as he continues to dominate the Republican Party.
What US Constitution says about third presidential term?
The US Constitution under the 22nd Amendment does not allow a third term as the president.
The 22nd Amendment says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once.”
Can Trump amend the Constitution?
Any change to the American Constitution requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.
Currently, Trump's Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress but lacks the required majority. Moreover, the Democratic Party controls 18 of the 50 state legislatures. Hence, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will be able to tweak the American Constitution.
(With inputs from agencies.)