Days after suggesting a potential presidential campaign in 2028 and posting an AI-generated image of himself on Truth Social with the tagline “Trump 2028,” US President Donald Trump has taken steps to clarify his position, providing his most definitive statement to date that he will not be the Republican nominee in 2028.
He forecasted that his successor would likely come from within his own administration, making these comments during a lengthy Cabinet meeting where he asserted that Republicans would be in a stronger position than Democrats in 2028, attributing this to what he described as the latter’s “really bad policy”.
“It’s not going to be me,” Trump stated. “It’s going to be someone who is probably sitting at this table. It could be a few individuals at this table – possibly a couple of people running together from this table.” Among those present were Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom are widely regarded as formidable candidates for the party’s future nomination.
These remarks come after months of speculation regarding an unconstitutional third term. Trump had hinted at the possibility of pursuing a third term during his first year back in office, despite the constitutional restrictions. The 22nd Amendment clearly states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Nevertheless, Trump entertained the idea of running again and even marketed Trump 2028 hats.
On October 29, while on Air Force One, he acknowledged the constitutional limitation. “I would say that if you read it, it’s pretty clear, I’m not allowed to run,” he informed reporters. “It’s too bad.”
In August, Trump indicated to reporters that Vance is the “most likely” successor to his MAGA movement and would “probably be favoured at this point” to obtain the 2028 Republican nomination. He has also expressed favorable views of Rubio, who previously competed against him in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
