Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, US News, Politics
Joe Yates
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, US News, Politics
President Donald Trump had a typically Trump-style response for why he wouldn’t try to secure a third term by running as vice president in 2028.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during a trip from Malaysia to Tokyo, Japan, the Republican was asked whether he’d ever consider becoming VP as a backdoor route to returning to power.
Some of his most loyal MAGA supporters have floated the idea that the 79-year-old could appear on the ticket as someone else’s running mate - then simply take over once the new president resigns.
The US Constitution’s 22nd Amendment clearly states that no president can be elected more than twice, while the 12th Amendment closes the VP loophole by saying that anyone ineligible to be president also can’t serve as vice president. But that hasn’t stopped Trump or his supporters from speculating about ways to stretch his time in the White House.
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"I’d be allowed to do that," Trump confidently told reporters today (October 27), before conceding that he 'wouldn't do that'.
That's when he hit reporters with a rather bizarre three-word response, as he said he thinks 'it’s too cute'.
The POTUS continued: "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."
Trump has previously teased the idea of a 'Trump 2028' run at rallies and in interviews, often joking about serving beyond two terms.
"I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever," he told reporters when asked about the possibility of returning for a third term.
When pressed on whether he's officially chalking himself out of the running, Trump appeared to dodge the answer: "Am I not ruling it out? I mean you’ll have to tell me."
When the 46th President Joe Biden was elected back in January 2021, he was 78 years and 61 days old, and by the time his term was up, he was 82 years and 61 days old.
Trump was already the oldest nominee for the Oval Office in history, and by the time his second term is up, he will be 156 days older at the end of his four years than Biden was at the end of his term.
While there will be a host of Americans who would relish seeing the president reclaim the White House for another four years in 2028, the reality of that happening is extremely slim!