Trump Teases ‘Third Term’ Fantasy, Rules Out Vice Presidential Run

Donald Trump has once again flirted with breaking constitutional limits, this time ruling out a vice presidential bid in 2028 while hinting he’d “love” a third term in the White House.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Malaysia to Japan, the 79-year-old president brushed off questions about potentially running as someone else’s vice president, a legal loophole floated by some of his supporters.

“I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute,” Trump said, repeating the phrase three times for emphasis. “I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It’s not — it wouldn’t be right.”

He then pivoted to the idea of another presidential run, saying with a smirk: “I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever.”

Pressed on whether he was ruling out a third term, Trump offered his trademark ambiguity: “Am I not ruling it out? I mean, you’ll have to tell me.”

Legal scholars have already dismissed such speculation. The 12th Amendment clearly states that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President.” In other words, if you can’t run for president again, you can’t sneak back in as VP either.

Still, the former reality TV star thrives on provocation, dangling impossible scenarios to test the boundaries of both the media and his base. The “Trump 2028” hats seen at recent White House events are part of that performance: part troll, part campaign merch, part authoritarian daydream.

On the flight, Trump also praised his possible successors, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling them “great people” and suggesting that if they ever “formed a group, it’d be unstoppable.”

Trump’s comments come midway through his second term, as he tours Asia following the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. From Malaysia, he heads to Japan, where he’s already basked in flattery from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and then to South Korea for a potentially high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.