Donald Trump this week put to rest speculation about his potential presidential candidacy in 2028 by openly acknowledging to reporters at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that the Constitution prevents him from seeking a third term.
The president had just descended from Air Force One after returning from the Patriot Games event in Ohio when reporters once again posed the question that has followed him throughout his second term.
“Everyone asks me that question, and they know the law is very clear on this. I would love to run, but the law is very clear,” Trump responded in statements cited by the U.S. press.
The president noted that the pressure from his supporters is constant and that even that night - at the event in Ohio - the crowd was chanting "2028!".
“No, everyone wants me to do it, but the law is very clear,” he insisted.
The constitutional obstacle that hinders their aspirations
The legal barrier mentioned by Trump is the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in February 1951, which explicitly states that "no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice."
The law was approved following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only president in the country’s history to win four consecutive elections.
Modifying that amendment would require the approval of two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and the subsequent ratification by 38 of the 50 states, a process that experts consider virtually unfeasible with the current legislative composition.
The Republican Congressman Andy Ogles introduced a proposal to reform the 22nd Amendment, but the initiative has not progressed in Congress.
Months of ambiguity before this pronouncement
This week's statements stand in contrast to the ambiguity that Trump had maintained for months.
In March 2025, in an interview with NBC News, the president stated that he was not joking about the possibility of a third term, and he even mentioned that there were "methods" to achieve it.
“There are methods that could be used”, he stated then, and described a scenario in which Vice President JD Vance would run as a candidate, win the elections, and then resign to hand over power.
"That's one," Trump responded when asked about it, adding that there were also "other options."
Legal experts pointed out, however, that this scenario is also blocked by Amendment 12, which prevents an ineligible person from serving as vice president.
At the end of July this year, Trump joked again about the idea during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he appeared wearing a red cap with the inscription "Trump 2028".
"Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better. And the third time will be even better. Just kidding," he said then.
The Republican campaign for 2028 is already underway
While Trump is closing -at least for now- the door to a new candidacy of his own, the race for the Republican nomination in 2028 is gaining momentum.
The Vice President JD Vance and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio are the leading candidates.
In May 2026, Trump described them as a "dream team"; although he clarified: "That doesn't mean I support them under any circumstances. But I think they sound like presidential and vice-presidential candidates."
In a survey conducted by the Western Conservative Summit held in Colorado this month, Rubio received the support of 57% of more than 500 participants, compared to the 21% who backed Vance.
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