Donald Trump cleared up this week the speculations about his possible presidential candidacy in 2028 by openly acknowledging, in front of reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, that the Constitution prevents him from seeking a third term.
The president had just disembarked 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 entire second term.
“Everyone asks me that question, and they know that the law is very clear on this matter. I would love to run, but the law is very clear,” Trump responded in statements reported by the U.S. press.
The leader noted that the pressure from his supporters is constant and that even that very 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 Constitution of the United States, ratified in February 1951, which expressly states that "no person shall be elected to the office of president more than twice."
The law was approved after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only president in the country's history to win four consecutive elections.
Modifying that amendment would require a favorable vote from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and subsequent ratification by 38 of the 50 states, a process that experts consider practically unfeasible with the current legislative composition.
The Republican Congressman Andy Ogles presented a proposal to reform the 22nd Amendment, but the initiative has not progressed in Congress.
Months of ambiguity before this statement
This week's statements contrast with 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 even mentioned that there were "methods" to achieve it.
“There are methods by which it could be done,” he stated then, and described a scenario in which Vice President JD Vance would run as a candidate, win the election, 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 individual for the presidency from holding the vice presidency.
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. Always better. And the third time will be even better. It's just a joke," he said then.
The Republican race for 2028 is already underway
While Trump is closing - at least for now - the door on 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"; however, he clarified: "That doesn't mean I support them under any circumstances. But I think they sound like a presidential candidate and a vice presidential candidate."
In a survey from the Western Conservative Summit held in Colorado this month, Rubio received the support of 57% of over 500 participants, compared to 21% who backed Vance.
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