Trump admits no third term as president, but allies say he's not done yet

Washington, DC — US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to South Korea, said that it was "pretty clear" he could not run for a third term in the White House.

The remark on Wednesday marked a rare concession from the president, who has twice won the office and for months had toyed with the idea of defying the two-term limit set by the US Constitution's 22nd Amendment.

Trump's words came in response to questions about his political future after his second inauguration in January.

"It's too bad, but it’s pretty clear," he told the traveling press corps, according to transcripts of the exchange.

"And, you know, based on what I read, I guess I'm not allowed to run, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said.

The statement appeared to close a chapter of intense intrigue that had gripped Republican circles and fueled online chatter among his supporters, some of whom had floated creative — but legally questionable — workarounds, like a vice-presidential bid in 2028 that could somehow lead back to the presidency.

Heading into midterms and beyond

The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951 in reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms, clearly states that no person shall be elected president more than twice.

Legal scholars have long dismissed any notion of a third Trump term as untenable, pointing to the amendment’s plain language and the Supreme Court’s reluctance to entertain challenges to core constitutional guardrails.

Even so, Trump's offhand comments had kept the speculation alive, particularly after he told NBC News in March that "there are methods" for pursuing another four years, a line he later clarified as half in jest.

In recent days, the president had grown more wistful about the constraint. On Monday, aboard the same plane, he said he would "love" to run again but acknowledged the barriers.

He also appeared to turn down the vice-presidential gambit as "too cute by half," a maneuver some allies had suggested as a way to position him for a return if his handpicked successor faltered.

Trump also mentioned Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential successors, calling them "unstoppable."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and close Trump confidant, had already quashed talk of a third term a day earlier.

"I don’t see the path" for a 2028 bid, Johnson said on Capitol Hill, noting that the constitutional amendment left no room for interpretation.

His remarks reflected broader unease among party leaders, who view any flirtation with constitutional overreach as a liability heading into the 2026 midterms and beyond.

Solid GOP support

However, MAGA commentator and former White House adviser Steve Bannon suggested in a recent interview that a plan exists to seek a third term in office for Trump in 2028.

"Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that," he told The Economist on October 23.

Though Bannon isn't empowered in the current White House, he is widely regarded in the MAGA circles, and his words carry weight.

Bannon's defiance has found support in Congress. Earlier, Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee proposed an amendment to allow for Trump to seek a third term. The measure has not moved forward.

Earlier this month, Trump shared a digitally created video showing him tossing a "Trump 2028" hat at Democratic leader and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In the clip, Trump sits behind his Oval Office desk and throws the hat, which lands on Jeffries's head.

The Trump Organisation, too, began selling "Trump 2028" hats and shirts emblazoned with the words, "rewrite the rules."

Rare note of introspection

By the time Air Force One began its descent towards Incheon, the mood had lightened. Trump switched topics, musing about golf courses in Asia and the progress of his media ventures.

The constitutional question, at least for now, seemed settled.

Trump's trip to Seoul, the first by an American president in nearly three years, centres on trade negotiations and security talks amid rising tensions with North Korea.

However, the political tremors from Washington have followed him abroad.

The image of a president confronting his own limits has added a rare note of introspection to his second term.

Back in the US, the next contest is already taking shape.

The Democratic field for 2028 is wide open. California Governor Gavin Newsom told CBS he would "be lying" if he said he wasn’t seriously considering a run. Former vice president Kamala Harris told the BBC she might run again.

But even talk of their political ambition circles back to Trump.

"He (Trump) has a good time with that, trolling the Democrats," Speaker Johnson said.