President Donald Trump signals Vice President JD Vance as the leading contender for 2028, while teasing — but not ruling out — an unprecedented third term.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday fueled political speculation on two explosive fronts: the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nominee and the possibility — however improbable — of his own third term in the White House.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said it was “too early” to crown a successor, but hinted that Vice President JD Vance is currently the GOP’s leading torchbearer.
“I think most likely, in all fairness,” Trump said when asked whether he’d endorse Vance to clear the Republican field. “It’s too early to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point.”
Trump also floated the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio — his former 2016 Republican primary rival — as a possible running mate for Vance, while praising several members of his Cabinet as future leaders of the Make America Great Again movement.
But it was Trump’s comments on the possibility of serving beyond two terms that reignited one of Washington’s most controversial debates. Earlier in the day, he said he would “probably not” pursue a third term — a move barred by the U.S. Constitution — yet his tone and past remarks suggest he enjoys keeping the door slightly ajar.
In March, Trump made his most provocative statement on the subject yet:
“I’m not joking” about the possibility. “There are methods which you could do it.”
When pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker on whether one such method might involve Vance running for president and then “passing the baton” back to him, Trump replied:
“Well, that’s one. But there are others too.”
Asked to elaborate, the president declined — leaving political strategists, constitutional experts, and the press scrambling to decode his intentions.
Trump’s remarks come as Republicans increasingly look to position themselves for the post-Trump era — or perhaps a Trump era extended in ways the Founding Fathers never imagined.
