By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US President Donald Trump has denied allegations that he is considering running for a third presidential term, a move analysts say would contravene the US Constitution.
“I’ll be an eight-year president, I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important,” Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press anchor, Kristen Welker, in an interview aired on Sunday.
Trump, 78, had earlier said that he was “not joking” about wanting to serve a third, or even fourth, term as US president.
He later claimed his statements were meant to troll the “fake news media”.
His company, The Trump Organization, has been selling “Trump 2028” hats, fuelling speculation that he may seek to remain in office after his second term ends in January 2029.
In the interview, recorded at his residence in Florida on Friday, Trump said that he has received many “requests” from people urging him to consider staying in office.
“So many people want me to do it,” Trump said, just days after marking his first 100 days in office during his second term.
“It’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do. I don’t know if that’s constitutional, that they’re not allowing you to do it, or anything else,” he added.
He also said, “There are many people selling the 2028 hat. But this is not something I’m looking to do,” before naming several Republicans who could succeed him, including Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Changing the Constitution would require two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as ratification by three-quarters of the country’s state governments.
However, some Trump supporters claim there is a loophole in the Constitution, though it has never been tested in court.
Asked by NBC whether anyone had approached him with these theories, Trump deflected, replying: “In a capacity of being a big supporter, many people have said different things.”
During the interview, Trump also rejected criticism of his handling of the economy.
“Look, yeah. Everything’s OK,” he said, after his tariff plan disrupted international economies, leading to the first US economic contraction since 2022.
“I said, this is a transition period. I think we’re going to do fantastically,” he added.
Asked whether the US economy may continue to shrink, he responded: “Anything can happen. But I think we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country.”
He later said that tariffs might be permanent, telling the interviewer: “If somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?”
Trump also denied that Americans would need to prepare to see fewer goods for sale in shops as the trade war continues.
“No, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls. They can have three,” he said.
“They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”
