President Donald Trump is ruling out a third term as president.
The question was raised by host Kristen Welker during an interview with Trump aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that. But it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do,” Trump said in a video posted to social media platform X.
“I don’t know if that’s constitutional, that they’re not allowing you to do it, or anything else,” he said.
“But this is not something I’m looking to do. I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward,” he said.
“But I think we’re going to have four years, and I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular,” he said.
Trump told Welker that the talk of a third term comes about from supporters, “because they like the job I’m doing, and it’s a compliment.”
NBC: “Are you seriously considering a third term?”
TRUMP: “It’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do…This is not something I’m looking to do. I’m looking to have 4 great years & turn it over to somebody.” pic.twitter.com/TUtfUUKJWM
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 4, 2025
Trump said there are “ways of doing it,” but said he is not exploring them.
“I just want to serve, do a great job. I’ll be an eight-year president, I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important, to be honest with you,” he said, according to a transcript of the interview released by NBC.
“You know, if you look at President Polk, he was a one-termer and he did some great things, actually. Pretty good president. And I’m not saying you can’t do that. But there’s something about being a two-term president that was very important to me,” Trump said.
Trump said he believes the MAGA movement, which he called the greatest political movement in history, can thrive even without him as its leader.
“I think it’s so strong. And I think we have tremendous people. I think we have a tremendous group of people,” Trump said, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance.
“I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now, just sitting here. No, I think we have a tremendous party. And you know what I can’t name? I can’t name one Democrat,” he said.
“I mean, I look at the Democrats, they’re in total disarray. They have a new person named Crockett. I watched her speak the other day. She’s definitely a low-IQ person. And they said she’s the future of the party. I said, ‘You have to be kidding.’ I don’t know what they’re going to do,” he said.
When asked about a successor, Trump said “it’s far too early” to pick one name, but again cited Vance and Rubio.
“Certainly you would say that somebody’s the VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage. But I think the other people would all stay in unbelievably high positions. But you know, it could be that he’d be challenged by somebody. We have a lot of good people in this party,” Trump said.
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