US President Donald Trump has not ruled out seeking a third term in the White House, saying he would “love to do it”, even as the pressure to end the second-longest US federal government shutdown gained new urgency with millions of Americans facing the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers missing their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarling travel plans.
Trump, however, dismissed the idea of running for vice president in 2028 — a suggestion by some supporters as a possible way to bypass the constitutional two-term limit.
“I’d be allowed to do that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo during his five-day Asia trip aimed at securing a trade truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“But I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out because it’s too cute. I think the people wouldn’t like that … It’s not – it wouldn’t be right,” he added.
Referring to the idea of serving a third term as President, Trump said, “I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever.”
When pressed by a reporter on whether he was ruling out another term entirely, he replied, “Am I not ruling it out? I mean you’ll have to tell me.”
Trump praised US Vice President J.D. Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio as strong potential candidates for the presidency.
“I think if they ever formed a group, it’d be unstoppable,” he said. “I really do. I believe that.”
"All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don't," he added, referring to Democrats.
The remarks were Trump’s latest flirtation with the idea of a third term, which he has hinted at publicly and reinforced with “Trump 2028” hats distributed at the White House.
In a recent interview with The Economist, Steve Bannon — the pro-Trump podcaster and former White House chief strategist — claimed there was a plan to overturn the 22nd Amendment.
“Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that,” Bannon said. “At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there is a plan.”
Under the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, no individual may be elected president more than twice. Some Trump supporters have suggested a loophole in which he could run as vice president, allowing a Republican president to resign and return Trump to office.
Legal experts have disputed whether such a move would be constitutional.
In March, Trump told CNBC he would "probably not" run again, but later insisted he was "not joking" about the possibility.
It remains unclear which Democrats will contest the 2028 presidential race, though several have signalled interest. California Governor Gavin Newsom told CBS he would "be lying" if he said he wasn’t seriously considering a bid, while former vice-president Kamala Harris told the BBC she may run again and could "possibly" be president in the future.
Government shutdown
The US government shutdown has entered its third week, with Republicans and Democrats still deadlocked over the budget. Around 1.4 million federal employees remain unpaid as many services stay suspended.
President Trump, who has sought to shrink the federal workforce since returning to office, has used the standoff to push for further cuts. The administration’s plan to lay off 4,000 workers was halted by a judge, a decision the White House is now appealing.
Mounting pressure on lawmakers was amplified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which urged Congress to immediately approve a funding bill and guarantee back pay for workers.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said both political parties had made their point.
Despite the growing strain, Democratic senators — including those from states with large numbers of federal employees — have shown little sign of yielding.
With the closure entering its fourth week as of Tuesday, the shutdown’s impact is expected to become increasingly visible and painful for millions across the country.
Meanwhile, the midterms
Democratic leaders convened a special session of the Virginia legislature on Monday to consider redrawing congressional electoral maps in their party's favour, while Indiana's Republican governor summoned lawmakers to weigh a similar plan next week at the behest of President Trump.
Virginia and Indiana were poised to become the latest battlegrounds in a mid-decade redistricting war, instigated by Trump, that could play a pivotal role in the outcome of next year's congressional elections.
Redistricting, the periodic reshaping of political boundaries dividing legislative seats, traditionally is conducted just once a decade following the US Census to account for population shifts.
The widening coast-to-coast redistricting scramble, set off by Trump pushing for Texas to redraw its maps this year, is unprecedented in modern US politics.