After causing concern among constitutional experts due to his repeated mentions of a potential third term, Donald Trump has firmly declared that he will not seek reelection in 2028.

In a departure from previous instances where he entertained the idea, Trump has now disregarded suggestions from supporters within the MAGA community to defy constitutional limits and extend his time in office beyond two terms totaling eight nonconsecutive years.

Instead, he listed some potential political heirs for the 2028 presidential election. 

Instead, Trump has spotlighted emerging figures within the GOP whom he believes are equipped to carry forward the agenda of Make America Great Again (MAGA), explicitly naming Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as promising successors.

NBC News anchor Kristen Welker asked the president during the interview that aired on Sunday if he is ‘seriously considering’ a third term.

‘I will say this – so many people want me to do it,’ Trump replied. ‘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,’ he conceded. ‘I don’t know if that’s constitutional that they’re not allowing you to do it or anything else. But, there are many people selling the 2028 hat.’

Trump then assured the NBC host: ‘But this is not something I’m looking to do.’

He also pushed back against Welker demanding he say whether illegal immigrants deserve ‘due process’ before they are deported.

‘Your Secretary of State says everyone who’s here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?’ Welker posed.

‘I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,’ he snipped.

She pushed back: ‘Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much.’

‘I don’t know. It seems – it might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials,’ Trump lamented. ‘We have thousands of people that are some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.’

‘I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it.’

‘I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said,’ he added. ‘What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.’

Trump says he wants to turn over the White House to an heir for the Make America Great Again agenda in 2028.

Multiple polls show Republicans prefer either Vice President Vance or Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr., who has so far expressed little interest in following in his father’s footsteps and running for public office. 

‘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,’ Trump told Welker in his Meet the Press sit-down interview. 

‘But I think we’re going to have four years, and I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular.’ 

Welker expressed shock that Trump even cast any doubt over the constitutionality of going for a third term.

‘The Constitution does prohibit it,’ she said to the president. ‘Some of your allies are pretty serious about this, though, Mr. President. And I’ve spoken to them. They say they are coming up with potential ways, obviously the biggest one would be a constitutional amendment.’

‘That’s because they like the job I’m doing, and it’s a compliment. It’s really a great compliment,’ Trump said, shrugging of Welker’s concerns.

‘Many people have said different things,’ he continued and reiterated: ‘But, I’m not looking at that.’