President Trump made it clear on Sunday that he is serious about the possibility of seeking a third term in office, dismissing the notion that he was just kidding in the past.
During a phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump was pressed about whether he was joking when discussing a potential third term.
“No, no, I’m not joking,” Trump stated, according to NBC News.
The president pointed out that he holds the strongest poll numbers for any Republican in the past century.
“We’re in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls, and you see that. And, and you know, we’re very popular. And you know, a lot of people would like me to do that,” Trump said regarding the possibility of a third term.
“But, I mean, I basically tell them, we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”
Despite his remarks, the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution clearly restricts any individual from serving more than two terms as president.
“No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,” the amendment outlines.
When asked how he would maneuver around the constitutional limit, Trump cryptically responded, “There are, there are methods which you could do it, as you know.”
Welker then proposed a scenario where Vice President J.D. Vance could run for office, only to later pass the presidency back to Trump.
Trump acknowledged that as a possibility, responding, “Well, that’s one. But there are others, too. There are others.”
Later in the interview, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to serving, stating that he enjoys the work involved in being president.
When asked if he would consider passing leadership to Vice President Vance, Trump replied, “It’s too early … to even think about it.”
The conversation also turned to international affairs, as Trump responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent call for the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During a Friday speech, Putin proposed the idea of a “temporary governance” in Ukraine under the oversight of international entities, including the United Nations and other global partners. Trump made it clear that he was angered by Putin’s suggestion.
“If I feel, if we’re in the midst of a negotiation, you could say that I was very angry, pissed off, when Putin said yesterday that — you know, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility,” Trump stated.
He further warned that Russia could face serious economic repercussions if it continued down that path.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told Welker.
He specified that these tariffs would be significant. “That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he stated. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25-to-50-point tariff on all oil.”
In response to Trump’s comments, Zelensky took to social media, stating that Ukraine must engage more actively with the U.S. and work toward pressuring Russia into peace negotiations.
“Right now, Russia continues looking for excuses to drag this war out even further. Putin is playing the same game he has since 2014,” Zelensky posted on X according to the Daily Mail.
“This is dangerous for everyone — and there should be an appropriate response from the United States, Europe, and all our global partners who seek peace.”
Following the interview, Trump turned to his Truth Social platform to call out Welker and NBC News, blasting their coverage and accusing them of ignoring important topics.
He wrote that Welker had “wasted my administration’s time” by focusing on stories that were, in his view, irrelevant compared to the major challenges facing the nation.
“Kristen Welker’s entire first half hour of the Lowly Rated Meet the Fake Press this morning, was devoted to the boring Signal Witch Hunt,” Trump posted.
He criticized the focus on a Signal chat group that mistakenly included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, arguing that the media should be covering more pressing matters.
“She doesn’t want to talk in detail about anything that matters like how well we are doing against the Houthis, substantive Peace Talks with Russia and Ukraine or, Iran, Iran, Iran,” Trump continued. “She wastes my Administration’s time by talking to them about ‘NOTHING.’”
Trump then turned his criticism toward NBC’s leadership, taking aim at the network’s chairman, Brian Roberts.
“Why can’t NBC, one of the Worst Broadcasters on Television, hire people that are honest and credible?” he asked.
“The reason they don’t is because their Chairman, Brian Roberts, is a pathetic Loser, who is petrified of the Left, and always will be. Comcast’s MSNBC and NBC have fought me for years, spending almost all of their waking hours making up Fake Stories — and look, I’m PRESIDENT, with really high Poll Numbers and Great Accomplishments. Good job Brian!” He concluded.
Watch the full episode of “Meet the Press” here:
If his health is still in good shape and we still have a country, I’d say go for the 3rd term..
FDR is the role model OK
But his was during WW2 crisis