On Monday aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, President Donald Trump addressed speculation around a potential attempt to bypass the Constitution’s presidential‐term limits — and in doing so, drew a clearer line while at the same time keeping a future run very much on the table.

Pressed on media reports pointing to a plan by his former strategist Steve Bannon to arrange a pathway for Trump to return after two terms through a ticket with J.D. Vance as running mate, Trump said flatly: he will not run as Vance’s vice‐presidential pick as part of a scheme to evade the 22nd Amendment. “I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It wouldn’t be right,” Trump told reporters.

Still, Trump made clear he remains very much in the game for 2028. “I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever,” he said, though he added with mock regret, “It’s very terrible, I have my best numbers.”

With his RealClearPolitics average standing at 45.1 percent, Trump has repeatedly signalled that the drawing board for 2028 may already be in motion — including through his earlier habit of distributing “Trump 2028” hats to White House guests.

The speculation has swirled for weeks: Bannon told The Economist that “he’s going to get a third term… at the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there’s a plan.” That prompted intense legal and political scrutiny over how such a theory would square with the 22nd Amendment, which bars a person from being elected president more than twice. Under the most widely circulated version of the scheme, Trump would run as vice president under Vance, Vance would win, then resign and allow Trump to ascend to the presidency.

At the Tokyo‐bound gaggle, Trump categorically rejected that maneuver: “I think the people wouldn’t like that … it wouldn’t be right.” While he did not rule out running again himself, he took the option of circumventing the two‐term limit off the table.

Still, he did not deny broader speculation about 2028 — and in fact floated the possibility of a GOP ticket featuring Vance and Marco Rubio. “I could also see J.D. and Marco forming the Republican ticket… they’d be unstoppable,” Trump said.

Though Trump’s denial of the loop­hole ticket was framed as responsible, his broader comments left ample room for further maneuvering. He name-checked Democratic House members, saying: “They have [Texas Rep.] Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC who is low IQ. You give her an IQ test… Let AOC go against Trump.”

With those remarks, Trump seemed to be positioning himself not only for a personal run but for a framing of a future 2028 contest around personality and dominance.

Trump’s age also looms over the possibility. At 79 years old now, he would be 82 at the end of his second term, and 86 by the end of a hypothetical third. He disclosed during the press interaction that he had recently undergone an MRI scan as part of his annual physical, and while declining to give specific details, said the result “was perfect.”

Trump had previously told CNBC in August that he would “probably not” seek a third term, and in March told NBC he was “not joking” about running again. The current comments cement that ambiguity: no direct commitment, but a clear staging of interest.

Legally, the reaffirmation that the Vance ticket is off the table avoids opening a constitutional can of worms publicly — at least for now. But Trump’s broader musings will likely fuel further speculation about creative workarounds, momentarily alleviating one legal headache while leaving the broader second-term future open for interpretation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)