Trump seems to close the door on trying for another term

President Donald Trump is seemingly conceding that he can’t run for another term after months of teasing that he might find a way to stay in office.

Trump — speaking to reporters Wednesday on Air Force One as he flew to South Korea for the next stop in his Asia tour — said “it’s pretty clear” that he isn’t allowed to run again under the Constitution, a conclusion reached by legal scholars, critics and even Speaker Mike Johnson.

The president made the statement begrudgingly, and seemed to still hold out some hope that he could stay in office beyond the end of his term in January 2029.

“Based on what I read, I guess, I’m not allowed to run,” he said. “So we’ll see what happens.”

The president has repeatedly hinted at trying to find a way around the 22nd Amendment, which limits a presidency to two terms or one if they served more than two years of another’s term. As he flew from Malaysia to Japan he told reporters he would “love” to seek a third term and at times has adorned his White House desk with red-and-white Trump 2028 baseball caps.

Johnson poured cold water on the idea in a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters that Trump knows he can’t run again and only does so to irritate critics.

“It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I’ve talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution,” the speaker said.

His comments prompted questions on the flight from Japan ahead of high-stakes trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.

Trump declined to discuss any conversation with Johnson but appeared to concede the larger point, even as he argued that he deserved the opportunity.

“It’s a very interesting thing. I have the best numbers for any president in many years, any president,” he said. “And I would say that, if you read it, it’s pretty clear I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad. But we have a lot of great people.”

Speculation erupted in recent days that Trump could run for vice president and claim the presidency after the election — something the president rejected Monday. “It’s too cute. It wouldn’t be right,” he said, while refusing to completely rule out the notion he might serve a third term: “I haven’t really thought about it.”