Trump Concedes, ‘I’m Not Allowed’ To Serve a Third Term – ‘But We Have a Lot of Great People’ 

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President Donald Trump finally admitted on Tuesday that he is not allowed to serve a third term as president.

Normally, a president acknowledging this fact would not be notable, but Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of serving a third term, despite being barred from doing so by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

The president made the admission while aboard Air Force One as it headed to South Korea on Tuesday night, or late Wednesday morning, local time.

“I would say that, if you read it, it’s pretty clear,” Trump said, referring to the Constitution during an in-flight gaggle with reporters. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad. I mean, it’s too bad. But we have a lot of great people.”

Trump has occasionally suggested he may run for a third term and even has “Trump 2028” hats in the Oval Office. His former adviser, Steve Bannon, has repeatedly claimed Trump can serve another term and that “there’s a plan” in place, and that the president will win in 2028.

On Monday, Trump declined to rule out running again when asked by a reporter.

“Am I not ruling it out?” the president said. “I mean, you’ll have to tell me. All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don’t.”

On Monday, Trump also said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marc Rubio would be great Republican presidential nominees, setting up a potential rivalry between the two ahead of 2028.

Hours before Trump’s admission, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) suggested that the president “might be able to go around the Constitution” to serve a third term.