President Trump mentioned Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential successors during an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” but stopped short of endorsing either one definitively.
In that same interview, Trump addressed previous speculation about seeking a third term, stating that he has no plans to pursue it. “It’s far too early to say that. But you know, I do have a vice president … and JD’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said.
When asked further about Rubio, Trump chose not to commit, instead offering praise: “I don’t want to get involved in that. I think he’s a fantastic, brilliant guy. Marco is great. There’s a lot of them that are great,” he added. “We have a lot of good people in this party.”
Trump recently appointed Rubio to serve as interim national security adviser, in addition to his current roles as secretary of state, national archivist, and administrator of USAID.
Their current alliance marks a stark contrast from 2016, when Trump and Rubio were fierce opponents during the Republican primary. Trump famously mocked him as “Little Marco” at the time, but the two have since reconciled and now work closely together.

Several of Trump’s political allies, including Steve Bannon, have publicly supported the idea of a third term, even though the 22nd Amendment bars any president from being elected more than twice.
While Trump has hinted at the notion in the past, he indicated in the NBC interview that he has no serious intention of attempting a third term. “I will say this. So many people want me to do it. 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,” Trump admitted.
“I’ll be an eight-year president. I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important,” he added. “This is not something I’m looking to do. I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican.”
Not long ago, Trump’s company began marketing red “Trump 2028” hats, although they did not indicate whether he or another family member would be the candidate in that cycle.
Trump has frequently teased the idea of a third term, much to the irritation of his critics. In U.S. history, only Franklin D. Roosevelt served more than two terms in office.
Some constitutional theorists argue there may be a legal pathway for a third term under succession rules. According to this interpretation, while the 22nd Amendment bars re-election after two terms, it may not prohibit a return to the presidency through the line of succession.
The 12th Amendment states that “no person constitutionally ineligible” to be president can serve as vice president. Advocates of this theory suggest Trump could take on a role like Speaker of the House, then move up to the presidency if higher-ranking officials resign or are removed.
During the interview, Trump also gave his take on the nation’s economic condition under his leadership.
The Commerce Department announced last week that GDP declined at an annualized rate of 0.3% in the first quarter, partly due to increased imports as businesses prepared for new tariffs. It marked the first quarterly economic downturn since 2022. Although two quarters of decline usually signal a recession, the final designation rests with the National Bureau of Economic Research.
On the labor front, the Department of Labor reported that 177,000 jobs were added last month—surpassing forecasts.
“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” the president quipped. “He did a terrible job on everything, from his autopen – which I’m sure he knew nothing about, some of the things he was supposedly signing.”
Some prominent economic figures, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, have raised concerns that Trump’s tariff strategy could trigger a recession by destabilizing markets and disrupting supply chains.
Trump acknowledged that uncertainty is always a possibility but offered an optimistic outlook: “Anything can happen,” he said, before asserting, “we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country.”
Despite unease over his trade policy, Trump showed no signs of retreating from his aggressive tariff agenda.
“No, I wouldn’t do that because if somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?” Trump explained.
As of last month, the president imposed a universal 10% tariff on nearly all imports into the country. He also enforced a 25% tariff on cars, steel, and aluminum, along with the same rate on Canadian and Mexican goods that don’t adhere to the terms of the USMCA.
Goods imported from China are now taxed at an aggressive 145% rate, with minimal exceptions.
Furthermore, Trump gave foreign nations until July 8 to finalize new trade agreements with the U.S., warning that otherwise, they will face additional tariffs.
In the interview, NBC’s Kristen Welker also pressed Trump about his past remarks on potentially acquiring Greenland and incorporating Canada as the 51st state.
Trump dismissed the idea of military action but didn’t rule out some form of future acquisition. “I think we’re not going to ever get to that point,” Trump said about using military force to acquire Greenland. “It could happen. Something could happen with Greenland. I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security.”
When asked about Canada, he was more dismissive: “It’s highly unlikely. I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it,” he said.
{Matzav.com}