President Donald Trump downplayed rumors that he intends to seek a constitutionally prohibited third term in the White House on Sunday.
Trump addressed the issue during an interview with NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ that aired Sunday, telling host Kristen Welker that he has no plans to pursue another term.
‘So many people want me to do it,’ Trump said when Welker asked about a third term.
‘It’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do. I don’t know if that’s constitutional,’ he added. ‘But this is not something I’m looking to do.’
Welker then pressed Trump about who he believes could be a successor to the MAGA movement once he leaves office, and Trump referenced both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
‘There’s a lot of them that are great,’ he said of his political allies. ‘I also see tremendous unity. But certainly you would say that somebody’s the VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage.’
The wide-ranging interview went on to address illegal immigration, where Trump emphasized that he has no plans to end his emergency declaration relating to immigration.
‘We have an emergency. We have a massive emergency overall,’ Trump told Welker.
Trump’s administration says illegal border crossings have dropped roughly 96% compared to President Joe Biden’s term in office, though the White House’s deportation programs have faced legal troubles.
‘The border now is not the emergency,’ Trump said. ‘The border is — it’s all part of the same thing though. The big emergency right now is that we have thousands of people that we want to take out, and we have some judges that want everybody to go to court.’
Just ahead of Trump’s 100th day in office last week, the White House claimed there had been 139,000 deportations since his inauguration.