Trump says he won't seek a third term

WASHINGTON, United States

United States President Donald Trump has denied that he is considering a third presidential term, a move which experts agree is banned under the US Constitution.

"I'll be an eight-year president, I'll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important," Trump told NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker in an interview that aired on Sunday.

Trump, 78, has previously said that he was "not joking" about wanting to serve a third, or even fourth, term as US president.

He later said his statements were meant to troll the "fake news media".

His company, The Trump Organization, has been selling "Trump 2028" hats, fuelling armchair speculation that he may seek to remain in office after his second term ends in January 2029.

In the interview, recorded from his residence in Florida on Friday, Trump said that he has had many "requests" from people asking that he consider seeking to remain in office.

"So many people want me to do it," Trump said, just days after celebrating his first 100 days of his second 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 that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else," Trump said.

He added that "there are many people selling the 2028 hat".

"But this is not something I'm looking to do," he said, going on to list Republicans who could take his place, including Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Constitution's 22nd Amendment says that "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice".

Changing the Constitution would require a two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval from three-quarters of the country's state-level governments.

However, some Trump supporters suggest there is a loophole in the Constitution, which has been untested in court.

Asked by NBC whether anyone has approached him with these theories, Trump deflected, answering that "in a capacity of being a big supporter, many people have said different things".

During the interview, Trump also rejected criticism of his handling of the economy.

"Look, yeah. Everything's OK," he said after his tariff plan roiled international economies, leading the US economy to shrink for the first time since 2022.

"I said, this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically," he added.

Asked if the US economy may continue to shrink, he responded: "Anything can happen. But I think we're going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country."

He later added that there is a chance that tariffs may be permanent, telling the interviewer: "If somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?"

Trump also denied that Americans will need to prepare to see fewer goods for sale in shops, as the trade war continues.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying they don't need to have 30 dolls. They can have three," he said.

"They don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five."