US President Donald Trump said in a television interview airing Sunday, May 4, that he does not know whether he must uphold the US Constitution. "I don't know," Trump responded when the host of NBC News show Meet the Press asked directly whether he believes he needs to uphold the supreme law of the land. Asked specifically whether American citizens and non-citizens alike deserve the due process of law, as the US Constitution states, Trump said: "I'm not a lawyer. I don't know."
Trump also said he is not seriously considering running for a third White House term, after musing publicly over an idea clearly barred by the nation's founding legal document. "This is not something I'm looking to do," Trump told NBC, adding: "I'm looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward."
Asked who that might be, he mentioned Vice President JD Vance – calling him a "fantastic, brilliant guy" – and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while adding that "we have a lot of good people in this party."
Trump had said in March he was "not joking" about seeking a third term, adding without elaboration that there are "methods" that would allow it to happen. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution states that "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice." Changing the Constitution to allow a third term would be a heavy lift, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by at least 38 of the 50 US state legislatures.