Trump says GOP has an ‘unbelievable bench’ of potential 2028 contenders which Democrats lack

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump said on Sunday, November 2, that the Republican Party has an "unbelievable bench" of potential options for the 2028 ticket, while adding that the Democrats have nothing.

During his '60 Minutes' interview, his first since suing and later settling with its parent company Paramount, the POTUS sat with host Norah O’Donnell and talked about Vice President JD Vance and others while praising the GOP's "unbelievable bench."

Trump says 'a lot of people want me to run' for 2028

During the interview, host Norah O'Donnell asked Donald Trump, "Can you set the record straight that you are not gonna try and run for the third term?"

"Well, I don't even think about it. I will tell you, a lot of people want me to run, but the difference between us and the Democrats is we really do have a strong bench," the 79-year-old said. "I don't wanna use names because it is inappropriate, but it is too early."

O'Donnell then said, "But people do like when you start talking about whether you like JD Vance," to which Trump replied, "I do like JD Vance. I like Marco Rubio. I like so many. We have an unbelievable bench."

The interview, which aired on Sunday, was filmed on Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to the news site Semafor, and comes just weeks after Bari Weiss took the helm of CBS News. 

According to CBS, the conversation with Trump spanned a wide range of topics, including his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, US relations with Venezuela and Israel, the ongoing government shutdown, and the administration’s new immigration and National Guard policies.

The high-profile interview comes months after Paramount paid Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit alleging that former Vice President Kamala Harris' '60 Minutes' interview was deceptively edited to benefit his opponent during the 2024 campaign.

Trump ruled out a third term during his whirlwind Asia tour

Donald Trump, who’s been teasing the idea of an unprecedented third term for a while, finally admitted on October 29 that he's "not allowed to run" in 2028.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while heading to South Korea, Trump sounded almost wistful about his White House prospects. 

He said, "It’s a very interesting thing. I have the best numbers for any president in many years."

"And I would say that, if you read it, it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad. But we have a lot of great people," the POTUS added.

Interestingly, for months, Trump has been playing cat-and-mouse with the 2028 question, even selling and handing out "Trump 2028."

However, this time, the usually unpredictable POTUS seemed to be throwing in the towel.

"I haven’t really thought about it. I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had. Am I not ruling it out? I mean, you’ll have to tell me," Trump had said on October 27.

It wasn't the first time he had mused about bending the two-term rule. The POTUS mentioned the idea several times during the first nine months of his second term.

However, as per the 22nd Amendment, no president can be elected more than twice.