Donald Trump has announced that he does not expect to run for election again in 2028 if he is defeated in this November’s presidential poll.
The 78-year-old former president has been the Republican candidate for three national elections in a row and has reshaped the party greatly over the last eight years.
In an interview with Sinclair Media Group, Donald Trump was asked if he could foresee another run in the event that he loses to Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris.
“No, I don’t. I think… that will be it,” he said.
“I don’t see that at all.”
However, he added that “hopefully, we’re going to be very successful”.
US law bars presidents from serving more than two terms, and so Donald Trump is not expected to run in 2028 if he wins, either.
In the past, Donald Trumo has rarely acknowledged the possibility of losing the election, more often firing up supporters with speeches and social media posts pledging victory at the polls.
But this is the second time in four days he has mentioned a chance of defeat.
During an event held by the Israeli-American Council on September 19, he brought up losing, and suggested that any such loss would partly be the fault of Jewish voters.
“Do they know what the hell is happening if I don’t win this election?” he said, according to various media reports.
“And the Jewish people would have to do a lot with that if that happens because at 40% [support] that means 60% of the people are voting for the enemy.”
The comments were condemned by the Harris campaign and by the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee and Anti-Defamation League.
Donald Trump’s acknowledgments of a possible loss may reflect how the Democratic Party’s prospects have changed since Kamala Harris became its nominee following President Joe Biden’s decision to quit the race.
The Harris campaign raised more than $190 million in August, compared to $130 million brought in by the Trump campaign and affiliated organizations.
A poll released on September 22 by CBS shows Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump 52% to 48% nationally.
In key battleground states which look set to prove decisive to the overall result, Kamala Harris has a narrower lead of 51% to 49%, which is a slight improvement from the even 50% in a similar poll conducted last month by CBS.
Another poll released on September 22 by NBC shows Kamala Harris with a five percentage point lead over Trump across the US.
It also found that 48% of registered voters see her positively compared to 32% in July – the largest jump since then-President George W. Bush’s favourability surged after the 9/11 attacks.
