The comments stand out because Trump rarely acknowledges the possibility he could legitimately lose an election, falsely claiming instead that he could only be beaten by cheating.
ADVERTISEMENTFormer President Donald Trump has said that he will unlikely run for president again in 2028 if he falls short in his bid to return to the White House in 2024.
“No, I don't. I think that will be, that will be it,” Trump said on Sunday when journalist Sharyl Attkisson asked him if he'd stand again.
The comment was notable both because Trump seemed to rule out a fourth bid for the White House and because he rarely admits the possibility he could legitimately lose an election.
Trump normally insists that could only happen if there were widespread cheating, a false allegation he made in 2020 and that he's preemptively made again during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump would be 82 in 2028, a year older than President Joe Biden is now. Biden bowed out of the race in July following his disastrous debate performance and months of being hammered by Trump and other conservatives as being too old and erratic for the job.
Attkisson interviewed Trump for her show "Full Measure", during which the former president defended his record on the coronavirus pandemic.
He took credit for the development of the COVID-19 vaccines during his presidency while also saying: "They're doing studies on the vaccines and we’re going to find out" if they are safe.
The statement about 2028 came at the very end of the interview, which also included a question about how Trump stays in good health.
"I try and eat properly," the former president said, drawing an incredulous reaction from Attkisson, who noted that Trump has become infamous for his fondness for hamburgers.
"Proper hamburgers," Trump said.