Kristen Welker’s phone interview with President Donald Trump on Sunday’s Meet the Press made headlines after the president said he was interested in serving a third term.
“I like working,” Trump said when Welker presented with the idea of seeking another term as president.
Asked to clarify his comments, the president said: “I’m not joking,” about running for a third term. At the same time, he added that it was still “far too early to think about it.”
Trump also suggested that “a lot of people” wanted him to seek a third term and hinted that there are various “methods” that would make it possible.
The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution currently bars a president from seeking a third term. Changing that would require either a two-thirds vote of Congress or two-thirds of the states agreeing to call a constitutional convention. Either option would then require ratification from three-quarters of the states.
The president spoke with Welker and NBC News over two days this past weekend, a rare opportunity afforded to the news outlets he considers hostile to his agenda and administration.
During the interviews, Trump also spoke about President Vladimir Putin and Russia, Greenland, the controversy surrounding war plans being leaked to The Atlantic, and his divisive embrace of tariffs.
Under Welker’s stewardship, Meet the Press has been winning the Sunday public affairs ratings battle among Adults 25-54 viewers, ranking as the No. 1 program in that demo for the season to date.
During the month of February, Meet the Press had 2.525 million total viewers and 451,000 demo viewers.