Donald Trump hints at future at the White House as he discusses ‘pathetic’ successor | World | News

Donald Trump hinted at his future at the White House as he delivered a speech at a rally in Kentucky on Wednesday evening. As he discussed his decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, the US President said “we gotta finish it”.

The US President added, after metioning Operation Midnight Hammer which, carried out by the US last summer, saw strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, “We cannot go back every two years”, suggesting he wants to eliminate once and for all the threat he says Iran represents to the world and the US. He then appeared to refer to the future, as he said: “There will be some day when you don’t have me as president, you’ll have perhaps a weak, pathetic person like we have had it in the past, like Barack Hussain Obama, who signed one of the worst deal ever with Iran.”

Mr Trump referred to the JCPOA, a deal led by Mr Obama in 2015 which created guidelines to regulate and oversee the Iranian nuclear programme. The current US President has often criticised the nuclear deal, describing it as the “worst ever negotiated”.

Mr Trump is in Kentucky as part of his nationwide “affordability tour,” an effort the White House announced in November to show he is addressing rising living costs ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Much of his speech focused on the conflict in Iran, which has contributed to a sharp rise in US gasoline prices. According to the AAA, the national average price for a gallon of petrol now stands at $3.578 — nearly 60 cents higher than it was a month ago.

Talking about the US military operation in Iran, Mr Trump said that the US destroyed Iran’s navy and air force in a matter of hours.

He added that the US has “knocked out” 54 Iranian ships in two days, although he later said that number was 58. He further said that that Operation Epic Fury will “substantially reduce oil prices” and reduce the threat to the world.

The price of oil per barrel nearly hit $120 on the weekend, but plunged to nearly $89 per barrell on Monday evening after Mr Trump suggested the war may end soon.

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The US President who is on his second term, has previously suggested he might seek a third term, even though the US Constitution limits presidents to two. He has displayed “Trump 2028” hats at the White House and floated various ideas about how he might bypass the restriction.

During an event in Texas on February 27, he said: “Maybe we do one more term. Should we do one more?”prompting the audience to cheer. Seemingly questioning the regularity of the 2020 US Election, he added: “Well, we’re entitled to it because they cheated like hell in the second one. We would actually be entitled to it.”

However, under the current US Constitution, Trump is not allowed to serve a third term, as the 22nd Amendment clearly limits presidents to two terms in office.

Changing the Constitution is intentionally difficult: it requires approval from two‑thirds of both the House and Senate, or a convention called by two‑thirds of state legislatures, followed by ratification from three‑fourths of the states.

Mr Trump was elected in 2016, serving as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, and later lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.