‘Very Early To Talk About It’: Trump On Hegseth’s 2028 US Presidential Bid

2028 US Presidential Bid: US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) played down speculation surrounding the 2028 Presidential race that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could run for President in 2028, saying it was too early to discuss his potential successor.

Asked about a report that Hegseth had discussed a possible White House campaign, Trump praised his performance but said the focus should remain on the upcoming midterm elections.

“I think he’s doing a fantastic job, but it’s very early to talk about that. We have to get through the midterms first,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as quoted by news agency Reuters.

Trump’s Republican Party is fighting to maintain control of both chambers of the US Congress in November’s mid term

elections.

Trump, who cannot run for a third term, has not endorsed a successor to lead his Make America Great Again movement after he leaves office in 2029.

The US President further said that several people could be considering a 2028 run without being publicly known.

“I’ll bet there’s a lot of people considering it that you don’t know about,” Trump said.

He also defended Hegseth, saying the defence secretary was currently focused on the military.

“Right now, all he loves is — and all he cares about is the military and taking care of the military,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Hegseth has himself rejected reports of presidential ambitions, calling them “100% false” in a social media post last week.

Taking to X to address the report directly, Hegseth dismissed the claims as entirely unfounded.

“100% false. We told NBC that, but they just lie w/ anonymous ‘sources.’ My only job: Make @DeptofWar Great Again. Carry on, Patriots, and enjoy your Friday night.”

While early 2028 jockeying frequently emerges midway through a presidential term, both the White House and the Department of War are publicly shutting down presidential campaign chatter to keep official focus on military priorities and party momentum leading into the midterm elections.

(With inputs from agencies)