President Donald Trump had “Trump 2028” hats on display when meeting with Congress’ top Democrats in the Oval Office ahead of the government shutdown.
Photos posted to Trump’s Truth Social account show the hats set out on his desk when House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met with Republican leaders on Sept. 29 as the two sides tried to come to an agreement on spending to stave off a shutdown. The meeting was unsuccessful, and the shutdown began Oct.1.
“They just randomly appeared in the middle of the meeting on the desk. It was the strangest thing ever,” Jeffries said on CNN on Sept. 30. He said he turned to Vice President JD Vance and asked him, “don’t you got a problem with this?”
“And he said, ‘no comment,’ and that was the end of it,” Jeffries recounted.
More: Trump posts deepfake video of Jeffries, Schumer with racist tropes as shutdown looms
Can Trump run in 2028?
Under the Constitution as it stands, Trump cannot serve a third term in office. It is explicitly barred by the 22nd Amendment.
Changes to the Constitution are extremely difficult and rare, as they require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate. States can also spur an amendment, but it requires two-thirds of the state legislatures to call a constitutional convention and three-fourths to ratify it.
Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton, becoming the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He then lost the 2020 election against former President Joe Biden.
Trump won the 2024 election. At first, Trump was up for a rematch before Biden dropped his re-election bid and was replaced on the Democratic ticket by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s second term as the 47th U.S. president is slated for 2025 to 2029.
Trump said he ‘probably’ won’t run for a third term
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of a third term throughout his second presidency. In a March NBC interview, he said there are methods to make it happen, including if Vance runs for office and then hands the role to Trump.
In a later interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired on May 4, Trump backed off the idea, saying he was not looking at running again.
“I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that,” Trump said in the interview with NBC. “But it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do. I don’t know if that’s constitutional that they’re not allowing you to do it or anything else.”
Then on Aug. 5, Trump was asked whether he would run for a third term in a CNBC interview.
“No, probably not … Probably not, I’d like to,” he said.
Trump also suggested to reporters that Vance was “most likely” the heir to the MAGA movement, though Vance has dodged talking about the possibility.
‘Trump 2028’ hats touted in other political moments
The Trump Organization sells Trump 2028 hats for $50 a piece.
In August, Trump showed his hat collection, including “4 more years” and “Trump 2028,” to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders who traveled to the White House in hopes of bringing peace between Russia and Ukraine.
He also showed the collection to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in an earlier visit to the White House.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an Aug. 27 appearance at POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit” that Trump’s people have sent him more than 20 “Trump 2028” hats.
Contributing: Josh Meyer, Francesca Chambers, Riley Beggin, Deborah Barfield Berry, Phillip M. Bailey, Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump 2028 hats ‘randomly appeared’ in shutdown meeting, says Jeffries
