US President Donald Trump appeared to close the door on seeking a third term in office, acknowledging that the Constitution bars him from running again after his current term ends in January 2029.

“If you read it, it’s pretty clear — I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday en route to South Korea, signalling a shift from earlier comments in which he declined to definitively rule out another bid.

The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution bars anyone from being elected to the US presidency a third time, but Trump has publicly toyed with the idea since he won a second term in November.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that he had discussed the issue with Trump and concluded there was no viable path to amend the Constitution in time to allow a third term. “It’s been a great run,” Johnson said. “But I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution.”

Johnson noted that the amendment process would require two-thirds approval in Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, a process he estimated could take a decade. “I don’t see the path for that,” he added.

Trump’s allies, including former strategist Steve Bannon, have floated legal theories challenging the two-term limit established by the 22nd Amendment.

Trump has referenced the idea at rallies and sells “Trump 2028” merchandise, though Johnson characterised it as political theatre. “He has a good time with that, trolling the Democrats whose hair is on fire about the very prospect,” Johnson said.

Trump, 79, also pointed earlier this week to Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential Republican contenders for the 2028 election. If he were to run again, Trump would be 82, making him the oldest president in US history.

North Korea test-fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles off its western coast, state media said Wednesday, only hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was set to arrive in South Korea.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the vertically-launched missiles were fired from the Yellow Sea on Tuesday and remained airborne for over two hours.

The launch was supervised by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who said the country was achieving “significant progress” in strengthening its nuclear capabilities as a deterrent to adversaries.

Pak said the purpose of the test was to verify “the reliability of various strategic offensive systems and demonstrate our capabilities to the enemies.”

He added that it was the military’s “duty to continuously reinforce our nuclear combat readiness.”

Notably, leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the launch, even though he is usually present for major weapons tests.

Trump, who has expressed willingness to meet Kim during his trip his first to the Korean Peninsula in his second term—has said he would “love to talk” if conditions allow.

Kim, however, has said discussions may only resume if Washington abandons what Pyongyang calls its “unrealistic” demand for the North to renounce its nuclear arsenal.

“This launch highlights Pyongyang’s stance on maintaining its nuclear deterrent ahead of Trump’s arrival, showing once again that denuclearization is not up for negotiation,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, speaking to AFP.

The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which has divided North and South Korea for decades.

North Korea has yet to respond publicly to the invitation.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, told AFP that Kim’s absence was revealing.

“This is not an overt attempt to embarrass Trump,” he said.

Kim was also not mentioned by KCNA in reporting of last week’s test launch of several hypersonic missiles.

• US president makes final stop on Asia trip.
• Meetings with China’s Xi, South Korea’s Lee expected.
• Trump expects to cut China tariff related to illicit fentanyl trade.

GYEONGJU: US President Donald Trump landed in South Korea on Wednesday for the final leg of his Asia trip, optimistic about striking a trade war truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping after summit talks with South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung.

Arriving from Tokyo hours after North Korea test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile, Trump is due to address a summit of CEOs and meet with Lee in Gyeongju, a sleepy South Korean town filled with historic tombs and palaces.

The main item on Wednesday’s agenda will be the unresolved trade agreement between the US and South Korea, before an expected meeting with Xi on Thursday, the prospect of which has already buoyed global markets.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Gyeongju, Trump dismissed the North Korea missile test and said he was squarely focused on his meeting with the leader of the world’s second-largest economy.

“The relationship with China is very good. So I think we’re going to have a very good outcome for our country and for the world, actually,” Trump said.

He expects to reduce US tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for Beijing’s commitment to curb exports of fentanyl precursor chemicals, he added. The US could halve the 20% levies on Chinese goods it currently charges in retaliation for the export of such chemicals, the Wall Street Journal reported.

After arriving in the southern city of Busan, Trump was greeted by officials and a cannon salute on the red carpet, before a band struck up a rendition of Village People’s YMCA, a favourite of the US president’s often played at his rallies. He was then whisked to Gyeongju in his helicopter.

South Korea trade talks struggle

Trump made no mention of trade talks with South Korea on Wednesday, with both sides playing down the prospect of a breakthrough in leader talks.

The two allies announced a deal in late July under which South Korea would avoid the worst of the tariffs by agreeing to pump $350 billion of new investments into the United States. But talks over the structure of those investments have been deadlocked.

Trump has also pressed allies like South Korea to pay more for defence, and South Korea has sought reforms to US immigration laws to allow for more workers to build factories after a raid on a Hyundai Motor 005380.KS battery plant in Georgia.

The leaders will discuss trade, investment and peace on the Korean peninsula at talks on Wednesday, Lee’s office said, a reference to engagement with North Korea.

Trump has made repeated calls for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including during this trip, but there has been no public comment from Pyongyang. Kim has previously said he could be open to talking if Washington stops pressing him to give up nuclear weapons.

Adding to the golfing gifts he received from Japan’s leader in Tokyo on Tuesday, Lee will present Trump with a replica gold crown and award him with the “Grand Order of Mugunghwa”, the country’s highest decoration.

A “golden dessert” is on the menu for their working lunch, Lee’s office said.

Taiwan on the agenda?

Skipping the main APEC summit, Trump will address the APEC CEO summit, have dinner with Lee and hold bilateral meetings with several countries’ leaders, including China’s Xi, before departing on Thursday.

Negotiators from the world’s top two economies hashed out a framework on Sunday for a deal to pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, US officials said. The news sent stocks soaring to record peaks.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Tuesday he was not worried that Trump would “abandon” the island in his meeting this week with Xi.

Since taking office in January, Trump has vacillated on his position towards China-claimed Taiwan as he seeks to strike a trade deal with Beijing. Trump says Xi has told him he will not invade Taiwan while the Republican president is in office, but Trump has yet to approve any new US arms sales to Taipei.

China said on Wednesday it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he did not know whether he would even discuss Taiwan with Xi.