President Donald Trump said on Monday that it was too early to discuss whether Pete Hegseth, the US Defence secretary, would run for president in 2028.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump responded to fresh discussion about Hegseth’s possible candidacy by saying it would be premature to talk about it now. He added that he believed Hegseth had been focused on his role and on the military.

Trump Says It’s Too Early for 2028

Trump told reporters that the matter should not be considered at this stage. He said the immediate priority was the next election cycle, adding that the country needed to get through the midterms first.

He also indicated that, in his view, many people were contemplating a range of political possibilities, without being publicly visible. Trump said he believed Hegseth’s attention remained on the armed forces and on looking after service members.

NBC Report and Hegseth’s Denial

The comments came after NBC News reported over the weekend that Hegseth was considering the possibility of running for president in 2028. Hegseth later rejected the report.

In a post on the social media platform X, he said the claim was “100% false”. He said that he had told NBC the report was incorrect, and that the outlet had relied on anonymous “sources”. Hegseth also wrote that his only job was to “Make @DeptofWar Great Again”, before ending the post with “Carry on Patriots, and enjoy your Friday night”.

Other Potential 2028 Contenders

Trump’s remarks were made as a number of his allies have been mentioned in connection with potential 2028 campaigns. Those names include Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump has also previously addressed questions about other figures. Last week, he was asked about the possibility of Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who once ran against him for the presidency but later became an ally, pursuing a 2028 bid.

In that exchange, Trump praised Cruz, saying he might choose to run and describing him as a talented figure.

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1 September 2026

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Hegseth for President! Next joke please?

Trump may declare martial law and cancel the presidential election, thus extending his presidency or royal reign.

Hegseth is grossly underqualified for his current job as SEC DEF, you never should have been picked in the first place and his astonishing failures are well noted. He is a true featherweight. And no disrespect to featherweight boxers intended.

Like JD Vance he will never be the president, and this guy would be trounced by even somebody as unqualified as Miley Cyrus in a general election. The man is an absolute chest thumping pig.

Edited September 1Sep 1 by spidermike007

9 minutes ago, neeray said:

Hegseth for President! Next joke please?

That's exactly what smart people were saying about Trump in 2015-2016.

"Nobody is stupid enough to vote for this guy"

America said hold my beer. 😀

12 minutes ago, 1duckyboy said:

Trump may declare martial law and cancel the presidential election, thus extending his presidency or royal reign.

By 2028, Trump will be twice as incoherent as he already is, or he’ll be dead. Still, you may be right -- his financiers may find some way to prop him up, literally.

Mr Rubio will be the next POTUS.

Rumor has it Hegseth will be gone before the midterms.

17 minutes ago, AustinRacing said:

Rumor has it Hegseth will be gone before the midterms.

Possibly even within the next 30 days. He has become an incredibly liability for the circus clown.

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Possibly even within the next 30 days. He has become an incredibly liability for the circus clown.

Yeah that seems about right. He wants to close this chapter asap and needs a fall guy. The damage done maybe too late to save him for the midterms but as always when things go pear shaped he has to blame someone.

He won't endorse anyone until the last possible moment...........he wants them all dancing on the end of a string for as long as possible.

1 minute ago, MIke B Bad said:

He won't endorse anyone until the last possible moment...........he wants them all dancing on the end of a string for as long as possible.

Precisely.

And the wildcard is he will run again and there's a 5-4 decision saying he can go ahead with destroying America because Wackjob Conservatives are mad about Gays marrying each other.

5 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Precisely.

And the wildcard is he will run again and there's a 5-4 decision saying he can go ahead with destroying America because Wackjob Conservatives are mad about Gays marrying each other.

Roberts will get the third term sorted for him......he's also in the files.

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

Mr Rubio will be the next POTUS.

A normal cycle would be that after someone like Trump a real president should take the lead.

Never would be too early.

1 hour ago, wardje said:

A normal cycle would be that after someone like Trump a real president should take the lead.

Absolutely right. Perhaps Newsome. That is sarcasm at it's finest.

Any member of the administration who is directly involved with the Iran mess is probably NOT going to be a viable pick.

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Possibly even within the next 30 days. He has become an incredibly liability for the circus clown.

Given the deep hole Trump finds himself and his clown show cabinet in, I actually really wonder if another 9/11 style false flag is being cooked up right now.

Hegseth? After Pinocchio, another zero as POTUS...seriously?

4 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Precisely.

And the wildcard is he will run again and there's a 5-4 decision saying he can go ahead with destroying America because Wackjob Conservatives are mad about Gays marrying each other.

Impossible to run against 22nd Amendment! These stories are just to make voter scared as to what get their boxers and panties wedged. He isn't running!

What a JOKE!

The punk can’t even do a decent job as Sect of Defense!

6 hours ago, Cory1848 said:

By 2028, Trump will be twice as incoherent as he already is, or he’ll be dead. Still, you may be right -- his financiers may find some way to prop him up, literally.

Boy, he is already more or less totally incoherent. So babbling like a baby.

7 hours ago, Cory1848 said:

By 2028, Trump will be twice as incoherent as he already is, or he’ll be dead. Still, you may be right -- his financiers may find some way to prop him up, literally.

They managed to prop up Reagan when he was clearly senile and still in office. And you could probably say the same about how they managed to hide Biden's cognitive decline - for too long - and here we are.

Edited September 1Sep 1 by ronnie50

These elections will be very difficult. Get ready, Vlad will cause a lot of pain right before the elections. It will hurt in Iran and it will hurt in Ukraine.

2 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

What a JOKE!

The punk can’t even do a decent job as Sect of Defense!

So he changed his name to the sect of war to make himself sound oh so tough....village seeking idiot got their wish

Anyone seen any polling on the actual midterms themselves? What are the pollsters saying - nothing? Too early?

1 hour ago, zmisha said:

These elections will be very difficult. Get ready, Vlad will cause a lot of pain right before the elections. It will hurt in Iran and it will hurt in Ukraine.

just what will Vlad do to make Iran hurt preytell?

The citizens near Ukraine starting to feel this War and it may spread in time.

Edited September 1Sep 1 by earlinclaifornia

Would you vote for a man who uses snot as hair-gel? Asking for a friend.

hes got too many in front of him.

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