There's no doubt in the minds of many in Washington, D.C. and beyond that President Donald Trump is interested in a third term in the White House, but making that happen is a lot trickier than usual.

According to the New York Post, a theory regarding Trump running alongside Vice President J.D. Vance in the next election was shot down by the president himself this week while still expressing his interest in remaining in the White House. 

Trump confirmed he wouldn't go the route of running with Vance to circumvent the 22nd Amendment, but did note that he would love to go up against someone like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

The president boasted about his high polling numbers, telling reporters that he's currently enjoying his "best numbers ever."

What's going on?

President Trump made the comments when, The Post reported, he was asked about "his former chief strategist Steve Bannon’s claim that a secret plan might negate the 22nd Amendment’s term limit."

The outlet noted:

Bannon claimed in an interview with the Economist, however, that “he’s going to get a third term… at the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there’s a plan.”

The idea was floated that Trump run as Vance's running mate, and then should Vance win the presidency, he immediately resigns, handing Trump a third term and circumventing the 22nd Amendment.

However, Trump isn't on board with the plan, making it crystal clear that he's not interested in such a plan because it might be "too cute" for the American public.

"I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It wouldn’t be right," he told reporters while flying on Air Force One.

Trump pivoted to noting that a team like VP Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make a dream team 2028 Republican ticket, going as far as calling the pair "unstoppable."

AOC or Crockett?

Trump left the door open for another run, though. He commented on how easy it would be to beat someone like AOC or another radical Democrat.

“All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don’t. They have [Texas Rep.] Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC who is low IQ. You give her an IQ test, have her pass the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed," Trump said.

He added, "Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump."

While the 2028 election is still a ways off, it'll be fascinating to see who each side fields for the next big presidential contest.