Story by Katie Brennan and Francie Diep, CNN
(CNN) – Billionaire Donald Trump’s political fans will not want to get too far ahead of themselves if he runs for president again in 2020, an adviser to the President said in an interview Friday.
Trump adviser Newt Gingrich, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, suggested it was “likelier than not” that Trump could run again in 2020 and suggested he may not rule out the prospect in 2024.
Gingrich said Friday that Trump told him he would run again if he felt he could win.
“We’re all for letting the free market work,” Gingrich said, when asked if Trump was open to a potential third run in 2020. “It would make no sense for me or Donald Trump if he could get 50 or 50-1 odds and get in, why run if the polling was 100% in his favor? I think it’s likelier than not.”
Trump addressed the idea of running again later on Friday, first when he was asked about the 2020 race at the start of a White House cabinet meeting. Trump said he wouldn’t say and he wouldn’t rule it out.
“I’m not running, I’m not running,” Trump said in front of reporters and photographers. “I’m not running for reelection, you saw what I said, I’m not running for reelection. But if I feel that I can do a better job, I’m not going to rule it out.”
He added, “I don’t want to play the politics that I don’t believe in, I’m not a politician, I’m a businessperson. But if I can do a better job I will do it. I don’t want to talk about that until I find out what the political situation is.”
Gingrich addressed the issue in an interview on CNN later Friday.
“It’s good to run, it’s fun to run,” he said. “I think it’s good for him because he’s had his two years, he’s refocused and basically he learned to govern. He’s been great at it and if he decides that he does want to try again, I’ll go along with him.”
Gingrich then referenced the former president and said he “may” think Trump will run in 2024.
“He may try again,” Gingrich said. “Maybe he will be the sitting governor of California. I think that is a possibility that maybe he will run again. I think it’s a lot more likely he’ll be a millionaire second-term President of the United States, if he wants to. But we’ll see.”
Trump first won the White House in 2016 on a populist platform that included a promise to revitalize the nation’s economy and put thousands of manufacturing jobs back to work. In November, Trump will complete his first two years in office.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.