President Donald Trump on Thursday offered a timeline for when he might leave office.

Sort of.

“We’ll have a big percentage of the chip business by the time I leave office,” Trump said. “Which could be a long time. Who knows? But it could also be fairly quick. They say two and a half years. We’re gonna find out.”

The U.S. Constitution clearly states that Trump can’t seek the presidency again. And unless he dies, resigns or is removed from office, his term will end at 12 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2029. But that hasn’t stopped him from publicly musing about running for a third term, promoting the idea of “Trump 2028” on social media and selling Trump 2028 merch.

The “fairly quick” part of his claim was a new twist.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ― a longtime Trump nemesis and potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate ― gave the president a very specific reminder about how much time was left in his term:

897 days — or less. Not a day more. https://t.co/V1RXGUWbab

Trump’s 2028 talk has alarmed critics, especially given that he tried to overturn the 2020 election and whipped up a mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 2021, an effort that resulted in his impeachment.

He’s also frequently promoted “Trump 2028” memes on his Truth Social website, and did so again on Thursday.

Given his history, critics on X let the president know exactly what they think:

It ends on or before noon on January 20, 2029. No longer or we show up with pitchforks and torches to drag you out. https://t.co/eTAJRWxOPC

he's an idiot ... he just likes to blather ... like that weird uncle at Thanksgiving ... what the what??? https://t.co/jicWDKYweh

"Who knows"Everybody knows. Your term expires on January 2029 and presidents are only constitutionally eligible to serve two terms, which you've done. https://t.co/ktfdbe9ISm

I vote for the fairly quick option https://t.co/CvHLdhJP4g

Second option please. I am tired of being robbed and embarrassed by my president. https://t.co/N83uzJajkk

The tone of this is really clear: he intends to challenge this legally https://t.co/UsprK3lpHj

Trump casually floats “could be a long time” for leaving office like the Constitution is just a suggestion. Two and a half years left and he’s already auditioning for permanent residency. Chip factories or not, the only thing he’s manufacturing is another excuse to stay.

quick! https://t.co/e1kYUU3R3w

The quicker the better. 25 47 https://t.co/34HFWxjzKh

I'll take fairly quick please. That's fine for me. No need to overstay Donny. Fairly quick sounds really, really good.

I’m good with tomorrow, does tomorrow work for you? https://t.co/WA9Ym03Nwb

All those in favor of fairly quick? pic.twitter.com/yALsANfwGL

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