GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- It was a joke posted on Twitter that had supporters of U.S. Rep. Justin Amash talking about the highest hopes for his political future.

"Looking forward to turning 35 on April 18. I'll be making a big announcement later this month." -- Amash tweeted on April Fool's Day.

The tweet makes a barely veiled reference to the requirement a person be at least 35 years old to run for president, among other qualifications. The Cascade Township Republican has not hidden his aspirations for higher positions in government, and he did not close the door on the presidential question, either.

"I'm 35 now, so anything is possible," said Amash, laughing as he replied to a question about his own presidential aspirations at a rally to welcome Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to Grand Rapids on Monday.

During a July 2014 meeting with The Grand Rapids Press' editorial board, Amash was questioned about seeking other roles beyond a sitting representative.

"I'd love to be (House) speaker some day," said Amash at the time. "I love the idea of bringing people together on common ground.

"I think, sometimes, because I'm so principled in my views, (some think) I want to force people into my positions. All I want is a reasonable debate, a fair debate on every issue, and what we don't have (now) are all the voices being heard."

Related: Rep. Justin Amash schedules 3 town hall meetings

Andrew Krietz covers breaking, politics and transportation news for MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at akrietz@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.