close
close

Can Trump run again? How many times can one person be president?

play

Former President Donald Trump has already served one term in office and if he wins this election, it would be his second. So he can't run again…right?

How presidential terms work might be a bit confusing, since it's been so long since a president lost re-election after his first term only to seek the seat again after four years. Essentially, it allows a person to hold the highest office in the United States only twice (which does not necessarily have to be consecutive) and not indefinitely.

It hasn't always existed in the US, but presidential term limits are nothing new. They have been around for more than 70 years.

Here's a look at the specifics of presidential term limits and how long they've been around.

Is there anything in the Constitution about presidential term limits?

Yes, the 22nd Amendment clearly states that a person serving as president can only hold the office twice. Here's what it says:

“No person may be elected to the office of President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President for more than two years or served as President during a term for which another person has been elected may become President .” elected to the office of president more than once.”

When did presidential term limits become part of the Constitution?

According to the National Constitution Center, the 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951. The idea of ​​term limits came from Republicans after President Franklin D. Roosevelt won four consecutive elections. His presidency began in 1933 during the Great Depression and lasted over 12 years until his death on April 12, 1945, during his fourth term.

However, it took nearly four years for the amendment to be ratified.

Have there always been presidential term limits?

Not in writing.

America's first president, George Washington, set an unofficial precedent with the first elections in the United States. Washington was president only twice and repeatedly declined a third term.

In later years, Washington's decision not to seek a third term was seen as a protection against the kind of tyrannical power exercised by the British monarchy during the colonial period. According to the National Constitution Center, the concept of term limits was discussed at the Constitutional Convention at America's founding, but was not written into the Constitution at the time.

Has anyone sought more than two terms as president?

Only a handful of people sought a third term as president before the 22nd Amendment was ratified.

  • Ulysses S. Grant attempted a third term in 1880, but lost the Republican Party nomination to James Garfield
  • Grover Cleveland lacked party support for a third term
  • Woodrow Wilson hoped that a deadlocked 1920 Congress would turn to him for a third term
  • Theodore Roosevelt originally declined to run for a third term in 1908, but ran as a third-party candidate in 1912 after a dispute with then-President William Howard Taft. Roosevelt defeated Taft, but both lost to Woodrow Wilson.

Has any president won non-consecutive elections?

Yes, but only one. Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.

Others tried and failed.

You may also like...