US Election Results 2024: Can Donald Trump run for US president in 2028?

Donald J. Trump secured a second presidential term on Wednesday, propelled by a pledge to dismantle the American status quo, surviving a criminal conviction, indictments, an assassination attempt, accusations of authoritarianism, and an unprecedented opponent switch to complete a remarkable return to power.

Trump’s victory crowns the astonishing political comeback of a man accused of plotting to overturn the previous election, yet who tapped into public frustrations and fears over the economy and illegal immigration to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.
His bold plans to disrupt the country’s political system resonated with millions who felt the American dream was slipping further out of reach, turning to Trump as a force against the ruling establishment and the expert class of elites.

Trump cannot run again in 2028 because of the US Constitution's Twenty-Second Amendment , which limits a person to two elected terms as president. The restriction is not on consecutive terms but rather on the total number of terms. Here’s the breakdown of the legal reasoning:

1. Two-Term Limit
• The Twenty-Second Amendment, ratified in 1951, restricts a person to two terms as president. It does not specify that the terms must be consecutive, only that a president cannot be elected more than twice.

2. Partial Terms
• The amendment also specifies that if a person serves more than two years of a term for which someone else was elected (such as a vice president who assumes the presidency mid-term), they may only be elected once more. Since Trump served a full four-year term, this clause does not affect his eligibility.

3. Non-Consecutive Terms

• While US tradition generally sees presidents serve consecutive terms, it is legally permissible to serve non-consecutive terms, as seen with Grover Cleveland, who served two non-consecutive terms in the late 19th century. However, because Trump has already served two full terms, he is barred from running again.

In essence, the restriction is about total terms, not consecutive ones. Since Trump served from 2017 to 2021, he has reached the constitutional maximum and thus cannot be re-elected.