Donald J. Trump secured a second term as president on Wednesday, fueled by a promise to dismantle America's status quo. He survived a criminal conviction, indictments, an assassination attempt, accusations of authoritarianism, and an unprecedented change of opponents to complete a remarkable return to power.
Trump's victory caps a stunning political comeback by a man accused of seeking to overturn the previous election but who capitalized on public frustrations and fears over the economy and illegal immigration to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.
His bold plans to destroy the country's political system resonated with millions of people who felt the American dream was slipping further out of reach and who turned to Trump as a force against the ruling establishment and the elite expert class .
Due to the US Constitution, Trump cannot run again in 2028 Twenty-Second Amendmentwhich limits a person to two elected terms as president. The restriction does not apply to consecutive terms, but to the total number of terms. Here's the breakdown of the legal reasoning:
1. Two-term restriction
• The Twenty-Second Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits a person to two terms as president. It does not specify that the terms of office must be consecutive, but only that a president may not be elected more than twice.
2. Partial conditions
• The amendment also specifies that a person who serves more than two years of a term for which someone else was elected (e.g., a vice president who assumes the presidency midterm) may only be elected again. Since Trump has served a full four-year term, this clause has no impact on his eligibility to vote.
3. Non-consecutive conditions
• While U.S. tradition generally calls for presidents to serve consecutive terms, it is legally permissible to serve nonconsecutive terms, as was the case with Grover Cleveland, who served two nonconsecutive terms in the late 19th century. However, since Trump has already served two full terms in office, he is prohibited from running again.
Essentially, the restriction is about the totality of terms, not consecutive ones. Since Trump was in office from 2017 to 2021, he has reached the constitutional limit and therefore cannot be re-elected.