The 60th US presidential election is set to take place on November 5, 2024, and many people are wondering whether former President Barack Obama, who served for two terms between 2009 and 2017, can replace Joe Biden as the nominee for the Democratic Party. This is due to the negative press that surrounds Biden amid widespread concerns about his age and health. Even though Biden won against his Republican rival and former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, the latter has gained considerable momentum in the 2024 race. There are already calls from various celebrities and high-profile political donors for Biden to step away as the Democratic nominee in favor of someone relatively younger and in better health.
Here is everything you need to know if you are wondering if Barack Obama can run for president again.
Is Barack Obama eligible to run for President again?
No, Obama is not eligible to run for President again. At 62, Obama is 19 years younger than his former VP and about 14 years younger than Trump. However, as mentioned above, the 44th US President has already served his designated two terms in office, and the US Constitution explicitly states that no president can be elected more than twice.
What does the 22nd Amendment say about presidents?
The 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution officially restricts Presidential tenures to two terms. It came into effect after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four-term presidency.
The precedence of the two-term presidential service can be traced back to George Washington, the very first US President, who willingly stepped down in 1797 after eight years in office. In the ensuing years, term limits came up multiple times during debates in American politics. After Washington, some presidents did consider stretching their presidency beyond two terms, but they never went ahead with those plans until Roosevelt.
The 22nd Amendment was approved by Congress in 1947, with 36 out of the 48 states at the time ratifying it in 1957. To sum it up, the 22nd Amendment has prohibited Obama, and all other presidents since the 1950s, from pursuing a third term.
