Following his recent victory in the presidential race against Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump has entered the unique group of U.S. presidents who have served non-consecutive terms, joining Grover Cleveland.

Trump, who was the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, is now set to take office again as the 47th president.

The first president to achieve this was Grover Cleveland, who was in office as the 22nd president from 1885 to 1889 before returning as the 24th president from 1893 to 1897.

Although their presidencies were separated by more than a century, the two men also had distinct differing opinions on tariff policies.

Who was Grover Cleveland?

Grover Cleveland was born in New Jersey in 1837 and spent his childhood in upstate New York. Before entering politics, he practiced law in Buffalo. His political career began rapidly when he was elected as the mayor of Buffalo in 1881, running on a platform aimed at reducing corruption. The following year, he became governor of New York and then was nominated for the presidency by the Democratic Party in 1884.

As president, Cleveland was known for his anti-corruption stance and won against James Blaine, a well-known former senator, becoming the first Democratic president since the Civil War. Despite facing a scandal regarding a child he fathered out of wedlock in 1874, he secured his presidency.

His first term was marked by significant events, including the Haymarket labor riots in Chicago in 1886 and the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887, which was the federal government’s first attempt to regulate railroads.

In a notable personal event, Cleveland became the only president to marry while in office, tying the knot with 21-year-old Frances Folsom in 1886. He was also the first president to have a child during his presidency, and he notably introduced electric lights on the White House Christmas tree.

However, his administration faced criticism for rejecting pension bills for Civil War veterans and for not providing assistance to drought-affected farmers, claiming that federal help “weakened the sturdiness of our national character.”

Ryan McMahon, a political science assistant professor at San Antonio College in Texas, notes that Cleveland campaigned in 1888 on the promise of reducing high tariffs that benefitted the wealthy, despite facing opposition from within his own party.

“Cleveland was a significant reform advocate, wanting to lower tariffs which disproportionately affect middle-class citizens,” McMahon explained.

While Cleveland won the popular vote in 1888, he ultimately lost the Electoral College to Republican Benjamin Harrison, backed by wealthy business magnates known as robber barons.

However, four years later, Cleveland still a key player in the Democratic Party, was nominated once again and campaigned to lower tariffs, defeating Harrison.

Cleveland’s second term as the 24th president began amid turmoil with the economic crisis known as the Panic of 1893, which severely affected many industries. This prompted railroad strikes led by workers in 1894, causing a federal response to restore order by deploying military troops to break the strikes.

“The economy was in shambles when he resumed office,” McMahon pointed out. “He had promised to lower tariffs, but the U.S. Treasury was nearly bankrupt, hindering his plans.”

By 1896, Cleveland found little support, even from within the Democratic Party, and opted to retire instead of seeking reelection.

Though Trump will be the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, several former presidents attempted unsuccessfully to return to power after their initial terms.

Martin Van Buren, who served as the 8th president from 1837 to 1841, ran for president again in 1848 as a Free Soil Party member but was unsuccessful. Millard Fillmore, president from 1850 to 1853, also ran in 1856 as a nominee of the American Party but was not elected. Theodore Roosevelt, who served until 1909, tried for a third term in 1912 but lost as a third-party candidate.

Will Trump be allowed to run again in 2028?

The answer is no according to the 22nd Amendment.

A 2009 report from the Congressional Research Service prepared by expert Thomas H. Neale highlights that U.S. presidents and vice presidents are limited to four-year terms as stated in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution.

Prior to Franklin D. Roosevelt breaking the tradition by being elected to a third term in 1940, U.S. presidents largely upheld the long-standing two-term limit. Neale noted that up until Roosevelt’s time, only seven out of 31 presidents had served consecutive terms since 1789,

Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for a fourth term in 1944 and began serving in that term before his passing in 1945.

His long presidency led to the ratification of the 22^nd Amendment in 1951, which restricts any president from being elected more than twice.

McMahon commented on the difficulty of any potential change, saying, “A Constitutional amendment would be needed to alter that, and it’s quite a long, complex, and challenging process. It’s highly unrealistic to expect that to occur.”

Edward Frantz, a presidential historian and head of the history department at the University of Indianapolis, shared his thoughts.

He noted that due to the unprecedented nature of Trump’s election win, “The most significant beneficiary of last night’s results, aside from Donald Trump, is Grover Cleveland, especially among those curious about him.”