As Election Day approaches, the fate of President Donald Trump’s administration nears.
Will Trump stay in the White House for four more years? Or will the Republican incumbent become a one-term U.S. president?
From John Adams to George H.W. Bush, nearly 10 Commanders-in-Chief throughout U.S. history have run for re-election and lost.
The answer to whether or not Trump will add to that list is just a few days away. But as the nation casts their ballots in anticipation of the outcome, let’s take a look into the past — at U.S. presidents who didn’t get a second four years because they were denied by voters in the general election.
George H.W. Bush
The most recent one-term president was George H.W. Bush. The Republican incumbent served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993, but lost re-election to Democrat William (Bill) Clinton, who went on to complete two terms.
Bush’s White House biography attributes his defeat to the country’s “discontent at home from a faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high deficit spending.”
Jimmy Carter
The 39th president of the United States, Democrat James (Jimmy) Carter, served from 1977 to 1981. He lost his re-election campaign to Republican Ronald Reagan, who went on to two full terms.
Carter’s biography points to several factors that contributed to his loss — including a short recession and the hostage-taking of U.S. embassy staff in Iran. On the day Carter left office, Iran released 52 Americans.