Question

Why do presidents only have a 2 year term?

Answer 1

Hey! Piper here.

U.S. presidents do not only have a 2 year term, they have 4 year terms. The absolute longest that they can be in power is for 2 terms, AKA 8 years. According to the 22nd amendment in the Constitution of United States of America 1789 (rev. 1992), "...No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term..."

The only exception to this date was for our 32nd president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served 4 presidential terms. The only reason this was allowed was because the 22nd amendment was officially passed in 1947, and Roosevelt served from 1933 - 1945.