Has any former two-term U.S. president attempted to run for vice president historically?

1. Historical record: no documented two‑term president ran for VP

Available sources repeatedly note there is no historical instance of a president who had been elected twice subsequently running for vice president; WKYT explicitly says “there isn’t a clear answer” partly because “no one has tried it,” and cites a 2015 joke about Bill Clinton that did not become a real candidacy ^[1]. The Wikipedia list of vice presidents shows 50 VPs but does not document any twice‑elected president running for that office ^[4]. In short, current reporting and reference material in this packet do not identify a historical precedent of a former two‑term president attempting to run for vice president ^{[1] [4]}.

2. Why the question matters now: recent political discussion about a workaround

The question has gained attention because commentators and some supporters discussed an unorthodox scenario in which a two‑term president would run as a vice‑presidential candidate — the idea surfaced in coverage of Donald Trump after his 2024/2025 return to the presidency and subsequent remarks about 2028; outlets like The Guardian and Reuters reported that some had floated running him as VP so he could return if the elected president resigned, a tactic described as “too cute” by Trump and widely debated in the press ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Constitutional texts and the ambiguity at the center of debate

The dispute turns on the interaction of the 12th and 22nd Amendments and Article II. The 12th Amendment says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice‑President,” while the 22nd Amendment bars being “elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Some analysts read that to mean a twice‑elected president is not “constitutionally ineligible” to be president (only ineligible to be elected again), and therefore could be vice president and succeed to the presidency by succession rather than election; other analysts and many news outlets treat the 12th Amendment as barring the maneuver. Reuters summarizes the mainstream view that Trump would be barred from running for VP because he is not eligible to be president under the 12th Amendment ^[3]. By contrast, law professor Dan Coenen argues in a detailed article that a twice‑elected president could become vice president and then succeed to the presidency ^[2].

4. Scholarly disagreement: explainers vs. law‑review argument

Legal scholarship is split. Dan T. Coenen’s article concludes that constitutional provisions and their history “point to the same conclusion: A twice‑before‑elected President may become Vice‑President either through appointment or through election” and could then succeed to the presidency for the remainder of a term ^[2]. News explainers and many commentators emphasize the apparent bar: Reuters and other outlets report the common reading that the 12th Amendment prevents a twice‑elected president from being VP because that person would be ineligible to be president ^[3]. The packet also includes advocacy analysis (Cornerstone Law) and academic summaries noting the ambiguity ^{[7] [8]}.

5. Practical and political realities that likely prevent a test case

Several sources stress that, aside from legal theory, it is “politically impossible” that a two‑term president would be accepted as a VP nominee or win a ticket without massive controversy; Politics Stack Exchange contributors argue the ambiguity makes such a scenario unlikely to be tested in court because political actors would avoid it ^{[9] [10]}. WKYT and other reporting note the lack of a real‑world attempt and the institutional friction that would likely deter parties, electors, and courts from permitting the gambit ^[1].

6. What a legal resolution would look like (and who decides)

If such a ticket were nominated and won, the question almost certainly would end up before the Supreme Court to reconcile the 12th and 22nd Amendments with Article II, since current texts and interpretations differ and no definitive historical precedent exists ^{[2] [3]}. Some analysts predict courts would block the maneuver; others say textual reading supports allowing succession rather than election counts — both positions are present in the provided sources ^{[2] [3]}.

7. Takeaway for readers: precedent vs. possibility

The available reporting and scholarship in this packet agree on two points: no former two‑term president has attempted to run for vice president in U.S. history ^{[1] [4]}, and the constitutionality is unsettled and contested between respected commentators and legal scholars ^{[2] [3]}. Readers should understand this is both a legal puzzle and a politically explosive hypothetical; if a real ticket tried it, the dispute would likely be decided in court rather than settled by historical practice ^{[9] [3]}.