President Biden’s announcement to step down from the 2024 presidential run may have come as a shock to some, but it’s not the first time a sitting president has dropped out of the Presidential race or decided not to run.
Not only is this not new, but it has happened several times since the founding of the U.S.
Out of the 46 elected presidents of the United States, 21 of them have served a second term, 8 of them did not run for re-election, 12 of them lost the re-election, and 4 of them died while in office.
56 years ago, amid the unpopular Vietnam War and growing national unrest, President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not seek nor accept the nomination of his party for another term as president of the United States.
Harry Truman, in 1952, also chose not to run for re-election after leading the country to the end of World War II and into the Korean War—an unpopular decision that left Truman facing the lowest job approval in history at 22%.
Unlike his predecessors, who either passed in office, declined a second term, or lost re-election, Biden stepped down from the presidential race barely 4 months before the election date.
US presidents who did not seek re-election by choice or due to unforeseen circumstances
| US PRESIDENT | TERM | REASON FOR SINGLE TERM |
| William Henry Harrison | March 4, 1849–July 9, 1850 | Died in office—from pneumonia |
| James K. Polk | April 15, 1865–March 4, 1869 | Did not seek re-election |
| Zachary Taylor | March 4, 1857- March 4, 1861 | Died in office—from suspected gastroenteritis |
| James Buchanan | March 4, 1877–March 4, 1881 | Did not seek re-election |
| Andrew Johnson | March 4, 1877- March 4, 1881 | Was impeached |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | March 4, 1877-March 4, 1881 | Did not seek re-election |
| James A. Garfield | March 4, 1881-Sept. 19, 1881 | Died in office, from complications of an assassination attempt |
| Chester A. Arthur | Sept. 19, 1881-March 4, 1885 | Was not re-nominated |
| Warren G. Harding | March 4, 1921-Aug. 2, 1923 | Died in office, from a heart attack |
| John F. Kennedy | Jan. 20, 1961–Nov. 22, 1963 | Was assassinated |
| Lyndon Johnson | Nov. 22, 1963–Jan. 20, 1969 | Did not seek re-election |
| Joseph Biden | Jan. 20, 2021–July 21, 2024 | Did not seek re-election |
US presidents who lost their re-election bid
| US PRESIDENT | TERM | REASON FOR SINGLE TERM |
| John Adams | March 4, 1797–March 4, 1801 | Lost re-election bid |
| John Quincy Adams | March 4, 1825–March 4, 1829 | Lost re-election bid |
| Martin Van Buren | March 4, 1837–March 4, 1841 | Lost re-election bid |
| John Tyler | April 4, 1841–March 4, 1845 | Lost re-election bid |
| Millard Fillmore | July 9, 1850–March 4, 1853 | Lost re-election bid |
| Franklin Pierce | March 4, 1853–March 4, 1857 | Lost re-election bid |
| Benjamin Harrison | March 4, 1889–March 4, 1893 | Lost re-election bid |
| William Howard Taft | March 4, 1909–March 4, 1913 | Lost re-election bid |
| Herbert Hoover | March 4, 1929–March 4, 1933 | Lost re-election bid |
| Gerald Ford | Aug. 9, 1974–Jan. 20, 1977 | Lost re-election bid |
| George H. W. Bush | Jan. 20, 1989–Jan. 20, 1993 | Lost re-election bid |
| Donald Trump | Jan. 20, 2017–Jan. 20, 2021 | Lost re-election bid |
