Throughout American history, nearly a dozen one-term presidents who ran for reelection have lost. Is four years enough time for new presidents to prove themselves to be commanders in chief worthy of being elected to a second term? Considering the complexity of the congressional legislative process, it can be hard for a president to enact real, visible changes or programs in only four years. As a result, it is easy for challengers in defeating incumbents.
Here are the U.S. presidents who lost their reelection bids after one term in office.
| No. | Name | First term | Election lost |
| 1. | Donald Trump | 2017-2021 | 2020 |
| 2. | George H.W. Bush | 1989-1993 | 1992 |
| 3. | Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | 1980 |
| 4. | Gerald Ford | 1974-1977 | 1976 |
| 5. | Herbert Hoover | 1929-1933 | 1932 |
| 6. | William Howard Taft | 1909-1913 | 1912 |
| 7. | Benjamin Harrison | 1889-1893 | 1892 |
| 8. | Grover Cleverland* | 1885-1889 | 1888 |
| 9. | Martin Van Buren | 1837-1841 | 1840 |
| 10. | John Quincy Adams | 1825-1829 | 1828 |
| 11. | John Adams | 1797-1801 | 1800 |
- *Democrat Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, having served from 1885 to 1889, and 1893 to 1897. So, he doesn’t technically qualify as a one-term president. But, because Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive four-year terms, he holds an important place in U.S. history, having lost his initial bid for reelection in 1888 to Republican Benjamin Harrison.
