Can a past u.s. president become vice president? I think so, since he would have to be able to take over if the president died, but a friend disagrees. Any thoughts?
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CheddarCatsKiss is Queen of Sexytown
ANSWERS: 3
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If I understood the question correctly, your friend is right, though you can split the difference a bit. The VP, to be qualified to be VP, must be qualified to hold the office of President. So any former President who had previously served his two term limit would not then be eligible to be Vice-President. (He would, however, be eligible if he had left office after only one term.) For what it is worth, I work on Capitol Hill and have some background in this.
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1-17-2017 Considering the way a president looks after leaving office, and the fact that he doesn't ever have to work again, and the fact that a vp has no power, it seems unlikely that a former president would want the job.
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When it comes to question of this nature, reference to the US Constitution is a quick way to find an answer. The very last sentence in the 12th Amendment states, "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States." Since the 22nd Amendment limits a person to a total of 2 terms, someone who has served two full terms as President cannot be Vice-president. However, if a person has only served one term as President, then he/she could be Vice-president. There was actually talk for a while of nominating Gerald Ford to be Reagan's running mate in 1980. However, Ford turned down the offer.
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