20 Bizarre Rules Ex-Presidents Are Forced To Follow – Long After They’ve Left The White House

When a U.S. president is in office, there are naturally a number of rules and regulations they need to follow – in theory, anyway. But that’s still the case even after their term is over and the next commander-in-chief has moved into 1600 Penn. Yep, life as an ex-president is still pretty restricted – and in some bizarre ways, too.

20. There should be diplomatic trips

The commander-in-chief has plenty of responsibilities over the course of their tenure – including the maintenance of diplomatic relations. Air Force One gets a proper workout, too, with all this traveling. But even after a former president bids goodbye to that plane, the overseas trips don’t come to an end.

You see, past presidents are still looked upon as “goodwill ambassadors” of America, which means they’re required to fly around the world to aid international relationships. But they’re probably not put out of pocket, as each is apparently handed a yearly allowance of $1 million in order to do this. They can get hold of special diplomatic passports to boot. Well, it wouldn’t look good if the former leader of the free world couldn’t get a visa...

19. Two-termers can’t run again

Franklin D. Roosevelt will always be remembered for his New Deal and keeping the U.S. steady throughout World War II. You also probably remember from history class that he served for an incredible 12 consecutive years – all the way up to 1945. Yes, that meant FDR had four terms in office, but he’ll be the only president to achieve that feat.

Expert Mike Purdy told Reader’s Digest why, saying, “Up until Roosevelt, no president had served more than two terms. The 22nd Amendment caps an individual to being elected only twice to the presidency. [It] also provides if someone has served less than two years as president by virtue of ascending to the presidency due to the death or resignation of a president. They could still be elected to two full terms.”