Presidents in and out of office enjoy a lot of perks, but these are the things former presidents can't do when their term ends.
6 Things Former Presidents Can’t Do After Leaving Office
Updated on Jun. 24, 2025
When we think about former presidents of the United States, we may immediately picture our former heads of state establishing their presidential library, participating in charitable work and attempting to live a (relatively) quiet life out of the spotlight. But it’s a little more complicated than that. There are certain things former presidents can’t do.
“When a president leaves the White House for the last time and turns the keys over to his successor, there is one very fundamental shift in his status that occurs,” says Mike Purdy, presidential historian and author of 101 Presidential Insults: What They Really Thought About Each Other—and What It Means to Us. “It’s not just about moving out of the historic and majestic White House.” When a new president is sworn in at noon on January 20th, “the now-former president suddenly becomes a private citizen once again,” Purdy says.
Though they may no longer be making the big decisions, former presidents are still in possession of a lot of confidential information about the country and the government, and they’ll continue to receive certain presidential perks. Reader’s Digest spoke to Purdy and William S. Bike, an expert in politics and government relations and the author of the book Winning Political Campaigns, to learn how being the former president dictates different aspects of their lives—including these six things former presidents can’t do.
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Violate the law
A sitting U.S. president is immune from prosecution for certain acts committed as president, but as a private citizen, the former president is just like everyone else, without this legal shield. “Like all other private citizens, a former president may not violate the law,” Purdy says. “If he does, then he is subject to the same prosecution as any other person.”
And even though presidents enjoy certain immunities, their actions are not intended to be consequence-free. “Not only is the president not above the law, former presidents are not above the law,” Purdy says.
Sell or share classified information
As tempting as it would be to earn some extra post-White House cash by selling government secrets, Purdy says that’s definitely not allowed: “In what could be a huge breach of national security for the nation, a former president may not sell or share classified information he obtained while president,” reiterating that former presidents are not above the law. Among the most vital things former presidents can’t do, this restriction is crucial for protecting national security and preventing actions that could compromise sensitive data.
Run for president again (if they’ve served two terms)
After Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to an unprecedented fourth term as president, some lawmakers began to think that might not be the best way for the country to function as a democracy. “Up until Roosevelt, no president had served more than two terms,” Purdy says. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, restricts the number of terms a president can serve to two—with a caveat. 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,” Purdy says.
This means that two-termers like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are constitutionally prohibited from running for president again. But if Jimmy Carter were still alive, he could run again and be elected. A former president serving a non-consecutive second term has now happened twice in U.S. history: Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump.
Hit the open road
As much as they may want to return to a normal routine, former presidents can’t drive themselves around. “A rule created after John F. Kennedy was assassinated is that ex-presidents no longer can drive on open streets or roads—only private property,” Bike says. “They are required to be driven by Secret Service personnel who are trained in evasive driving maneuvers. Lyndon B. Johnson was the last who drove on the open road.”
According to Bike, Bill Clinton in particular misses driving and always opts to drive the golf cart when he’s hitting the links. Donald Trump, on the other hand, was accustomed to having a chauffeur long before he was president, so Bike says that he probably won’t miss driving.
While this rule makes sense for safety purposes, we’re surely missing out on some great anecdotes, “like the time former President Harry S. Truman was driving down a road in Missouri, and saw a lady farmer trying to corral some pigs that had escaped from their pigpen,” Bike says. A former farmer himself, Truman got out of his car and helped get the pigs back.
Receive mail or packages
On the logistical side, former presidents can’t accept mail or packages. Maybe a former president doesn’t want anyone to know that he ordered a food dehydrator from a late-night infomercial, but his Secret Service agents will always find out. The Secret Service inspects all mail and packages for former presidents before it is delivered to their homes, Bloomberg Law reports.
The screening takes place at a separate off-site facility to keep potential threats as far away from the former president as possible. This policy was vital in 2018, when the Secret Service intercepted pipe bombs sent to former President Obama and others, and again in 2024, when vials of blood were sent to then-former President Trump.
Purchase their own electronic devices
As it turns out, an ex-president can’t just walk into the Apple Store and buy the latest iPhone, Bike says. Communication technology must first be approved by the Secret Service. “A president or ex-president is supposed to communicate on approved devices,” he explains, but in less-than-reassuring news, “President Trump ignored this rule, and therefore consistently was hacked.”
FAQs
Do former presidents get Secret Service protection after their term gets over?
Yes. Former presidents and first ladies generally receive lifetime Secret Service protection, unless they decline it.
Do former presidents enjoy salary benefits after the end of their tenure?
Yes. According to the Former Presidents Act, former presidents receive a monetary allowance at a per annum rate which is payable monthly.
Can a former president be sued?
Yes. A former president can be sued. While the current president has some immunity for their actions, once the term ends, they are no more immune from lawsuits related to actions taken before or after their presidency or those taken outside of their official duties.
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Sources:
- Mike Purdy, presidential historian and author of 101 Presidential Insults: What They Really Thought About Each Other—and What It Means to Us
- William S. Bike, expert in politics and government relations, author of the book Winning Political Campaigns
- Bloomberg Law: “Ex-Presidents’ Mail: Secret Service Gets First Look”
- FindLaw: “Article II: Presidential Immunity to Criminal and Civil Suits”
- National Archives: “Former Presidents Act”
- United States Secret Service: “Frequently Asked Questions About Us”
- Cornell Law School: “20th Amendment”
- Cornell Law School: “22nd Amendment”
