Can Donald Trump run in 2024? If he could challenge president Biden in next US election following impeachment

A Senate trial awaits Donald Trump after he became the first president to be impeached twice, in the wake of the deadly US Capitol riots

Donald Trump signed off his four-year stay in the White House by telling a small crowd of supporters "we will be back in some form".

His presidential term ended on 20 January 2021 when Joe Biden was sworn in as America's new commander and chief at an inauguration Trump decided to boycott.

Instead, Trump left the White House before the ceremony began, made a farewell speech and opted to fly to his Palm Beach residence, on the Mar-a-Lago estate, in Florida.

Donald Trump speaks to supporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One for his last time as president on 20 January 2021. (Pic: Getty Images)

But is it really the end for Trump's political career, or will he be back?

Can Trump run for president in 2024?

As it stands, Trump is legally free to run for public office again.

The former president has made noises about launching a campaign ahead of the 2024 election to his closest allies, something he has so far stayed tight-lipped about publicly.

It remains to be seen if he will still be allowed to run again in the months ahead after Trump became the first president to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives.

Trump has been charged with incitement of insurrection after hundreds of supporters stormed the US Capitol in protest of the 2020 presidential election result, won by Biden.

This alone is not enough to prevent Trump from running for office a second time - that decision rests with the Senate.

A trial at the Senate awaits Trump where it will be decided whether to convict him of the impeachment charge, with a two-third majority of its 100 senators needed to vote in favour of the conviction.

This conviction would not only have been the first time senators have voted this way but would also have had the power to remove Trump from office, if he was still a sitting president.

If Trump is convicted, the Senate has the option to make another vote on whether to ban him from holding public office in the future, stopping him from running again in 2024.

A simple majority is needed for this to be done.

When will Trump's Senate trial take place?

Following his second impeachment on 13 January, a date for Trump's Senate trial has yet to be set.

Reports in the States say the trial could be a long way off as starting proceedings could delay the confirmation of key Biden administration officials in the first days of his presidency.

Trump's Senate trial would naturally draw attention away from the early days of the new administration, as Biden gets to work on a flurry of executive orders aimed at tackling the climate crisis.

Biden wants to push through legislation to draw a line under the Trump era.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will decide when to start the trial in the Senate, which the Democrats regained control of after a six-year gap with the swearing in of two new senators from Georgia.

But it is so far unclear when this will be.

Has a former president ever made a successful run again?

Controversy has never been far from Trump during his one term in the Oval Office. He recently disputed the election result and made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

On top of his impeachment charge, he has a list of legal issues awaiting him now he is no longer president. Allegations range from sexual misconduct to falsifying business records and obstructing justice.

All of which has had a detrimental impact on his approval ratings with a Politico poll revealing that 40 percent of Republicans and conservative independents now say they would back Trump.

But if he were to run again, and was allowed to run again following the Senate trial, it would not be the first time a president has been beaten in an election and returned four years later.

In 1892, Grover Cleveland became the 24th president of the United States - eight years after he became the 22nd president. He was defeated by Benjamin Harrison in 1888 but made a comeback.