text: can us president serve 11plus yrs in office?   people saying he can only serve eight years are not exactly correct. if a vice president succeeds to the presidency more than halfway through his predecessor's term, he can seek election twice. in other words he can serve two whole terms in his own right, as well as the two years minus one day (or whatever) of his predecessor's term. had lyndon johnson sought and won another term in 1968, he could have served as president for over nine years (november 1963 to january 1973).  so it is possible to serve more than eight years, but not ten or more.  edit: whoever gave me thumbs down is ignorant. here is what the 22nd amendment says: "no person who has held the office of president...for *more than two years of a term* to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once." ergo, if he serves less than half of another's term, he can be elected twice.