President of the United States

Official seal

Incumbent: |

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First president:

Formation: | ,

The President of the United States of America (sometimes referred to as POTUS) is the and of the . The president is at the head of the of the , whose role is to enforce national law as given in the and written by . establishes the president as of the and enumerates powers specifically granted to the president, including the power to sign into law or bills passed by both houses of Congress, to create a of advisors, to grant or reprieves, and, with the "" of the , to make and appoint federal officers, , and federal , including Justices of the . As with officials in the other branches of the United States government, the Constitution restrains the president with a set of designed to prevent any individual or group from taking absolute power.

The president is elected through the to a four year term, with a limit of two terms imposed by the , ratified in 1951. Under this system, each state is allocated a number of electoral votes, equal to the size of the state's delegation in both houses of Congress combined. The is also granted electoral votes, per the . Voters in nearly all states choose a presidential candidate through the , whom then receives all of that state's electoral votes. A simple majority of electoral votes is needed to become president; if no candidate receives that many votes, the election is thrown to the , which votes by state delegation.

While in office, the in serves as the place of residence for the president. The president is also entitled to use its staff and facilities, including medical care, recreation, housekeeping, and security services. One of two aircraft, which are extensively modified versions of -200B airliners, serve as long distance travel for the president, and are referred to as while the president is on board. A salary of 400,000, along with other benefits, is paid to the president annually.

The United States was the first country to create the office of as head of state of a modern . Since the adoption of the Constitution, forty-two individuals have been elected or succeeded into the presidency, the first being , serving forty-three different presidencies altogether (since Grover Cleveland was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president(s) of the U.S.A.). The current president is , inaugurated on , to a first term and on , to a second. His term expires at noon on , , after which he will be replaced by the winner of the . From the middle of the twentieth century, the United States' status as a has led the American president to become one of the world's most well-known and influential public figures. are regarded by many as events of international as well as national significance and are closely followed in many places around the world.

Origin

The left the United States independent and at peace but with an unsettled governmental structure. The had drawn up in 1777, describing a permanent confederation but granting to the Congress—the only federal institution—little power to finance itself or to ensure that its resolutions were enforced. In part this reflected the anti- view of the Revolutionary period, and the new American system was explicitly designed to prevent the rise of an American tyrant to replace the British King.

However, during the that followed the the viability of the American government was threatened by political unrest in several states, efforts by debtors to use popular government to erase their debts, and the apparent inability of the Continental Congress to redeem the public incurred during the war. The Congress also appeared unable to become a forum for productive cooperation among the States encouraging commerce and economic development. In response a was convened, ostensibly to reform the Articles of Confederation but that subsequently began to draft a new system of government that would include greater executive power while retaining the checks and balances thought to be essential restraints on any imperial tendency in the office of the president.

Before the 1788 ratification of the Constitution, there was no comparable figure with executive authority. Individuals who presided over the during the Revolutionary period and under the Articles of Confederation had the title "", often shortened to "President of the United States". They had no important executive power. The president's executive authority under the Constitution, tempered by the checks and balances of the judicial and legislative branches of the federal government, was designed to solve several political problems faced by the young nation and to anticipate future challenges, while still preventing the rise of an autocrat over a nation wary of royal authority.

Qualifications

sets the qualifications required to become president. Presidents must be of the United States, at least thirty-five years old, and must have been in the United States for at least fourteen years. Citizens at the time of adoption of the Constitution were also eligible to become president, provided they met the age and residency requirements. While not an official requirement, the vast majority of presidents had prior experience as vice presidents, members of Congress, governors, or generals; in addition, thirty-one of forty-two presidents served in the military, all but one of them, , as an officer. During the electoral process, experience or lack thereof is often given as a point in a presidential candidate's campaign.

Candidates usually must receive the backing of a major political party. This is not strictly required in order to be considered a serious candidate. Third-party candidate received nearly 19% of the vote in the .

Election

A map of the United States showing the number of electoral votes currently allocated to each state; 270 electoral votes are required for a majority out of 538 overall

Unlike most other countries using the , presidents are elected in the United States. A number of electors, collectively known as the , select the president instead. Each state is allocated a number of electors, equal to the size of its delegation in both houses of Congress combined. Additionally, the grants electors to the District of Columbia as if it were a state, with the restriction that it may not have more representation than the least populated state. Electoral apportionment is adjusted every ten years, in alignment with the . are constitutionally empowered to appoint electors, however, all of the fifty states have established their popular selection.

History

originally established the method of presidential election. It also used an electoral college, but there was a major difference in the voting system. Each elector cast two votes, with the intention that one would be used for a presidential and the other for a candidate. The candidate with the highest number of votes would become the president, while the second-place candidate becoming the vice president.

However, the and elections highlighted flaws in the electoral system in use at the time. In particular, the tie in the electoral vote that resulted from the lack of separation between presidential and vice presidential votes in the latter election was an issue. The 's candidates, who won the election, were tied with each other, and as a result, the election was thrown to the in the outgoing -controlled . Federalist representatives attempted to elect , the Democratic-Republican candidate for vice president, over , the presidential candidate. Jefferson eventually won after managed to swing one state delegation's vote to him. As a result, Congress proposed the in 1803, and it was ratified in 1804. This amendment created the electoral system used today.

Campaign

The modern presidential campaign begins before the , which the two major political parties use to clear the field of candidates in advance of their , where the most successful candidate is made the party's nominee for president. The party's presidential candidate chooses a vice presidential nominee and this choice is rubber-stamped by the convention. Also, the party establishes a platform on which to base its campaign. Although nominating conventions have a long history in the United States, their substantive importance in the political process has greatly diminished; however, they remain important as a way of energizing the parties for the general election and focusing public attention on the nominees.

Nominees participate in , and while the debates are usually restricted to the and nominees, third party candidates may be invited, such as in the 1992 debates. Nominees campaign across the country to explain their views, convince voters, and solicit contributions. Much of the modern electoral process is concerned with winning through frequent visits and advertising drives.

Electoral College

President (second from left), walks with, from left, former Presidents , , and during the dedication of the in Little Rock, Arkansas, ,

Voters in each of the states elect a president on , set by law as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, once every four years; elections for other offices at all levels of government also occur on this date. Each state holds a number of electoral votes which correspond to electors in the Electoral College. Tickets of presidential and vice presidential candidates are shown on the ballot; each vote for the tickets actually corresponds to a vote for a slate of electors chosen by the candidates' political party. In most states, the ticket that wins the most votes in a state wins all of that state's electoral votes, and thus has their slate of electors chosen to vote in the Electoral College. and do not use this method, opting instead to give two electoral votes to the statewide winner and one electoral vote to the winner of each Congressional district. Neither state has split electoral votes between candidates as a result of this system in modern elections. In any case, the winning set of electors meets at their state's capital on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, a few weeks after the election, to vote, and sends a vote count to Congress.

The vote count is opened by the sitting vice president, acting in his capacity as , and read aloud to a of the incoming Congress, which was elected at the same time as the president. Members of Congress can object to any state's vote count, provided that the objection is supported by at least one member of each house of Congress. A successful objection will be followed by debate; however, objections to the electoral vote count are rarely raised.

In the event that no candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote, the House of Representatives chooses the president from among the top three contenders. However, the House does not vote normally; instead, each state delegation is given only one vote, marginalizing the importance of more populous states. The vice president is chosen through normal voting in the Senate, where each state delegation is already of equal size.

Rationale

When the Constitution was written, the framers disagreed on the selection of the president: some favored national popular vote, while others wanted Congress to choose the president. The Electoral College was created as a compromise between the two proposals. It gave rural areas and smaller states a slightly larger role in determining the outcome of the election, and it continues to do so today; for example, the largest state by population, , only has about one electoral vote for every 660,000 residents, while the smallest, , has an electoral vote for about every 170,000.

Today, most of the electoral process is a formality in the public eye, as the choice of electors determines the result of the election, with a few exceptions. However, the Twelfth Amendment was written in a time when voters at large had little knowledge of candidates outside their state. As a result, the amendment accommodated this; the electors that voters had chosen were supposed to learn about the other candidates, and make an informed decision that represented the wishes of their constituents. Modern communication has rendered this unnecessary, and as a result, voters now choose between electors that are already pledged to a presidential candidate.

Term of office

A president's term of office begins at noon on of the year following the election. This date, known as , marks the beginning of the president's and vice president's four-year terms. Before assuming office, the president-elect is constitutionally required to take the :

" | I do solemnly swear (or ) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. | ”

Presidents traditionally include "So help me God" at the end of the .

, the first president, set an unofficial term limit of two terms, which was generally followed by subsequent presidents as precedent. After the twelve-year presidency of , who was elected four times, but died shortly after beginning his fourth term, the was ratified, barring presidents from being elected more than twice, or once if they served more than half of another president's term. Prior to Roosevelt, several presidents had campaigned for a third term, but none were elected. , who was president at the time of the amendment's ratification and thus not subject to its terms, also briefly sought a third term before withdrawing from the race.

Since the amendment's ratification, three presidents have served two full terms: , , and . was elected to a second term, but resigned before completing it; will become the fourth upon completion of his current term on , . was the only president under the amendment to be eligible to serve more than two terms in total, having only served for 14 months following 's . However, he chose not to run in the .

Removal from office

(From left) President , with former Presidents , , , and at the dedication of the in 1991

Vacancies in the office of President may arise because of death, resignation, or removal from office. Articles and Two of the Constitution allow the House of Representatives to impeach high federal officials, including the president, for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors", and give the Senate the power to remove impeached officials from office, given a two-thirds vote to convict. Two presidents have thus far been impeached by the House, in 1868 and in 1998. Neither was subsequently convicted by the Senate; however, Johnson was acquitted by just one vote.

Per the , the vice president and a majority of the may suspend the president from discharging the powers and duties of the office once they transmit a statement declaring the president's incapacity to discharge the duties of the office. to the and the . If this occurs, then the vice president will assume the powers and duties of President as ; however, the president can declare that no such inability exists, and resume executing the Presidency. If the vice president and Cabinet contest this claim, it is up to Congress, which must meet within two days if not already in session, to decide the merit of the claim.

The United States Constitution mentions the resignation of the president but does not regulate the form of such a resignation or the conditions for its validity. By Act of Congress, the only valid evidence of the president's decision to resign is a written instrument declaring the resignation signed by the president and delivered to the office of the . The only president to resign was on , ; he was facing likely impeachment and possible subsequent conviction in the midst of the . Just before his resignation, the had reported favorably on articles of impeachment against him.

The Constitution states that the vice president is to be the president's successor in the case of a vacancy. If both the president and vice president are killed or unable to serve for any reason, the next officer in the , currently the Speaker of the House, becomes acting president. The list extends to the President pro tempore of the Senate after the Speaker, followed by every member of the Cabinet in a set order.

Duties and powers

President delivering the , with and behind him

Main article:

The president is the of the United States, putting him at the head of the executive branch of the government, whose responsibility is to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed". To carry out this duty, he is given control of the four million employees of the vast executive branch, including one million active duty personnel in the . Both the and branches maintain on the powers of the president, and vice versa.

Various executive and judicial branch appointments are made by presidents, including . Up to 6,000 appointments may be made by an incoming president before he takes office, and 8,000 more may be made while in office. , of the , members of the , and other federal officers are all appointed by the president, with the "" of a simple majority of the ; appointments made while the Senate is in recess are temporary and expire at the end of the next session of the Senate. He may also grant , as is often done just before the end of a presidential term.

In addition, while the president cannot directly introduce legislation, he can play an important role in shaping it, especially if the president's political party has a majority in one or both houses of Congress. While members of the executive branch are prohibited from simultaneously holding seats in Congress, they often write legislation and allow a member of Congress to introduce it for them. The president can further influence the legislative branch through the annual constitutionally mandated , which outlines the president's legislative proposals for the coming year. If Congress passes a bill that the president disapproves of, he may it; the veto can be overridden only by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, making it substantially more difficult to enact the law.

Perhaps the most important of all presidential powers is command of the as . The framers of the Constitution took care to limit the president's powers regarding the military; writes in part:

" | The President is to be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States. [...] It would amount to nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces [...] while that [the power] of the British king extends to the DECLARING of war and to the RAISING and REGULATING of fleets and armies, all [of] which [...] would appertain to the legislature. | ”

While the power to declare war is constitutionally vested in Congress, the president commands and directs the military and is responsible for planning military strategy. Congress, pursuant the , must authorize any troop deployments more than 60 days in length. Military spending and regulations are also governed by Congress, providing a check to presidential power. Along with the armed forces, is also directed by the president, including the ability to negotiate , which must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.

Privileges of office

Presidential authority, past and present: flying over

The president is entitled to use the as his living and working quarters, and its entire staff and facilities, including medical care, kitchen, housekeeping and security staff. While travelling, the president is able to conduct the functions of the office from one of two custom-built aircraft, known as . The president also utilizes a helicopter, designated when the president is aboard. Similarly, "", "," and "" are the call signs used if the president is aboard a craft belonging to these services. For ground travel, the president uses an armored , currently a heavily modified which uses the call sign "Cadillac One."

Salary

The voted to pay a salary of $25,000 a year, about $566,000 in 2007 terms. Washington, already a wealthy man, refused to accept his salary, however, he asked for his living expenses to be covered. Theodore Roosevelt spent his entire $50,000 salary on entertaining guests at the White House. donated his salary to charities.

Presidential pay history

Date established | Salary | Salary in 2007

dollars

, | $25,000 | $566,000

, | $50,000 | $865,000

, | $75,000 | $1,714,000

, | $100,000 | $875,000

, | $200,000 | $1,135,000

, | $400,000 | $471,000

Traditionally, the president is the highest-paid government employee. President Bush currently earns $400,000 per year, along with a $50,000 expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment. The president's salary and total expense account serve as an unofficial cap for all other federal officials' salaries, such as that of the . The most recent raise in salary was approved by Congress and President in 1999 and came into force in 2001; prior to the change, the president earned $200,000, plus expense accounts. This was needed because other officials who received annual cost-of-living increases had salaries approaching that of the president, and in order to raise their salaries further, his needed to be raised as well. Monetary compensation for the president is minuscule in comparison to the of most companies and comparable to that of certain kinds of professionals, such as and in some parts of the United States. Overall the vast majority of U.S. presidents were very affluent upon entering office and thus were not dependent on the salary.

Prior to passage by Congress of the Former Presidents Act (FPA) in 1958, retired presidents did not receive a pension. All living presidents in 1959 began to receive a pension of $25,000 per year, an office, and a staff. The pension has increased numerous times with Congressional approval. Retired presidents now receive a pension based on the salary of the current administration's cabinet secretaries (Executive Level I), which is $183,500 as of 2007. Some former presidents have also collected . The FPA, as amended, also provides former presidents with travel funds and mailing privileges.

Secret Service

The is charged with protecting the sitting president and his family. Until 1997, all former presidents and their families were protected by the Secret Service until the president's death. The last president to have lifetime Secret Service protection is ; George W. Bush and all subsequent presidents will be protected by the Secret Service for a maximum of ten years after leaving office. However, debates in Congress have been raised concerning this decision. Following the increase in terrorism and threats to the president in general since 1997, lifetime protection is being reconsidered.

Presidential libraries

Each president since has created a repository known as a for preserving and making available their papers, records, and other documents and materials. Completed libraries are deeded to and maintained by the ; the initial funding for building and equipping each library must come from private, non-federal sources. There are currently twelve presidential libraries in the NARA system. There are also a number of presidential libraries maintained by state governments and private foundations, such as the , which is run by the State of .

After the presidency

Some presidents have had significant careers after leaving office. Prominent examples include 's tenure as and 's work on government reorganization after . More recently, has become a global campaigner, international arbiter and election monitor, and a best-selling author. Other former presidents have served in elected office after leaving the White House; was elected to the Senate after his term was over, and served in the for eighteen years. , whose bid for reelection failed in 1888, was elected president again four years later in 1892. served in the provisional during the , and was elected to the official Confederate Congress but died before it convened.

See also