Roles of the President
SSCG12: The student will analyze the various roles played by the President of the
United States; include Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, chief executive,
chief agenda setter, representative of the nation, chief of state, foreign policy
leader, and party leader.
EQ.
Chief of Party
Leader of the party
 Helps people within the
party get elected or
appointed
 Campaigns for party
members
 Gives speeches for the
party

 Ex: gives a speech at a party
rally, campaigns for a party
member running for office
Roles of the President
Commander-in-Chief

Leader of the armed forces:
 All military leaders meet
with, and take orders from,
the President

President is in charge of
troops and weapons
 Ex: Inspects troops and military
base, decides whether to use
nuclear weapons or deploy
forces.
Roles of the President
Chief of State

Represents the
country at public
events, ceremonies
and receptions
 Ex: awards medals to
students, lights the
White House Christmas
tree, greets visitors to
the White House
Roles of the President
Chief Diplomat

Sets the nation’s foreign
policy

Represents the U.S. when
meeting with leaders of
other countries.

Involved in developing
agreements and treaties
 Ex: NAFTA
Secretary of State Clinton smiles as she poses for photos
with athletes of the Special Olympics World Winter Games
during a reception after her arrival in Tokyo, Japan.
Clinton arrived in Tokyo on her first trip abroad as
President Barack Obama's chief diplomat with a warning
to North Korea that it needs to live up to its commitments
to dismantle its nuclear programs
Roles of the President
Chief Legislator

Sets the agenda by
voicing his opinions and
ideas about which laws
need to be passed

Gives speeches to
Congress about the laws
they make
 Ex: Signs or vetoes a law,
or works to get a law
passed by Congress
Roles of the President
Chief Citizen:

Makes sure that the
needs of citizens are
being met and that
they have a voice in
government.

Regularly meets with
citizens to hear their
point of view on
issues
 Ex: Town hall meetings
Roles of the President
Chief
Administrator:

Makes sure that the
government is
running smoothly

Makes sure people
who work for it are
doing their jobs.

Ex: meets with
department leaders
to make sure that all
departments are
running smoothly
Chief Executive

President has all of
the executive
powers given to the
executive branch by
the Constitution to
enforce the laws and
supervise the affairs
of the nation
 Ex: appoints the head
of FBI, appoints judges,
or holds a Cabinet
meeting