AP Government
The Presidency
of the United States
Guiding Questions
 What is the job of the president of the United States?
 What are the president's roles and responsibilities?
 How do the president and the public communicate with each
other?
1)
The President can declare war if America's national
security is threatened.
(False. Only Congress can declare war.)
2) The President has the right to withhold certain information
from Congress if he thinks it would endanger America.
(True, Executive Privilege)
3) The power of the vice-presidency has been increasing since
the early 1990s (true).
4) The president is one of the highest paid members of
American society.
(False. he makes a mere $400,000)
5) No president has ever been elected to more than two terms
(False. FDR gained four terms).
The Presidency
The President, the President's
Cabinet and the Vice President
make the executive branch of
American government.
The Roles of the President
1. Chief of State – The President is the ceremonial
head of the U.S. Government.
2. Chief Executive – The Constitution gives to the
President the Executive Power of the United
States.
3. Chief Administrator – The President is the
director of the federal government and its
approximate 2.7 million employees and budget
of $3.7 trillion.
4. Chief Diplomat – The President is the primary
architect of American foreign policy.
The Roles of the President
5. Commander in Chief – The President is the
leader of the United States armed forces.
6. Chief Legislator - The President is the chief
architect of the domestic policy of the United
States.
7. Chief of Party – The President is the
acknowledged leader of his political party.
8. Chief Citizen – The President is expected to be
the representative of all the people of the United
States.
 The President must perform all of these jobs at the
same time. Failure in any one or combinations can
lead to big political problems.
 How would you rate the President in these various
roles?
Formal Qualifications
1. Must be a “natural” born American citizen.
2. Must be at least 35 years of age.
3. Must have lived in the United States for at least 14
years.
 Prior to 1951 the President was not limited in
the number of terms they could serve.
 The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution limits
the President of the United States to no more
than 2 four-year terms in office.
 The maximum number of years that a person
could serve as President is 10.
 If a President comes into office after the midpoint of
another President’s term, they would be allowed to
serve two full terms of their own.
 If a President comes into office before the midpoint of
another President’s term, they would be limited to
one full term of their own.
Many of the modern
President’s have pushed for a
repeal of the 22nd
Amendment because of the
disadvantage it places on the
Presidents in their second
term.
Pay & Benefits
 Currently the President is paid $400,000 per
year and is given a $50,000 per year expense
account (that is considered to be taxable
income).
 The President may not receive any other pay
from any other source while in office.
 The President is also allowed to live in a 132
room mansion on 18.3 acres in the heart of
Washington, D.C., a large suite of offices and a
staff to man them, a fleet of automobiles,
airplanes (Air Force One), helicopters (Marine
One), Camp David (a retreat in the mountains
of Maryland) and many other benefits.
Presidential Succession & Disability
 Presidential succession is the plan by which the
Presidency is filled in case of a vacancy.
 If the President dies, resigns or is impeached,
the Vice President succeeds to the office
(Tradition + the 25th Amendment).
 Congress fixes the order of succession after the
V.P. By terms of the Presidential Succession Act
of 1947, the V.P. is followed by the Speaker of
the House, the President pro tem of the Senate,
the Secretary of State and then the other heads
of the Cabinet departments in the order in they
were created by Congress.
Presidential Succession & Disability
 The 25th Amendment also takes care of the problem
of Presidential disability. The V.P. becomes Acting
President if:
1. The President informs Congress in writing
that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties
of his office.
2. The V.P. and a majority of the members of the
Cabinet inform Congress in writing that the
President is incapacitated.
 In either case the President may resume the powers
duties of office by informing Congress that no
disability exists.
 However, if the V.P. and a majority of the Cabinet
challenge the President on that, Congress has 21 days
to decide.
The Vice Presidency
 The V.P. has two Constitutional duties:
1. To preside over the Senate.
2. To help determine Presidential disability.
 Traditionally the V.P. has been chosen “to
balance the ticket”.
 The power that is given to the V.P. greatly
depends on what the President is willing to have
him do.
 If the Vice Presidency becomes vacant the
position is filled by Presidential appointment.
 Remember that all appointments by the President must
be approved by the Senate.
Electing the President
 The President of the United States is elected the
Electoral College.
 In the Electoral College each state has the same
number of votes as it has members of Congress.
 What is the minimum number of votes that a state can
have?
 Very few of the framers of the Constitution
were in favor of electing a President through a
popular vote.
 In order to be elected President a person must
receive a majority of the votes in the Electoral
College (538 total = 270).
Electing the President
If nobody receives a majority, the President is
selected by the House from the top 3 vote
getters.
 The framers believed that most every President would
be elected in this way.
The rise of the political parties would make the
original intentions of the framers obsolete
because the two-party system would
automatically get the choices down to two
candidates.
There have been several changes made to correct
flaws in the Electoral College beginning with
the ratification of the 12th Amendment after the
election of 1800.
The Party Nominating Procedure
 The political parties originally had national
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conventions where delegates from each state would
vote from among the candidates to choose the
party’s nominee.
Today the parties use a system of primary elections
and caucuses to choose their candidates.
The field of candidates from each party is gradually
narrowed down by the various state primaries.
The winner of the primary election in each state
receives a number of delegates that will vote for
them at the national convention.
Usually the party’s nomination is decided before
the convention even starts.
The Party Nominating Procedure
Primaries come in one of two forms:
1.Closed Primaries - Only members of the party may
vote in this type of primary.
2. Open Primary - This type of primary is open to
voters no matter what party they belong to.
The Party Nominating Procedure
 States that do not hold primaries use a caucus
(a meeting of like-minded people) to choose
delegates for the various candidates.
 A caucus, like a closed primary, is open only to
party members.
 Instead of going to a polling place and casting a
vote in a primary election, the party members
meet at a caucus and cast their votes for the
candidate of their choice.
The National Convention
 Once all the primaries and caucuses have been
held, each party holds a national convention.
 The party that does not have the president will
have its convention first.
 It is at the convention that the party will
officially:
1 - Choose their candidate for president.
2 - Develop their platform that all of the
party’s candidates for office are expected to
follow in their campaigns.
The November Election
 From the end of the conventions in August to
election day, on the Tuesday following the first
Monday in November the candidates will
campaign continually.
 Voters will go to the polls and cast ballots. The
candidate who receives the most votes in a state
will receive all of the electoral votes from that
state.
 How many electoral votes does each state have?
The November Election
 The states’ electoral votes are cast by electors
who are chosen “at large” (as a whole) and by
the political parties in each state.
 All the electors in every state will meet at the
state capitols on a date set by Congress to cast
their votes.
 The ballots will then be sent to Washington,
D.C., where they will be counted before a joint
session of Congress on January 6 – as long as
that is not a Sunday.
Flaws of the Electoral College
1. The winner of the popular vote may not win in the
electoral college vote (1824, 1876, 1888 and 2000).
2. Nothing requires the electors to vote for the
candidate favored by the popular vote in their state.
3. There is always the possibility that the election
could be decided by the House of Representatives.
Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College
1. The District Plan
2. The Proportional Plan
3. Direct Popular Election
4. The National Bonus Plan
It is doubtful that there will be a change in the
electoral college because of the power that it gives
to the smaller states.
The Presidency in Action
 It is the job of the president to execute
(enforce) the laws of the United States.
 Most presidents have viewed the power of
the office in one of two ways:
1. They are the captain of a ship and set a course
to follow.
2. It is the job of Congress to run the country and
they only have powers that are specifically given
to them by the Constitution.
The Presidency in Action
Most of the modern presidents have exercised
great power while in office. This has come
about for several reasons:
 There is only one president and there are 2 houses in
Congress.
 Americans look to the president for leadership in a
number of areas.
 The need for quick and decisive answers in times of
emergency.
 Congress has given the president more power because
it makes their job easier.
 All of the modern presidents have made great use of
the mass media that Congressmen do not have easy
access to.
Executive Powers
 Executing the Law – The president and his
administration exercise a great amount of say in
what laws are going to be enforced and how
strongly they are to be enforced.
 The Ordinance Power – Presidents have the
power to issue executive orders, which have the
effect of law.
 The Appointment Power – The president names
most of the top ranking officers in the federal
government.
 The Removal Power – Generally speaking, if
the president gives you your job, he can remove
you from that job.
Diplomatic and Military Powers
 The Power to Make Treaties – The president
has the power to make treaties with the heads of
foreign countries. The Senate must approve the
treaty with a 2/3 vote before the president can
ratify it.
 Executive Agreements – This is an agreement
between the president and the leader of a
foreign power that is like a treaty, but does not
require the consent of the Senate.
 The Power of Recognition – This is the power of
the president, representing the U.S., to
recognize the legal existence of country.
Diplomatic and Military Powers
 Commander in Chief – The president is the
commander in chief of the nation’s military.
 The president has the power to use armed forces abroad
without a formal declaration of war by Congress.
 The president has far greater powers during times of declared
war than otherwise.
 * The War Powers Resolution:
 1. Within 48 hours of committing American forces to combat
abroad, the President must report to Congress, detailing the
circumstances and scope of his actions.
 2. Combat commitment must end within 60 days, unless
Congress agrees to a longer period. That 60-day deadline may
be extended for up to 30 days to allow for the safe with drawl
of the American forces.
 3. Congress may end the combat commitment at anytime by
passing a concurrent resolution to that effect.
Diplomatic and Military Powers
The constitutionality of the War
Powers Resolution has yet to be
decided by the courts.
“In passing the law, Congress specifically cites the Necessary and
Proper Clause for its authority. Under the Necessary and Proper Clause,
it is specifically provided that the Congress shall have the power to
make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution, not
only its own powers but also all other powers vested by the
Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any
department or officer thereof.” War Powers Joint Resolution, §2(b).
Legislative Powers
 Recommending Legislation – The president
may not introduce a bill in Congress, but he can
recommend legislation that he believes should
be enacted.
 Veto Power – The president has the power to
veto an act passed by Congress. Remember,
this is of 4 things that a President may do when
presented with a bill by Congress.
 Do you remember the other 3 options?
The Veto power is an example of what basic principle of
American democracy?
Judicial Powers
 Reprieve – The postponement of the
execution of a sentence.
 Pardon – A legal forgiveness of a crime.
 Commutation – The power to commute
(reduce) the length of a sentence or a fine
imposed by a court.
 Amnesty – A blanket pardon offered to a
group of law violators.
The Executive Office of the President
 The executive office is made of the President, vice
President and their staffs.
 The President’s Cabinet is an informal body of advisors
who regularly meet with the President and vice
President.
 The cabinet today is made of the heads of the 14
executive departments, and their job is to run their
department and advise the President.
The Executive Departments
 State (1789)
 Housing & Urban
 Treasury (1789)
 Defense (War - 1789)
 Justice (1870)
 Interior (1849)
 Agriculture (1889)
 Commerce (1903)
 Labor (1913)
 Health & Human
Services (1953)
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Development (HUD1965)
Transportation (1967)
Energy (1977)
Education (1979)
Veterans Affairs
(1988)
 The Office of Homeland Security
is an agency that has cabinet level
powers, but is not an official part
of the President’s cabinet.
The Executive Offices
 Every office, every employee and every agency in the
executive branch of the federal Government is legally
subordinate to the President.
 Their job is to help the President in the exercise of the
executive powers.
The most important of the executive office is the Executive
Office of the President (the EOP - established in 1939).
 It is a complex organization of several separate agencies
staffed by most of the President’s closest advisors and
assistants.
 The “nerve center” of the Executive Office is the White House
Office.
 This office occupies the West Wing of the White House and is
headed by the President’s chief of staff.
 The chief of staff is arguably one of the most powerful people in
Washington, D.C., because he often has total control of who has
access to the President.
 Another major office in the executive offices is the National
Security Council.
 The NSC is very important in the formation of American
foreign policy and is chaired by the President.
 Other members of the NSC are the Vice President, the
secretaries of Defense and State, the director of the CIA and the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.