The Executive
Branch: A
Lecture on the
US President
Forty-four men have been
president of the United
States . . .
Article II of the US
Constitution . . .
The executive Power
shall be vested in a
President of the
United States of
America . . .
Requirements to be the
United States President . . .
*35 years of age
*natural-born citizen
*continuous residency
in US for 14 years
President
Washington set the
tradition of serving
only two terms. FDR
was the only
president to serve
four terms.
The 22nd
Amendment,
ratified in 1951,
limited all
presidents to two
terms.
Two presidents
have been
impeached:
Andrew Johnson &
William Jefferson
Clinton
Neither executive was
found guilty or
removed from office .
. . Nixon would have
been impeached, but
he resigned from
office.
One president, Ford, was
not elected to either the
position of vice presidency
or presidency. He became
VP when Agnew resigned;
he became president when
Nixon resigned.
This is what
Nixon had to say
at the beginning
of the
Watergate
investigation . . .
“I am not a crook!“
Roles of the President of
the United States . . .
Chief of State
Represents the US in
foreign matters; Acts as
a symbol of the US.
Example: President
Roosevelt
represented the
United States at the
Yalta Conference
during The Second
World War.
Chief Executive
Head of federal bureaucracy:
*14 Cabinet Departments
*Agencies, Independent
Regulatory Commissions
*Government Corporations
The Cabinet of the
President:
Chief Diplomat:
*Conducts foreign policy
*Negotiates & signs treaties
& trade agreements (Senate
ratifies)
The president has the most
power in foreign policy.
Example: President Bush met
with Prime Minister Sharon to
discuss the situation in the
Middle East.
Chief Legislator:
+Congress makes the laws.
+President may propose a
legislative agenda.
+President signs/vetoes
bills.
Example: President Johnson
signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964:
Commander - in - Chief:
The president is in charge
of the US armed forces;
he works closely with the
Secretary of Defense &
the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
Example: President
Truman made the decision
to drop the atomic bomb
on Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Chief of the Party
The presidents head up their
political party; they make
campaign speeches for Senators
& Congressman in their party are
running for re-election; they also
raise $$$ for their party.
Example: President
Obama will campaign to
re-elect Democratic
Congressmen & women in
2019.
Chief Guardian of the
Economy:
The president monitors
unemployment, inflation, taxation,
business an general economic
welfare of the nation. If the
economy does well, the President
gets the credit.
Example: Clinton was
elected in 1992 over Bush
due to the failure of Bush
to address economic
problems. A popular
Clinton slogan :
“It’s the Economy,
Stupid!”
Leader of the
Free World
Example: President
Wilson led the World in
the aftermath of WWI,
when he journeyed to
France to discuss his 14
Points and to negotiate
the Treaty of Versailles.