1. The Presidency

2. The Presidency Qualifications: 1. “A natural-born citizen”
2. Be at least 35 years of age
3. Have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

3. The Presidency Presidential Roles: Chief of State Chief Executive
Chief Diplomat
Commander-in-Chief
Legislative Leader
Chief of Party
Guardian of the Economy

4. The Presidency Chief of State
The ceremonial head of the government of the United States.
The symbol of all the people of the nation.
In many countries the Chief of State reigns but does not rule. (i.e. Queen of England & Denmark, Emperor of Japan, King of Norway & Sweden)
Examples of Responsibilities:
Awarding medals to the winners of college scholarships
Congratulating astronauts on their journey into space
Greeting visitors to the White House
Making a patriotic speech on the Fourth of July
“the personal embodiment and representative of
their dignity and majesty.”
- President William Howard Taft (27)

5. The Presidency Chief Executive
Vested by the Constitution with “the executive power of the United States”
Broad powers in both domestic and foreign affairs.
Rules, regulations and instructions called Executive orders, national budget, command the military and national guard, etc
Examples of Responsibilities:
Appointing someone to serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Holding a Cabinet meeting to discuss government business
Reading reports about problems of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Often described as “the most powerful office in the world.”

6. The Presidency Powers of the Presidency
Article II of the Constitution:
“The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.”
Executive Powers:
Command the armed forces
Make treaties
Approve or veto acts of Congress
Send & receive diplomatic representatives
Grant pardons & reprieves
“to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

7. The Presidency Chief Diplomat
The main architect of American foreign policy.
The nation’s chief spokesperson to the rest of the world.
Examples of Responsibilities:
Traveling to London to meet with British leaders
Entertaining Japanese diplomats in the White House

8. The Presidency Commander-in-Chief
The president is in charge of the U.S. Armed Forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
Nearly two million men and women in uniform and all the power in the nation’s military arsenal are subject to the President’s direct and immediate control.
Examples of Responsibilities:
Inspecting a Navy yard
Deciding, in wartime, whether to bomb foreign cities
Calling out troops to stop a riot at the request of the state’s legislature or governor

9. The Presidency Legislative Leader
The main architect of the nation’s public policies.
Only Congress has the actual power to make laws, but the Constitution gives the president power to influence Congress in its lawmaking. Presidents may urge Congress to pass new laws or veto bills that they do not favor.
Examples of Responsibilities:
Inviting members of Congress to lunch in the White House
Signing a bill of Congress
Making a speech in Congress

10. The Presidency
Chief of Party (not an official role as prescribed by the Constitution)
Leader of the political party that controls the executive branch.
Helps members of their political party get elected
Examples of Responsibilities:
Choosing leading party members to serve in the Cabinet
Traveling to California to speak at a rally for a party nominee to the U.S. Senate

11. The Presidency Guardian of the Economy
In this role, the president is concerned with such things as unemployment, high prices, taxes, business profits, and the general prosperity of the country. The president does not control the economy, but is expected to help it run smoothly.
Examples of Responsibilities:
Meeting with economic advisors to discuss ways to reduce unemployment
Meeting with business and labor leaders to discuss their needs and problems

12. The Presidency Term of Office Four-year term
“long enough period for a President to have gained
experience, demonstrated his abilities, and established
stable policies” – Alexander Hamilton
Until 1951, the Constitution placed no limit on the number of terms a President might serve.
“no-third-term tradition” became an unwritten rule in presidential politics until FDR, who was elected to 4 terms.

13. The Presidency Term of Office (cont’d) 22nd Amendment (1951)
“No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who held the office of President, or acted as 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.”
Two full terms = 8 years

14. The Presidency Pay & Benefits $400,000 salary per year
$50,000 a year expense account
White House (132 room mansion) set on an 18.3 acre estate
Suite of offices and a large staff
Yacht, fleet of automobiles, Private plane (Air Force One), other planes & helicopters, Camp David (resort in Maryland)
Medical, dental, other health care
Travel & entertainment funds
Lifetime pension: $143,800 a year
Presidential widows: $20,000 a year

15. The Presidency Section 1. Section 2.
25th Amendment – Presidential Succession
proposed by Congress and ratified by the states in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, provides the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation.  The Watergate scandal of the 1970s saw the application of these procedures, first when Gerald Ford replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president, then when he replaced Richard Nixon as president, and then when Nelson Rockefeller filled the resulting vacancy to become the vice president.  
Section 1.
In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
Section 2.
Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

16. The Presidency Presidential Succession 25th Amendment
4. Secretary of State
5. Secretary of the Treasury
6. Secretary of Defense
7. Attorney General
8. Secretary of the Interior
9. Secretary of Agriculture
10. Secretary of Commerce
11. Secretary of Labor
12. Secretary of Health & Human Services
13. Secretary of Housing & UD
14. Secretary of Transportation
15. Secretary of Energy
16. Secretary of Education
17. Secretary of Veteran Affairs
Presidential
Succession
25th Amendment
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President pro tempore of the Senate

17. The Presidency Presidential Succession Vice President
Vice Presidents Who Succeeded to the Presidency
John Tyler – on the death (pneumonia) of William Henry Harrison, April 4, 1841.
Millard Fillmore – on the death (gastroenteritis) of Zachary Taylor, July 9, 1850.
Andrew Johnson – on the death (assassination) of Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1865.
Chester A. Arthur – on the death (assassination) of James A. Garfield, September 19, 1881.
Theodore Roosevelt – on the death (assassination) of William McKinley, September 14, 1901.
Calvin Coolidge – on the death (undisclosed) of Warren G. Harding, August 2,1923.
Harry S. Truman – on the death (cerebral hemorrhage) of FDR, April 12, 1945.
Lyndon B. Johnson – on the death (assassination) of JFK, November 22, 1963.
Gerald R. Ford – on the resignation of Richard M. Nixon, August 9, 1974.
Presidential
Succession
Vice President
“I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.” – John Adams
Two formal duties of the Vice President:
Preside over the Senate
Help decide the question of presidential disability.

18. The President’s Cabinet
Secretary of State 
Secretary of the Treasury 
Secretary of Defense 
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health & Human Services
Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs

19. The President’s Cabinet
Secretary of
Homeland Security
Ambassador to the
United Nations