1. Hail to the Chief
The Power of the
American Presidency

2. Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Presidents
69% politicians
62% lawyers
>50% from the top 3% wealth and social class
0.5% born into poverty
69% elected from large states
100% male
98% Caucasian
97% Protestant
82% of British ancestry
77% college educated

3. Constitutional Qualifications
Must be at least 35 years old
Must have lived in the United States for 14 years
Must be a natural born citizen

4. Presidential Benefits
$400,000 tax-free salary
$50,000/year expense account
$100,000/year travel expenses
The White House
Secret Service protection
Camp David country estate
Air Force One personal airplane
Staff of
Christmas at the White House, 2004

5. Presidential Roles

6. Chief of State Queen Elizabeth and President Reagan, 1983
President Kennedy speaks at Berlin Wall, 1963

7. Chief Administrator
President Clinton with Janet Reno, the first female Attorney General,
February, 1993
President Bush holds cabinet meeting
in October, 2005

8. Commander-in-Chief President Johnson decorates a soldier
in Vietnam, October, 1966
President Bush aboard U.S.S. Lincoln, May, 2003

9. Chief Legislator
President Clinton delivers the State of the Union Address, 1997
President Roosevelt signs into law the Social Security Act, 1935

10. Chief of Party
President Reagan & Vice-President Bush accepting their party’s nomination in 1980

11. President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
Chief Citizen
President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
President Obama comforting victims of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey (with Governor Christie)

12. Chief Diplomat
President Carter brokering a Middle East peace agreement
President Nixon greeting Chinese leader Mao Zedong

13. Chief Executive
President Trump explaining how border security will be enforced through Homeland Security
President Obama signing a bill into law – including how it will be enforced

14. Formal Powers of the President
Constitutional or enumerated powers of the presidency
Found primarily in Article II of the Constitution

15. Formal Powers: Commander-in-Chief
Commander in Chief of the Army & Navy
Commander in Chief of the state militias (now the National Guard)
Commission all officers

16. Formal Powers: Chief Executive
“Faithfully execute” the laws
Require the opinion of heads of executive departments
Grant pardons for federal offenses except for cases of impeachment
Nominate judges of the Supreme Court and all other officers of the U.S. with consent of the Senate
Fill vacancies that may happen during recess of the Senate

17. Formal Powers: Foreign Affairs
Appoint ambassadors, ministers and consuls
Make treaties subject to Senate confirmation
Receive ambassadors

18. Formal Powers: Chief Legislator
Give State of the Union address to Congress
Recommend “measures” to the Congress
Upon “extraordinary occasions” convene both houses of Congress

19. Formal Powers: Chief Legislator (cont.)
Presidential Veto
Veto Message within 10 days of passing the House of origin
Pocket Veto - President does not sign within 10 days
Congress can override with 2/3 majority from both Houses
Veto Politics
Congressional override is difficult (only 4%)
Threat of veto can cause Congress to make changes in legislation

20. Informal Powers
Those powers not explicitly written in the Constitution
Similar to “necessary and proper” powers of Congress
In the modern era (since 1933), the President’s informal powers may be significantly more powerful than his formal powers

21. Executive Orders
Orders issued by the President that carry the force of law
Clinton’s “Don’t ask don’t tell” gays in the military policy
FDR’s internment of Japanese Americans
GWB trying suspected terrorists in military tribunals
Notice for Japanese “relocation,” 1942

22. Executive Agreements
International agreements, usually related to trade, made by a president that has the force of a treaty; does NOT need Senate approval
Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana in 1803
GWB announced cuts in the nuclear arsenal, but not in a treaty; usually trade agreements between
US and other nations

23. Executive Privilege
Claim by a president that he has the right to decide that the national interest will be better served if certain information is withheld from the public, including the Courts and Congress
United States v. Nixon (1973) – presidents do NOT have unqualified executive privilege (Nixon Watergate tapes)

24. Questions for Discussion
Why are informal powers more important than formal powers, particularly to modern presidents?
Identify several advantages and disadvantages of the use of the president’s informal powers.
Has the use and perhaps abuse of the informal powers created an “Imperial Presidency?” Defend your answer.