The President

Article II of the US Constitution grants the president numerous powers and responsibilities, but the the authority 
granted to the modern presidency far exceeds the constitutional definition of office. And through the years, a variety 
of presidential roles have evolved that were not originally or specifically outlined in the Article. Some of these roles 
were legislated by congress, the courts granted some, and powerful presidents assumed others. 
The president’s first role is as chief executive, the head of the executive branch and most of its workers. He is 
responsible for the ethics, loyalty, efficiency, and responsiveness of the federal government and its employees. The 
evolution of the chief executive’s primary role provides a useful example of how the presidential power has 
developed through the years. At the outset, the Constitution granted the chief executive the power to appoint all 
officials in the executive branch, but after George Washington’s term. Custom gave the chief executive power to 
remove appointees. Finally, legislation granted him the power to reorganize agencies and to prepare the budgets. 
In the role of chief of state, the president acts as a ceremonial head of the federal government. This is an extremely 
important role, for in this capacity, the president must greet distinguished visitors, bestow medals, and host state 
dinners. The impression he gives others while performing these duties can help him gain support, lift his reputation, 
and help towards reelection. President William Howard Taft once said the president must act as “the personal 
embodiment and representative of the dignity and majesty” of the people, the government, and the laws of the 
United States. 
The president also serves as commander in chief of the nation’s armed forces, which makes him ultimately 
responsible for the nation’s defense. He appoints and removes generals, makes key military decisions (such as when 
and where to wage war), and negotiates armistice terms. During wartime emergencies, the president is also entitled 
to restrict civil liberties, to exert greater control over the economy, to seize industries, to fix wages and prices, and to 
settle labor disputes. Finally the commander in chief alone decides when and if the nation will use its atomic 
weapons. This role is extremely important because in acting out his decisions, the president is deciding the future of 
the nation, and we the people are putting extreme powers in the hands of one man. Though he is influenced by his 
associates and generals about the proper actions in times of political crisis, the last decision is up to the president. 
People who are not supporters of the president or his decisions te! 
nd to panic in times of war, and thus it is extremely important that the president makes the impression to the nation 
as a competent and capable man who one can have faith in. 
Another extremely important role that the president takes on is that of the nation’s chief diplomat. Although the 
Constitution attempted to divide diplomatic affairs between the president and congress, these affairs have become 
primarily a presidential responsibility. He negotiates treaties and executive agreements, manages foreign alliances, 
recognizes new governments, appoints and supervises diplomatic personnel, and receives foreign ambassadors. 
The Constitution accords the president the power to veto congressional bills and recommend legislation to congress. 
This means that if the president disapproves of a bill (this usually happens when a bill contradicts the president’s 
political group or personal beliefs), he can respond with a ‘message veto’ and return the bill to Congress with a 
message stating the reasons he has for not signing it. This helps Congress “edit” the bill in such a way that the 
president will pass it, though many times it looks completely different than the original bill that they began with. If 
Congress is about to adjourn, the president can also respond with a ‘pocket veto’ and refuse to sign the bill within 
ten days. If Congress adjourns within that time, the bill will not become law. In modern times, the president also has 
a responsibility to the legislature: he must annually address Congress on the state of the Union. 
The roles of chief executive, chief of state, commander in chief, chief diplomat, and a key legislator originated in the 
Constitution. But over time, the presidency has acquired many other roles that the Constitution’s framers never 
imagined. One of these roles if party chief. Today, a candidate must have his political party’s full support in order to 
become president. Once elected, a president must then become a skillful party leader. This way he can use the 
party’s power to achieve his goals. Therefore, presidents court the favor of party members in Congress and place 
fellow party members in important government posts. 
The president’s role as national spokesman also evolved greatly through the years. This job makes sure that at home 
the president speaks for the nation’s ideals; overseas, he embodies American beliefs. He must sell America and it’s 
image, ideas, and goals, around the world to help economy, trade, and countless other advantages. Modern 
presidents have been especially effective in this role because they have had almost unlimited access to the mass 
media. Some presidents have written columns, held weekly radio shows, spoken several times on national television, 
and used every form of communication to ensure the fact that the most powerful man in the country is still working 
for them. First ladies have also used this method to not only help their image, but to help that of their husband. The 
media has commanded a huge government information network, covering political conventions, following 
candidates all the way to the White House, and readily agrees to let themselves be used to! 
carry the president’s messages far and wide. 
Foreign trade is controlled by the president meaning that he can affect the world economy through this power. In 
addition to his extensive formal powers over tariff rates and quotas, he has a variety of informal powers. He can 
generate adverse publicity against nations and their industries. He can even instruct the Justice Department to 
enforce economic laws against those nations and industries that do not cooperate with his policies. 
Most modern presidents have also assumed the role of peacemaker. At home, the president can employ federal 
marshals to protect the peace and, in the case of riots or disasters or even mass hysteria, he can call out the National 
Guard or the Army. A classic example of this power (or moral decision as some prefer to call it) was in the LA riots 
when George Bush readily called the National Guard to California to stop looting, beatings, and other chaos. 
Abroad, the president can use American troops to enforce the peace in war-torn countries, such as what’s happening 
today in Sarajevo. At home and abroad he can always call on various government organizations, such as The Red 
Cross or The Salvation Army to alleviate suffering and prevent crime after natural disasters. 
And finally, the president functions as a world leader. In discussions with Communist nations, he acts not only as 
America’s chief executive but also as the leader of nations belonging to NATO. Many of his other functions, such as 
controller of America’s atomic arsenal, give him great powers over many other people in the world. The 
Constitution and federal laws serve to keep the presidential powers in check. 
There are however, limits on the president, keeping him from becoming too powerful and making serious decisions 
without consulting others. In addition to direct constitutional restraints, various judicial and legislative actions 
indirectly check the presidential powers. For example, the courts have restricted the president’s authority to abridge 
civil rights and to seize industries during national emergencies. 
Congress can use a number of formal and informal tools to recapture power from the president. Legislators can 
investigate alleged wrongdoing by a president or his administration or refuse to approve presidential legislation. 
They can also legislate specific qualifications for some presidential appointees, and they have imposed laws 
forbidding a president to remove appointees from office arbitrarily. In addition, Congress can deny funds for 
presidential programs. The Senate can halt the legislative process with filibusters (nonstop speech-making that 
delays congressional business). Congressional leaders can also challenge the president by voting to override a 
presidential veto of a bill. If at least two-thirds of the members of each house vote to override the veto, the bill 
becomes law. 
Other groups have the power to hinder presidential plans. Government agencies and bureaus can frustrate executive 
power by neglecting to support or execute presidential programs. State and local governments can thwart the spirit 
of federal guidelines. 
When the people choose a president, they first tend to look at which man supports most of their own rights and 
beliefs and interests. A man speaking the values and morals and that presents himself as a good and capable man is 
likely to be elected. What starts out a s a popularity contest turns to a more serious decision, however, when it comes 
down to two candidates. Then the people remember the presidential rights, powers, and responsibilities, and are 
faced with the decision of giving the most powerful position in the world to the right man. We see lawyers and 
doctors become politicians and presidents because these professions scream hard work, discipline, and stability. 
While the people know what they look for in a president, the president knows that he has no limits or powers other 
than what has been granted to him by the American people. He has to be firm yet flexible, and know his way around 
the country and the world. He has to be a voice for the people and never abuse ! 
the powers given to him. Every president wants to be remembered in history, but he knows that is he overuses his 
power, he can easily be remembered as the first American dictator, which the people and the president surely don’t 
want to have happen. 










Sources
Tugwell, Rexford G. How They Became President. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1964
White, Theodore H. America In Search of Itself: The Making of the President, 1956-1980. New York: Harper 
&Row, 1982
Koeing, Louis W. The Chief Executive. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1964