1. The Presidency

2. The President
The American public has a somewhat contradictory idea of the president. We like the idea a strong president who uses their power for good. Yet, at the same time we are very frightened at the idea of a president with too much power. This paradox has proved to be very difficult for most modern presidents to handle.
Who are the presidents – at this point only one has not been a white males. Many of them have ivy league educations
Only 14 of 44 presidents have served two full terms.
6 presidents chose not to run for a second term.
7 presidents lost bids for a second term.

3. The President
For over 10% of American history, the office of the president has been held by someone not elected to the office. About 1 in 5 presidents got the job because they were vice president when the president died or left office.
In the 20th century, 5 of 18 presidents were accidental presidents.
Presidents can be removed from office through impeachment. The constitution outlines the process. Its starts with the house voting to bring articles of impeachment against the president. This is the equivalent of an indictment in criminal courts. Then the Senate holds the trial which is presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Two presidents have been impeached, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were both impeached but not removed from office. Nixon was almost impeached but resigned shortly before this could happen.

4. Powers of the President
The Framers of the Constitution were concerned that the president would become like a king. To get around this they split the powers seen as most dangerous between the president and congress. For example the President is commander and chief and yet the power to declare war rests with Congress. Also, the Senate has the final say on treaties and presidential appointments. Impeachment was placed as the ultimate check.
Presidential power has slowly increased throughout the years. Two things have been leading this: technology, and foreign policy. Technology of today was not around or even envisioned by the framers of the Constitution. This has increased the authority of the president. The Framers also failed to predict the role the US would play in the world. They gave the President most of the authority in this region.
Presidential authority is currently in a time of flux. This started with Vietnam and Watergate. It continues today, with issues over the Patriot Act and the global War on Terror.

5. Presidential Power National Security Powers
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
Make treaties (must be approved by 2/3 of Senate).
Nominate Ambassadors
Receive Ambassadors thereby officially recognizing that country.
Legislative Powers
Present information in the State of the Union.
Recommend Legislation
Convene both houses of Congress in extraordinary situations.
Adjourn congress
Veto legislation
Issue executive orders
Administrative Power
Execution of laws
Nominate officials, subject to congressional approval; can issue recess appointments
Request written opinions of administration officials
Judicial Powers
Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses.
Nominate federal judges.

6. White House Administration
The White House Administration refers to the people who directly help the President with his job of enforcing and developing policy. Currently, the president nominates 500 high level government officials and over 2,500 lower positions.
The Vice President – Historically, the role of the Vice President has been small. Their only assigned role has been as the presiding officer of the Senate with the main job of casting a vote incase of a tie. Originally, the Vice President was the person who came in second in the voting by the electoral college. In this system, the electors actually cast two votes for president. If no one reached a majority then the House would select the President among the top five vote getters with second place still becoming Vice President. This broke down with in the 1800 election, which led to the 12th amendment. This allows the electors to cast a separate votes for president and vice president. Electors are not allowed to vote for a president and vice president who are both from the same state the elector is from.

7. White House Administration
The role of the Vice President has been increasing over the few decades. Dick Cheney is often considered to be the most power Vice President. This can create some problems. When George H. W. Bush was vice president he as implicated in the Iran Contra scandal. Cheney has been questioned over his connection to Haliburton.
The US Constitution does not specifically create the Cabinet, however each president has had one. The Cabinet has grown over time. Each of the Cabinet members must be confirmed by the Senate. Each of the Cabinet members are referred to as Secretary except for the Attorney General.

8. The Cabinet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson 1789
Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin 1789
Secretary of Defense James Mattis-1947
Attorney General Jeff Sessions- 1870
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke 1849
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue* 1862
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross 1903
Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta* 1913
Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price1953
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson 1966
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao 1966
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry1977
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos 1979
Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin 1988
Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly 2002

9. The Executive Office
In 1939 President Roosevelt established the Executive Office. This is a group of councils responsible for implementing and developing policy for the President.
These are the groups in the Executive Office
Council of Economic Advisers
Council on Environmental Quality
Domestic Policy Council
Homeland Security Council
National Economic Council
National Security Council
Office of Administration
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Office of Management and Budget
Office of National AIDS Policy
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Office of Science & Technology Policy
Office of the United States Trade Representative
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
USA Freedom Corps
White House Military Office

10. The Executive Office
Three of the councils within the Executive Office are very influential when it comes to policy matters.
National Security Council – This council brings the top foreign and military policy advisers together. The formal members include the President, Vice President, the Secretary of State and Defense, and a few other experts. This groups is responsible for advising the president and developing policy on national security issues. This group also plays a large role in a time of crisis.
The Council of Economic Advisors – This group only has three members, each appointed by the president. This group prepares the Economic Report of the President, which charts trends in the economy such as unemployment, inflation, and foreign trade.
The Office of Management and budget – This group is made of a few appointees and over 600 career officials. This office reviews legislative proposals from executive agencies and determines its impact on the budget to determine if it should be proposed to congress. The OMB is also responsible for preparing the president’s budget to give to congress.

11. White House Staff
Before FDR, the staff of the White House was very small. Thomas Jefferson only had one messenger and one secretary. Today there are about 600 people on the White House Staff.
The staff consists of the key aides that the President sees daily. This includes the Chief of Staff, congressional liaisons, press secretary, national security assistant, and a few other administrative and political assistants.
The President relies on his staff for information, policy options, and analysis.
Included in the White House office is the office of the First Lady. The role of the First Lady changes from President to President. Eleanor Roosevelt and Hilary Clinton are often considered to be the most powerful first ladies. Hilary Clinton was an important advisor to the President. She was critical in shaping the president’s health care plan and getting it passed.

12. Presidential Leadership of Congress
Chief Legislator – this is a term created by political scientists to show the president’s importance in the legislative process. The President’s role is unofficial, the only thing the constitution requires the president to do is address congress “from time to time,” this is known as the State of the Union address.
The President’s real power stems from his ability to veto legislation. All legislation requires Presidential action. The President can veto legislation which means it returns to congress. Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 vote from each house. This is very rare, as only 4% of vetoed bills have been overridden. If the President doesn’t sign something into law by 10 days, it becomes law. However, if congress adjourns before the 10 days after a piece of legislation has been passed, the President can choose not to sign it and it doesn’t become law. This is known as a Pocket Veto.
The President does not have a line item veto. President Clinton had this tool for two years before the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York.

13. Party Leadership
The President has a key role in controlling political parties. Their power in the party can change over time.
When it comes to congressional elections, the President’s party usually gains seats during the Presidential Election and loses seats in a midterm election.
Favors can play a large role in party loyalty.

14. National Security Policy
Constitutionally the President is in charge of defense and foreign policy. The congress plays a small role, such as authorizing war or ratifying treaties, however, most of the work is done by the President.
Chief Diplomat – The President is responsible for officially recognizing a country and can also break relations with a country. President Carter exchanged ambassadors with China and broke off relations with Iran. The President has sole responsibility for negotiating treaties with foreign countries. Only in rare instances does the President actually negotiate, however the people they select to do this are not subject to Congressional approval. President Carter negotiated the Camp David Peace Accords which brought peace to Israel and Egypt. This is an example of a treaty not directly evolving the US, but still negotiated under the Presidents authority.

15. National Security Policy
The President is recognized under the Constitution as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. This means that they have the authority to deploy troops to where they feel they are needed.
War Powers Resolution – The power to deploy troops is one of the most controversial powers the president has. The Framers of the Constitution had no idea of the level of international involvement that the US would have in the modern world. Perhaps if they had, they would have limited the Presidents power in this area. In 1973, congress passed, over a presidential veto, the War Powers Resolution. The act requires the president to involve congress in discussions concerning troop deployment and puts a 60 day limit on troop deployments without congressional approval.
All presidents since 1973 have viewed the War Powers Resolution as unconstitutional. Many have attempted to act without congressional approval. Often Congress acts in time to avoid a constitutional crisis. The Supreme Court has been hesitant to consider the issue.

16. Executive Order
An executive order in the United States of America is an edict issued by the President of the United States, the head of the executive branch of the United States Government.. The concept of an executive order is loosely derived from the grant of "executive power" given to the President by Article Two of the United States Constitution, Section 1, and the statement "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" in Article II, Section 3.
Presidents of the United States have issued executive orders since 1789, usually to help direct the operation of executive officers. Until the early 1900s, executive orders went mostly unannounced and undocumented, seen only by the agencies to which they were directed. However, the United States Department of State instituted a numbering system for executive orders in the early 1900s, starting retroactively with what may be the most famous of executive orders, President Abraham Lincoln's 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

17. Executive Order
Today, only National Security Directives are kept from the public. Each President has their own name for these directives. Clinton called them Presidential Decision Directives. Bush calls them Homeland Security Directives. Obama calls them Presidential Study Directives and Presidential Policy Directives.
Critics have accused Presidents of abusing executive orders, of using them to make laws without Congressional approval, and of moving existing laws away from their original mandates. Large policy changes with wide-ranging effects have been effected through executive order, including the integration of the Armed Forces under Harry Truman and the desegregation of public schools under Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Peace Corps was also started by President Kennedy with an executive order