President of the United States

The President of the United States (often abbreviated "POTUS") is the head of state of the United States. Under the U.S. Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The full title is President of the United States of America.

Presidential powers

The President, the Constitution says, must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." To carry out this responsibility, the president presides over the executive branch of the federal government — a vast organization numbering about 4 million people, including 1 million active-duty military personnel. A President-elect will make as much as 6,000 appointments to government positions, including appointments to the federal judiciary. All federal judicial appointments must be confirmed by the Senate as well as all principal officers. The President may veto laws made by Congress but cannot personally initiate laws. Congress can overturn the veto with a two-thirds majority in both houses. He is commander-in-chief of the army and may make treaties, but these must be confirmed by the Senate. The political scientist Richard Neustadt famously said "Presidential power is the power to persuade and the power to persuade is the ability to bargain". He was commenting on the fact that domestically, the President's constitutional power is limited, despite the modern expectation of Presidents to have a legislative program, and successful bargaining with Congress is usually essential to Presidential success.

Related Topics:
Federal judiciary - Congress - Richard Neustadt

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