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.

Requirements to hold office

Section One of Article II of the U.S. Constitution establishes the requirements one must meet in order to become President. The president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States (or a citizen of the United States at the time the U.S. Constitution was adopted), be at least 35 years of age, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.

Related Topics:
Article II - Natural-born citizen

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The natural-born citizenship requirement has been the subject of some controversy in recent years. Some commentators argue that the clause should be repealed because it excludes qualified people based on technicalities, and fails to appreciate the contributions made by immigrants to American society. Prominent public officials who are barred from the presidency because they were not born U.S. citizens include California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Austria; Florida Sen. Mel Martinez and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, both born in Cuba; Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, born in Taiwan; Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, born in the United Kingdom; former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, born in Germany, and Madeleine Albright, born in Czechoslovakia; and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, born in British Columbia, Canada. Not disqualified from running, however, is Arizona Senator John McCain, who was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which was a U.S. territory under U.S. jurisdiction at the time. Occasionally, constitutional amendments are proposed to remove or amend this requirement, but none have yet been successful.

Related Topics:
California - Governor - Arnold Schwarzenegger - Austria - Florida - Sen. - Mel Martinez - Secretary of Commerce - Carlos Gutierrez - Cuba - Secretary of Labor - Elaine Chao - Taiwan - Director of National Intelligence - John Negroponte - United Kingdom - Secretaries of State - Henry Kissinger - Germany - Madeleine Albright - Czechoslovakia - Michigan - Gov. - Jennifer Granholm - British Columbia - Canada - Arizona - Senator - John McCain - Panama Canal Zone

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Under the Constitution, the President serves a four-year term. The Amendment XXII (which took effect in 1951 and was first applied to Dwight D. Eisenhower starting in 1953) limits the president to either two four-year terms or a maximum of ten years in office should he have succeeded to the Presidency previously and served two years at most completing his predecessor's term. Since then, three presidents have served two full terms: Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Richard Nixon was elected to two terms but resigned before completing his second. Incumbent President George W. Bush will become the fourth at the completion of his current term in 2009.

Related Topics:
Amendment XXII - 1951 - Dwight D. Eisenhower - 1953 - Limits - Dwight Eisenhower - Ronald Reagan - Bill Clinton - Richard Nixon - 2009

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