US PRESIDENCY
Powers of the President
Domestic politics: Issues within the US that directly affect its citizens, such as gun control, health care and race issues
Electoral Mandate: Permission granted to a political leader or winning party to govern and act on their behalf, usually via
the result of an election, more or less in effect as long as the government is in power
Executive Branch: One of the 3 ranches of government, alongside judiciary and legislative
Executive Orders: A direction to the federal bureaucracy on how the president would like a piece of legislation to be
implemented
Imperial Presidency: A dominant presidency with ineffective checks and balances from other branches
Imperiled Presidency: A presidency where the president doesn’t have enough power to be effective, particularly because
of complexity or direct resistance in executive branch – opposite of imperial
Informal Powers: The powers of the US president not listen in the constitution, exercised anyway
Powers of Persuasion: The information power of the US President to use the prestige of their job and other bargaining
methods to get people to do as they wish
Unified Government: A situation where both houses of congress and the president all belong to the same party
Article II Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4
Executive power vested in a Require opinion of heads of Require opinion of heads of Impeachment
president department department
4 year terms Commander in chief State of the union
How presidential election Appoint ambassadors Faithfully execute laws
works judges, officials
Presidential requirements Pardons Receive ambassadors
Make treaties
Recess appointments
Article I Section 7: Signing laws into existence or VETO
- All this makes the president: Commander in chief, Chief of the executive, Chief diplomat, Chief legislator, Head of
state
Legislative powers
- Propose legislation (state of union, president addresses both houses of
congress as well)
- Sign legislation
- Veto legislation
Trump vetoed 10 pieces of legislation, 1 was overturned by the Senate (veto of a
defence spending bill, first time in presidency), Senate voted 81-13
- Trump took issue with policies that limit troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Europe and remove
confederate leaders’ names from military bases
, - Also wanted the bill to repeal a liability for social media companies
Other presidents and vetoes
- Obama 12-1
- George W 12-4
- Clinton 37-2 -> more time with houses against him
Pocket veto: session lasts for less than 10 days, so president can just ignore it, the bill would then die
Appointment powers
- Nominating officials: not just cabinet, 1000s of people, Biden nominated 4,000 people, 1,250 needed to be
confirmed by state (267 confirmed atm), Trump had 537 confirmed
- Nominating all federal judges (Not just SC): Trump nominated 234 nominees confirmed, Obama 329
Pardons: where president can pardon (forgive) individuals for federal (not state) crimes (except impeachment)
Commutation: where sentences can be reduced
Power to declare war -> Congress shall have the power to declare war
War powers resolution 1973
- President is required to consult with congress and provide it with the information necessary to asses whether the
action he is taking is permissible
Authorization for use of Military Force 2001
- After 9/11 to enable the president to use ‘necessary and appropriate force’ against the perpetrators and any
‘appropriate forces’
- Used by Bush, Obama and Trump for many of their operations e.g. Obama in Libya, killing of Soleimani in 2020
Head of State: Representative of a country to the world, public, ceremonial role
Head of government: Head of the executive, with a political role
Head Of State Both Head of Government
Pardon Makes Treaties Chief Legislator
Receives ambassadors Commander in Chief Chief of executive
Recognize countries State of the union
Ceremonial duties
Represent USA abroad
Informal sources of President’s power
Bidens policy reversals
- Rejoin Paris climate agreement
- Revoke Trump’s travel ban
Executive orders: often drafted in the departments and agencies of federal government, ‘executive order clearance’,
screen them in order to ensure they fit with presidents policy interests and with existing law
- Obama, sceptical of executive power, but frequently made us of it as he had been frustrated by congress for many
years
Powers of the President
Domestic politics: Issues within the US that directly affect its citizens, such as gun control, health care and race issues
Electoral Mandate: Permission granted to a political leader or winning party to govern and act on their behalf, usually via
the result of an election, more or less in effect as long as the government is in power
Executive Branch: One of the 3 ranches of government, alongside judiciary and legislative
Executive Orders: A direction to the federal bureaucracy on how the president would like a piece of legislation to be
implemented
Imperial Presidency: A dominant presidency with ineffective checks and balances from other branches
Imperiled Presidency: A presidency where the president doesn’t have enough power to be effective, particularly because
of complexity or direct resistance in executive branch – opposite of imperial
Informal Powers: The powers of the US president not listen in the constitution, exercised anyway
Powers of Persuasion: The information power of the US President to use the prestige of their job and other bargaining
methods to get people to do as they wish
Unified Government: A situation where both houses of congress and the president all belong to the same party
Article II Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4
Executive power vested in a Require opinion of heads of Require opinion of heads of Impeachment
president department department
4 year terms Commander in chief State of the union
How presidential election Appoint ambassadors Faithfully execute laws
works judges, officials
Presidential requirements Pardons Receive ambassadors
Make treaties
Recess appointments
Article I Section 7: Signing laws into existence or VETO
- All this makes the president: Commander in chief, Chief of the executive, Chief diplomat, Chief legislator, Head of
state
Legislative powers
- Propose legislation (state of union, president addresses both houses of
congress as well)
- Sign legislation
- Veto legislation
Trump vetoed 10 pieces of legislation, 1 was overturned by the Senate (veto of a
defence spending bill, first time in presidency), Senate voted 81-13
- Trump took issue with policies that limit troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Europe and remove
confederate leaders’ names from military bases
, - Also wanted the bill to repeal a liability for social media companies
Other presidents and vetoes
- Obama 12-1
- George W 12-4
- Clinton 37-2 -> more time with houses against him
Pocket veto: session lasts for less than 10 days, so president can just ignore it, the bill would then die
Appointment powers
- Nominating officials: not just cabinet, 1000s of people, Biden nominated 4,000 people, 1,250 needed to be
confirmed by state (267 confirmed atm), Trump had 537 confirmed
- Nominating all federal judges (Not just SC): Trump nominated 234 nominees confirmed, Obama 329
Pardons: where president can pardon (forgive) individuals for federal (not state) crimes (except impeachment)
Commutation: where sentences can be reduced
Power to declare war -> Congress shall have the power to declare war
War powers resolution 1973
- President is required to consult with congress and provide it with the information necessary to asses whether the
action he is taking is permissible
Authorization for use of Military Force 2001
- After 9/11 to enable the president to use ‘necessary and appropriate force’ against the perpetrators and any
‘appropriate forces’
- Used by Bush, Obama and Trump for many of their operations e.g. Obama in Libya, killing of Soleimani in 2020
Head of State: Representative of a country to the world, public, ceremonial role
Head of government: Head of the executive, with a political role
Head Of State Both Head of Government
Pardon Makes Treaties Chief Legislator
Receives ambassadors Commander in Chief Chief of executive
Recognize countries State of the union
Ceremonial duties
Represent USA abroad
Informal sources of President’s power
Bidens policy reversals
- Rejoin Paris climate agreement
- Revoke Trump’s travel ban
Executive orders: often drafted in the departments and agencies of federal government, ‘executive order clearance’,
screen them in order to ensure they fit with presidents policy interests and with existing law
- Obama, sceptical of executive power, but frequently made us of it as he had been frustrated by congress for many
years
