In order to carry out nation’s laws
President is in charge of 15
cabinet departments & 3 mil.
civilians Fed. Gov employees
›
Executive Order- rule or
command that has the force of
law
›
Power of Appointment- President
has power to appoint judges to
the Supreme Court and other
federal courts (Senate approves)



Pardon: declaration of
forgiveness and freedom from
punishment
Reprieve: delay a person’s
punishment
Amnesty: pardon towards a
group of people
Chief Diplomat
President directs foreign
policy (strategy) on
how the US interacts
with other nations and
acts towards other
nations
Leading the armed forces gives
the President the ability to
back up foreign policy
decisions with force if
necessary
Congress declares war President
orders soldiers into battle
1973 Congress passed War
Powers Resolution- President
has to notify Congress within
48 hours if troops are sent to
battle and must be brought
home in 60 days unless
Congress approves they stay
longer or declares war
Congress expects the President to
propose bills
(Bills/Resolutions) that she/he
would like to see enacted
President makes speeches to build
support for her/his proposals
and meets with individual
Congresspeople to persuade
them to support key legislation
Congress/President often disagree
-Length of time
-State vs nation
Role of the President: Head of
State

Living symbol of the USA

President travels around the
world or hosts important
leaders in D.C.

Ceremonial Duties
› Medals to heroes

Ex: President greets the
Cincinnati Bengals @ the
White House after they win
the Super Bowl

Deals with
unemployment, rising
prices (inflation),
taxes

President plans the
federal government
budget (deficit
spending/debt
control)

Party works hard to get
the President elected so
they want their political
ideology (values/beliefs)
to be promoted

President supports
members of her/his own
party for positions

Gives speeches to party

Helps party raise money

The President
represents every other
U.S. citizen

People look to the
President to act in a
responsible, moral
way

Ex: Pres. Obama
filling out his NCAA
bracket

President Obama nominates Hillary
Clinton for the position of Secretary of
State

Chief Executive:
› The President gets to choose who he wants
as his top advisors (cabinet)

At the urging of President Bush, Congress
passes the Patriot Act of 2001

It allows the government to tap phone
lines and email communications of
people who they suspect to be involved
in terrorist activity

Chief Legislator
› The President cannot pass laws himself, but
he can work with Congress to see that his
plans become law
› He can sign/veto acts of Congress

President Obama makes his picks for the
NCAA basketball tournament

Chief Citizen:

Making NCAA picks has nothing to do
with his actual job, but because of his
authority, it becomes national news

President Truman makes the decision to
drop an Atomic bomb on the Japanese
city of Hiroshima

Commander-in-Chief

The President is in command of all
branches of the armed forces and can
make decisions on who/when to use
weapons

In the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest got to
meet President Kennedy after he was
named an All-American football player

Chief of State

In this role, the President conducts
ceremonies and receives guests

Other countries may have a King or
Queen do this

At the urging of President Bill Clinton,
Congress passes the Balanced Budget
Act of 1997 which was designed so that
the Federal Government would spend
less money than it took in

Chief of the Economy, could also fall
under Chief Legislator

President Obama attends a fundraiser
for a fellow Democrat who is running for
a Senate seat from Texas

Chief of Party

President Jimmy Carter negotiates the
Camp David Accords
This is a peace agreement between the
countries of Israel and Egypt, who had been
at war for decades.

Chief Diplomat

President meeting/negotiating with other
leaders = DIPLOMAT

President authorizing troops or military
force = Commander-in-Chief

As Commander in Chief and Chief
Diplomat, the president leads the
nation’s armed forces and directs U.S.
foreign policy.

Foreign Policy – A nation’s plan for
dealing with other nations.

4 Goals of Foreign Policy
› Primary Goal: National Security: The ability to
keep the country safe from attack or harm
› 2nd: International trade
› 3rd: Promoting World Peace
› 4th: Promote democracy around the world
1.
Identify as many nations or groups as
you can that the United States is
currently involved in conflict with
2.
What powers does the President have in
handling these conflicts

Foreign Policy Team
› State Department (Secretary of State)
› Defense Department (Secretary of Defense)
› Central Intelligence Agency (Director of the
CIA)
› National Security Council (National Security
Advisor)
› Joint Chiefs of Staff

Congress v the President
› President:
 Commander on Chief
› Congress:
 Declare War
 Prohibit military action
 Spending – can spend or withhold money for
defense

Tools of Foreign Policy
› Treaties and Executive Agreements
 Treaty: Formal agreements between two or more
countries (needs Senate approval)
 Executive Agreement: Agreement between two or
more heads of state (bypass Senate)
› Appointing Ambassadors
 Ambassador: An official representative of a
country’s government
 Embassy: A permanent diplomatic mission. Refers
to the building or compound housing an
ambassador's offices and staff.

Tools of Foreign Policy (Con’t)
› Foreign Aid
 Money, food, military assistance, other supplies
› International Trade
 Trade sanctions: an effort to punish another
nation by imposing trade barriers
 Embargo – agreement among a group of
nations that prohibits them from trading with
the target nation
› Military Force