Study Notes on Presidential Qualifications and Duties

Presidential Qualifications

  • Most Americans over the age of 35 can meet the constitutional requirements for the presidency.

  • However, very few can meet the informal requirements that Americans expect in their presidents.

Duties of the President

  • In conducting foreign policy, the president has various responsibilities, which include:
      - Making treaties.
      - Meeting with heads of state.
      - Hosting foreign officials.
      - Appointing ambassadors.

  • The most important duty of the president may be to ensure that all the laws of the United States are "faithfully executed."

  • A vast bureaucracy assists the president in this task.

Duties of the President (Continued)

  • The constitutional duties of the nation's first president, George Washington, and those of a modern president are much the same.

  • However, presidents today wield enormous power and responsibility, including:
      - Commanding the military.
      - Appointing heads of executive departments, federal court judges, and other top officials, with Senate consent.

  • Reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms in office and concern over excessive executive power led to the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment in 1951.
      - This amendment secured the traditional presidential limitation of two terms, while allowing a vice president who takes over the presidency and serves two years or less of the former president's term to serve two additional terms.
      - Therefore, it is possible for a president to serve up to 10 years.

Constitutional Requirements

  • Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution defines the formal requirements for the office of president:
      - The president must be:
        - A natural-born citizen of the United States.
        - At least 35 years old.
        - A resident of the United States for at least 14 years before taking office.

Introduction

  • The office of the president has been developing for more than 200 years.

  • Just as the nation has grown during that time, the powers of the executive branch have also expanded.

Salary and Benefits

  • The Constitution did not specify the amount of the president's salary, leaving it for Congress to determine.

  • Between 1969 and 2001, the president received:
      - $200,000 a year in taxable salary.
      - $50,000 a year for expenses related to official duties.

Salary and Benefits (Continued)

  • In 1999, Congress raised the president's salary to $400,000, starting with the new president in 2001.

  • The Executive Office of the President also provides a nontaxable travel allowance of up to $100,000 a year.

Government Experience

  • A political career is essential for obtaining the necessary political alliances to secure a party's nomination as well as name recognition needed to win votes.

Salary and Benefits (Continued)

  • Other presidential benefits include:
      - The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president.
      - Air Force One, a specially equipped jet, along with other planes, helicopters, and limousines.
      - Free medical, dental, and health care.
      - Residency in the White House, a 132-room mansion featuring a swimming pool, bowling alley, private movie theater, and tennis courts.
      - A domestic staff that manages cooking, shopping, cleaning, and other chores for the president's family.

Duties of the President (Continued)

  • A president has the authority to pardon individuals convicted of federal crimes, except in the case of impeachment, or to reduce a person's jail sentence or fine.

  • The president also holds lawmaking power, with Congress expecting the president to take leadership in proposing policy changes.

Government Experience (Continued)

  • Although not required by the Constitution, experience in government is a significant qualification for a presidential candidate.

  • Historically, candidates who have been former United States senators or state governors have been the most successful in securing the presidential nomination.

President's Term and Salary

  • Originally, the Constitution did not specify the number of four-year terms a president may serve.

  • George Washington established a long-held precedent by refusing to run for a third term.

  • In 1940 and 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt broke this tradition by running for a third and fourth term.

Salary and Benefits (Continued)

  • Additional benefits for the president include:
      - A lifetime pension, currently at $148,400 a year.
      - Free office space and mailing services.
      - Up to $96,000 a year for office help.
      - Items such as receptions and dinners not directly related to government business are paid for by the president.