POTUS

President of the United States (POTUS) in short is the most influential and powerful position in the United States of America. The POTUS holds the most powerful and influential public office in the United States of America. The President is elected by a national constituency and is the head of the State of U.S. Not just in the U.S. but the Presidential elections are watched by many across the globe. These days due to technological advancement knowing what’s happening across the globe is easy. The executive power is vested in the President of the United States of America. The Executive branch of government oversees the carrying out of laws. This executive branch is concerned with executing the laws. The President of United States of America is the chief executive of the federal government and a Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

 

The powers and duties of the President are described in Article II of the U.S. Constitution. According to the U.S. Constitution, the President must be a natural born citizen of the United States, must be at least 35 years old and should be a resident of the United States for 14 years. Section 1 of Article II grants executive power to the President and as per section 3 the President has to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. The POTUS is expected to conduct foreign policy, manage the government and at the same time solve all sorts of economic and social problems.

 

Along with responsibilities the President has a special power i.e., Presidential veto which is considered as a significant tool that the Presidents have. As per the Constitution of United States of America every Bill which is passed in the House of Representatives and Senate shall before it becomes law be presented to the President of the United States of America. By exercising this veto power, the POTUS can stop not all but many bills from becoming law that are against the wish of the President.

 

The President can respond to a bill passed by the Congress in three ways namely:

1. Sign It – The President has ten days (excluding Sundays) to sign a bill passed by the Congress or
2. Veto It- The President returns the legislation to the house in which it originated, usually with a message explaining the rationale for the veto. This veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the houses of the Congress. Incase this occurs then the bill becomes law despite the President’s objection or
3. Do nothing about it- If any Bill is not returned by the President within ten days (excluding Sundays) after it is presented to him then the same shall become law in the manner as if it is signed by the President. 

A pocket veto occurs when the Congress adjourns during the ten-day period. The President cannot return the bill to Congress and the President’s decision to not sign the legislation is a pocket veto as in such a situation the Congress does not have the opportunity to override it and this bill cannot become a law.

 

According to Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the executive power is vested in the President of the United States of America. This executive branch comprises of the President, Vice President, Cabinet etc. The executive branch carries out and enforces laws. The citizens of America have the right to vote for the President through free and confidential ballots. The President is elected by a national constituency. The executive power that the President has is very significant.

 

The Vice President of the United States is the presiding officer of the Senate and is termed as president of the Senate who may cast decisive vote in the event of a tie in the Senate. The Vice President takes over the role of the President if the President is unable to perform his duties. The role of a President is taken over in the following circumstances:

• If the President dies or
• If the President resigns or
• If the President is temporarily incapacitated or
• If the Vice President and majority of the cabinet come to the conclusion that the President is no longer able to discharge the duties of a President. 

Cabinet in simple words would mean a team of senior most ministers who are chosen to lead, advise and oversee certain policy making areas like Health, Defense, Education etc. In the United States of America, the President’s Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of the 15 executive departments that work for their respective fields.

 

While appointing the members of the Cabinet, the President not only looks into the talent and potential of the person but also the representativeness in terms of different sections of the society and the different regions of the country have to be considered. Some Presidents of USA have preferred to have small conferences with individual cabinet members while dealing with a particular issue whereas some Presidents prefer to meet the cabinet as a whole while dealing with a particular issue. 

The White House is the place where the President and the First Family (i.e., wife, children etc.) of the President of United States of America live and this place is very significant. The White House is located in Washington, D.C. It is the official residence as well as workplace of the President of the United States.

 

The White House is very historic and it depicts the rich heritage and culture of America. Countless leaders and dignitaries have been welcomed in the White House. In the past it was also known as “Presidents House”, “Executive Mansion” but currently we all know and officially recognize it as The White House. The site for the construction of the White House was selected by the first President of U.S.A. i.e., President George Washington.

 

It has also been observed that during any crisis or emergency, POTUS can claim extraordinary powers in order to protect the nation. Though these powers are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution but they are considered to reside purely in the need for protecting and safeguarding the sovereignty of the nation.

 

POTUS is constantly accountable through analysis by national as well as international press, opinion polls and editorials.  Thus, POTUS is not just a most influential public official but also the most scrutinized position in U.S.