The President of the United States has many different roles.
What are some of those roles?
How does the president fulfill these duties?
One of the most important roles that the president must play is the commander-in-chief of all
United States Armed Forces.
This does not mean the president actually commands troops in combat, but the Constitution
gives the president final authority over the military’s actions.
The president may use this authority to send troops wherever he or she feels necessary.
This power also makes the president the lone individual in the US who has authority to
launch nuclear weapons.
However, the president does not have the power to declare war.
The Constitution states that only congress may declare war.
Chief Executive is another role that the president must carry out.
When acting as Chief Executive, the president is actually doing the job of the president
as laid out in the Constitution.
He or she is enforcing the laws that Congress has passed.
Similar to the role of Chief Executive is Chief Administrator.
As Chief Administrator, the president is acting as the head of the Executive Branch.
In this capacity, the president is very much like the president of a company.
There are more than 2.7 million civilians employed by the various agencies within the
federal government, and the president is “the boss”.
Another role played by the president is Chief of State.
This means that the president is the ceremonial figurehead of the government.
This means that when leaders of foreign nations visit the United States, the president will
greet them, and act as the nation’s representative.
In the role of Chief of State, the president will also carry out ceremonial duties of the
presidency, such as delivering the annual “State of the Union” address.
In some nations, the Chief of State is not necessarily the Chief Administrator.
For example, in the United Kingdom, the king or queen would be the Chief of State, while
the Chief Administrator would be prime minister.
In the United States, however, these roles are filled by the same individual.
The president is also thought of as Chief Legislator.
In this role, the president will make recommendations to congress about the types of laws they should
be considering.
The president and congress often have a contentious relationship and congress may choose to pursue
a different direction than what the president wishes.
The president may veto (block or cancel) laws that congress has attempted to pass, or sign
them into law.
As Chief Diplomat, the president helps shape America’s foreign policy.
The president will meet with foreign leaders and negotiate treaties and trade agreements.
He or she will also travel to other nations and represent the United States in those lands.
The president is also thought of as the Chief Citizen.
This phrase could mean different things to different people, but it implies that the
president should provide an example of moral character and integrity for others to follow.
In this role, the president also becomes the “face of the nation”, and others around
the world associate the United States with the image or reputation of the president.
Finally, the president serves as the Chief of the Party for his or her own political
party.
This is not an official capacity of the president, as political parties are not mentioned in
the Constitution.
However, it is generally accepted that the president is the head of the political party
that he or she belongs to.