There are a few rules that even close friends are subject to when a buddy gets elected president,
and it really is a life-changing deal — which means there's stipulations that continue even
after their term ends. Here are some rules that friends of the American president have to follow.
Presidents are allowed to largely set their own sort of schedule — what that
looks like depends largely on the president in question. President Trump, for example,
had a schedule interspersed with "Executive Time" for watching TV and tweeting. President Obama,
on the other hand, made sure he was always home for family dinners. Meanwhile, President Jimmy
Carter was notorious for working long hours and getting little accomplished.
But when it comes to personal time, that's subject to some serious oversight.
According to Virginia Commonwealth University's Homeland Security professor Matt Pinsker,
phone calls and video chats between a president and his personal friends can't just happen
anytime, meaning friends aren't allowed to just pick up the phone and call.
Activities are coordinated by the Secret Service, and that includes a friendly chat about how the
kids are doing in school. The president has to let them know about the call first and a secure
line has to be used. For all that trouble, they'd better have something good to say.
"So what do you have in the White House for toilet paper? Cottonelle?
Charmin? Angel Soft?" "I don't know."
"I have to tell ya. That Quilted Northern is terrific."
All business owners know how important a shout-out from the right people can be.
While it might seem like a given that an endorsement from the president might
be even better, not even close friends should expect some free publicity for
the simple reason that it's illegal. In 2017, President Trump tweeted:
"Thank you to Linda Bean of L.L. Bean for your great support and courage.
People will support you even more now. Buy L. L. Bean."
US News & World Report said the tweet came in response to
L.L. Bean's $30,000 donation supporting the Trump cause. It came with something else,
too: a very direct reminder from the Office of Government Ethics. They posted a refresher
announcement to all employees of the executive branch of the government, and it was a reminder
that they are prohibited from endorsing any, quote, "product, service, or company."
Director Walter Shaub went even further, specifying that it was
absolutely forbidden for anyone to use public office for their own private gain
or for the private gain of their friends. So, as awesome as it would be to have the president
do an Instagram post promoting their buddy's start-up soap company, it just can't happen.
"He said, 'The steak company.' And we have Trump steaks. And by the way, if you want to take one
we'll charge you what? About 50 bucks a steak."
According to The Washington Post, the Obamas
became another first in 2018 — they were the first modern, post-presidential family
to remain in Washington, D.C. after his term was up. The announcement that they were staying was a
huge deal, but it quickly became clear that they were enjoying being private citizens once again.
But that's not to say they're just like every other American citizen.
Former presidents and their families are still afforded protection by the Secret Service,
and in the case of the Obamas, here's hoping their neighbors are cool with it, too. Why? Because not
only does a police car sit at — and block — the street in front of their home 24/7, 365,
but all visitors to not just the Obamas but any house on the block needs to check in with security
first. That's got to be hugely inconvenient, but honestly, there's worse excuses for running late.
It's rarely been just a president in office by himself -- there's typically been a First
Lady and children along for the ride, too. So what happens when a friend's dad gets himself
elected president? In 2019, Michelle Obama spoke candidly about how difficult things
were for their girls at times. Things that most teenage girls might take for granted,
like spending the night at a friend's house, were extremely complicated.
She spoke with Gayle King about just what a standard sleepover for Malia
and Sasha Obama entailed, and it's far from simple. It started with a phone call to the
friend's parents and a request for information like Social Security numbers and birthdates.
Then, there was a knock on the door from men who were sent to sweep the house for anything
illegal or questionable. When all was clear, the former First Lady was
informed that a man with a gun would be sitting outside of her house all night.
Does that sound complicated? Absolutely! In her interview with Gayle King,
Michelle Obama jokingly said, quote, "I'm surprised my kids have any friends!"
For most people, email is pretty standard stuff. The worst thing that might realistically happen
is that a snooping coworker might peek at your mail while you're at lunch and
get an eyeful of some home drama. When it comes to the president's friends, however,
the stakes are a little higher. There's been a lot of news about the use of private
email servers and the suggestion that something shady is going on.
In 2020, The Washington Post ran a story that said Melania Trump had been regularly using
private email accounts throughout her time in the White House. Here's where technicalities come
into play. Technically, the Presidential Records Act does allow the use of private email, but not
when discussing official business or classified information. Also, it's entirely possible that the
courts might subpoena those emails, so they need to be kept and produced if anyone asks for them.
The website Just Security says that the president and any White House staffers who use
private email have just 20 days to forward any and all communications to a secure,
official, and archived server for the White House.
That includes any emails simply sent to the president. They don't have to respond,
but they do need to forward every communication — even from a best friend asking, "Wassup?!"
Presidential pardons are powerful things, and according to PBS,
the official wording in the Constitution reads:
"The President [...] shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences
against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."
While it seems like the potential to issue a massive get-out-of-jail-free card to personal
friends might be a conflict of interest, there's nothing in the U.S. laws that
prevents the president from handing them out to his buddies. According to The Washington Post,
President Trump's pardons of personal friends like Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Maricopa County sheriff
Joe Arpaio are perfectly legal, but that certainly doesn't make them any less controversial.
"I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe and I think the people of Arizona who really know him best
would agree with me. Thank you very much."
Interestingly, PBS also points out that historically, presidential pardons have
been handed out to enemies instead of friends. George Washington pardoned some
of the men sentenced to death for their participation in the Whiskey Rebellion,
Abraham Lincoln pardoned Army deserters, and Gerald Ford pardoned 13,000 draft evaders from the
Vietnam era. Today, though, it's friends of the president that are most likely to get pardoned.
"Drumstick, you are hereby pardoned."
When Barack Obama was elected president, there was one thing that he fought to keep:
his Blackberry. According to The New York Times, he became the nation's first emailing
president when he won the right to keep his own phone, but it did come with restrictions.
"And I was the first president to have a Blackberry."
Not only was security on the specially-made Blackberry
heightened to a level more fitting for the leader of the free world,
but there were an incredibly limited number of people who could reach him on it — including
the senior members of his staff, and a very small, very select group of personal friends.
It follows, then, that not all his friends made the cut. For those that did, however,
they had to go through a White House briefing first. All of the messages fell under the same
restrictions as any other emails, and could potentially become public domain if subpoenaed.
For this reason, Obama also had to change his email — and everyone knows what a pain that is.
In order to avoid any awkward situations and accusations of bribery, there's a ton of rules
in place for the giving and receiving of gifts. Executive Branch employees are only allowed to
accept gifts if they're less than $20, not cash, or the equivalent of cash, and they can't be
interpreted as bribery. There are, however, a handful of exceptions to the rule. For example,
if the gifts are received because of the president's spouse's employment, that's all right.
It's also completely fine for friends and family to give any kind of gifts they want.
Those who want to give the president a birthday gift can definitely do so.
As long as they can prove a history and personal relationship with the president,
they're not bound by the long list of stipulations.
There is one stipulation gift-giving friends of the president have to abide by, however: they
have to personally pay for the gift themselves, and not just pass it along from someone else.
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