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Executive Branch and the President of the United States

Guided Notes

Part 1: Becoming President

I. You want to be President? You Must meet these requirements:

a. Native-born U.S. citizen
b. At least 35 years of age
c. Been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years
II. What characteristics do most Presidents have?
a. All have been male
b. Most have been protestant.
c. Most have a college education.
i. 11 Presidents do not have a College Education
ii. 8 Attended Harvard
iii. Every president since 1953 has at least a Bachelors Degree (BA)
iv. Only 11 Presidents do not have college experience
1. 8 Presidents Served in WWII
2. 7 Presidents Served in the American Civil War
III. Want to be President?
a. Step 1: Join a political party
i. Every President since 1853, has been either a democrat or a republican.
b. Step 2: Form An Exploratory Committee
i. Exploratory committees will “test the waters” to determine what your chances are.
1. The can begin help begin with:
a. Lining up potential donors
b. Write positions papers/speeches
c. Slogans
d. Campaign strategies
e. Organizing in key states
c. Step 3: Register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC)
i. In order to begin receiving donations and spending more than $5,000 you must register
with the FEC
d. Step 4: Declare Your Candidacy
i. Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President on June 16, 2015. (17 months
before election day)
e. Step 5: Get to Work!
i. Raise money - Campaigns are expensive. Over $2 billion was spent in 2012.
1. Seek donations large and small.
ii. Generate Support - Attend events, shake hands, kiss babies, appear on TV, etc.
f. Step 6: Gain Your Party’s Nomination
i. Each party has its own rules to pick its nominee
ii. You must earn enough delegates to choose you at your party’s convention
iii. Each states awards delegates in a different way.
1. Closed Primary – Only registered members with a political party can vote
2. Open Primary –Anyone can vote
3. Caucus – meetings where members of a political party select their region’s
delegates
iv. Each party has individuals who can vote for any candidate:
1. Democrats: Super Delegates
2. Republicans: Unpledged Delegates
g. Step 7: Attend Your Party’s Convention
i. Both the RNC and DNC hold conventions in Presidential election years.
1. RNC: Republican National Committee
2. DNC: Democratic National Committee
ii. Choose Your Running Mate
1. Usually around the time of the convention, candidates will choose their running
mate to become Vice President.
2. Usually select someone to “balance the ticket”

h. Step 8: Debate
i. In 2016, there were 3 presidential debates and 1 vice-president debate (not counting
primary debates)
1. 2 traditional debates run by a moderator
2. 1 Town Hall debate – questions asked by uncommitted audience members
i. Step 9: Campaign
IV. How we chose our President: The Electoral College
a. President is not chosen directly by the people, but by a group called the Electoral College.
b. Each state has an equal number of electors equal to the total number of senators and
representatives.
i. Washington, D.C. also has 3 electors
c. How do you win?
i. There are 538 total electoral votes
ii. Most states have a winner-take-all system
1. Except Maine and Nebraska
iii. You must receive a majority (270 or more) of the total electoral votes.
d. What about the popular vote?
i. In most cases, the winner of the national popular vote becomes President.
ii. However, there have been five times where the popular vote winner did not become
President.
1. In the 2016 Presidential election, Clinton won the popular vote over Trump by
65,788,583 to 62,944,363 but lost the Electoral College.
e. Proposed Changes to the Electoral College
i. National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
1. An agreement amongst states that they would allocate all electoral votes to the
winner of the nations popular vote
2. Only takes effect when the total number of electoral votes amongst joining states
is higher than 270
3. Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, & Washington have joined – 61 electoral
votes
ii. Every Vote Counts Amendment
1. Proposed Constitutional Amendment - replaces Electoral College with a
nationwide popular vote
2. Introduced – January 2009

Part 2: The President and Vice President

V. How long does a President Serve?

a. A President may serve Two - four year terms (if reelected)
i. Precedent set by George Washington
ii. FDR was elected to a 4th term in 1944
iii. 22nd Amendment (1951): officially limited presidency to two terms
iv. Grover Cleveland- Only person to serve two non-consecutive term
v. 14 Presidents who were elected AND completed at least two full terms.
VI. What are the Benefit and Compensation for being President?
a. $400,000 per year
i. Plus $50,000 allowance and travel allowance
b. Air Force One - Presidents Private Jet
c. Marine One – President’s private helicopter
d. Presidential Limousine
e. The White House – the president’s home and office
f. Camp David– the president’s retreat
g. Secret Service Protection
h. Pension
i. Fame/Legacy
VII. The Vice President
a. Roles:
i. Serve as president if president dies, leaves office, or unable to fulfill duties
ii. 8 Presidents have died, one resigned
iii. President of the Senate - Casts vote in a tie
iv. Assist the president w/ agenda
v. Requirements: same as president
vi. Salary: $208,100
VIII. What happens if the president dies or cannot serve anymore?
a. Presidential Succession Act
i. 1941 law that lists the line of succession after the Vice-President for who should take
over should something happen to both the President and the Vice-President
ii. Line/order of succession
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President pro tempore of the Senate
4. Secretary of State
5. Secretary of Treasury
6. …..and cabinet officers in the order in which they were created.
b. The Twenty-fifth Amendment (1967)
i. Clarified that if the President died or resigned, that the Vice-President would become
President.
ii. Also indicated that a new President may choose a new Vice-President with
Congressional Approval
iii. Gerald Ford became the only person to become President without participating in a
presidential election
iv. Indicates that if a president is disabled or cannot do the job, the Vice-President can
temporarily serve as an acting-president.
Part 3: The Roles and Powers of the President

IX. What does the Constitution Say the President can do?
a. Article II
b. Veto legislation
c. Call Congress into special session
d. Commander in chief of the armed forces.
e. Negotiate treaties
f. Appoint judges, cabinet members, etc.
g. Pardon or reduce punishments
X. Roles of the President
a. Role: Chief Executive Chief Diplomat Chief of State Commander in Chief Chief Legislator
Economic Leader Party Leader
i. Enforce the laws of the United States
ii. “boss” of about 3 million of government workers in the Executive Branch
iii. Choosing officials and advisers to help run executive branch.
iv. Examples:
1. appointing the head of the CIA
2. Holding cabinet meetings
3. Reading reports on problems in the FBI
v. Executive Orders - Orders given by President to carry out the law
1. "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”
b. Role: Judicial Powers
i. Appoint Supreme Court justices and other federal judges
1. Must be confirmed by majority vote in Senate
ii. Reprieve– postpones the carrying out of a person’s sentence
iii. Pardon– forgives a person for his or her crime and eliminates the punishment
iv. Amnesty – pardon for a large group of people
c. Role: Chief Legislator
i. President suggests new laws every year
1. State of the Union Address – late January
ii. Budget- President submits a federal budget to Congress every year
d. Role: Commander in Chief
i. Head of the U.S. armed forces
1. All officers answer to the president ; President has final say
2. 31 Presidents have Military Experience
ii. The United States has only declared war five times in our nation’s history, yet they have
sent troops into action over 150 times
iii. War Powers Resolution
1. President must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into battle.
iv. Can send forces any where in the world U.S. interests are threatened.
1. 60 days without Congressional approval
e. Role: Chief Diplomat
i. President leads Foreign Policy– the government’s plan for interaction with the other
countries of the world
ii. Appoints Diplomats
iii. Diplomacy – the art of interacting with foreign governments
iv. Treaties– written agreements with other countries
1. Needs 2/3rd vote from Senate
2. president often negotiates and enforces treaties
f. Role: Chief of State
i. Chief of State: president is a living symbol of the United States
ii. Examples: greeting visitors to the White House, congratulating astronauts on their
journey into space, 4th of July speech, etc.
g. Role: Party Leader
i. Helps members of party get elected or appointed to office
ii. Campaigns for those who have supported his policies.
iii. Fund-Raising for party
h. Role: Economic Leader
i. President can suggest policy to deal with economic issues
ii. President submits federal government’s annual budget.
Part 4: How the President Makes Foreign Policy
XI. Foreign policy - the plan of how one nation chooses to interact with another
a. What are the U.S. foreign policy goals?
i. National Security– the ability to keep the country safe from attack or harm.
1. #1 Goal of U.S. Foreign Policy
ii. Develop Trade
iii. Promote World Peace
b. Who Determines the U.S. Foreign Policy?
i. The following help advise the President on foreign policy and help carry it the plan:
1. National Security Advisor
2. State Department
3. National Security Council
4. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
5. Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
ii. The Situation Room- Conference room and intelligence management center
1. Located in the basement of the West Wing of the White House
2. Run by the National Security Council staff
3. room is equipped with the ability of the President to command and control all
U.S. forces around the world.
iii. Joint Chiefs of Staff
1. top uniformed military advisers to the President representing all branches of
armed forces.
c. Treaties – formal agreement between the governments of two or more countries
i. Must be approved by the U.S. Senate with a 2/3 vote
d. Ambassadors
i. The United States has about 150 ambassadors representing the U.S. in foreign countries
ii. ambassador - highest ranking U.S. representatives in foreign countries
1. Must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate
iii. Embassies– residence and offices of ambassadors’ in foreign countries. The United
States has about 150 ambassadors representing the U.S. in foreign countries
e. Foreign Aid
i. foreign aid -Assistance to foreign country
1. Can come in the source of manpower, food, money, military aid, etc.
2. In 2014, the U.S. provided $43 billion in foreign aid
Part 5: Who Else Works in the Executive Branch?
XII. Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP)
a. The immediate staff of the President of the United States
i. 2000+ Employees
ii. Run by the Chief of Staff
b. Chief of Staff
i. Top Assistant to the President
ii. “The Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington"
iii. Responsibilities:
1. overseeing the actions of the White House staff
2. managing the president's schedule
3. deciding who is allowed to meet with the president – “The Gatekeeper”
c. Senior Advisor to the President
i. Role: Give political and strategic advice to the President
d. Other Executive Organizations
i. Office of Management and the Budget (OMB)
1. Prepares the annual budget
ii. National Security Council
1. Works to ensure domestic security
iii. Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
1. Advises the President on economic concerns.
iv. White House Press Secretary - The official spokesperson of The White House
1. Gives daily briefings to the media
XIII. The First Lady
a. Hostess of the White House
b. No official duties
c. no salary, but has a paid staff
i. Chief of Staff, Press Secretary, Chief Floral Designer, Executive Chef, Social Secretary
d. Usually take on a specific cause to promote
e. Traditionally the wife of the President

XIV. The Presidential Cabinet

a. Cabinet – Group of the President’s Advisors
i. 15 Cabinet Positions
b. Department of State
i. Who: Rex Tillerson (if approved by the U.S. Senate)
ii. Role: Advise the President and lead the United States in foreign affairs.
c. Department of Justice
i. Role: enforcement of law and administration of justice
1. Oversees Law Enforcement Agencies
a. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
b. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
c. Beau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco Use (AFT)
ii. Only Cabinet Head NOT given the title of ‘Secretary”
1. Attorney General
iii. Jeff Sessions : If approved by the U.S. Senate
d. Department of Defense
i. Role: coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government
relating directly to national security and the United States armed forces
ii. Secretary of Defense
1. Must be a civilian at least 7 years removed from the military
2. James “Mad Dog” Mattis (If approved by the U.S. Senate )
XV. The Federal Bureaucracy
a. All the employees of these agencies & executive departments
i. Write rules for laws passed by Congress
ii. Carry out the day to day activities of the Federal Government
b. Independent Agencies
i. Groups created by Congress to perform a specialized job.
1. These agencies are responsible for keeping the government and economy
running smoothly.
2. Unlike regulatory commissions, cannot bring violators to court.
3. Examples of Independent Agencies: NASA, Central Intelligence Agencies
c. Regulatory Commission
i. created to protect the public; these types of independent agencies have the power to
make rules and bring violators to court
ii. Commission Heads:
1. Appointed by the President, approved by the Senate
2. Serve Long Terms
3. A single President cannot appoint more than a few heads of regulatory
commissions.
XVI. How can you get a job in the Executive Branch?
a. Be chosen by the President - called political appointees
i. jobs usually last the length of a Presidents term of office.
b. Permanent employees are hired through the civil service system
i. The practice of hiring government employees based on qualifications
1. Called the merit system
a. Previously hired people based on the spoils system - People given jobs for
political support, not qualifications.
XVII. Presidential Amendments
a. 12th – Vice President reform
b. 22nd - Limits President to two terms
c. 23rd – Washington, D.C. can vote in presidential elections
d. 25th– Presidential succession