The Presidency

As the head of the executive branch, the President of the United States is responsible for carrying out the laws approved by Congress and the decisions of the federal courts.

The president serves as commander in chief of the nation’s armed forces and the most significant voice on foreign policy issues and has the power to sign or veto legislation approved by Congress.

If the president vetoes a bill, Congress can still approve the measure if two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate votes to override the veto.

The president also selects a cabinet, including officials like the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and Attorney General. Those appointments must be approved by the Senate.
Supreme Court justices and other federal judges are also chosen by the president and must be approved by the Senate.

The president can also sign international treaties, which require two-thirds approval by the Senate.

The presidency gained power throughout the 20th century as the number of agencies whose boards were appointed by the president grew. Some limits were placed on presidential power after the Watergate scandals during President Nixon’s term. The president makes $400,000 a year and is limited by the Constitution to two four-year terms.

The president and vice president are not directly elected by the American people. Instead, voters in each state select members of the Electoral College, with the number of members from each state decided by adding the size of the state’s House delegation to two (the number of Senators each state has). A voter casts a ballot for a slate of electors pledged to their presidential choice instead of voting for the actual candidate.