President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces, and the chief administrator of the executive branch of the federal government.

The President's powers are described in Article II of the United States Constitution, which empowers him to negotiate international treaties, to appoint ambassadors and justices of the Supreme Court, and to grant pardons for offenses against the United States. The President directs American foreign and domestic policy, and takes an active role in promoting his policy priorities to Congress. The President also has the power to approve or veto bills passed by Congress, though presidential vetoes can be overridden with a Congressional majority of two-thirds.

Conceived in 1789 as a relatively weak figure subordinated to Congress, the President's job was initially to mediate between states, respond to international issues, and manage the federal government (which itself was intended as subordinate to the state governments). However, the office of President has expanded over the centuries to become the supreme executive authority of the United States, culminating in the authoritarian ten-year Presidency of Alexander Haig from 1980 to 1991, which saw heavy use of presidential power to suppress civil unrest and maintain internal security.

The President is indirectly elected (along with a Vice President) to a renewable four-year term in office by an electoral college, which apportions varying numbers of electors to all 50 states by population. If at any time the President is unable to discharge the duties of his position, the Vice President takes his place; if an incumbent President dies or resigns from office, the Vice President takes over permanently and completes his predecessor's term.

List of Presidents of the United States
See: List of Presidents of the United States