US Presidency

• A president is referred to as 'imperial' when the constitutional checks of Congress are either unused or ineffective.
• If a president is able to evade congressional checks, for example for executive orders, this could also be termed as an imperial presidency.
• A president who finds it difficult to exercise their constitutional powers and appears to be weak is often known as 'imperilled'.
• A lame duck president has two meanings:

  Formally: a president who is not continuing in office but stills holds office, and lost the electoral mandate.

  Informally: a president who is weak and cannot exercise their powers effectively at any point in their presidency.
• It is unlikely that any president would be seen as 'imperial' and 'imperilled' for the entirety of their presidency because the powers of the president can fluctuate over time, for example due to the midterms.
• Article II of the Constitution conveys that executive powers are held by the president alone and they are accountable for the use of these powers.
• Enumerated/expressed powers of the president are explicitly listed in the constitution, such as Commander in Chief.
• Implied powers of the president are interpreted from the constitution. For example, executive orders.
• A President can either sign a bill, veto it, or take no action.
• The President has the power to appoint Supreme Court justices and cabinet positions, which are confirmed by a simple majority vote in the Senate.
• Executive orders have the force of law and can be used by the President to bypass Congress when they are struggling to pass legislation.
• Signing statements highlight the President's alterations to a bill and may even challenge aspects of it.
• The president has the right to pardon people, meaning that they can forgive them for a federal crime.
• Executive agreements are international agreements that do not require Senate approval, asserting presidential authority over foreign policy.
• The cabinet is a source of power for the president as members should be policy specialists and so are able to offer opinions on policy and lend support to the president in their policy objectives.
• Constitutionally, the cabinet has no formal power. It is simply an advisory body for the president.
• The president can use the power of persuasion to bargain and persuade those around them in order to achieve their policy goals.
• 22nd Amendment - limits any president to two terms
• A president will only veto legislation if it is unlikely to be overridden as this makes them look weak.
• The 'pocket veto' is known as the 'dying' of a bill if Congress goes into recess during 10 days of the bill being introduced. The president can use this power instead of his usual veto and requires him to stay informed of the congressional calendar.
• If Congress is still in recess following the 10 days of a bill being put forward, the bill automatically becomes law without the president's signature.
• The president only enters Congress once a year during the State of the Union address where they outline their legislative agenda.
• Executive orders cannot be used to create legislation, simply just to give instructions to federal departments and agencies regarding the enforcement of legislation.
• Executive orders can be overturned by a new law, a Supreme Court ruling, or a new president signing a new executive order.
• The president has the power to call a special session of Congress, calling either or both houses of Congress back from recess.
• As commander in chief, the president is constitutionally the head of the army and navy.
• The president, with a 2/3 approval in the Senate, has the right to create treaties with other nations.
• The House of Representatives hold the 'power of the purse' which can be used to limit the president's powers and control presidential action. This can result in a government shutdown, for example in 2018 when the House refused to give Trump the funding necessary to build the US-Mexico wall.
• As the head of state, the president receives ambassadors to the US from foreign nations. This power can be used to recognise nations and decide with whom the USA is prepared to work.
• The president's role as chief legislator means that they control the legislative agenda of the US, and hold the power to sign, veto or ignore bills.
• As the head of government, the president leads the executive branch. They are responsible for the organisation of the EXOP and preside over the cabinet and the federal bureaucracy.
• An informal power of the president is their powers of persuasion. This allows them to bargain and persuade those around them in order to achieve policy goals, in ways such as endorsements and invitations to the White House.
• The success that a president has in an election can be a source of power. If they win the popular vote, this increases their electoral mandate and can make their requests to Congress difficult to ignore.
• Coattails effect - the ability of a president to bring out supports for other members of their party, and therefore helping them to win, due to their own popularity.