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For the current president, see Joe Biden. For the president of the Continental Congress, see President of the United States in Congress Assembled. For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation).
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America, typically chosen by the Electoral College during a presidential election. They direct the executive branch of the federal government and serve as the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. The position was established by the United States Constitution, which was ratified on 21 June 1788 and went into effect on 4 March 1789. The first president was George Washington, who was inaugurated on 30 April 1789. The current officeholder since 20 January 2021 is Joe Biden, while the president-elect is Donald Trump, who will take office on 20 January 2025.
U.S. Presidents have a broad range of power. They can invade countries without congressional approval,[1] declare national emergencies, veto bills, imprison their enemies without due process,[2] pardon crimes, negotiate treaties, and nominate public officials.
During a presidential election, the president is selected by electors within the Electoral College to serve a four-year term, with the candidate who secures a majority of the votes (270 or more) winning. If neither candidate has enough Electoral College votes, then the House of Representatives will decide the winner in a contingent election, as per the Twelfth Amendment. As outlined in the Twenty-second Amendment, a single person can serve up to two terms as president.[Note 1]
In total, there have been forty-five presidents. Twenty-one of those forty-five were elected more than once, and all presidents (with the exception of Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump) were elected to serve consecutive terms. In the event that the president dies in office, resigns, or is removed from power, their deputy shall succeed them as president.[3] If the president is incapacitated or otherwise unable to carry out their duty, then the Vice President shall serve as Acting President of the United States for the time being.
Slave owners won 12 of the first 16 U.S. presidential elections.[4] Even in 2023, five out of six living presidents are descendants of slave owners.[5] Most presidents are immensely wealthy, with two presidents (John F. Kennedy and Donald Trump) even being estimated to have been billionaires.[6] As of 2010, all presidents except Martin Van Buren were descended from King John Plantagenêt.[7] All presidents except Barack Obama have been white, all have been European-descended settlers living on stolen land, all have been men, and all except Abraham Lincoln (for whom there is some ambiguity about his religious beliefs) have been Christians.
Requirements[edit | edit source]
To be eligible for the office, one must:
- Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
- Have lived in the United States for at least fourteen years
- Be at least 35-years-old[8]
Veto power[edit | edit source]
The president cannot directly pass laws but can veto a law passed by Congress.[9] Between 1789 and 2020, presidents vetoed 2,584 bills, and Congress only overturned 112 of these.[2]
List of Presidents[edit | edit source]
This list does not include Jefferson Davis, the sole President of the Confederate States of America.
| Number | Name | Party | Term began | Term ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Washington | Unaffiliated | 30 April 1789 | 4 March 1797 |
| 2 | John Adams | Federalist Party | 4 March 1797 | 4 March 1801 |
| 3 | Thomas Jefferson | Democratic-Republican Party | 4 March 1801 | 4 March 1809 |
| 4 | James Madison | Democratic-Republican Party | 4 March 1809 | 4 March 1817 |
| 5 | James Monroe | Democratic-Republican Party | 4 March 1817 | 4 March 1825 |
| 6 | John Quincy Adams | Democratic-Republican Party | 4 March 1825 | 4 March 1829 |
| 7 | Andrew Jackson | Democratic Party | 4 March 1829 | 4 March 1837 |
| 8 | Martin Van Buren | Democratic Party | 4 March 1837 | 4 March 1841 |
| 9 | William Henry Harrison | Whig Party | 4 March 1841 | 4 April 1841[Note 2] |
| 10 | John Tyler | Whig Party
Unaffiliated |
4 April 1841 | 4 March 1845 |
| 11 | James K. Polk | Democratic Party | 4 March 1845 | 4 March 1849 |
| 12 | Zachary Taylor | Whig Party | 4 March 1849 | 9 July 1850[Note 2] |
| 13 | Millard Fillmore | Whig Party | 9 July 1850 | 4 March 1853 |
| 14 | Franklin Pierce | Democratic Party | 4 March 1853 | 4 March 1857 |
| 15 | James Buchanan | Democratic Party | 4 March 1857 | 4 March 1861 |
| 16 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican PartyNational Union Party | 4 March 1861 | 15 April 1865[Note 2] |
| 17 | Andrew Johnson | National Union Party
Democratic Party |
15 April 1865 | 4 March 1869 |
| 18 | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican Party | 4 March 1869 | 4 March 1877 |
| 19 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Republican Party | 4 March 1877 | 4 March 1881 |
| 20 | James A. Garfield | Republican Party | 4 March 1881 | 19 September 1881[Note 2] |
| 21 | Chester A. Arthur | Republican Party | 19 September 1881 | 4 March 1885 |
| 22 | Grover Cleveland | Democratic Party | 4 March 1885 | 4 March 1889 |
| 23 | Benjamin Harrison | Republican Party | 4 March 1889 | 4 March 1893 |
| 24 | Grover Cleveland | Democratic Party | 4 March 1893 | 4 March 1897 |
| 25 | William McKinley | Republican Party | 4 March 1897 | 14 September 1901[Note 2] |
| 26 | Theodore Roosevelt | Republican Party | 14 September 1901 | 4 March 1909 |
| 27 | William Howard Taft | Republican Party | 4 March 1909 | 4 March 1913 |
| 28 | Woodrow Wilson | Democratic Party | 4 March 1913 | 4 March 1921 |
| 29 | Warren G. Harding | Republican Party | 4 March 1921 | 2 August 1923[Note 2] |
| 30 | Calvin Coolidge | Republican Party | 2 August 1923 | 4 March 1929 |
| 31 | Herbert Hoover | Republican Party | 4 March 1929 | 4 March 1933 |
| 32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Democratic Party | 4 March 1933 | 12 April 1945[Note 2] |
| 33 | Harry S. Truman | Democratic Party | 12 April 1945 | 20 January 1953 |
| 34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Republican Party | 20 January 1953 | 20 January 1961 |
| 35 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic Party | 20 January 1961 | 22 November 1963[Note 2] |
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic Party | 22 November 1963 | 20 January 1969 |
| 37 | Richard Nixon | Republican Party | 20 January 1969 | 9 August 1974[Note 3] |
| 38 | Gerald Ford | Republican Party | 9 August 1974 | 20 January 1977 |
| 39 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic Party | 20 January 1977 | 20 January 1981 |
| 40 | Ronald Reagan | Republican Party | 20 January 1981 | 20 January 1989 |
| 41 | George H. W. Bush | Republican Party | 20 January 1989 | 20 January 1993 |
| 42 | Bill Clinton | Democratic Party | 20 January 1993 | 20 January 2001 |
| 43 | George W. Bush | Republican Party | 20 January 2001 | 20 January 2009 |
| 44 | Barack Obama | Democratic Party | 20 January 2009 | 20 January 2017 |
| 45 | Donald Trump | Republican Party | 20 January 2017 | 20 January 2021 |
| 46 | Joe Biden | Democratic Party | 20 January 2021 | Incumbent |
See also[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ There has only been one exception to this rule: Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR was elected four times: in 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944; he died just 82 days into his fourth term. His cousin Theodore Roosevelt, who served two terms as president from 1901 to 1909, also ran for a third term unsuccessfully in 1912. The 22nd Amendment was only approved in 1947 and came into force in 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Died in office
- ↑ Resigned
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Keating, Joshua (2013-05-09).: "Actually, U.S. presidents have been going to war without Congress since the beginning". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chad Pearson (2023-07-12). "Sober Up Liberals: The U.S. Constitution Sucks" MR Online. Archived from the original on 2023-07-12.
- ↑ This has happened nine times. The nine Vice Presidents who were elevated to the presidency following the sitting president's death or resignation are John Tyler (1841); Millard Fillmore (1850); Andrew Johnson (1865); Chester A. Arthur (1881); Theodore Roosevelt (1901); Calvin Coolidge (1923); Harry S. Truman (1945); Lyndon B. Johnson (1963); and Gerald Ford (1974).
- ↑ Domenico Losurdo (2011). Liberalism: A Counter-History: 'What Is Liberalism?' (p. 12). [PDF] Verso. ISBN 9781844676934 [LG]
- ↑ "Several senior US officials descend from slave owner families: Reuters" (2023-07-27). Al Mayadeen. Archived from the original on 2023-06-27.
- ↑ Sauter, Michael B.; Suneson, Grant; Stebbins, Samuel (2020-11-05).: "From Washington to Trump: This is the net worth of every American president". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ↑ Jessica Greene (2010-02-16).: "All the Presidents' Cousins". KNTV. Archived from the original on 2020-04-25. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ↑ https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S1-C5-1/ALDE_00013692/
- ↑ Walter Smolarek (2022-12-13). "Civics class for radicals: The presidency" Liberation News. Retrieved 2022-12-16.