USA Executive Branch: President Flashcards
President
Head of the US government/state, commander-in
chief of the military.
Formal powers
Powers given to the president by the Constitution/Congress.
Informal powers
Powers that have political, not constitutional basis.
Sources of formal powers
- Enumerated powers
Specifically mentioned in the constitution, Article II
- Implied powers
Implied by the text of the Constitution.
- Inherent powers
Needed by the president to carry out their constitutional role
Formal powers examples
- Executive powers
Controls federal bureaucracy, 15 executive departments
- Power to influence the passage of legislation through Congress
4 options
- Appointment powers
RFK Jr, Health and human service, 2025, 52-48
- Foreign policy powers
Bush 2001 Afghanistan, 2003 Iraq
- Power to grant pardons
2024 Biden, Hunter Biden
Informal powers examples
- Power to persuade
Trump 2018 First Step Act
- Deal-making
- Setting the agenda
Trump 2020 election stolen
- De facto party leader
- World leader
Trump Paris left Paris Climate agreement 2020/25.
- Direct authority and the stretching of implied powers
Executive orders, Trump 2025 National Emergency
Executive agreements, Paris Climate Deal
- Bureaucratic power
EXOP
Constraints on the president: Party Support by years
Trump
- 2016-18 Republicans
- 2018-20 Democracts
Biden
- 2020-22 Democrats
- 2022-24 Republicans
Relationship between the presidency and other institutions: Cabinet
Group of advisers chosen by the president to help run the
federal government.
- Usually policy specialists
- Trump 2025, Marco Rubio Secretary of State
- Trump 9 meetings in 2017, 4 in 2018/19, 1 in 2020
- Obama 3.5 meetings
The Executive Office of the President
Group of offices that support the president in running the federal government.
- White House office, daily functions
- National security Council, main forum for any security issues
White House chief of staff
Most senior adviser to the president, heads EXOP and White House Office.
- Susie Wiles
Relationship between the president and their chief of staff
Obama
- Rahm Emanuel considerable powers
- Review policy suggestions before president
- Relationships tightly organized
- Achived 2010 Obama Care
Trump
- Reince Priebus resigned after 6 month
- 4 chief of staff in 4 years
The president’s approach towards their wider staff
Obama
- White house appeared to run collectively
Trump
- 2yrs 280 positions unfilled, frequnt sacking of officials.
The extent to which the president uses EXOP to
dominate the cabinet: Policy Czars
Officials who are responsible for particular area of policy, often
similar to area of that is overseen by cabinet officer
- Greater access to the president
- Jared Kushner convenced Trump to move US embassy to Jerusalem, secretary of state opposed.
The waxing and waning powers of the president
Obama
- First 100 days productive
- Highest approval rates since 1970s
- Democrats controlled 2 houses
- Passed 2010 Obama care
- 2010 Midterms lost HOR
- 2012 Sandy Hook schooting rejected in stricter gun regulation
- 2014 Midterms lost Senate
- 2016 Failed to appoint Merric Garland
Imperial or imperilled presidency
Imperial - Nixon
- Authorised military intervention in Cambodia, Laos without telling Congress.
- Use of illegal methods, watergate
- Cotinued war in Vietnam without Congress approval
Imperilled - Biden
- Political agenda often blocked by republicans.
Who has greater power, the president or the prime minister?
President
- Head of state, government
- Sole head of the executive
- Directly elected, so has a personal mandate
- Much larger bureaucracy to support EXOP
- Commander-in-chief of the US military
- Cannot be removed except impeachment.
- USA largest superpower
PM
- Elective dictatorship
- Whip system and powers of
- No approval for their cabinet
- Less restricted by checks and balances
- No term limits
US vs UK cabinet
US
- Need senate confirmation
- Sole authority
- Only responsible for their department
- No political rivals
- Ususually policy specialists
- Tend to stay in the same department
- Reshuffles not used to increase power
- Only couple meetings
UK
- No confirmation
- Collective authority
- Must support government
- Political rivals
- Ususually not policy specialists
- Tend to move departments
- Reshuffles used to increase power
- Multiple meetings
Structural theory: the role of executives
- Fusion v Separtion of powers
- PM has more influence over legislature
- Sole v Colective authorities
- Harder to remove a president than PM
Rational theory: the role of executives acting out of self-interest
- Responding to a weak legislative position
Obama relied on executive orders and Cameron on Lib Dems
- Responding to national emergency
George W. Bush used emergency power and Tony Blair accused of presidentialism
- Responding to media criticism
Trump said NYT slides with China, Johnson answered people PMqs from facebook.
Cultural theory: the role of shared ideas and culture of executives
Respect and presidential status
- US more respected but recently respect eroding due to polirazation.
