Graves Wikia
Graves Wikia
President of the
United States of America
Seal of the President of the United States of America
Presidential Seal
Flag of the President of the United States of America
Presidential Standard
Style Mr. President
(Informal)
The Honorable
(Formal)
His Excellency
(diplomatic, outside the U.S.)
Residence White House
Washington, D.C.
Term length Four years
renewable once
Inaugural holder George Washington
April 30, 1789
Formation United States Constitution
March 4, 1789
Salary $400,000 annually
Website The White House

The President of the United States of America (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

Article II of the U.S. Constitution vests the executive power of the United States in the president and charges him with the execution of federal law, alongside the responsibility of appointing federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers, and concluding treaties with foreign powers, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The president is further empowered to grant federal pardons and reprieves, and to convene and adjourn either or both houses of Congress under extraordinary circumstances. Since the founding of the United States, the power of the president and the federal government have grown substantially and each modern president, despite possessing no formal legislative powers beyond signing or vetoing congressionally passed bills, is largely responsible for dictating the legislative agenda of his party and the foreign and domestic policy of the United States. The president is frequently described as the most powerful person in the world.

The president is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term, and is one of only two nationally elected federal officers, the other being the Vice President of the United States. The Twenty-second Amendment, adopted in 1951, prohibits anyone from ever being elected to the presidency for a third full term. It also prohibits a person from being elected to the presidency more than once if that person previously had served as president, or acting president, for more than two years of another person's term as president.

Behind the Scenes[]

Appearances[]

See also[]