12.1: Presidential Roles

The President of the United States fulfills several important roles in the political and civic life of the United States. Americans tend to be most familiar with the president’s role as head of government. As the leader of the executive branch of the national government, it is the president’s duty to, in the language of Article II of the Constitution, “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Congress bears primary responsibility for lawmaking, but once laws are made it is up to the president — and the network of departments, agencies, and offices over which he has authority — to ensure that they are enforced. From IRS auditors collecting taxes to CIA operatives tracking suspected terrorists to NPS rangers monitoring national parks, the president’s subordinates (and his subordinates’ subordinates) act to carry out the will of Congress.

In addition to his practical role as head of government, the president also fulfills the symbolic role of head of state. As the only official other than the vice president chosen in a national election, the president represents the entire country in various ceremonial capacities, from pardoning turkeys each November to welcoming visiting foreign leaders to mourning national tragedies. The president personifies all of America, officially and unofficially, both within its borders and around the world.

Some countries, including Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey, fuse the roles of head of state and head of government similarly to the way America does. Others keep the roles separate. In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister (elected by the House of Commons) fulfills the practical duties of head of government while the King assumes the symbolic responsibilities of head of state. A similar division occurs in Iran, where the secular President is head of government but the religious Supreme Leader is head of state (although the Supreme Leader does appoint some cabinet ministers directly). Ethiopia, Germany, India, and many other countries have both an elected head of government and a separately elected head of state.

This distinction between head of government and head of state is why the United Kingdom and other “constitutional monarchies” are considered democracies despite having kings, queens, or emperors. The monarchs of these countries wield only symbolic power while the democratically-elected heads of government direct the policymaking process.

Aside from head of government and head of state, the President of the United States serves as the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces, bearing responsibility for overall military strategy as well as specific tactical operations. The president is also America’s chief diplomat, negotiating political and economic treaties with leaders of other countries, often with the aid of the Department of State (which handles diplomatic affairs). Finally, the president is the unofficial head of his party (by virtue of the fact that he is its highest-ranking member in government) and sets the tone for the party’s policy agenda and electoral strategy, in both intentional and unintentional ways.