The American President

The President of the United States is one of the most powerful people in the world. He must lead a strong nation and make sure that laws are put into effect . He is the commander of the army and can send American soldiers to war. The President also decides which relationships America has with other countries. He is the Head of State and meets with leaders of other nations.

To become president a person

must be at least 35 years old
must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years
must be born in the United States

A president serves his country for four years. He can also be elected a second time. Until 1951 US presidents were able to hold office for more than eight years. Franklin D. Roosevelt , for example, was elected four times and was president from 1933—1945.

If Congress finds out that a president has done something wrong he can be removed from the White House .

A President’s Job

The President is the head of the executive branch of government. When the Senate and the House of Representatives want a new law to be passed , they send a bill to the President. If he agrees , he signs the bill and it becomes a law .

However, if the President does not like it he doesn’t have to sign it. This is called a veto. The bill goes back to Congress and if two thirds of all members vote against the veto it becomes a law .

The Cabinet

The President does not rule the country alone. The Cabinet is a group of people who get together and give the President information on many things. The President himself chooses them and they meet at least once a week. They are experts in many fields like defence , the environment , education and others.

Life of a President

An American President is always busy. He has several conferences and meets up to a hundred or more people every day.

The President lives in the White House in Washington , D.C. Most of the time he does his work in the Oval Office. There, he meets his helpers, leaders from other countries and other people.

Presidents often spend their weekends at Camp David, a retreat in the Maryland mountains. There they relax, play golf, go riding and fishing and have time for their families.

The Secret Service protects the American President around the clock. It checks food and the hotels where a President lives and plans his trips and journeys.

A President travels across the country or abroad in his own plane—Air Force One. It is a Boeing 747 in which he can work and live as in the White House.

Even though presidents are closely protected some of them were killed in office. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 when he was at a theatre performance. John F. Kennedy was murdered on the streets of Dallas, Texas in 1963.