Hail to the chief!

                In regards to the presidency, the founding fathers of our great nation established a Republic rather than adopt the old world practice of monarchical rule. As a direct consequence, the President of the United States (POTUS) is the Head of State but he is not the head of government. Unlike other republican regimes such as France, the US does not have a Prime Minister either. The nearest equivalent we have is the Speaker of the House. The Speaker can of course derive from the opposing party to the President, a situation that can also occur under the French system. What the French call cohabitation we call divided government.

                As Head of State, the POTUS represents us on the world stage. As leader of our country, he holds considerable prestige and authority within international relations. Indeed, the American President has the strongest claim to being leader of the free world. He is also the leader of the largest economy in the world, at least in nominal terms rather than Gross Domestic Product per capita. Whilst the US remains far ahead of any other challenger in terms of military power, we may lose out to China if current trends continue. It is already the case that a great deal of American debt is owned by China, which inevitably constrains the President when negotiating with the Chinese Premier (currently Xi Jinping). These economic trends matter because the authority of the President within international affairs is tied into the relative status of the United States. When America’s position declines, the President’s authority is likely to suffer accordingly.

                As Head of State, the President is obliged to adopt a number of ceremonial roles. This requires him to act in a politically neutral manner. However, given the partisan atmosphere of American politics he is also expected to act in a certain way by his own party (especially during the run-up to an election). Even the ceremonial aspects of the role may be performed in a different manner according to which particular party he is from. Indeed, it would be naïve to assume that the actions of the President, even the ceremonial aspects; can be entirely free from political bias.