The President's Role

 


The president of the United States has many roles and has the authority to exercise a variety of powers. The president is the  “head of the government” and “head of state” and he is also “commander in chief” of the military, but what do all these roles mean? 


As the Commander in Chief, the president exercises tremendous power. Under the constitution, (Article II, section 2) specifies that “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several states when called into the actual Service of the United States.” War powers are divided between the president and Congress. Congress has the power to declare war and also the power to raise and maintain the country’s armed forces. On the other side the president, as a commander in chief, has the power to deploy the armed forces. The president’s most important duty as a commander in chief is to protect the United States, its territories, possessions, and its armed forces from attack. The president also needs to use the armed forces to maintain the “ peace in the United States”.  Some examples of the president’s roles as a commander in chief are mentioned in the book, “Can commit troops for up to ninety days in response to a military threat (War Powers Resolution. Can Make secret agreements with other countries, can set up military governments in conquered lands and can end infighting by calling a cease-fire (armistice).” (pg. 266)

There are many articles where they classify that the current president Donald J Trump is not fulfilling his duty as "head of the government". In an article from “The Washington Post” is mentioned, “the head of the state acts as the symbolic representative of the sovereign nation, while the head of government oversees the bureaucracy and decides on public policy. The head of state is the more ceremonial role of the two” (Daniel W. Drezner) In the case of the United  States both the head of state and the head of government are fused into one office, the presidency so right now Donald J. Trump is both. This article also mentions that Donald Trump has not done his job right. Some of the things mentioned in the article are, “So, two things about this. First, a fact check: Trump did not go to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day in 2017 because he was on his Pacific Rim tour. Second, this just highlights the difficulties Trump has had in his interactions with the military. He did not just pass on going to Arlington on Veterans Day this year. He bailed on joining German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron at a wreath-laying ceremony during his misbegotten Paris trip. He has also failed to visit troops in war zones such as Iraq or Afghanistan.”(Daniel W. Drezner) This article expresses in different examples why Donald Trump has not been a good head of government and head of state. Lastly, Daniel W. Drezner mentions the three main reasons why he believes all I mentioned before, “First, Trump is not an experienced politician, Second, Trump wants everything to be about himself, but playing the role of the head of state actually requires more sacrifice than this president can stomach and finally, being a good head of state requires believing in something larger than one’s self.” (Daniel W. Drezner)

https://www.washingtonost.com/outlook/2018/11/19/why-is-donald-trump-so-bad-being-head-state/


There are two more articles that I would like to mention where our president is described as incapable of doing his job. As I mentioned before the head of government and head of states is responsible for believing in our country. In the article, Trump Refuses to Soothe a Wounded Nation It is mentioned, “In the wake of a tragedy, a president must act as the leader of supporters and critics alike. Trump has proved incapable of this' ' (JAMES FALLOWS) In this article is described how the president reacts to tragedy and they give examples of others president's reaction to chaos like Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. A good head of state can express a broad sense of national grief, can express a sense of national resolve, and can reassert enduring national principles. This article mentions that “Donald Trump has not risen to this opportunity nor accepted this burden, even once, because he has proved himself incapable of thinking or acting beyond the interests of me.” (JAMES FALLOWS) To be the head of government and head of states has plant responsibilities and as Americans, we have to be able to see if a president is not doing right for the nation. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/donald-trump-doesnt-console-the-nation/579799/

This article also mentions how Donal J Trump is finding difficulty being the Head of State. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/25/crown-explains-why-trump-is-weak-head-state/

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