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President - Coggle Diagram
President
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powers
formal
clearly delegated by constitution: Signing/vetoing legislation, negotiating treaties, granting pardons/reprieves, nominating ambassadors/federal judges/ exec branch
informal
Implied powers: ordering military action, exec orders, signing exec agreements, statements in which they can emphasise particular aspects of legislation. Power to persuade
extent of power: depends on united gov (Obama abandoned plans to nominate SC judge 2016 after Senate repub refused to hear. More powerful after an election victory ( mandate), lame ducks at end of 2nd term
Crises✅: AFTER 911 Bush passed all major priorities (Afghanistan +Iraq, Dep of Homeland Security, increasing law enforcement agencies). Trump left WHO and ordered Operation Warp Speed during COVID.
Crisis❌: Trumps approval ratings fell over handling of pandemic + economic downturn. Biden's poll ratings declined after failure to deal w Israel/Hamas war.
Economic factors: Carter, Bush, Trump lost re-election in the middle of economic crises. Obama oversaw the American Recovery Act 2009
too much or little power
Much: presidents have significant power in foreign and domestic policy. Erode state's identities through coercive federalism
Little: hyper partisanship for nominations means many spaces left unfilled: only 8 SC judges for most of 2016. Difficulty passing legislation , 1 major gun legislation since 1994
checks and balances
Congressional
HoR + Senate (support from both Senators) needs to approve same version of a bill. Party loyalty recently weaker= divided government.
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Obama faced 1 gov shutdown in 2019, Trump 3 . Biden narrowly missed shutdown by passing American Relief Act 2025.
Senate has to confirm presidential appointments (rejected Reagan's SC robert Bork 1987). Andrew Puzder withdrew as appointee to Secretary of Labor 2017 after Senate stated they were unwilling to confirm. Hours of hearings
Executive orders: can easily be repealed, subject to judicial review, cannot commit federal funding. 2016 Obama passed exec order for strengthening background checks= harder for guns to be sold over the internet
Foreign policy: President= commander in chief and therefore can order military actions. 2024 Biden exec order which temporarily prevented asylum requests once the daily arrivals from mexico exceeded 2500. Limit congressional checks on diplomatic policy by exec agree instead of treaties. War Powers resolution 1973= president must notify congress within 48 hours of committing troops + seek congressional; approval if armed forces are deployed overseas for more than 60 days
2007 D in Congress limited Bush's control over Iraq war by continued funding for troop withdrawals. Formal treaties require 2/3 of senate- obama + UN disability rights treaty
Clinton impeached 1998 on obstructing COngress and perjury over affair Monica Lewinsky. TRump impeached twice= illegal deal to Ukraine and role in January 6th Capitol riots
judicial
SC: Clinton= US v Lopez 1995. Bush= Rasul v Bush 2004 (indefinite terror suspects). Obama Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 NFIB v Sebellius 2012. Trump= TRump v Hawaii 2018. Biden= NFIB v Department of Labor 2022. Biden v NEbraska 2023
Trump immune from federal prosecution for official acts. Trump v US= ended his efforts to challenge 2020 election results. Biden was against Dobbs v Jackson ruling on abortion
2017-21 Trump made 3 appointments to SC aligning w his ideology. 2009-17 Obama appointed 2. Biden faced checks from judicial branch
vice president
powers
President of the Senate: When neither party comfortably has a majority= has more influence, casts deciding votes when there's a tie (JD Vance and the Big Beautiful Bill), Mike Pence cast 13 tiebreakers, Harris 33 in first 2 years.
Counting/announcing ECV: Pence confirmed Trump's defeat 2021 despite facing pressure to not ratify them
Succeeding and deputising: If president dies, resigns or is impeached, they succeed them (Johnson after assassination of Kennedy, Ford after Nixon + Watergate)