Office of the President Qualifications The President must

Office of the President

Qualifications � The President must be a “natural-born citizen” � The Founders were concerned that the leader of the country needed to be a loyal citizen who understood Americans and their needs � The President must have lived in the US for at least 14 years � The President must be at least 35 years of age � The youngest President to take office was Teddy Roosevelt at 42 and the youngest elected was JFK at 43 (Barack Obama is 48)

Term � Four years is one term of office � The Constitution put no limit on the number of terms a President could serve; however, the precedent of George Washington limited the number of terms to two � In 1940, FDR was elected to a third term and in 1944, he was elected for a fourth � 22 nd Amendment limited the number of elected terms to two and a maximum of 10 years (only if the office is inherited) � Presidents are often labeled as Lame Ducks in their second term

Pay and Benefits � Article II, Section 1 states that the President should be paid a “compensation” that cannot be increased or decreased during a term � First set at $25, 000 a year in 1789 � Since 1969, the salary has been $200, 000/year � In 1999, a bill was signed to ensure the next President would make $400, 000/year � Besides salary, the President enjoys many benefits, such as an expense account, residence in the White House, generous travel and entertainment funds, superb health care, a lifetime pension, a fleet of fancy automobiles, and Air Force One

Sounds great, but… � The President makes about one penny for every thousand people he governs � CEO’s head companies whose sole purpose is to make money, but Presidents are public servants whose salaries are paid by ordinary taxpayers

Presidential Facts � As of 2012, 44 Presidents have served the United States � 43 belonged to political parties (George Washington did not) � 43 were Protestants (JFK was Catholic) � 39 had previous government experience before taking office � 35 were 50 years or older

Presidential Facts � 33 went to college (all except one – Harry Truman – in the 20 th century) � 25 were lawyers � 14 were former Vice-Presidents � 1 was a racial or ethnic minority � None were women