Is it the presidents main job to work for the people. All the people of the United States?

[Anonymous]

Yes

No

Other

[abc3643]

No, that's Congress's job - sort of. Each member of Congress is supposed to represent his constituency although, in principle, do what is in the best interests of the US even if that's not in the best interests of his constituency. Thus, since "all politics is local", meaning you can only get elected by your constituency and they like to keep their jobs, they have a tendency to not support what is in the best interests of everyone.

The President's job is to enforce the laws enacted by Congress, be the head of foreign affairs, and be the head of the military. In principle, he is the leader of the nation and is for everyone, but no two people are ever in complete agreement, so that's effectively impossible. But he can still lead and set an example and inspire.

This is the President's job per the US Constitution, Article II...

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Section 1.
The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.
...
Section 2.
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; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.


He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

Section 3.
He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.

[CrazyGirl2]

Eh? No, not exactly. I mean yes, in a way, but it’s not really as simple or reductive as that.

President's primary responsibility is to preserve, uphold, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and to lead the executive branch of the federal government, which involves making decisions that are in the best interest of the country and yes, its citizens too. This includes setting and implementing policies, representing the U. S. on the global stage, ensuring national security and domestic tranquility, and addressing the needs and concerns of the American people.

The President is elected by the people, through the electoral college, and his actions are meant to reflect the will and welfare of the nation as a whole. But congress was established to represent ie, “work for” the people. That’s why the main house chamber within the house of representatives is called “The People’s House”, and within the House of Representatives, each representative is supposed to vigorously look out for the best interests of the constituents who elected her/him to be there. It is a place where rigorous debate is encouraged. The Senate was established as “the cooling saucer of democracy”! It’s supposed to be a place that is more dignified and measured than the House of Representatives. So no, two guys were NOT supposed to be having sex on Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s desk in the Senate Judiciary Committee room! The Senate is there to be the “cooler heads” which prevail.

The U. S. President does works for the people of the United States, but in the US, “the people” are the whole of the citizenry. The President is elected and is expected to represent the interests of all the “people”, to protect our rights (under the US Constitution), and to ensure our well-being, as well as domestic tranquility. This involves making decisions and taking actions that benefit the country as a whole, from domestic policies that affect everyday life to international relations that secure the nation's place in the world. At its core, the presidency is about serving the American people BY upholding, preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution. Nowhere in his oath of office, does it even mention serving, or working for the citizens of the United States. It states: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That’s is, that is all the President vows to do, there is nothing in there about working for the American people. The issue gets cloudy because in the United States, all government officials work for the people because we recognize that our taxes pay their salaries, and they are referred to as public servants. So some people however, believe that government officials work directly for the people. They obviously do not.

I hope this helps.
Sincerely, Laura.

[buzzword]

Not exactly. The House of Representatives are most closely connected to the people in their districts. The Congress, listens to the people's lobbying and makes law to address citizens concerns. The President however is tasked with implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress. This occurs through tasking federal agencies with day to day actions which are carried out by agency heads and cabinet members appointed by the President. The President's primary responsibility is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Thus the President must act as a balance of power against Congress and veto bills that violate the Constitution and act as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to defend America against foreign and domestic enemies. For example, the president must defend all states and guarantee them a republican form of government and protect each of the states against invasion like from illegal aliens across the southern border. The President must defend American citizens against domestic violence. So when riots occur, the President must attempt to deploy national guard to insure the safety of the citizenry, but States and D. C. can ultimately refuse assistance by taking responsibility for local insurrections like the BLM riots. If the President makes an honest effort, he has carried out his duties and then the responsibility falls on the local party like Tim Walz who let Minnesota burn. Then the local party is in dereliction of duty for refusal of federal assistance. Additionally the President has responsible for diplomacy with other nations, thus he negotiates and signs treaties. He also acts as the head of state, thus is the symbolic leader that tries to bring the people together with motivational words and appearances at events for moral and whatnot. While the President ultimately serves the people, it is more indirect than Congress who has to listen to the people when making law and funding government.

[buzzword]

For example if polls indicated that 51% of American people wanted a communist dictatorship, it would be against the office of the President to allow that to occur. America isn't a democracy. It isn't a popularity contest. The president has to defend the constitution even if it isn't popular. If the people really want to amend the constitution, there is a legal process for that.

[MisterWack]

The President of The United States of America should always work with the best interests in mind for all the people, not just those that elect him/her.

When sworn into office they are held to the US Constitution. Wars were fought, men sacrificed their lives, and all our troops pledge to uphold that sacred document so help them God, the President is not an exception however a continuation.

The President is a servant of the Constitution, a vessel for the people, and a commander at the helm willing to do everything in their power to stand up for the country they serve. President George Washington made it clear that patriotism is the preservation & defense of this Union and that we shall not be divided by North, South, East, West or even divided by foreign agents lurking in the shadows…. President George Washington gave the founding grounds of resignation, term limits, peaceful transfer of power, also the powers of the presidency that still continue on.

I end this on what I hold dear, The President of The United States of America abides by the US Constitution, follows the needs of the people even if they don’t vote for them, and once it is all said and done they pass the torch allowing a new president to push our Democratic Republic forward as a Union United, not divided. That is what I believe a President is and where their duties reside. Thank you all for reading this. God Bless You & God Bless America.

[WindAtMyBack]

Nope. The US is a federation. The president doesn't represent anyone. He presides over the federal government, is the chief domestic administrator, is commander of the military, and the chief international diplomat. Representing the people is not in any way part of his job. There are others who do that at the federal, state and local levels.

[goaded]

I don't see the word "represent" anywhere in the question. If he's not working for the people, who would he be working for?

[WindAtMyBack]

@goaded
He works for the federal government, which in theory has extremely limited power and jurisdiction.

I seriously think that we should go back to not letting people vote for president. It gives people the wrong idea.

[NamerOfStars]

Not quite. The President's main job is protecting the country from Congress. If you read the Constitution and compare it with the Articles of Confederation, the thought process becomes pretty clear.

[normalice]

Yes and no. It is the job of congress to decide what the president should do. The president is supposed to work for congress, in that sense. But congress works for the rest of us. In theory...

[StyngRay]

The Executive's main function is to enforce the laws of the country, commander of chief, treaties with consultation with the Senate and a check on the other two branches.

[Ladsin2]

I don't understand the question. The president's job is to head the executive branch. The role of the Executive branch is to implement and enforce the laws of the Legislative branch.

[In_Trance]

The president's main role is to follow the direction they're given. They have a part to play and they need to do it or else.
They're usually directed by big oil and or big Pharma.

[Fireguy17]

that is how it is supposed to work, but now it is all about money, and keeping thier party in power.

[gorydetails]

It's the president's main job to uphold the constitution.

[msc545]

No, the job of the US President is to make sure the right people are paid off.

[DrPepper12]

Yes but it's much more complicated than that!