President of the United States (Dies Irae)

President of the United States
Presidential seal
Presidential flag
Incumbent Donald Trump Jr. since January 20, 2025
Executive branch of the U.S. government Executive Office of the President
Style	Mrs. President (informal) The Honorable (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Type	Head of state Head of government Commander-in-chief
Abbreviation	POTUS
Member of	Cabinet Domestic Policy Council National Economic Council National Security Council
Residence	White House
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	Electoral College or via succession
Term length	Four years, renewable infinitely
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the United States
Formation	March 4, 1789 (1789-03-04)
First holder	George Washington
Salary	$400,000 per year
Website	whitehouse.gov

The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

The power of the presidency has grown substantially since the first president, George Washington, took office in 1789. In modern times, the president is one of the world's most powerful political figures and the leader of the world's only remaining superpower. As the leader of the nation with the largest economy by nominal GDP, the president possesses significant domestic and international hard and soft power. For much of the 20th century, especially during the Cold War, the U.S. president was often called "the leader of the free world".

Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government and vests executive power in the president. The power includes the execution and enforcement of federal law and the responsibility to appoint federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers. Based on constitutional provisions empowering the president to appoint and receive ambassadors and conclude treaties with foreign powers, and on subsequent laws enacted by Congress, the modern presidency has primary responsibility for conducting U.S. foreign policy. The role includes responsibility for directing the world's most expensive military, which has the second-largest nuclear arsenal.

The president also plays a leading role in federal legislation and domestic policy making. As part of the system of separation of powers, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the president the power to sign or veto federal legislation. Since modern presidents are typically viewed as leaders of their political parties, major policy making is significantly shaped by the outcome of presidential elections, with presidents taking an active role in promoting their policy priorities to members of Congress who are often electorally dependent on the president. In recent decades, presidents have also made increasing use of executive orders, agency regulations, and judicial appointments to shape domestic policy.

Officeholders

No.	Portrait	Name (Year Born - Year Died)	Term	Party	Election	Vice President
32		John Nance Garner (1868-1967)	March 4, 1933 January 20, 1941	Democrat	- 1936	None Henry Skillman Breckinridge
33		Thomas Edmund Dewey (1902-1971)	January 20, 1941 January 20, 1953	Republican	1940 1944	Hamilton Fish III
34		Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)	January 20, 1953 January 20, 1957	Republican	1952	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
35		Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969)	January 20, 1957 January 20, 1965	Democrat	1956 1960	Albert Gore Sr.
36		Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (1902-1985)	January 20, 1965 January 20, 1969	Republican	1964	Barry Goldwater
37		Robert Francis Kennedy (1928-1981)	January 20, 1969 January 20, 1977	Democrat	1968 1972	Eugene McCarthy Hubert Humphrey
38		James L. Buckley (1923-1978)	January 20, 1977 May 17, 1978	Republican	1976	Elliot Richardson
39		Elliot Richardson (1920-1999)	May 17, 1978 January 20, 1981	Republican	-	Vacant through June 10, 1979 Edward Brooke
40		Jerry Brown (1938-)	January 20, 1981 January 20, 1985	Democrat	1980	Joe Biden
41		Bob Dole (1923-2021)	January 20, 1985 January 20, 1989	Republican	1984	Howard Baker
42		Jerry Brown (1938-)	January 20, 1989 January 20, 1993	Democrat	1988	Joe Biden
43		Joe Biden (1942-)	January 20, 1993 January 20, 1997	Democrat	1992	Al Gore
44		Al Gore (1948-)	January 20, 1997 January 20, 2005	Democrat	1996 2000	Joe Liberman
45		John McCain (1936-2018)	January 20, 2005 January 20, 2009	Republican	2004	Dick Cheney
46		Mitt Romney (1947-2010)	January 20, 2009 December 16, 2010	Republican	2008	Paul Ryan
47		Paul Ryan (1970-)	December 16, 2010 January 20, 2013	Republican	-	Vacant through August 17, 2011 Rick Santorum
48		Barack Obama (1961-)	January 20, 2013 January 20, 2021	Democrat	2012 2016	Hillary Rodham
49		Pete Buttigieg (1982-2024)	January 20, 2021 December 5, 2024	Democrat	2020	Kamala Harris
50		Kamala Harris (1964-)	December 5, 2024 January 20, 2025	Democrat	-	Vacant Chris Murphy
51		Donald Trump Jr. (1977-)	January 20, 2025 Incumbent	Republican	2024	Marco Rubio

Living former presidents

As of 2024, there are six living former presidents, listed below.

Jerry Brown

Joe Biden

Al Gore

Paul Ryan

Barack Obama

Kamala Harris

The most recent president to have died was Pete Buttigieg on December 5, 2024, following his assassination.

Pete Buttigieg
Died December 5, 2024