President of the United States (Differently)

President of the United States
Presidential seal
Presidential flag
Incumbent Cheri Callahan since 2 January 2025
Executive branch of the U.S. government Executive Office of the President
Style	Mr. President (informal) The Honourable (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Status	Head of state Head of government Commander-in-chief
Abbreviation	POTUS
Member of	Cabinet Domestic Matters Council National Economic Council National Security Council
Residence	White House
Seat	Washington City
Appointer	Electoral College or via succession from vice presidency
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the United States
Precursor	the President of the Continental Congress
Inaugural holder	George Washington
Formation	4 March 1789; 235 years ago
Salary	400,000 United States dollars per year

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

The power of the president has changed significantly since 1789, when George Washington became the first person to ascend the office. Being often restricted by the United States Congress in the 19th century, especially following the War for Southern Independence, the president's power increased in the 20th century, especially during the Albert B. Cummins and Hiram Johnson presidencies when the Great War and the Anglo-American War were taking place. In modern times, the United States president is considered one of the most important figures in the world, retaining high influence in the world as the leader of one of the two remaining superpowers.

The second article of the Constitution entrusts the president to preside over the executive branch of the federal government. This authority encompasses the implementation and enforcement of federal laws, as well as the duty to nominate individuals for various federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial positions. Rooted in constitutional clauses granting the president the power to appoint and receive ambassadors and negotiate treaties with foreign nations, coupled with subsequent legislative acts passed by Congress, the contemporary presidency plays a central role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. This role involves overseeing the nation's most costly military, equipped with the second-largest nuclear arsenal globally. The president also plays an important role in policymaking, having the authority to sign or veto bills passed by Congress as per Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.

The president is indirectly elected by the Electoral College every four years, alongside the vice president. Originally, the presidential inauguration was held on March 4, but on December 1923, the Twentieth Amendment was adopted and the inauguration moved to January 2. This amendment was created because the Congress members feared the "lame duck" period between the 1924 elections and the next inauguration could impair decision making on the ongoing Anglo-American War. Since the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment in 1970, nobody who has successfully run for president twice may be elected for a third, effectively codifying the traditional precedent that George Washington had set. In all, 46 individuals have served as presidents, with Cheri Callahan of the Progressive Party being the 46th and current president, having assumed office at noon EST on 2 January 2025.

List of presidents

No.	President		Took office	Left office	Party	Vice Presidents	Election
1		George Washington	April 30, 1789	March 4, 1797	Independent	John Adams	1788-1789
							1792
2		John Adams	March 4, 1797	March 4, 1801	Federalist	Thomas Jefferson	1796
3		Thomas Jefferson	March 4, 1801	March 4, 1809	Democratic-Republican	Aaron Burr	1800
						George ClintonD	1804
4		James Madison	March 4, 1809	March 4, 1812			1808
						Elbridge GerryD	1812
5		James Monroe	March 4, 1817	March 4, 1825		Daniel D. Tompkins	1816
							1820
6		John Quincy Adams	March 4, 1825	March 4, 1829		John C. CalhounR	1824
7		Andrew Jackson	March 4, 1829	March 4, 1837	Democratic		1828
						Martin Van Buren	1832
8		Martin Van Buren	March 4, 1837	March 4, 1841		Richard Mentor Johnson	1836
9		William Henry Harrison	March 4, 1841	April 4, 1841D	Whig	John Tyler	1840
10		John Tyler	April 4, 1841	March 4, 1845		Vacant
11		James K. Polk	March 4, 1845	March 4, 1849	Democratic	George M. Dallas	1844
12		Zachary Taylor	March 4, 1849	July 9, 1850D	Whig	Millard Fillmore	1848
13		Millard Fillmore	July 9, 1850	March 4, 1853		Vacant
14		Franklin Pierce	March 4, 1853	March 4, 1857	Democratic	William R. KingD	1852
15		James Buchanan	March 4, 1857	March 4, 1861		John C. Breckinridge	1856
16		Abraham Lincoln	March 4, 1861	March 4, 1865	Republican	Hannibal Hamlin	1860
17		George B. McClellan	March 4, 1865	March 4, 1873	Democratic	George H. Pendleton	1864
							1868
18		George H. Pendleton	March 4, 1873	March 4, 1877		James A. Bayard Jr.	1872
19		James G. Blaine	March 4, 1877	March 4, 1881	Unionist	Frederick T. Frelinghuysen	1876
20		Winfield Scott Hancock	March 4, 1881	February 9, 1886D	Democratic	William Hayden English	1880
							1884
21		William Hayden English	February 9, 1886	March 4, 1889		Vacant
22		John Sherman	March 4, 1889	March 4, 1893	Unionist	Benjamin Harrison	1888
23		David B. Hill	March 4, 1893	March 4, 1897	Democratic	Adlai Stevenson I	1892
24		William McKinley	March 4, 1897	September 14, 1901A	Unionist	Garret HobartD	1896
						Theodore Roosevelt	1900
25		Theodore Roosevelt	September 14, 1901	March 4, 1909		Vacant
						Charles W. Fairbanks	1904
26		William Howard Taft	March 4, 1909	March 4, 1913		James S. Sherman	1908
27		Theodore Roosevelt	March 4, 1913	January 6, 1919 D	Progressive	Hiram Johnson	1912
							1916
28		Hiram Johnson	January 6, 1919	January 2, 1925		Vacant
						Leonard Wood	1920
29		Frank Orren Lowden	January 2, 1925	January 2, 1933	Unionist	Charles G. Dawes	1924
							1928
30		Theodore Roosevelt Jr.	January 2, 1933	January 2, 1941	Progressive	Herbert A. Hoover	1932
							1936
31		Henry A. Wallace	January 2, 1941	January 2, 1945		Alf Landon	1940
32		Thomas E. Dewey	January 2, 1945	January 2, 1953	Unionist	Harry F. Byrd	1944
							1948
33		Earl Warren	January 2, 1953	January 2, 1961	Progressive	Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.	1952
							1956
34		Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.	January 2, 1961	November 22, 1963A		Nelson Rockefeller	1960
35		Nelson Rockefeller	November 22, 1963	January 2, 1969		Vacant
						Hubert H. Humphrey	1964
36		Richard Nixon	January 2, 1969	April 13, 1972A	Unionist	Spiro Agnew	1968
37		Spiro Agnew	April 13, 1972	January 2, 1977		Vacant
						John M. Ashbrook	1972
38		Robert F. Kennedy	January 2, 1977	January 2, 1985	Progressive	Shirley Chisolm	1976
							1980
39		Gary Hart	January 2, 1985	January 2, 1989		Jerry Springer	1984
40		Bob Dole	January 2, 1989	January 2, 1997	Unionist	Dick Gephardt	1988
							1992
41		Jerry Brown	January 2, 1997	January 2, 2005	Progressive	Tom Harkin	1996
							2000
42		Howard Dean	January 2, 2005	January 2, 2013	Unionist	John Kasich	2004
							2008
43		Robin Wright	January 2, 2013	January 2, 2021	Progressive	Bill Richardson	2012
							2016
44		Mike Pence	January 2, 2021	January 2, 2025	Unionist	Michael Bloomberg	2020
45		Cheri Callahan	January 2, 2025	Incumbent	Progressive	Megan Rapinoe	2024

See also

• Historical rankings of presidents of the United States