Trade Policy
Section 338: Presidential Tariffs and Import Bans
In 2026, tariffs of 50 percent took effect August 22 on a range of Canadian goods, and three September 8 proclamations excluded certain Canadian products in…
The Presidency
The presidency is the office that heads the executive branch of the federal government. The president carries out the laws, leads the military, directs foreign policy, and oversees a large workforce of federal employees. The Constitution defines the office's powers and limits, and Congress and the courts check how they are used. The topic also covers how presidents are chosen, succeeded, and supported by staff.
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Latest in The Presidency
The Presidency
How Presidential Succession Works
Learn what happens when a president dies, resigns, or can't serve, and how succession works if both leaders are gone at once.
The Presidency
Can a President Serve More Than Two Terms?
The Twenty-Second Amendment caps elections, not years served, so a successor president can serve up to about ten years, and a vice-presidential loophole remains untested.
Presidential Actions
How Executive Orders Work—And When Courts Can Strike Them Down
In January 2025, Donald Trump signed 225 executive orders in his first year—the highest first-year count since Franklin Roosevelt's emergency response to the Great Depression. Within…
Topics in The Presidency
Staff and powers
The offices that advise and support the president are covered under the Executive Office of the President, and the formal ways presidents act, such as orders, vetoes, and pardons, are covered under Presidential Actions.
All Articles on The Presidency
Why FDR Issued More Executive Orders Than Any Modern President
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued executive orders during his presidency—the most commonly cited figure is 3,721, though some authoritative sources list 3,726. The variation in…
Can Federal Employees Challenge Hiring Rules Based on Political Affiliation?
Trump's White House has eliminated more than 300,000 federal positions in its first year through a combination of hiring freezes, mandatory return-to-office orders, and…
Trump Added His Name to the Kennedy Center. Here’s How He Did It.
On December 18, 2025, the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, chaired by President Donald J. Trump,…
The $2 Billion Year: Trump’s Business Profits During His Presidency in 2025
The period from 2017 to 2021 included a publicly stated, if contested, attempt to separate the President's private business interests from his official duties.…
Trump Renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America
Hours after his second inauguration, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14172 directing the U.S. government to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the…
How Biden’s Autopen Use Sparked a Fight Over Presidential Power
For over 70 years, the presidential autopen has operated quietly in the White House. The machine uses a real pen to replicate a president's…
Will the Justice Department Pay Trump’s $230 Million Claim?
President Donald Trump is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to pay him approximately $230 million for two federal investigations conducted while he was…
Can the President Fire Federal Workers During a Shutdown?
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to permanently terminate thousands of furloughed federal employees during the government shutdown that began…
Trump’s Proposed ‘Arc de Trump’ Monument: Design, Funding, and Legal Hurdles
Trump’s proposed triumphal arch raises questions about design, funding and approval. Its site near Arlington links the plan to a historic memorial landscape.
Can the President Pay Troops During a Government Shutdown?
In October 2025, with the government shut down and military paychecks at risk, President Donald Trump announced he would direct the Pentagon to pay…