ShmoopTube

00:04

[Dino and coop play music]

00:13

Quick, name the first job that pops into your head… [Person holding beaker]

00:16

…We don't know why we waited for you to answer. We can't actually hear you. [Beaker explodes]

00:20

…Anyway. Maybe you said doctor, or teacher, or dragon breeder…

00:23

All of those are obvious choices because everyone knows exactly what they do. [Person touching tablet]

00:28

A doctor helps make people feel better when they're sick, a teacher teaches, a dragon

00:32

breeder breeds dragons. [Dragon breathes fire]

00:34

But some jobs aren't as self-explanatory.

00:37

Have you ever thought about what the President of the United States does? [Person ponders]

00:40

Sure, you've probably seen the President giving speeches, meeting other politicians,

00:44

and pardoning turkeys every November. [Turkey is pardoned]

00:46

But that can't be it, right?

00:48

Well, let's check out what happens on the very first day of a Presidency. [January 20 circled in red]

00:52

When a President is sworn into office, they vow to “preserve, protect, and defend the

00:56

Constitution of the United States...” [Coop teaches]

00:58

And that kind of sums it all up!

01:00

It's the job of the President and the Executive branch to make sure everyone in the country

01:04

lives by the laws of the Constitution. [President holds branch]

01:06

Of course, we'd probably get in trouble with your teachers if we simply left it at that

01:10

and called it a day, so in the interest of staying in their good graces, let's cover [Hands raise]

01:14

some of the other roles and responsibilities of the President:

01:17

They're the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, meaning they get to call the final

01:22

shots when it comes to military action. [People playing Battleship]

01:24

They have the right to grant reprieves and pardons––remember the turkeys?––as

01:28

well as the right to make treaties – so long as they have the approval of two-thirds

01:32

of the senate. [The Senators sitting in Senate]

01:33

The President also has the right to nominate and appoint – again, with the Senate's approval

01:37

– ambassadors, consuls and supreme court judges. [People standing]

01:40

Yeesh, Senate…controlling much?

01:42

Well…yeah, actually. [Person holds Kryptonite]

01:44

The president doesn't have absolute power…they're kept in check by other branches of government.

01:48

For instance, the president also has the right to make recommendations to Congress –

01:53

though there's no promise that Congress will be very interested in listening. [President speaks]

01:57

And lastly, the President is able to appoint head officials to the US federal agencies, [Flag waves]

02:02

like the Department of Defense, the CIA, the Federal Reserve, NASA, and so on. [Department seals]

02:07

Hey, we've always wanted to check out Mars…how about it POTUS?

02:10

Put in a good word for Shmoop at NASA? [President recommends]

02:13

Those are just a few of the many official roles and responsibilities of the President.

02:17

Of course, there are many unofficial ones as well... [Phone displays President]

02:20

like making funny faces on camera...

02:22

kissing lots of babies heads... [Kisses baby]

02:24

and yes, even dancing on Ellen. [People dancing]

02:25

It's all part of the job.

Full Transcript