Getting Started
History and Constitutional Background
Selection of the President and Term Limits
Presidential Succession
Head of State
Presidential Appointments
Presidential Responsibilities
Interaction with the Legislative Branch
Interaction with the Judicial Branch

Presidential Succession and Removal of a President

When a President Misbehaves

The various and interrelated provisions for election, term lengths, re-eligibility, and impeachment gave the president sufficient independence, the Framers believed, for him to perform his functions effectively, and he was freed from an undue submission to Congress. But the Framers also believed there were sufficient controls built into the system. This powerful official would be held accountable for mismanagement or misdeeds: there would be a “performance review” every four years by the electorate and, when circumstances warranted it, he could even be “fired” through the impeachment power in Congress.