Although it might seem that the president has absolute authority, there are certain things a president can and cannot do. The following are some of the privileges and powers that the POTUS is allowed, courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.
• Make treaties with the approval of the Senate.
• The implied ability to fire executive branch officials, even if it’s not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.
• Act as Commander-in-Chief during times of war.
• Veto bills and sign bills.
• Enforce the laws passed by Congress.
• Make suggestions about what should be new laws and employ a national platform to sway public opinion and convince Congress to support policy.
• Serve as the leader and mouthpiece for a political party.
• Entertain foreign dignitaries and other guests.
• Recognize foreign countries in different ways.
• Grant pardons to individuals found guilty of federal offenses.
• Nominate Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices and other high officials.
• Appoint ambassadors.
• Call Congress into special session, or end sessions if they cannot agree.Apart from the more obvious, there are certain things the U.S. President is not supposed to do. However, although the Secret Service can advise and strongly discourage the behaviors below, the president does have the final say.
• Current and former presidents and vice presidents aren’t supposed to drive on the open road. Secret Service agents may allow them to drive around secured properties.
• A sitting president is not to use offthe- shelf personal electronic devices due to security concerns. • Presidents shouldn’t attend their children’s performance or sporting events due to the extensive security preparations that would be necessary.• Similar to driving a car, a president shouldn’t take a commercial airline flight.
• For security reasons, opening windows in the White House and in the presidential vehicle is prohibited.
• A president shouldn’t do spring cleaning, like tidying up an office.
Under the Presidential Records Act, presidents are mandated to hang on to things that normally would be discarded by others, such as emails and paperwork.