Heads of state are the symbolic chief of a rustic. A few of them, like King Charles III of the UK, perform in large part ceremonial roles at the moment. Others, like Saudi Arabian King Salman, are absolute monarchs and occupied with governing the rustic’s day by day actions and insurance policies. It additionally implies that the Saudi monarch will get to do no matter he desires with out a lot result from others.
In the US, the president is each the top of state and head of presidency. The pinnacle of presidency works with legislators and meets with different international leaders to barter agreements and navigate conflicts, amongst different duties.
Some presidents, like Jimmy Carter, were given so slowed down within the specifics that the midnight comedy display “Saturday Night Live” made a laugh of it in 1977. “SNL” spoofed Carter responding in excessive, mundane element to a query about solving a submit place of business’s letter sorting machines.
As a political scientist who research American presidents, I see that President Donald Trump loves the ability and status that incorporates being head of state, however does no longer appear to in particular benefit from the accountability of being head of presidency.
Trump hardly talks in regards to the often-tedious means of governing, and as a substitute acts with governance through decree through signing a flurry of govt orders to steer clear of running with different portions of the federal government. He has additionally likened himself to a king, writing on Feb. 19, 2025, “Long Live the King!”
Up to Trump loves webhosting sports activities groups and speaking about paving over the White Area’s rose lawn in a reworking venture, he turns out to begrudgingly settle for the function of head of presidency.
President Donald Trump is pushed across the monitor previous to the Daytona 500 in Daytona Seashore, Fla., on Feb. 16, 2025.
Chris Graythen/Getty Photographs
‘You have to be thankful’
Trump revels in social occasions the place he’s heralded as an important particular person within the room. On Feb. 9, 2025, Trump become the primary sitting president to wait a Tremendous Bowl. Per week later, he attended the Daytona 500 at Daytona Seashore, Florida, the place his limousine led drivers in finishing a ceremonial lap.
Trump’s desire for serving as head of state and no longer head of presidency was once on complete show all through his now notorious Feb. 28, 2025, White Area assembly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Within the televised Oval Administrative center assembly, Trump many times advised Zelenskyy, “You have to be thankful.”
Trump was once not easy deference from Zelenskyy to turn his inferior and submissive place as a recipient of U.S. help and armed forces give a boost to. Those are mannerisms of absolute kings, no longer elected officers.
Governing thru govt orders
The start of Trump’s 2nd time period in place of business has been full of bulletins of adjustments – most commonly thru govt movements. The Trump management has ordered the Pentagon to prevent cyber operations in opposition to Russia and fired masses of workers on the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Management. The management has additionally closed the Social Safety Management’s civil rights place of business and, amongst many different issues, named the president chair of the Kennedy Middle, a efficiency arts venue in Washington.
Trump has enacted coverage adjustments nearly solely thru govt orders, as a substitute of running with Congress on regulation.
Government orders should not have to be negotiated with the legislative department and may also be written through a small staff of advisers and licensed through presidents. Throughout the first six weeks, Trump has signed greater than 90 govt orders. By way of comparability, former President Joe Biden signed 162 govt orders all through his 4 years in place of business.
Lots of Trump’s govt orders are being challenged in court docket, and a few had been discovered to most probably no longer be constitutional.
Extra importantly, Trump’s successor can flip govt orders into confetti immediately, merely with a signature. Trump himself has signed no less than two govt orders that rescind over 60 earlier govt orders, most commonly signed through Biden.
The truth that Trump has got rid of nearly all of Biden’s govt orders highlights how the orders can create exchange for a second, or a couple of years. However in terms of long-term coverage exchange, congressional motion is wanted.
President Donald Trump signed a sequence of govt orders on the White Area on March 6, 2025.
Alex Wong/Getty Photographs
Trump will get bored
Early in Trump’s first time period in 2017, the management deliberate themed weeks known as “Made in America” and “American Heroes,” for instance, to emphasise adjustments it meant to pursue.
Trump’s group of workers introduced, stopped after which relaunched a themed infrastructure week seven occasions in 2019. This took place after Trump many times derailed infrastructure occasions to concentrate on a extra attention-grabbing tournament or subject, starting from protecting his feedback that appeared to counsel give a boost to for white supremacists to discussing the reboot of Roseanne Barr’s sitcom.
In his 2nd time period, Trump has farmed out many head of presidency duties to people, significantly billionaire Elon Musk, who’s main the brand new so-called Division of Govt Potency. By way of mid-February 2025, Trump gave Musk, who holds the identify of particular govt worker, oversight for hiring choices at each governmental company.
However as DOGE has initiated well-liked cuts at other govt companies and workplaces so to trim govt waste, Musk has reportedly clashed with Trump’s cupboard participants. This contains Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in addition to different impartial companies funded through Congress.
Govt companies, investment recipients and others are pushing again in opposition to the cuts and from time to time are succeeding in getting court docket rulings that halt the dismissal of presidency staff, or reinstate different staff at their jobs.
Trump additionally turns out to have abdicated maximum accountability of forms to others through permitting Musk’s staff unheard of get entry to to delicate govt methods and paperwork that come with other folks’s private data.
Absolute kings, queens, emperors and dictators are heads of state who call for obedience as a result of they grasp the country of their grip.
Presidents from elected democracies might, as on the subject of the U.S., have a ceremonial side to the task, however it is just part of it. The folks democratically elect American presidents to serve everybody and give you the very best govt conceivable.
