To become US president, one must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident for 14 years. Informal expectations include good morals, public speaking skills, political and military experience, and access to large sums of money. Exceptions include term limits and impeachment.
Under the terms of the United States Constitution, someone who wants to become the president of the United States must be a natural born American citizen who is at least 35 years of age and has been a resident of the United States for 14 years. These are the only legal requirements for the position, but many people have many expectations of presidential candidates that could be considered informal requirements. Furthermore, anyone who wants to run for president must have access to large sums of money, as an election campaign costs a lot.
Constitutional requirements
Citizenship terms for presidential candidates are interpreted very narrowly. Any person wishing to run must be a born citizen, which means that immigrants cannot run, no matter how long they have lived in the United States. If a child of US citizens is born overseas, he is technically considered a natural born citizen, and can therefore run for president. The requirement to be a permanent resident of the United States for at least 14 years is intended to ensure that anyone who drives is aware of the general issues that impact the American people.
exceptions
There are some exceptions built into the constitutional requirements for those wishing to run for president. For example, no one who has already served two terms as president can run again. Furthermore, no one who has served more than two years in the presidential office even if not elected – for example, if the vice president becomes president after an assassination – can only be reelected once. The Senate can also ban anyone impeached by the presidency from running again.
Informal requirements
Most Americans want their presidential candidates to be good-natured. While a criminal could technically run for president, his campaign is unlikely to be successful. The morals and ethics of candidates are often scrutinized, especially by their opponents, so those wishing to run for president try to keep their personal lives clean.
Many American presidents have been publicly religious, and nearly all have had families as well. While these two traits are by no means necessary to run for president, they are often expected. Experience is also an important aspect of a campaign. Most citizens prefer to vote for people who have already held public office, as it implies that they have experience in tackling similar positions. Military experience is also expected of many applicants, especially those who are old enough to have served in a major war.
Another important aspect of running for president is public speaking and charisma. Presidents are subjected to a long and grueling election campaign; criss-crossing the country trying to garner votes. While doing so, they must be able to talk persuasively and clearly about major issues even when tired. Charisma makes a presidential candidate more accessible to potential voters, which can greatly strengthen a campaign. One of the best-known examples of this was the Kennedy campaign in 1960, when Kennedy appeared far more confident and charismatic in televised debates than his opponent, Richard Nixon.
Financial Requirements
Anyone who wants to run for president must be wealthy, or at least able to access a lot of funding during the campaign. Candidates generally spend hundreds of millions of US dollars (USD) in the first few months of a campaign alone, and an entire campaign can cost between $700 million and $1 billion USD. While much of this comes from fundraising, candidates still need to provide a significant amount of money, especially at the start of a campaign.
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