Legal qualifications
The Constitution establishes only three qualifications for a President. A President must:
- be at least 35 years old
- have lived in the United States at least 14 years
- be a natural-born citizen
Courts have never decided whether a person born abroad to American parents could serve as President of the United States. However, many scholars believe that such a person would be considered a natural-born citizen.
Term of office
The President is elected to a four-year term. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution provides that no one may be elected President more than twice. Nobody who has served as President for more than two years of someone else’s term may be elected more than once.
Before the 22nd Amendment was approved in 1951, a President could serve an unlimited number of terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt held office longest. He was elected four times and served from March 1933 until his death in April 1945. President William H. Harrison served the shortest time in office. He died a month after his inauguration in 1841.
The Constitution allows Congress to remove a President from office. The President first must be impeached (charged with wrongdoing) by a majority vote of the House of Representatives. Then, the Senate, with the chief justice of the United States serving as presiding officer, tries the President on the charges. Removal from office requires conviction by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
Only two Presidents, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, have been impeached. Both Presidents remained in office, however, because the Senate failed to convict them.
Salary and other allowances. The President receives a salary of $400,000 a year. The chief executive also gets $50,000 annually for expenses, plus allowances for staff, travel, and maintenance of the White House. Congress establishes all these amounts.
After leaving office, a President qualifies for a basic pension. In the mid-1990’s, the basic amount for a newly retiring President was $148,400 yearly. But a number of factors may affect the actual size of the pension. For example, it will be larger if the President has served in Congress. Other retirement benefits include allowances for office space, staff, and mailing expenses. Widowed spouses of former Presidents get an annual pension of $20,000.