The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
Article II of the U.S. Constitution vests the executive power of the United States in the president and charges him with the execution of federal law, alongside the responsibility of appointing federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers, and concluding treaties with foreign powers, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The president is further empowered to grant federal pardons and reprieves, and to convene and adjourn either or both houses of Congress under extraordinary circumstances. Since the founding of the United States, the power of the president and the federal government have grown substantially and each modern president, despite possessing no formal legislative powers beyond signing or vetoing congressionally passed bills, is largely responsible for dictating the legislative agenda of his party and the foreign and domestic policy of the United States. The president is frequently described as the most powerful person in the world.
The president is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term, and is one of only two nationally elected federal officers, the other being the Vice President of the United States. The Twenty-second Amendment, adopted in 1951, prohibits anyone from being elected to the presidency for a third full term. In all, 43 individuals have served 55 four-year terms. On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump became the forty-fifth and current president.
Because of its impact on global affairs, the United States plays a significant role in many alternate history timelines. The different people who occupy this office throughout the whole spectrum of alternate history is indicative of the many paths history can take and the impact of a single moment in time. Here are a list of historical and fictional persons who have held the title of President of the United States of America in the various alternate histories on this wiki:
- Warren Beatty is President in the Royal Prerogative timeline.
- George W. Bush is President in the following timelines:
- The King and US; notably, he has been preceded in this timeline by Elvis Presley and Ross Perot.
- Joseph D. Clark is President in the British Louisiana timeline.
- Theodore Clarke IV is President in the Italy Victorious timeline.
- Bill Clinton is President in the following timelines:
- Mexican Empire (Confederate President)
- United Europe
- Gary Condit is President in the President Gary timeline.
- Howard Dean is President in the The Kaiser's New Clothes timeline.
- Robert K. Dornan is President in the JPK timeline.
- Charles Malcolm Edward is President of the United States in the An Independent in 2000 timeline.
- Norman Edwards is President in the Vietnam Victory timeline.
- Dick Gephardt is President in the President Gaitan timeline.
- Al Gore is President in the Princip Arrest timeline.
- Newt Gingrich is President in the following timelines:
- President Gingrich
- Commonwealth of America (Prime Minister)
- Johnny Isakson is President in the Italia! timeline.
- Scarlett Johansson is President in Republic of Japan
- John Kerry is the President in the President Kerry timeline.
- John D. Lindberg is President in the Greater Colombia timeline.
- John McCain is President in the following timelines:
- Gale Norton is President in the The Capitol Burns.
- Sarah Palin is President in Vive l'Emperor
- Dan Quayle is President in the President Quayle timeline.
- Rob Reiner is President in the Celebrity World timeline.
- Bernard Sanders is President in the following timelines:
- Jeb Bush is President in the Der Führer ist Tot timeline.
- Fred Thompson
- Hillary Clinton is President in The More Things Changed timeline.
- Jill Stein is President in the 15% timeline.