What is the role of the Vice President of the United States?

2024-07-16 14:49:24

The shadow role may go to James David Vance. Donald Trump ended the suspense on Monday July 15 by announcing that he had chosen the Ohio Senator as his running mate for the election campaign. The 39-year-old will become the vice president of the United States in a victory event for the former president, now the Republican candidate for the November 5 presidential election.

Number two in the United States executive branch, the vice-president is elected for four years at the same time as the president. The current vice-president is Democrat Kamala Harris, the first woman to hold the position. But its rights are not clearly defined and its role has continued to evolve since the establishment of the position in 1789.

► Who can be elected vice-president?

The office of the Vice President of the United States, like that of the President, is defined by Article 2 of the United States Constitution. In his 12th Amendment, he imposed the eligibility criteria: being born an American citizen, being at least 35 years old, having lived in the United States for at least 14 years, and being eligible for the office of President of the United States.

If the constitution only authorizes the head of state to take two orders, repeatedly or interrupted by a break, it will not provide for any restriction on the number of orders that the vice-president can use. On the other hand, it provides that the candidate for the presidency of the United States and his opponent cannot come from the same state.

► What role is assigned by law?

The US Constitution does not clearly define the executive role of the Vice President. In his original speech, he placed him at the top of the presidential succession list, without expressly stating that he becomes president in the event of the removal, death or resignation of the head of state in office. An amendment adopted in 1967 clarified this ambiguity but without specifying its role within the administration.

The Constitution, on the other hand, authorizes the vice-president of the Senate, but only authorizes him to vote in the event of a tie to avoid impeachment in the upper house.

► The role that has been important

This constitutional ambiguity is at the origin of the evolution of the effects of the number two over time. John Adams, the first vice president of the United States (1789-1797), believed it was “the most insignificant work that man has ever done”. Harry S. Truman quipped that the role of the Vice President is to “go to weddings and funerals”Although President Franklin D. Roosevelt failed to let him know about war issues, like the plan to develop the atomic bomb.

After the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman became head of state and became vice president of the National Security Council, making the number two in the United States administration a full member of the executive branch.

The role of the next vice-president depends mainly on the character of the executive and his relationship with the current president. Richard Nixon, Vice President between 1953 and 1961, chaired cabinet meetings in the absence of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. John F. Kennedy appointed Lyndon B. Johnson his number two to head the United States space program, responsible for the launch of the Apollo program. Al Gore, under Bill Clinton, took many measures to combat global warming.

But it is undoubtedly Dick Cheney, the vice president of George W. Bush (2001-2009), who remains the most powerful Vice-President of the United States has ever known. If you have a hard line of American neutrals, Dick Cheney essentially put himself on the front line after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and even pushed the President to launch the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

► A launch pad towards the chair

Throughout American history, nine vice presidents have entered the White House during their terms, including after the assassination, death or resignation of the president.

After the vice president, those who are already displaced benefit, among other things, from the privileged position to compete for the presidency, because of their experience within the administration. Four outgoing vice presidents were immediately elected as president, including George HW Bush in 1988. Richard Nixon and Joe Biden had to wait a few years after their vice presidents to win the White House.