Presidents face a double expectations gap when it comes to their relationship with the American public: one between what the president must promise in order to gain office and the limitations put on the president by the powers granted by the Constitution and the other between the conflicting roles of head of government and head of state.

Disagreeing about how much power the executive should have, the founders decided he could only be removed from office by impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. They devised rules that both empowered and limited the office, in terms of its ability to check and be checked by the other branches. As the executive the president is the chief administrator, appointing federal employees including members of the cabinet; the commander-in-chief; and the chief foreign policy maker, with the power to execute treaties (shared with the Senate) and executive agreements. His legislative powers include the ability to set his agenda through the State of the Union address, to wield the presidential veto over legislation he dislikes, and to issue executive orders. His judicial powers include the power to appoint federal judges—tempered by senatorial courtesy—to influence court decisions via the solicitor general, and to exercise the pardoning power. Until the 1930s, the era of the traditional presidency described chief executives who mainly lived within the limits of their constitutional powers, although testing the limits of their inherent powers in times of crisis. Since the expansion of government in Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the modern presidency has seen a more complex relationship in which the public looks to the president to solve their problems, but the president’s formal powers remain unchanged.

Under pressure from the public, but with limited constitutional powers to satisfy their demands, the modern president must resort to the power to persuade, going public to convince Americans to pressure their representatives to give him what he wants. Thus, due to the cycle effect, the president's best opportunities to get his programs passed come during the honeymoon period, before public and press become disillusioned. Although he employs a legislative liaison to smooth his way with Congress, getting his way can be difficult, especially if he is part of a divided government.

The president presides over a vast bureaucracy, including the cabinet, the Executive Office of the President—which encompasses the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, and the National Security Council—and the White House Office headed up by his chief of staff. The president’s closest advisers are generally focused on his interests, but the variety of other staff and agency heads—often with their own agendas and often difficult to control—can make life difficult for the chief executive.

Presidential success is the product of many factors including political savvy and management skills, but also of the more intangible resource of character. In part, that character is revealed through presidential style—the image the president projects of how he would like to be perceived by the public.