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Ask HN: Why Does the US President Have So Much Control over Foreign Policy?

by perfmode on 2/19/25, 7:20 PM with 9 comments

• by Finnucane on 2/19/25, 7:50 PM

  The Constitution gives the president the power to 'make treaties", with consent of Congress. So State makes the deals then presents them to Congress, and this administration pretty much expects Congress to rubber-stamp whatever they want. Congress has the power to regulate foreign commerce, so it is debatable whether the president can, for instance, impose tariffs without Congress, but if Congress just rolls over for belly-rubs, so much for that.

• by I_Am_Nous on 2/19/25, 7:55 PM

  The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Military. Currently, European leaders are discussing sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, but the UK has claimed they will only send troops if the US promises to provide a "backstop".

  So a lot of the power of the President to direct foreign policy is because they essentially control the military and many other countries rely on the US military for a lot. On the other hand, if you anger the US, the President can decide to change tactics suddenly such as Obama increasing the use of drone strikes or Trump using NATO as a bargaining chip.

  The US is still looked upon as the final say in military situations because it also has the largest military in both active combat forces and equipment.There is an expectation that the US will act as world police - I remember Obama catching grief over not intervening in Syria. All of this adds up to America being "the big stick" and has somewhat changed the Presidency. This is also why Isolationism vs Interventionism is such a heated debate.

• by internet_points on 2/20/25, 9:22 AM

  > Also, I’m surprised that the U.S. now appears to be shifting its stance, seemingly aligning more with Russia instead of the EU and Ukraine. What led to this change?

  That's what I find the most worrying, Trump repeating the exact same lies as come out of Putin's agitprop. I used to think it was unlikely that Putin affected the US election results, now it seems like Trump is trying to pay back a debt.

• by JohnFen on 2/20/25, 12:15 AM

  The president is head of the executive branch, which has three basic duties:

  1) Implement the laws that congress passes

  2) Represent the US internationally

  3) Be the head of the military in times of war

  Trump's responsibilities explicitly encompass foreign policy, with some important exceptions. Namely, the president cannot declare war or enter into treaties. Those powers are for congress.

  The president also cannot create laws or set budgets.

• by epc on 2/19/25, 8:32 PM

  There was an election in November 2024. The center–left candidate, Harris, lost. The reactionary–conservative candidate, Trump, won.

  Unlike many other countries, the President is both head of government and head of State in the US.

  The President of the US has always exercised control over foreign relations. The President can negotiate treaties but they must be ratified by the US Senate to take effect.