There are only three qualifications needed to become President of the United States.
Yet, there are many other things that Americans look for when choosing a president.
What are some of these factors?
Are there exceptions to the rule?
As laid out by the Constitution, the qualifications for being president are simple.
One must be at least 35 years of age, a natural-born United States citizen (meaning the person
was born in the United States) and lived in the US for at least 14 years.
However, there are other traits that are common amongst presidents and presidential candidates.
These are not requirements, but they might be referred to as “informal qualifications”
for being president.
It should be remembered though, that there are many exceptions to each of these informal
qualifications.
First and foremost, Americans expect their president to be a person of good character.
Values and moral integrity have been the centerpieces of many different presidential campaigns.
Presidential candidates with scandals in their background are often overlooked in favor of
those with better reputations.
These types of scandals could indicate a history of poor decision making that the nation hopes
to avoid.
Americans also expect their president to be well-educated.
While there is no educational requirement to become president, nearly all of them have
been college educated, with many of them attending Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Yale,
or Princeton.
Some have even attended more than one of these universities.
Political experience is something else looked for in a potential president.
Previous experience as a governor or a senator will likely be an advantage for someone running
for the most important office in the land.
Seventeen presidents held the office of governor prior to becoming president, while fifteen
presidents were a United States senator prior to winning the presidency.
Political moderates have often had greater success in presidential elections as well.
When choosing a president, Americans tend to avoid voting for candidates with radical
beliefs.
Most presidential candidates attempt to appeal to as many voters as possible by staying in
the “middle of the road” politically.
Most presidents, and presidential candidates, have had some degree of military experience.
In the past, this has often been viewed as an important attribute, since the president
is commander-in-chief of all US Armed Forces.
George Washington, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S.
Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower were all high-ranking military officers before becoming president.
In fact, thirty presidents had some experience in the military, prior to their time as president.
Also, virtually all presidential candidates have been wealthy.
Early presidents such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were amongst
the wealthiest men in the nation at the time.
This is true for multiple reasons.
A large sum of money is necessary to launch an effective campaign for president, so wealthy
candidates have a good head start in fund raising.
Additionally, wealthy individuals are liable to have more influence with other politicians
and business leaders who can help get them elected.
Amongst those who have held the office of the president, many exceptions can be found
to all of these.
As was stated earlier, these are not official requirements to be president.
Nor is this an all-inclusive list.
There are other criteria which nearly all presidents have met.
However, this is just a sampling of the types of things that Americans look for in a president.