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Totally Normal Things The President Can't Do When In Office
Vote up the 'normal' restrictions that feel the most extreme.
There are a ton of things the President of the United States can't do in an official capacity as the head of the Executive Branch. Aside from these checks on power, there are also a surprising number mundane, everyday things the US president isn't allowed to do while in office, mainly for security reasons. Ironically, they're the kind of freedoms so commonplace most Americans take them for granted.
Many of the forbidden activities listed below don't come from the official "rules" for being president: they're not all based on any kind of law. The everyday things American presidents can't do come primarily from the ever-evolving guidelines set in place by the Secret Service, which the president technically has the right to ignore, but doesn't, for obvious reasons. Read on for the totally normal things that average citizens can do as they please, but US presidents can't.
- 1
Copyright Published Works While In Office
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If a sitting US president somehow found the time to write and publish a memoir or book of essays while still in office, they couldn't, as a federal employee, secure a copyright on that work. US copyright law states any work created by a federal government employee in that person's official capacity - including the president - is in the public domain.
A president is on duty 24/7, meaning anything unclassified they write while in office, including speeches, are free for others to use and repurpose.
Extreme restriction? - 2
Try New Foods Freely
Presidents have to eat like anyone else, but they are not allowed to go out for a quick bite without prior coordination to ensure the meal is safe for consumption. It sounds like an unenviable task from the Middle Ages, but yes, presidential food "tasters" do exist. The Secret Service doesn't speak openly about it, but a White House spokesman and one senator (just to name a few legitimate sources) have mentioned the role to the press. This has led to some awkward situations, such as a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill in 2013 where a taster-free Obama couldn't partake.
"He looked longingly at [the food]," according to Maine Senator Susan Collins.
Extreme restriction? - 3
Drive A Car
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That's right: US presidents are not even allowed to drive their own vehicles - at least not on public roads. Lyndon B. Johnson was likely the last president to ever drive on a taxpayer-funded highway. Private property is a different story: George W. Bush, for example, drove a pickup truck on his Crawford, TX, property and Ronald Reagan liked driving Jeeps on his ranch near Santa Barbara, CA. Obama, however, only drove a golf cart on private property during his years in office, surprisingly without the Secret Service at his side.
Instead of driving, the president often rides in heavily modified presidential state cars.
Extreme restriction? - 4
Use An iPhone
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Not even the Commander-in-Chief gets to pick what kind of smartphone to use. Obama - the first president to carry a smartphone - admitted in 2013 that he was not able to use the popular iPhone due to unspecified security concerns. He instead fought to use a heavily modified Blackberry while in office, his model of choice since before his first big win back in 2008.
"They're going to pry it out of my hands," Obama told CNBC at the time.
Extreme restriction? - 5
Accept Expensive Gifts
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There are strict rules against presidents accepting expensive gifts from world leaders and other dignitaries. In 2017, the law says gifts worth more than $390 have to be turned over to the National Archives. Anything with a lesser value is okay and considered a "souvenir or mark of courtesy." This can lead to some curious situations: George W. Bush, for example, had to purchase a pricey Bulgarian sheepdog named Balkan he received as a gift from the President of Bulgaria.
By buying the dog at face value, he was able to legally give it a good home with a friend in Maryland.
Extreme restriction? - 6
Open The Windows In The White House
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Even the most powerful person in the world can't crack a window in his house to let in the breeze. As Michelle Obama related to Stephen Colbert in 2015, the Secret Service requires that all the windows stay closed. This also applies to windows in all official transportation.
The First Lady did reveal one exception: "One day as a treat, my lead agent let me have my windows open on the way to Camp David. It was like five minutes out. He was like, 'Windows open. Enjoy it.'
Extreme restriction?
