The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of the federal government and is elected for a four-year term. No President may hold office for more than two terms. (Prior to the passage of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, the number of terms was not limited. After Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term of office, the two-term limit was established.) He or she must be at least 35 years old and be a natural-born citizen of the U.S. who has lived in the United States for at least fourteen years. Most Presidents have been college graduates and most have been lawyers who have held previous political offices — but these are not requirements for the job.

The 20th Amendment to the Constitution says, “The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January... and the terms of their successors shall then begin.” Inauguration Day, the day on which a new President takes office, includes an inaugural ceremony at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Standing upon a large platform, the new President takes the oath of office with one hand placed on a Bible.

Here are the words of the President’s oath of office: