Cato Daily Podcast Best of Cato Daily Podcast: POTUS as Chief Magistrate
May 5, 2025
Gene Healy, Vice President at the Cato Institute and author of The Cult of the Presidency, dives into the original conception of the American presidency. He discusses the founders' concerns over national leadership and demagoguery, revealing how the role has shifted from resisting public pressure to catering to it. Healy also examines the evolution of presidential communication, from Jefferson's written messages to today's constant public address, and how this transformation has shaped public perception and the expectations of presidential power.
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Founders Distrusted Popular Leadership
- The founders did not envision the president as the nation's leader in the modern sense.
- They distrusted popular leadership and saw national leadership as a potential threat to the republic.
Early Presidents' Reserved Rhetoric
- Early presidents gave very few public speeches to avoid influencing Congress improperly.
- They maintained a mostly defensive, restrained public role to respect legislative independence.
Obama's Ubiquitous Public Presence
- Barack Obama gave over half a million words publicly in his first year.
- Unlike early presidents, he was omnipresent in media with hundreds of speeches, interviews, and appearances.
