The president of the United States, the leader of the free world, is considered the most powerful person in the world. But is he (or she!) as powerful as we think he is? Where does his power originate, what are the boundaries, which powers balance the power of POTUS? How has presidential power evolved since George Washington was sworn in and which political and societal developments influenced this evolution?

The power of the president will be compared to the power of his Dutch political counterpart, the prime minister (minister-president), and its development during the same period of time, in order to gain a better understanding of the differences and similarities between the two chief executives.