# Could the President of the United States get a second job while in office? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2022, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654 "2022-04-29T07:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/21 "2022-04-29T21:28:44Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Not even hypothetical, remember the Fireside chats? Considered those … only I didn’t know if those were rendered within his capacity as President or not. IOW, did a broadcasting company pay Roosevelt to deliver those chats? I had thought not. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/22 "2022-04-29T21:44:44Z")
AFAIK, fireside chats and analogues are carried out _as the President, addressing the people_, not in his quality as an individual citizen, so that would be not subject to outside remuneration. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/23 "2022-04-29T21:51:00Z")
IIRC Obama drove in a circle in the driveway in front of the White House. I forget if it was Clinton (Bill) or Bush (the younger) who said one thing they really missed after becoming president was being able to drive. That doesn’t change after they stop being president. IIRC Bush could still drive on his own ranch so maybe it was Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/24 "2022-04-29T21:53:34Z")
Is there some reason FOX News (or any news) couldn’t have paid Trump (or any president) for a weekly podcast? ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/25 "2022-04-29T22:01:23Z")
> [@KCB615](#): > > think the Emoluments clause was meant to prevent outside employment: > > > Article III, Section 1 > > The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. I thought it was to prevent the President from raising his salary while in office. His salary can’t be increased or decreased during his time in office. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/26 "2022-04-29T22:25:10Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > That doesn’t change after they stop being president. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/27 "2022-04-29T22:25:46Z")
> [@KCB615](#): > > Article III, Section 1 > The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. Hmmm… y’know, give certain Presidential lawyers their due, I look at that text and I don’t see _actual words that say_ the President may not receive _anything_ from any another private person for _any_ lawful purpose outside of or unrelated to his official duties. … The rules for all public officials and employees broadly cover at the least (each category has their own specifics, some stricter, some looser) that you are not to engage in any outside employment that interferes with fulfilling your duties or that creates a perceived conflict of interest, and you may not partake of a benefit that would not have come your way were you not holding that office (i.e. that could be perceived as trying to curry favor) nor accept any sort of gratuity for doing your job. But again, as we learned, the rulebook apparently leaves out the President. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/28 "2022-04-29T22:27:32Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Why not? I do not know. Ex-presidents still have a Secret Service detail dedicated to their protection. I guess the Secret Service simply will not let them drive themselves anywhere (except on their private property where, presumably, the Secret Service has the whole place protected). ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/29 "2022-04-29T23:56:11Z")
> [@KCB615](#): > > I think the Emoluments clause was meant to prevent outside employment: > > > Article III, Section 1 > > The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. That refers to government salaries. “The United States” = the federal government; “or any of them” = each individual state. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/30 "2022-04-30T00:21:11Z")
Selling handmade Anime-themed pillows on Etsy? Anonymously, because, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/31 "2022-04-30T13:52:15Z")
[Moderating] > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > You mean orange coveralls with “DOJ” stenciled on the back, right? > [@Horatius](#): > > Trump’s “Executive time” nonsense suggests that exactly this could happen. > [@Horatius](#): > > But again, Trump pretty much proved the emoluments clause has no teeth, either. If he could make millions off foreign countries renting hotel rooms they never intended to use, Biden can work the grill at McDonalds. A reminder that this thread is in FQ, and politicking is therefore prohibited. Any further political potshots past this point will receive a Warning. (and it’s possible that there were one or two others that I missed; consider those admonished, too) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/32 "2022-04-30T14:51:08Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > This is like asking if the President could play video games all day. Of course not; they would be booted pretty quickly for gross incompetence, not discharging duties, etc. Really? Change that to “watching TV all day” and you’ve basically described trump’s presidency. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/33 "2022-04-30T15:27:13Z")
I would argue that this is evidence he must have been doing something right, as determined by the people pulling the strings. Like signing whatever was put in front of him, as suggested by @k9bfriender . It’s not like they couldn’t have got rid of him. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/34 "2022-05-02T02:07:29Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It’s not like they couldn’t have got rid of him. Congress can impeach and convict a president for anything whatsoever. As a political matter they may need to have more than watching too much TV but, as a legal matter, it is their prerogative to remove a president for any reason or no reason. So, all that is needed is the political will but that has proven to be a near insurmountable hurdle as a practical matter. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/35 "2022-05-02T03:00:49Z")
Jill Biden is still teaching at Northern Virginia Community College. That’s considered a big deal for The First Lady. There are several physicians in Congress. AFAIK none still practice Medicine. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/36 "2022-05-02T04:19:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There are several physicians in Congress. AFAIK none still practice Medicine. I’d guess there are even more lawyers, and I’ll bet a few are still doing occasional lawyer work (besides drafting bills) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/37 "2022-05-02T05:22:19Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I’d guess there are even more lawyers, and I’ll bet a few are still doing occasional lawyer work (besides drafting bills) I’m sure it happens occasionally anyways, but they’re [not allowed](https://ethics.house.gov/outside-employment-income/restrictions-outside-employment#emp_receipt_of_compensation) to do it for pay: > Under the Ethics Reform Act, Members and senior staff are prohibited from engaging in professions that provide services involving a fiduciary relationship, including the practice of law and the sale of insurance or real estate. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/38 "2022-05-03T17:31:29Z")
**Moderator Warning** > [@solost](#): > > Really? Change that to “watching TV all day” and you’ve basically described trump’s presidency. This is an official warning for politics in FQ and for ignoring moderator instructions. As @Chronos said in the post immediately prior to yours: > [@Chronos](#): > > A reminder that this thread is in FQ, and politicking is therefore prohibited. Any further political potshots past this point will receive a Warning. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/39 "2022-05-03T17:34:51Z")
**Moderator Warning** > [@DPRK](#): > > I would argue that this is evidence he must have been doing something right, as determined by the people pulling the strings. Like signing whatever was put in front of him, as suggested by @k9bfriender . It’s not like they couldn’t have got rid of him. This is an official warning for politics in FQ and for ignoring moderator instructions. As @Chronos said: > [@Chronos](#): > > A reminder that this thread is in FQ, and politicking is therefore prohibited. Any further political potshots past this point will receive a Warning. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654/40 "2022-05-03T19:23:16Z")
I would submit that we have ample history of a sitting President working a second job, that of a candidate for President. These two roles are entirely separate from one another. Certainly it’s not a salary paying job with an employer and a W-2 at the end of the year, but it is a separate job that takes them away from their duties as POTUS. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-president-of-the-united-states-get-a-second-job-while-in-office/963654.md?page=3)