BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Address the President

By eHow Culture & Society Editor

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Until you can whistle "Hail to the Chief" with any degree of ease, prepare to greet the president of the United States with a handshake.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Stand when you hear "The Star-Spangled Banner" (the U.S. national anthem), which is always played at the occasion of the president's appearance.

Step2

Rise when the president enters the room, if you are not already standing.

Step3

Address the president as Mr. President or Ms. President when speaking to him or her.

Step4

Address all correspondence to The President of the United States of America, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, 20500.

Step5

Say "the president" or "the president of the United States" when introducing the president to others.

Step6

Put out your right hand and shake his or her proffered one.

Tips & Warnings

Ex-presidents get to retain their titles forever, so when you meet a past president, use the same form of address as you would with a current one.
If the president is a married man, his wife, the first lady, is addressed as Ms. or Mrs. followed by her own last name (be it her maiden or married name).
Heavy security, courtesy of the Secret Service, surrounds the president at all times.

Comments

MammaMedea said

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on 9/13/2008 I'm sorry but I won't be meeting the President anytime soon becuse I don't want to get crushed by the Secret Service when I sucker punch him.

on 6/18/2007 It seems that the second time a reporter refers to a president, he/she may revert to a formal surname address (Mr. Bush, for example.) From Fox News to The New York Times, reporting on Bush often refers to the current President as Mr. Bush, rather than President Bush.

klezmire said

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on 6/18/2007 Why do NPR reporters often refer to the sitting president as Mr. Bush (as in the case of reporting Mr. Bush's recent trip to Albania)?

werdy_nerdy said

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on 3/25/2007 My understanding is that the tradition is that the president is called "Mr. President" - and that is as formal as it gets. There is no "his honor" or anything.