eHow launches Android app: Get the best of eHow on the go.

Comments on: How to Address the President

8 Comments From eHow Members

jennablack said

on 2/18/2009 Thanks for the tip about presidents keeping their titles... it seems that gets forgotten.

MammaMedea said

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.

klezmire said

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

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)?

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.

bostta said

on 1/25/2007 when talking about the president, is Mr. So and so (his last name) appropriate? Or is the President the only proper way to identify him?

on 12/30/2006 What if you are writing a letter to the President? Do you address the letter as "Dear Mr. President," or is there a more formal way to address him?

Anonymous said

on 11/22/2005 You should not only rise when the President enters the room, but remain standing until he is seated or until he directs you to be seated.

If visiting the White House to meet the President, remember that proper dress for men includes a coat and a tie and for women includes a dress or other formal outfit. You are not attending your Uncle Bob's Memorial Day barbecue, so T-shirts, jeans, and flip-flops are not appropriate.

Typically, even the President's closest friends will address him as Mr.President; the use of his given name is limited to family. A female president (when we get one) should be addressed as Madame President, not Ms. President.

Ignore the traditional Emily Post rules about who gets introduced to whom first (men introduced to women, younger introduced to older). You always introduce someone else to the President, not the other way around:
"Suzy Smith, allow me to introduce you to the President of the United States." or "Mr. President, I'm pleased to present my dear friend Suzy Smith."

Despite our American tradition of egalitarianism, the President is the closest thing we have to royalty, so a certain amount of deference is offered to him that is not offered to other private citizens or public figures.

Post a Comment

Post a Comment Post this comment to my Facebook Profile

Return to article: How to Address the President

Related Ads

Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .   en-US Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License. † requires javascript

Demand Media