But if one of half a dozen Democrat hopefuls get their way in 2020, the nation could soon have a first gentleman — potentially even the husband of America’s first gay president — move into the White House.

The presidential spouse has always been a woman, and while her duties have never been officially codified, she is expected to function as the mansion’s hostess, overseeing its social and ceremonial events.

But the longstanding tradition and expectations of that ornamental and highly visible role, may soon be upended.

Four years ago it was Bill Clinton who was widely expected to become first gentleman once Hillary Clinton did away with Republican Donald Trump, but history intervened.

Now, women senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar, along with congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, are competing to unseat Trump and become the nation’s first female commander in chief.

Their husbands have largely shunned the spotlight, all too aware of the unwritten campaign rule: “Don’t overshadow your spouse.”

Some have taken the stage with their candidate better halves more than others, and social media has been the venue for a few to shine.

One candidate spouse in particular, Chasten Buttigieg, has been gaining positive attention, and is already leading the 2020 spouse primary.

He is the 29-year-old husband of South Bend, Indiana’s millennial Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and their same-sex marriage would make White House history.

Buttigieg remains a long shot for the nomination, but Chasten’s joyous and seemingly unscripted Twitter feed, which combines awe for his accomplished husband with well-placed humor, has a growing following.

Chasten, a middle school teacher who met Buttigieg through an online dating app, radiates charm as he uses self-deprecating humor and candor when ruminating on life as a candidate’s spouse.

His unapologetic affection for his husband shines through in his postings, as on the January day Buttigieg announced his presidential exploratory committee.

“I am so proud of my husband… Let’s go show the world why I fell in love with you.”

When Chasten tweeted “I’m being replaced” under a touching photograph of Buttigieg cuddling with their dog, another potential first gentleman waded in.

“Ok, I thought I had pretty good 2020 Spouse Twitter game. Good job @Chas10Buttigieg!” posted Douglas Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer who married Harris in 2014.

Emhoff, confident and comfortable in front of cameras, routinely appears at Harris’s side at campaign events, but he is keeping his public profile in check.

Klobuchar’s husband, John Bessler is, too. Bessler, a law professor, placed his wife’s binder on the lectern at her campaign kickoff, kissed her, then stepped aside.

– ‘Perfect spouse’ –

First ladies have been forced into a near-impossible balancing act: conform to stereotypes of the role like choosing the White House china, and humanize their presidential husbands.

The expectations are severe: always be impeccably dressed — Jacqueline Kennedy set a high bar — represent the president at certain functions, and champion a social cause.

But first ladies expert Katherine Jellison, chair of the history department at Ohio University, said that while Americans for 200 years have expected the president’s wife to dress, behave and speak a certain way, the prospect of a first husband might shake up expectations.

“Particularly in the mass media age since the mid-20th century, we’ve expected our first ladies to be practically superwomen,” she told AFP.

But “fewer expectations” would likely be placed on a man in the position.

“A first gentleman might give Americans a chance to ‘make-over’ our unreasonable expectations for the spouse of a president and allow future first spouses, whatever their gender, to be more themselves, and not have to live up to the role of perfect spouse.”

The behavior of some candidates as they seek to humanize themselves and their potential first gentlemen is already stirring discussion.

Warren received mixed reactions when she live-streamed from her home and cracked open a beer on camera, then offered one to her husband of 35 years, Harvard law professor Bruce Mann.

“I’ll pass on a beer for now,” Mann says.

“This is my sweetie, he’s the best and I’m crazy about him,” Warren adds.

While the next first spouse could be male or female, Americans expect that there be someone to fill that role.

The nation has not had a bachelor president in the last century, which may have led candidate Senator Cory Booker, who is single, to reveal he is dating actress Rosario Dawson.

“I think she would make an incredible, incredible first lady,” Booker said recently when asked if Dawson would move into the White House should he win.

“I am lucky I survived this long. Actually, I should not be around to watch what happened with my predecessors (former prime ministers Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) but I am lucky in the sense that I am not only older, but still able to function.

“But I realise that I am very old, and very soon I will weaken and I will die. So, I am always in a hurry. Other people seem to take things easy, but I am in a hurry because I realise I don’t have much time to do the things that I feel need to be done in this country,” he told Focus Malaysia in an interview.

Dr Mahathir also said he would do his best as long as he was still prime minister of the country.

However, he said if he was asked to leave then he will leave, but there has not been a specific date given to him to vacate his post.

“I was only told that I am the choice for prime ministership from the opposition coalition, but they didn’t specifically say when.

“They have said that I am the interim and that somebody will take over. I suppose that may be long before the next election,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir pointed out that dealing with an inexperienced Cabinet “is a major problem”.

“We have inexperienced people in the government now. I think anyone who is inexperienced will have experienced the same problems that they (new ministers) have,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said if he merely replaced them then it was “not going to help”.

He said he has to try and work with them so that they would acquire the experience needed.

“But, of course, people have this impression that they are no good, that they are new.

“Well, new people, of course, will have problems but I think for opposition politicians to become the government, the change in their attitudes is very difficult to achieve as they feel they must criticise, because that is the opposition’s job.

“But now they find they are being criticised and they have to take it. They have to accept it,” he said.

Dr Mahathir added that the conditions for governing the country today cannot be compared to the time in 1981 when he was prime minister.

He said previously if he wanted to do something it was easy as there was “money and capacity”.

However, he now likened the situation to when he wanted to build a highway but was unable to do so.

He said he was now told by the Finance Minister that there was “no money”, adding that he used to have a big say in government but was now more careful about “what the four parties were thinking”.

The accelerating efforts to remove any signs of the two troubled stars come as the police continue their investigation into allegations that Seungri procured sex services for potential foreign investors at Seoul night clubs, as well as his potential involvement in the running of the crime-riddled night club Burning Sun, in the posh Gangnam district in Seoul.

According to Yonhap, Jung is facing a potential prosecution indictment on charges of secretly filming women while having sex with them and sharing the videos on online chat rooms that included Seungri.

Seungri gave up his membership in BIGBANG and ended his contract with YG as he retired from show business earlier in the month after the scandal broke. Jung also gave up his entertainment career.

As the scandal widened, the K-pop agency YG Entertainment has been facing nagging suspicion of involvement in Burning Sun and has tried to distance itself from the scandal. The National Tax Service is currently leading an investigation into YG for its potential connection in the scandal.

YG Plus, a YG affiliate selling merchandise of YG stars, removed from its online shopping mall goods featuring Seungri, including USB sticks and key rings. Images of Seungri were also erased from other products that feature the band members.

With some of the products on sale still bear Seungri’s image, YG Plus may continue its efforts to erase vestiges of the star.

YG was not alone in moving fast to cut ties. Major TV networks, such as SBS, MBC and KBS, as well as a number of cable channels, stopped their services of VOD contents starring Seungri and Jung.

The affected programs include SBS’ “My Little Old Boy,” MBC’s “I Live Alone,” KBS’ “2 Days & 1 Night” and Mnet’s “Superstar K,” a talent competition show through which Jung launched his career in show business.

“We deleted (the affected episodes) as talks related (with the scandal) came up in the middle of this month,” one of the broadcasters said. “It was a pretty big project in the case of Jung Joon-young, since he appeared on many variety show programs.”

A slew of fellow stars also took steps to put their ties with Seungri at bay. Actress Koh Joon-hee took to social media to rebut a widely-circulated rumor that Seungri tried to use her presence to attract foreign investors.

Kim Lim, a socialite and a daughter of Valencia CF’s owner Peter Lim, has recently denied rumors about a connection with Seungri’s alleged criminal acts and Burning Sun, while Taiwanese actor Darren Wang canceled a press conference in South Korea, while he was in the country to promote his new film “Fall in Love at First Kiss,” allegedly out of fear of being questioned about his ties with Seungri.

Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero ensured the game was won in the first 27 minutes, but the final margin of victory could have been far greater had City chosen to click through the gears.

Pep Guardiola’s men now lead Liverpool by a point with seven games remaining for both sides, but Jurgen Klopp’s side can retake top spot with victory over third-placed Tottenham on Sunday.

Fulham, by contrast, remain 13 points adrift of safety with just 18 left to play for.

City remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, which they retained last month.

A potential 14 games now stand between them and history, but there will be far tougher tests in wait than a dispirited and dishevelled Fulham, who played a huge part in their downfall.

Sixty points now separate the sides at opposing ends of the table and the hosts’ inability to play simple passes highlighted why they are set for the drop after just one season back in the top flight.

Aguero had already seen an effort cleared off the line before Silva opened the scoring just five minutes in.

Kevin de Bruyne, on his return from a month-long injury absence, intercepted a loose pass deep inside the Fulham half and fed Aguero, who in turn played the ball to Silva to curl into the far corner on his favoured left foot.

De Bruyne should have scored for just the second time in an injury-plagued Premier League season when he fired too close to Sergio Rico with just the Fulham goalkeeper to beat, while the Spaniard also parried Ilkay Gundogan’s effort from the edge of the box.

A second City goal seemed only a matter of time, though, and again Fulham made it easy for their visitors by coughing up possession close to their own goal.

This time the roles were reversed as Silva slipped in Aguero who expertly found the top corner for his 29th goal of the season.

So calamitous was Fulham’s retention of the ball that every completed pass was met with loud cheers from the home fans at stages in the first-half.

However, the hosts nearly had an unlikely route back into the game when Joe Bryan’s shot flashed across Ederson’s goal just before the break.

City were happy to canter through the second period without expending too much energy with eight games in a 25-day period to come in April.

Kyle Walker came closest to adding to their advantage with a thumping shot off the outside of the post.

An otherwise comfortable afternoon may have come at a cost, though, as Aguero appeared to be carrying an injury as he was replaced by Gabriel Jesus just before the hour mark.

kca/lp