# fictional presidents of the USA in real life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810 "2017-07-09T05:07:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/1 "2017-07-09T05:07:13Z")
Which fictional presidents would you like/least like to have been a real life president? Dave (Kevin Kline) from 1993’s Dave I wouldn’t mind in real life. Wouldn’t like the president from The Dead Zone as a real life president as I’d be a radioactive cinder. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/2 "2017-07-09T05:10:07Z")
Carlos Estavas (aka Charlie sheen) in Machete Kills. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/3 "2017-07-09T10:57:49Z")
Josiah Bartlett, of course. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/4 "2017-07-09T13:04:54Z")
We’d be in good hands with President Palmer of _24_ ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/5 "2017-07-09T15:27:30Z")
Funny how the best (Bartlett) and the worst (Stilson) were both played by the same actor, eh? I kind of like Tom Kirkman from “Designated Survivor”, but fear that in the real world he’d get eaten alive. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/6 "2017-07-09T17:16:10Z")
The President in the movie “Seven Days in May” is pretty good. He hangs tough in an extremely serious crisis. BTW, just fun to note, John T. Sladek, in his 1970 novel “The Mueller-Fokker Effect,” had a fictional President Ronald Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![golffan1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4af34b/32.png) [@golffan1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/golffan1963)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/7 "2017-07-09T17:38:31Z")
Acting President Glenallen Walken from “The West Wing”. That guy did not mess around. IIRC he ascended to the presidency temporarily through the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. One of the worst: President Thomas McKenna played by Rock Hudson in the 1980’s miniseries “World War III”, which aired on NBC. Anytime the story ends in a nuclear war, your administration has problems. Kudos to the poster who brought up Jordan Lyman from “Seven Days In May”, as well. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/8 "2017-07-09T19:05:15Z")
President John Patrick Ryan “Mr. Daryaei, here is the reply of the United States of America.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/9 "2017-07-09T19:42:01Z")
President Lex Luthor – from **SUPERMAN: RED SON** – took the oath in January of 2001. _“By February he had doubled the standard of living for every American, and he doubled it again in March. April saw a return to full employment.”_ Granted, the biggest challenge the Luthor Administration faced was the super-powered alien who (a) got rocketed to a Soviet wheatfield as a baby and (b) grew up to champion Russian interests; but, well, it’s almost as if the world’s smartest man obsessively invents ways to murder that guy. Oh, and a formula for balancing the budget; he invented that, too. And he also figured out a way to equip members of the USMC with futuristic energy weapons, because, hey, what kind of commander-in-chief _wouldn’t,_ given the chance? ---
**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:** [July 10, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/10 "2017-07-10T00:24:56Z")
I’ll say this about Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho: He may have been an idiot himself, but he knew how to recognize someone smarter than him, and to let that guy tackle problems. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/11 "2017-07-10T03:17:44Z")
Worst: Nehemiah Scudder ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/12 "2017-07-10T03:40:26Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Worst: Nehemiah Scudder And we have the thread winner! ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/13 "2017-07-10T04:16:48Z")
Also from Dave, I wouldn’t mind see Bob Alexander as President in real life just for the entertainment. After all, the fact that he was a Senator, Chair of an important commission and listed in Who’s Who for years could only help. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/14 "2017-07-10T05:57:56Z")
The Rock and Armageddon must take place in the exact same universe/world/timeline/reality…because both movies’ president is Stanley Anderson (who, in both movies, we only hear the voice of as he gives a speech about how great the hero/heroes of the movies are). I always thought he’d be a good president based on [voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6RfnO6ULMQ) and [passion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBEtmUdQRWE) alone. Well, at least SOUNDING so passionate. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/15 "2017-07-10T06:16:17Z")
Thomas J. Whitmore (ID4) might be okay, or at least will be well regarded in the future in the same manner as Kennedy. He will create a minor constitutional crisis when he goes on vacation for 2 weeks and Bill Paxton (RIP) takes his place without anyone notixing until years later. George Sears - sure he’s a terrorist, but like Luthor he gets things done. And has cool robot arms. > [@Chronos](#): > > I’ll say this about Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho: He may have been an idiot himself, but he knew how to recognize someone smarter than him, and to let that guy tackle problems. He’s the third smartest person in the world, nothing to sneeze at. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/16 "2017-07-10T07:39:12Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Carlos Estavas (aka Charlie sheen) in Machete Kills. Estévez :smack: ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/17 "2017-07-12T14:50:47Z")
What about Morgan Freeman from “Deep Impact”? He was tremendously presidential. But then, when you have _ **God Himself** _ as president… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/18 "2017-07-12T15:10:04Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Thomas J. Whitmore(ID4) might be okay, or at least will be well regarded in the future in the same manner as Kennedy. He will create a minor constitutional crisis when he goes on vacation for 2 weeks and Bill Paxton (RIP) takes his place without anyone notixing until years later. > . Doesn’t the beginning of the movie feature him watching a new story that was pretty much about how he was not doing a good job as a president? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/19 "2017-07-12T16:23:18Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > What about Morgan Freeman from “Deep Impact”? He was tremendously presidential. But then, when you have _ **God Himself** _ as president… What does God need with a presidency?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810/20 "2017-07-12T16:26:52Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > We’d be in good hands with President Palmer of _24_ Which one? [Whoosh?] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-presidents-of-the-usa-in-real-life/790810.md?page=2)