# Have there been any fictional atheist POTUSes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812 "2016-03-21T23:54:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/1 "2016-03-21T23:54:17Z")
Often in fiction, whenever the President of the United States enters the scene as a bit player, it’s a black man or a woman just to emphasize how different the fictional world is from the current one. This is especially prevalent when the work is set 20 minutes into the future like a disaster movie. However, polls have that atheists are the [most unelectable minority](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/21/atheists-are-still-the-most-unelectable-minority-group-in-america/) in the US. Has there been any work of fiction that casts an explicitly atheist president? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/2 "2016-03-22T00:00:10Z")
Kevin Pollak played a President who explains that he’s an atheist in DETERRENCE, though it’s hard to tell whether he’s making a serious point or just being kind of a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/3 "2016-03-22T00:55:10Z")
I can’t find anything from [this list of fictional atheists and agnostics.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_atheists_and_agnostics) ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/4 "2016-03-22T04:55:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I can’t find anything from [this list of fictional atheists and agnostics.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_atheists_and_agnostics) Frank Underwood becomes POTUS in Season 3 of House of Cards. I never realized he was in series canon as being an atheist or agnostic though. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/5 "2016-03-22T11:49:36Z")
Not only is she an atheist but also bright yellow, and a little girl - all three of the least electable categories in US politics. Lisa Simpson - [Bart to the Future](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_to_the_Future) episode ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/6 "2016-03-22T12:00:29Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Often in fiction, whenever the President of the United States enters the scene as a bit player, it’s a black man or a woman just to emphasize how different the fictional world is from the current one. This is especially prevalent when the work is set 20 minutes into the future like a disaster movie. > > However, polls have that atheists are the [most unelectable minority](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/21/atheists-are-still-the-most-unelectable-minority-group-in-america/) in the US. Has there been any work of fiction that casts an explicitly atheist president? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Robert Sawyer’s “Triggers” features an atheist President, but he wasn’t openly atheist. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/7 "2016-03-22T15:22:10Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Frank Underwood becomes POTUS in Season 3 of House of Cards. I never realized he was in series canon as being an atheist or agnostic though. I think he’s vaguely agnostic, but to the public he appears to be a religious man. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/8 "2016-03-22T15:37:49Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Often in fiction, whenever the President of the United States enters the scene as a bit player, it’s a black man or a woman just to emphasize how different the fictional world is from the current one. Last time I checked, the POTUS in the current world was a black man. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/9 "2016-03-22T17:18:38Z")
[The Ides of March](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/) featured an atheist George Clooney running for president (in fact, the movie opened with him at the podium during a speech or debate or something admitting it). My wife and I both fell asleep in the theater, so we have no idea if he was ever elected or not. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/10 "2016-03-22T17:55:52Z")
Does it count if the candidate believes _he_ is God? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-fictional-atheist-potuses/749812/11 "2016-03-22T17:59:52Z")
There’s been any number of actual Presidents whose religiosity was probably a front. You’ll find plenty of people in any church who don’t actually buy the stuff they’re selling, but they attend anyway for the social benefits.