Your statements do not jibe. (You pretend there’s a distinction: how does one get to *be *the president other than by *earning *it?)
“Pretending” implies that i’m faking my opinion. Have I given this impression? I don’t mean to.
One can be the President simply by turning in a better performance than the other guy; it doesn’t necessarily have to be good. Your victory could be due to the success of your electioneering team, or of your party. Too, you can commit all kinds of contempt-inducing activities while President yet not be immediately ousted after having done them.
And beyond that, even if a President has earned the role, and is worthy of some amount of respect by their actions in doing so, they are not then owed additional respect when they actually take on the office.