# What if the President had a twin brother? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872 "2007-09-12T04:16:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fireclown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Fireclown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fireclown)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/1 "2007-09-12T04:16:25Z")
What would keep his (evil in this case) twin from taking over his job and impersonating him? Or for that matter what if someone was a dead ringer for the president and was somehow able to take over his spot? Yes I know he would have to fool all the people that knew the real President and this is a HUGE stretch of the imagination. But if it could be done how could anyone who suspected it prove it? Does the President have DNA (which would be identical to a twin) or fingerprints on file? ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/2 "2007-09-12T04:18:27Z")
Fingerprints. Even identical twins have diferent prints. ---
**Author:** ![Fireclown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Fireclown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fireclown)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/3 "2007-09-12T04:19:54Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Fingerprints. Even identicle twins have diferent prints. [/QUOTE] Of course, but is the President fingerprinted upon taking office? For that matter when being sworn in do they do any check to make sure they have the right guy? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/4 "2007-09-12T04:20:45Z")
Won’t work. Laura would notice that his gentle touch is missing. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/5 "2007-09-12T04:27:20Z")
Once he is elected the secret service watches him like a hawk. No one would have an opportunity to make the switch. The guy is never alone. Even if the imposter was his brother and was allowed into a room alone with him and had a disentegration ray gun the secret service is going to get suspicious when only one guy comes out. If he didn’t have a disentegration ray gun how would he dispose of the body without the Secret Service knowing. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/6 "2007-09-12T04:29:25Z")
[QUOTE=marshmallow] Won’t work. Laura would notice that his gentle touch is missing. [/QUOTE] But what if Laura had a twin and she was in on the plot? You didn’t think about that. Did you? And what if they had a Men In Black Flashy Thing? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/7 "2007-09-12T04:31:38Z")
Pssssst. George W. _is_ the evil twin. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/8 "2007-09-12T04:35:53Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Once he is elected the secret service watches him like a hawk. No one would have an opportunity to make the switch. The guy is never alone. Even if the imposter was his brother and was allowed into a room alone with him and had a disentegration ray gun the secret service is going to get suspicious when only one guy comes out. If he didn’t have a disentegration ray gun how would he dispose of the body without the Secret Service knowing. [/QUOTE] It could be voluntary – maybe he’s stressed and wants out. Or he’s more of a practical joker. It’s much less messy that way. They could simply switch clothes and no one would be the wiser. Except his wife. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/9 "2007-09-12T05:04:55Z")
. The evil twin has a little pointy goatee. _Duh_. . ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/10 "2007-09-12T05:06:15Z")
[QUOTE=Fireclown] Of course, but is the President fingerprinted upon taking office? [/QUOTE] If the President’s fingerprints aren’t on record, I’d be very surprised. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/11 "2007-09-12T05:51:21Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] If the President’s fingerprints aren’t on record, I’d be very surprised. [/QUOTE] Why do you think this is? I’d actually be very surprised if the President was finger printed upon taking office. Bush’s almost certainly are because he was arrested for a DUI. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/12 "2007-09-12T06:08:41Z")
Simple, just make the twin [Prime Minister](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaros%C5%82aw_Kaczy%C5%84ski), so you can keep an eye on both. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/13 "2007-09-12T09:39:48Z")
President George W. Bush **is** the evil twin; the other one has a mustache. And breasts. And no male genitalia. President George W. Bush must have been fingerprinted when he volunteered to serve his country as a fighter pilot during the Asian war years. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/14 "2007-09-12T09:54:51Z")
[QUOTE=marshmallow] Won’t work. Laura would notice that his gentle touch is missing. [/QUOTE] Maybe Laura prefers the technique of the evil twin. There was a Diagnosis Murder show where one twin killed another, and the dead twin’s wife was ok with her brother in law becoming her husband because he was a better lover. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/15 "2007-09-12T10:12:37Z")
As noted, GWB was assumedly fingerprinted before his Air National Guard service, keeping commies out of Texas and Alabama. As President, he’s got Top Secret clearance, and can even look at the Double Secret Probation files; it really would be surprising if his fingerprints weren’t on file. Also, there’s probably something that he uses biometrics in combination with code words for. (Movies don’t lie.) Also, any President is simply watched more than almost any other person; it’d be really hard to make a switch without somebody spotting a difference. Even monozygotic twins aren’t perfectly identical. Still, it’s worth trying sometime, isn’t it? Heh-heh-heh. ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/16 "2007-09-12T10:46:13Z")
[QUOTE=Fireclown] Or for that matter what if someone was a dead ringer for the president and was somehow able to take over his spot? Yes I know he would have to fool all the people that knew the real President and this is a HUGE stretch of the imagination. [/QUOTE] I don’t suppose you’ve ever seen the mildly humorous Kevin Kline film [Dave](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106673/)? It’s a bit of a different situation - Kevin Kline plays the president and a normal guy who looks like him. The president is seriously injured and the government arranges for the regular guy to take his place to avert crisis. I forget how it ends, though. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2007, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/17 "2007-09-12T11:27:26Z")
Since a president has to be at least 35, and is more likely to be at least 55, being truly indistinguishable from one’s twin to one’s closest associates and bodyguards is actually pretty unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/18 "2007-09-12T11:49:11Z")
Im surprised no one has mentioned [Dave](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106673/) yet edit: i had this open for like an hour before i got round to reading it. My bad ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/19 "2007-09-12T12:49:45Z")
I’m sorry, but I really do not see the **Great Debate** , here. It really is more of a **General Question** regarding the ways in which the POTUS can be or is identified, (despitre the subsequent cheap pilitical shots that, I trust, will NOT be repeated when this thread appears in **GQ**. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872/20 "2007-09-12T14:01:33Z")
[QUOTE=shimmery] Kevin Kline plays the president and a normal guy who looks like him. The president is seriously injured and the government arranges for the regular guy to take his place to avert crisis. I forget how it ends, though. [/QUOTE] For those who are curious:The real president has a stroke and becomes a vegetable. The president’s corrupt cronies get the normal guy to replace him as a figurehead while running things in the background. The normal guy discovers the corruption and exposes the plot in a big dramatic scene where he appears before the Senate, admits to everything, and then fakes a stroke. To the outside world, it appears that the President has had a second, more serious stroke and is now a vegetable. The Vice-President takes over and the normal guy goes back to his earlier life. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-president-had-a-twin-brother/418872.md?page=2)