History Main / PresidentEvil

In terms of the ranks of AuthorityTropes, the tropes that are equal are GodSaveUsFromTheQueen, TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask, and TheHighQueen. The next steps down are TheEvilPrince, PrinceCharming, PrinceCharmless, ShelteredAristocrat, WarriorPrince, TheWisePrince, and all PrincessTropes. The next step up is TheEmperor.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': [[BigBad Palpatine]] was one of these as [[TheFederation Chancellor]]. It is generally implied that, to the public at large as well as to the Jedi and the Senate, Palpatine is an excellent Chancellor — friendly, experienced, competent, professional, diplomatic and wise — who just happened to inherit a Republic that is rife with corruption and on the verge of civil war. Secretly, though, he is Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, the instigator of much of this corruption and the ''mastermind'' behind the impending civil war who controls both factions in public and private, which gives him an excuse to turn the Republic into a ''[[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny de facto]]'' [[TheDictatorship dictatorship]] for reasons of "galactic security", then provoking the Jedi into attempting to arrest or kill him in order to carry out a purge against their Order, install himself as [[TheEmperor Emperor]], and establish the evil, totalitarian Galactic Empire. The Expanded Universe delves deeper into his evil while Chancellor and implies or outright shows him (usually as Sidious) arranging assassinations, ordering atrocities, framing innocent parties, manipulating and corrupting people, and committing a laundry list of other crimes in pursuit of his sinister agenda.

* ''Film/AbsolutePower'': President Alan Richmond, while an upstanding man to the outside world, is in his private life a philanderer and serial abuser. When one of his escapades results in the accidental murder of a young woman, Richmond further resorts to cover it up and dispose of any witnesses to his crime.

Usually, the heroes aren't fighting against the country ''itself'', apart from the occasional loyal citizen who's been turned into a SuperSoldier. Their beef is strictly with the villain, and the country is usually just a convenient plot device. Alternatively, and more poignantly, it may be ''their own'' country that elects President Evil, who may then also qualify as a GloriousLeader. (If he rules [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates America]], expect his policies to make the Land of the Free [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica unrecognizable]] if left in place for too long.) His enemies will then be [[ConflictingLoyalty forced to choose]] between their loyalty to the state and its laws on the one hand, and the need to dethrone its corrupt leadership on the other.

* Richard Hawk in ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'' an [[EvilChancellor evil]] ''[[EvilChancellor vice]]''[[EvilChancellor -president]] turned president after he overthrows his running mate in a military coup d'etat. As for his "evil" credentials during his actual tenure as president... Geez... ''Where do we '''start?''''' The giant mechanical spider he sent rampaging through Manhattan, possibly. Or nerve-gassing Chicago. Or executing Metal Wolf sympathizers... and their family... and their friends... and their acquaintances if they don't fess up (complete with [[RedEyesTakeWarning evil-eyed Lady Liberty]] on the ultimatum commercial). Or turning the White House into a missile-launching and armored fortress and renaming it the "Fight House".

** And more "currently" on the show, there's [[OneWorldOrder Earth President]] Richard M. Nixon's Head, who needs no explanation to people familiar with [[TruthInTelevision actual American history]], though the show goes the extra mile to make him as overtly vile and corrupt as possible.

** And more "currently" on the show, there's [[OneWorldOrder Earth President]] Richard M. Nixon's Head, who needs no explanation to people familiar with [[TruthInTelevision actual American history]].

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'', as Season 3 has ComicBook/TheJoker successfully become mayor of Gotham. He runs as a [[DirtyCommunists hardcore socialist]] and it's ZigZagged by the fact that he genuinely sought to clean up the city through stronger infrastructure and civic programs... through higher taxation on the wealthy, i.e. [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]]. His campaign being structured like a reign of terror is completely unrelated to any ideology; it's just because he's the Joker. [[spoiler:To take it even farther, he puts Jim Gordon out of a job by abolishing the police department and has [[IntimidatingRevenueService Bruce Wayne arrested for tax evasion]], which he submits to in order to show the public that nobody's above the law.]]

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'', as Season 3 has ComicBook/TheJoker successfully become mayor of Gotham. He runs as a [[DirtyCommunists hardcore socialist]] and it's ZigZagged by the fact that he genuinely sought to clean up the city through stronger infrastructure and civic programs... through higher taxation on the wealthy, i.e. [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]]. His campaign being structured like a reign of terror is completely unrelated to any ideology; it's just because he's the Joker. [[spoiler:To take it even farther, he puts Jim Gordon out of a job by abolishing the police department and has [[IntimidatingRevenueService Bruce Wayne arrested for tax evasion]], which he submits to in order to show the public that nobody's above the law.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': [[SadistTeacher Fourth Grade Teacher Mr. Garrison]] becomes President of the United States on a platform of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil fucking all the immigrants to death.]]

** In the same show it turns out UsefulNotes/GroverCleveland was a member of The Guild of Calamitous intent.

** A book in ''the same arc'' ended with [[EldritchAbomination Abeloth]] becoming president ([[DemonicPossession by possessing a senator]]) and the Sith in partial control of the Senate. The galaxy went through four presidents in one year with half of them being evil.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' did this a lot. One [[Literature/FateOfTheJedi story arc]] featured Natasi Daala, a [[RetiredMonster retired Imperial Admiral]], as president of [[TheAlliance the Galactic Alliance]]. Not so bad, until you remember that she oversaw the construction of the Death Star, the enslavement of genius children to build it, and the bombardment of several pacifist planets. Plus in an attempt at AvengingTheVillain she attacked TheRepublic ''twice'' [[EasilyForgiven and still got elected to lead its successor government]]. In the present day she attempts to reenact [[FinalSolution Order 66]] after exiling Luke on trumped-up charges, which finally turns the public against her and gets her PutOnAPrisonBus.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' did this a lot. One story arc featured a retired Imperial Admiral as president. [[PunchClockVillain Not so bad]], until you remember that she oversaw the construction of the Death Star, the enslavement of genius children to build it, and the bombardment of several pacifist planets. In the present day she attempts to reenact [[FinalSolution Order 66]] after exiling Luke on trumped-up charges.
** A book in another story arc ended with [[EldritchAbomination Abeloth]] becoming president and the Sith in partial control of the Senate.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' did this a lot. One story arc featured a retired Imperial Admiral as president. [[PunchClockVillain Not so bad]], until you remember that she oversaw the construction of the Death Star, the enslavement of genius children to build it, and the bombardment of several pacifist planets.

%%* In 1993's ''Film/SuperMarioBros'', Koopa has become President of the Mushroom Kingdom.

* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' the president, Funny Valentine ([[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep yes, that is his name]]), is a corrupt, morally devoid lunatic who somehow still manages to be a VillainWithGoodPublicity (probably the American flag scar). Among other things, he uses government funds to secretly hire criminals and lackeys for his dirty work and he obviously has some sort of plan for ultimate power that involves using said lackeys to get [[UpgradeArtifact "Saint Parts"]] for him. Oh, and he tried to rape a 14-year-old girl in one scene. He wasn't sure she was 14 years old, but attempted none the less.

* President Snow of ''Film/TheHungerGames'' definitely qualifies, as he rules a totalitarian state in which people from the Districts are annually forced to compete in a [[ImmoralRealityShow televised]] DeadlyGame.

If the President Evil has the same name as a RealLife president or is an {{Expy}} of a real president, then this is {{Demonization}}. [[FlameBait For very obvious reasons, no matter how tempting it may seem,]] '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' Some examples post-2016 may overlap with {{Trumplica}}, and that's all that really needs to be said about it.

** The Prime Minister of Japan [[spoiler:was manipulated by the Control Devil herself into becoming complicit in her WorldOfSilence plot, and granted her ResurrectiveImmortality that sacrifices a Japanese citizen every time she dies]].

** Subverted by the President of the United States, who's shown to be a WellIntentionedExtremist who genuinely wanted to do right by America. [[spoiler:To that end, he contracted with the Gun Devil to try to kill the first HorsemanOfTheApocalypse, the Conquest Devil, in exchange for one year off the lifespan [[GodzillaThreshold of every American alive at the time]] (incidentally killing thousands of Japanese people in the process).]]
** The Prime Minister of Japan [[spoiler:was manipulated by the Conquest Devil herself into becoming complicit in her WorldOfSilence plot, and granted her ResurrectiveImmortality that sacrifices a Japanese citizen every time she dies]].

If the President Evil has the same name as a RealLife president or is an {{Expy}} of a real president, then this is {{Demonization}}. For very obvious reasons, no matter how tempting it may seem, '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' Some examples post-2016 may overlap with {{Trumplica}}, and that's all that really needs to be said about it.

* The Creator/ECComics publication ''Weird Science'' had a story where "Allie the Alligator," a puppet on a kids' show called "Kookie, Fan and Allie," encourages parents to elect him president by writing his name in on their ballots. The two mainstream candidates are so unelectable that the majority of voters rebel against them, write in Allie's name, and elect him. Discombobulated beyond measure, Congress holds hearings on what to do. They summon the man who puppeteers Allie to appear, intending to make him president. Then comes the kicker: [[spoiler:"Allie" is no puppet. He's a puppet-sized alien who's grafted himself onto the puppeteer's arm. And now that he's been elected president, his compatriots slither out of lakes and rivers and graft themselves onto Congress's collective arms to put down a measure to "unelect" Allie.]]

* General UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur becomes a downplayed version of this in the ''Literature/{{Reds}}'' AlternateHistory, with a healthy side of GeneralRipper. After evacuating the American upper-class to Cuba following the Communist revolution, [=MacArthur=], being the highest ranking member of the National Salvation Front left after the main political leader, Nicholas Longworth, was captured by the revolutionaries, declares himself President of the in-exile government, which he proclaims to be the only legal continuation of the overthrown state of USA. [=MacArthur=] goes on to rule with an iron fist over the in-exile government, makes himself PresidentForLife and even tries to install a HereditaryRepublic by grooming his son to be his successor. His time in charge is marked by frequent purges against members of the government he suspects of being in cahoots with the Communists (often for little to no reason) and cruel oppression of the native Cuban population.