History Main / ThePresidentsDaughter

->'''Maid:''' [[WrongGenreSavvy You're the Governor's daughter!]]
-->-- ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''

* When Elizabeth Swann is chased after in ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', she thinks it's because she's the governor's daughter... but it turns out the men were just being 'called' by a magical amulet she was wearing. She tries to avert this trope by claiming to be her own maid (she was in her undistinguished nightclothes, and the place is full of maids), using the family name of her crush -- this leads them to take her for Bill Turner's child, [[spoiler:the person they were looking for]].
** In the sequels, she comes into her own and is no longer fought over... until being [[LivingMacguffin mistaken for a god]] in ''At World's End'', when a [[GambitPileup bargaining session]] is held on who gets to kidnap her. She manages to negotiate her way into being declared [[SheIsTheKing Pirate King as a result]].

Named for the tendency of [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent Presidents]] to ''always'' have daughters [[note]]Each of the last ten U.S. presidents has had at least one daughter, and seven of the ten have had two or more. By contrast, only five of those ten have had sons--and of those sons, GeorgeWBush one was a President who had only daughters. However, there have been fewer presidents' daughters, totaled over all history, than president's sons.[[/note]], and they ''always'' [[DistressedDamsel get kidnapped]]. Oftentimes, she'll even [[DitchTheBodyguards do most of the bad guys' work for them]].

* When Elizabeth Swann is chased after in ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', she thinks it's because she's the governor's daughter... but it turns out the men were just being 'called' by a magical amulet she was wearing. She tries to avert this trope by claiming to be her own maid (she was in her undistinguished nightclothes, and the place is full of maids), using the family name of her crush - this leads them to take her for Bill Turner's child, [[spoiler:the person they were looking for]].

* In the {{Seinfeld}} episode ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pool_Guy The Pool Guy]]'', the plot of the [[ShowWithinAShow movie with in the show]] '''Chunnel''' involves the President's daughter being kidnapped.

* Spoofed in an episode of ''{{Seinfeld}}'' where the gang sees the fake disaster movie "Chunnel," about the titular subway collapsing. During a scene where part of the screen was visible, they needed to use a movie Castle Rock owned the rights to, and decided on ''TheAmericanPresident'', with a line dubbed in where the president is informed his daughter is among those trapped in the chunnel.

* Both ''Dynamite Cop'' games have the President's daughter as a MacGuffin, who -being a somewhat "[[{{Gonk}} handsome]]" young lady- also seems to have been borrowing Karl Malden's face during her two ordeals. Yeesh.

* An episode of ''TotallySpies''. Though that President's daughter was more of a little girl--and a SpoiledBrat--than a young woman, like Ashley.
* In the "Corey and Corey Save the World" sketch from the ''RobotChicken'' episode "Federated Resources", Corey Feldman and Corey Haim are sent to rescue President George W. Bush's daughters.

* Rare gender reversal in ''Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen'' where the Baron's ''son'' has been kidnapped (though it's not clear the Queen of the Elves knew who he was, but his riding out on a horse- which only a Baron's son would do- is implied to have lead to his capture.

* Layla Miller who was a living MacGuffin in the ''HouseOfM'' comics. Parodied as "Layla MacGuffin" in Matt Gardner's ''House of M'' parody in Newgrounds.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' had Ashley, the president's daughter. Unlike most examples, the bad guys had a pretty good reason for picking her.

* TheDecemberists' ''The Perfect Crime'' (from the album ''The Crane Wife'') has "the mogul's daughter in hog tie". We don't learn much more about her than that, but the "crime" is very much in this genre.

** In the first film, ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'', it was the president himself, whom Snake had to rescue.

* Lyra Belaqua in ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' is the "involved in a prophecy version."

* In ''MonkeyIsland'', Elaine Marley, the governor's daughter of Melee Island, gets kidnapped by a [[GhostShip ghost pirate]] with a prehensile beard.

Named for the tendency of [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent Presidents]] to ''always'' have daughters [[hottip:*:Each of the last ten U.S. presidents has had at least one daughter, and seven of the ten have had two or more. By contrast, only five of those ten have had sons--and of those sons, GeorgeWBush one was a President who had only daughters. However, there have been fewer presidents' daughters, totaled over all history, than president's sons.]], and they ''always'' [[DistressedDamsel get kidnapped]]. Oftentimes, she'll even [[DitchTheBodyguards do most of the bad guys' work for them]].

* The Creator/DavidMamet film ''{{Spartan}}'' features a MacGuffin President's Daughter played by Creator/KristenBell.

* The Creator/DavidMamet film ''{{Spartan}}'' features a MacGuffin President's Daughter played by KristenBell.

* [[MarsDaybreak Kenran Butohsai]] has this, very literally. ''Enora Taft'' is the daughter of the President of the Earth who plays a [[spoiler:more than willing hostage and friend to the crew of Yoake-no Fune (Ship of Aurora)]].

For more general kidnapping of women, see DamselInDistress, which also links to related tropes, and especially SaveThePrincess, which is extremely similar in concept but more of an UndeadHorseTrope (perhaps because it feels farther from contemporary RealLife. Compare LivingMacGuffin, when the person isn't kidnapped or otherwise in danger, but (like any other MacGuffin) is intensely sought after. See also MacGuffinGirl, if the girl originally ''was'' an inanimate MacGuffin. Expect them to be kept in a GildedCage.

Named for the tendency of [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent Presidents]] to ''always'' have daughters [[hottip:*:Each of the last ten U.S. presidents has had at least one daughter, and seven of the ten have had two or more. By contrast, only five of those ten have had sons--and of those sons, [[GeorgeWBush one was a President who had only daughters. However, there have been fewer presidents' daughters, totaled over all history, than president's sons.]], and they ''always'' [[DistressedDamsel get kidnapped]]. Oftentimes, she'll even [[DitchTheBodyguards do most of the bad guys' work for them]].

Named for the tendency of [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent Presidents]] to ''always'' have daughters [[hottip:*:Each of the last ten U.S. presidents has had at least one daughter, and seven of the ten have had two or more. By contrast, only five of those ten have had sons--and of those sons, [[GeorgeWBush one was a President who had only daughters.]], and they ''always'' [[DistressedDamsel get kidnapped]]. Oftentimes, she'll even [[DitchTheBodyguards do most of the bad guys' work for them]].

For more general kidnapping of women, see DamselInDistress, which also links to related tropes. Compare LivingMacGuffin, when the person isn't kidnapped or otherwise in danger, but (like any other MacGuffin) is intensely sought after. See also MacGuffinGirl, if the girl originally ''was'' an inanimate MacGuffin. Expect them to be kept in a GildedCage.

* A 1999 TV Movie, ''First Daughter'', starring Mariel Hemingway, used this trope. Mariel Hemingway played a Secret Service agent assigned to guard Jessica Hayes, played by Monica Keena.

* FanFic/AGrowingAffection has Nyoko Honokata, the Fire Daimyo's daughter. Her introductory arc involves a group who wants to kidnapper her for political and monetary gain.

->'''Elizabeth:''' What do [the pirates] want ''me'' for?

* Subverted in ''BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica''. Butt-Head makes it into Chelsea Clinton's bedroom. He flirts awkwardly with her, and then is promptly thrown out a window. Since a guard would probably cuff an intruder and take him in for questioning, it's assumed that Chelsea did the defenstration herself.

** Subverted. It wasn't because she was Hyuga Clan's heir, but because of her [[SuperPoweredGenetics Byakugan]]. Of course, since the Main Head is always expected to be the strongest, Hinata being his daughter was only an add-up, plus the fact she wasn't marked with the Bird Cage Seal.