World leaders have provided much dramatic inspiration for creators over the years -- the prestige and power these people are afforded and the intrigue, dangers, and tensions that surround them can make for great stories. However, including the ''real'' world leader in your story can have several ramifications, not all of them good; if the depiction isn't particularly flattering (or even if it ''is'' -- just not to ''some'' people), this can see your work receive unwanted controversy, attention and (if the person in question happens to be alive and litigious) legal action. Or maybe your story takes place {{Twenty Minutes Into The Future}}. As such, many creators choose to create an entirely new and fictional leader out of whole cloth to include in their stories, and depending on the story these depictions can fall into several types, which are discussed below.

[[header:President Action]]
-->''I'm going in there to save my men. And the reason is: because I'm the President of the great United States of America!''\\
--President Michael Wilson, ''MetalWolfChaos''
A common character in the 1990s, this President [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking kicks ass consistently and thoroughly]]. Oftentimes, he's far more a {{badass}} than his entire Secret Service detail combined; this particular detail is often {{handwave}}d by declaring that, before elected to office, he was a decorated military hero -- there are several real-world cases (see below), but in fiction few leaders outside of the United States have been placed into this role; it is difficult (although not impossible, given the few examples below) to imagine a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom kicking ass in such a fashion, as much as we'd like to see it.

[[header:President Target]]
-->''The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?''\\
--''BadDudes vs. Dragon Ninja''
The direct opposite of President Action; this President is just the hapless target of whatever assassination attempt, kidnap attempt, kidnapped-by-ninjas attempt, blackmail attempt, or otherwise evil conspiracy the bad guys have planned. Often has [[EvilChancellor an evil deputy]] or [[GovernmentConspiracy members of his own government]] gunning for him / her. Can have elements of the other Presidents attached to him, but President Targets are often ciphers, with little information provided about them other than their status as President -- which means they might as well have a ''big'' target sign on their backs. This President basically exists for countless {{action hero}}es to answer this question: Are ''you'' [[{{Badass}} a bad enough dude]] to rescue the president? Sometimes, it's [[{{ptitle348j0es8wpxt}} The President's Daughter]] who gets kidnapped.

[[header:President Personable]]
-->''If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion love actually is all around.''\\
--Prime Minister David, ''LoveActually''
The "NiceGuy" President. This President isn't nearly the {{badass}} that President Action is, and is often a bit older, but is often a decent, honourable, and kindly man who treats his position, aides, and country with great respect and dignity. Often takes the role of the ReasonableAuthorityFigure. A President Personable needs to watch out, however, since the EvilChancellor is usually waiting in the wings (often as a scheming Vice President or deputy), the GovernmentConspiracy is often gunning straight at them, and they can easily end up as President Target.

[[header:President Corrupt]]
-->''If the president of the United States does it, it can't be a crime.''\\
--President RichardNixon
The diametric opposite of President Personable -- your (stereo)typical scheming, shifty, and corrupt politician who is only in it for what he can get out of it (legally or otherwise). Often seems to take great pleasure in screwing over the people and system he represents for his own personal gain. Bonus points awarded if he's having extramarital affairs (usually with his aides or secretaries) on the side. When a President Corrupt is in office, you can often find them right at the centre of the GovernmentConspiracy, and is the quintessential VillainWithGoodPublicity -- at least, until the heroes get on his case. Sometimes appears to be one of the other types until the conspiracy is uncovered, with the possibility of a HaveYouToldAnyoneElse moment. President Corrupt is particularly susceptible to an EngineeredPublicConfession.

[[header:President Scheming]]
-->''I said things. I said I'd seen proof of life on Mars. I said I'd intervened at the Justice Department to put 100,000 computers in the classrooms, which I thought made me sound like a good guy.''\\
--Vice President Hoynes, ''TheWestWing''
A milder version of President Corrupt, President Scheming might not actually be involved in anything ''illegal'', but (s)he's certainly a devious and shifty political operative who tends to play dirty tricks and has very loose ethics at best. They're usually in it not so much for the cash benefits as the political power; make this guy the second banana and they'll almost immediately be [[EvilChancellor trying very hard]] to make sure that they get themselves into the top job as soon as possible, by whatever underhanded methods necessary.

[[header: President Jerkass]]
In contrast to the likeable President Personable, President Jerkass isn't a nice person at all. He's not necessarily corrupt or shifty; he's just a complete douchebag. He bullies his underlings, he's rude and thoughtless to his colleagues, he's arrogant, condescending and dismissive of the public he supposedly represents, and all in all is not a very nice guy at all. He's usually got very good P.R skills, though, which explains how he manages to get elected; he's all huge smiles and smarmy charm in public, but behind closed doors he's a bit of a nasty piece of work. This President may be a less sympathetic President Target, or the story may require him to be taken down a peg or two in order to become more of a President Personable.

[[header:President Buffoon]]
-->''I was elected to lead, not to read.''\\
--President ArnoldSchwarzenegger, ''TheSimpsons [[TheMovie Movie]]''
TheDitz President. It's not immediately clear how this guy (or, rarely, girl) ever got elected, because he can barely seem to stand up on his own at times, but nevertheless he's the boss, and everyone's got to put up with it until his term of office is, thankfully, over. (Although sometimes he wasn't elected; President Buffoon often gets the job after a President dies.) President Buffoon typically shows his discomfort with the job of leading the country by taking lots of vacations. Often appears in kids movies and TV shows and/or very broad satires. Depending on how savage the parody is, he may be either a lovable doofus or a hateful incompetent. President Buffoon lends himself very nicely to TheManBehindTheMan. See also StupidBoss, PointyHairedBoss.

[[header:President Lunatic]]
-->''The missiles are flying! Hallelujah, Hallelujah!''\\
--President Greg Stillson, ''TheDeadZone''
This President may be President Buffoon turned up to eleven, may be a [[HolierThanThou bit too eagerly into religion]], or may [[TheSchizophreniaConspiracy see enemies behind every curtain and hear ominous whispering behind every pot-plant]]. Whatever the deal, if this President gets into office, it's a genuine cause to panic, as they are ''[[TheCaligula completely and genuinely insane]]''. And they now have far-reaching governmental authority and a runaway military budget (often involving [[NukeEm nuclear missiles]]) to back up their particular brand of delusion. This kind of President often just needs a few little nudges to send them right into becoming a full-blown PresidentEvil.

[[header:President Iron]]
-->''To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning. ''\\
--MargaretThatcher
President Iron [[{{Determinator}} doesn't compromise. Ever.]] Certain and correct in their every move (even if it's the wrong one -- [[KnightTemplar good luck getting them to admit it]]), they charge ahead relentlessly with every action, every policy initiative, and especially every war they get involved in. Women leaders tend to get placed in this trope, perhaps as a consequence of the lasting influence of MargaretThatcher, the first female British Prime Minister, who was a [[TruthInTelevision living ideal of this trope]] -- she was called "The Iron Lady", first by the Soviet press in 1976 [[http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=102939 after an anti-Soviet speech]].

[[header:President Focus Group]]
-->'''[[TheHumphrey Sir Humphrey]]:''' ''So we trust you to make sure that your Minister does nothing incisive or divisive over the next few weeks.''\\
'''Bernard:''' ''Yes, well, I think that is probably what he was planning to do anyway.''\\
--''[[YesMinister Yes, Prime Minister]]''
The opposite of President Iron -- this president does nothing ''but'' compromise. No action is taken without consulting the all-powerful Political Advisor (who is usually [[TheManBehindTheMan pulling the strings]]) or any number of focus groups; give this President an either/or choice and he'll be dithering all day, and the possibility of making a choice that might make them unpopular (or, even more importantly, lose them votes) will send him into a panic. So he'll most likely TakeAThirdOption by making a compromise. This way, instead of pissing off one side of the debate, he's sure to piss off everybody.

[[header:PresidentEvil]]
-->''And after I'm swept into office, I'll sell our children's organs to zoos for meat, and I'll go into people's houses at night and wreck up the place!''\\
--President RichardNixon, ''{{Futurama}}''
President Corrupt or President Lunatic taken up to full-blown supervillainy levels. President Corrupt is often just a scheming jerk with few serious ambitions beyond lining his / her own pocket, and President Lunatic may be several screws lacking but otherwise harmless -- a President Evil genuinely wants to rule or destroy the entire world, and has their own country as a power base for which to do so. For examples, see the linked trope.

[[header:President Minority]]
-->''I am proud to be America's first straight female President.''\\
--President Lisa Simpson, ''TheSimpsons''
When the President is female and/or from a minority background. How much their ethnicity is mentioned depends on the plot and whether anyone feels like invoking ''{{Othello}}''. Any resemblance to BarackObama... probably actually ''is'' coincidental, as this trope has been around for a while. Resemblance to MargaretThatcher is surprisingly rare.

[[header:President Playboy]]
-->''Well, I gotta go, but... look, if you're ever near the White House, there's a tool shed out back. I'm in there most of the day.''\\
--President BillClinton, ''TheSimpsons''
When the President is bedding attractive women -- or men -- that they're not married to. Although the trope may overlap with President Corrupt (who, amongst their other sins, are usually getting some on the side as well), a President Playboy might be an otherwise perfectly decent, honourable and satisfactory leader who just has trouble keeping it in his / her pants.

And finally, on three less, and one more, specific forms of President:

[[header:President Strawman]]
Politics being what it is, many not-that-great writers (and, to be fair, many great ones as well) can't resist beefing up their own views by [[StrawmanPolitical constructing an easily torn-down version of their opponents or an overly wonderful version of their own]] and putting them in high office. President Strawman is, essentially, any President who exists ''solely'' as either an easily lampooned caricature of an opposing point of view or [[CanonSue an overly idealistic and wonderful wish-fulfillment version of the writer's own beliefs]] (and who usually bears a not-entirely-coincidental resemblance to a current or former holder of office), and if they do possess any characteristics of any of the other presidents, it's usually a thin veneer at best -- savage versions often become President Buffoon. Note that a fictional President who happens to hold opposing viewpoints to yours isn't automatically President Strawman; it's only if the sole purpose of the character is to tear down or worship a particular point of view that they become a Strawman. It can, however, be [[SubjectiveTrope a matter of opinion]] as to when this occurs, and theoretically from a certain perspective ''all'' of these characters could be Strawmen to an extent. Basically, it's when any resemblance of the above to a real-life President or Prime Minister ''isn't'' coincidental.

[[header: President MarySue]]
A sort of extreme version (on the friendly side) of President Strawman, President MarySue is perfection itself: the sort of President that, say, [[ToKillAMockingbird Atticus Finch]] would make. Every decision is correct and impeccably moral. Every action is noble and heroic. Every belief is valid and correct - and, not coincidentally, conforms to the beliefs of the person who created him. Count on President Sue to single-handedly save the whales, stop global warming, defeat the enemy, uplift the downtrodden, personally read aloud to all school-aged children, and have twelve national holidays in his or her honor.

[[header:[[InvisiblePresident President Not-Appearing-In-This-Film]]]]
When, for various reasons, the President simply doesn't appear in the story, but is merely mentioned. For a complete and extensive list, see the link provided.

[[header:[[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed President Unmodified]]]]
A specific, thinly veiled parody of a real President (usually, the one in office when the story was made). This can range from a brief cameo that touches on the President's superficial traits, to a full-fledged political satire, although in the latter case the sitting President is usually named.

It goes without saying that the above President types are not all-encompassing; depending on how they're written, each character can be composed of elements of more than one type of President. The following categories are also not limited to the President of the United States, and can be applied to ''any'' fictional world leader; however, given the sheer volume of fiction produced by the United States and the unparalleled influence and stature that its political leaders hold both at home and internationally, many creators choose to focus on the office of the President of the United States for inspiration. The presence of a fictional President is often explained by setting the story either in an AlternateUniverse or TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* President David Hoope from ''DeathNote'' is mainly a President Personable: [[spoiler:he even commits suicide rather than risk being mind-controlled into starting [[WorldWarIII another world war]]]].
** Unfortunately, his successor George Sairas, meanwhile, is closer to a President Buffoon, but certainly not a funny one -- [[spoiler:rather, he's a weak-kneed appeaser of Kira who, predictably, just opens the door for Kira to directly threaten him into working for him]].
* The unnamed President of ''ReadOrDie'' is a Buffonish President Target, who's only role in the plot is to get attacked, wet himself, unsuccessfully order an attack on the enemy, and wet himself again.
** Before he learns about Joker's real plan he's President Gullible, afterwards he's a President Iron Wannabe who just can't keep up, as his only solution is basically "get bigger guns" [[spoiler: which are not helpful against Martian tripods and pterodactyls, for whatever reason]].
** In the OVA, his specific orders were to nuke the I-Jin superfortress (before wetting his pants)
* President Fuhrer King Bradley (King being his ''name'') of ''FullMetalAlchemist'' is one of the most powerful and evil characters in the series, effortlessly defeating a foe who was a match for Ed about 16 times in a row, using only swords? If that's not president action, you're crazy. He also puts on a [[ObfuscatingStupidity front]] of being President Personable, which is to a degree part of his real personality (along with the ANaziByAnyOtherName part)
* Averted in ''{{Golgo 13}}'': whenever the US government hires the titular assassin, the president is... whichever president was in office at the time the story was written. (The Clinton administration hired him ''twice''.) They're also drawn surprisingly accurately, and portrayed in a fair light. Hell of a change from the [[{{Eagleland}} usual anime presentation.]]
* [[MeaningfulName George]] [[{{Satire}} Reitmann]], President of [[OneLetterName "A" Country]] from ''[[MaiChansDailyLife Mai-Chan's Daily]]''... [[{{Gorn}} WAIT]][[HighOctaneNightmareFuel [=OMG=]]][[CompleteMonster NO]]--

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Possibly the ''ultimate'' President Action -- a cartoon called ''Super President'' featured an ''actual superhero'' as the President of the United States.
** An 'Armageddon 2001' issue of DC Comics had an alternate-future ''{{Superman}}'' as President of the United States.
** The ''ultimate'' President Action has to be Ronald Reagan in the comic series ''[[http://www.toonopedia.com/reagan.htm Reagan's Raiders]]''. Best described by Don Markstein:
-->The basic idea was to go the 1960s TV cartoon ''Super President'' one better, putting presidential incumbent Ronald Reagan himself, along with several top members of his administration, in red, white and blue costumes like [[CaptainAmerica Captain America's]] or The Shield's, and sending them out to do superhero work among the rice paddies and sand dunes of America's most hated enemies. This was accomplished by means of a technological marvel invented by a Professor Cashchaser, that gave the Raiders the bodies of young men (and instantly instilled commando training too, apparently).
** [[http://www.superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=798:president-reagan-bad-ass&catid=30:frames-and-panels-index&Itemid=34 This]] undoubtedly ''epitomizes'' President Action.
*** Note: that is [[spoiler: actually the Martian Manhunter in disguise.]]
** ''Tales from the Bully Pulpit'' has a couple of panels of Abraham Lincoln telling Hitler: "Come on, boy. I'm gonna emancipate your teeth."
* Prez Rickard in DC Comics is that rare kind -- a President Teenager.
** Also extremely Personable, and possibly a Messiah figure in the context of the story. Something of a Sue, to be honest.
** While President Lex Luthor was... well, it's Lex flippin' ''Luthor''. What do you ''think'' he was?
***In Red Son, Lex Luthor was the greatest American President, he brought 14 states back into the union and defeated communism, at the same time bringing the nation out of economic depression and defeating Superman with a single handwritten note. He laments that if Superman was raised in America they could have been friends...
* In some [[{{Elseworld}} versions]] of the MarvelUniverse, Steve Rogers (a.k.a CaptainAmerica) has served as President -- often as something of a President Action himself. Well, what else did you expect?
** In 616-Marvel he was approached for a run at the Presidency in 1983 and refused after a lot of thought. In one of the What-Ifs he changed his mind, shook off the people who were hoping to use him for their agendas, picked a black politician that he trusted as his VP, and won. Definitely President Action/Personable; during the acceptance speech when he unmasked someone tried to assassinate him, and when his Secret Service guards tried to find the shooter Cap was ahead of them, catching the man easily. One of the guards said something to the effect of "''We'' are supposed to protect ''him''?", another reflected that he felt safer with Cap there. Of course, Cap's archenemy the Red Skull later decided to grab a nation of his own to use a superweapon from, and naturally only Cap could stop it. Both he and the Skull died.
***Then there was that other ''WhatIf'' in which Cap was really the Red Skull in a [[BodySurf cloned body]]. And was elected more times than Nixon in ''Watchmen''. [[PresidentEvil Given that he's a frickin' Nazi war criminal, do you really have to ask?]]
* Mad Jim Jaspers of the MarvelUniverse is one of the few non-American President Action-characters (in this, as an Evil Prime Minister Action of the United Kingdom). His [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] powers make him one of the most powerful characters in the entire [[TheMultiverse multiverse]], although his Lunacy (as suggested by his name) reduce his effectiveness somewhat.
* In ''{{Transmetropolitan}}'', "[[NoNameGiven The Beast]]" (whose name has long since been eclipsed by his nickname) is a full-blown President Corrupt (who does resemble Nixon quite a bit). He is mild compared to his replacement Gary Callahan, known as "The Smiler", who is a PresidentEvil and then some (and who, sans SlasherSmile, looks surprisingly like Tony Blair). The differences can best be summed up by their usage of the quote "If the president of the United States does it, it can't be a crime." (a reworking of "If the President does it it isn’t illegal"; an actual Nixon quote) during their final interviews with Spider -- The Beast uses it in black humor, while Callahan says it with utter conviction.
* Black Panther, King of Wakanda in the MarvelUniverse, was already King Action by benefit of being a superhero in his original appearances. Over the last several years, he's ascended to King CanonSue, so thoroughly BadAss that by using simple wrestling moves he can have Heralds of Galactus wincing in pain, and defeating Mephisto (basically TheDevil) by willingly ''giving'' him his soul. (Not to mention randomly getting hitched to one of comics' premier Strong Confident Females but still getting to keep his royal harem.)
** Not to mention his OmniscientMoralityLicense. The guy withholds technology that could cure diseases like cancer from the rest of the world because people allegedly don't respect Wakanda enough.
* ''Zenith'''s Peter St. John is a Government Minister and the secret ruler of the UK, and sits somewhere between President Personable, President Scheming and MagnificentBastard. He freely uses MindControl, {{Telepathy}} and deception to get and stay in power, because he feels only his genius can do a good job of running things. Trouble is, from all appearances, he's ''right''. He's arguably the real "hero" of the story, not [[SuperDickery Super Dick]] Zenith; He drags Zenith into the SuperHero business and makes him stay despite his whining, he saves the world from Master Man's inner monster, he tricks the Lloigor into [[spoiler:getting trapped in a LotusEaterMachine for all eternity]], etc.
* In [[MarvelComics Marvel's]] TheNewUniverse, the VillainWithGoodPublicity Philip Voigt becomes POTUS with the help of his mind-control powers. He probably fits the Action, Scheming and Evil subtypes, at least.
*At other times in The Marvel Universe, the President just happens to be whoever's in office at the time, with varying degrees of any of the above-mentioned stereotypes. In Uncanny X-Men alone, we see JimmyCarter (during the Dark Phoenix Saga), RonaldReagan (in follow-on storys to DaysOfFuturePast), and George H W Bush (in X-Men #1). This troper remembers a discussion board thread in which ChrisClaremont, talking about how his new X-Men Forever simultanelously follows on from X-Men #1 yet is set in 2009, essentially said "[[MST3KMantra Assume that the gent sitting in the White House was always BarackObama, or perhaps GeorgeWBush, depending on when exactly the story takes place]]." One assumes that this also includes the [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp fact that there was still a Soviet Union in X-Men #1...]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* A President Personable with an [[EvilChancellor Evil Vice President]] appeared in ''The Day After Tomorrow''. Curiously, the Evil Vice President later reformed.
** Also, the Vice President is a thinly veiled stand in for Dick Cheney, making this President Strawman and President Unmodified as well.
* President Andrew Shephard in ''The American President'' is a President Personable.
* ''My Fellow Americans'' casts Jack Lemmon and James Garner as two bickering ex-US Presidents from different parties who end up on the run as the result of the machinations of a President Corrupt who frames them for his own dirty dealings. For their part, both Lemmon and Garner are President Personable, despite their ideological and personal differences.
* ''NationalTreasure: Book of Secrets'' featured a President Personable.
* Merkin Muffley in ''DrStrangelove; or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb'' is either an ineffectual President Personable or a President Buffoon or a President Unscathed (being a thinly disguised satire of RealLife Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson). Or perhaps all three.
* The President of the United States in ''EscapeFromNewYork'' is both a President Target and, given that he's something of a slimy fascist dictator, a President Corrupt as well.
**His successor in ''Escape From L.A.'' is a President Lunatic and verges into President Evil towards the end of the movie. Given that the character is a very thinly veiled version of teleevangelist Jerry Falwell, he's a President Strawman as well.
* Billy Bob Thornton's unnamed President in ''LoveActually'' is a very mild President Corrupt - we never actually see him do anything illegal, but he's certainly a bit of a bullying sleaze who isn't shy about coming on to the Downing Street maid whom the British Prime Minister has to have a crush on.
** On the other hand, David, the film's Prime Minister played by Hugh Grant is a Prime Minister Personable. He later becomes a Prime Minister Iron to an extent, publically standing up the President's arrogance -- not because of ideological disagreements (although those certainly didn't help), but because the President made the moves on his girl.
* ''AbsolutePower'' features a President Corrupt who [[spoiler:murders his mistress and frames a passing crook for the crime]].
* James Marshall in ''Film/AirForceOne'' is a President Action.
* President Thomas Whitmore of ''IndependenceDay'' is a President Action who used to be a fighter pilot. He flies an F/A-18 and leads a squadron into the final battle.
-->'''General Grey:''' ''(as the President straps into a flight suit)'' Mr. President, I'd sure like to know what you're doing.
-->'''President Whitmore:''' I'm a combat pilot, Will. I belong in the air.
* President Skroob in ''{{Spaceballs}}'' is a Corrupt President Buffoon. "I can't make decisions! I'm a President!"
* President Bill Mitchell from ''Dave'' is President Corrupt. Dave starts off as President Buffoon before working his way up to President Personable.
* The French President in ''District 13'' is a President Corrupt who [[spoiler: thinks nothing of atom-bombing an entire slum just to get rid of the criminals living there.]]
* ''HaroldAndKumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay'' portrays George W. Bush as both President Personable and President Buffoon.
* The unnamed and (almost) unseen President in ''In The Line of Fire'' is a President Target. The story is about the Secret Service Agents assigned to protect him and the assassin out to kill him.
* In ''{{Idiocracy}}'', President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, porn superstar and five-time ultimate smackdown wrestling champion is a President Ditz with a side dish of President Buffoon, due to the fact that he lives in a future where the idiots have outbred intelligent people, thus leaving only the morons to march (and destroy) the planet.
* President Joseph Staton of ''American Dreamz'' is both a President Buffoon and a President Focus Group, but with a twist -- the plot involves him deciding to actually learn about world politics so that he can make some decisions for himself, much to the dismay of his staff.
* President Judson Hammond from the infamous ''Gabriel Over The White House'' embodies almost all the tropes. He starts off as a strawman buffoonesque scheming corrupt playboy personable President until he suffers a car accident and is possessed by Archangel Gabriel and becomes in the iron action president and thanks that YourMileageMayVary, also evil.
* The unnamed president in the 2007 ''[[{{TransformersFilmSeries}} Transformers]]'' movie was only briefly seen with his face conveniently covered by his feet (which were pointed at the camera), making him bordering on President Invisible. His characterization during his brief appearance was more or less President Buffoon. (Also, he did sound a bit like George Bush II.)
** President Obama becomes PresidentInvisible in ''Revenge of The Fallen'' where he never appears but is mentioned as being taken to a bunker for protection.
* The President in ''Canadian Bacon'' is a total President Focus Group who's trying hard to be a President Personable but gets maneuvered into being a President Scheming by his cabinet. He's a gutless moderate loser (probably a parody of Bill Clinton) whose sleazy aide and [[GeneralRipper warmongering general]] convince him to declare war on Canada.
* The President in the 2008 ''GetSmart'' movie is a Personable President Buffoon. Guessed who he's based on. No, go on, guess. In the movie, he's also a President Target.
** Although he's presented as being a lot more likable and sympathetic than his Vice President, who is presented as a Vice President Jerkass (the President even stated he didn't really like him). Also a Vice President Action, given that his preferred method for handling arguments during a National Security Council meeting is to ''hold a full-contact sparring session in the middle of the conference table''. Although he ''does'' by all accounts get his ass kicked.
* Let's not forget "Tug" Benson, the President Action of ''Hot Shots! Part Deux'' who does things even James Marshall couldn't do.
* The ''StarTrek'' films have featured a total of two Federation Presidents:
** ''StarTrekIV'' had a President Personable who punished Kirk for violating regulations by just reducing him in rank to Captain, seeing as he and his crew just saved the world.
** ''StarTrekVI'' had a President Target whose (planned) assasination was one of many gears in a conspiracy that dug to the core of Starfleet. His equivalent on the other side, Chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire was also one.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]
* President Jack Ryan in TomClancy's novels was actually an action hero ''before'' he became President. He doesn't continue on to be President Action, though: the one time in his term that he's actually in the presence of an armed villain, his Secret Service detail physically restrains him from risking himself and arrests the would-be assassin.
** He's also a President Iron and President Jesus, which isn't surprising since he is a MartyStu. To be fair, he's a WishFufillment character, and Clancy did subvert many of his ideals by the next book (not everything he attempted came to pass), and Ryan himself lampshades in rather GenreSavvy fashion how odd it is that he is so loved (which actually creeps him out a little), and why most of the time his idealism and reality don't mix, though this is probably Ryan being Clancy's MetaGuy realizing how MartyStu Ryan looks like and reminding the audience his AuthorAvatar isn't perfect either.
** Ed Kealty, in ''Debt of Honor'', is Vice President Playboy and Vice President Strawman. In ''The Teeth of the Tiger'', he's President Invisible, losing the "Vice" and "Playboy" parts, but not "Strawman".
* Tom Kratman's ''[[http://www.webscription.net/chapters/0743471709/0743471709.htm?blurb A State of Disobedience]]'' features Wilhelmina Rottemeyer, a [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed thinly veiled pastiche]] that goes past PresidentEvil / Strawman to territory. Read the Teaser for yourself, but don't say [[SoBadItsHorrible you weren't warned]].
** To be fair, the author himself has admitted it's not that good a work, even for being his first one.
* Greg Stillson in ''The Dead Zone'', in the future that the main character witnesses, becomes a religious fundamentalist President Lunatic who ends up starting World War III ("The missiles are flying! Hallelujah, Hallelujah!")
* Lancelot R. Gilligrass is the President Buffoon in RoaldDahl's novel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He has a Vice-President Iron in the person of Miss Tibbs, his childhood nanny.
* The DanBrown novel ''DeceptionPoint'' revolves around a stunning scientific discovery and it's implications in the upcoming presidential election. However, the two candidates are probably some of the most over-the-top examples in this page:
** The President in office, Zach Herney, goes beyond President Personable into what could be described as Saint President: he insists on having NASA be funded by the federal government instead of the intelligence community to avoid its purpose being corrupted despite the billions of dollars in losses that entails; refuses to have evidence of his opponent's indiscretions be made public so that the American public doesn't lose it's faith in its politicians (HA!) and when a massive conspiracy involving the aforementioned discovery that would otherwise cause devastating consequences to his reputation comes to light, he tells the entire truth in national television. One even wonders how the hell someone like that managed to succeed in politics in the first place.
** By contrast, Herney's opponent, Senator Sedgewick Sexton is a Presidential Candidate Evil of the highest order: he has had affairs for most of his married life; used his wife's death in an accident to further his political career, both financially and as a means to gain support; when questioned about his stance in same-sex marriages he thinks to himself that if he was in charge "the faggots wouldn't even have the right to vote", he is in cahoots with several private aerospace companies who illegally fund his campaign so that Sexton can dismantle NASA and sell it to them; and worst of all, was willing to ''let his own daughter die'' just so he could release evidence that could potentially destroy Herney, with the added bonus of her "cementing [his] sympathy vote".
* In the ''HarryPotter'' series, Cornelius Fudge started off as Minister Buffoon and Minister Focus Group (responding to people like Lucius Malfoy) before eventually becoming Minister Scheming/Corrupt, with a nice side helping of paranoia.
** Fudge's successor, former Head of the Auror office Rufus Scrimgeour, was supposed to be a Minister Action instead. However, he ended up a Scheming Minister Iron.
** [[spoiler:Voldemort's puppet Pius Thicknesse]] was a Definite Minister Focus Group, since, [[spoiler:being Imperiused, he wasn't even in control of himself]].
** [[spoiler:Kingsley Shackelbot, former Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix]], became the first true Minister Action after the war, and is also a [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy Minister Minority]].
** The Muggle Prime Minister seen at the beginning of the sixth book was Minister Focus Group. His InnerMonologue was pretty much devoted to "what will the voters think?" Believed by some to be a parody of Tony Blair, whom JKRowling is said to not be fond of. His mannerisms are also reminiscent of [[YesMinister Jim Hacker]], enough to be considered a ShoutOut if deliberate.
* In the PosleenWarSeries, there's a couple of them. The president at the start of the series is somewhat of a minor President Strawman, but becomes President Action towards the end of ''When the Devil Dances''. In his [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMoA]], he engages (along with his Secret Service and Marine guardians) [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Posleen]] emerging from a lander that came down near a human refugee camp he was visiting. His successor falls into the President Minority (woman) category, with more than a touch of President Strawman, with a strong aversion to using nuclear weapons (not entirely unjustified, given that nukes used by the Chinese didn't do more than delay the PRC's ultimate destruction, while poisoning the land for hundreds of years).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* President Jed Bartlet in ''TheWestWing'' is a President Personable. He's also been accused from some quarters (particularly right-wing) of being a liberal President Strawman, but he presents arguably enough well-rounded CharacterDevelopment, deep-seated character flaws and contrary opinions from to avoid falling into this trap.
** He was supposed to be a President Invisible, or nearly so, when the series began. But Martin Sheen is awfully good at what he does.
** He also showed moments of being a President Buffoon in the first season. His first mention was of him riding a bicycle into a tree, and in a later episode he comes into the Oval Office loopy on medication, and can't remember any of his staff's names.
** He is also President Target, being wounded in one assassination attempt, and having his youngest daughter kidnapped on another occasion.
** President Matt Santos is a President Minority. Probably the first of what will presumably be a long list of that character type to be intentionally based off of BarackObama. The writers actually talked to David Axelrod for characterization help.
*** Extremely notable for being based on BarackObama after the latter's 2004 convention speech. As in, [[LifeImitatesArt before Obama collected a dime for 2008]].
** British Prime Minister Maureen Graty of the same series is firmly an Iron Prime Minister, launching a full-scale war over the terrorist shooting of a British plane.
** Bartlet's first VP, John Hoynes, was a Vice-President Scheming who eventually had to resign when it was revealed that he was a Vice-President Playboy as well. His replacement, Robert Russell, was a mild Vice-President Buffoon.
* President Arthur Winters in the ''DoctorWho'' story ''The Sound of Drums'' is something of a President Buffoon -- although technically, he's only a President-''Elect''.
**Mr. Saxon in the same episode is a Lunatic [[PresidentEvil Prime Minister Evil]] hiding behind a façade of Buffoonery. He's also [[spoiler:the Master, and thus an Alien Prime Minster Evil]] too.
** Harriet Jones on ''DoctorWho'' starts as a Prime Minister Personable; she pushes for improved hospital care in her constituency and would prefer to remain working for her constituents. However, by the time of ''The Christmas Invasion'', she's become firmly an Iron Prime Minister and a thinly veiled Margaret Thatcher analogy, who will override the US, UN and several secret organisations and blow-up a retreating spaceship.
***Unfortunately, the attack was more than justified in that the aliens had shown that they were more than prepared to break their promises. Even worse, Britain's Golden Age under Harriet Jones- which the Ninth Doctor foretold- has now been officially derailed: the Tenth Doctor decided he didn't like Harriet anymore and had her removed from office. [[spoiler: Two seasons later, Harriet sacrificed her life in an attempt to summon the Doctor. His reaction? Blank shock, and then down to angsting about his companions again. Bastard.]]
* President Paul Hollister, played by Beau Bridges in ''10.5'', is a President Personable.
* Jim Hacker of ''[[YesMinister Yes, Prime Minister]]'' tends to be a Personable Prime Minister Focus Group, easily swayed by his Cabinet Secretary [[TheHumphrey Humphrey Appleby]], although he can develop a very strong Iron streak when he feels his moral integrity is threatened.
* President David Palmer of ''[[TwentyFour 24]]'' was President Personable who had a habit of being a President Target every now and then. [[spoiler:And he succumbs to it in season five]]. President Charles Logan was PresidentEvil with a bit of ObfuscatingStupidity at first.
** Palmer was also the first black President Minority, at least on a well-known scale. It's mentioned a bit in Season One, but becomes utterly irrelevant (as it should be) after then.
*** [[PresidentMinority President Allison Taylor]] looks like a sweet, middle-aged lady (she is, after all, played by Cherry Jones). '''Do not let this fool you.''' President Taylor ''will not budge'' once she has made up her mind about something... she's PresidentIron personified.
---->'''President Taylor:''' "I want that sonofabitch ''found''."
* Francis Urquhart in the ''HouseOfCards'' trilogy of books and TV serials is a Prime Minister Corrupt.
* ''{{Stargate SG 1}}'s'' President Hayes is a President Personable, replacing an InvisiblePresident in season 7. Of course his [[spoiler:first]] VP is the resident Corrupt Politician and corporate stooge, (ex-Senator) Kinsey.
** Hayes is also a President Iron. This shows most when he confronts [[spoiler:a holographic projection of Anubis]].
* Randall Winston from ''SpinCity'' is definately a Buffoon Mayor. The only reason New York City runs is because of HypercompetentAssistant Mike Flaherty.
* Reginald J. Priest in Season Four of ''{{Lexx}}'' is a viciously presented Corrupt President Buffoon.
* President Gaius Baltar in {{Battlestar Galactica}} is... um, probably most of the less positive forms on this list at one time or another. And President Personable, which makes it worse.
** President Laura Roslin of the same series is mostly President Iron. Except for brief forays into religious zeal that arguably make her President Lunatic.
** Acting President Lee Adama of the same series recently morphed into President Action. In some sense, the trope was avoided, however, considering that Adama was a crack Viper pilot earlier in the series, making his actions in Season 4.5 more credible than usual.
* Prime Minister [=McLaughlin=] at the beginning of the Canadian mini-series ''{{H2O}}'' is Prime Minister Target, as the series starts with his mysterious death. He is succeeded by his son, Tom, who is Prime Minister [[spoiler:Corrupt, arguably flirting with Evil]].
* [[BabylonFive Babylon 5]] had almost all of these variants during its run, including:
** President Iron: arguably the female Earth Alliance president from In the Beginning, [[spoiler:as well as Sheridan]]
** President Target: [[spoiler:Luis Santiago, and again Sheridan at times]]
** President Evil: [[spoiler:William Morgan Clark]]
** President Jesus: [[spoiler:First almost played straight, but then averted with Sheridan during the fifth season]]
** And that's not counting heads of state other than actual Presidents...
* The ''Taming Of The Shrew'' segment of ''Shakespeare Retold'' had Katherine as a MargaretThatcher-esque Conservative politician who at the end of the show becomes Prime Minister. Presumably, she would be a Prime Minister Iron, although oddly, she also seemed to be slightly Prime Minister Personal.
* In the spinoff of ''ThatsSoRaven'', ''CoryInTheHouse'', the titular Cory is living in the White House because his father got a job as head chef. The president is President Buffoon and President Minority, as he is Latino.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]

* John P. Wintergreen, main character of the musical ''Of Thee I Sing'', becomes something of a President Buffoon once he's elected (with the backing of corrupt political operatives and a campaign based on ThePowerOfLove). His Vice-President, Throttlebottom, is a non-entity acknowledged by nobody until he reminds them who he is (which he has to do quite often).

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[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In what is [[strike:possibly]] '''definitely''' the most utterly insane version on this list, President Michael Wilson in the video game ''MetalWolfChaos'' is a ''completely'' [[RefugeInAudacity over-the-top]] President Action who spends the game in a heavily-armed HumongousMecha yelling SoBadItsGood one liners and blowing up about half of the United States (killing ''lots'' of people in the process) in an attempt to rescue the remaining half from his [[EvilChancellor Evil Vice President]] (who, of course, is ''also'' in a HumongousMecha). Seriously, -- mere words [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Genl242_ZU8 cannot do this justice]].
** '''MICHAELLLLL!!!'''
*** '''RICHAAAAAARD!!!'''
* ''[[SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]: Abe Lincoln Must Die!'' had a President Buffoon who turned out to be [[spoiler:literally a puppet]]. He's replaced by ''Max'', of all people, who is the definition of President Lunatic.
* George Sears (aka. Solidus Snake) from ''MetalGear Solid'' is something of a President Action and President Corrupt - he's running his own conspiracy to kill the conspirators. Then a player-controlled {{Tykebomb}} comes after him, and he's dual-wielding high frequency blades in some kind of power suit...
** President Johnson from the same series is more of a President Target then anything, though he does have overtones of President Corrupt.
* President Jacobi from ''{{Freelancer}}'' [[spoiler:turns out to be President ActionGirl]].
* President John Henry Eden from ''{{Fallout}}'' 3 is an uncommon combination of both PresidentEvil and [[AffablyEvil President Personable]], having an impeccably polite manner and delivering morally uplifting "talks" on his radio station to the people of the Capital Wasteland in the vein of FDR's fireside chats, promising to bring back America's glory days and deliver its inhabitants from despair. Of course, he neglects to mention his ultimate plan for doing this would result in [[spoiler:nearly everyone in the Capital Wasteland dying]]. He also has something of a [[EvilChancellor treacherous Second-in-Command]] in the form of Colonel Augustus Autumn who, while not ultimately as sinister, is also much less [[AffablyEvil affable]].
* Estharian president [[spoiler: Laguna Loire]] in ''FinalFantasyVIII''. In addition to being President Action [[spoiler: (You get to control him for several portions in the game, and he wields a machine gun, his theme is even called "The Man With The Machine Gun")]], he's also a pretty nice guy once you finally meet him, making him President Personable as well. Oh, and did I mention [[spoiler: he's also the main character's ''father'']]?
* In ''FinalFantasyVII'', you have President Shinra, a President Evil before becoming a President Target, and his son Rufus, who is simultaneously a President Evil and a President Action, before becoming an [[TheAtoner atoner]] President MagnificentBastard.
*'Mr. President' from ''Sonic Adventure 2'' is a President Target.
* In ''DestroyAllHumans 2'', Crypto has risen to the presidency of the United States, allowing the player to control a combination PresidentEvil and [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking President Action]]. Mwahahahaha!!!
* President "Screw 'Em All!" Ackerman of ''[[CommandAndConquer Red Alert 3]]'' pretty much epitomizes the concept of President Iron along with President Lunatic/President Evil. His solution to illegal immigration? ''Attack dogs!'' His position on serving special interests? None; he's too busy serving the Commies a steaming platter of ''shame'', with a side order of ''suck it!'' Vote for Ackerman, ''if you want to live.'' His hatred for the Soviets leads him to try and use superweapons (not nukes; they haven't been invented thanks to the eradication of Albert Einstein from the timeline) to obliterate the USSR from a secret base in Mount Rushmore after the rest of the Allies are readying a cease-fire with them, [[spoiler:though he turns out to be right not to trust them.]]. Then again, his militant attitude is due to the fact that [[spoiler:he's a Japanese Cyborg Spy sent to make the Allies more aggressive towards the Soviets.]]
** This game also includes the rare non-American President Action, as the Japanese Emperor personally takes to the field in his HumongousMecha.
* President Orwen from ''{{Front Mission}}: Gun Hazard'' definitely qualifies as a ''President Personable''; he's a genuine nice guy, but gets screwed over by his subordinates early on. Orwen doesn't go down without a fight though, and has a ''President Badass'' moment when he rams the truck he's driving into [[EvilChancellor Ark Hellbrand]]'s [[RealRobot Wanzer]], forcing Ark to retreat.
* The unnamed President in ''Ghost Squad'' is President Target, and ''high-fives'' you the second time you rescue him.
* The unnamed President in ''PerfectDark'' is both President Minority (being black) and President Target, with the ''intense'' mission where you sneek aboard Air Force One to save him before the plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, at which point you must rescue him ''again'' and kill the clone the villains made to be more agreeable to their plans. He could also be described as President Suicidal, what with his bizarre habit of running right in front of you when you're firing a submachine gun.
* Two examples in ''{{Guilty Gear}}'': President Gabriel of the [[FloatingContinent floating]] military nation of Zepp, who took power in the successful staging of a coup-d-état; and the President of a nation [[spoiler:implied to be a heavily-weakened United States of America]], who is a young girl and a puppet of [[TheSyndicate The Assassin's Guild]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* Dunkhelzahn of ''Shadowrun'' fame is this trope crossed with OurDragonsAreDifferent. Let that sink in a bit. As a great dragon, he was powerful enough to change reality through force of will, but he was keenly interested in humanity, running charities, humanitarian organizations and even a talk show. He eventually ran for ''president'' and got in before dying ten hours later, breaking numerous records including largest president.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Curiously, ''TheSimpsons Movie'' casts ArnoldSchwarzenegger in the role of a US President Buffoon -- curiously, because they already ''have'' an Arnie parody (Rainer Wolfcastle) who could just as easily have been put in the role to make the same joke and point (and possibly make it in a less-obvious fashion as well).
** It was also odd because while it fits the parody, it doesn't exactly fit the governor we all know and love. A TakeThat, perhaps? MattGroening is supposedly a friend of Phil Angelides (who ran against Arnie in 2006).
* RichardNixon('s head in a jar) in ''{{Futurama}}'' is an Evil Scheming Corrupt Lunatic Gargantuan Cyborg President. In his own words:
-->'''Nixon:''' Computers may be twice as fast as they were in 1973, but your average voter is still as drunk and stupid as ever. The only thing that's changed is me. I've become bitter and, lets face it, crazy over the years, and once I'm swept into office I'll sell our children's organs to zoos for meat, and I'll break into people's houses at night and wreck up the place! Mwahahahahahaha!!
* In ''MonstersVsAliens'', you have [[TheColbertReport Stephen Colbert]] [[InkSuitActor playing]] "[[AlterEgoActing himself]]" as a president buffoon, who attempts to make contact with a robotic probe by playing a kickass keyboard solo as well as putting {{Big Red Button}}s for launching nukes and making coffee next to each other.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* ''Killroy And Tina'' has Jesse Ventura as a President Action who doesn't need Secret Service protection, he kicks down walls and takes his cabinet to strip clubs. A one-off joke that later became a plot point, especially when Dubya seemingly declares himself president and challenges him to a fight for the title.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Real life example, from Canada, of all places: Former prime minister Jean Chretien, in office from 1993 to 2003, was popularly seen as the "little guy from Shawinigan", but some observers called him the "little street fighter from Shawinigan". He could and did get physical on occasion, personally beating up at least one protester who got too close, and [[CrowningMomentofAwesome being ready to use an Inuit sculpture to beat up a radical separatist who broke into the prime minister's official residence in the middle of the night]].
** Even cooler? That was actually his ''[[BadassFamily wife's]]'' CMOA.
** And let's not forget the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawinigan_Handshake Shawinigan Handshake]] where the Rt. Honourable Prime Minister Chretien put an anti-poverty protester who was harassing him in a choke-hold, shoved the protester down to the ground, ''and'' managed to break one of the protester's teeth. Chretien even managed to achieve this {{Crowning Moment of Awesome}} while wearing some {{Cool Shades}}.
** The best part of politics is that there are people who both love and hate this guy (this Canadian Troper was always just a bit indifferent). If you are from out west, he is Prime Minister Evil, if you vote Conservative, then he was Prime Minister Corrupt. If you vote Liberal, however, he was Prime Minister Sue. This Troper found the above posts proof that he was undoubtably Prime Minister Action with a little bit of Prime Minister Iron mixed in. People who have talked to him would probably see him as Prime Minister Personable (again, opponents would probably peg him as AffablyEvil). This Troper thinks we should just name him the Canadian posterboy for this Trope and be done with it. If the above posters are any indication, he could easily give President Michael Wilson of ''MetalWolfChaos'' a run for his money.
-->"''I'm going in there to stop those protesters. And the reason is: because I'm the Prime Minister of the great [[TheFederation United Nation]] of Canada!''"
* Irving Layton said it best, I think: "In Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada has at last produced a political leader worthy of assassination." Obfuscatingly Buffoonish Prime Minister Jerkass Irons.
** During a press conference he was attending that was stormed with protesters hurling objects at the podium, he refused to have security make him leave.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi]], Italy's Prime Minister, fits several tropes at once.
** President Corrupt: a perfect one. He used his power as Prime Minister to depenalise False in Balance, a crime he was guilty of. He owns or controls politically 5 out of 6 main Italian TV Channels and has used them to make himself a VillainWithGoodPublicity. He constantly tries to create new laws of which he would be the main beneficiary.
** President Playboy. He has had several extramarital affairs.
** President Jerkass. Saying something inflammatory, then replying he was "misquoted", or outright denying he said it, has become a trademark. He has often shown himself as very sexist and self-centered (he proclaimed himself the best prime minister in 150 years of Italian history). Let's not count his bad jokes too.
** President Lunatic. Are you someone who doesn't say good of Berlusconi, even in foreign press? Good, you are part of some (usually communist) conspiracy specifically set against him.
** To his credit, he's also a President Personable, which is one reason of his success in Italy.
* Former Russian President and current Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin is a former [[SecretPolice KGB]] [[ColonelBadass Colonel]] and a advanced Judo expert. SoYeah. The Russian media also likes to portray him like this. He's also widely accused of being a President Corrupt, with the fact that upon giving up the Russian Presidency he all-but arranged for himself to get the job of Prime Minister prompting these accusations (as well as being a real life EvilChancellor and TheManBehindTheMan).
** Punditkitchen.com (Think lolcats, but for politicians) has [[MemeticMutation memetically mutated]] Putin into President ''[[JamesBond Bond Villain]]''. See [[http://punditkitchen.com/2008/12/28/political-pictures-putin-shark-tank/ here]] and [[http://punditkitchen.com/2009/04/15/political-pictures-vladimir-putin-whose-funeral/ here]].
* Okay, he wasn't a national leader but former New South Wales premier John Fahey once tackled a protester who approached Prince Charles and fired two shots from what turned out to be a starter's pistol. The fact the weapon wasn't lethal didn't alter the fact that Fahey didn't hesitate to [[strike:"save" one of the creepiest people alive]] act on what could have been a more serious threat.
** In that case, let's not forget British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who similarly handled himself quite impressively after a protester got a bit too close and physical with him. He has some experience in boxing and he actually won some boxing tournaments.
* Several US Presidents have been President Action before they entered office, usually owing to military service. Few have been known to have personal combat abilities and / or issue righteous smackdowns to bad guys whilst in office, but one or two have:
** Theodore Roosevelt probably owns this list, however; his physical prowess and enthusiasm for outdoor life is legendary, but during his Presidential campaign in 1912 he was actually shot by an assassin before giving a speech. Most people would cancel the speech and go straight to hospital. Roosevelt talked for ''ninety minutes'' (after first apologising to his audience for possibly not being at his best, having been shot and all). And amazingly, pulled through. The man was practically indestructible.
*** [[http://www.viruscomix.com/page451.html "I do declare you boys picked the wrong Roosevelt."]]
*** When Roosevelt died, Woodrow Wilson said "Death must have come for him in his sleep, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight."
** Andrew Jackson is one of the rare Presidents who issued a smackdown whilst in office; an attempted assassin shot at him ''with two different pistols'', both of which misfired as he attempted to shoot Jackson. He was unfortunate enough to meet the business end of Jackson's cane in response. Reportedly, the crowd who came to Jackson's aid ended up having to pull ''Jackson'' off the assassin.
*** It was later determined that the guns were in perfect working order, leaving it a mystery as to why they didn't go off. Popular theory holds that the bullets were afraid of Jackson.
** In an interesting twist, George W. Bush [[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/nov/20/20041120-113709-8651r/?page=2 waded into the fray]] to rescue ''a member of the Secret Service''.
** President John F. Kennedy was a naval lieutenant in World War II before going into politics. He was also a war hero, as he saved the crew of his ship, the PT-109, after it was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. He swam three miles to the shore, leading his men and towing an injured crewmember with ''the strap of his lifejacket between his teeth.'' Yes, ''[[http://drmyers.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/kennedy.jpg those]]'' teeth.
* Let us not forget the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher Iron Lady]] herself.
* Warren G. Harding was a President Buffoon, chosen by party bosses to run for office mostly just because he "looked presidential." He is often cited as the worst president in American history.
** The man up and admitted it, even. "I am not fit for this office and should never have been here."
* Kim Jong Il is quite likely President Lunatic.
** So such so that Kim Il Sung is the actual "eternal President". Sung is also President Dead.
* Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, aside from being a unique "President Little Old Lady", preceded Thatcher by almost a decade with the President Iron attitude. She waved off considerable minority outrage in the early 1970s (famously saying that the dissidents were "not nice"), and ended up ignoring military build-up by Egypt and Syria (despite ample warnings from King Hussein of Jordan himself), which led to being completely surprised in the 1973 Yom-Kippur war.
** What's not mentioned is that she won the war by threatening to nuke the Earth. Thus proving that little old ladies are terrifying.
* While {{Richard Nixon}}'s generally portrayed as the achetypal President Corrupt, Grant's and Harding's administrations come closer to this.
* Several of the nations with Westmister-style parliments (Germany, Ireland, Italy, etc.) give us President Figurehead; appointed by a democratic process (or representatives thereof), but without any power except to sign laws (and they rarely do not).
[[/folder]]
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