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.
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! —Michael Wilson,
Metal Wolf Chaos
A common character in the 1990s, this President
kicks ass consistently and thoroughly. Oftentimes, he's far more a
badass than his entire Secret Service detail combined; this particular detail is often
handwaved by declaring that, before elected to office, he was a decorated military hero — there are several real-world cases, including JFK and George H.W. Bush (neither of whom had any known personal combat abilities, or was known to personally administer smackdowns to bad-guys whilst in the White House), and Andrew Jackson (who did personally administer a severe smackdown to a would-be assassin while he was president) and Teddy Roosevelt (who still enjoyed boxing and wrestling and all manner of asskicking, not to mention once getting shot nonfatally mid-speech but stayed to finish the whole speech before going to get the bullet removed; may be considered a real-life personification of this trope). For reasons unclear (but possibly due to the action movie being a primarily American phenomenon), 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.
- That being said, Jean Chretien, former Prime Minister of Canada, did once strangle a protester who broke through his security detail and attacked him. The best part? He was wearing Terminator sunglasses at the time.
- On the other hand, Putin is a former KGB agent and a advanced Judo expert. So Yeah. The Russian media also likes to portray him like this.
- 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
"save" one of the creepiest people alive act on what could have been a more serious threat.
President Target
The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President? —
Bad Dudes 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
an evil deputy or
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 heroes to answer this question: Are
you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?
President Personable
If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspision love actually is all around. —Prime Minister David,
Love Actually
The "nice guy" 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
Reasonable Authority Figure. A President Personable needs to watch out, however, since the
Evil Chancellor is usually waiting in the wings (often as a scheming Vice President or deputy), the
Government Conspiracy is often gunning straight at them, and they can easily end up as President Target.
President Corrupt
If the president of the United States does it, it can't be a crime. —Gary Callahan,
Transmetropolitan
The diametric opposite of President Personable — your (stereo)typical scheming, shiftless, 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
Government Conspiracy, and is the quintessential
Villain With Good Publicity — 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
Have You Told Anyone Else moment. President Corrupt is particularly susceptible to an
Engineered Public Confession. Any resemblance between President Corrupt and
Richard Nixon is entirely coincidental.
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,
The West Wing
A milder version of President Corrupt, President Scheming might not actually be involved in anything
illegal, but (s)he's certainly a devious and shiftless 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
trying very hard to make sure that they get themselves into the top job as soon as possible, by whatever underhanded methods necessary.
President Buffoon
The Ditz 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. 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
The Man Behind The Man. Any resemblance to caricatures of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter,
Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and/or George W. Bush are entirely coincidental, yet distressing since they constitute the virtual entirety of the American Presidency for the last 35 years. See also
Stupid Boss,
Pointy Haired Boss.
President Lunatic
The missiles are flying! Hallelujah, Hallelujah! —President Greg Stillson,
The Dead Zone
This President may be President Buffoon turned up to eleven, may be a
bit too eagerly into religion, or may
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
completely and genuinely insane. And they now have far-reaching governmental authority and a runaway military budget (often involving
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
President Evil.
President Iron
I know. But I got tired of listening to you. Now you listen to me. I have a Nobel Prize in Economics and I'm here to tell you that none of you know what the hell you're talking about. —President Bartlet,
The West Wing
President Iron
doesn't compromise. Ever. Certain and correct in their every move (even if it's the wrong one —
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 Margaret Thatcher, the first female British Prime Minister, who was a
living ideal of this trope — she was called "The Iron Lady", first by the Soviet press in 1976
after an anti-Soviet speech
.
President Focus Group
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. —
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
pulling the strings) or any number of focus groups; give this President an either/or choice and they'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 them into a panic. Any resemblance to Prime Minister Tony Blair is probably entirely coincidential.
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 Richard Nixon,
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.
President Minority
I am proud to be America's first straight female President. —President Lisa Simpson,
The Simpsons
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 Hillary Clinton is entirely coincidental. Any resemblance to Barack Obama... actually
is entirely coincidental, since most of these were made before his presidential run.
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 Clinton,
The Simpsons
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. Any resemblance to JFK blah blah blah.
And finally, on three less, and one more, specific forms of President:
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
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
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
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. Any resemblance to George W. Bush is probably not coincidental.
President Sue
President Strawman taken to utterly ludicrous extremes. President Sue is perfection itself. Every decision is the correct one. Every action is noble and heroic. Every belief is valid and correct - and, not entirely coincidentally, conforms to the beliefs of the person who created him. Any resemblance to Ronald Regan or Barack Obama is coincidental.
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.
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
Alternate Universe or
Twenty Minutes Into The Future.
Examples
Anime
- President David Hoope from Death Note is mainly a President Personable: he even commits suicide rather than risk being mind-controlled into starting another world war.
- Unfortunately, his successor George Sairas, meanwhile, is closer to a President Buffoon, but certainly not a funny one — 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 Read Or Die 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.
Comic Books
- Possibly the ultimate President Action — a cartoon called Super President featured an actual superhero as the President of the United States.
- No, that would be the 'Armageddon 2099' issue of DC Comics that had an alternate-future Superman as President of the United States.
- No, No, No. The ultimate President Action has to be Ronald Reagan in the comic series Reagan's Raiders (I Am Not Making This Up). 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 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)."
- This undoubtedly epitomizes President Action.
- This Troper doesn't know the comic, but he has a couple of panels from it of Abraham Lincoln telling Hitler: "Come on, boy. I'm gonna emancipate your teeth."
- It's Tales from the Bully Pulpit.
- 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.
- While President Lex Luthor was... well, it's Lex flippin' Luthor. What do you think he was?
- Well, Depending On The Writer, he could have been President Corrupt Corporate Executive, President Evil, President Iron, or even President Personable...
- All of them, depending on writer, plot, who he was talking to and his mood on that particular day.
- In some versions of the Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers (a.k.a Captain America) has served as President — often as something of a President Action himself. Well, what else did you expect?
- Mad Jim Jaspers of the Marvel Universe is one of the few non-American President Action-characters (in this, as an Evil Prime Minister Action of the United Kingdom). His Reality Warping powers make him one of the most powerful characters in the entire Multiverse, although his Lunacy (as suggested by his name) reduce his effectiveness somewhat.
- In Transmetropolitan, "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 President Evil and then some (and who, sans Slasher Smile, 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 Marvel Universe, was already King Action by benefit of being a superhero in his original appearances. Over the last several years, he's ascended to King Canon Sue, so thoroughly badass that by using simple wrestling moves he can have Heralds of Galactus wincing in pain. (Not to mention randomly getting hitched to one of comics' premier Strong Confident Females but still getting to keep his royal harem.)
Film
- A President Personable with an Evil Vice President appeared in The Day After Tomorrow. Curiously, the Evil Vice President later reformed.
- This troper thought he was rather a President Buffoon, if maybe a personable one. Any similarities with Bush jr...
- 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.
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets featured a President Personable.
- Muffley Merkin in Dr Strangelove; or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb is either an ineffectual President Personable or a President Buffoon. Or both.
- The President of the United States in Escape From New York is both a President Target and, given that he's something of a slimy fascist dictator, a President Corrupt as well.
- His successor in the sequel Escape From LA goes into full-on religious fundamentalist President Lunatic (bordering on President Evil) territory.
- Billy Bob Thornton's unnamed President in Love Actually 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.
- Absolute Power features a President Corrupt who murders his mistress and frames a passing crook for the crime.
- James Marshall in Air Force One is a President Action.
- President Thomas Whitmore of Independence Day 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.
- He's also a President Buffoon or at least totally irresponsible, as he seems to completely forget that since the rest of the government is dead, if he dies and the aliens are defeated, the USA is now completely leaderless, with no kind of government at all. Expect the nation to collapse into massive chaos as the only figure who could keep things together (as well as commander-in-chief of the military) is not there to lead.
- Incorrect. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was effectively functioning as his Vice-Presidential nominee towards the end of the movie, and would of course have retained command of the military as well.
- There's also that for the final battle they had more planes available than they had pilots, to the point where they were putting literally anyone with any flight experience at all - let alone experience actually flying an F-18 - in a cockpit. When you're that shorthanded and desperate, you can't be faulted for refusing to bench a longtime fighter pilot with combat experience, even if he is the President.
- 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 thinks nothing of atom-bombing an entire slum just to get rid of the criminals living there.
- Harold And Kumar 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 Your Mileage May Vary, also evil.
- The unnamed president in the 2007 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.
Literature
- President Jack Ryan in Tom Clancy'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.
- Tom Kratman's A State of Disobedience features Wilhelmina Rottemeyer, a thinly veiled pastiche that goes past President Evil / Strawman to I Am Not Making This Up territory. Read the Teaser for yourself, but do not say this troper did not warn you.
- 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 Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. He has a Vice-President Iron in the person of Miss Tibbs, his childhood nanny.
- The Dan Brown novel Deception Point 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 Harry Potter series, Cornelius Fudge started off as Minister Buffoon and Minister Focus Group before eventually becoming Minister Corrupt, although one suspects people like Dolores Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy were pulling the strings at that point. Fudge's successor, Rufus Scrimgeour, was Minister Iron.
Live Action TV
- President Jed Bartlet in The West Wing 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 Character Development, 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.
- President Matt Santos is a President Minority. Similarities to Barack Obama are intentional- he was based on the guy.
- 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 Doctor Who 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 Prime Minister Evil hiding behind a façade of Buffoonery. He's also the Master, and thus an Alien Prime Minster Evil too.
- Harriet Jones on Doctor Who 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. 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 Yes, Prime Minister tends to be a Personable Prime Minister Focus Group, easily swayed by his Cabinet Secretary Humphrey Appleby, although he can develop a very strong Iron streak when he feels his moral integrity is threatened.
- President David Palmer of 24 was President Personable who had a habit of being a President Target every now and then. And he succumbs to it in season five. President Charles Logan was President Evil with a bit of Obfuscating Stupidity 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.
- Francis Urquhart in the House Of Cards trilogy of books and TV serials is a Prime Minister Corrupt.
- Stargate SG 1's President Hayes is a President Personable, replacing an Invisible President in season 7. Of course his 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 a holographic projection of Anubis.
- 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.
Video Games
- In what is possibly the most utterly insane version on this list, President Michael Wilson in the video game Metal Wolf Chaos is a completely over-the-top President Action who spends the game in a heavily-armed Humongous Mecha yelling So Bad Its Good 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 Evil Vice President (who, of course, is also in a Humongous Mecha). Seriously, I Am Not Making This Up — mere words cannot do this justice.
- Sam & Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die! had a President Buffoon who turned out to be literally a puppet. He's replaced by Max, of all people, who is the definition of President Lunatic.
- Solidus Snake. 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 turns out to be President Action Girl.
- Estharian president Laguna Loire in Final Fantasy VIII. In addition to being President Action (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 he's also the main character's father?
- In Final Fantasy VII, 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 atoner President Magnificent Bastard.
- 'Mr. President' from Sonic Adventure 2 is a President Target.
- In Destroy All Humans 2, Crypto has risen to the presidency of the United States, allowing the player to control a combination President Evil and President Action. Mwahahahaha!!!
- President "Screw 'Em All!" Ackerman of 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 launch nukes from a secret base in Mount Rushmore after the rest of the Allies are readying a cease-fire with them, though he turns out to be right not to trust them.. Then again, his militant attitude is due to the fact that he's a Japanese Cyborg Spy sent to make the Allies more aggressive towards the Soviets.
Western Animation
- Curiously, The Simpsons Movie casts Arnold Schwarzenegger 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 Take That, perhaps? Matt Groening is supposedly a friend of Phil Angelides (who ran against Arnie in 2006).
- Richard Nixon('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!!
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 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 wife's CMOA. This troper even named her own Inuit sculpture Aline in her honour.
- And let's not forget the 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.
- Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister, fits the President Corrupt trope perfectly. I Am Not Making This Up .
- He used his power as Prime Minister to depenalise False in Balance, a crime he was guilty off, and to make a law to stop trials for any Prime Minister as long as he/she is in office.
- He owns or controls politically 5 out of 6 Italian TV Channels and has used them to make himself a Villain With Good Publicity (he has even links to Mafia, but no one knows)
- He had extramarital affairs, and there's a rumour that he had an affair with Italy's current Equal Opportunities Minister...and appointed her at that place because of it.
