Americans prefer Frank Underwood from 'House of Cards' to President Obama
Frank Underwood, the fictional commander-in-chief portrayed by actor Kevin Spacey, earned a 57% favorable rating in a new Reuters-Ipsos poll compared to the 46% of respondents who held a favorable opinion of Obama.
Obama himself has expressed admiration for the savage politico from the Beltway drama, saying in 2013 that he wished Washington was as "ruthlessly efficient" as it is in the Netflix series.
Spacey, who has donated to Democratic campaigns in the past, told the Washington Post in February he was sympathetic toward Obama and said national discontent dissatisfaction with the White House must be "enormously frustrating" for the president.
Overall, truth is clearly less popular than fiction. Other fake presidents from Hollywood also fared far better in the favorability rating than the real president.
Favorability ratings of fictional presidents:
- 89%: David Palmer, the president on "24" played by Dennis Haysbert
- 82%: Josiah "Jed" Bartlet, Martin Sheen's character on "The West Wing"
- 78%: Laura Roslin, "Battlestar Galactica" president played by Mary McDonnell
- 60%: Fitzgerald "Fitz" Grant: The president on "Scandal" played by Tony Goldwyn
- 57%: Frank Underwood: Kevin Spacey's character on "House of Cards"