13 fictional presidents we'd love to see in office — and 8 we wouldn't vote for

Gabbi ShawNov 6, 2024, 00:18 IST

"Veep."HBO

This Election Day, we're looking back at some of the best and worst fictional presidents.
Some, like President Palmer in "24," would be easy to support.

Election Day is upon us, and it can be stressful for anyone, regardless of their political beliefs.

To take your mind off the situation, we compiled a list of the best and worst fictional presidents of all time. Some are from huge blockbusters like "Independence Day," which made almost $820 million at the box office upon its release in 1998, while others are from less-known films like "Primary Colors." There are also TV presidents in here, some of whom we spent more time with than actual presidents — "Veep's" Selina Meyers was in our lives for seven years.

For every honorable president like President Palmer from "24," there's a slimeball like the unnamed president from "Love Actually."

Here's 13 presidents we wouldn't mind seeing on the ballot — and eight we wouldn't mind seeing get impeached.

President Jed Bartlet from "The West Wing" is the platonic ideal of a fictional president.

Martin Sheen in "The West Wing."Steve Schapiro/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

President Bartlet's successor, Matthew Santos, was proven to be more than up to the job.

Jimmy Smits in "The West Wing."Mitch Haddad/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

Would we vote for President Mitchell in "Dave"? No, but we'd vote for Dave Kovic, his body double.

Kevin Kline in "Dave."Francois Duhamel/Sygma/Getty Images

Your likability skyrockets when you're the lead of a romantic comedy like President Andrew Shepherd in the 1995 film "The American President."

Michael Douglas in "The American President."Sony Pictures Releasing

President Tom Kirkman in "Designated Survivor" is an unlikely, but solid, commander in chief.

Kiefer Sutherland in "Designated Survivor."ABC

From what we see of President Elena Cañero-Reed in the 2020 series "Diary of a Future President," we'd be happy to vote for her.

Gina Rodriguez in "Diary of a Future President."CBS Media Ventures; Disney Platform Distribution

The president in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is down to help out with the treasure hunt, and that's all we need to support him.

Bruce Greenwood and Nicolas Cage in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

President Laura Roslin does not have an easy job in "Battlestar Galactica," and she's certainly not perfect, but she redeems herself in the end.

Mary McDonnell in "Battlestar Galactica."Frank Ockenfels/Syfy/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

President Allison Taylor in "24" was also a relatably imperfect person across two seasons from 2009 to 2010.

Cherry Jones in "24."20th Television

But the best president in "24" history will always be President David Palmer.

Dennis Haysbert in "24."20th Television

The idea that your president should be an action hero can probably be traced back to President James Marshall in "Air Force One."

Harrison Ford in "Air Force One."Sony Pictures Releasing

President Thomas J. Whitmore in "Independence Day" was ready to fight with the public to defend Earth.

Bill Pullman in "Independence Day."20th Century Fox

In 1998's "Deep Impact," President Tom Beck is able to reassure the world even as catastrophe strikes.

Morgan Freeman in "Deep Impact."Paramount Pictures/Getty Images

And now, time for the presidents we'd rather not be in office. First up, President Fitzgerald Grant III in "Scandal," who starts a war to get his mistress back.

Tony Goldwyn in "Scandal."Nicole Wilder/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Image

For every President Palmer on "24," you have a President Charles Logan.

Gregory Itzin in "24."20th Century Television

President Janie Orlean in "Don't Look Up" is hilarious ... but not who you want in charge.

Meryl Streep in "Don't Look Up."Netflix

"Primary Colors" follows the presidential campaign — and many indiscretions — of Gov. Jack Stanton.

John Travolta in "Primary Colors."François Duhamel/Sygma/Getty Images

The unnamed president in "Love Actually" is basically a caricature of an evil politician.

Billy Bob Thornton in "Love Actually."Universal Pictures

Organizing a competition where young teens fight each other to the death earns you a spot on the worst presidents list, even if President Coriolanus Snow might disagree.

Donald Sutherland in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part II."Lionsgate

Organizing a competition where young teens fight each other to the death earns you a spot on the worst presidents list, even if President Coriolanus Snow might disagree.

President Merkin Muffley, in the 1964 satire "Dr. Strangelove," is a laughably horrible president.

Peter Sellers in "Dr. Strangelove."Bettmann / Contributor/Getty Images

This is hard to admit, but there's just no way we'd recommend voting for Selina Meyer from "Veep."

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in "Veep."HBO

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13 fictional presidents we'd love to see in office &mdash; and 8 we wouldn't vote for

President Jed Bartlet from "The West Wing" is the platonic ideal of a fictional president.

President Bartlet's successor, Matthew Santos, was proven to be more than up to the job.

Would we vote for President Mitchell in "Dave"? No, but we'd vote for Dave Kovic, his body double.

Your likability skyrockets when you're the lead of a romantic comedy like President Andrew Shepherd in the 1995 film "The American President."

President Tom Kirkman in "Designated Survivor" is an unlikely, but solid, commander in chief.

From what we see of President Elena Cañero-Reed in the 2020 series "Diary of a Future President," we'd be happy to vote for her.

The president in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is down to help out with the treasure hunt, and that's all we need to support him.

President Laura Roslin does not have an easy job in "Battlestar Galactica," and she's certainly not perfect, but she redeems herself in the end.

President Allison Taylor in "24" was also a relatably imperfect person across two seasons from 2009 to 2010.

But the best president in "24" history will always be President David Palmer.

The idea that your president should be an action hero can probably be traced back to President James Marshall in "Air Force One."

President Thomas J. Whitmore in "Independence Day" was ready to fight with the public to defend Earth.

In 1998's "Deep Impact," President Tom Beck is able to reassure the world even as catastrophe strikes.

And now, time for the presidents we'd rather not be in office. First up, President Fitzgerald Grant III in "Scandal," who starts a war to get his mistress back.

For every President Palmer on "24," you have a President Charles Logan.

President Janie Orlean in "Don't Look Up" is hilarious ... but not who you want in charge.

"Primary Colors" follows the presidential campaign — and many indiscretions — of Gov. Jack Stanton.

The unnamed president in "Love Actually" is basically a caricature of an evil politician.

Organizing a competition where young teens fight each other to the death earns you a spot on the worst presidents list, even if President Coriolanus Snow might disagree.

President Merkin Muffley, in the 1964 satire "Dr. Strangelove," is a laughably horrible president.

This is hard to admit, but there's just no way we'd recommend voting for Selina Meyer from "Veep."

13 fictional presidents we'd love to see in office — and 8 we wouldn't vote for