10 Worst Fictional Presidents From Movies And TV Shows

Donald Trump reportedly was offered the part of the president in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No but it didn’t pan out as he actually ran for the role as America’s commander-in-chief. Had he done so, it’s not hard to imagine that he would have made the list of worst fictional occupants of the White House.

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Filmmakers have not always had an easy time of creating such a character, falling into the trap of overacting, but sometimes it’s not the actor’s fault, as they are given stilted and clichéd dialog and just plain absurd situations. Other times things are just … off. In other situations, producers try just a bit too hard to make the president an amalgamation of a real-life figure.

Remember: This list is of the worst portrayals, so that rules out the performance of Abraham Lincoln in short-lived Civil War-era sitcom The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfieffer, as well as Honest Abe in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, although the latter may still qualify as an irreverent favorite.

Scroll down for our worst-of list.

Mays Gilliam, “Head of State” (2003)

Image Credit: DreamWorks/courtesy Everett Collection

Chris Rock as Mays Gilliam in Head of State
President, “Escape From LA” (1996)

Image Credit: Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

Cliff Robertson as President in Escape From LA
Ellen Claremont, Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

Image Credit: Jonathan Prime / © Amazon Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection

Uma Thurman as Ellen Claremont in Red, White & Royal Blue
President James Dale, Art Land in Mars Attacks! (1996)

Image Credit: Everett Collection

Jack Nicholson as President James Dale, Art Land in Mars Attacks!
Baxter Harris, Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Image Credit: Dimension/courtesy Everett Collection

Leslie Nielsen as Baxter Harris in Scary Movie 3
The US President, “Love Actually” (2003)

Image Credit: Universal Pictures

Billy Bob Thornton as The US President in Love Actually
The President , “Superman II” (1980)

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

E.G. Marshall as The President in Superman II
President Richmond, “Absolute Power” (1997)

Image Credit: Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

Gene Hackman as President Richmond in Absolute Power
Greg Stillson, “The Dead Zone” (1983)

Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Martin Sheen as Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone