The Top 10 Worst Movie Presidents

5. President Alan Richmond- Absolute Power

Oh man, where do we even start with Gene Hackman’s President Richmond? When we first see him in Absolute Power, he’s in the middle of having an affair with a married woman. An affair wouldn’t be enough to earn him a spot on this list of the worst movie Presidents though. The fact that he gets physically violent, and the woman has to defend herself would earn him a spot, but it’s when his Secret Service detail kills her and then covers up the murder with his blessing that President Richmond shoots to the top 5. He might even have gotten away with it too if not for that meddling thief (Clint Eastwood) who saw the whole thing. Of course, you don’t just accuse the most powerful man in the world of murder, especially when he has the means to ensure you meet a similar fate. There’s no telling how far Richmond might have gone after he got a taste for blood, but luckily he didn’t get a chance to be re-elected. 

4. President Edward Bennett- Clear and Present Danger

I’m sure that every President has done a favor or two for some of their close, personal friends over the years. However, President Bennett (Donald Moffat) decides to avenge the death of his buddy at the hands of the Cartel (from which he skimmed over half a billion dollars) by declaring them a “clear and present danger” to the United States (He said it! He said the title!). This allows him to escalate the war on drugs by getting Congress to write a blank check for CIA operations in Columbia. The thing is that Bennett has no intention of using that money for what it’s really for and instead sends in a team of Covert Operatives to assassinate Cartel leaders. In a shocking turn of events, the Cartels don’t take too kindly to that and escalate things on their end. Bennett enlists a kill squad to avenge his buddy, who stole from bad men, and tries to cover up some war crimes that result from the bungled OP. I’d say all that makes him one of the worst movie Presidents of all time. 

3. President Merkin Muffley- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

We’ve seen some pretty despicable characters on this list of the worst movie Presidents, but  Peter Sellers’s President Muffley is less despicable and more useless. When an insane General orders a strike on Communist forces that will surely result in nuclear war and the end of the world, Muffley desperately tries to stop it. It turns out that, in their infinite wisdom, absurd safeguard upon absurd safeguard were implemented by both the Americans and the Russians that ensure inevitable mutually assured destruction. These safeguards are impossible to overrun and pretty much doom the planet. President Muffley might not seem nearly as evil as the other entries we’ve looked at, but he’s as ineffectual as he is iconic. Seller’s specifically tried to play up the inherent weakness of the character in his portrayal, and that panicked, deer-in-the-headlights quality is something you’d never want in a President. 

2. NFFA President Bracken- The First Purge

I wasn’t a huge fan of The First Purge compared to the other entries in the franchise, but even I will admit that President Braken (Ian Blackman) is one of the worst movie Presidents of all time. We don’t see much of him in the film, but his legacy is clearly depicted in the other Purge films. In an alternate version of America, the New Founding Fathers of America is a gut-wrenching, alt-right political party that wants to Make America Great… Well, you get the idea. Thanks to Bracken securing the Oval office, they implement a program to allow all citizens one night a year to commit any crimes they want with no (legal) repercussions in order to “purge” themselves of their malicious urges. In actuality, their plan is to systematically wipe out groups that the NFFA sees as a burden on society. The purge was only possible because of President Bracken, and even though I’m sure the NFFA would have found another way to implement their evil plans, he still earns a top spot. 

1. President Coriolanus Snow- The Hunger Games Franchise

When it comes to the worst movie Presidents of all time, Donald Sutherland’s Coriolanus Snow from The Hunger Games embodies everything I hate most in a leader. Snow is an autocratic ruler who relishes grinding the lower classes outside the Capital under his boot. The sadistic bastard annually reminds them who’s boss by forcing them to offer teenage sacrifices for the super bowl of human hunting, the Hunger Games. While the other districts live in squalor, President Snow is off at fancy dinner parties having five costume changes before the main course is served. It’s no wonder that it was so easy to inspire an uprising against him and the capital. It seriously only took a girl good with a bow and arrow saying “no” once on national television to start a revolution. Let this be a lesson that Machiavellian leadership styles aren’t as effective as they were back in the day.  

Honorable Mention: President Baxter Harris- Scary Movie 3

Look, I love Leslie Nielsen and consider Scary Movie 3 to be pretty funny… When it’s watched under the influence of certain substances. However, I definitely would not feel comfortable with President Baxter in office. Let’s be honest, they guy is a few cards short of a deck. He’s also playing go fish in the middle of a poker tournament. Despite helping to stop an alien invasion, he really didn’t actually do anything. There’s also the fact that he brutally assaulted a number of handicapped guests at the White House after making racially insensitive remarks. Normally, I’d think Baxter’s behavior was hilariously absurd, but after some IRL President’s we’ve had recently, I want to remind everyone that he’s really one of the worst movie Presidents of all time.

Shout- Out:  President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho- Idiocracy

President Comancho (Terry Crews) earned an honorable mention among the best movie Presidents of all time for actually listening to the smart guy. However, he’s also a hyper-aggressive, trigger-happy, imbecile. Sure, he’s a heck of a showman, but I think we can agree that future America isn’t looking so great under his leadership. So, I’m giving him a shout-out among the worst movie Presidents. 

That wraps up my picks for the worst movie Presidents of all time. I didn’t think something like this would be necessary, but given recent events, I thought it might be a good time to remind my fellow Americans of the qualities we don’t want in a leader. As always, I’ll be updating this list as new movie Presidents prove how awful they are. So, be sure to check back from time to time in order to see how the rankings might change.