Culture

The Best Movie Presidents Ranked, in Honor of Independence Day: Resurgence

Spoiler: It's Pullman.
Image may contain Glasses Accessories Accessory Human Person Head Face and Crowd
Alamy

To celebrate the release of Independence Day: Resurgence, a totally necessary, uncompromisingly intellectual sequel, we present to you this, a totally necessary, uncompromisingly intellectual ranking of pretend US presidents in feature-length films. A few ground rules: We're sticking with movie presidents, because otherwise The West Wing's Jed Bartlet would occupy every slot. And we're ignoring portrayals of real presidents, because lord knows Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't need any more positive reinforcement. Also, as always, all rankings are official and binding.

  • Not so much a president as a dispenser of rapid and addled one-liners, Tug Benson makes this list if only because he’s the sole Commander in Chief, real or imagined, to best Saddam Hussein in a sword fight. At least, as far as we know.
  • Many parts of this movie were easier to watch before our current election cycle, but Terry Crews’ take on the office—“five-time Ultimate Smackdown champion, porn superstar, and president of the United States,” in that order—remains as fresh as ever. It’s funny because it could never happen in real life! Right, guys? Right?
  • President Andrew Shepherd is basically President Jed Bartlet, if you replace “solving the world’s most intractable political problems with avuncular grace and charm” with “feeling pretty mopey about getting his girlfriend fired.” And you know what? We’ll still take it. Jed Bartlet’s just that good.
  • If ever there’s a globe-threatening natural disaster, let’s all agree to have Morgan Freeman break the news. In fact, let’s also give him a mic after things go sideways; nobody ever made the total destruction of the Atlantic coasts of multiple continents sound so hopeful.
  • Bless Harrison Ford for turning a line as silly as “Get off my plane” into a cultural touchstone. But President James Marshall is more than a single catchphrase! While we don’t know much about his policy positions, we *do* know that he’s as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as he is at evading MiG-29 missiles while piloting what’s basically a giant floating office complex.
  • Technically Kevin Klein played both the real president and his Average Joe doppelgänger; we’re of course talking about the latter. He’s not a war hero or an action star, but who else would balance the budget with a little common sense and a lot of Charles Grodin? Who else could face off against Frank Langella in his prime? Who else is capable of faking a stroke in front of Congress, then switching places in an ambulance with the *real* president, who’d had a real stroke a few months ago, and… uh... . Okay, but that other stuff is great, really.
  • Yes, sure, Muffley’s efforts to stave off total nuclear war are ultimately unsuccessful. At least before the world vanishes in a mushroom-clouded haze, he gives us the most entertaining moment of telephone diplomacy on film: Gently breaking the news to his Russian counterpart—“I am as sorry as you are, Dimitri”—that nukes are en route.
  • That speech! I strongly recommend watching it for the first time as a 15-year-old in a crowded movie theater in 1996, but I’m sure it’s equally stirring otherwise. Fun fact: This is the only time the title of a movie has been stated aloud in that movie as a key dramatic moment *and it worked*.
  • 1
    Saeed Adyani/Netflix

    Ronald Reagan (Michael Showalter), Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

    As a real president featured in a streaming series, the Ronald Reagan of Netflix’s *Wet Hot American Summer* revival should be doubly disqualified from this list. But you know what? Showalter’s take on The Gipper is just too batshit wonderful to ignore. He’s the most absurd plot line of last year’s most absurd show, and he’s got my vote forever.

Comments

Back to top

Comments

Back to topTriangle
Brian Barrett is the executive editor of WIRED. Previously he was the editor in chief of the tech and culture site Gizmodo and was a business reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest daily newspaper. ... Read More
Executive Editor
TopicsMovies
Read More
Trump Isn’t Even Good at TV Anymore
From Trump TV to a Shark Tank knockoff, the president’s latest entertainment ventures are a steep decline from his days on The Apprentice.
Miles Klee
The Sixty-Year Mission Brings Star Trek’s Legacy to a New Generation
The documentary chronicles how Star Trek’s positions on everything from race to AI were way ahead of their time.
Max Evry
Digger Is a Box Office Flop. It Might Be the Most Relevant Film of the Year
Sold by its trailer as a gag reel, Tom Cruise’s strangest movie may be the most unsettling portrait of our tech and climate moment yet.
Carla Sertin
‘It’s the President’s Fault’: The White House Blame Game Starts Early Ahead of the Midterms
As the White House contemplates losing Congress, there has been an unusually early effort to find a Republican scapegoat.
Hugo Lowell
Trump Aides Admit the House Is a Lost Cause
With the midterm elections just a few weeks away, the White House knows it has to go all in on Senate races—while virtually forfeiting the House.
Hugo Lowell
Everyone Hates Digger. It’s the Perfect Climate Movie
The deeply uncomfortable film forces audiences to confront what types of stories we tell ourselves about who has economic and political power.
Molly Taft
This Is What the GOP’s Final Midterms Push Looks Like
Republicans are spending their time and money on Senate races in historically red states—a sign they’re more nervous than ever as Election Day looms.
Hugo Lowell
WIRED’s Midterms Races to Watch
From data centers to Elon Musk funding to the AI lobby, the 2026 midterms are the most WIRED elections yet. These are the candidates we're following closely.
David Gilbert
The 9 Best Movies to Stream This Month
Barbarian, The Fly, and Altered States are among the films deserving of your eyeballs this month.
Matt Kamen
Elon Musk Is Almost Single-Handedly Funding the Republican Midterms Push
Elon Musk has assembled a presidential-level field operation this midterm cycle, underscoring the extent to which he has taken over the get-out-the-vote effort for the Republican party.
Dell Cameron
Artificial Roasts AI’s Creators—and Sends a Dark Warning About Its Dangers
From their dorky parties to their weird walks, the movie holds OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other stakeholders with contempt, while demonstrating their recklessness.
John Semley
The 9 Best TV Shows to Stream This Month
Crystal Lake, Tip Toe, and Carrie are just a few of the shows you should be watching right now.
Jennifer M. Wood