Would these movie presidents get re-elected?

This summer we’ve seen two very similar films about the White House being taken over by various villains. Earlier this year Aaron Eckhart’s pale palace was attacked in Gerard Butler vehicle ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ and now it’s the turn of Channing Tatum to defend Jamie Foxx’s prez in ‘White House Down’.
 
To celebrate the year of the fake POTUS, we rounded up Hollywood’s most famous fictional presidents and worked out how they might have fared if they went up for re-election after the events of their respective films. Who would be a serial election winner like Barack Obama or George W. Bush?

[Every landmark destroyed in Roland Emmerich's movies]

Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck (‘Deep Impact’)
Whenever there is talk of movie presidents, Morgan Freeman’s in ‘Deep Impact’ is always one of the first mentioned. Freeman has always been great as the voice of authority (he played God after all) and he’s easily the best thing in this 1998 disasterpiece. Despite Freeman’s charms however it’s hard to believe his President would get re-elected.

Earth may have survived by the skin of its teeth but President Beck’s implementation of a controversial survival tactic, which saw selected people attempt to survive underground, would undoubtedly alienate an enormous portion of his electorate. Those who lost the random lottery draw for those final places certainly wouldn’t forget it in a hurry.

Election result: Like Mitt Romney, who famously wrote off 47 per cent of his electorate, he'd face ignominious defeat for abandoning voters.

Jack Nicholson as President James Dale (‘Mars Attacks!’)
First contact with aliens is something a lot of fictional presidents have dealt with over the years, but never has the meeting of worlds been as bizarre as in Tim Burton’s ‘Mars Attacks!’. The director’s most fun film is a barmy love letter to B-movie sci-fi schlock with an all-star cast including Jack Nicholson.

Refusing to retaliate to the Martian attack with nuclear force is something that definitely would have gone down well with Dale’s electorate. It’s a shame then that after a powerful and hammy monologue Dale is impaled by the alien leader’s robotic hand. Clearly they’re not one for speeches.

Election result: A too close-to-call triumph. If he was still alive.

Billy Bob Thornton as The U.S. President (‘Love Actually’)
The villain of Richard Curtis’ ensemble romantic comedy, Billy Bob Thornton’s Commander in Chief first sexually harasses Martine McCutcheon then gets walked all over by the British Prime Minister. The latter sounds good to us but can you imagine that going over well with the US people?

Not only does he threaten the “special relationship” but he gives us more power in it, and that’s tantamount to political suicide in the States.

Election result: Heavy defeat.

[Roland Emmerich wants to direct James Bond film]

Tim Robbins as The President (‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me’)
Faced with the prospect of Dr. Evil blowing up world cities with a moon laser Tim Robbins’ President laughs off the requested ransom of $100 billion dollars, saying: “This is 1969, that amount of money doesn’t even exist!”

It was certainly a firm stance to take but when the heat is turned up the President’s cool vanishes as he leaps for the phone in an attempt to launch nuclear missiles at Dr. Evil’s lunar base. Of course the public may have never found out about these conversations but then again he did want to blow up the moon.

Blow. Up. The. Moon.

Election result: Probable impeachment.

Harrison Ford as President James Marshall (‘Air Force One’)
Harrison Ford’s President was on a good run even before his titular aircraft was hijacked in this 90s action movie. A joint effort with the Russians ends with the capture of a radical terrorist leader, putting an end to the suffering and deaths of hundreds of people.

If US citizens found out that their leader then defeated a gang of terrorist hijackers then yes, they absolutely would re-elect him. Tell them he kicked the terrorist ring-leader out the back of “his plane” after delivering a badass quip and the deal would be sealed.

Election result: Victory in every state.

Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley (‘Dr. Strangelove’)
One of the few sane characters in Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War satire, Sellers’ Muffley is about the only person in the film not intent on nuclear war. As bombers carrying atomic payloads head towards Russia he is determined to call them back, even warning the Russians and giving them permission to shoot down the American aircraft.

With one plane’s communication system down however he was unsuccessful and as we know the film ends with a montage of nuclear explosions and – presumably – the end of mankind as we know it. Well at least he tried.

Election result: An easy victory… if there were any voters left.
 
Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore (‘Independence Day’)
The quintessential movie president, Pullman is a walking cliché in Roland Emmerich’s alien invasion blockbuster. President Whitmore sees his house blown up before being flown to Area 51 where he discovers that his government has known about the aliens for decades.

When all-out war seems unavoidable Whitmore drops a nuke on Houston, Texas, which fails to destroy the alien ship hovering above it. Usually this would kill one’s chances of re-election, but Pullman makes up for his mistake with the greatest Presidential movie speech of all time™, which rallies his men, inspiring them to put an end to the alien threat.

Election result: Like Obama he’d lose the southern vote, but still win handsomely.