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If the 2024 election cycle has indicated anything, it’s that we know far too much about our elected officials. Not necessarily about their policies, as neither presidential candidate seems to have a clear plan for fixing the country in the next four years. Rather, we know too many exterior details that are usually found in the tabloids. Did anyone really want to know about Robert Kennedy Jr.’s sexual affairs? Did gossip about Tim Walz’s youthful romances have anything to do with what he plans to do in office? Just how intimate did J.D. Vance get with a couch, exactly? Did Donald Trump really need the vote of Joe Rogan’s voters, and why is everyone so intent on Kamala Harris joining the controversial podcast host for a chat?
Politicians would be better suited to steer conversations away from scandals, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want a little bit of information about the people leading our country. Beyond the policies, politicians serve as cultural leaders and often influence the art that is produced during their tenure. To keep things convenient, we’ve taken a look at some politicians’ favorite movies.
Barack Obama
Anyone who follows our 44th president on social media knows that he’s a bit of a cinephile, as Obama tends to post a list of his favorite movies of the year each December. He’s also an active producer, as the Obamas’ Higher Learning production company is responsible for films such as the biopic Rustin, the psychological thriller Leave the World Behind and the Oscar-winning documentary American Factory. As for all-time favorites, Obama is also pretty on the mark when it comes to classics; he famously remarked, “Who doesn’t like Casablanca?” in an interview with CBS.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump has a history of being in movies. Prior to his hard shift toward the far right, he was a frequent guest in Hollywood circles, landing cameos in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and the Woody Allen comedy Celebrity. Trump was also the subject of an unflattering biopic this year when Sebastian Stan played him in The Apprentice. He has cited the classic Western The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly as a personal favorite. The jokes just write themselves at this point.
Joe Biden
The hardcore conspiracy theorists who attacked Obama and Harris for being non-American may have something more controversial on their hands when they realize that Joe Biden’s favorite movie isn’t even American! During the 2008 campaign, Biden cited as his favorite film the 1981 Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire, which follows the story of the British Olympic running team. He said it showed that “there is a place where someone puts personal fame and glory behind principles.” The film is about the friendship between two athletes of different religious backgrounds who work together for the good of their nation, so should be required viewing for any politician.
Kamala Harris
Any report on the nation’s first female Vice President will note that she has significant experience as a lawyer, a fact that has been seen as both an attribute and a damning flaw by opposite sides of the political spectrum. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Harris called the classic courtroom comedy My Cousin Vinny a personal favorite. The film delivered a surprise Academy Award to Marisa Tomei in the Best Supporting Actress category, and it has been cited by many legal professionals as one of the more accurate depictions of how the legal system actually works.
J.D. Vance
Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy was adapted into a ghastly awards bait drama in 2020, but the junior senator from Ohio has revealed that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy directly shaped his understanding of global politics. Perhaps Vance was judging the film based on its racial makeup, as Jackson’s films tend to be dominated by white men (even if some of them are playing dwarves, elves and wizards). However, he may be surprised to learn that the original cast has since reunited to raise money to end child hunger and worked to defend the cast of the Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power when they were met with racist and sexist backlash from online trolls.
Ted Cruz
Another embarrassment that could be added to Sen. Ted Cruz’s repertoire of humiliating moments is the time he was scolded by a key cast member of his supposedly “favorite movie.” Cruz has heralded Rob Reiner’s romantic adventure film The Princess Bride as his all-time pick, but the original film’s star, Mandy Patinkin (who famously played the swashbuckling swordsman Inigo Montoya) was not willing to bite. Patinkin stated that Cruz “is not putting forth ideas that are at the heart of what that movie is all about,” and has more in common with the evil Prince Humperdink because he is “creating fear-mongering and hatred,” and should “consider creating hope, optimism and love.”
Jimmy Carter
The oldest living president, who hit 100 this year, has been around long enough to see classics like The Sound of Music, Lawrence of Arabia, High Noon and 2001: A Space Odyssey in their original runs. However, Carter has said he has a soft spot for Gone With The Wind, which was one of over 450 films he screened at the White House between 1977 and 1981.
George W. Bush
The younger of the two Presidents Bush has also been parodied relentlessly during and following his time in office; Will Ferrell famously portrayed him for years, and Sam Rockwell even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing him in Vice. However, it should come as no surprise that the former owner of the Texas Rangers cited a baseball classic, Field of Dreams, as his personal favorite.
Bill Clinton
Clinton is apparently a big Western buff, and has cited the Gary Cooper classic High Noon as his all-time favorite film. It’s not that hard to see why: the film provoked controversy at the time of its release for its progressive themes, which sparked a feud with conservative filmmakers making gunslinger movies at the time. That being said, High Noon is also a film about marital fidelity, so perhaps Clinton didn’t actually see it as wish fulfillment.
