President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

During its existence, the U.S. presidency often came under the influence of the American branch of the Philosophers, a secret cabal consisting of the supposed true holders of power in the country. The President would ultimately assume the role of a puppet under the Philosophers' usurpers, the Patriots, until the latter's destruction in the early 21st century.

Described below are some examples of U.S. Presidents, in chronological order of their respective presidency.

George Washington
George Washington was the first President of the United States, inaugurated on April 30, 1789. A statue of him stands in front of Federal Hall, located at 26 Wall Street in New York. His initials would later be applied to the Patriot AI, GW

John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his death in 1963. He was one of the few Presidents of the 20th century to have no previous ties with the Philosophers, something the CIA used to their advantage when trying to discredit The Boss.

In 1961, Kennedy authorized a CIA-sponsored operation to support Cuban exiles in the overthrow the Castro regime, in what became known as the The Bay of Pigs Invasion. The invasion ultimately failed when Kennedy, wanting to neither commit the United States to the invasion of Cuba nor risk going to war with Castro's Soviet allies, refused to authorize air support for the rebels.

The following year, Kennedy agreed to hand over Russian defector Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov to the Soviets if they would withdraw their forward-deployed IRBMs and strategic bombers from Cuba, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. As a result, the Philosophers lost faith in him.

Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson. His death came as a blow to then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's power base, with the Red Army's extremist faction seizing the opportunity to revolt against his leadership.

Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974, when he became the only president to resign the office. His time as president coincided with the formation of the Patriots in 1971. Nixon was involved in the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty talks that Leonid Brezhnev was promoting, which resulted in the abandonment of a secret Soviet missile base on the San Hieronymo Peninsula.

Nixon resigned in 1974, after his involvement in the Watergate Scandal was exposed by an FBI agent known as "Deepthroat."

President (November 1974)
A United States President and his Vice President traveled to Vladivostok in November 1974, to meet with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev for the SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitations Talks) treaty. CIA Station Chief Hot Coldman used this to his advantage during the Peace Walker Incident, ensuring that most of the White House cabinet were unavailable to make a decision regarding nuclear retaliation, in response to a seemingly imminent Soviet attack on the United States.

Hamilton
Hamilton was the President of the United States during the events of the Desperado Incursions of 2018. In May of that year, he attempted to engage in talks with Pakistani President Salam Farooj regarding forming an alliance to stop anti-American sentiment in the FAMA region of Pakistan. However, he was redirected back to America after supposed jihadi insurgents attacked the base, backed by the PMC Desperado Enforcement LLC. In actuality, however, this was orchestrated by World Marshal Inc. (who was allied with Desperado, and framed Desperado for the attack) and Colorado senator and 2020 Candidate Steven Armstrong, as part of Operation Tecumseh to ensure a reignited war on terror. He ultimately returned to Pakistan sometime later, when he and Farooj organized a joint task force to combat escalating terrorism. Hamilton was pragmatic and the type to do even really unscrupulous and lewd things just to raise his approval ratings, as remarked upon by Maverick member Kevin Washington, where he claimed bluntly that Hamilton would "strip naked and dance on his desk at the Oval Office" if he thought it would have bolstered his poll numbers.

Unconfirmed history
A gray haired U.S. President attended a meeting with Dr. Clark and U.S. Army general Jim Houseman in 1972, to oversee the progress of the government project Les Enfants Terribles, which his predecessor Lyndon B. Johnson had initiated.

Behind the scenes
Presidents of the United States appear often within the Metal Gear series, sometimes as a brief mention, and other times as supporting characters. Games with historical settings mainly feature fictional versions of real-life presidents, whereas those set during the 21st century feature entirely fictional persons.

The President of the United States is first mentioned in the original Metal Gear Solid, and remains unidentified for much of the game, until the surprise ending reveals that he is secretly Solidus Snake, the third clone of Big Boss.

President James Johnson serves a major role in the sequel Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, in which he is taken hostage by terrorists, led by his predecessor, Solidus. Solidus intended to lead a new American revolution against the Patriots, his actions being inspired by George Washington.

John F. Kennedy first appears in archived film footage in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which was used for both the Virtuous Mission briefing and flashbacks. His initials, JFK, were first used in the script for MGS2, to identify the AI that communicates with Raiden, following the GW AI's supposed destruction. Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, appears in person during Naked Snake's award ceremony, following the success of Operation Snake Eater.

Richard Nixon is mentioned in "The Watergate Scandal" article in the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, but is mistakenly identified as the 36th President, rather than the 37th. He is also referred to indirectly in the novelization to the original Metal Gear Solid, as the gray-haired President of 1972. At the 2009 Tokyo Game Show's showing of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, director Hideo Kojima implied that Nixon's resignation from the Presidency would factor into the events of the game, though this did not appear to feature in the final game.

The President during November 1974, as mentioned in Peace Walker, is implied to be Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States (1974-1977). Ford succeeded Richard Nixon when he resigned from office as a result of the Watergate Scandal. Although he did briefly visit Vladivostok to negotiate missile reduction, the meeting was erroneously referred to as SALT II, which was actually the name of his successor, Jimmy Carter's attempted negotiations with Russia on the matter. Also, a Vice President is mentioned in the game though Ford did not have one until December 1974.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid (Sears, audio only)
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (J. Johnson, Washington mentioned only)
 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (L.B. Johnson, Kennedy mentioned only)
 * Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (1974 President, Kennedy, both mentioned only)
 * Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Hamilton)