Trump Animatronic: The Hall of President's Newest Cast Member

In December 2017, an animatronic of Donald Trump was added to the Hall of Presidents. This article will be looking at the animatronic itself as it plays into this show.

First Off, A History of the Hall of Presidents

The Hall of Presidents was one of the opening attractions of Walt Disney World, first opening its doors on October 1, 1971. All 45 presidents to date are included in the present-day show. This show has had five versions: 1971-1993 (original run with Richard M. Nixon as the last president ), 1993-2001 (additions of Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton as each went into office), 2001-2009 (addition of George W. Bush), 2009-2017 (addition of Barack Obama), and 2017-present (addition of Donald Trump). Focuses of the show changed over the years as well, from the Whisky Rebellion and progress of America all the way to ethical and slavery issues.

Bill Clinton was the first to provide his voice for the animatronic, with George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump doing likewise as each were elected.

This 25 minute show goes through a short film looking at a variety of presidents, notably George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. The audio-animatronic section of the show includes a stage presentation of the presidents and includes speeches by Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Donald Trump.

All of the presidents on stage in the Hall of Presidents.

Donald Trump Animatronic

As previously mentioned, the Trump animatronic was added to the show in late 2017. We had the opportunity to see it first-hand when we went to Walt Disney World in May. Having seen Barack Obama in 2016, it's no surprise that Trump's part in the show is rather stoic: he recites the Presidential Oath of Office like his predecessor. No, he doesn't suggest building a wall. Don't be silly now.

Anyways, the animatronics are all very impressive, paying attention to the president giving a speech or having his name called. It's almost eerie in a way. The Trump animatronic is fairly animated, making gestures as though he were a real person. The fluidity of his hands as he recites the Presidential Oath of Office is excellent, as is his ability to convey facial emotion while he speaks.

From further back, the resemblance is quite good. To look at him, you would never second guess that the animatronic you are looking at is Donald Trump. For any of you who have seen the animatronic close-up, he isn't exactly a perfect representation. Some even argue that he looks like Jon Voight . This could be compared to the animatronic of Ellen Degeneres from Ellen's Energy Adventure as well as the Justin Trudeau wax figure, which honestly looks pretty yucky.

Regardless of the criticisms, who is really looking at him under a microscope anyways? He's up on stage with 44 other presidents while you sit in the crowd. It's not like people are up there shamelessly poking and prodding the figure all day to see if he breaks. From my seat, he was perfectly passable, and that complex motion and facial expression exhibited by the animatronic during his speech was enough to excuse any Jon Voight-ness he might be exhibiting.

Trump animatronic with some of his predecessors.

If presidents are your thing or you're simply curious, check the Trump animatronic out. If nothing else, you can relax in a dark theatre for 25 minutes before your next Fastpass+.


What do you think of the Hall of President's latest Cast Member? Comment, subscribe and/or follow me on Instagram :)