What is going on with the Hall of Presidents?

In lieu of speaking, the trump AA will be tweeting.

My serious understanding is that Imagineering has sent a request to the White House asking for a unique speech specifically for Hall of Presidents, and so far they've not heard back from anyone. I believe this is the same process they've used in the past.

I can't imagine Disney closing the show for half a year just to add a barely functioning Trump bot. Like him or not, he's going to speak.

I would hope Iger makes a personal request since Iger serves on the business advisory council, but Iger already seems to be running in 2020 based on rumors. If Iger has any integrity, he'll change the attraction. I doubt Trump will help unless he gets the respect he deserves.

Politics aside, I am more concerned that Trump has absolutely no interest in recording lines for this attraction. So far, he really hasn't done any of the silly "fun" stuff that presidents are supposed to enjoy. He turned down the White House Correspondence Dinner, refused to throw out the first pitch at the Nationals game, and barely put on the White House Easter Egg Roll. I mean these are the kind of events he should LOVE.

I just do not want this to be nail in the HOP coffin. Disney is already very nervous about educational attractions (look at EPCOT). This is a bigger attraction than one president. The whole point of this attraction is that we go forward as a country no matter who the president is.

PLEASE for the love of god, do not boycott this attraction. This is an important attraction to survive!

FWIW Anthony, Obama only threw out one Opening Day pitch for the Nationals during his 8 years in office (2010, his second Opening Day in office where he wore a Nats BP jersey and White Sox cap - got pounded pretty hard for that). President Obama also threw out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star game. There was some "fake" news out there noting Trump's absence from Opening Day was unprecedented. However, the only thing that would be unprecedented would be if Trump skipped MLB Opening Day for his entire career in office. Assuming he serves his entire term, he has another 3 Opening Days before this is actually a story.

Boycotting HOP is so ridiculous. There are far worse presidents portrayed than Donald Trump (not that he is likely to finish anywhere close to the top half all time). In fact, there are 2 in there that have been impeached (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) and others that have tainted legacies (Richard Nixon, James Buchanan, Warren Harding, and that whole "slave holder" issue with Thomas Jefferson).

To find the true best/worst President, might I suggest... Hall of Presidents 2.0: The Hunger Games Edition.

Can we make designing that a Theme Park Apprentice-style challenge in this thread? And to make it a *real* challenge, let's establish a rule that Teddy Roosevelt can't win.

Just give him an empty chair with a little sign that says "Gone golfing" hanging over it.

"let's establish a rule that Teddy Roosevelt can't win."

LOL...Not sure if you said that on purpose or with the same context I was thinking (Washington Nationals 4th Inning Presidents' race - like the Brewers' Sausage Race). The Nats have gone back to Teddy being the lovable loser in 2017. He won his first race in 2012 the night the Nationals clinched their first ever playoff birth. He won his fair share over the successive 4 seasons, but is back to losing every time this season.

Actually, I was just thinking that TR was a badass who'd probably smoke the rest of the presidents in a hand-to-hand combat battle.

But let's handicap this, shall we? Let's assume that all Presidents are competing at the age of their initial inauguration. I'll run through some of the notables.

Washington — Not going to last long with those false teeth and no servants to bring him easy-to-chew food.

Jefferson — Great design skills for making traps, but too easily distracted when anyone brings up the topic of native women.

Jackson — Good in a fight, but so underhanded that a coalition of Presidents bonds to take him out about halfway through.

W.H. Harrison — Drops dead at the sound of the opening.

Buchanan — Completely misunderstands the game and tries to flirt with the other Presidents. Clinton kills him, but asks everyone not to tell about it.

Lincoln — Amazing axe wielding skills carries him deep into the games, but being a large target ultimately does him in when Reagan accidentally runs him over with a horse. Last heard muttering, "I hate actors."

Grant — Dies of alcohol poisoning during the games, but his blog describing them becomes a huge hit and ensures his survivors' financial security.

TR — Makes it to the final two through a combination of expert horsemanship, sharpshooting and vigorous hand-to-hand combat. But loses in a fluke take-down that ultimately leads to the meltdown of Reddit's servers.

Taft — Four presidents actually starve to death when trapped behind Taft in a cave where they'd sought shelter. The final victim stabs Taft to death, but the corpse does not budge.

Wilson — Appears to be trying to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to the games, but actually is double-crossing his allies in an attempt to spark an even bloodier free-for-all. Can't resist trash-talking Obama, who ultimately kills him with a no-look, behind-the-back rock throw to the face.

Harding — Bets on himself to die the first day. Bet pays off.

FDR — Reveals himself as Charles Francis Xavier on Day 2, leading a collection of lesser-known presidents deep into the games before being betrayed and killed by Reagan.

Eisenhower — Tries to lead a breakout from the arena. Gives an impassioned speech warning the public about the danger of the military industrial complex that no one hears, due to censorship by the gamemasters.

Kennedy — The betting favorite. Hobbled by a bad back, though, he can't escape an early death. No one seems to know for sure who did the deed, however.

Johnson — Survives a week after all the presidents avoid him after he takes off his pants to show everyone his, well, johnson. Spends too much time staring at it, forgets to eat, then dies alone on the edge of the arena.

Nixon — The master of surveillance and booby-traps, but Eisenhower kills him on principle before giving his speech that nobody hears.

Ford — DQ'd because no one can figure out how in the heck someone who never got a single electoral vote got into this game.

Reagan — Eventually begins to believe that he's TR. Fails to understand that the real TR is not his own reflection in a mirror, lowering his defenses against a fatal blow.

Bush 1 — Accidentally bleeds to death from a cut on his lip, sustained as he was entering the arena.

Clinton — Adapts well to vegetarian diet in the arena and proves to be a master of escape. Perishes trying to break open the arena wall so that his wife can join him in the games.

Bush 2 — Waterboarded. Everyone denied responsibility.

Obama — Drops his remaining weapons and blows kiss to the cameras after killing Wilson.

Trump — Taken out at the start by all the other Presidents immediately after Harrison drops.

So who wins this thing? Ultimately, it comes down to a president who enjoyed longevity in real life, but who managed to make it through the melee by flying under the radar. A one-termer whom everyone forgot wasn't already dead, so no one killed him. Good with tools, he built himself a comfortable shelter and claimed claimed no kills until throwing his hammer and eliminating a loud, abrasive braggart who kept riding his horse across his lillies, trying to draw him out to fight.

Ladies and gentlemen, the unlikely, controversial and wonderfully ironic winner of the Presidential Hunger Games: James Earl Carter, Jr.

I'd rather they ripped the whole thing out and put in Disneyland's Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln instead.

However, Trump or no Trump, HOP is still the best, most comfortable place to catch an "in park" nap in the history of theme parks (that "film" in the France pavilion of Epcot is a close second - sorry, Robert.)

Nap all you want. Just add one to the France movie turnstile count every time you visit the park. That's all I ask.

This discussion took a very interesting turn.....

Best post in a long time, Robert! I'm going to be grinning about that one all day long!

I can only hope that the trump animatronic is just his greatest lines. I can hear it now.

"You have to go back!"

"IT'S RUBIO!"

"Because you'd be in jail!"

Oh how fun it would be.

Wanna bet the Trump figure will wear Mickey gloves to cover his small hands?

In seriousness, I read a report the other day they're retooling the show to avoid Trump speaking.

I have heard that Trump will not be speaking too. I guess that is not a huge change. Apparently, only Clinton, Bush, and Obama spoke. Granted, that is a total of 24 years so that is a lifetime for a Disney Attraction.