President Joe Biden enacted part three of his “Anti-Trump Battle Plan” by enlisting the counsel of five famous faces ahead of Thursday’s State of the Union address.
Rather than seek the advice of actual ex-presidents, Biden convened a virtual summit with some of Tinseltown’s most iconic presidential portrayers.
The White House flexed its star power in a video that showcased Biden’s digital rendezvous at Camp David with five prominent actors who’ve brought fictional presidents to life on the big screen.
Included in the video, which was released on X, formerly Twitter ahead of Biden’s speech on Thursday, was Morgan Freeman, who played a president under fire in “Angel Has Fallen” and one facing an apocalypse in “Deep Impact,” Bill Pullman who dealt with world invading aliens along with Will Smith in “Independence Day,” and Michael Douglas, who played lovestruck President Andrew Shepherd in 1995’s “The American President.”
You may’ve heard I’ve got a big speech coming up.
So, I thought I would hear from some folks who have done the job before – sort of. pic.twitter.com/7wFYVQm7Xm
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 7, 2024
They were joined by former ABC stars Geena Davis, known as a pioneering female president in “Commander in Chief,” and Tony Goldwyn who played President Fitzgerald Grant III in all seven seasons “Scandal.”
“Some of you might know what a big speech like I have to do is coming up — State of the Union,” Biden said in the video. “Any advice you have for me in delivering my speech?”
Each of the actors gave a scripted response that leaned in to the situations their characters faced while they fictionally held the nation’s highest office.
“In my capacity as president, all I had to deal with was a meteor,” Freeman, 86, quipped his turn as President Tom Beck in the sci-fi thriller.
“One of the things that I came out of that with my speech to people [is] hope is the strongest force we have in this country,” he added. “It is the most useful and the most effective.”
He advised Biden to repeatedly remind Americans about how he is “working for us in building hope.”
Goldwyn, 63, known for his role in “Scandal,” reflected on his character’s flaws, which included having an extra-marital affair with the show’s star Olivia Pope, and rigging an election.
“Looking back at my own presidency, I behaved very badly, uh, in a lot of situations,” Goldwyn noted, before moving onto his actual pointers.
“One piece of advice that meant a lot to me when I was president… tell them that you exist for them,” he said as dramatic music swelled in the background. “Tell them that they make you a better man.”
The actor also said when he gave big speeches he would wind down with red wine and popcorn – Pope’s famed snack combo. “But I know for you that would be ice cream,” Goldwyn joked.
Davis’ show only lasted one season, but she said that “every week it seemed like there was a new crisis” that she had to face, when Biden interrupted to say that she did a “hell of a job.”
Davis, 68, gave a piece of advice that related to her most iconic role, as a female pitcher in 1992’s “A League of Their Own.”
“I do feel I should just point out one thing that always rears remembering: There’s no crying in politics,” she played off Tom Hanks’ famous line from the film.
“Well, my hope is my politics doesn’t make anybody else cry,” Biden responded.
Douglas, 79, who played a widowed president who fell in love with a lobbyist portrayed by Annette Bening in the 1995 flick, said that he learned “having a loving partner changes everything.”
“Love and compassion as a leader are strengths, they’re not weaknesses, and our key to your character,” the actor remarked.
“So let that shine through in your speech and don’t forget to save a dance for the first lady in the East Room.”
Pullman, 70, best known for annihilating aliens in “Independence Day,” shared insights from his character’s iconic speech in the film.
“I had it easy — we just had invaders from outer space coming in wanting to mess with us, and that tends to unify people,” he commented.
“I’m not so sure it was the greatest speech ever, but I did manage to say two things,” Pullman pointed out.
“One is that we can’t be consumed by our petty differences, and we will be united in our common interests. And somehow these words became something to remember.”
As the session concluded, Biden extended an invitation to the actors to visit the White House, marveling that he had “never spoke to so many presidents all at one time.”
The video, which was viewed over 7.1 million times upon publishing, seemed to fall in line with the New York Times leaked “Anti-Trump Battle Plan,” which included getting celebrities to promote him in an effort to defeat the former president at the polls.