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For other presidents of the United States of America, see Former presidents of the United States of America. |
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The last President of the United States was the final head of the federal government's executive branch before the nation's collapse in the aftermath of the Great War. The president was mentioned multiple times in the Fallout series before making a physical appearance in season 2 of the Fallout TV series.
Background
At some point before or during his presidency, he entered into the ranks of the Enclave, a deep state entity consisting of high-ranking government officials, military officers and powerful corporate interests.[3][4]
Several years before his physical seclusion from Washington, D.C.,[5] the president made a clandestine visit to Las Vegas, Nevada via an unmarked airplane landing at McCarran Airport, coinciding with a defense contractors' summit in the city organized by RobCo Industries CEO Robert House. Congresswoman Diane Welch was aware of the president's visit, and arranged for him to meet with Hollywood actor Cooper Howard, who handed over the cold fusion diode, which he had stolen from the Vault-Tec Corporation. Howard's belief, supported by Welch, was that granting the diode to the president would prevent Vault-Tec and other American corporations from starting a nuclear war, and that the source of energy would fall into the hands of the public, bringing an end to the Resource Wars.[6] This evidently did not happen, though the exact circumstances that followed are currently unclear.
At some point before October 2077, the president was organizing a summit involving political and industrial leaders from the Territory of Appalachia. The aim of the summit was to discuss their success in automating local industry and businesses, focusing on how these efforts could be replicated across the nation.[7]
In March 2077, after disbanding the White House press corps, the president relocated from the White House to Control Station ENCLAVE off the coast of San Francisco, California.[4][Non-game 1] His complete absence from the public eye and inaccessibility were noted in national news, with many initially assuming that the entire federal level of government including the president had relocated to the Raven Rock facility in Pennsylvania, but the Massachusetts-based Boston Bugle found this was not the case through independent investigation, reported on in the week of October 19.[4]
While the president went into hiding, his Cabinet remained in Washington to oversee the Cabinet Nuclear Alarm system, set up in case of a required evacuation from a nuclear war. However, the system was later tampered with, and many of the Cabinet members were removed from their positions of authority.[8]
On October 23, 2077, at 9:26 in the morning, the presidential executive code was authenticated and used in response to warning systems' detection of Chinese ICBMs.[9] Of the president's Cabinet members, the Secretaries of the Interior and Treasury relocated to the secure bunker beneath the Whitespring Resort in Appalachia alongside Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Eckhart, while the president continued to reside on the oil rig.[8]
Presidential appointments
- Last Cabinet of the United States[8]
- Vice President
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Secretary of Defense[7]
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Agriculture - Thomas Eckhart
- Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor[Non-canon 1]
- Numerous under secretaries[10]
Notes
- The Sierra Depot GNN transcript from Fallout 2 claims that in February 2075, a president was impeached, and in March 2076, the president ordered the Pacific division of the United States Navy to a Poseidon Oil rig, citing concerns over Chinese military presence being close to American oil reserves.[11] This specific document notably contradicts established and future canon at several points, and its validity is challenged by the Fallout Bible as it was supposedly intended to be "dropped from continuity" in the future, according to Chris Avellone.[12]
- The inventory of Bleeding Kate's Grindhouse included a Galaxy News Network special titled "A Presidential Affair." It is unclear, however, if this "affair" involved the last president or one in the past.[13]
- Pirate Radio mentions that the president would regularly address the nation over the radio in "fireside chats." This is an evocation of the "fireside chats" given by 32nd U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II.[1]
- The president was scheduled to meet with a foreign dignitary at Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park, where they would dine on venison steak with port sauce and Victoria sponge cake.[14] A special visit itinerary for this foreign "special guest" gives a list of events from November 16–18, including a photo op and the aforementioned dinner with the president on November 16.[15]
- If the itinerary is assumed to be dated for November 2077, the president had already vanished from the public eye since at least April 2077 after his relocation to Control Station ENCLAVE, and it was being reported in the media that October.[4] With the president's absence in mind, this may indicate one of many things: either the president was going to briefly come out of hiding to make public appearances; the itinerary was for a private, clandestine visit and the photo op was not for outside press; or that the itinerary did not actually reflect the president's true plans at all. Whether or not the president had advance knowledge of the Great War would also be a factor, although this is not directly addressed outside of his relocation to the Enclave oil rig. The itinerary is not explicitly dated to 2077, and could plausibly be for 2076, but other notes at Rapidan Camp are dated to 2077, such as Shenandoah New Year's Eve party 2077.
- The Vault Seller's Survival Guide episode "Follow Your Nos!" contains a cartoon depiction of a president of the United States. At the time of its release, it was unclear if it was meant to represent the last president specifically, or just a generic president character. However, the reveal of the president's physical appearance in "The Handoff" establishes that the last president and this cartoon depiction differ considerably.[16]
- Launch codes for nuclear missiles at Fort Constantine and the Hopeville Missile Base bear the code name Bagman as an executive with high-level security clearance for the missiles' authorization codes.[17][18] Bagman also ordered the assassination of Zeus while en route to Rapidan Camp in Appalachia, with the instructions stating "long live the American way" and "God bless America."[19] Bagman's true identity is never explicitly stated in any series entry. In the real world, the president of the United States is designated access to the Gold Codes and is the only person with authorization to launch a nuclear attack as the commander-in-chief. However, it is not confirmed if Bagman was the last president, as well as if the nuclear chain of command differed any, considering the presence of the Enclave pre-War (with which the president was affiliated).
Notable quotes
- "Thank you for doing the right thing, son." – To Cooper Howard, in "The Handoff"
Appearances
The last president of the United States appears only in the Fallout TV series season 2 episodes "The Handoff" and "The Strip." He was previously mentioned in Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, the Fallout TV series season 1 episode "The End" and the Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News promotional video, as well as the Fallout Bible.
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ||||||||
| Season 2 | ✔ | ✔ |
Behind the scenes
- Though the real-world version of the presidential seal has appeared in Fallout 2[20] and Fallout 76,[21] a modified version is used in every other instance in Fallout 76. In this version, the eagle faces right, possibly a reference to the misconception that the eagle is changed to face the arrows in times of war. In addition, the shield bears a red star, the constellations above the eagle were removed, the coat of arms was enlarged, and the 50 stars surrounding the coat of arms were replaced by a circle of 12 dashed lines and stars.
- The term "bagman," when used in the context of the mafia or other underground/criminal organizations, is typically understood to mean someone who collects or distributes ill-gotten gains. This falls in line with the last president's affiliation with the Enclave, a secretive cabal which often employed dubious methodology even before the war.
Gallery
Appearance
Related materials
![Seal of the President[22]](/wiki/File:Fallout_USA_President.png "Fallout USA President.png (1.02 MB)")
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Announcer: "The sound you are hearing comes to you from the Sonic Squire: a brand new speaker system, featured in theaters, studios, and soon, your living room. This marvelous, life-like, one-of-a-kind sound was developed by the scientists at Sonic Soundsystems, and is used in motion pictures, concerts, and educational programming worldwide. Imagine your family, sitting down and listening to our commander-in-chief's fireside chats, in crystal-clear audio."
(Pirate Radio advertisements) - ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 6: "The Trap": For the text of the Capitol Post article mentioned, see here.
- ↑ MODUS: "The Enclave has counted Presidents, members of the Joints Chiefs, and prize-winning scientists among our membership."
(MODUS' dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Boston Bugle building terminal entries; Boston Bugle article terminal, Article 4
- ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 6: "The Trap": A Capitol Post newspaper can be seen which mentions that the president was no longer physically in Washington, D.C. at the time of the newspaper article. This suggests that the article, and the events of the episode, are set after the president's departure from D.C. in 2077. The president's appearance in "The Handoff" is set later in the timeline after this event.
- ↑ Representative Welch: "So, you know why your wife is in Las Vegas?"
Cooper Howard: "They're delivering the most powerful technology in the world to the most powerful man in the world. Robert House wants the diode so he can live forever, and Vault-Tec gets the bombs in exchange. And when they do that..."
Welch: "They'll be the only ones left. And that's what they want."
Cooper: "What if my wife's deal fell through? What would you do with infinite energy?"
Welch: "Give it away to the public."
Cooper: "I know how it's being transported. If I could deliver it to you, I'll need assurances. No offense, but I--"
Welch: "No, I get it. I wouldn't give it to me, either. But if it helps, two hours ago, an unmarked government plane landed at McCarran Airport. The President of the United States is in Las Vegas. How would you feel about giving it directly to him?"
Cooper: "You can get me a meeting with the President?"
Welch: "Yes."
Cooper: "That would work."
Welch: "Give him the diode and we can put an end to 25 years of Resource Wars tonight."
(Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 7: "The Handoff" - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Letter from the president
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Whitespring bunker terminal entries; archival terminal, Cabinet Nuclear Alarm Logs
- ↑ The Switchboard terminal entries; central terminal DEFCON Status - 2077
- ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "The President's home away from home?"
Gumley: "Well yes. President Hoover and his wife Lou Hoover built Rapidan Camp. They used the grounds as the their Presidential Retreat throughout his administration. When his term came to an end, President Hoover donated Rapidan Camp to the executive wing of the government. So future Presidents could continue to use the camp and enjoy the natural beauty of Shenandoah National Park. Sometimes out Presidents still stay here, but one hasn't visited in quite some time. From what I can remember some under secretaries were stationed here on that eventful day, but I haven't... seen them for some time now."
(Gumley's dialogue) - ↑ Sierra Depot GNN transcript
- ↑ See Sierra Depot GNN transcript for more details
- ↑ Bleeding Kate's Grindhouse terminal entries; Kate's terminal, Inventory
- ↑ Welcome to the Rapidan Camp
- ↑ Special visit itinerary
- ↑ Still image from "Follow Your Nos!"
- ↑ Fort Constantine launch codes
- ↑ Silo network security codes
- ↑ Orders
- ↑ Presidential seal on Enclave Oil Rig
- ↑ Whitespring Bunker plans
- ↑ Letter from the president image
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0: "2077 March Prepared for a nuclear or biological attack from China, the president and the Enclave retreats to remote sections around the globe and make contingency plans for continuing the war."
Non-canon
