For other presidents of the United States of America, see Former presidents of the United States of America. |
The last President of the United States was the last president of the United States in office before the Great War in 2077.
Background[]
At some point before the War, 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.[4]
Roughly six months before the War, he disbanded the White House press corps and abandoned the White House, relocating to Control Station ENCLAVE.[2][Non-game 1] He was completely absent from the public eye, and his absence was noted in the news media.[2]
Before or during his presidency, he joined the Enclave, a secret shadow government of high ranking government officials, military officers and powerful corporate interests.[5][2] While the president went into hiding, his Cabinet remained in Washington. The Cabinet Nuclear Alarm system was set up in case of a required evacuation from a nuclear war. However, the system was tampered with, and most of the Cabinet members were removed.
The Secretaries of the Interior and Treasury went to the Whitespring bunker alongside Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Eckhart, while the president remained on the Enclave oil rig.[6] On the day of the Great War, at 9:26 in the morning, his executive code was authenticated and used in response to detected Chinese ICBMs.[7]
Presidential appointments[]
- Last Cabinet of the United States[6]
- Vice President
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Secretary of Defense[4]
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Agriculture - Thomas Eckhart
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Energy[8]
- Postmaster General[9]
- Secretary of Labor[Non-canon 1]
- Numerous under secretaries[10]
Notes[]
- The letter from the president in Fallout 76 contains a faded signature from the president, which shows that his first name started with the letters "Di". Following the Wastelanders update, the faded bottom lines of the letter, including the signature, were made unable to be seen. The text was still present in the game's files, but could not be seen in-game. As of the Skyline Valley update, the faded "Di" was added back to the note.
- 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.[11]
- Pirate Radio mentions that the president would regularly address the nation over the radio in "fireside chats," like those given by 32nd U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II.[3]
- John Henry Eden, a ZAX AI unit who proclaimed himself to be both the President of the Enclave and the President of the United States following President Richardson's death on the oil rig in 2242, based his personality, demeanor, false biography, and interests on various American presidents. This included the fireside chats hosted by Roosevelt and the final president. Eden would begin his own series of fireside chats which he broadcast on Enclave Radio in the Capital Wasteland in the late 2270s.
- The president was supposed 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.[12]
- The Sierra Depot GNN transcript from Fallout 2 claimed 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.[13] 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 revised before the game's release.[14]
- The Vault Seller's Survival Guide episode "Follow Your Nos!" contains a cartoon depiction of a president of the United States, though it is unclear if this is meant to represent the last president specifically, or just a generic president character.
- 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.[15][16] 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."[17] 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).
Appearances[]
The last president of the United States is mentioned in Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, the Fallout TV series episode The End and Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News promotional video, and the Fallout Bible.
Behind the scenes[]
- Though the real-world version of the presidential seal has appeared in Fallout 2[18] and Fallout 76,[19] 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, though perhaps the term suggests that even the president himself was not the highest link in the chain.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Letter from the president image
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Boston Bugle building terminal entries; Boston Bugle article terminal, Article 4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Letter from the president
- ↑ MODUS: "The Enclave has counted Presidents, members of the Joints Chiefs, and prize-winning scientists among our membership."
(MODUS' dialogue) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Whitespring bunker terminal entries; archival terminal, Cabinet Nuclear Alarm Logs
- ↑ The Switchboard terminal entries; central terminal DEFCON Status - 2077
- ↑ Department of Energy
- ↑ Post Office Department
- ↑ A Vault 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) - ↑ Bleeding Kate's Grindhouse terminal entries; Kate's terminal, Inventory
- ↑ Welcome to the Rapidan Camp
- ↑ Sierra Depot GNN transcript
- ↑ See Sierra Depot GNN transcript for more details
- ↑ Fort Constantine launch codes
- ↑ Silo network security codes
- ↑ Orders
- ↑ Presidential seal on Enclave Oil Rig
- ↑ Whitespring Bunker plans
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