The next presidential election is a ways away, but some political enthusiasts are already naming their picks for who should run for the seat after Donald Trump.
Trump was sworn into the Oval Office in January 2025 for a second term after defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris in the race, taking over for former President Joe Biden. However, many Democrats still feel unsettled over the loss and are already making their selections for his next replacement.
According to Ranker, the leading fan-powered ranking site, an overwhelming amount of people have turned to A-list stars to take the country’s lead. A new poll asked fans which celebrities they think should run for president, and a whopping over 909.6K voters weighed in.
The top-ranked stars include actors and singers, and many even threw Bill Gates’ hat in the ring. Below are the top names on the list and why fans might be vying for their presidential run.
Morgan Freeman
Image Credit: Universal Pictures.
Morgan Freeman ranked near the top of the list with one of the highest votes, and we have an idea of why so many people flocked to the actor. For one, he’s an acclaimed figure in the world of entertainment, and his soothing voice makes fans trust his every move.
Freeman has also portrayed the president in multiple films, including Deep Impact (1998) and Angel Has Fallen (2019), and he spoke to ex-President Biden in early 2024 ahead of the State of the Union address, which was shared in a YouTube video.
Leading up to the 2016 election, Freeman also shared his support for Hillary Clinton when he narrated an ad in her campaign for president against Trump. So, to fans, the Academy Award winner is the obvious choice for the 2028 presidential election.
Tom Hanks
Image Credit: Matteo Chinellato/Shutterstock.
Toms Hanks also got a large number of votes, which isn’t all that surprising given his significant impact on the industry through his movies and philanthropy. While Hanks was initially known for his memorable roles as Forrest Gump and Woody from the Toy Story franchise, he’s grown into a cultural icon, and some fans agree he would make the ideal U.S. president.
Fans called for Hanks to run against Trump in the 2020 election, but the actor didn’t think he was qualified for the gig.
“Just because I’m an actor, I can give a good speech. I agree with that,” Hanks told Vulture about his name being thrown into the mix for the presidency.
“But the concept of actually voting for someone just because they can do that? Then Monty Hall could have been president of the United States! I get what he’s saying, I understand, but I don’t buy my participation.”
Dwayne Johnson
Image Credit: Henry Villarama – Public Domain/Wiki Commons.
Fans thought Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would also be a good presidential candidate, garnering over 14K votes on Ranker. The professional wrestler-turned-actor actually considered the job before after being asked by multiple unnamed parties, but he decided against it.
In November 2023, Johnson revealed that he was approached after a 2021 poll resulted in 46 percent of Americans saying they would support the former athlete’s campaign.
“That was an interesting poll that happened, and I was really moved by that,” Johnson said on Trevor Noah’s What Now? podcast. “I was really blown away, and I was really honored. I’ll share this little bit with you: at the end of the year in 2022, I got a visit from the parties asking me if I was going to run and if I could run.”
However, Johnson said that being in politics had “never been my goal,” and he preferred to steer clear from the White House. On the contrary, the California native has said in the past that the idea of running for president is “alluring,” so it sounds like it’s not entirely off the table.
Oprah Winfrey
Image Credit: Shutterstock.
While we don’t think Oprah Winfrey would be handing out free cars to Americans if she were president (You get a car, you get a car!), many people feel she would be a prime candidate and the kind of leader we need running the country. Winfrey earned over 15K votes from Ranker users, and honestly, we could see her becoming our nation’s first female president.
Like Johnson, Winfrey considered the position and wanted Utah Senator Mitt Romney by her side. An October 2023 report revealed that Winfrey pitched the idea to Romney ahead of the 2020 election, but that didn’t materialize.
However, a source told Axios that Winfrey “was never serious about running” despite her inner circle’s encouragement to do so.
During an appearance on 60 Minutes in 2016, Winfrey made it clear that she had no intentions of running for the White House.
“I had a lot of wealthy men calling, telling me that they would run my campaign and raise $1 billion for me,” the former talk show host shared.
“I am actually humbled by the fact that people think that I could be a leader of the free world, but it’s just not in my spirit. . . it’s not in my DNA.”
Clint Eastwood
Image Credit: Shutterstock.
Another A-lister fans would like to see in the Oval Office is Clint Eastwood, who scored over 12K votes on the site. We can assume that Eastwood’s incredible mark in the Hollywood circuit and his history in politics is why fans pushed for his presidential run.
In 1986, the actor won the election for mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, a small, wealthy population of 4,000 residents. He’s also voiced his disapproval of Trump being in the presidential seat, making us think he’s motivated to make some changes in the White House.
Eastwood hasn’t played the president in any of his movies, but he did portray a Secret Service agent in the 1993 hit film In the Line of Fire, so we could see him in that arena.
Other Celebs
Image Credit: Carl Beust/Shutterstock.
Ranker’s list of fans’ picks for our next president is extensive and includes many celebrities you might not have expected to be a popular vote. See below for more stars that fans hope to make a 2028 presidential run. Are there any on the list the surprise you?
