--- title: Disney Hall of Presidents Adds Talking Donald Trump Robot description: Disney's Hall of Presidents has added a talking Donald Trump robot. canonical: https://time.com/5070693/disney-hall-presidents-donald-trump/ author: Laignee Barron article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-19T07:35:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:51.085Z article:section: Politics og:title: Disney Added a Talking Robotic Donald Trump to its Hall of Presidents og:description: "It's a privilege to serve as the President of the United States," the robot says og:url: https://time.com/5070693/disney-hall-presidents-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49304d89ae67e4af/6988f5aecf40a8237ec4aa8d/donald-trump-disney-hall-presidents.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1388 og:image:height: 781 og:image:alt: donald trump disney hall presidents og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Disney Added a Talking Robotic Donald Trump to its Hall of Presidents twitter:description: "It's a privilege to serve as the President of the United States," the robot says twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49304d89ae67e4af/6988f5aecf40a8237ec4aa8d/donald-trump-disney-hall-presidents.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Disney Added a Talking Robotic Donald Trump to its Hall of Presidents > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=5be62ab2-df78-4fb6-a9e3-377f494a6e3b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Trump Stresses 'America First' in National Security Strategy Speech [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Stresses 'America First' in National Security Strategy Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TuZCuHBl.m3u8) (1:48)  _Published 2017-12-18. President Donald Trump declared a new national security strategy on Monday, stressing the “America first” message of his 2016 campaign and faulting previous U.S. leaders for failing to measure up to it and look out for the nation’s citizens._ by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Dec 19, 2017 7:35 AM UTC  by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Dec 19, 2017 7:35 AM UTC America’s 45th president has at long last arrived at Disney World in full robotic fashion. The animatronic President Donald Trump was added to the Magic Kingdom’s newly revamped Hall of Presidents Monday, donning an unbuttoned suit jacket with an extra long white and blue tie, standing between a seated Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. President Trump’s speaking role will debut Tuesday, when the attraction in Orlando, Fla., officially opens. According to the Orlando _Sentinel_‘s [preview](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-bz-disney-hall-presidents-trump-speaks-20171218-story.html) of the exhibition, the Trump robot, placed center stage, nods, talks with his hands and delivers a brief speech, but has not been programmed to Tweet. “Above all, to be American is to be an optimist — to believe that we can always do better — and that the best days of our great nation are still ahead of us,” robot President Trump reportedly says in part of his speech. “It’s a privilege to serve as the President of the United States, to stand here among so many great leaders of our past, and to work on behalf of the American people.” President Trump recorded his lines earlier this year, continuing a tradition that began with President Bill Clinton in 1993\. The Hall of Presidents, one of Disney World’s oldest attractions, features speeches from Lincoln, George Washington and the sitting President. There was speculation that Disney would break from precedent and not grant robot Trump a speaking role after the exhibition’s re-opening was delayed from June. Disney quickly dispelled any rumors that the automaton would be voiceless. “Despite some media reports to the contrary, President Trump will have a speaking role,” the company said in a [blog post](https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/06/latest-on-enhancement-to-the-hall-of-presidents-at-magic-kingdom-park/). Some, however, would have preferred a silent role; a change.org [petition](https://www.change.org/p/the-walt-disney-company-no-speech-from-the-donald-trump-animatronic-in-walt-disney-world-s-hall-of-presidents) netted more than 15,000 signatures “to stop the inevitable Donald Trump animatronic figure from speaking,” claiming that he “ran a Presidential campaign on hateful speech, misogyny, racism and xenophobia.” [According to Disney](https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/12/the-hall-of-presidents-reopens-at-the-walt-disney-world-resort-after-year-long-transformation/), President Trump’s carefully crafted robot look-a-like “features the latest advances in technology that enable smoother and more lifelike movements.” The first animatronic President was a spitting image of Lincoln, cast for New York 1964-65 World’s Fair, Disney added. ## Transcript For the first time, American strategy recognizes that economic security is national security. Economic vitality, growth, and prosperity at home is absolutely necessary for American power and influence abroad. Any nation that trades away it's prosperity for security We'll end up losing both. This strategy recognizes that we cannot secure our nation if we do not secure our borders, so for the first time ever, American strategy now includes a serious plan to defend our homeland. It calls for the construction of a wall. And we are returning to the wisdom of our founders. In America the people govern, the people rule and the people are sovereign. America has been among the greatest forces for peace and justice in the history of the world. The American people are generous. You are determined. You are brave. you're strong. And you are wise. When the American people speak, all of us should listen. And just over one year ago, you spoke loud, and you spoke clear on November 8th. 2016. 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