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On January 20, 1981, Ronald R. Reagan became President of the United States of America. Although Reagan’s campaign for candidacy during the primaries in 1980 had been successful, it wasn’t until the night before accepting his nomination as the Republican candidate for presidency that Reagan called and offered George H. W. Bush the role as running mate. The next day at the Republican National Convention on July 17, 1980, Ronald Reagan formally accepted his nomination and announced that Bush would be running as his Vice Presidential candidate. Reagan had been behind in the polls, but he made an incredible comeback after the presidential debates. On November 4, 1980, Reagan and Bush won.
The following January, Reagan and Bush were sworn into their roles as President and Vice President of the Unites States of America. During Reagan’s first official speech as President of the United States, he stressed the importance of working together as Americans to build a better nation of free people and the necessity to rework the federal government work for the people and not against it. The Inauguration Day was filled with speeches, food, marching bands, parade floats, and the Inaugural Ball. It was during the festivities that the new President of the United States had the honor to announce that American prisoners were safely in transit back from Iran after an extended period as captives. A total of 8,000 Americans walked or rode by during the parade on that day.

Photograph of Ronald Reagan with blue background.

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States who served two terms from the years 1981-1989. Prior to becoming president, Reagan worked in Hollywood appearing in 53 films. His Hollywood career was put on hold when he was drafted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942. His film skills were put to use during his active duty as he assisted making air force training videos and documentaries.

His political views shifted from liberal to conservative after his time in active duty. This is when his political career began. In 1954, he became a television host for the General Electric Company. Off screen, General Electric had him give speeches about various conservative topics. He would often times travel to various General Electric plants to give speeches and connect with the employees on a personal level. This went on until 1962. In 1966, he was elected governor of California where he served two terms. He started campaigning for the Republican Party’s presidential candidate for the 1976 election. Reagan and his running-mate, George H. W. Bush, beat sitting president Jimmy Carter in a landslide victory in the 1980 election. Running as the incumbents in 1984, Reagan and Bush won 49 out of 50 states against former Vice President Walter Mondale. Reagan is remembered for his fiscal policies, also known as “Reaganomics,” and is often referenced as a hero-figure by the Republican Party.  

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Elizabeth Warren is a Senator from Massachusetts who assumed the position in 2012. She won re-election to the Senate in 2018. She defeated Republican candidate, Geoff Diehl, and won with 60% of the popular vote. Before entering a career in politics, Warren was an educator, notably teaching Harvard Law.

Warren has always championed the rights of unions, particularly those of teachers stemming from their background as an educator. This has made the Senator a favorite among teacher union groups. The phrase, “Educators for Elizabeth Warren,” first appeared on signs at the American Federation of Teachers national convention. Warren was invited to be a guest speaker here and the phrase appeared here in a show of support to Warren from local teacher unions. Warren campaigned for U.S. President in 2020, but suspended campaign in the primaries.

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The future Senator of Massachusetts was born in Oklahoma City in 1949. With a love of education and the smarts to back it up, she graduated from high school at age 16. By 1995, Warren was teaching law at Harvard University. Before running for Senator in 2012, Warren advised the National Bankruptcy Review Commission and chaired the Congressional Oversight Panel. 

In 2012, after weathering a storm regarding her Cherokee heritage, she defeated incumbent Republican Scott Brown. She won the race by a small margin of 5%. Her re-election campaign in 2018 went more smoothly, defeating Geoff Diehl and earning 60% of the vote this time. Warren was also an important part of the 2020 presidential race, attempting to secure the Democratic nomination. She eventually dropped out of the race, placing third in total delegates.

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Bernie Sanders campaigned for the presidency in 2016 and 2020. Sanders has served in Congress since 1991, and was elected as a senator in 2007. He is the longest-serving Independent in Congressional history, identifying as a Democratic Socialist and widely considered to land further left ideologically than the majority of Democrats. In 2016, Sanders centered his campaign around single-payer healthcare and free college education, but eventually lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton. The Sanders campaign was financed largely by grassroots support and small-dollar donations, especially from young voters. Sanders suspended his campaign in April of 2020 and endorsed presumed Democratic candidate Joe Biden soon after amid the United States outbreak of Coronavirus and suspended or limited primary elections.

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Bernie Sanders, an Independent/Democrat member of the United States Senate from Vermont, sought the Democratic Party Nomination for 2016. He announced his candidacy on April 30, 2018. Sanders lost the Presidential Democratic nomination to Hilary Clinton but endorsed her as the Democratic candidate. Sanders was born in Brooklyn, New York. Throughout his political career, he has focused on the shrinking American middle class and the growing income and wealth gaps in the United States. Sanders first became interested in politics because of Adolf Hitler. During his college years, he maintained a low GPA of 2.5. Sanders participated in the March on Washington in 1963. In 1987, he released a folk album entitled, “We Shall Overcome.” He received help on the album from 24 musicians. Sanders went on to campaign for President again in 2020, but suspended his campaign.

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On April 12, 2015, Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton declared her candidacy for political office.She officially became the Democratic candidate for President of the United States of America after winning the primary election against her main competitor, Bernie Sanders, on July 26, 2016. During this election, Clinton became the first female top presidential nominee for a major political party. Clinton’s career began long before the 2016 presidential election. After graduating from Yale in 1973, Clinton pursued law in both practice and teaching. In 1993, Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill Clinton, was elected President of the United States. Throughout the campaign, she had been scrutinized by many for her career, which was a point that set her apart from previous First Ladies. From her time as First Lady, she served as the 67th United States Secretary of State, a United States Senator from New York, and the 11th Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast. The criticism continued throughout Bill Clinton’s presidency and after, into her own 2008 and 2016 candidacies. During the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton received much disapproval over scandals (both past and present, at the time) as well as massive support from minority groups, including women. Despite the support that she received, she ultimately lost the presidency to her competitor Donald Trump.

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"Not My President," is a phrase commonly used to show dissent for the sitting U.S. President. Although exact origins are unknown, the phrase was used in protest during the terms of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

During Bush's term, the phrase was used after Bush beat Gore with electoral votes, but did not win the popular vote. After a recount, the margin between popular vote widened, however, Bush was awarded the office of President. His stance on military action and spending money to raise national debt encouraged dissent among parties, but it was not until his response to the tragedy of 9/11/2001 that Bush had lost favor of the general public.

During Obama's term, the phrase was used to show dissent towards Obama's name and ethnic heritage. Some reporters cited writings from Thomas Jefferson regarding American ideals from previous eras to back up their arguments on ethnic heritage. Some opposed Obama's stance on climate change or the way he handled military actions overseas.

After Donald Trump defeated Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 to become the United States’ president, many in the nation rejected his victory. The phrase “not my president” was used as a rallying cry to suggest Trump's actions and behavior in the media as well as lack of political experience made him unfit for the office. Trump also faced the same problem with vote tallies as Bush that the electoral vote went to Trump, while the popular vote went to Clinton.

Light blue, dark blue, and red illustration of a photograph of Barack Obama with red text created by artist Shephard Fairey.

The former Senator from Illinois and future 44th President of the United States Barack Obama would start his historic presidential campaign in 2008. Coming off a surprising victory over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, Obama would go on to defeat Senator John McCain in the election. A popular image during his election campaign is the red, white, and blue hope poster that was used by many to show support. The famous poster comes from renowned artist Shepard Fairey, who also designed the Andre the Giant Obey logo. Fairey had intended the image "go viral" wanting the first African American President to become a symbol for progress and hope.

Photograph of Barack Obama with red and black text, all on white background.

As Barack Obama prepared to deliver his Farewell Address on January 10, 2017, at McCormick Place in his hometown of Chicago, IL, thousands lined up for a chance to grab free tickets. Despite freezing temperatures, crowds were lined up as early as 4 a.m. on January 7th for a chance at tickets to be handed out at 8 a.m. Souvenir stands lined up with the crowds to offer farewell memorabilia such as limited edition items with phrases of, “Farewell Mr. President,” and, “Best President Ever.”  While only about 2000 tickets were given out, the world was able to watch the farewell address via a 360-degree video filmed by an LA based company, VRScout. Obama’s farewell speech was the first presidential speech to be broadcast live in 360-degree video.