After months of speculation Donald Trump finally makes his presidential debut in the Hall of Presidents. He is standing front and slightly off-center on the stage next to a seated Abraham Lincoln and his animatronic figure indeed has a speaking role.
“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,” the Trump figure says. Check out the video at the bottom to see and hear the new addition for yourself.
The first part of his speech was a re-recording of the presidential oath of office. Then, with hands moving he spoke about the spirit of the American people and the U.S. Constitution.
Trump’s speech concludes, “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.”
The hall has been closed since mid-January, two months after Trump won the presidential election. Following a year-long transformation, The Hall of Presidents will officially reopen at Magic Kingdom Park on Tuesday, December 19, with enhancements that will bring the story of the American presidency to life as never before. The epic theatrical production was envisioned by Walt Disney himself to honor the country by honoring the presidents of the United States.
This endeavor began with a single animated figure of President Abraham Lincoln that was developed for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. In 1971, advances in technology made it possible for Imagineers to make Walt Disney’s vision a reality by including every chief executive who ever served the United States of America.
Get a first look here with the video below.
The history of innovation at The Hall of Presidents continues to this day. In addition to updating the show’s content, Imagineers have incorporated the latest in theatrical design and Audio-Animatronics technology. Landmark moments in history come alive on a panoramic 180-degree screen that transports guests across more than 200 years of the American story. High-impact projection, sound, lighting and other enhancements take guests into rare and indelible moments in history that helped define a nation.
As has been the tradition with every new president since the attraction debuted, an Audio-Animatronics figure of President Donald J. Trump has been added to the show and features the latest advances in technology that enable smoother and more lifelike movements. President Trump personally recorded remarks exclusively for The Hall of Presidents, just as each sitting president has done for the attraction since the early 1990s.