Former Secret Service Agent Reviews Presidential Films, from 'Air Force One' to 'VEEP' | Vanity Fair
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ธ.ค. 2020
- Former Secret Service Agent Jonathan Wackrow fact checks presidential secret service scenes from movies and television including 'Air Force One,' 'Dave,' 'Angel Has Fallen,' 'Along Came a Spider,' 'Jackie,' 'The American President' and 'VEEP' and analyzes their believability and execution.
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Former Secret Service Agent Reviews Presidential Films, from 'Air Force One' to 'VEEP' | Vanity Fair - บันเทิง
This man just roasted delta airlines “the flight attendant aren’t like ones on delta. They are fully trained professionals”
@E M lol oh my bad, roasted*
yeah I caught that as well. unintentionally hilarious
I didn't even realize that lol... i just took that for a statement of fact.
OMG I wasn't even thinking about that but LOL.
@@grimpeeper1256 it is fact that Delta are neither professionals nor trained.
If a President plays an online shooter, does the secret service have to join their team to protect them there too? You have to protect them during their hobbies, after all.
That would a job for the military to make sure he wouldn't become a victim of a cyber security attack
@@jvinclarence3977 you missed... nvm
imagine getting so mad at your opponent in an online match that you yell out that you have his IP address ect, to then find 4 black armored cars outside your house.
This takes the "protect the president" game mode to a whole nother level
@simon nzioki join the call of duty game the president is playing and suddenly there are carrier fleet support as well as calling in the beast
"If it was up-to the Secret Service We'd have the president in a big steel box with a little vent for air"
This Cracked Me Up
Not picking a political side but many people would want that with their own particular leader and some even without the dangerous air hole. 🤣. But to each their own.
You can tell how serious a job it is by the fact that he considers it noteworthy and special that he ONCE laughed at something the First Lady said. Like it was a privilege to even be there, and a huge honor to have been able to laugh at something that was said. Professionals to the very end.
This guy is deadly, but adorable.
He's the perfect secret service agent. Non threatening in his demeanor, charismatic, soft spoken. You will never see him coming. He's also great at explaining his duties.
Lol
Look Adorable, Fight the Deplorable.
@@user-yr9fu7jd8p what?
@Game Marley ma boi that's not how you do it
He's got such a calm aura about him. I would believe him if he told me I'd be safe.
And if he wasn't calm you know real crap was going down..
Bruh 😭😂😂😂😂
Plus he’s got a big body to take a bullet😂
It'll be a lie
Easier for them to manipulate government officials in foreign countries
This guy _oozes_ professionalism, it's crazy. Very inspirational. He makes working for the Secret Service sound like some form of artisanal craftsmanship
He sounds like a nerd
@@kaarhrahh-thevoiceofreason1810 yeah because you’re a real tough guy in comparison right
@@kaarhrahh-thevoiceofreason1810 he would beat the brakes off of you.
@@Chazer45 beat the cheeks off me ?
Still a massive nerd
@@Chazer45 forgot what he looked like. Just checked. Confirmed he is a nerd. And also v out of shape.
My brakes remain intact sir
Found it interesting when he stated that training usually requires agents to understand previous failures of the secret service... sounds like a fun history class lol
I know you said that as a joke, but that actually does sound like a fascinating class.
Watch the Reagan shooting and look at what the Secret Service and LEOs are doing when Reagan gets shot at…
Not sure “fun” would describe it but sure interesting…
@@lgarcia67 It’s incredibly interesting. Each assassination or assassination attempt radically changed how the POTUS is protected.
I don’t think they were joking
I'll never get over government officials having to admit that Veep is way more accurate then you'd want it to be
I find it crazier that Bill Clinton said that ‘House of Cards’ is 99 percent realistic... I'm pretty sure that was after season 1 or 2 though
My favorite movie genre is spy. Then superhero movies.
Lolololololololil
I love this guy
@@jacobvardy The Thick of It made Allistar Campbell, Tony Blair's spin doctor, all for it in the beginning but realised it was getting too much LIKE him that he said he hated it.
This guy looks like your friendly neighbor who always barbecues out in the back yard during the Fourth of July, yet he could probably break my arm and leg at the same time if I come at him
👁👄👁
That was very specific 😅
*president gets attacked*
Expert: "that's not how protection works."
"mostly boredom with moments of sheer terror" *me sits up in chair*
"Its prolonged periods of boredom only broken up by moments of sheer terror."
Literally what being a soldier in WW1 was like.
None of the other wars since?
You were in WW1? Lol
@@Knutterbife a WW1 veteran wrote about it so :/
Nowadays its the reverse; prolonged periods of terror only broken up by moments of sheer boredom.
He was in WW1
I'm loving this series of former government agents breaking down films!
last time I was this early it resembled this th-cam.com/channels/rjdFD0J-X5GwGf2S81RAXA.html
th-cam.com/video/nVR6aqEnn1c/w-d-xo.html
its adorable seeing these fascists tell their personal tales!
@@Petey0707 Your comment is so dumb.
@@Petey0707 tf you even saying
14:43 chills down my spine.
“The tragic loss of JFK was a clear ‘example’ of that”
It’s amazing how calm and completely professional this guy is, yet we all know he is hella deadly!
This is easily one of the best breakdowns I've seen. The agent actually guided the viewer about what was to come and explained procedures instead of just saying what was wrong with the scene. Well done.
If the president is wearing a dress instead of a suit on the plane, do all the agents also have to wear dresses?
No, but a nice skirt and button-down blouse is pretty much right for any occasion. Earrings are optional.
Ask the First Lady's protection detail
Gotta blend in
Presumably this is meant as a joke, but of course the answer is that it's the _level of dress-up-ness_ that the agents mimic, not the specific outfit. I doubt that female secret service agents are allowed to wear heels and a skirt even if that's what their protectees are wearing, as it would impair their ability to do their jobs.
That is a mental image I could have lived my whole life without.
7:57 - One of the few times in all of these "expert reviews" videos where someone not only analyzes the technical accuracy but also the dramatic undercurrent revolving around the technical details - and very insightfully! Kline and Rhames both do a great job in this scene. His analysis makes Rhames' reaction even deeper than the first impression of it.
As someone who cooked for Paul Ryan while he was speaker. The secret service, are secret. They know every angle, every car, every boat. It was actually really fascinating to be a part of.
“Every president has their hobbies”
Just think in 2060 the president playing his ps8 in the White Hous, bruh
So you’re saying that in 39 years sony will have made 3 new playstations? That would mean that rockstar bought sony.
@@bebble985 lmao
Still playing GTA V because Rockstar hasn't released GTA 6
Which billionaires or powerful young government officials you know play video games?
Destroying the al quaida in Cod Modern Warzone Zombies 5
Honestly, it must be a pain in the neck being a high level individual as well as having to protect them. Going on a fishing trip becomes a ridiculous dance of security and planning.
*no fish biting*
President to the agent:....Hey... wouldn't have any explosives around, would you?
Agent: no, Mr president
President: Da fuq we paying you for...
You blend so well. You look like a high school guidance counselor. Perfect.
Over here in Finland people have gone to a supermarket in the evening to find the president standing in a queue to the cashier, like any other random person. I kind of feel sorry for the president of the USA to have to live so restricted life, along with their whole family.
Yeah, there are definitely things the whole family can no longer do again. More than one former president has greatly missed just going for a drive. It's a bummer 😕
No one except Finns know who the Finnish president is and how he looks like.
That's because the US president is not a president but a king.
@@han5vk wtf
@@GraceLJW It's not for long.
Secret service agent: "Hey, where did the president go? I was taking a dump."
Sounds like something Joe Biden would ask.
@@KJVB66 Ivanka knows all about Secret Service taking a dump, she wouldn’t allow it at her house
@@ObamaFromKenya ???? what do you mean?
@@captainpinky8307 They wouldn't let USSS agents use their bathrooms. The Trump administration was basically a four-year scam, with regards to the Secret Service. $200,000,000 just on golf at the president's clubs - with Secret Service agents having to stay at his places, of course. They didn't care about the health or safety of the Secret Service, wouldn't wear masks during COVID, and a lot of Secret Service agents got sick, and even complained publicly, which is totally unheard of in the history of the Secret Service. It's a long list of incompetence and crimes, as with anything Trump-related. I'll take a president who stutters occasionally over that, any time.
4:12 What a burn, "Unlike on Delta these are trained professionals" hahaha
That's not what he said.
@@NickTemperistic it's called paraphrasing
@@michaeledmunds7266 paraphrasing is a fancy word that people use when they don't remember or listen to what the person actually said.
I really don't think it was a burn, considering how well Delta pays its cabin crew and pilots. I think he was just literally pointing out this isn't your typical airline crew.
@@77794471 Agreed
This guy is such a good man, you can tell by his eyes. He has also been in battles. Makes me proud noble warriors exist still. You're the best of all of us America, don't let people bring you down.
As someone who knows people that have similar jobs, I nearly died at the opening statement!!! I’ve had friends describe it as watching paint dry and grass growing. I think it all depends on the particular detail.
I watched a presidential motorcade go by. About 3/4 of the way back, there was an old, faded, dirty electrician's van, with a ladder on the roof and so on, sticking out like a sore thumb.... and standing in the open back door, a fully equipped SWAT / HRT officer.
On the inside is one of the most heavily armed vans you could ever imagine. Imagine a SWAT team on steroids.
@@user-vn3si7vs5u I could put anyone of them in the crossface chicken wing
Counter assault team
0:32 Air Force One
5:33 Dave
8:24 Angel Has Fallen
11:19 Along Came A Spider
14:06 Jackie
17:23 The American President
19:48 Veep
I was at GWB's inauguration. We got there a few days early and the Secret Service was already closing off buildings. Anywhere the President was expected was searched by agents and dogs and then sealed. Most of the agents doing this mundane job that day were like 22 -24 years old.
I went to a school that George H. W. Bush came to speak at, while campaigning in 1988. He spoke on stage at the school theater, which had a side door that the theater kids used to use as a shortcut sometimes. Predictable thing happened: one kid, apparently oblivious that Bush was on stage, came in through the side door and ended up with a gun in his face. That's the story, anyway. You'd think that USSS agents would have simply locked that door, but maybe they wanted it unlocked in case of an emergency, if they needed to get out that way in a hurry.
@@linusp9316locking the door seems like it could've been a safety thing because if he needed to be moved quickly, a locked door would be a hindrance. also they aren't supposed to evacuate through a crowd or go through the front doors so having a side or back door readily available seems to be needed
He was fantastic. I'd love to get his views on JFKs security detail too.
And his honest opinion on the agents that day!
Yeah he’s not going to criticize them…
How y’all miss “my date with the presidents daughter?”😂
Omg love that movie, forgot about it until now !
Woulda had concentric circles of protection around that movie theater.
Those Secret Service agents would be out of a job for allowing two teenagers to dupe them.
George W. Bush dated Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia. Apparently it didn't go all that well. I wonder if they had Secret Service protection during the date.
I gotta watch that now! #nostalgia
Idk why but I love him and want to see more secret service break down
With this rate Secret Service will run out of new protection ideas to invent before they reveal all the old ones lol
You love the "Mystery" of the person, the urge to know the person more, which is perfectly normal.
Tbh, it happens as well when we're searching for our better half / partner.
I like this guy, he’s so well articulate during the breakdown, showing signs of intelligent and professionalism. Best portrait of secret service imho.
Theres a video with a kickass female agent
He can’t. They sign an NDA usually not to reveal too much information.
This dude totally changed my perception of The Secret Service, and I would hire him instantly and would fully trust him to protect me and my family!
Yeah seems crazy Nixon declined Secret Service protection post presidency
“Have u seen Where my protectee is???”
Lmao I lost it….😂😂🤣
Bring this guy back! He is entertaining. Can tell the difference between movies and real life, while also enjoying and finding the good in movies.
It's always a pleasure listening to someone who knows what he's talking about. Still, I am missing the movies Absolute Power, In the Line of Fire and the shows West Wing and House of Cards. These would have been interesting too. Maybe he does part 2 some day?
I was surprised that there's no West Wing here.
@Stefan Finke In The Line of Fire had 63year old Clint Eastwood running next to the limo, old agents don’t run next to limos
@@ObamaFromKenya Yepp. In the movie it was motivated by a special permission due to the hero's history with JFK in Dallas.
Insider's channel did West Wing. 1/10 :P Which I thought was harsh, basically she didn't like that they didn't move him out of the Oval Office and all its windows after an attempted shooting. Which is fair but right afterward she gave the Sinbad movie like a 5...
He's like one of them cool teachers but they flip out when he's pissed
"Hey, do you know where my protectee is?"
This guy is so calm and articulate. I could listen to em all day
... to him* all day.
What if the president said “eat that sandwich that’s an order”.
no joke, I'd imagine he'd call someone in to be on guard while he ate the sandwich.
President has no authority over the secret service. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces, that's it. That's what compartmentalize means and that's the separation of power. President is not a divine all powerful god king.
@@externallife1043 that would be cool if it was though, if I was president I would make people eat their underwear for my amusement, even if u got boxers on you still gotta eat em
@@externallife1043 True. The Secret Service is under DHS. So theoretically he can tell the DHS Sec to do it, but that’s highly unlikely.
@purplerains Actually what he said was that random stops like that are very, very, rare.
He has a very calming voice.
Wow that must be a rough conversation to have with the president's kids, especially if they're young. "Listen kid, you've just become the most important child in the US and there are certain people who would like to harm you and here's how".
You want to guess how many computer based courses they have to take on OpSec and the like?..
I once worked at an outdoor event that a high level government official was attending. It was in a big grassy park with some small wooded areas and trails. Eventually the crowd started to disperse towards the stage where the government official was set to begin his speech, at which point I noticed a man wearing a dark green suit, black sunglasses, and an ear piece on the grass just off the path.
I thought it was just a weird fashion choice at first but then I started to look around and I suddenly noticed DOZENS of these guys in green suits all around us, walking on the grass along the edges of the crowds and standing between the trees. It's crazy how well they blended in with the environment in just a dark green suit and sunglasses. My boss said they were secret service and had been patrolling the area around us all day but I hadn't noticed them until then.
I found myself, quite by accident, in the midst of Dr. Biden and her agents at the college when she was Second Lady. My company had given me specific instructions on how to behave around the detail. When I realized it, I immediately raised both hands and said "oh sh*t I'm sorry!" They just waved me along. Dr. Biden smiled and said hello. It was so low key I didn't realize it until I was right on top of them.
When you realized what?
@@c5mjohn That I was much closer than I was told was acceptable.
th-cam.com/video/nVR6aqEnn1c/w-d-xo.html
She's not a real doctor lol
@@johnmarks9994 youre not a real person
I love this series or the presentation of a former government agent breaking down films.
Thanks n bravo 👍🏼
I love this intro. Spent hours at a wedding recently talking to another one of the groomsman I hadn’t met who had just left secret service. Out of everything he had to say, what he kept repeating was how boring it was.
Your timing is...
Let's go with 'impeccable.'
FBI has entered the chat 😂
Very
I always enjoy these breakdown. So fascinating! I was in college during the 2004 presidential election and the security when a candidate came to campus was invisible but felt. They shut down my entire building during an on campus visit and while it was a pain, I understood it.
I appreciate the professionalism shown in this video. I hope he is still working in the security field.
My uncle worked on The West Wing and was given a few pointers about protection details that the showrunners had gotten wrong in a few scenes. One in particular was when the VP was getting into his limo, an agent was holding an umbrella because it was raining. My uncle was told that wouldn't be right because their hands are free to provide protection.
you mean because their hands would not be free to provide protection.. You better rephrase that sentence..
@@onnowesterman4825 The actual secret service's hands are/would be free to provide protection. The show agents' hands were not free to provide protection. It was plenty clear.
One of my favorites in the series so far. He’s a very concise and personable speaker. Great casting choice!
This series is one of the best on TH-cam currently
This was an outstanding video. Informative and well done. One of the better ones Vanity Fair has done.
I love videos like this that have been coming out because it helps as a great resource for writers
I wish he’d done a West Wing episode
TIL that "anomalous" is Secret Service speak for "BS."
Yea, in this context "anomalous" means, "we don't have a specific rule against it, but it would never happen".
@@hamsterfromabove8905 Technically the USSS train for any eventuality they can think of, but some things get missed or are deemed too unlikely to happen. Essentially it's not that it would never happen, but that it'd be extremely unlikely in the manner it was shown, due to the techniques they use. Hence why he says anomalous. It'd be an anomaly. But they can and have happened before an almost certainly will happen again.
@@30secondstomarsMBH If the chance is greater than zero, best to have a plan for it.
18:37 Famous example of this: Archduke Franz Fernidand was assassinated after his driver made a wrong turn, and out of sheer coincidence, got stuck in a traffic jam RIGHT next to where one of the assassins had stopped for a sandwich after the bombing attempted had failed
I see the VC-25, aka Air Force one when the President is on board, frequently when it is practicing Touch and go landings at Newport News Airport. It's an incredible aircraft. Also, I knew quite a few Secret Service Agents back in the late 80s when a dear friend and her husband were agents. I was a Flight Attendant then and would have the advance teal of the protection detail on flights.
How about “In The Line of Fire”? Clint Eastwood film.
That's the 1st film I thought of.
I can suggest 2 other "president" protection movies - "The Tall Target" is about the plot to assassinate Lincoln before the inauguration and "Suddenly" is about a plot to assassinate an unnamed president. I really enjoyed "The Tall Target".
Need more of this guy.
I think one of the funniest things the Secret Service had to contend with is one of Jimmy Carter's sons. I think it was Chip. He would go off horseback riding with his "team". At some point he would find a way to ditch them. Mind you, this would be in the middle of nowhere.
Chip (or whatever son it was) would get a good lead on his protection. At least a 1/4 mile or more. He would carry a gun with him legally.
At some point he would stop, fire off a round, then lay down next to his horse and then wait for the reaction when his "team" caught up to him.
Those that were regularly assigned knew the drill but he would do this to the "newbies" that were assigned while the others went along with it.
I am betting that he made more than a few crap their pants.
He looks so approachable and kind but I'm sure he could snap my neck in a second if he had to, kinda like how you know bears are dangerous but you still want to pet them
I liked the photos in the beginning, like "You've seen me a hundred times, you just didn't know it."
Leonard Zelig
this guy is intimidating in the weirdest way. knowing he'd do anything to protect the office of the president makes him very formidable.
It’s the fact that we don’t know what he’s capable of 😭
I was just a child when the attempt was made on Ronald Reagan's life. I watched the tapes, and that's when you realize exactly what they will do. They will literally take a bullet for the President. It's an incredible thing to witness, and the agents who protected him and saved his life should be commended. I am glad they all survived. It was incredible that they did, because I think two of them were shot. One, for sure, who made himself the target, and took bullets directly to the abdomen. Absolute courage and quick acting/thinking. We already know they will kill someone who tries to harm the President - that is a given. I think the more amazing aspect is that they will lay down their own life to protect the office of the President for the nation to keep running as it should, as the People intended. That is a rare trait. There are few people who can say they would lay down their life for a complete stranger - especially if it's someone they may disagree with politically. I think it's something we should think about. Just because someone has a differing viewpoint doesn't make them a bad person, it just means they disagree on how the budget should be spent, etc. Look beyond what the news says, and get to know a person, and look things up on your own. As this video shows, not everything you see is true.
Wow man
His calm posture with effective explanation was just Awesome 👍
I like how he talk he's really precisely he takes about 2 or 3 minutes just to explain a scene in details idk why but when I hear him explaining and sharing his experience I feel comfortable
I remember flying Space A into KADW and we taxied right up next to the 747 (Not Air Force 1 at that moment) used by the president. I was thinking, "Wow! It's just right there." We debarked on the tarmac within a few yards. He's right, there is an intrinsic atmosphere of awe surrounding the aircraft.
This is awesome. We need more!
Thank you for your review. It was very informative, educational, and humorous.
This guy looks so nice its hard to believe he's also a trained killer at a moments notice.
Is anyone gonna talk about how he dodged saying the black man on 6:42? 😂😂😂
Lmao I was looking for this comment
But what about House of Cards, where the President literally gets shot?
R.I.P. Edward Meechum 💔 😪
This man did a great job! I watch all of these and this is one of my top! So interesting.
Having toured AF1, I can confirm - that aircraft is indeed breathtaking.
In "Along came a spider", she was a dirty agent so she could have purposely set up the very failings that were stated
I never watched that movie i was going to watch it after i watched in this clip. 😂😂
Yes. And also it wasn't the president's daughter. It was a relatively unknown Senator.
you mean to tell me that this teddy bear of a guy is a secret service agent?
cool
Former secret service agent
"Gee. This sandwich is not gonna do me any good..."
Agent: *"NNNnnnnoooOOOOOOO!!!"*
_slow motion belly flops onto the table_
"Drones strikes have become a credible threat. "
🤣 we've been killing people with them for years🤣
Well never was the technology as readily available as right now because now that technology is much cheaper and readily available where you have non state actors able to secure Drone technology.
How could you not have him react to guarding Tess. An entire movie about Secret Service agents.
oh yes loved that movie
He should've done First Kid with Sinbad. I would've loved to hear his opinion on that one. lmao
I was thinking the same thing!
There's another video with a female SS agent where they cover it
This guy is very good at answering questions without actually answering the questions lol
You hang around politicians long enough you start to pick up some skills.
Very interesting. I thought the comments on "off the record movements" was interesting. It would be fun to get Jonathan back and comment on some actual movements. Particularly when Mikhail Gorbachev did an importune "meet the people" on a random street in NY and the Clintons when in Australia at Sydney's The Rocks. I remember a huge crowd and Bill standing on the door opening of his limo with as a Secret Service person had a hold of the back of his jacket ready to drag him into the limo.
This guy knows the secrets of area 51.
What ones
Not necessarily. Stuff like that, even if it is just mundane military secrets, would surely be on a 'need to know' basis, and Secret Service members would generally not need to know. They might know a little bit if they were in the room when someone in the know was talking about it, or if they were protecting someone visiting the base.
nope. compartmentalisation :)
Nah youd have to be at the top of the top to know details like that. Even the president probably doesnt know
Its unlikely that he'd know anything. He was likely just part of the muscle. Relatively low level of security clearance (relatively low for a secret service agent).
Life on a submarine: 99% pure boredom, 1% pure terror.
I enjoy these videos. This was probably one of the most interesting!
i like how they never said anything about the scene in olympus has fallen where they are on the bridge leaving camp david. there is no bridge near camp david let alone on it. it’s a small compound on the top of a mountain
They also didn't talk about this movie at all. They featured Angel has Fallen.
Prolonged periods of boredom, broken up by periods of shear terror. Sounds like my deployments in the army.
Idk why, but my only fear in this video is him accidentally leaking information.
Everything is public information. There are clips of them doing their jobs in public, just watch and learn.
I mean, he said he wouldn’t speak on anything that wasn’t public knowledge.
I believe they've been briefed on what considered as classified and non-classified informations
@@primemate8163 They probably had a pre-publication review required.
@@MichaelOnines yep. They'll always review everything that is about them before its published just in case an agent or whoever disclosed a little too much info.
Really enjoyed this clip, thank you for sharing.
I hope we have a part 2 with him someday. He's great and there are plenty of cool movies that are left to cover.
Some what ironic this was recommended to me during today’s news
What was the news ?
@@carlangaz007 can’t remember think it might of been the riots at the capital
Congress doesn’t have the same level of protection
@@elijahgavin6706 Members of Congress were most likely in on the attack, too - panic buttons disabled, insurrectionists inexplicably being given guided tours of the building in the few days prior to the attack, etc.. It was a very sad and pitiful day in our history, but the FBI has done a pretty good job so far in rounding the insurrectionists up. Several hundred arrests already.
The two things that you don't forget about the air force one (the big one) is how small it is inside and how enormous the engines are. I was one it once.
I mean it's a 747, right?
20:18 he’s so proud of the fact he’s laughed at a First Ladies joke, this man is adorable
This is one guy that could talk through a whole movie and nobody would get mad.
I wonder if he has his own security company now that he’s retired 🤔 If so I would love to hire him once I get rich 😂
I want to know what this mans take on the security of recent events is
17:30 Great Scott, it's Marty McFly!!
Upcoming video: “Former President of United States Reviews Presidential Films” (Trump)
I'd watch it
🤣🤣🤣
It'd be 6 hours of how much better he did it.
@@dalpz205 you beat me to it. "I would've done a much better job. I would've built a wall around the location, there would have been champagne, and my hair would've looked much more fabulous"
@@dadjake Hahahahaha 😂