Seven Game of Thrones characters who would make good presidents

7. Jon Snow

The new King in the North might seem a likely contender for a higher spot on this list, but Jon Snow suffers from several deficiencies that hold him back from being a truly great leader. But first, let’s look at his strengths.

Jon leads from the front. He inspires his supporters by putting in the work necessary to accomplish his goals, whether it’s personally traveling beyond the Wall to save the wildlings or being on the front lines during the Battle of the Bastards. Jon keeps his word, and integrity is one of the most important factors with voters. He’s also proven he’s not married to one rigid set of beliefs. For example, wildlings had been fighting the Night’s Watch for thousands of years, but that didn’t prevent Jon from seeing them as potential allies. That’s some outside-the-box thinking.

Additionally, Jon has a knack for turning individual enemies into stalwart allies, as he did with Tormund Giantsbane. Working with your enemies is key in politics, as one party very rarely has the ability to accomplish anything without nominal support from the other side. He’s also capable of navigating tricky situations, as when he tolerated Stannis’ time at the Wall without fully pledging the Night’s Watch to Stannis’ cause. Jon Snow does know something.

However, Jon is held back from greatness by a trait he inherited from his surrogate father, Ned Stark. Like Ned, Jon has shown a lack of self-awareness when he believes his actions are justified. Yes, Jon saved the wildlings at Hardhome and yes, that goal was honorable. But he didn’t consider the degree to which the other Night’s Watchmen weren’t ready to make nice with their sworn enemies. Had Jon spent more time listening to his men, perhaps they wouldn’t have killed him.