The time George W Bush revealed that Transformers is based on true events

It was a big moment for Michael Bay. He’d had some huge hits with Armageddon and Bad Boys 2. But Transformers was the biggest, most expensive film he’d ever made and not only was it being shown in public for the first time, but the President of the United States – George W Bush himself, would be sitting next to the director for the screening.

“Yeah, I was nervous. Of course I was. It was the President,” recalled Mr Bay

“Whatever you think of a President, you want the guy to like your picture, you know?”

To begin with, happily for Mr Bay, the President seemed to enjoy the film.

“Yeah, he was laughing and cheering, and when Megan Fox bent over, he made this guttural grunting sound.”

However, at the halfway point the President went very quiet indeed.

“It was just as Optimus Prime first appeared. He looked shocked, stunned,” said the Pearl Harbour director.

“I asked him if he was okay and he just looked at me very strangely and said ‘Mikey, it’s a good thing that there are only a few of us who know how true this is.’

“I looked at him and he looked at me and, I could see in his eyes. There was truth in those eyes.”

Shortly afterwards, the President was bundled from the theatre.

“Yeah, it was quick. I heard Vice President Dick Cheney curse, and then the Secret Service were pushing the President away. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw the Vice President kick the President in the pants and call him a ‘stupid f**king stupid f**k,’ or something like that, and then they were gone.”

“Well, I didn’t think anything of it, I mean, it was the President, you know? He’s probably always being bundled off to do more important things.”

“But, now, I look back at that moment and wonder what I stumbled on. I mean, there can’t really be giant space-robots that transform into trucks and cars, can there?”

The White House refuses to comment on Mr Bay’s claims, and neither does the giant red sentient 18-wheeler parked in the driveway.