Captain America #344 took place at a time when Steve Rogers gave up the Captain America identity and became the Captain (we'll get to that a little later). Viper of the Serpent Society poisoned Washington DC's water supply and the result was that President Reagan was transformed into a snake that Cap had to battle. Although never mentioned by name, the President in the issue is clearly drawn to be Reagan. The cover text reads, "The Captain vs. the Deadliest Snake of All!" and the title of the issue, "Don't Tread On Me", is found on the Gadsen flag (along with a snake), a popular image among conservative movements. The issue also features Viper attacking the First Lady and saying that she's not worth the bullets and the final image, which shows "Reagan" giving a speech after he's returned to normal, depicts the president still having fangs in his mouth. Usually when Presidents appear in comics, they're mostly depicted in shadow and appear extremely benign. But depicting a Reagan lookalike as "the deadliest snake of all" in a 1988 comic is pretty partisan, even if he's transformed against his will.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
