Told through a collection of voice-overs by central character Elena as she reads from her diary, the series centers on the 13-year-old Cuban American girl, who attends middle school as she aspires to be a future president of the United States.

[7] Elena is a 13-year-old Cuban American girl who attends middle school and must make her way through the personal and social pressures of adolescence.

On January 31, 2019, it was announced that Disney+ had ordered a ten episode first season of a new single-camera comedy, which was originally titled Diary of a Female President.

[14] It was reported that the series was created by Ilana Peña, who would also serve as an executive producer alongside Gina Rodriguez and Emily Gipson.

[8][15] CBS chief creative officer David Nevins stated that the series was considered to air on The CW, but that it was more ultimately more suitable for the target audience of Disney+.

[18] In July 2019, executive producer Rodriguez was announced to be playing the adult version of Elena, who appears in flashforwards as she undertakes her political campaign.

[19] It was also announced that Tess Romero and Charlie Bushnell would be playing siblings Elena and Bobby respectively, while Selenis Leyva was cast as their mother, Gabi; and Michael Weaver as her love interest, Sam.

[28] According to Whip Media, Diary of a Future President was the 3rd rising show, based on the week-over-week growth in episodes watched for a specific program, during the week of August 22, 2021.

[30] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter complimented how the series manages to focus on different aspects of adolescence, while praising the performances of the cast and its diversity.

[32] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated the show 3 out of 5 stars, found the depiction of self-assurance and positivity across Romero's character inspirational, and complimented the diversity among the cast members.