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THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin FADE IN: As the OPENING TTTLES ROLL against a series of shots of statues and paintings of former presidents, we HEAR shards of dialogue from various presidential speeches. MAIN TITLES END ON EXT. BEAUTIFUL ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE WHI
FADE IN:
As the OPENING TTTLES ROLL against a series of shots of
statues and paintings of former presidents, we HEAR shards of
dialogue from various presidential speeches.
MAIN TITLES END ON
EXT. BEAUTIFUL ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY
It's an early November morning, and the sun has just come
over this extraordinary building. WE HOLD on this for a moment
before we
CUT TO:
INT. A CORRIDOR IN THE RESIDENCE - DAY
A SECRET SERVICE AGENT presses the button by the private
elevator as he talks into his shirt cuff.
AGENT COOPER
Liberty's moving.
Another AGENT rounds the corner into the corridor and is
followed a step or two later by
PRESIDENT ANDREW BENJAMIN SHEPHERD.
SHEPHERD's walking with his personal assistant, JANIE, a shy,
professional and incredibly efficient 25-year-old.
JANIE
The 10:15 event's been moved inside
to the Indian Treaty Room.
SHEPHERD
(to Janie)
The 10:15 is American Fisheries?
JANIE
Yes, sir. They're giving you a
200-pound halibut.
SHEPHERD
Janie, make a note. We need to
schedule more events where somebody
gives me a really big fish.
JANIE starts to make a note.
JANIE
Yes, sir.
SHEPHERD
Janie, I was kidding.
JANIE
Of course, sir.
SHEPHERD
(to the AGENT at the
elevator)
Hey, Cooper.
AGENT COOPER
'Morning, Mr. President.
SHEPHERD and JANIE enter the elevator. As the doors close...
JANIE
Mr. Rothschild asked to have a moment
with you this morning.
SHEPHERD
Is he upset about the speech last night?
JANIE
He seemed concerned.
SHEPHERD
Well, it wouldn't be a Monday morning
unless Lewis was concerned about
something I did Sunday night.
The elevator doors open, revealing LEWIS ROTHSCHILD. At 32,
LEWIS is the President's chief domestic policy advisor. It
would appear that he averages about two hours sleep a night,
though that doesn't seem to slow him down.
LEWIS
You skipped the whole paragraph.
SHEPHERD
(to Janie)
And Monday morning it is.
LEWIS falls into the pace as the three of them head for the
double doors leading to the South Lawn.
LEWIS
"American can no longer afford to
pretend that they live in a great
society"...and then nothing. You
dumped the whole handguns paragraph.
SHEPHERD
This is a time for prudence, Lewis.
LEWIS
That was the kick-ass section.
The three of them are now OUTSIDE and making their way down
the COVERED WALKWAY that runs from the East Wing to the West
Wing.
SHEPHERD
I thought what with being the
President and all...
LEWIS
Sir, of course I didn't mean to
imply--
SHEPHERD
I thought you'd be turning cartwheels
this morning, Lewis -- 63 percent job
approval.
LEWIS
That's great news, sir, but...
They walk past a GROUNDKEEPER who's at work at a patch of grass.
GROUNDKEEPER
'Morning, Mr. President.
Before he's even completed the last syllable of the greeting,
JANIE quickly and quietly said--
JANIE
Charlie.
SHEPHERD
'Morning, Charlie.
LEWIS
Sir, the press is gonna need an
explanation.
SHEPHERD
For what?
SHEPHERD, LEWIS and JANIE walk through the door being held
open by an AGENT. The conversation continues as they make
their way through the corridors of
INT. THE WEST WING - DAY
They walk quickly down a hallway teeming with STAFFERS, AIDES
AND OFFICE WORKERS.
LEWIS
Because you dropped the whole kick-ass
section, now we've got this thing hanging
out there.
SHEPHERD
There's a thing hanging out there?
LEWIS
"Americans can no longer afford to
pretend that they live in a great
society." Then ...nothing. No
explanation. No context. So now i
t's just this thing.
SHEPHERD
And it's hanging out there?
LEWIS
Yes, sir.
SHEPHERD stops at an open doorway, calls to a STAFFER--
SHEPHERD
Maria--
STAFFER (MARIA)
Good morning, sir.
SHEPHERD
Did they tell you I'm gonna need--
STAFFER (MARIA)
--overall consumer spending and not
just first homes. Yes, sir. We'll have
it for you in 15 minutes.
SHEPHERD
Thanks.
SHEPHERD moves on. LEWIS and JANIE stay with him.
LEWIS
Mr. President, I really feel we need
to focus on...
SHEPHERD
Lewis, however much coffee you drink
in the morning, I want you to reduce it
by half.
LEWIS
I don't drink coffee.
SHEPHERD
Then hit yourself over the head with
a baseball bat, would you please?
Another STAFFER crosses their path--
JANIE
Happy birthday, Laura.
SHEPHERD
Hey, Laura, happy birthday.
STAFFER (LAURA)
Thank you, sir.
Once out of earshot--
SHEPHERD
(to JANIE)
I should send her some flowers.
JANIE
You already did, sir.
And, with that, they walk through a doorway and into
INT. THE OVAL OFFICE - DAY
In the OUTER OFFICE, MRS. CHAPIL, the President's secretary,
is hard at work on a word processor. She stands as SHEPHERD
walks in--
MRS. CHAPIL
Good morning, Mr. President.
SHEPHERD
How're you, Mrs. Chapil?
MRS. CHAPIL
Fine, thank you, sir. Mr. Kodak left
the detailed breakdown of the approval
poll for you. He seemed to indicate that
it was very good news.
SHEPHERD
Sixty-three percent of it, at any rate.
And by now they're in the OVAL OFFICE itself. SHEPHERD has
gone to his desk and is looking over the various overnight
briefing memos that have been left for him. As someone used
to doing six things at once, he has no trouble reading,
listening, and talking at the same time.
MRS. CHAPIL
Lucy called just a moment ago. You
forgot to sign her permission slip
for her class--
JANIE
--the museum trip. I'll go get it.
SHEPHERD
(to JANIE)
What time does she get home today?
JANIE
Three-twenty.
SHEPHERD
How's my afternoon look?
JANIE
Very crowded.
SHEPHERD
Schedule some time for me at 3:30.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Buenos dias, Senor Presidente.
This from ROBIN McCALL, a strikingly tall black woman and the
President's press secretary, as she strides into the room.
SHEPHERD
Too-tall McCall, how was Mexico?
ROBIN
I didn't truly appreciate it until I
came back and discovered that America
isn't a great society.
LEWIS
(to ROBIN)
He dumped a whole section.
SHEPHERD
Now there's a thing hanging out there.
ROBIN
Not a great society, sir?
SHEPHERD
Well, with you out of the country, it
wasn't, Robin. Now that you're back,
we're great again.
ROBIN
There's a press room full of people
saying "What did he mean by that?"
LEWIS
See?
SHEPHERD
(re: a memo he's been
looking at)
A.J., did you get one of these?
This is said to A. J. MACINERNEY as he walks through a
separate entrance on the left side of the room. In addition
to being the President's Chief of Staff and closest advisor,
he's the President's closest and oldest friend.
A.J.
Is that the letter from Solomon at
the GDC?
SHEPHERD
It would appear to be a letter from
the entire environmental community.
These people are outta control.
A.J.
I think they're just frustrated,
Mr. President.
ROBIN
Are they blaming the President for
global warming?
A.J.
Well, they don't think he caused it,
if that's what you mean.
(continuing;
to SHEPHERD)
Sir, I'm on the phone with these
people twice a week. I honestly
don't know what they want at this
point.
LEWIS
What they want is a 20 percent reduction in
fossil fuel emissions.
A.J.
It won't pass at 20 percent.
LEWIS
We haven't really tried.
A.J.
Lewis, McSorley, McCluskey and Shane
hold too many markers. If we try to
push this through and lose, there will
be a very loud thud when we hit the
ground, and that's not what you want in
an election year.
SHEPHERD
Talk to the GDC again, A.J. Tell them
the President resents the implication
that he's turned his back on the
environment. Tell them I'll send 455 to
the floor. But we're gonna ask for a
10 percent reduction. If they want to pull
their support, fine. At
