THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

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 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 63 percent job
  approval rating. I don't need their help
  getting a bill passed. We gotta get going--
  where's Leon?

    A.J.
      (to an AIDE)
  Would you call Mr. Kodak and tell him
  the President's--

 A.J.'s sentence is cut short by the sound of a head-on
 pedestrian collision in the outer office--

    MRS. CHAPIL (O.S.)
  Aaagh!

    KODAK (O.S.)
  Sorry! Sorry, my fault.

    A.J.
      (to the AIDE)
  Never mind.

 LEON KODAK comes into the oval office. The White House
 pollster is a likable, if clumsy, numbers whiz. He, along
 with A.J., LEWIS, and ROBIN, are regarded as the President's
 Starting Team. The people in this room have grown very close
 over the past few years.