03x01 - #thesystemisbroken

[bunniefuu]

Only one month after announcing his candidacy for election, President Tom Kirkman needed a home run at his State of the Union.

Instead, he struck out and hit himself in the head with his own bat.

[REPORTER ON TV]
Last night's State of the Union was an irrefutable disaster, and heading into the campaign season, could it put the kibosh on President Tom Kirkman's chances for election?
Coming up next to give his answer to that question, presumptive Republican nominee Cornelius Moss Seth, we need to change the narrative.

[STAMMERING]
Uh, yeah!
I have some ideas to run by Mark.

- Don't bother.

- But he's my boss.

The communications director is no longer in the employ of the US government.

Oh, my God, you fired him.

Chiefs of Staff sometimes have to do that, Seth.

Yeah, of course, I wasn't implying that The news media needs a new story.

Steer them on to the infrastructure vote coming up.

I don't think that's gonna be enough to distract the press from last night.

- [SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
- They're like a dog with a bone.

You know how to get a bone away from a dog, don't you?
I really hope you're not gonna say, "sh**t the dog."
We're in the barrel here.

Yeah, that's another phrase that's always confused me.

People say it all the time around here In the barrel of a g*n pointed at you.

Yeah, I don't think that's it.

Seth, change the narrative.

Or you and Mark can meet up at the public library for their resume-writing workshop.

I hear it's very informative.

[REPORTER 1 ON TV] sort of unforced error from happening?

[REPORTER 2] Don't blame the new Chief of Staff Mars Harper.

He's the consummate Washington insider.

Runs a tight ship.

This is all Kirkman, a political novice committing political seppuku Back to work.

Hi.

I need five minutes with the president.

Not happening today.

When I was hired, I was told he wanted to make the Office of Social Innovation a priority.

He does.

We all do.

Who wouldn't?
I have a proposal to repurpose some USAID funding for anti-parasitic dr*gs in Africa.

50 cents a year per child I wanna update you before the principals' meeting.

- I'm talking with him.

- [MARS] Thank you, Isabel.

She doesn't appear to like you very much.

Appearances can be deceiving.

What news from the national security advisor?
Puerto Rico.

The hurricane has near incapacitated the saline industry, specifically the production of sodium chloride injection bags.

That's pretty specific.

It could put us in a vulnerable position.

- How so?
- Unexpected m*llitary conflict arises, we could be left short-handed.

We need to find a way to shore up the medical products manufacturing sector.

- I'll look into it.

- All right.

Oh, and speaking of medical products, we gotta get that drink that we keep saying we're gonna get.

- We got to.

When's good?
- How's next January?
Book it.

The chair of the DNC's in the Roosevelt Room.

She'd like a word.

I can't stand that woman.

don't recall ever throwing any tantrums like that during my Why are there so many g*dd*mn television sets in this g*dd*mn place?
Ah.

Looking for office space?
I believe this room is spoken for.

It's not too late, Mars.

Too late for what, Meg?
It's not too late for him to drop out of the race.

But we already filled out the statement of candidacy with the FEC, and you know what a pain in the ass those folks can be about giving anything back.

He's gonna siphon votes away from us, which will result in Moss winning, which will result in the end of the progressive agenda as we know it.

Know what?
If you're worried about vote-splitting, maybe you guys should be the ones to drop out.

The Democratic Party?
We should drop out?
I got the president.

What do you got?
[TOM ON TV] sitting on your hands doing nothing, being obstructionist, playing party politics.

Both parties!
- MAN: Illegitimate!
- "Illegitimate" is not an argument, sir.

If name-calling and petty grievances are what serve for debate in this great chamber, then Congress truly is in a sorry, sorry state.

All you wanna do is tear things down.

It is shameful.

The system is broken, and you people broke it.

Well, I really screwed that up, didn't I?
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
You'd think I was Khrushchev at the UN, when the real story should be the Senate putting political expedience above doing anything virtuous.

Hell, doing anything at all.

Not to mention what nobody's mentioning, is that absolutely everything I said last night was the truth!
Maybe it's not what you said, Mr. President, so much as how you said it.

Oh, please.

So I offended their delicate sensibilities?
These sons of b*tches are gonna use this to bring down the infrastructure bill, I know it.

Last check, OLA says that we've got the numbers to pass the bill.

Was that last check before last night?
We need to get the vice president here.

She has the ear of the Democratic caucus.

We need her to start whipping support for the vote now.

- Yes, sir.

- This doesn't make sense.

It's good for their states, their constituents, and they don't care?
It's obvious they don't care about a bridge collapse in North Carolina.

The bodies are still being pulled out of the rubble.

All due respect, Mr.

President, I've been in this town a hell of a lot longer than you have, and if there's one constant to which you can set your watch, it's that this, too, shall pass.

[SCOFFS]
So you're a watch guy, too?
Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

It's becoming the story of my life.

What else we got?
Priority number one has got to be tapping a first-rate campaign manager.

- Did you check the list?
- I did.

But I wanna talk to someone who's not on it.

Lorraine Zimmer.

She deputied Moss's run.

So she'd know the playbook on him.

Could be invaluable.

I also hear she's party agnostic.

I would like you to set up the meet.

Will do, sir.

Now, you need to lobby some senators, so maybe put on a suit.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING OVER RADIO]
- [THUD]
- [BRAKES SCREECHING]
[GASPS]
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
- Seth?
- How's Florida?
It's humid and infuriating.

How's DC?
Cold and infuriating.

I bet it is, especially after last night.

Oh, you watched?
Yes, Seth, I watched the president deliver the State of the Union.

- What'd you think?
- You mean policy-wise, or Emily, what'd you think?
It was refreshing, actually.

It was nice to hear some honesty in and about the swamp.

[CHUCKLES]
Maybe you could convey that to the swamp, 'cause we're getting absolutely m*rder*d up here.

Why are you calling, Seth?
Look, obviously we're going through a a bit of a rough patch here.

Um The president's been, you know, different since you left.

Different how?
[SETH]
I don't wanna say unmoored, but you were always sort of the Kirkman whisperer, and I thought if you could If you could come back, you know, just maybe for a visit.

I don't know, Seth.

My mom's not doing so well and needs me here, so I get it.

I do.

Maybe just think about it?
I'll think about it, all right?
[SETH]
All right.

While I have you, you know that phrase "in the barrel," like, "We're in the barrel"?
Where does that come from?
What?
I don't know, like, going over the falls in a barrel?
Mmm, I don't think that's it.

Goodbye.

[REPORTER ON TV]
what the senator said wasn't wrong, either - Who was that on the phone?
- Seth.

Oh, I like him.

He gives such good briefings.

a broken system, when he's part of the reason it's broken?
- You two had a thing, didn't you?
- Barely.

He wants me to go back to DC, but I don't think I'm going to.

Why not?
You've got the oncologist, and you've got the clinic for chemo, and I want to be here with you.

[SIGHS]
Don't be silly.

You put that app on my phone.

I can call an Uber.

- Mom - Emily, I'm perfectly capable of getting to an appointment by myself.

And if you hadn't quit your job, that's exactly what I'd be doing.

[SIGHS]
I'll be fine, sweetheart.

Go take care of your own life.

Don't you have to pack out your apartment in DC anyway?
REPORTER: Kirkman clearly failed this fundamental test.

A president needs to be able to control his temper, especially when he's under att*ck.

Ellenor, thank you so much for coming.

Not at all.

I wanted to make an appointment anyway.

Has Mars spoken with your staff about the infrastructure vote tomorrow?
If he did, I hadn't heard.

I would really like it if you could talk to some of the fence-sitters in your party.

Also, the Office of Legislative Affairs thinks we have the vote, but I think you should be prepared to break the tie if it comes to that.

Ellenor, what's going on?
I have decided to put my name in for the Democratic nomination.

Wow.

I thought when we spoke about you taking this position, you said that you didn't wanna be president.

I didn't know you wanted to run.

You didn't consult me before you made your announcement.

- You didn't consult with anyone.

- I'm sorry, Ellenor.

I didn't realize my decision to run had to be cleared by you.

It's not just that.

My office provided a variety of perfectly viable policy advisements for the State of the Union.

You didn't listen to a one of them.

- So now you're running out of petulance?
- No, sir.

I am running because it is becoming clear that you and I have different visions for the future of this country.

You would be better served by a vice president who can toe the line.

You know what?
I'm not gonna argue with you.

Fine.

Stay for the vote and then you're free to go off and share your vision with the rest of America.

[SIGHS]
But you're not gonna do that, are you?
You won't let me have this win even though you know it's the right thing for the country.

So you think I'm illegitimate, too.

I am sorry, Mr.President.

So am I.

I'll accept your resignation.

That's all.

[EMILY GASPS]
Sit down.

What the f*ck is this about, Hannah?
[EMILY EXHALES SHARPLY]
Where did you get this?
From your friend Valeria.

After she tried to k*ll me.

And you think that has something to do with this?
Unless provided with a better explanation, yes.

The president directed me to backchannel information to the Russians.

But beyond that, I cannot divulge any details.

Whatever happened between you and Valeria, I wasn't a part of it.

What are you gonna do?
t*rture me?
I have to attend a disciplinary hearing.

You think they'd be interested in this?
You really think the FBI doesn't already know?
If I find out you're lying to me, it would be redundant to say "I know where you live", right?
[KISSING]
- [ISABEL]
I got you something.

- What for?
You gotta have a reason?
Girl can't get you something?
It's made by orphan girls in Kenya.

[AARON]
Huh.

- We underwrite the program.

- [CHUCKLES]
Consider it a belated Día de Los Reyes gift.

What's that?
You're a terrible Latino.

No, I love it.

I just thought maybe it was a reward for pressing Mars on Puerto Rico.

Pressing him to do what?
Leadership's attaching a rider to the infrastructure bill.

The Puerto Rico relief package.

Who's a terrible Latino now?
- For who?
- What do you mean, "For who"?
The relief.

Is it for mainland corporations, - or for Puerto Ricans themselves?
- I'm just trying to help.

I'm sure you are.

And it doesn't hurt to prop up industry, but the people of Puerto Rico need this help a whole lot more.

- Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I know.

- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]
I gotta go.

[TOM]
Morning, Pen.

Checked it all last night.

Thanks, Dad.

[TOM]
You know, I was thinking I'd like you to call me Mr.

President like everybody else.

- Ha, you're so funny.

- I'm sorry I've been so busy.

I'd like us to have dinner tonight.

- Oh, I can't.

I have plans.

- Plans?
Yeah.

You're not the only one who's busy.

I've got an event in Iowa tomorrow.

The capital of Iowa is Des Moines.

Oh, yeah?
What's the capital of South Dakota?
You tell me.

- Bismarck.

- That's North Dakota.

I know.

I just wanna make sure you did.

Hey, come here.

Sit down.

I'm gonna have to do a lot more traveling in the coming months 'cause of the campaign.

And I realized I never talked to you about me running again.

How do you feel about it?
Well, I mean, it's kinda shitty, but I'll be okay.

Penelope Kirkman, your mother would've washed your mouth out with soap.

I saw the way you yelled at those people in Congress.

You can't get all weird about my saying one curse word.

Also, no one washes anyone's mouth out with soap anymore.

That's totally not a thing.

Okay.

Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?
I gotta go.

I'm gonna be late for school.

Good chat.

- How's the whip count?
- Closer than we'd like.

Is this Darby?
Are people getting cold feet because of her?
It's possible.

We could go back to Haskell or Carlin, repack the suitcase with their pet projects.

There's too much pork in the bill as it is.

Emily, I didn't know you were coming in today.

Neither did I.

Didn't see her name on the schedule.

Oh, it was a last minute addition.

- Mars Harper.

It's a pleasure.

- Emily Rhodes.

Same.

Oh.

You've got the director of Domestic Policy Council waiting, sir.

Right.

Come here.

Hopefully, we can catch up later.

- We will.

- [TOM]
Okay.

- You two seem to get along well.

- He terrifies me.

I love what you've done with the place.

I could put up some dream catchers or Ani DiFranco and Phish posters from college.

Or, I don't know, maybe a family photo like a normal human with a human connection.

Speaking of family, I did one of those "spit in the cup and send away your DNA" things.

- Really?
Why?
- I don't know, health reasons.

See if I have to worry about hereditary thrombophilia, things like that.

Also so I could learn about my birth parents.

- Mmm.

- How's your mom?
She's hanging in.

Ovarian cancer's a bitch.

Are you thinking of staying in Tampa for a while?
I don't know if I'm built for DC.

I wish you'd come back.

You know him better than anybody else.

You've been together since before he was president.

And it's not like you'd need to take your old job back.

God forbid.

[CHUCKLES]
Putting aside the fact that I almost sh*t my pants every time he walks by, Harper's really good at what he does.

And he knows everybody.

Obviously, that's why Kirkman brought him in.

But something's missing.

Someone's missing.

I was Chief of Staff.

What do you do after that?
They're creating new jobs around here all the time.

You could be whatever you want.

You know that.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Seth, you were supposed to start 15 minutes ago.

Just keep it in mind.

We could really use you around here.

Lorraine Zimmer's here.

Right.

Bring me up to speed on what she's been doing since she got Moss elected president.

She started her own PR and crisis management firm.

Mainly corporate clients.

They just helped a new app go public, something called Enjoy My Wheels.

They're disrupting the car rental biz the way Uber k*lled the taxi.

Apparently, folks can just rent out their own cars.

Stock's going through the roof.

Don't forget I'm paying for your divorce lawyer, Alan.

I don't care if we have to sell the boat.

You're probably gonna sink it anyway.

But, hey, must be nice to know that if you needed to, you could use your new girlfriend's fake tits as a flotation device.

I'm in the White House.

Don't make me tell you to go f*ck yourself.

[CLEARS THROAT]
Lorraine Hanfield Zimmer.

It's an honor.

Come on in.

The history of American presidential elections certainly has its conventional wisdoms.

An Independent candidate has never won.

Not since George Washington.

And there's never been a third party incumbent, so I feel the same way about conventional wisdom as I do about conventionality.

- [BLOWS RASPBERRY]
- [TOM LAUGHS]
[LORRAINE]
There's no certainties.

There's only outcomes.

But that being said, I do like to have as much information as possible at my disposal.

So I had my girl do some quick polling, and I've never seen anything like it.

You, Moss 'cause, yeah, it's gonna be Moss and a generic Democratic candidate.

At this point, it is a virtual three-way dead heat.

I mean, even Ross Perot only pulled 19% in '92.

[WHISTLES]
This is gonna be a fascinating election.

I honestly cannot wait.

Well, I've heard great things about you, Lorraine, but you're even more impressive in person.

We will be thrilled to welcome you aboard.

Oh.

Mr.

President, that's so very sweet of you, but I didn't say I was coming aboard.

I'm sorry, I thought by you coming here to the White House, that meant you were interested.

Yes, I wanted to meet you.

Moss.

I've heard rumors that Moss is not happy with his current team.

The man's very rarely happy.

[TOM]
Are you joining his campaign?
He has asked and I am considering it.

Do you mind if I ask why you're not interested in joining my campaign?
You've never run for office.

You've never done retail politics.

You've never campaigned.

Mr.

President, people like you and they like that you're Independent.

They sure liked your wife, and they were sorry for you when she d*ed.

But aside from that, I don't know who you are.

And I can't sell a product if I don't know the brand.

I understand.

Thank you for your time.

[LORRAINE]
I wish you the very best of luck.

I'm gonna be having guests in the Residence tonight.

I'll get you the names shortly.

Thank you.

Names of the survivors?
In the binder, under the bridge's tab.

In the future, I'd appreciate a heads-up when former staff come to the building.

Especially when former staff happened to previously hold the job that I currently possess.

Yes, of course.

Won't happen again.

They're smelling blood, so cut their f*ckin' noses off.

"Cut their f*ckin' noses off"?
As you know, pending the Senate vote, the president's been working the phones.

We've got members of the senior staff up on the hill.

This is a high priority, not just for the president but for the whole country.

With that, I'm happy to take questions.

We'll start with Claire.

Does the president have a comment on Vice President Darby's decision to leave the ticket?
He wishes her well.

Phil, then Brian.

Is it true the DNC requested the president drop out of the race?
You'd have to ask Meg Chambers that question.

How does the president feel about the negative coverage of the State of the Union?
The president's not focused on coverage, he's focused Look, I know it's not the White House's place to suggest lines of inquiry to our partners in the press, but come on, guys, don't you ever get tired of these tabloid obsessions?
Why not clear your palate?
Ask about the school lunch initiative, or what we're doing on veterans' affairs.

Why don't you ask about the bridge collapse which highlights exactly why we need this infrastructure bill?
You could ask about Annabelle Martin, 13 years old, from Asheville.

She lost both parents and a brother in the tragedy in North Carolina.

- Ask about things that are important.

- [CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING]
REPORTER: So is the president going to drop out?
[REPORTERS CLAMORING]
Obviously, the infrastructure bill is our main priority, - but we can't lose sight - [KNOCK ON DOOR]
Emily, I'm so glad you could make it.

The band is getting back together.

[CHUCKLES]
[SETH]
Which monster invented this?
[EMILY]
A genius monster of Cincinnati.

[SETH]
Seriously, who puts chili over spaghetti?
[AARON]
Hey, don't judge.

I was in India, street vendors were hawking steamed hornets on top of fried snails.

Oh, come on, I am not responsible for the cuisine of my people, okay?
- I've never even been there.

- [EMILY CHUCKLES]
But if you are gonna eat hornets, I hear steamed is the way to go.

Aaron, thank you for making us aware of the Puerto Rico issue.

It could easily have been overlooked.

Actually, sir, we may be overlooking something else.

The industry on the island needs help, sure, but we could be doing more in the way of humanitarian aid for the local population.

A little goes a long way there.

I'll talk to the sponsors, add some language to the rider.

Thank you, sir.

Since when do you care about Puerto Rico?
I care about all unincorporated US territories.

Right.

Isn't your new girlfriend Puerto Rican?
- You keeping tabs on me now?
- [TOM]
Enough, you two.

As much as I enjoy this conviviality, I had an ulterior motive to bring you all here tonight.

Now, I know that I surprised all of you with my announcement to run.

And I'm sorry I didn't share that decision with you.

But each one of you has been with me from the beginning of this ride, Emily, even longer.

And since Alex d*ed, you've become the people I trust the most.

So I need your opinion, your advice.

This election, can I win it?
- It's a wide-open race.

- Yes.

- [ALL MUTTERING INDISTINCTLY]
- Okay, okay.

As well-intentioned as your bullshit responses are, come on, I need you to be honest.

Tell me what you really think.

Tell me the truth.

[SETH]
It's not impossible.

But, and this has nothing to do with you, I don't see a clear path forward for any Independent candidate.

There are too many structural obstacles for you to circumvent, particularly without the support of a party organization.

This is one of the reasons a lot of people are jumping ship.

They're looking for their next jobs.

[AARON]
As a member of the Republican Party, Moss will score the conservatives and the older demographic, and those people vote.

The Democratic nominee will take the progressives, and if it's Darby's, to be blunt, she'll pick up African Americans, and, you gotta assume, other racial minorities.

It's a tough needle to thread.

And think of it this way.

You could punch your ticket as the guy who put the country back on track after an historic tragedy.

Posterity will remember you well.

But if you run, and if you lose, if you come in third, that's your legacy.

Yeah.

- Emily, what do you think?
- I think you can do it.

But you're asking the wrong thing.

"Can I win"?
makes the question about you, when the question should be about the country.

So, it's not "Can I win"?
It's "Why am I running in the first place"?
So, why are you?
Hey, excuse me.

Holy sh*t.

You're the press secretary.

For now, yeah.

You are?
Dontae Evans.

I'm the director of online engagement.

I mean, my boss is director of online engagement, but she hasn't shown up the last couple days.

I need someone to come along on the president's Iowa trip, handle online messaging.

Can you do that?
- Yeah.

- Great.

- What, like, right now?
- Now would be great, yeah.

- You're on Twitter, right?
- Bane of my existence.

Maybe you saw this hashtag I created a couple days ago.

"The system is broken", it's called.

- I can show you - Let's just keep it moving.

Remind me again why I'm taking this trip to Iowa now.

Caucuses are big two-party platforms.

It can't hurt to get there and steal some of their oxygen.

Consider it a campaign-launcher.

You don't think it's more important that I stay here and twist some arms?
We have twisted everything that is twistable.

It's in God's hands now.

I will let you know when the vote is in.

- In the meantime, stay part of the story.

- Got it.

MAN: Breaking and entering, infiltrating civilian computer systems, hacking personal phones without a warrant.

Do you have anything to add?
Just that I don't see any cameras, so this seems like a lot of grandstanding for an audience of one.

I wouldn't take these proceedings so irreverently, Agent Wells.

Your career's in the balance.

I did my job, Deputy Director.

I protected my president.

Who's been cleared of any wrongdoing, by the way, by both the attorney general and Special Counsel West.

It was the special counsel himself who provided us with these many examples of your transgressions.

I'm not sure you appreciate the gravity of the situation here.

Unless you're of the mind that agents of the United States government can k*ll people in allied countries without consequences.

Oh, do I have your attention now?
After much conversation, the British are opting not to prosecute for the sake of our special relationship.

But they've made it clear you're persona non grata in the UK.

I've promised we'd settle accounts.

We'll have your badge, Hannah.

Everything I have done, everything, has been to protect this country.

- You can't just throw - That's enough.

We're done.

You're lucky to have been dismissed without charges.

[SETH]
The Senate voted on the infrastructure bill.

- What's the tally?
- Failed.

48-52.

[SIGHS]
Son of a bitch.

Also, sir, we got word that there may be a glitch at this event.

- [CORNELIUS]
Mr.

President!
- [SETH]
Ugh, Moss.

Oh, great.

I'll see you at the car.

So it was your plane that was holding us up.

I should have known it.

- You know Lorraine Zimmer, of course.

- Yes.

Lorraine has decided to rejoin my team.

- If I can fit you into my schedule.

- [CORNELIUS CHUCKLES]
Congratulations to both of you.

Ah, campaigning, am I right?
Then again, I don't suppose you'd really know about that, would you?
Good luck at your event, Mr.

President.

Lorraine?
[SIGHS]
Seth, why am I staring at an empty room?
[SETH]
I think this is the glitch that I mentioned, sir.

Let me find out more.

- Hey, what's going on?
- MAN: We're shrinking the room.

Yeah, I can see that.

Why?
- Because there's almost no one here.

- Okay, and why is that?
So, apparently, and this is unsubstantiated, but Moss's campaign robocalled all of our confirmed attendees telling them the event had been canceled.

Hence, the meager turnout.

We have a field team out to try to fill seats.

- Still want to go through with this?
- Absolutely not.

- Buy their lunches.

Fix this.

- [SETH]
Sir.

Hey, buddy.

I'm just as disappointed as you.

What happened?
I thought we had the votes, man.

I thought so, too.

But legislation does get unpredictable in election years.

Best I can tell, Darby took a couple of Democrats with her.

- sh*t.

- On a positive note, I did find a workaround for your saline situation.

FDA is gonna let us import medical product from Ireland.

How is that supposed to help Puerto Ricans?
It doesn't, but it helps us.

So, you're welcome.

- Mars, the whole point of this was - Listen.

Don't go behind my back to the president.

I didn't go behind your back.

Asking for humanitarian aid is not your bailiwick.

We have a history, yeah.

But that doesn't mean that you get to cut the line.

Everything goes through me.

Yeah.

I know it's short notice, but it's "rabbit out of the hat" time.

I need you to look at the entire caucus event calendar, see if there's something we can piggyback on.

You better not be playing Fortnite, dude.

Not all millennials play video games, dude.

Do you remember the hashtag I told you about before we left?
I hope it doesn't hurt your feelings to I say that I do not.

Okay, after the State of the Union, I put this hashtag out, "The system is broken.

" You know what trending is?
I know what trending is.

It's generating a ton of traffic.

People are really responding to what the president said.

They're posting videos, venting about broke sh*t, broke politics These videos, they're all coming from one specific event.

Yeah.

It's an abandoned mall.

It's a protest.

I guess they planned it to counterprogram the caucuses.

Hey, where are you going with my tablet, man?
[SETH]
I gotta talk to the president.

Ms.

Wells.

Do I know you?
You do not.

But I know you.

I'm assuming the hearing resulted in termination.

Well, I'm leaving now.

I can tell you about that video.

- How do you know about the video?
- Because we sh*t it.

How'd you like to come work for the CIA?
[PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
It's not a clean site, but we made a buffer between POTUS and the RPs.

- "RPs"?
- Real people.

I'm not sure about this.

What am I supposed to do, the speech?
Well, just feel it out when you get up there.

Wing it.

"Wing it"?
That's an interesting communications strategy, Seth.

Listen up, people.

You are not gonna believe this.

We have a special visitor all the way from Washington, DC.

- [CROWD GROANING]
- [WOMAN 1]
No, hear me out.

Hear me out.

- This isn't one of them.

- [SIGHS]
- Excuse me, I'm gonna wing it.

- This is one of ours.

- MAN 1: Give me a break.

- A true Independent.

The president of the United States, Tom Kirkman.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- MAN 2: Welcome.

Thank you for letting me crash your party.

[MAN 3]
What's he doing here?
I came here to Iowa to deliver a speech.

And now that I'm standing here among you, it doesn't feel as relevant.

Now, I don't know if you've heard, but I had my ass handed to me today.

By the Senate.

You see, we had a bill.

A really, really good bill.

A bill that was designed to help people like you, in places like this.

To transform forgotten communities and turn them into revitalized ones.

Communities of hope and industriousness.

It was designed to help the people in North Carolina, who right now are suffering a loss that, unfortunately, I am far too familiar with.

This bill would have helped them rebuild the failing infrastructure that surrounds them.

But the Senate - The Senate k*lled it.

- All they wanna do is tear things down!
- [CROWD CLAMORING]
- It makes sense to be angry.

Angry like all of you are.

Hell, I am with you.

But anger alone is no prescription.

We need to figure out how to take that anger and turn it into action.

So please tell me, how do we fix this?
- [WOMAN 2]
It's unfixable.

- Why do you say that, ma'am?
- Because no one listens.

- Okay.

I understand that because I feel like that sometimes, and, hell, I'm the president of the United States.

People have to listen to me.

But I felt like that in the Capitol the other night.

I felt like that today when the Senate voted down the bill.

But if I'm gonna be honest, I think all of us might be a little guilty of not listening.

Myself included.

But I wanna do better.

In fact, I promise you, I am going to do better.

So, ma'am, here I am.

Standing right in front of you.

What do you want me to hear?
When the shop closed, I tried to find other work, but there's nothing.

- MAN: Same for me.

- WOMAN: There's nothing here.

These are the kind of things that we're not addressing.

Party politics are interfering with your neighborhood.

[INAUDIBLE]
I love this job.

Thank you.

At the risk of repeating myself, sir, you were amazing back there.

Come on, Seth, it was your idea.

Give credit where credit's due.

- Ms.

Zimmer.

- Bum a ride?
[TOM]
So, weren't you supposed to be on your way to Des Moines?
I was, but Cornelius' beater of a plane had engine trouble.

And while we were waiting on repairs, I was scrolling Twitter, like I do, and I came across a Periscope feed from a very lively Cedar Rapids mall.

I just had to check it out for myself.

- Can I offer you a drink?
- No, thank you.

Actually, I always bring my own.

It's one of the perks of not flying commercial.

Do you partake?
Tonight, why not?
[LORRAINE CHUCKLES]
I have a really big ego, so I can confess when I am wrong.

Washington is an echo chamber.

Time to time, I forget that.

I think that what we're saying to each other is the same thing that folks are saying out there amongst themselves.

The media made your State of the Union out to be a self-inflicted wound.

But they are wrong.

What you did is really resonating with Jane and John Q public.

A-ha.

My devious plan is working.

Ooh, and the Tom Kirkman I saw today, with that common touch, that empathy [KISSES]
That Tom Kirkman might make a pretty decent campaigner after all.

So, am I to understand you're no longer working with Moss?
Helping him with his dirty tricks?
He doesn't need my help with that.

This is a win-win for you.

If I manage to get elected, you'll be credited with accomplishing something that no one has ever accomplished.

And if I lose, well, it'll be known as an unwinnable fight.

I don't believe there's such a thing as an unwinnable fight.

It all depends on what you're willing to do to come out on top.

So, there are four things that I'm gonna need from you.

Number one: Unrestricted access.

I need you, I get you.

Number two: I need the authority to hire and fire all campaign staff.

Their job is to get you elected, but they work for me.

And number three: I need you to make fundraising a priority.

And number four?
- f*ck me, I forgot what number four is.

- [BOTH LAUGH]
But I reserve the right to come back to it in the future.

Okay, you're sitting down.

You wanna discuss my salary?
Congratulations on Iowa, sir.

You took a chance there.

And we'll be taking a lot more.

And by the way, Lorraine Zimmer decided to join our campaign.

[MARS]
Well, you made the most of a tough day.

We're not done yet.

I want to go around the Congress.

I want you to start spitballing an executive action on infrastructure.

Reach out to the National Economic Council, put Legal and DPC together.

Let's start hammering this out.

Will do.

You heading up to the Residence?
One more stop.

Mars, go home.

I'm starting to worry that your wife won't remember what you look like.

I heard you came up with the whole mall idea.

[STUTTERS]
Well, it was sort of I asked for a new strategy.

It seems I got one.

Oh, and by the way, I googled that "in the barrel" thing.

It turns out it was a form of punishment for petty criminals in the 19th century.

They'd get put in a barrel, holes were cut at different heights, and then men would come by and insert their, uh their manhoods into the holes for various reasons.

So, turns out I was wrong.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, you're the new communications director.

So, I guess, report to yourself.

[DOORBELL RINGS]
- Can we check the premises, Ms.

Rhodes?
- Sure.

[AGENT 1]
Confirm location.

All right, I'll take upstairs.

- [AGENT 2]
All clear.

- [TOM]
Thank you.

- Sorry about the you know.

- It's okay.

Makes me feel important.

- It's nice to see you.

May I?
- Of course.

I saw some footage from Iowa.

- Oh, yeah?
What did you think?
- Mmm-hmm.

It was really impressive.

You're a real man of the people.

Some of the people.

I'll get to the point.

I came here because I wanted to tell you that in the months since you've been gone, something's been off.

With me.

My compass has been off.

And I would like you to come back to the White House.

Emily, I need you to keep me honest.

The question I asked you at dinner, do you know the answer?
I think so.

I thought a lot about what you said.

And I think you're right.

I started taking things too personally.

This is not about me, this is about them.

I serve the American people, even if Congress won't.

Emily, we have an historic opportunity here.

I'm beholden to no one, not to any party.

We can do things they can't.

So, what do you think?
I serve at the pleasure of the president.

[CHUCKLES]
I hate it when people say that.

Great.

Thank you.

Your headquarters are certainly an improvement from the bureau.

I'll pass your compliment on to the ghost of Allen Dulles.

I meant to ask, whatever happened to Agent Rennett's daughter, the girl you brought back from London?
She's with family friends.

So, you were surveilling me, too.

It's what we do.

And why were you tailing Emily?
Did you suspect her of something?
No.

I'd be very surprised if Ms.

Rhodes was a traitor to her country.

Then what was in the envelope?
She mentioned something about a back channel with Russia, but that's all I could get out of her.

The US and Russia occasionally share information about rogue scientists, especially ones who have access to classified weapons programs.

So, this is about nuclear technology.

It can be.

But we're on to something more insidious now.

What's that?
Bioterror.

It's what I want you to work on.

Where are you sending me?
- Hey.

- [ISABEL]
Hey.

- I got you something.

- Takeout?
It's from La Casa del Mofongo.

You went all the way to Silver Spring for mofongo?
No, for you.

Do you think I'm mad at you?
I don't know.

It's just The way the bill turned out today You tried, right?
I'm not mad at you.

All right, good.

Good, because there's something I've been meaning to ask you.

Look, we've been together a little while now.

And I'm usually a "look before you leap" kind of guy.

But I come home and you're here You're here and I like it.

I like coming home to you.

So, I was thinking, you know, maybe Maybe you should move in.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]
I thought you were gonna ask me to marry you.

[CHUCKLES]
Um Can I think about it?
Yeah, of course you can.

Can we eat this food?
I'm not a mofongo kind of guy, really.

Bitch, you better learn to be.

Did you forward the links to the president that we talked about?
Yeah, I sent them to the address you gave me.

I changed the hashtag, though.

I think it's better.

Man, I started the day thinking I was gonna get fired - and I ended the day getting promoted.

- [DONTAE CHUCKLES]
I started the day as a low-ranking specialist in the Office of Digital Strategy.

I ended the day as director of online engagement.

- [LAUGHS]
Nice try, Dontae.

- It's worth a sh*t.

[CHUCKLES]
Hey, tomorrow, though, I want you to pack up your desk in the EEOB and head over to the West Wing.

You work for me now.

[DOORBELL JINGLES]
Oh, sh*t.

What's wrong?
My parents.

They're dead.

Seth, I'm so sorry, man.

That's okay.

I never knew them.

Hey, I'm Seth.

Mike.

I'm Dontae's boyfriend.

Yeah, I figured.

Have a seat.

Let me buy you two intimidatingly fit gentlemen a drink.

[SIGHS]
Lynn?
Lynn?
God damn it, Lynn, what'd you do?
Come on.

Lynn?
[LYNN]
Mmm.

[MARS BREATHING HEAVILY]
MAN: Mmm.

Is this a good scotch?
I was thinking I should develop a taste.

Doll, you're totally off the clock.

Super great.

[SNIFFS]
You couldn't afford this scotch.

Hey, sweetheart.

[PENNY]
I missed you today.

I missed you, too.

And if you're gonna be gone more often, like you said Yeah?
I was wondering if I could get a dog.

[CHUCKLES]
I didn't realize you were such a good politician.

- I mean, you love dogs, too, don't you?
- Mmm-hmm.

- And people love presidents who have dogs.

- Yes, they do.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
I will think about it, Little P.

Dad?
Can you not call me Little P anymore?
Okay.

Okay.

I love you.

I love you, too.

- Go to bed.

- Hmm.

[BLOWS ON HANDS]
[MAN 1 ON VIDEO]
I'm most concerned about g*n control in this country.

And I actually lost a cousin to su1c1de last year with a g*n.

So, it's a big issue for me.

MAN 2: The system is broken, and it starts with you guys.

[MAN 3]
I'm tired of world leaders using nuclear weapons I'm mad that our president is not embracing all of us as American citizens.

[WOMAN 1]
Our voter registration system is completely broken.

At the very least, we need to make election day a national holiday.

[MAN 4]
There's too much outside influence in politics.

And you're all focused on your re-election campaign, and you're not focusing on the Americans like me.

[WOMAN 2]
Mr.

President, we need your help.

We have one planet.

[MAN 5]
I am worried about the way we talk about immigrants.

[WOMAN 3]
Think about your daughter.

Think about the planet you're leaving her.