The American President (1995) - Quotes

Desire of the Powerful Man

Tagline: Why can't the most powerful man in the world have the one thing he wants most?

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Urgent Rewrite for the State of the Union

A.J.: Better call the printer, Lewis.

Lewis Rothschild: I know, we gotta rewrite the State of the Union.

A.J.: Every word, kid. It's a whole new ballgame. You have exactly 35 minutes.

Lewis Rothschild: Oh, good, I thought I was gonna be rushed.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Political Rivalry and Humor in Campaigning

President Andrew Shepherd: Oh, wait a minute, here comes my favorite part...

Bob Rumson: My name is Bob Rumson, and I'm running for President!

President Andrew Shepherd: Sure glad he cleared that up, because that crowd was about to buy some Amway products.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Navigating Attraction and Intimacy in Politics

President Andrew Shepherd: You're attracted to me, but the idea of physical intimacy is uncomfortable because you only know me as the President. But it's not always going to be that way, and the reason I know that is there was a moment last night when you were with ME, not the President. And I know what a big step that was for you. So, Sydney, I'm in no rush. Here's my plan. We're going to slow down, and when you're comfortable, that's when it's going to happen.

President Andrew Shepherd: Perhaps I didn't properly explain the fundamentals of the slowdown plan.

Sydney Ellen Wade: [feeling the bed] No, you explained it great.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Charm in Uncertain Plans

Lewis Rothschild: I tell any girl I'm going out with to assume that all plans are soft until she receives confirmation from me thirty minutes beforehand.

Robin McCall: And they find this romantic?

Lewis Rothschild: Well, I say it with a great deal of charm.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Security Concerns in Unexpected Places

Lewis Rothschild: At least let the agents do a security sweep. We don't know who's in there!

President Andrew Shepherd: You think there's a florist in there planning an assassination on the the off-chance that I might be stopping by?

Lewis Rothschild: ...It's possible.

Men's Actions and Expectations Examined

Robin McCall: That's not what men do. I know no men who do that.

Questioning Love for America and Its People

Sydney Ellen Wade: How do you have patience for people who claim they love America, but clearly can't stand Americans?

Character and Leadership in American Politics

President Andrew Shepherd: [[ACLU; [Bill of Rights] For the last couple of months, Senator Rumson has suggested that being President of this country was, to a certain extent, about character. And although I've not been willing to engage in his attacks on me, I have been here three years and three days, and I can tell you without hesitation - being President of this country is entirely about character. For the record, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ], but the more important question is, why aren't you, Bob? Now this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the ], so it naturally begs the question, why would a Senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? Now if you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago.America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours." You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle age, middle class, middle income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family, and American values and character, and you wave an old photo of the President's girlfriend and you scream about patriotism. You tell them she's to blame for their lot in life. And you go on television and you call her a whore. Sydney Ellen Wade has done nothing to you, Bob. She has done nothing but put herself through school, represent the interests of public school teachers, and lobby for the safety of our natural resources. You want a character debate, Bob? You better stick with me, cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out of your league. I've loved two women in my life. I lost one to cancer. And I lost the other cause I was so busy keeping my job, I forgot to do my job. Well, that ends right now.Tomorrow morning, the White House is sending a bill to Congress for its consideration. It's White House Resolution 455, an energy bill requiring a twenty percent reduction of the emission of fossil fuels over the next ten years. It is by far the most aggressive stride ever taken in the fight to reverse the effects of global warming. The other piece of legislation is the Crime Bill. As of today, it no longer exists. I'm throwing it out. I'm throwing it out and writing a law that makes sense. You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and handguns. I consider them a threat to national security, and I will go door-to-door if I have to, but I'm gonna convince Americans that I'm right, and I'm gonna get the guns.We've got serious problems, and we need serious people. And if you want to talk about character, Bob, you'd better come at me with more than a burning flag and a membership card. If you want to talk about character and American values, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up. This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I AM THE PRESIDENT!