Bess Truman

Bartlet summons Bess Truman's ghost to echo his Camp David contempt, casting her as the Truman First Lady who branded the retreat dull—shunning its wooded isolation for rawer rhythms. Her voice, pulled from pages, mirrors spousal pushback against presidential pomp, humanizing White House holidays while Abbey's hesitance simmers unspoken. Steadfast Missouri roots infuse her legend: private over public, candid amid protocol's grind.