Object

Nobel Prize in Economics (Medal and Certificate)

A heavy burnished gold medallion roughly two inches across, rim-engraved and suspended on a short ribbon, paired with a linen-text certificate in a velvet-lined presentation case. In the Roosevelt Room it exists primarily as invoked presence rather than a handled prop: Bartlet names the award, and advisors react—arguments halt and deference spreads as if the medal itself occupies the room.

2 appearances

Purpose

To function as an authoritative credential that vouches for an individual's expertise in economics and to bolster claims of technical competence during high-stakes policy deliberations.

Significance

Used rhetorically by Bartlet to amplify his authority during the midnight ultimatum, the prize converts academic prestige into political leverage: its invocation short-circuits debate, legitimizes extreme executive action in the eyes of advisors, and underscores the stakes of the constitutional gamble.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E7 · The State Dinner

Midnight Ultimatum: Bartlet Threatens to Nationalize the Truckers

Bartlet name-checks the Nobel Prize in Economics as rhetorical authority — a credibility prop that amplifies his counterargument to Little and underlines his self-image as an intellectually legitimate actor making a risky decision.

Before: Not physically handled in the room; exists as an invoked credential in the President's rhetorical possession.

After: Still not physically present or handled; its rhetorical function persists as an asserted justification for Bartlet's pronouncement.

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S1E7 · The State Dinner

Hallway Reprieve — Intimacy and a Flicker

Bartlet invokes the Nobel Prize in Economics as rhetorical authority during his Roosevelt Room declaration — the medal is not physically presented but referenced to silence dissent and bolster his intellectual legitimacy, functioning as a performative prop.

Before: Conceptually present in the Roosevelt Room as a point of authority referenced by Bartlet; the physical medal/certificate are not directly handled in the scene.

After: Remains an invoked credential; its rhetorical power persists as Bartlet leaves the room and into the hallway, reinforcing his internal justification for bold action.

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