Designated Survivor (2016) s02e04 Episode Script
Equilibrium
1 Previously on "Designated Survivor" The FBI conducted a drone strike.
I can now confirm that Patrick Lloyd has been neutralized.
Hannah: Lloyd's on the run for six months, and the last thing he does is trash the First Lady's mother's house? He wasn't looking for something.
He was leaving us something.
Alex: Is this really necessary? We have to vet everything that Patrick Lloyd touched.
It's the insurance form for my dad's heart transplant.
Let's head around back.
I cut a hole in the fence.
Hannah! [Explosion.]
Man: Do you guys want to tell me what you're doing on private property after hours? That supposed to impress me, Agent Wells? No, it's just to show you that we're working a federal investigation and that I don't have to answer any of your questions.
The First Lady's mother gives inside info to a government contractor in order to win a bid.
So the First Lady's father could move up the transplant list? A bribe? And which employee signed this? Eric Little.
Eric Little.
[Siren wails in distance.]
Blakey: So, this is your complete statement? Yes.
You noticed the door had been pushed in.
You entered the premises because you suspected a crime was ongoing.
You found the dead body.
You called it in.
That's right.
- And you didn't know Eric Little? - No.
- You'd never been to his house before? - Nope.
You mind telling me what you were doing in his neighborhood? I'm not at liberty to discuss that.
[Clears throat.]
A warehouse burns down, you're there.
A dead body turns up, you're there.
Now, why are you at the epicenter of every crime in Reston? Look, Detective.
You're just trying to do your job.
I understand that.
If I were you, I would be frustrated, too, but some things are just above your pay grade.
You get to play that card once, not twice.
It's not a card.
It's a reality check.
Well, let me give you one Whatever you're mixed up in, your hands better be clean, or even this place can't protect you.
You and I go way back, John.
I didn't know who else to turn to.
So, no one in the White House knows? Well, no one in a position of power.
I didn't want to set off any alarm bells - unless I had to.
- You already have.
By keeping a lid on it? By stonewalling a police investigation into the murder of a contractor who allegedly bribed the First Lady's mother? Allegedly, John.
This is Lloyd.
This is his last desperate act to bring down the presidency.
Yeah, it doesn't mean that there's nothing here.
So what now? If it's cancer, you have to tell the patient.
[Scoffs.]
But what if it's not? I need time to to dig into this.
I need time to disprove this, and if I can do that, then I don't have to bring the President into the loop.
Okay, but if you can't disprove it, you've impeded an investigation.
I don't think I have a better option right now.
[Sighs.]
Look, there may be a way to give yourself some cover so the whole weight of this doesn't fall on you if things go south.
I'm listening.
You want to protect the President, bring the White House Counsel into the loop.
Kendra Daynes has got the President's back, right? Yes.
Yes, but will she have mine? [Chanting.]
Hell no, Mexico! Your lousy junk has got to go! Reporter: Tensions continue to rise on both sides of the border as American truckers enter the sixth day of their blockade.
Reporter #2: The truckers are protesting trade negotiations, which have dragged on for two months now without signs of a breakthrough.
Reporter #3: Jake from Laredo, you're on the air.
Jake: I'm sick and tired of Mexico stealing our jobs and taking our money.
Give 'em hell, truckers! Man: This blockade is totally illegal! It's a racist move against all Mexicans! Woman: Apparently, the White House believes doing nothing will make the problem go away.
Man: They couldn't be more wrong.
Make no mistake about it This situation is a powder keg just waiting to explode.
[Engine starts.]
[Conversing in Spanish.]
[Truck horn blows.]
[Guards shouting in Spanish.]
[Horn blares.]
[Gunshots.]
[Indistinct shouting.]
Move! [Gunshots.]
[Speaking Spanish.]
- Gracias.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
Reporter: The slain trucker has been identified as José Menez, a Mexican national.
An autopsy has been ordered.
More than $2 billion a day That's what the blockade's costing our economy.
$10 billion so far, and the meter keeps ticking until we get this trade deal done.
Aaron, what'd the Mexican ambassador have to say? Not a lot I'd like to translate, sir.
So, Mexico is our most important trading partner, Americans are worried about their jobs and will hold you responsible if you don't protect them, and the administration needs this trade deal to prove itself on the international stage.
But after the shooting, the coordinated blockade at every U.
S.
point of entry's just gonna get harder to break.
Where are we at with the Mexican trade rep and our favorite union leader? They both walked, but we're trying to get them back to the table.
We all know what we need to do.
Let's get it done.
You want us to cook your food, cut your grass, raise your children, but treating us justly? The United States is already the largest market for Mexican goods.
A reasonable excise tax Oh, here comes the tariff pitch.
The offer that is on the table will help reduce many of those tariffs, but you have to meet us halfway.
This blockade hurts both countries.
Exactly.
But my people have a different pain threshold.
See, we're willing to suffer for better opportunities, a better mañana A better deal.
[Door opens.]
Businesses are moving their factories to Mexico to exploit cheap labor.
And the President's policies of low tariffs and free trade - Paul, you're a dinosaur.
- I'm sorry? You're not familiar with the whole Jurassic thing? I know what a dinosaur is.
They're extinct, which is where you're headed.
50 years ago, a third of U.
S.
workers were unionized.
- Now it's 1 in 10.
- Okay, so if I'm a dying breed, why do I have a seat at the table? Because organized labor still matters.
Where you lead, they follow, but, Paul, you need to face facts.
Enlighten me.
Undocumented workers take jobs Americans won't.
Cheap Mexican goods force us to innovate.
Oh, Mexicans crashing the border and trying to run down Americans He was driving on the shoulder.
It's symbolic, Lyor.
You want symbolism? It's a dead Mexican on the spin cycle, not a dead American.
They walk away, they're justified.
You walk away, well, you're unreasonable.
Yes, we're concerned that Mexico's voided the pact, but we've made solid progress towards a new agreement.
And with Labor's backing, the U.
S.
has been able to lower tariffs on select Mexican goods, and the Mexican government has responded positively.
[Indistinct shouting.]
Do you expect the Mexican position to change now that we know the bullet that killed Mr.
Menez came from an American gun? I don't, um The only information I have is that Mr.
Menez was hit multiple times.
The M.
E.
has just confirmed the kill shot was an American one based on the angle of entry.
Okay, I mean, even if that's true, the truckers have a self-defense claim.
Mr.
Menez was driving on the side of the road.
Okay, well, they may have had every reason to suspect that he was going to swerve.
Uh, and if that's true, then, uh, they had every right to stand their ground.
Will the shooting be investigated? Sounds like that's a question for local authorities.
Is the President going to condemn American gun violence? Um, I'm sorry, guys.
I can sidebar on that with you later.
[Indistinct shouting.]
So, is this shooting a referendum on American gun violence? No, it's a referendum on the dangers of running the border at 90 miles an hour.
Mr.
Shore, do you have a position on this? Uh, no, I do not, but the administration does, which is that this sad situation reinforces the need for the parties to get back to the table.
But as the only Mexican-American on the President's senior staff I don't serve the President as a Mexican-American.
What do you serve him as? As a National Security Advisor.
[Speaks Spanish.]
[Speaks Spanish.]
[Door opens.]
This latest news has further jeopardized the stalled trade agreement between the United States and Mexico.
Mexican-American leaders in the United States are calling for rallies across the country to protest the fatal shooting of trucker José Menez.
Everybody was shooting Mexicans, Americans, civilians, law enforcement.
This tragedy is the very definition of collective responsibility.
But it was an American who fired the fatal shot.
Lyor: Yes, and it shifts the negotiational equilibrium.
Mexico is gonna up its demands now.
Emily: That's already happened.
Arronte's asking for expanded rights for undocumented workers and rollbacks on agricultural tariffs.
Both of which will go over like a lead balloon with Zalesky.
- Tom: So we're back to square one.
- I'm afraid so, sir.
We need to mobilize the Hispanic-American community.
They're the honest brokers in this.
They can bring both sides back to the table.
I reached out to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Senator Flores is en route.
Okay, good.
We need a political solution And fast.
Yes, sir.
We have a broken vase.
That's not a sentence I've heard since my babysitting days.
A broken vase in the West Wing.
Okay.
A gift from the Imperial Chinese Court to Rutherford B.
Hayes.
This isn't getting more interesting.
There's paperwork.
Stuff breaks.
Have the Office of Management and Budget file a claim.
- Done.
- Thanks.
Dax, I am so sorry.
Oh, that's all right, sir.
I understand you have a few items on your plate.
Unfortunately, the trade agreement is the entrée.
I'm gonna have to push our dinner.
No problem.
I brought you something, by the way.
The new electric car? Yes, sir.
Wow.
Zero to 60 in 3 flat, carbon-neutral, 400 miles to a charge, rolling off the assembly lines this spring.
Which assembly lines? We have plants in Tijuana and Flint.
Well, that explains why you haven't called me about the trade deal.
Correct.
I'm the human version of carbon-neutral.
Plus, in three years, my factories will be completely automated.
So labor's not your concern.
No, sir.
It's cadmium.
Impressive.
I owe you a meal.
Oh.
Come on, let me walk you out.
- Sure.
- Kendra: Here's the good news There's no legal jeopardy for the First Lady's mother.
Even if she took a bribe? Yes.
The statute of limitations is long past.
It's the contractor's death that's the problem.
Well, only if you're a conspiracy theorist.
Doesn't lead anywhere.
Before we worry about where it leads, let's worry about where you're leading it.
You're a White House employee.
Your actions are imputed to the President.
Why is everyone confusing investigating with obstructing? Because there's a fine line between the two.
And if you want to stay on the right side of it, you have to jump through certain hoops.
You mean speak to the First Lady's mother? Yes.
The case against her is highly circumstantial.
You get her denial on record, the contractor's death, anything else Lloyd may have dug up, becomes immaterial.
I am not asking a 70-year-old woman whose daughter is married to the President whether she committed a crime.
No, that would be imprudent.
- Exactly.
- You have to ask the First Lady.
[Sighs.]
[Door opens.]
Senator Flores, the President wants to bring both sides back to the table.
How can we work together to Nadia? IEl primo! [Laughs.]
[Chuckles.]
So great to see you! Well, it's great to see you, too.
Look, I-I'm meeting with Senator Flores right now, so No, you're not.
[Chuckles.]
She sent me.
Uh, you work with Representative Yoshida.
I did Until about two weeks ago.
I sent you like two messages about it.
I'm I'm sorry, I Anyway, I know how busy you are, so why don't we jump in? Okay.
The first item of business is amnesty.
Wait, th-the CBO estimates that would cost the U.
S.
economy $2.
6 trillion in the first year alone.
That doesn't take into account the taxes people living in the shadows would pay.
It's a non-starter, Nadia.
We don't have bipartisan support.
Let's put a pin in that and talk about remittance provision.
Nadia, I think it best for me to interface with the senator directly on all these things.
[Chatter.]
Ms.
Rhodes.
Maya Dunning, OMB.
[Sighs.]
The vase, right? It's only a covered event if the breakage is accidental, - not deliberate.
- It was accidental.
Well, I don't know that.
[Chuckles.]
The White House hasn't declared war on Chinese ceramics, Mrs.
Dunning.
I'm still required to conduct an investigation.
If you leave me out of it, you can wheel in Hercule Poirot.
Thank you.
Alex: Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Of course.
I don't need to tell you what I think about the prospect of involving my mother in any of this, um, but I guess sometimes, it's better to head things off at the pass.
Yes, ma'am.
Which makes Agent Wells' deception even more difficult to understand.
Ma'am? You had me poring through documents, hundreds of them, when you were only interested in this one.
I believe that Agent Wells Can speak for herself, thank you, Kendra.
I didn't know if there was anything to this, and if there wasn't, I didn't want to trouble you.
So you decided to insult me with some ruse, playing me for a fool? That was never my intention.
So, now that everything's on the table, I hope you can see how absurd this bribery suggestion really is.
At this stage, there's no indication whether it's credible or not.
Of course there isn't.
My mom was a secretary.
She was not an administrator, okay? She didn't deal with executives or hand out contracts.
- She got coffee.
- I understand that, but So you still find it plausible that a contractor, who was looking for a big piece of business, would think that my mother was the right person to bribe? I'm not saying that it's plausible, ma'am.
I'm saying that we have circumstantial evidence That my mother is a criminal.
Ma'am, the intention is not to upset you.
Hannah is here at my urging.
And she should know, more than anyone, how crazy Lloyd was and how much he hated my husband and how no smear was beneath that man.
Right, Agent Wells? Yes, ma'am.
So maybe you should have considered all of this before you came to me with this manufactured nonsense.
Sorry to trouble you, Mrs.
Kirkman.
As you can see, some very upset folks - [Knock on door.]
- Yeah, come in.
Protesting the death of Mexican citizen José Menez in the Well, Mexico's winning the PR battle at home and abroad.
They're hardening their stance.
Meanwhile, we are turning on each other.
There's been an upsurge of violence at the border crossings.
Where are we with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus? I had a productive meeting with, uh, Senator Flores' aide.
Aide? Aaron, that's not good enough.
She's sitting on her hands.
We need her out there defending our position.
I'll tell her, sir.
- Where are we at with Labor? - [Knock on door.]
Mr.
President you need to see this.
[Remote clicks.]
This White House is worried about globalism.
Well, you know, I'm worried about our country.
Mr.
President, the American worker won't support your agenda if you don't support him.
You tell Mr.
Zalesky if he keeps trying to undercut me, he's gonna regret it.
Yes, sir.
You've got to give them their jobs back.
That's how this works.
You have to roll back everything you've been doing for the past Damn Stegosaurus.
Maya: It's a simple questionnaire.
It's 12 pages.
I'm not having the White House staff answer a 12-page questionnaire about broken pottery.
The comprehensive one is 26.
This is officially a covered event, the result of an accident.
I think that that conclusion is premature.
Okay, well, then, you can take it up with my boss.
He's in the office down the hall the big oval one.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Hey.
Hey.
You good? Oh, semi-good.
You know, you ever get a feeling like you just can't make anyone happy? That would be my childhood.
- [Laughs.]
- Thanks a lot.
Yeah, you know, this trade deal Everyone's wondering if I'm doing enough for their side.
[Stammers.]
The only side I'm on is the President's.
Yeah, I know what it's like to be stuck in the middle.
You want to know when that ends? - When? - Never! [Scoffs.]
6.
2 million undocumented Mexican workers in the United States, Aaron.
It's a national emergency.
Aaron: We're aware, Senator Flores, which is why the President is committed to working with you to ease their path to citizenship.
Then why is that not reflected in the agreement? Because it should focus on trade.
I-It's economics.
Both of which are tied to people.
The President believes in people, and he believes in honoring his word, which you have.
You endorse this agreement, the White House will be extremely grateful.
[Sighs.]
Well, this is not ideal, but I suppose very little is in this world.
Meaning you'll come out publicly in support of the President? You have my word.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Senator may I address a personal matter? I didn't appreciate you deploying my cousin to manipulate me on a legislative matter.
Um, Aaron, I think you misunderstand.
No, no, I don't think I do.
I sent Nadia to the White House because she is a highly prized and capable aide.
Who happens to be related to me.
Look, trying to leverage that isn't going to open doors for you, ma'am.
It's gonna close them.
[Camera shutters clicking.]
My husband loved America.
He hoped to join me and our children here one day.
But I'm still not a citizen so he couldn't.
He was killed by the people he dreamed one day would be his neighbors.
Aaron: I just got off the phone with President Moreno's office, and they're saying he won't intervene.
Of course not.
He can't put his personal prestige on the line for something like this.
Why not? I've put mine on the line.
Yes, but you're not up for re-election in four months.
[Sighs.]
Where are we at with Paul Zalesky? I had a "come to Lyor" talk with him last night.
- He'll stand down.
- Emily: For now.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus' support gained us some ground domestically, but Arronte's still insisting on rollbacks.
If Zalesky responds, we're back where we started again.
All of this is happening because of the shooting, right? Yes, sir.
It's hard to talk substance when emotions are running high.
Well, of course, and now there's a human cost to the debate.
Meanwhile, on both sides of the border, families are struggling to eke out a living.
Like José Menez.
Aaron: We can reach out to his widow.
Yes.
She's a legal U.
S.
resident from Mexico.
Maybe she can help us bridge the divide.
That's actually pretty good.
We could stop talking substance, put a human face on the tragedy.
Yeah, a photo op would show Mexico that America cares about the plight of the undocumented immigrant.
And it'll soften Arronte up.
He blinks first, Labor will fall in line.
He'd end the blockade, open up the borders, and close this deal.
Let's try it.
Seth, please, set it up.
Mom, I-I'm embarrassed to even ask you this, but it's just something I I have to put to bed, okay? So, [Sighs.]
this is a purchase order for helicopters that Icarus Astrotech won.
I know what it is.
Okay, s-so, there's this allegation It's a crazy allegation That you helped Icarus in exchange for You know, even hearing myself say this out loud, I Alex, ask me the question.
Did you accept a bribe? Yes.
What? Oh, you knew that already, right? No, I didn't.
Y-You were a secretary.
With access to the bid specs.
When you're a contractor and you know what the government's looking for, you have the inside track.
So you broke the law? To save your father's life.
Absolutely.
He was gonna die.
Alex, if he got his heart transplant, you think I cared about who got to build the stupid helicopter? - Mom, why didn't you tell me this?! - Why would I? Because my husband is president! And had he been running for office yes, I probably would have come forward, but come on, we all All woke up one day and he was in charge! What possible good could it have done for me to confess something that That happened so long ago? Mom, you committed a federal crime.
It bought me 15 more years with a wonderful man and gave my daughter her father.
I'd do it again, 10 times over because my family matters more to me than anything else.
[Chatter.]
Seth: The President will make some remarks, and then introduce you.
You'll read from your prepared statement, okay? Okay.
Tom: Don't be scared.
I'll be standing there right by your side.
Yes, sir.
Mike, stop.
Change of plans.
I would like you to escort Mrs.
Menez back to the Oval Office.
I'm sorry.
I'll be right there.
Yes, sir.
- Sir? - I can't do this.
I'm sorry.
Sir, the press is waiting for you.
She is mourning her dead husband.
Sir I am not gonna milk human tragedy for political gain.
I am not doing this.
Handle it.
I have 40 reporters out there.
What am I supposed to say? Don't ask me.
I'm the big-picture guy.
There are so many connections between our two countries, but the most important is the human one.
On behalf of the American people, I am so sorry for your tragic loss.
Thank you.
I also want you to know that I am not gonna ask anything else of you.
There will be no press conference and no expectations.
You can say whatever you want to whomever you want.
That's what our country is about.
If you don't mind, could you tell me something about your husband? He was a good man.
He cared about his family - And baseball.
- [Chuckles.]
[Chuckles.]
And tequila.
[Chuckles.]
You'd have liked him.
It sounds like it.
But, uh the last three years, there was no work, and he was so desperate.
And then, last month, he got that job as a driver, a very good job.
So he just started working there? [Voice breaking.]
And he was so happy.
[Sighs.]
It doesn't make any sense, you know? Oh, I'm sorry.
[Sniffles.]
Mike, would you please escort Mrs.
Menez to the ladies room? Mike: Yes, sir.
Ma'am, could you come with me, please? Thank you.
Mr.
President? Emily, I want you to get me the name of the trucking company that Mr.
Menez worked for.
Why, sir? I've got a feeling, and if I'm right, we might finally have the leverage we need.
Will do.
There's someone from the OMB here to talk to you.
- Please get someone else to deal with it.
- I think you should, sir.
It's about Penny, but I think you might want to talk to your daughter first.
Okay.
Have someone bring her down.
- [Knock on door.]
- Come in.
Thank you, Clive.
Little P, take a seat.
You know that I trust you, right? Yeah.
And you know that I think honesty is the most important thing.
Yeah.
I need to ask you a question, and I want you to know I'm not gonna be angry, no matter what your answer is.
I'm sorry I broke your watch.
You broke my watch? Yeah.
Did you break this, too? No.
You're absolutely sure? Yeah.
Just your watch.
Sorry.
[Chuckles.]
Come here.
It's all right.
Come on.
Could you please take her back up to the residency? Bye, Little P.
Penny: Bye, Daddy.
Mrs.
Dunning.
Mr.
President.
It's very nice to meet you.
I want you to know that we take the destruction of property very seriously around here.
After all, we are simply caretakers obligated to protect what belongs to the American people.
I couldn't agree more, sir.
Right.
I talked to my daughter about the vase, and she assured me that she did not break it.
I see.
Respectfully, sir, it is my experience that children tend to gild the lily.
[Chuckles.]
Gild the lily.
You know, fudge, and parents want to believe the best.
But sometimes, we need to be a bit skeptical.
It was nice meeting you, Mrs.
Dunning.
[Door opens, closes.]
Hey, sweetie.
What did Daddy want? To talk.
I didn't break a vase, but I'm not allowed to play with his watches anymore.
Oh.
Okay.
Mrs.
Kirkman, do you have a moment for Kendra Daynes? Sure.
Sorry for intruding, ma'am, but I need to bring something urgent to your attention.
- Okay.
- And I apologize for upsetting you earlier.
That was never our intention No, no, no.
Kendra, please, just tell me.
It's an FBI subpoena, ma'am.
It's for your mother.
Foerstel wants to question my mom.
Closed-door hearing, penalty of perjury.
We'll handle it.
She won't.
Tom, my mom didn't sign up for this.
She's a very private person.
This will destroy her, not to mention what this kind of scandal could do to the White House.
Alex, Alex, stop.
In the past year, we were almost blown up, we survived a major conspiracy, and I was shot.
This is nothing.
But, Tom, it's not nothing.
It's a 30-year-old transgression that your mom made in an effort to save her husband.
People will understand that.
The rest is innuendo.
We have weathered so much together.
We will weather this.
[Knock on door, door opens.]
Sorry to interrupt, sir, but he's waiting in the Roosevelt Room.
Alex, this is going to be okay.
It's going to be okay.
Mr.
Arronte.
Mr.
President.
Ms.
Rhodes.
Transport Transnacional is your company? One of them, yes.
And you hired José Menez just over three weeks ago? Uh, personally, no.
My head of human resources has Mr.
Arronte, you're in the White House now.
You don't get to come here and insult my intelligence.
Yes, I approved his hiring, Mr.
President.
To run the border blockade, so you would have the upper hand in negotiations, making you complicit in his death.
The intention was not for Mr.
Menez to die.
Right, because running a blockade of truckers with guns is a smart way to ensure longevity.
Okay, for the record, I didn't come to Mr.
Menez.
He came to me.
Dozens of my employees did.
They wanted to fight your country's unfair trade practices.
A sacrifice for which I'm sure his family will be handsomely rewarded.
He did a patriotic act.
I'll do mine by supporting his loved ones.
You signed his death warrant! No, sir! The American who killed him did that.
Mr.
Arronte, let me tell you what's gonna happen here.
You're gonna call your president and you're gonna tell him that the deal we have here on the table is fair and reasonable and he needs to sell it to the Mexican people.
- The American propo - I'm not finished yet.
After he signs the deal, you're gonna resign as trade envoy, or I'm gonna call the Texas State Attorney and have you charged with manslaughter.
Do you understand that? Yes, sir.
Good.
Then you can show yourself out.
[Door opens, closes.]
That gets us halfway there, sir.
Get me Zalesky.
He'll take us the rest of the way.
Nadia, you can't let people use you.
Use me? What, you didn't find it suspicious that Senator Flores hired you just after the trade negotiations were heating up? No, I didn't.
Well, you should've.
You need a little cynicism to survive in this town.
Aaron, the senator didn't recruit me.
There was an opening, and I applied for the job because I wanted to work for her.
I don't care.
Sending you just to twist my arm like that Was my idea! The senator didn't even know I was related to you.
I-I find that very hard to believe.
Well, it's true, and if you had asked me, I would've told you.
But instead, you assumed the worst.
You went to my boss.
You humiliated me.
All right, I'm sorry, but the fact remains you used our relationship to seek concessions that make this deal harder to broker.
"Concessions"? Whose side do you think I'm on? Well, y-you tell me.
Those concessions are for 36 million Mexican-Americans who don't see this as a zero-sum game, people who have family on the other side of the border.
We have family on the other side of the border! I'm aware of that.
I'm as connected to my heritage as anyone.
Really? When was the last time you were home? I've been a little busy, Nadia, all right? I know! And we're all so proud.
Look at you.
Everything you've accomplished, our Aaron You've climbed to the top of the ladder.
But maybe you've forgotten who helped you build it.
[Door opens.]
[Door closes.]
Paul, we're done haggling.
The pendulum stops here.
Yes, Arronte was guilty, but there was plenty of guilt to go around.
We can't treat our neighbors as enemies.
We need to make deals with them.
Bad deals.
Imperfect ones.
But if everybody is so afraid of losing, how on earth can anyone ever win? I will back you, sir but you still have a problem.
Okay, I'm listening.
This thing is so compromised, neither side can embrace it.
You can make this deal, yes, but it's eventually gonna be unmade.
What if I was able to give both parties something without either side losing anything? Well, then, you'd have a deal that might last, but how are you gonna do that? I'm gonna buy a friend dinner.
Are you live streaming? Excuse me? Your computer seems to have a perfect view to the hallway.
Yes, my nephew in Saginaw's recovering from a broken leg, but Sammy's fascinated with the White House, - so I like to do this for him.
- Is it always on? - Yes.
- And how long does the computer store video? I don't know.
A week, I guess? Am I in trouble? Not at all.
How is it you're treating me to dinner, but I still feel like everyone's gonna wind up dining out on me? [Laughs.]
For a smart guy, that's a pretty simple way of looking at things.
It is simple.
You're asking me to slow the rollout of my automated plants.
To save jobs.
You employ 50,000 people on both sides of the border.
Who get to stave off unemployment for a few more years.
How does that break your log jam? It helps both sides back the deal without losing anything in the bargain.
It nudges us across the finish line.
And it costs me a fortune.
I'll push for tax breaks, and you'll be a hero south of the border.
Mexico walked into the 21st century as one of the world's greatest polluters.
They want to change that record.
It'd be a huge market for your electric cars.
[Scoffs.]
None of this will make me whole.
In the short term, no, but you're a privately owned company.
You don't have to answer to shareholders, and we both know you can afford it.
Oh, I need a better reason than that.
How 'bout your president asked you? That's a better reason.
The future's coming whether you're ready or not, Tom.
Now, you can try to hold back the rushing water, but one day, the dam is gonna burst.
I know.
I was just trying to buy time, make sure everybody can swim.
Maya: Is this you? Uh, the camera adds 10 pounds, but yes, yes.
And why were you running? Well, it was almost midnight.
I realized my exercise monitor showed 9,200 steps for the day.
I had barely two minutes to make 10,000.
Our insurance covers negligence.
It doesn't cover intentional destruction of property.
But your behavior here was reckless, which puts us squarely in a gray area.
- How gray? - It's a discretionary determination.
I see.
Is there anything I can do to inform that discretion? Meaning what? How can I help you understand that this was, in fact, an accident? Are you trying to bribe me? Of course not.
I'm Right? I suppose further investigation could shed some light on the incident.
It would.
A secondary questionnaire, deposition, perhaps.
You'll find me very forthcoming.
Good.
Let's discuss this further over dinner.
- Dinner? - Yes.
- How much? - For what? The vase.
How much? It was last appraised at $1.
2 million.
- [Pen clatters.]
- I'm gluten-free.
- Great.
- [Chuckles.]
Let's face the facts This deal's the Kirkman compromise, not a win-win.
It's a lose-lose.
Man: Well, maybe he should, uh Tom: Seth.
Grab a beer.
You deserve one.
Oh, I'm good, thank you.
And does anybody think the United States won anything here? What's the temperature out there? [Sighs.]
Lukewarm, sir.
I don't think that's a fair assessment.
The blockade's over, the country's not hemorrhaging money anymore, and we hammered out a crucial trade agreement.
Despite incentives for both sides, this thing fell far short of anything anyone wanted.
Well, if no one's happy, that's the mark of a good deal, sir.
Then this was a great deal, Lyor.
[Indistinct conversations.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Aaron! Sophia.
¿Como estas? ¿Como estas? I'm glad you made it.
I'm glad I made it.
Man: iMÃralo! Just in time for dinner! [Laughs.]
[Woman speaking Spanish.]
[Speaks Spanish.]
Aaron.
[Chatter.]
You subpoenaed the First Lady's mother after we spoke? Hannah - Why did you do it? - I had to do it.
You're such a bastard, John.
I'm gonna give you a pass on that, 'cause you and I go back a long way, but it's a one-time pass.
I'm the director of the FBI.
You cross a line with me, it's gonna stay crossed.
I came to you in friendship and in confidence! And I intended to honor that confidence Till when? Till your ambition got the better of you? No.
This did.
Icarus Astrotech contract with the Defense Department.
For $3 billion.
They landed it six months ago, right after Lloyd's Pentagon hack, and the Icarus signatory is Eric Little, the guy who bribed the First Lady's mother back in '87, the guy who just turned up dead.
So I don't think I have to tell you what this looks like, but I can tell you that I have an obligation to investigate it, and I intend to do my job.
I can now confirm that Patrick Lloyd has been neutralized.
Hannah: Lloyd's on the run for six months, and the last thing he does is trash the First Lady's mother's house? He wasn't looking for something.
He was leaving us something.
Alex: Is this really necessary? We have to vet everything that Patrick Lloyd touched.
It's the insurance form for my dad's heart transplant.
Let's head around back.
I cut a hole in the fence.
Hannah! [Explosion.]
Man: Do you guys want to tell me what you're doing on private property after hours? That supposed to impress me, Agent Wells? No, it's just to show you that we're working a federal investigation and that I don't have to answer any of your questions.
The First Lady's mother gives inside info to a government contractor in order to win a bid.
So the First Lady's father could move up the transplant list? A bribe? And which employee signed this? Eric Little.
Eric Little.
[Siren wails in distance.]
Blakey: So, this is your complete statement? Yes.
You noticed the door had been pushed in.
You entered the premises because you suspected a crime was ongoing.
You found the dead body.
You called it in.
That's right.
- And you didn't know Eric Little? - No.
- You'd never been to his house before? - Nope.
You mind telling me what you were doing in his neighborhood? I'm not at liberty to discuss that.
[Clears throat.]
A warehouse burns down, you're there.
A dead body turns up, you're there.
Now, why are you at the epicenter of every crime in Reston? Look, Detective.
You're just trying to do your job.
I understand that.
If I were you, I would be frustrated, too, but some things are just above your pay grade.
You get to play that card once, not twice.
It's not a card.
It's a reality check.
Well, let me give you one Whatever you're mixed up in, your hands better be clean, or even this place can't protect you.
You and I go way back, John.
I didn't know who else to turn to.
So, no one in the White House knows? Well, no one in a position of power.
I didn't want to set off any alarm bells - unless I had to.
- You already have.
By keeping a lid on it? By stonewalling a police investigation into the murder of a contractor who allegedly bribed the First Lady's mother? Allegedly, John.
This is Lloyd.
This is his last desperate act to bring down the presidency.
Yeah, it doesn't mean that there's nothing here.
So what now? If it's cancer, you have to tell the patient.
[Scoffs.]
But what if it's not? I need time to to dig into this.
I need time to disprove this, and if I can do that, then I don't have to bring the President into the loop.
Okay, but if you can't disprove it, you've impeded an investigation.
I don't think I have a better option right now.
[Sighs.]
Look, there may be a way to give yourself some cover so the whole weight of this doesn't fall on you if things go south.
I'm listening.
You want to protect the President, bring the White House Counsel into the loop.
Kendra Daynes has got the President's back, right? Yes.
Yes, but will she have mine? [Chanting.]
Hell no, Mexico! Your lousy junk has got to go! Reporter: Tensions continue to rise on both sides of the border as American truckers enter the sixth day of their blockade.
Reporter #2: The truckers are protesting trade negotiations, which have dragged on for two months now without signs of a breakthrough.
Reporter #3: Jake from Laredo, you're on the air.
Jake: I'm sick and tired of Mexico stealing our jobs and taking our money.
Give 'em hell, truckers! Man: This blockade is totally illegal! It's a racist move against all Mexicans! Woman: Apparently, the White House believes doing nothing will make the problem go away.
Man: They couldn't be more wrong.
Make no mistake about it This situation is a powder keg just waiting to explode.
[Engine starts.]
[Conversing in Spanish.]
[Truck horn blows.]
[Guards shouting in Spanish.]
[Horn blares.]
[Gunshots.]
[Indistinct shouting.]
Move! [Gunshots.]
[Speaking Spanish.]
- Gracias.
- [Cellphone beeps.]
Reporter: The slain trucker has been identified as José Menez, a Mexican national.
An autopsy has been ordered.
More than $2 billion a day That's what the blockade's costing our economy.
$10 billion so far, and the meter keeps ticking until we get this trade deal done.
Aaron, what'd the Mexican ambassador have to say? Not a lot I'd like to translate, sir.
So, Mexico is our most important trading partner, Americans are worried about their jobs and will hold you responsible if you don't protect them, and the administration needs this trade deal to prove itself on the international stage.
But after the shooting, the coordinated blockade at every U.
S.
point of entry's just gonna get harder to break.
Where are we at with the Mexican trade rep and our favorite union leader? They both walked, but we're trying to get them back to the table.
We all know what we need to do.
Let's get it done.
You want us to cook your food, cut your grass, raise your children, but treating us justly? The United States is already the largest market for Mexican goods.
A reasonable excise tax Oh, here comes the tariff pitch.
The offer that is on the table will help reduce many of those tariffs, but you have to meet us halfway.
This blockade hurts both countries.
Exactly.
But my people have a different pain threshold.
See, we're willing to suffer for better opportunities, a better mañana A better deal.
[Door opens.]
Businesses are moving their factories to Mexico to exploit cheap labor.
And the President's policies of low tariffs and free trade - Paul, you're a dinosaur.
- I'm sorry? You're not familiar with the whole Jurassic thing? I know what a dinosaur is.
They're extinct, which is where you're headed.
50 years ago, a third of U.
S.
workers were unionized.
- Now it's 1 in 10.
- Okay, so if I'm a dying breed, why do I have a seat at the table? Because organized labor still matters.
Where you lead, they follow, but, Paul, you need to face facts.
Enlighten me.
Undocumented workers take jobs Americans won't.
Cheap Mexican goods force us to innovate.
Oh, Mexicans crashing the border and trying to run down Americans He was driving on the shoulder.
It's symbolic, Lyor.
You want symbolism? It's a dead Mexican on the spin cycle, not a dead American.
They walk away, they're justified.
You walk away, well, you're unreasonable.
Yes, we're concerned that Mexico's voided the pact, but we've made solid progress towards a new agreement.
And with Labor's backing, the U.
S.
has been able to lower tariffs on select Mexican goods, and the Mexican government has responded positively.
[Indistinct shouting.]
Do you expect the Mexican position to change now that we know the bullet that killed Mr.
Menez came from an American gun? I don't, um The only information I have is that Mr.
Menez was hit multiple times.
The M.
E.
has just confirmed the kill shot was an American one based on the angle of entry.
Okay, I mean, even if that's true, the truckers have a self-defense claim.
Mr.
Menez was driving on the side of the road.
Okay, well, they may have had every reason to suspect that he was going to swerve.
Uh, and if that's true, then, uh, they had every right to stand their ground.
Will the shooting be investigated? Sounds like that's a question for local authorities.
Is the President going to condemn American gun violence? Um, I'm sorry, guys.
I can sidebar on that with you later.
[Indistinct shouting.]
So, is this shooting a referendum on American gun violence? No, it's a referendum on the dangers of running the border at 90 miles an hour.
Mr.
Shore, do you have a position on this? Uh, no, I do not, but the administration does, which is that this sad situation reinforces the need for the parties to get back to the table.
But as the only Mexican-American on the President's senior staff I don't serve the President as a Mexican-American.
What do you serve him as? As a National Security Advisor.
[Speaks Spanish.]
[Speaks Spanish.]
[Door opens.]
This latest news has further jeopardized the stalled trade agreement between the United States and Mexico.
Mexican-American leaders in the United States are calling for rallies across the country to protest the fatal shooting of trucker José Menez.
Everybody was shooting Mexicans, Americans, civilians, law enforcement.
This tragedy is the very definition of collective responsibility.
But it was an American who fired the fatal shot.
Lyor: Yes, and it shifts the negotiational equilibrium.
Mexico is gonna up its demands now.
Emily: That's already happened.
Arronte's asking for expanded rights for undocumented workers and rollbacks on agricultural tariffs.
Both of which will go over like a lead balloon with Zalesky.
- Tom: So we're back to square one.
- I'm afraid so, sir.
We need to mobilize the Hispanic-American community.
They're the honest brokers in this.
They can bring both sides back to the table.
I reached out to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Senator Flores is en route.
Okay, good.
We need a political solution And fast.
Yes, sir.
We have a broken vase.
That's not a sentence I've heard since my babysitting days.
A broken vase in the West Wing.
Okay.
A gift from the Imperial Chinese Court to Rutherford B.
Hayes.
This isn't getting more interesting.
There's paperwork.
Stuff breaks.
Have the Office of Management and Budget file a claim.
- Done.
- Thanks.
Dax, I am so sorry.
Oh, that's all right, sir.
I understand you have a few items on your plate.
Unfortunately, the trade agreement is the entrée.
I'm gonna have to push our dinner.
No problem.
I brought you something, by the way.
The new electric car? Yes, sir.
Wow.
Zero to 60 in 3 flat, carbon-neutral, 400 miles to a charge, rolling off the assembly lines this spring.
Which assembly lines? We have plants in Tijuana and Flint.
Well, that explains why you haven't called me about the trade deal.
Correct.
I'm the human version of carbon-neutral.
Plus, in three years, my factories will be completely automated.
So labor's not your concern.
No, sir.
It's cadmium.
Impressive.
I owe you a meal.
Oh.
Come on, let me walk you out.
- Sure.
- Kendra: Here's the good news There's no legal jeopardy for the First Lady's mother.
Even if she took a bribe? Yes.
The statute of limitations is long past.
It's the contractor's death that's the problem.
Well, only if you're a conspiracy theorist.
Doesn't lead anywhere.
Before we worry about where it leads, let's worry about where you're leading it.
You're a White House employee.
Your actions are imputed to the President.
Why is everyone confusing investigating with obstructing? Because there's a fine line between the two.
And if you want to stay on the right side of it, you have to jump through certain hoops.
You mean speak to the First Lady's mother? Yes.
The case against her is highly circumstantial.
You get her denial on record, the contractor's death, anything else Lloyd may have dug up, becomes immaterial.
I am not asking a 70-year-old woman whose daughter is married to the President whether she committed a crime.
No, that would be imprudent.
- Exactly.
- You have to ask the First Lady.
[Sighs.]
[Door opens.]
Senator Flores, the President wants to bring both sides back to the table.
How can we work together to Nadia? IEl primo! [Laughs.]
[Chuckles.]
So great to see you! Well, it's great to see you, too.
Look, I-I'm meeting with Senator Flores right now, so No, you're not.
[Chuckles.]
She sent me.
Uh, you work with Representative Yoshida.
I did Until about two weeks ago.
I sent you like two messages about it.
I'm I'm sorry, I Anyway, I know how busy you are, so why don't we jump in? Okay.
The first item of business is amnesty.
Wait, th-the CBO estimates that would cost the U.
S.
economy $2.
6 trillion in the first year alone.
That doesn't take into account the taxes people living in the shadows would pay.
It's a non-starter, Nadia.
We don't have bipartisan support.
Let's put a pin in that and talk about remittance provision.
Nadia, I think it best for me to interface with the senator directly on all these things.
[Chatter.]
Ms.
Rhodes.
Maya Dunning, OMB.
[Sighs.]
The vase, right? It's only a covered event if the breakage is accidental, - not deliberate.
- It was accidental.
Well, I don't know that.
[Chuckles.]
The White House hasn't declared war on Chinese ceramics, Mrs.
Dunning.
I'm still required to conduct an investigation.
If you leave me out of it, you can wheel in Hercule Poirot.
Thank you.
Alex: Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Of course.
I don't need to tell you what I think about the prospect of involving my mother in any of this, um, but I guess sometimes, it's better to head things off at the pass.
Yes, ma'am.
Which makes Agent Wells' deception even more difficult to understand.
Ma'am? You had me poring through documents, hundreds of them, when you were only interested in this one.
I believe that Agent Wells Can speak for herself, thank you, Kendra.
I didn't know if there was anything to this, and if there wasn't, I didn't want to trouble you.
So you decided to insult me with some ruse, playing me for a fool? That was never my intention.
So, now that everything's on the table, I hope you can see how absurd this bribery suggestion really is.
At this stage, there's no indication whether it's credible or not.
Of course there isn't.
My mom was a secretary.
She was not an administrator, okay? She didn't deal with executives or hand out contracts.
- She got coffee.
- I understand that, but So you still find it plausible that a contractor, who was looking for a big piece of business, would think that my mother was the right person to bribe? I'm not saying that it's plausible, ma'am.
I'm saying that we have circumstantial evidence That my mother is a criminal.
Ma'am, the intention is not to upset you.
Hannah is here at my urging.
And she should know, more than anyone, how crazy Lloyd was and how much he hated my husband and how no smear was beneath that man.
Right, Agent Wells? Yes, ma'am.
So maybe you should have considered all of this before you came to me with this manufactured nonsense.
Sorry to trouble you, Mrs.
Kirkman.
As you can see, some very upset folks - [Knock on door.]
- Yeah, come in.
Protesting the death of Mexican citizen José Menez in the Well, Mexico's winning the PR battle at home and abroad.
They're hardening their stance.
Meanwhile, we are turning on each other.
There's been an upsurge of violence at the border crossings.
Where are we with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus? I had a productive meeting with, uh, Senator Flores' aide.
Aide? Aaron, that's not good enough.
She's sitting on her hands.
We need her out there defending our position.
I'll tell her, sir.
- Where are we at with Labor? - [Knock on door.]
Mr.
President you need to see this.
[Remote clicks.]
This White House is worried about globalism.
Well, you know, I'm worried about our country.
Mr.
President, the American worker won't support your agenda if you don't support him.
You tell Mr.
Zalesky if he keeps trying to undercut me, he's gonna regret it.
Yes, sir.
You've got to give them their jobs back.
That's how this works.
You have to roll back everything you've been doing for the past Damn Stegosaurus.
Maya: It's a simple questionnaire.
It's 12 pages.
I'm not having the White House staff answer a 12-page questionnaire about broken pottery.
The comprehensive one is 26.
This is officially a covered event, the result of an accident.
I think that that conclusion is premature.
Okay, well, then, you can take it up with my boss.
He's in the office down the hall the big oval one.
[Indistinct conversations.]
Hey.
Hey.
You good? Oh, semi-good.
You know, you ever get a feeling like you just can't make anyone happy? That would be my childhood.
- [Laughs.]
- Thanks a lot.
Yeah, you know, this trade deal Everyone's wondering if I'm doing enough for their side.
[Stammers.]
The only side I'm on is the President's.
Yeah, I know what it's like to be stuck in the middle.
You want to know when that ends? - When? - Never! [Scoffs.]
6.
2 million undocumented Mexican workers in the United States, Aaron.
It's a national emergency.
Aaron: We're aware, Senator Flores, which is why the President is committed to working with you to ease their path to citizenship.
Then why is that not reflected in the agreement? Because it should focus on trade.
I-It's economics.
Both of which are tied to people.
The President believes in people, and he believes in honoring his word, which you have.
You endorse this agreement, the White House will be extremely grateful.
[Sighs.]
Well, this is not ideal, but I suppose very little is in this world.
Meaning you'll come out publicly in support of the President? You have my word.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Senator may I address a personal matter? I didn't appreciate you deploying my cousin to manipulate me on a legislative matter.
Um, Aaron, I think you misunderstand.
No, no, I don't think I do.
I sent Nadia to the White House because she is a highly prized and capable aide.
Who happens to be related to me.
Look, trying to leverage that isn't going to open doors for you, ma'am.
It's gonna close them.
[Camera shutters clicking.]
My husband loved America.
He hoped to join me and our children here one day.
But I'm still not a citizen so he couldn't.
He was killed by the people he dreamed one day would be his neighbors.
Aaron: I just got off the phone with President Moreno's office, and they're saying he won't intervene.
Of course not.
He can't put his personal prestige on the line for something like this.
Why not? I've put mine on the line.
Yes, but you're not up for re-election in four months.
[Sighs.]
Where are we at with Paul Zalesky? I had a "come to Lyor" talk with him last night.
- He'll stand down.
- Emily: For now.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus' support gained us some ground domestically, but Arronte's still insisting on rollbacks.
If Zalesky responds, we're back where we started again.
All of this is happening because of the shooting, right? Yes, sir.
It's hard to talk substance when emotions are running high.
Well, of course, and now there's a human cost to the debate.
Meanwhile, on both sides of the border, families are struggling to eke out a living.
Like José Menez.
Aaron: We can reach out to his widow.
Yes.
She's a legal U.
S.
resident from Mexico.
Maybe she can help us bridge the divide.
That's actually pretty good.
We could stop talking substance, put a human face on the tragedy.
Yeah, a photo op would show Mexico that America cares about the plight of the undocumented immigrant.
And it'll soften Arronte up.
He blinks first, Labor will fall in line.
He'd end the blockade, open up the borders, and close this deal.
Let's try it.
Seth, please, set it up.
Mom, I-I'm embarrassed to even ask you this, but it's just something I I have to put to bed, okay? So, [Sighs.]
this is a purchase order for helicopters that Icarus Astrotech won.
I know what it is.
Okay, s-so, there's this allegation It's a crazy allegation That you helped Icarus in exchange for You know, even hearing myself say this out loud, I Alex, ask me the question.
Did you accept a bribe? Yes.
What? Oh, you knew that already, right? No, I didn't.
Y-You were a secretary.
With access to the bid specs.
When you're a contractor and you know what the government's looking for, you have the inside track.
So you broke the law? To save your father's life.
Absolutely.
He was gonna die.
Alex, if he got his heart transplant, you think I cared about who got to build the stupid helicopter? - Mom, why didn't you tell me this?! - Why would I? Because my husband is president! And had he been running for office yes, I probably would have come forward, but come on, we all All woke up one day and he was in charge! What possible good could it have done for me to confess something that That happened so long ago? Mom, you committed a federal crime.
It bought me 15 more years with a wonderful man and gave my daughter her father.
I'd do it again, 10 times over because my family matters more to me than anything else.
[Chatter.]
Seth: The President will make some remarks, and then introduce you.
You'll read from your prepared statement, okay? Okay.
Tom: Don't be scared.
I'll be standing there right by your side.
Yes, sir.
Mike, stop.
Change of plans.
I would like you to escort Mrs.
Menez back to the Oval Office.
I'm sorry.
I'll be right there.
Yes, sir.
- Sir? - I can't do this.
I'm sorry.
Sir, the press is waiting for you.
She is mourning her dead husband.
Sir I am not gonna milk human tragedy for political gain.
I am not doing this.
Handle it.
I have 40 reporters out there.
What am I supposed to say? Don't ask me.
I'm the big-picture guy.
There are so many connections between our two countries, but the most important is the human one.
On behalf of the American people, I am so sorry for your tragic loss.
Thank you.
I also want you to know that I am not gonna ask anything else of you.
There will be no press conference and no expectations.
You can say whatever you want to whomever you want.
That's what our country is about.
If you don't mind, could you tell me something about your husband? He was a good man.
He cared about his family - And baseball.
- [Chuckles.]
[Chuckles.]
And tequila.
[Chuckles.]
You'd have liked him.
It sounds like it.
But, uh the last three years, there was no work, and he was so desperate.
And then, last month, he got that job as a driver, a very good job.
So he just started working there? [Voice breaking.]
And he was so happy.
[Sighs.]
It doesn't make any sense, you know? Oh, I'm sorry.
[Sniffles.]
Mike, would you please escort Mrs.
Menez to the ladies room? Mike: Yes, sir.
Ma'am, could you come with me, please? Thank you.
Mr.
President? Emily, I want you to get me the name of the trucking company that Mr.
Menez worked for.
Why, sir? I've got a feeling, and if I'm right, we might finally have the leverage we need.
Will do.
There's someone from the OMB here to talk to you.
- Please get someone else to deal with it.
- I think you should, sir.
It's about Penny, but I think you might want to talk to your daughter first.
Okay.
Have someone bring her down.
- [Knock on door.]
- Come in.
Thank you, Clive.
Little P, take a seat.
You know that I trust you, right? Yeah.
And you know that I think honesty is the most important thing.
Yeah.
I need to ask you a question, and I want you to know I'm not gonna be angry, no matter what your answer is.
I'm sorry I broke your watch.
You broke my watch? Yeah.
Did you break this, too? No.
You're absolutely sure? Yeah.
Just your watch.
Sorry.
[Chuckles.]
Come here.
It's all right.
Come on.
Could you please take her back up to the residency? Bye, Little P.
Penny: Bye, Daddy.
Mrs.
Dunning.
Mr.
President.
It's very nice to meet you.
I want you to know that we take the destruction of property very seriously around here.
After all, we are simply caretakers obligated to protect what belongs to the American people.
I couldn't agree more, sir.
Right.
I talked to my daughter about the vase, and she assured me that she did not break it.
I see.
Respectfully, sir, it is my experience that children tend to gild the lily.
[Chuckles.]
Gild the lily.
You know, fudge, and parents want to believe the best.
But sometimes, we need to be a bit skeptical.
It was nice meeting you, Mrs.
Dunning.
[Door opens, closes.]
Hey, sweetie.
What did Daddy want? To talk.
I didn't break a vase, but I'm not allowed to play with his watches anymore.
Oh.
Okay.
Mrs.
Kirkman, do you have a moment for Kendra Daynes? Sure.
Sorry for intruding, ma'am, but I need to bring something urgent to your attention.
- Okay.
- And I apologize for upsetting you earlier.
That was never our intention No, no, no.
Kendra, please, just tell me.
It's an FBI subpoena, ma'am.
It's for your mother.
Foerstel wants to question my mom.
Closed-door hearing, penalty of perjury.
We'll handle it.
She won't.
Tom, my mom didn't sign up for this.
She's a very private person.
This will destroy her, not to mention what this kind of scandal could do to the White House.
Alex, Alex, stop.
In the past year, we were almost blown up, we survived a major conspiracy, and I was shot.
This is nothing.
But, Tom, it's not nothing.
It's a 30-year-old transgression that your mom made in an effort to save her husband.
People will understand that.
The rest is innuendo.
We have weathered so much together.
We will weather this.
[Knock on door, door opens.]
Sorry to interrupt, sir, but he's waiting in the Roosevelt Room.
Alex, this is going to be okay.
It's going to be okay.
Mr.
Arronte.
Mr.
President.
Ms.
Rhodes.
Transport Transnacional is your company? One of them, yes.
And you hired José Menez just over three weeks ago? Uh, personally, no.
My head of human resources has Mr.
Arronte, you're in the White House now.
You don't get to come here and insult my intelligence.
Yes, I approved his hiring, Mr.
President.
To run the border blockade, so you would have the upper hand in negotiations, making you complicit in his death.
The intention was not for Mr.
Menez to die.
Right, because running a blockade of truckers with guns is a smart way to ensure longevity.
Okay, for the record, I didn't come to Mr.
Menez.
He came to me.
Dozens of my employees did.
They wanted to fight your country's unfair trade practices.
A sacrifice for which I'm sure his family will be handsomely rewarded.
He did a patriotic act.
I'll do mine by supporting his loved ones.
You signed his death warrant! No, sir! The American who killed him did that.
Mr.
Arronte, let me tell you what's gonna happen here.
You're gonna call your president and you're gonna tell him that the deal we have here on the table is fair and reasonable and he needs to sell it to the Mexican people.
- The American propo - I'm not finished yet.
After he signs the deal, you're gonna resign as trade envoy, or I'm gonna call the Texas State Attorney and have you charged with manslaughter.
Do you understand that? Yes, sir.
Good.
Then you can show yourself out.
[Door opens, closes.]
That gets us halfway there, sir.
Get me Zalesky.
He'll take us the rest of the way.
Nadia, you can't let people use you.
Use me? What, you didn't find it suspicious that Senator Flores hired you just after the trade negotiations were heating up? No, I didn't.
Well, you should've.
You need a little cynicism to survive in this town.
Aaron, the senator didn't recruit me.
There was an opening, and I applied for the job because I wanted to work for her.
I don't care.
Sending you just to twist my arm like that Was my idea! The senator didn't even know I was related to you.
I-I find that very hard to believe.
Well, it's true, and if you had asked me, I would've told you.
But instead, you assumed the worst.
You went to my boss.
You humiliated me.
All right, I'm sorry, but the fact remains you used our relationship to seek concessions that make this deal harder to broker.
"Concessions"? Whose side do you think I'm on? Well, y-you tell me.
Those concessions are for 36 million Mexican-Americans who don't see this as a zero-sum game, people who have family on the other side of the border.
We have family on the other side of the border! I'm aware of that.
I'm as connected to my heritage as anyone.
Really? When was the last time you were home? I've been a little busy, Nadia, all right? I know! And we're all so proud.
Look at you.
Everything you've accomplished, our Aaron You've climbed to the top of the ladder.
But maybe you've forgotten who helped you build it.
[Door opens.]
[Door closes.]
Paul, we're done haggling.
The pendulum stops here.
Yes, Arronte was guilty, but there was plenty of guilt to go around.
We can't treat our neighbors as enemies.
We need to make deals with them.
Bad deals.
Imperfect ones.
But if everybody is so afraid of losing, how on earth can anyone ever win? I will back you, sir but you still have a problem.
Okay, I'm listening.
This thing is so compromised, neither side can embrace it.
You can make this deal, yes, but it's eventually gonna be unmade.
What if I was able to give both parties something without either side losing anything? Well, then, you'd have a deal that might last, but how are you gonna do that? I'm gonna buy a friend dinner.
Are you live streaming? Excuse me? Your computer seems to have a perfect view to the hallway.
Yes, my nephew in Saginaw's recovering from a broken leg, but Sammy's fascinated with the White House, - so I like to do this for him.
- Is it always on? - Yes.
- And how long does the computer store video? I don't know.
A week, I guess? Am I in trouble? Not at all.
How is it you're treating me to dinner, but I still feel like everyone's gonna wind up dining out on me? [Laughs.]
For a smart guy, that's a pretty simple way of looking at things.
It is simple.
You're asking me to slow the rollout of my automated plants.
To save jobs.
You employ 50,000 people on both sides of the border.
Who get to stave off unemployment for a few more years.
How does that break your log jam? It helps both sides back the deal without losing anything in the bargain.
It nudges us across the finish line.
And it costs me a fortune.
I'll push for tax breaks, and you'll be a hero south of the border.
Mexico walked into the 21st century as one of the world's greatest polluters.
They want to change that record.
It'd be a huge market for your electric cars.
[Scoffs.]
None of this will make me whole.
In the short term, no, but you're a privately owned company.
You don't have to answer to shareholders, and we both know you can afford it.
Oh, I need a better reason than that.
How 'bout your president asked you? That's a better reason.
The future's coming whether you're ready or not, Tom.
Now, you can try to hold back the rushing water, but one day, the dam is gonna burst.
I know.
I was just trying to buy time, make sure everybody can swim.
Maya: Is this you? Uh, the camera adds 10 pounds, but yes, yes.
And why were you running? Well, it was almost midnight.
I realized my exercise monitor showed 9,200 steps for the day.
I had barely two minutes to make 10,000.
Our insurance covers negligence.
It doesn't cover intentional destruction of property.
But your behavior here was reckless, which puts us squarely in a gray area.
- How gray? - It's a discretionary determination.
I see.
Is there anything I can do to inform that discretion? Meaning what? How can I help you understand that this was, in fact, an accident? Are you trying to bribe me? Of course not.
I'm Right? I suppose further investigation could shed some light on the incident.
It would.
A secondary questionnaire, deposition, perhaps.
You'll find me very forthcoming.
Good.
Let's discuss this further over dinner.
- Dinner? - Yes.
- How much? - For what? The vase.
How much? It was last appraised at $1.
2 million.
- [Pen clatters.]
- I'm gluten-free.
- Great.
- [Chuckles.]
Let's face the facts This deal's the Kirkman compromise, not a win-win.
It's a lose-lose.
Man: Well, maybe he should, uh Tom: Seth.
Grab a beer.
You deserve one.
Oh, I'm good, thank you.
And does anybody think the United States won anything here? What's the temperature out there? [Sighs.]
Lukewarm, sir.
I don't think that's a fair assessment.
The blockade's over, the country's not hemorrhaging money anymore, and we hammered out a crucial trade agreement.
Despite incentives for both sides, this thing fell far short of anything anyone wanted.
Well, if no one's happy, that's the mark of a good deal, sir.
Then this was a great deal, Lyor.
[Indistinct conversations.]
[Indistinct conversations.]
Aaron! Sophia.
¿Como estas? ¿Como estas? I'm glad you made it.
I'm glad I made it.
Man: iMÃralo! Just in time for dinner! [Laughs.]
[Woman speaking Spanish.]
[Speaks Spanish.]
Aaron.
[Chatter.]
You subpoenaed the First Lady's mother after we spoke? Hannah - Why did you do it? - I had to do it.
You're such a bastard, John.
I'm gonna give you a pass on that, 'cause you and I go back a long way, but it's a one-time pass.
I'm the director of the FBI.
You cross a line with me, it's gonna stay crossed.
I came to you in friendship and in confidence! And I intended to honor that confidence Till when? Till your ambition got the better of you? No.
This did.
Icarus Astrotech contract with the Defense Department.
For $3 billion.
They landed it six months ago, right after Lloyd's Pentagon hack, and the Icarus signatory is Eric Little, the guy who bribed the First Lady's mother back in '87, the guy who just turned up dead.
So I don't think I have to tell you what this looks like, but I can tell you that I have an obligation to investigate it, and I intend to do my job.