The West Wing

Character

Speaker of the House

Glenallen Walken

authoritative cautious partisan

Glenallen Walken serves as Speaker of the House. President Bartlet directs Leo McGarry to contact him quietly during a false alarm scare tied to Zoey Bartlet's safety, launching 25th Amendment continuity procedures. Walken assumes acting President role amid the kidnapping crisis, convenes with White House staff in the Oval Office, and handles power transfer with steady authority. Earlier, Josh Lyman notes his opposition to VP nominee Ryan Lyndell, marking him as a Republican gatekeeper on confirmations. Toby Ziegler recalls Walken's push to repeal the 16th Amendment, fueling partisan clashes that force White House strategic shifts.

10 appearances

Congressional Leadership

Also known as: the Speaker, Speaker of the House

Glenallen Walken's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

10 moments

S4E15 · Inauguration Part II: Over There

Window into Conviction: Will's Unfiltered Answer

Mentioned as an adversarial presence in the political background; not emotionally active in the scene.

The Speaker of the House is invoked by Toby as part of a sardonic list of things that make him worry about the window; the Speaker functions as rhetorical color …

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S4E15 · Inauguration Part II: Over There

Toby Reins In Will's Idealism

Not present; invoked to create a sense of external pressure on the administration.

Mentioned by Toby as an example of political threat and past fights over constitutional power; invoked to underscore stakes and the need for message discipline.

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Air Alarm Forces a Rules Debate — Bartlet’s Judgment Tested

Not present onscreen; implied steady and ready to assume responsibility.

Mentioned by Bartlet as the constitutional fallback; Walken is not present but his imminent contact is ordered so he can assume acting-presidential duties if needed.

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Invoking Twenty-Five: Walken Steps In

Controlled and authoritative — presenting steadiness to temper staff anxiety while stepping into adversarial political space.

Arrives with a small retinue and motorcade, approaches the White House, calms tense staff with a measured 'Relax, everybody,' exchanges a greeting with Leo, and prepares to enter the Oval …

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Leo Shrinks the Oval: Quietly Initiating the 25th

Calm and in-control; projecting steadiness to counter the crisis atmosphere.

Arrives as Speaker with a group of men, exhorts the staff to relax and breathe, exchanges a polite handshake with Leo, and proceeds inside to assume the acting role.

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Invoking Twenty-Five — Staff Divides as Leo Prepares Transfer

Composed and confident—measured in public, aware of the political gravity but projecting steadiness.

Enters as the Speaker with the Cabinet, offers outward calm—'Relax, everybody'—greets Leo and proceeds inside to assume acting presidential responsibilities.

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Constitutional Handoff — Walken Is Sworn In

Controlled and resolute on the surface; purposeful, with a studiously unemotional veneer masking the weight of assuming command amid tragedy.

Glenallen Walken arrives authoritative, asks pointed questions, signs a written resignation on the President's desk, demands witnesses, delivers a stern Franz Ferdinand analogy, places his hand on the Bible, and …

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Handoff and Power Play in the Oval

Controlled aggression — outwardly composed and doctrinaire but weaponizing ceremony to seize control and contain perceived chaos.

Arrives already assertive, interrogates Leo about the Beech Baron incident, demands legal housekeeping (resignation), signs the resignation on the President's desk, delivers a bellicose historical analogy and accepts the oath, …

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Walken Sworn In as Acting President

Controlled and resolute; performs gravely with an undercurrent of steely calculation rather than visible sympathy.

Walken signs his congressional resignation on the President's desk, delivers a cautionary historical analogy about Franz Ferdinand to assert authority, places his hand on the Bible and repeats the oath, …

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Whispered Loyalty During the Transfer of Power

Purposeful and assertive; anxious to establish control and to prevent escalation.

Speaker Glenallen Walken asserts authority and follows legal steps: he asks procedural questions, signs his congressional resignation at Bartlet's desk, places his hand on the Bible, repeats the oath after …

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Affiliation

Bartlet Administration (Executive Office of the President)

Executive governance, West Wing operations, presidential communications, crisis management, and logistical coordination