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

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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