The President is Missing

“Which means President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan will be remembered in history for one thing and one thing only. You’ll be the first president forcibly removed from office.”

One of Duncan’s advisors urges him to take the possibility of being impeached more seriously, using his full name to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation. She references the risk of him being impeached and removed from office because she misunderstands and thinks that Duncan is underestimating how fragile his position is. However, Duncan has to tolerate the risk of impeachment because he is navigating a situation that is more complex and volatile than anyone realizes.

“Surely you are smart enough to realize that if I’m going to violate every political instinct I possess and remain mute, there must be a pretty damn important reason why I’m doing that. There must be something vitally important at stake.”

Duncan makes this statement to Speaker Rhodes as he tries to persuade Rhodes not to pursue impeachment proceedings, developing the theme of Misunderstandings and False Accusations Due to Limited Information. Duncan provides some context as to why he is being so cagey about his seemingly bizarre actions (including protecting Suliman) and pleads with Rhodes to trust him. Duncan reveals the vulnerability that accompanies secrecy: When he can’t provide a full explanation for his behavior, he must rely on people trusting him, and they are not always willing to do so.

“Participation in our democracy seems to be driven by the instant-gratification worlds of Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and the twenty-four-hour news cycle. We’re using modern technology to revert to primitive kinds of human relations.”

In this quote, Duncan deplores the decline of integrity and loyalty, making his point by juxtaposing “modern” and “primitive.” He connects these changes to the rise of social media, lamenting how a changing social landscape makes it harder for people to feel connected to one another. While the major threat in the novel comes in the form of the cyberattack, long-term challenges around rigid partisan loyalties are also depicted as posing a grave threat to American democracy.

“I can’t deny the small thrill of release I feel while moving about in public without being noticed.”

This quote captures the small thrill that Duncan feels as he slips anonymously into an unmarked car and drives away from the White House alone. While he takes his position and the accompanying responsibility extremely seriously, Duncan sometimes chafes at the lack of freedom. Even while setting off on a dangerous mission, he enjoys his newfound anonymity.

“And if you don’t help me now, who are you helping? The people who just killed her.”

After Nina’s death, Duncan attempts to reason with Augie, who is initially resistant to helping Duncan because he blames him for Nina’s death. Duncan points out that Nina was clearly not killed by American operatives and that, therefore, refusing to cooperate with Duncan will not advance Augie’s goals. In this quotation, Duncan demonstrates his empathy and ability to reason with others, using logic to set up a binary opposition and force Augie to choose sides.

“I don’t know if he’s friend or foe, hero or operative.”

In this quotation, Duncan expresses his frustration with his lack of knowledge about Augie, using antithesis to represent the two extremes of his understanding of Augie. Because of Augie’s knowledge about the virus, Duncan is extremely dependent on him, but he is also unsure whether he should actually trust him. Because Duncan is surrounded by people with shifting and competing motivations, he must be constantly on guard.

“Only eight people in the world know that code word besides me. It’s never been written down.”

Duncan explains to Liz Greenfield why Augie and Nina’s knowledge of the code word is so alarming to him: It conclusively proves that someone within Duncan’s innermost circle has betrayed him. The quotation shows the intense limitations that must be imposed in order to preserve secrecy and the betrayals that can still result, highlighting the precariousness of Duncan’s position.

“A safe and stable United States means a safe and stable Israel. They have every reason to help us and no reason not to.”

Duncan reflects on his alliance with Israel and the confidence he feels in this ally, using parallelism to draw a connection between the US and Israel’s stability. While he is skeptical about many of the individuals around him, Duncan does also make choices about whom to trust. He makes these decisions both emotionally and logically: He deduces that Israel has a vested interest in the stability of the US, but he also simply intuits a sense of loyalty and relies on it to guide him.

“The team stays put for now. Los Angeles is a decoy.”

Even though everyone around him urges him to send the cybersecurity team to California, Duncan sticks to a controversial decision. He is convinced that Suliman’s team is trying to divert resources there, leaving the true target more vulnerable. The decision exemplifies Duncan’s willingness to take risks and trust his instincts, revealing how leadership requires controversial decisions.

“The advancements of mankind can make us more powerful and yet more vulnerable at the same time. The greater the power, the greater the vulnerability.”

Augie highlights why the virus poses such an intense risk: In order to create an efficient and high standard of living, the US has become increasingly reliant on technology. He uses anaphora for impact and to fully illustrate the precariousness of their position. If the virus succeeds in wiping out the internet and digital infrastructure, the US will revert to a much earlier standard of living but will no longer have the knowledge or resources to survive in that manner.

“Her daughter will know love. She will know happiness. War and violence will be something she reads about in books.”

This quotation reveals Bach’s motivations for carrying out the assassinations of Augie and Nina. Ironically, while she makes a living from engaging in violent acts, she wants to earn enough money to protect her future child. Bach has lived through warfare, instability, and trauma, and she wants to ensure a safe and secure life for her child; therefore, she is willing to do whatever it takes. The quotation shows that Bach is an amoral but not necessarily evil character who has her own motivations for engaging in violence.

“It’s like a bomb. If you don’t disable it properly, it goes off.”

This quotation explains why efforts to dismantle the virus are so sensitive and precarious. The same efforts to undermine the virus might accidentally trigger it. This quotation creates greater drama and tension as Duncan’s team works to dismantle the virus because their efforts might actually end in making things worse. The simile comparing the virus to a bomb also reinforces the very real threat it poses.

“He prefers to go out on his own terms, cupping the pistol under his chin and pulling the trigger.”

This quotation describes Suliman’s plan to take his own life if he is ever captured. The quotation reveals that he is aware of the risks he is taking: He faces imprisonment, torture, or worse if he is captured by American forces or their allies. Suliman’s plan to take his own life, revealed in graphically violent imagery, reveals the stakes of the plot surrounding the virus and also foreshadows his eventual defeat and death.

“I am in charge. Time to quit whining and suck it up.”

This quotation occurs when Duncan rallies after a moment of despair, when it seems like there is no way to stop the virus. Duncan displays his heroism and leadership because he is determined to continue fighting, no matter how overwhelming the situation is. His heroism embodies stereotypically masculine ideals of strength and self-reliance and portrays him as an idealized hero.

“Is it possible that you have so much knowledge and you’re up against something so sophisticated, that you haven’t considered a simple solution?”

Duncan says this to the team of cybersecurity experts before he proposes a solution that almost ends up resolving the virus. Duncan’s pragmatic and no-nonsense approach to problem-solving is presented as more effective than more elaborate and intellectual solutions. By being the one to propose the solution to the virus, Duncan further solidifies his characterization as an ideal hero who can overcome virtually any obstacle.

“Whoever you are, if you step forward and help me stop the virus, I’ll pardon you for all the crimes you’ve committed.”

Duncan makes this statement to the group of six individuals who potentially could have leaked the code word. He hopes that this offer of a pardon will flush out the traitor, as he has been unable to identify who it is. The quotation shows how desperate Duncan has become because he does not want to see the traitor go without punishment, and it reveals that he is occasionally willing to compromise in the service of greater goals.

“One man, who brought the world’s only superpower to its knees. One man, who will soon be rich enough to enjoy it.”

This quotation captures the triumph that Suliman feels when he learns that the virus has been activated and believes that his plan has been successful. He revels in his sense of power and triumph, using anaphora to emphasize what he sees as his elevated position. The quotation also shows his motivation for the entire plan: He is being paid by the Saudi royals (likely with additional contributions from the Russians) and gloats over the wealth he thinks he is going to acquire.

“Okay, then we have to guess. We have to guess.”

Duncan says this after realizing that there is no way to calculate the password, repeating the sentence to emphasize both the difficulty and importance of being decisive. Despite the sophisticated context of the virus, the solution comes down to simple ingenuity and deductive reasoning. Because of this level playing field, Duncan and his advisors are just as likely to be successful as the cybersecurity experts.

“Of course, it’s not really over. In some ways, the hardest part is yet to come.”

This quote reflects Duncan’s state of mind as he returns to the White House and prepares to confront Carolyn Brock. By this point, he knows that she is the source of the leak. While he is relieved to have solved the crisis of the virus, he now faces the challenging task of confronting betrayal from a close friend and trusted advisor. The quote reveals the burden of leadership and how it comes with unrelenting tasks, developing the theme of leadership requiring controversial decisions.

“I never saw this. I missed the envy, the resentment, the bitterness building up inside her.”

This quotation captures Duncan’s reaction when he finally realizes all the anger and bitterness that Carolyn has been harboring. Although Duncan is highly intelligent and intuitive, he is still capable of missing crucial information. In the case of Carolyn, his affection and loyalty made him unaware of the reality.

“I will do all this as long as my child is born in America and adopted by my brother.”

Bach lays out the terms she wants in exchange for providing information about her past crimes. She shows her strong maternal instincts since she unflinchingly accepts her fate and only negotiates on behalf of her child. Her desire for her daughter to be born in the US (implying that she will have American citizenship) also subtly implies that Bach believes that the US is the ideal place to live, reinforcing the amorality of her actions.

“When you see the package of sanctions we have planned, you’re going to rue the day you cut that deal with those Saudi dissidents.”

Duncan speaks to the Russian ambassador and is angry about the role that Russia played in the cyberattack plot, especially since they denied and hid this information. Duncan shows his strong leadership and willingness to take a firm stance by imposing sanctions and expelling the ambassador from the US. In addition to foiling the plot, Duncan seeks vengeance on his enemies, emphasized by his dramatic declaration that they will “rue the day.”

“It is impossible to preserve democracy when the well of trust runs completely dry.”

During his address to Congress, Duncan uses the metaphor of trust as a well that can run dry to plead with his audience to focus on unity rather than partisan politics and differences. He has seen how tensions and a lack of trust created additional complexity during the cyberattack threat. The speech reflects his values and ideological priorities at a moment when he has strong support.