Aaron Sorkin Says Joe Biden’s Decision To Withdraw Was A ‘West Wing’ Moment As White House Honors Show On 25th Anniversary
Cast members of The West Wing emerged from the real Oval Office this afternoon for a White House Rose Garden reception recognizing the NBC show’s 25th anniversary.
Speaking to a couple hundred attendees, First Lady Jill Biden said that President Joe Biden wanted to make sure that “President Bartlet and his staff had a chance to see the Oval Office again,” while she cited the 1999-2006 show’s inspiration to “so many to step forward and serve our country.”
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Martin Sheen, who played Bartlet, thanked the first lady for getting the opportunity “to morph once again into the wonderful character that changed my life and lot of the others as well.” He then made a soaring statement from the Rose Garden steps, reiterating an Irish story themed to the idea of “something worth fighting for.”
Creator and executive producer Aaron Sorkin pushed back on the cynicism that the show was an impossibly idealized version of the White House.
In fact, he said, “The show was idealistic, aspirational and romantic. Over the years, I’ve noticed that during times of peak political tension, pundits will warn us not to expect a West Wing moment. They need to expect the selfless act of statesmanship, not to expect anyone to put country first. Don’t expect anyone to swing for the fences or reach for the stars. But the fact is, West Wing moments do happen. And, Dr. Biden, we saw proof of that on the morning of July 21. That was the kind of thing we do stories about.”
As pressure mounted on Biden to drop out, Sorkin had published an op-ed in The New York Times the morning of July 21, recommending that Democrats nominate Mitt Romney in a show of unity — an ultimate West Wing moment. After Biden did drop out hours later, Sorkin said that he was endorsing Kamala Harris.
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Among those also at the event were director and executive producer Thomas Schlamme and other cast members Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Emily Procter, Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, as well as representatives from Warner Bros. As guests arrived in the East Wing, they were greeted by a representation of a big block of cheese — a reference to an Andrew Jackson tradition that became the source of one of the West Wing episodes.
Sorkin said that Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford and Allison Janney had on-set work commitments and could not make it.
“The rest of us are all apparently unemployed,” Sorkin said.
“Not yet,” Jill Biden said.
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