Page 122 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“Mr. President, how do you feel about your wife being the first first lady to work outside the White House?”

“I’m extremely proud of the work Sam does to get justice for murder victims and their families, and I love that she’ll make history this way.”

“Are you concerned about your wife’s safety on the job, Mr. President?”

Sam held back a groan. For fuck’s sake.

“I’m always concerned about her when she’s working, but she’s a highly trained police officer surrounded by other highly trained officers. It would never occur to me to ask her to give up the work that means so much to her and many others.”

Sam squeezed his hand and smiled. “It’s easy to see why I love him so much.”

Nick’s face flushed with a hint of color that only she would notice.

She loved to fluster him because it so rarely happened, except with her.

“Mr. President, you’re the youngest president in American history. Do you feel that comes with a certain level of pressure to prove yourself?”

“Not particularly. I’ll be thirty-eight in a few weeks, so I’m not exactly a child. I’ve spent my entire adult life—more than fifteen years—working in the highest levels of the legislative and executive branches. I’d contend that my time working for Congress and my understanding of the intricacies of getting things done in this town will be extremely beneficial to my administration and what we’re hoping to accomplish for the American people.”

“You were criticized for leaving the White House in the midst of the standoff with Iran to attend your children’s birthday party. What do you say to that?”

“I was exactly where I needed to be that day. I’d been at the White House for fourteen hours on Friday and since early in the morning on Saturday and was waiting for the next briefing on the situation in Iran, which wasn’t due until five o’clock. While I waited, I went home to see the children at their party. At no time was I out of touch with my national security team or the rest of the group that was working feverishly to bring the matter in Iran to a successful conclusion.”

“I assume you’ve met with Secretary Ruskin since his return from Iran?”

“I have, and he’s resigned his post as of five o’clock today.”

Wagner clearly wasn’t expecting that scoop.

“He’s one of several of President Nelson’s secretaries who’ve chosen not to remain in their posts in my administration. We’ll be vetting replacements for each of them in the next few weeks.”

“Is Secretary Ruskin’s resignation tied to the events in Iran?”

“You’d need to speak to him about that.”

“The Iranian regime has referred to the incident as a misunderstanding. Would you call it that?”

“My team is doing an in-depth review of the events that took place from the time the secretary and his entourage landed in Tehran until the moment of their departure. When we know more, we’ll report our findings to the American people and the international community. I was relieved that we were able to get the secretary and the others home safely without further escalation of tensions. Several of our international allies were critical in helping us to bring the matter to a peaceful conclusion.”

Sam was so damned proud of him that she could bust from trying to contain it. The American people hadn’t known how lucky they were to have him, but they’d certainly know it after this interview.

“Can you tell us who you’re considering to fill the vice president opening?”

“We have a number of qualified candidates we’re considering and will have more information about that in the next week or two.”

“We’re hearing you’re considering a woman for the position. Is that true?”

“It is. I think we’re long overdue to see women at the highest levels of our government. If I’m remembered for nothing else, I’d like it to be that my administration was one of the more inclusive and diverse in history.”

Wagner asked several questions about Nick’s domestic and international agendas and plans, as well as when he thought he might take his first foreign trip.

“We’re still working on the schedule for the next few months, but as soon as we know more, we’ll be sure to make our agenda and schedule public.”

“During your tenure as vice president, you were an advocate for bringing awareness of public service careers to schoolchildren. Do you plan to continue that effort now that you’re president?”

“Absolutely. I think it’s critically important to the future of our country for children and young people to see a place for them in government. Our country relies on career civil servants to execute tens of thousands of programs and policies that have a direct impact on the daily lives of our citizens. We need smart, thoughtful people to serve in our armed forces and to work on the many challenges facing our country and the world, as well as to manage national security challenges, especially those in the increasingly complex area of cybersecurity. The next generation of diplomats and Peace Corps volunteers are in high school now, and I think it’s essential for them to be aware of the many opportunities they have to serve their country.”

“Does that include your hopes for your own children?”