Philip Riley Mead

Philip Riley Mead is the President of the United States in Deus Ex. He has a wife named Rachel and daughter named Sarah.

Background
As a young college student, Mead caught the attention of the Illuminati. In particular, he shared a special relationship with the Illuminatus Beth DuClare who helped groom his political career. In 2027, he was an outspoken Governor of the state of Florida, who urged the Congress to resume hearings on human augmentation and their legal ramifications after they were suspended following Doctor Megan Reed's death.

Mead took opportunity after the 2051 terrorist attack on the Statue of Liberty to restrict civil rights and force the US Congress to allow UNATCO to deploy on US soil and estabilish a permanent headquarters there. In his landmark State of the Union address he declared that terrorist threat will not be tolerated. "Enough is enough!" He also decided that the Statue shall not be rebuilt and rather serve as a reminder that "terrorism must be eradicated if we are to be free".

The views of the UNATCO occupation are divided. Some see it as a guarantee of peace and security, while the others (such as the popular tabloid "The Midnight Sun") are wary of foreign troops on US soil. However, they are all united in criticism of Mead's decision of paying late dues to the United Nations in the face of economic crisis, bringing the public approval of his administration down to 35%, placing him on par with George W. Bush's at the end of his second term.

In 2052, In 2052 he defied the Congress three times bby unilaterally pay the country's late dues to the United Nations. He was criticized by leaders of both Democrat and Republican parties. Senator Ridon wondered where he got the cash, suggesting an item unapproved by the Congress. Senator Osno Liverpoole accused him for betraying America: the Congress approved UNATCO presence in the US but did not write a blank check, as he said.

Later that same year, the White House was a site of an unsuccessful terrorist attack. It is unknown whether it was conducted by NSF, MJ12 or a completely unrelated organization. Along with Gray Death epidemic and public unrest thorough the country, this was a reason of announcing martial law. Following this decision, the social order in the US finally broke down.

Behind the scenes
Originally Ion Storm planned a mission in the White House. In fact, the White House was a first map to be created. It was supposed to be heavy on story and conversations. However, after the changes of the story it was scrapped. The decorations from White House can be seen in the game in various places. While not being present in the gameplay, Mead and his wife can be seen in the intro sequence. Sarah Mead's model is used as a random schoolgirl.