| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | HOGAN PASSES ON 2024 RUN — Former Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN told CBS’ Bob Costa that he will not run for president, preferring instead to step aside in an effort to ensure that DONALD TRUMP does not win the GOP nomination. “It was a tough decision, but I’ve decided that I will not be a candidate,” he said, later adding: “I didn’t want to have a pile-up of a bunch of people fighting. Right now, you have … Trump and [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS at the top of the field, soaking up all the oxygen, getting all the attention. And then a whole lot of the rest of us in single digits. And the more of them you have, the less chance you have of somebody rising up.”Watch the clip here …Read his full statement here Hogan’s suggestion that a large field could ease Trump’s path to the White House is worry that nags at many Republicans, even if few say so aloud. And yet, the roster of GOP stars looking to jump into the race runs off the page — making it quite possible that we’ll see a repeat of the 2016 primary dynamic, when anti-Trump Republicans failed to coalesce around an alternative until it was too late to stop him.
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Donald Trump's CPAC speech painted a grim picture of the state of the country. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TRUMP ROMPS AT CPAC — If there was any doubt about the grip Trump maintains over a broad swath of the GOP rank and file, the annual CPAC gathering at National Harbor this week put that to rest. The former president entertained a fawning crowd for an hour and 45 minutes last night, filling an otherwise mostly empty convention hall with supporters donning Make America Great Again paraphernalia. His speech painted a grim picture of the state of the country, and he insisted that if he loses the 2024 presidential election, the nation will fall into peril. “Either they win or we win. And if they win, we no longer have a country,” Trump said, referring to ’24 as the “final battle” for America. More from our Natalie Allison and Meridith McGraw … CPAC in photos A few nuggets from the day: — Trump told reporters that he would “absolutely” stay in a presidential race if indicted — and predicted that criminal charges would only boost his poll numbers. The remark comes as state officials in Georgia and New York probe the former president and special counsel JACK SMITH investigates his handling of classified documents and his role in the Jan. 6 attacks. As the NYT notes, “it is uncharted territory for a former president running as the poll leader in primaries to intertwine a candidacy with a defense against investigations.” — While Trump refrained from attacking his opponents from the stage yesterday, he threw some shade their way. Ahead of his own address, he took to Truth Social to post a meme mocking the mostly empty main hall during NIKKI HALEY’s speech. (He failed to mention that there was equally underwhelming turnout for his son, DONALD TRUMP JR., and Georgia Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE.) During his own address, Trump seemed to tweak DeSantis for once backing cuts to Social Security,as NBC reported. “We’re not going back to people that want to destroy our great Social Security system,” he said. “Even some in our own party … I wonder who that might be.” Later, he waved aside reporters’ questions about his would-be opponents: “I really say the more the merrier. I mean, they think they did a good job,” Trump said. “They’re very ambitious people, but they think they did a good job.” Still, such gentle brushback pitches are a stark contrast from the schoolyard name-calling that’s become a staple of his public persona. And as Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook scooped yesterday, Trump continues to spend his days at Mar-a-Lago brainstorming insulting nicknames for DeSantis. (Beyond “Ron DeSanctimonious,” he’s reportedly considering “Ron DisHonest,” “Ron DeEstablishment” and “Tiny D.”) — When Meridith asked Trump if he would sign the RNC’s pledge promising to support the eventual GOP nominee in order to participate in the debates, he demurred. “There are people I probably wouldn’t be very happy about endorsing,” Trump said. “I won’t use names, I don’t want to insult anyone, but I wouldn’t be happy about it.” — In a straw poll of CPAC attendees’ preferred 2024 nominee, Trump won with 62% of the vote — a 42-point romp over DeSantis. Almost 95% of those surveyed approved of his performance in the Oval Office. More from Fox News — Notably, after STEVE BANNON spent his speaking time blasting Fox News for not giving Trump airtime, the conservative cable network carried part of Trump’s speech live. Related reads: — “Eyeing DeSantis, Trump Readies for a Long Primary Battle,” by NYT’s Shane Goldmacher, Michael Bender and Maggie Haberman — “Tim Scott says he’s getting ‘tremendous feedback’ so far on his 2024 listening tour,” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser — “Is Byron Donalds the next Florida GOP superstar?” by the Washington Examiner’s Virginia Aabram Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Emergent: Is there something happening that we all need to be ready for? Are we at risk from an emerging virus...in the crosshairs of possible biological or chemical attacks...at the center of an opioid overdose crisis?
For the public health threats our world faces, Emergent develops, manufactures, and delivers protections against the things we hope never happen — just in case they ever do.
Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | MEANWHILE, ON THE LEFT — “Ambitions collide as rising Democrats consider higher office,” by Elena Schneider: “Democrats refreshed the party’s stock of up-and-coming contenders for statewide office over the last two midterms. Now, they are managing traffic jams building in several states over a handful of plum — and rarely open — statewide offices.” SUNDAY BEST … — MIKE POMPEO on whether Trump was a true conservative leader, on “Fox News Sunday”: “$6 trillion more in debt: That’s never the right direction for the country.” More from David Cohen — House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES on President JOE BIDEN’s plan to sign the bill overturning D.C.’s crime law, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “Let’s take it one step at a time. We have to see what happens in the United States Senate next week. Depending on what the Senate does, the president will have to respond one way or the other. I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to the White House yet about the president’s views, so I'm not going to characterize his position one way or the other, until we’ve had a chance to talk about that issue.” Dana Bash: “Well, he said it. I mean, he’s made it clear …” Jeffries: “Well, there are public conversations and there are private conversations.” — House Intelligence Chair MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio) on the Trump, Biden and Pence classified documents, on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “One of the things we know is that the FBI is not being forthcoming. They’re not giving us the information. They’re claiming that it’s going to affect the outcome of their investigation, which of course it can’t, because the people who are the targets of their investigation know what are in those documents. And we have the clearance and the ability to look at these documents. … It’s unbelievable that administration after administration is apparently sloppy and messy in their use of classified documents.” — German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ on his impression of Biden, on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: “He is very informed about international relations. I think he’s one of the most skilled presidents knowing how things are running in the world, which is important in times that are becoming more dangerous and will see a lot of changes. And he is really a good man looking at [the] trans-Atlantic partnership.” — Sen. DAN SULLIVAN (R-Alaska) on Biden not sending F-16s to Ukraine, on ABC’s “This Week”: “This is part of an unfortunate pattern by this administration with regard to weapons systems for Ukraine. If you look at it, every time there is a new weapons system that’s been proposed, they oppose it. Think about it: HIMARS, Stingers, tanks, Patriots.” George Stephanopoulos: “They have sent those, though.” Sullivan: “Well, they’ve sent them only after being pressured by Congress. It took Patriots nine months.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | A message from Emergent:   Helping protect millions against the things we hope never happen — just in case they ever do.
Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | | | BIDEN’S SUNDAY (all times Eastern):
12:15 p.m.: The president will depart New Castle, Del., en route to Selma, Ala.
3:30 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks commemorating Bloody Sunday, with a focus on voting rights, as the AP previews.
5 p.m.: Biden will participate in the annual Selma Bridge Crossing.
6:20 p.m.: Biden will depart Selma to return to the White House.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ SUNDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Marianne Williamson announces her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination at Union Station yesterday. | Nathan Howard/Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. THE ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK: “Monroe-Moreno elected NV Dems chair, ousts democratic socialist incumbent,” by The Nevada Independent’s Jacob Solis: “Assemblywoman DANIELE [MONROE-MORENO] (D-Las Vegas) was elected chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party Saturday, ousting incumbent chair JUDITH WHITMER in a vote of 314-99. … Monroe-Moreno led a self-styled ‘unity’ slate of candidates, touting a bid to re-form the party’s inner workings following a split between the Whitmer-controlled state party and a separate group … in 2021.” 2. THE INVESTIGATIONS: “Trump seeks to block Pence’s grand jury testimony in 2020 election interference probe,” by CNN’s Paula Reid, Kaitlan Collins, Jamie Gangel, Zachary Cohen and Tierney Sneed: “The request, in a new filing submitted secretly in a sealed proceeding on Friday, comes after the Trump team had already indicated to special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the Justice Department’s criminal investigations into Trump, that the former president intended to assert privilege over [MIKE] PENCE’s testimony.” 3. VICTORIES FROM THE BULLY PULPIT: “Biden gets a rare hand from Big Business in quest to ease consumer pain,” by Adam Cancryn: “Just weeks after Biden used his State of the Union to call for crackdowns on insulin prices and ‘junk fees,’ a handful of companies are starting to comply on their own. They’re taking voluntary steps meant to lower patients’ medical bills and make it easier for families to fly together. The moves have handed Biden a surprise set of wins ahead of an expected reelection bid likely to hinge on his handling of the economy and elevated consumer prices.” 4. THE FOX AND THE HENHOUSE: “Inside the Panic at Fox News After the 2020 Election,” by NYT’s Peter Baker: “[O]n Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, SUZANNE SCOTT, the chief executive of Fox News Media, and JAY WALLACE, the network’s president, convened a Zoom meeting for an extraordinary discussion with an unusual goal: … How to keep from angering the network’s conservative audience again by calling an election for a Democrat before the competition. … BRET BAIER and MARTHA MacCALLUM, the two main anchors, suggested it was not enough to call a state based on numerical calculations, the standard by which networks have made such determinations for generations, but that viewer reaction should be considered.” Fox News’ response: “[O]f course there would be a wide-ranging post-mortem surrounding the [Arizona] call and how it was executed no matter the candidates.” Related reads: — “Murdoch has survived scandal after scandal. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different?” by the L.A. Times’ Meg James — Brian Stelter in Air Mail: As the Dominion “case careens toward trial, the main character is not TUCKER CARLSON or SEAN HANNITY. It’s MARIA BARTIROMO.”
| | | | A message from Emergent:   25 years proudly protecting millions from threats to public health.
Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | 5. SYRIA LATEST: Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY made an unusual surprise trip to Syria, where he told reporters that having 900 U.S. troops still fighting the Islamic State in the country is worth the risk for national security, Reuters’ Phil Stewart reports. But the U.S. move to soften sanctions after the region’s recent devastating earthquake has concerned opponents of authoritarian President BASHAR ASSAD, who’s still in power after presiding over a civil war that’s killed hundreds of thousands, NYT’s Raja Abdulrahim reports. “Syrian dissidents and former U.S. officials said that no guardrails or oversight mechanisms were put in place to prevent the government from taking advantage of the eased banking restrictions to funnel money into the country and into its own coffers. They also warned that the regime would divert humanitarian aid, like food and tents, being sent to victims of the natural disaster for its own uses.” 6. NOTABLE STEP: “Two Ukrainian pilots are in the U.S. for training assessment on attack aircraft, including F-16s,” by NBC’s Courtney Kube and Carol Lee: “The Ukrainians’ skills are being evaluated on simulators at a U.S. military base in Tucson, Arizona … and they may be joined by more of their fellow pilots soon. U.S. authorities have approved bringing up to 10 more … The arrival of the first two pilots marks the first time Ukrainian pilots have traveled to the U.S. to have their skills evaluated by American military trainers. Officials said the effort has twin goals: to improve the pilots’ skills and evaluate how long a proper training program could take.” 7. DEMOCRACY WATCH: “Election conspiracies fuel dispute over voter fraud system,” by AP’s Christina Cassidy in Atlanta: “Louisiana left the [Electronic Registration Information Center] … Alabama’s new secretary of state, WES ALLEN, sent a letter informing the center of the state’s exit … Other Republican-led states could follow, according to a survey of state election offices by The Associated Press. Officials in Florida and Missouri said they are evaluating their participation, while legislation in Texas could force the state to leave. West Virginia election officials declined to weigh in.” 8. I’VE BEEN WORKING ON THE RAILROAD: “How the Rail Lobby Won in Washington and Rail Safety Lost in America,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “A review by The Daily Beast of lobbying and campaign finance filings tells a story of a decades-long ideological push and pull. The review shows that, while it’s sometimes difficult to draw straight lines between an acute event and its cause, entrenched corporate and political cultures still have an overwhelming influence. … [M]eaningful changes are almost always reactive, in response to catastrophes instead of anticipating and preventing them before they happen.” 9. FEATURE OF THE DAY: “A mile-long line for free food offers a warning as covid benefits end,” by WaPo’s Tim Craig in Hazel Green, Ky.: “From the front to the back of the line, the sea of despair and hardship along this desolate Kentucky highway foreshadowed what may be in store for millions of Americans as the federal government ended the remaining pandemic increase in monthly food stamp benefits this week. The latest cuts to one of the nation’s vital social safety net programs will limit how much food an estimated 31 million Americans will be able to afford each month, testing whether the Biden administration and state leaders can take away assistance without exacerbating a growing food insecurity crisis.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Tony Gonzales was censured by the Texas GOP for straying from party orthodoxy. Marianne Williamson officially launched her presidential bid, with an eye on New Hampshire. Jeff Jackson is big on TikTok. Newt Gingrich slammed a Florida GOP bill to force political bloggers to register with the state. SPOTTED: VP Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff dining at Toscana in LA last night. OUT AND ABOUT — Ravesa Bajo and Jordan Carmon hosted a party last night for NYT reporter Jeanna Smialek’s new book, “Limitless: The Federal Reserve Takes on a New Age of Crisis” ($30), at Someday Bar in Brooklyn. SPOTTED: Joe Weisenthal, Rachel Dry, Emma Goldberg, Matt Zeitlin, Craig Gordon, David Gura, Ben Casselman, Lydia DePillis, Michael McKee, Irin Carmon and Peter Coy. — N Street Village held its annual gala Thursday for the group’s 50th anniversary, raising $2.5 million to support housing for women experiencing homelessness in D.C. SPOTTED: Joe Crowley, Liz Amster, Melissa Kiedrowicz, John Hoel, Mary Beth Stanton, John Jones, Sarah Hudson, Joyce Brayboy, Lea Sulkala, Monique Frazier, Ann Jablon, Elizabeth Wise, Johnathan Lozier and John Michael González. TRANSITION — Zephranie Buetow is now assistant secretary for legislative affairs at DHS. She most recently was special assistant to the president and Senate legislative affairs liaison at the White House. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) (6-0) … White House’s Stephen Goepfert … Jordan Fabian … Fox News’ Chad Pergram … Ken Lerer … MJ Lee … Matthew Albence of GrindStone Strategic Consulting … Alan Miller … Mercury’s Erick Mullen … John Twomey … Roy Gutman … April Mellody … Matt Dorf of West End Strategy Team (53) … Kyle Stewart … Phil Hardy … POLITICO’s Anastazja Kolodziej … Fred Davis … John Schachter … Ron Boehmer … Danny Schwarz … CBS’ Jacob Rosen … Win Ellington … Drake Henle … Sarah Little … Peter Metzger … Deloitte’s Carley Berlin … Sharon Block … Daniel Kahneman … Kolby Keo Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Meridith McGraw’s name.
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