| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Everyone from Joe Biden to Nikki Haley to Asa Hutchinson to Donald Trump reveled in DeSantis’ misfortune after last night's failed Twitter Spaces announcement. | Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | DEFAULT IN OUR STARS — “Inside Wall Street’s Playbook to Prevent Debt-Ceiling Chaos,” by WSJ’s Sam Goldfarb … “Fitch Places United States’ ‘AAA’ on Rating Watch Negative,” Fitch Ratings … “U.S. debt default could hit Social Security payments first,” by WaPo’s Abha Bhattarai: FAILURE TO LAUNCH — It started not with a bang, but with a whimper. For months, Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS has teased a run for president as a candidate squarely in the “Trump but without the drama” lane. Competence without the chaos. Choosing to use Twitter Spaces to announce his candidacy was supposed to signal a dynamic, non-traditional campaign while differentiating DeSantis from his competitors. It didn’t work out that way. Instead, for 20 minutes or so, there were false starts, dropped audio, strange hold music and not a peep from DeSantis. (Twitter’s teams “did no advance prep” for the launch, according to NYT tech reporter Ryan Mac.) At one point, a disembodied voice was heard making a grim assessment, per NBC’s David Ingram and Matt Dixon: “This is going to be a stain that Trump is going to leverage for at least a few weeks.” Then the original Twitter Spaces event was aborted and a new one began — with roughly half the listenership of the first. We’ll spare you a full readout of the ensuing interview, which lasted more than an hour, and mostly featured the Florida governor reciting well-rehearsed talking points. Everyone from JOE BIDEN to NIKKI HALEY to ASA HUTCHINSON to DONALD TRUMP reveled in DeSantis’ misfortune. "Even Fox News couldn't resist making a crack in promoting the network’s own interview with the candidate.
|  Screenshot from foxnews.com | Team DeSantis immediately tried to spin it as evidence that the governor’s immense popularity “broke the internet,” to paraphrase one campaign release. That’s not true, of course: The internet was just fine; the launch is what had problems. And if his popularity is so vast, it seems odd that after the Twitter Spaces restarted, half of the audience from the first attempt never returned. Let’s be clear: This was a bad night for DeSantis. It was supposed to be a tabula-rasa moment — a chance to reset the narrative around his campaign, which has seen its poll numbers drop and Trump’s lead widen. It was a moment to project strength and competence and give his donors and supporters a reason to get excited again. Instead, a different narrative is taking hold … POLITICO: “The risk for DeSantis is the prospect of the botched rollout forming a narrative and cutting against the very argument he is making to Republican primary voters — that he is a competent alternative to the chaotic presidency of former President Donald Trump. The governor has been portraying himself in public speeches and private donor meetings as a controlled, low-drama politician who embraces many of Trump’s policy positions without the trademark unpredictability. But on Wednesday, DeSantis — who fiercely values control — was the picture of disorder.” National Review: “In theory, one advantage of an unconventional announcement in a Twitter Spaces conversation is its informality — it’s more like a live, interactive podcast. Because one of the knocks on DeSantis is that he’s too rehearsed and calculating, it could have offered DeSantis the opportunity to show his lighter side and in an unscripted environment — to joke and banter with the other participants. Instead, when called on at first, he launched into a standard stump speech. “This had me thinking, if he was just going to give a stump speech, what is the point of doing a Twitter Spaces? How is it better to deliver that announcement via audio to silence as opposed to doing so in front of a massive crowd of thousands of supporters against a great backdrop in Florida? Put another way, the event had all of the disadvantages of an informal forum with none of the advantages.” NYT: “Executive competence, core to the DeSantis campaign message, was conspicuously absent. … [T]he event amounted to … a zeitgeisty exercise devolving instead into a conference call from hell.” NBC: “Schadenfreude — the German word for taking pleasure in another's failure — might understate the glee Trump and his team felt. … Trump allies shared images to represent their excitement: a glass of wine and a laughing-to-tears emoji among them.” SEPARATING THE SIGNAL FROM THE NOISE: Of course, this will not sink the DeSantis campaign. There’s a very long time left before the first 2024 primary votes are cast, and a million news cycles between now and then. So, did last night really matter? As our colleague Jonathan Martin shrewdly observed, there are two major questions to ask: 1. How badly does this hurt his first 48 hours of fundraising, which is critical to a campaign launch? 2. Does this give DeSantis’ inner circle a strengthened hand to push him to engage with the press (rather than sticking to his bubble of friendly media), or will withering coverage of the launch further alienate DeSantis and CASEY, his wife and closest adviser? On question 1: Money has never been an issue for DeSantis. Cash has been flying into the coffers of his super PAC for weeks (yesterday, they announced their intent to spend $200 million to boost him), and his campaign spokesperson tweeted that they raised $1 million in the first hour after announcing. While that’s nothing to cough at, it’s also not an Earth-shaking number for a candidate who has been running a shadow campaign for months and stayed in a strong second place in national polls nearly the whole time. On question 2: It’s too soon to say. But we’re left wondering, who exactly was the target audience for this event? As politicians often like to remind us reporters: Twitter isn’t real life. That’s true: It’s not where the GOP primary voters are. Hell, it’s not where the vast majority of Americans are. And we cannot imagine that anyone’s vote will ultimately be decided on the basis of technical difficulties in a Twitter Spaces event. BUT: Twitter is where journalists and other political obsessives spend an inordinate amount of time. And as such, it has an outsized impact on which narratives take hold in national media. Which is why the DeSantis gambit was so risky: If everything had gone off without a hitch, you’d be reading stories this morning about what a forward-looking campaign he’s running — one that is experimenting with new ways to reach voters, with an innovative approach befitting a 44-year-old presidential candidate. But those aren’t the kind of headlines greeting the DeSantis camp this morning. Which leaves us wondering: How do you reset the reset? CLICKER — “55 Things You Need to Know About Ron DeSantis,” by Michael Kruse and Sydney Gold Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Altria: Public support for Tobacco Harm Reduction. Tobacco Harm Reduction is an established public health strategy that supports transitioning adult smokers who can’t or won’t stop smoking to potentially less risky tobacco products. 82% of adults 21+ surveyed think it is important for the FDA to focus on making smoke-free tobacco products available to adult smokers to help them switch from cigarettes. See the poll results here. | | | BATTLE FOR THE SOLE OF AMERICA — “Gym Shoes In The Oval Office Is A Sartorial Wake-Up Call For Leaders,” by Forbes’ Michael Peregrine: “It was, to borrow a Sports Illustrated phrase, a sign that the apocalypse is near. Speaker of the House KEVIN McCARTHY, Senate Majority Leader MITCH McCONNELL and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES were all photographed wearing the so-called hybrid ‘sneaker shoes’ in a recent Oval Office meeting with President Biden.” See the Congressional Sneaker Caucus’ opposing view
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Francis Chung/POLITICO | SCOOP: INSIDE DEMS’ DEBT CEILING MESSAGING TIFF — In a closed-door Democratic whip meeting yesterday, Rep. JAHANA HAYES challenged her party’s leadership team on the caucus’ debt ceiling messaging strategy. “Why aren’t we staying this weekend?” the Connecticut Democrat asked, suggesting that the party should remain in Washington despite Republicans adjourning the House for Memorial Day recess just days ahead of a possible default on the federal debt. “We should stay here and ask Republicans how they can go home.” “She’s right,” added Rep. DEBBIE DINGELL. The Michigan Democrat was supposed to officiate her goddaughter’s wedding in Italy this weekend, but decided to cancel her trip and instead stay behind in D.C., according to a source familiar. In the meeting, Jeffries didn’t reject the idea outright, but senior Democrats tell us leadership is not in favor of forcing members to skip constituent meetings back home when there are no concrete plans to vote. The push by some Democrats to remain in Washington comes despite Jeffries’ own efforts to tamp down frustration among Dem lawmakers over what they see as a messaging void from the White House. In recent days, members have privately fumed that Biden has refused to use his bully pulpit to deliver a clear and concise message on the debt ceiling talks — even as Republican negotiators McCarthy, GARRET GRAVES (R-La.) and PATRICK McHENRY (R-N.C.) have used frequent reporter gaggles and off-the-cuff press conferences to make their case and skewer the White House position. Many Hill Dems see Biden’s non-engagement as a strategic blunder. “They don’t want to poison the well on negotiations, but Republicans are doing just that and it’s an asymmetrical game,” one member of Jeffries’ leadership team told us, summarizing the White House’s thinking. “It’s not sustainable.” We’re told that in the party’s weekly leadership meeting earlier this week, Jeffries suggested that since the White House felt it could not go on offense against McCarthy, House Democrats would. Jeffries and his leadership team shortly thereafter called a news conference on the Capitol steps. And since then, the minority leader has made a point of taking reporters’ questions more frequently as he seeks to counter the GOP's flood-the-zone tactics. Meanwhile, the White House is largely happy to hang back and play “good cop” to Hill Dems’ “bad cop” — a strategy they feel has worked for them in the past. One Biden ally who is in touch with the White House says there have been conversations between Jeffries and the administration over what the messaging should be and who should be saying it. “They have coordinated with him around what they’re both saying,” the Biden ally told Playbook last night. “They are on the same page about him doing that and them [staying mum]. The president knows when to be clear with the contrast, and he knows when to hold back to get a deal.” Today, as recess looms, the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee is expected to disseminate talking points urging Dems to blast Republicans when they’re back home in their districts. Still, some House Democrats say the hit-them-at-home messaging efforts are not enough. Several have pressed leadership to object to Republicans’ request to adjourn today. They hope to instead force a vote, putting the squeeze on the GOP for leaving town just days out from the X-date — mirroring Republicans’ attacks on Biden for going to Japan last week for the G-7. Democratic leaders appear to be encouraging their rank-and-file to slam Republicans for adjourning. According to a whip note sent around last night and shared with Playbook, senior Democrats are urging members today to take to the House floor en masse to “demand Speaker McCarthy keep the House in session and share constituent stories that highlight the local impact of the devastating cuts proposed by Republicans to critical programs that keep Americans housed, fed, healthy, and secure as they hold America’s economy hostage.” Of course, if McCarthy doesn’t do that, many Democrats will be heading to the airport right next to their GOP counterparts. Related reads: “Democrats’ worry grows over White House approach to debt talks,” by WaPo’s Leigh Ann Caldwell, Marianna Sotomayor, Paul Kane and Tyler Pager … “Look who's talking: Biden goes quiet in debt-limit talks, while McCarthy can't stop chatting,” by AP’s Seung Min Kim
| | | | A message from Altria:   Altria is leading the way in transitioning millions of adult smokers from cigarettes to a smoke-free future. | | | | | BIDEN’S THURSDAY:
10 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
1:45 p.m.: Biden will announce his nomination of Gen. C.Q. BROWN JR. to serve as the next chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a Rose Garden ceremony, with VP KAMALA HARRIS, second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF and Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN in attendance. More on Brown’s historic nomination via Lara Seligman
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 1 p.m.
The HOUSE will meet at 9 a.m. to complete consideration of a bill classifying fentanyl as a Schedule 1 controlled substance with last votes expected no later than 3 p.m.
THE SENATE is out. | | | | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
|  President Joe Biden, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, looks at flowers and candles with the names of victims on the one year anniversary of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, at the White House on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | CONGRESS THE LOAN LURCH — “House votes to repeal Biden’s student debt relief plan,” by Michael Stratford: “The rebuke of Biden’s student loan policies cleared the House on a 218-203 vote. The measure now heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain path. Two Democrats broke with Biden and joined with Republicans in voting to block student debt relief. Democratic Reps. JARED GOLDEN of Maine and MARIE GLUESENKAMP PÉREZ of Washington voted in favor of the GOP resolution.” THE BIDEN FAMILY PROBES — “White House memo says GOP ‘telling the truth’ on Hunter Biden investigation motive,” by NBC’s Katherine Doyle: “In a new memo obtained first by NBC News, White House spokesperson IAN SAMS said ‘MAGA’ Republicans in the House led by Oversight Committee Chairman JAMES COMER are ‘admitting’ that congressional investigations into the Biden family’s finances are an attempt to damage the president politically.” Related read: “IRS whistleblower speaks: DOJ ‘slow-walked’ tax probe said to involve Hunter Biden,” by CBS’ Jim Axelrod, Michael Kaplan and Andy Bast FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “House fails to override Biden veto of solar tariff resolution,” by Kelsey Tamborrino CHINA IN FOCUS — The House select committee on China “adopted its first set of policy recommendations Wednesday, focused on how to prevent a military conflict in Taiwan and end the mistreatment of Uyghurs by the Chinese government,” NBC’s Kyle Stewart writes. “The pair of reports, approved unanimously by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, are intended to serve as a blueprint for action in the 118th Congress.” DOGS OF A FEATHER — The centrist Blue Dog Coalition is filling out its ranks. “First-term Rep. MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ (D-Wash.) will join Rep. MARY PELTOLA (D-Alaska) as new co-chairs of the group. They’ll serve alongside existing co-chair Rep. JARED GOLDEN (D-Maine.), who took over earlier this year,” Sarah Ferris reports for Congress Minutes. TRUMP CARDS MARK YOUR CALENDARS — Adding to Trump’s cluttered calendar next year, a Wisconsin judge set a Sept. 3, 2024 start date — just two months before Election Day — for the jury trial in a lawsuit seeking $2.4 million in damages from Republicans who attempted to cast Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Molly Beck. THE GEORGIA INVESTIGATION — “Trump’s lawyers ask Fulton judge to let them respond to DA’s filing,” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Bill Rankin
| | | | A message from Altria:   | | | MORE POLITICS CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ — Rep. KATIE PORTER is ramping up her efforts to win over the early support in California’s Democratic senate primary, pulling together activists for private meetings as Rep. ADAM SCHIFF has thumped her in early fundraising. “The series of virtual discussions, which are bringing together donors and other party leaders and were described to POLITICO by participants, appear designed to build support for Porter’s campaign as well as demystify for Washington, D.C., insiders the political landscape in California where the race could come down to two Democrats,” our colleague Christopher Cadelago reports. ANOTHER AUTOPSY REPORT — “Voter confidence ticks up in 2022 — but deep partisan divides remain,” by Zach Montellaro JUST POSTED — “Three years after Floyd’s death, a reckoning for Biden’s agenda on race,” by WaPo’s Toluse Olorunnipa, Scott Clement and Emily Guskin: “About a third of Black Americans (34 percent) say Biden’s policies have helped Black people, while 14 percent say they have hurt and 49 percent think they have made no difference, according to the Post-Ipsos poll.” JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH GET IT OFF MY DESK — “Man who rested feet on Pelosi office desk on Jan. 6 sentenced to over four years in prison,” by CNN’s Casey Gannon AT THE OATH KEEPERS TRIAL — “Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes,” by AP’s Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer WAR IN UKRAINE AFTER-ACTION REPORT — “Ukrainians Were Likely Behind Kremlin Drone Attack, U.S. Officials Say,” by NYT’s Julian Barnes, Adam Entous, Eric Schmitt and Anton Troianovski AMERICA AND THE WORLD BIG READ — “Inside Joe Biden’s struggles to create a ‘new economic world order,’” by Gavin Bade: “The president and his critics agree that the free trade era is over in Washington. They just aren’t sure what comes next.” DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “U.S.-China relationship showing few signs of thaw,” by Steven Overly, Phelim Kine and Doug Palmer: “The disruptions come right before an expected meeting between Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO and Chinese Commerce Minister WANG WENTAO in Washington on Thursday. Wang is also expected to sit-down with U.S. Trade Representative KATHERINE TAI on the sidelines of a gathering of trade officials in Detroit, although that meeting has not yet been confirmed.” Related read: “Chinese Malware Hits Systems on Guam. Is Taiwan the Real Target?” by NYT’s David Sanger BEYOND THE BELTWAY DRAMA DRUMS UP IN TEXAS — “Investigators detail years of alleged misconduct by Texas AG Ken Paxton in stunning House committee hearing,” by The Texas Tribune’s Zach Despart and James Barragán
| | | | GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Tucker Carlson is trying to build back better. The U.S. default X-date is getting hot … literally. Democrats got a kick out of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s call for decorum on the House floor. The new Blue Dogs might also be your favorite new band. OUT AND ABOUT — The American News Women’s Club honored CNN’s Dana Bash with its annual Excellence in Journalism Award last night at the Kalorama Clubhouse. Friends, family and colleagues gathered to roast and toast Bash ahead of her 30th anniversary with the network. NBC exec Ali Zelenko led the crowd in a rousing song, and roasters made many height jokes at Bash’s expense. SPOTTED: Chris Licht, Wolf Blitzer, Sam Feist, Manu Raju, David Chalian, Abigail Crutchfield, Polson Kanneth and Nicolle Wallace. Pic — The Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation held a reception with policymakers, veterans and cannabis industry experts to discuss federal cannabis reform for veterans at Sazerac House. SPOTTED: Reps. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), John Turanchik, Edie Doman, Sonia Norton, Ben Monticello, Ely Almendarez, Tatyana Hopkins, Shanita Penny, Tate Bennett, Ryan Taylor, Will May, Yaw Thompson, Mattie Stauss, Michelle Dimarob, David Urbanowicz, Jonathan Towers, Chris Cox, David Lehman, Phil Hoon, Scott Christman, Eric Goepel, Adam Dobbins, Adam Kraut, Amber Littlejohn, Carla Haywood and Nell Reilly. — Forbes Tate Partners hosted a reception yesterday evening celebrating leaders of the AANHPI community. SPOTTED: Oliver Kim, Neal Patel, Allison Dong, Stephanie Penn, Tiffany Ge, John Lin, Chris DeVore, Jacob Choe, Andrew Hu, Tori Miller, Jennifer Yoo, Jessica Williams, Kelsey Chan, Eliza Green, Liz Gonzalez, Alekhya Tallapaka, Libby Greer, Andres Ramirez and Arthur Sidney. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Harrison Wollman is now a director at the Levinson Group. He previously was press secretary for former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Nathaly Arriola Maurice has founded her own firm, Operativo, and is leading a forthcoming organization that will run accountability campaigns advocating on behalf of Latino communities. She previously was special assistant to the president and director of partnerships at the White House. TRANSITIONS — Tim Fitzgerald is now a member services and coalitions coordinator with the House Agriculture Committee. He previously was staff assistant for the House Republican Conference. … Rachael Shackelford is now senior comms adviser for the SBA. She previously was a director at SKDK and is a CNN alum. … Andrew Morley is now senior government relations manager at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. He previously was a legislative assistant and director of energy and natural resources policy for Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.). WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Cameron Erickson, legislative assistant for Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), and Batya Erickson, student development and education policy adviser at Center City Public Charter Schools, recently welcomed Ari Erickson. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan … Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution … Laurie Rubiner … Megan Van Etten of PhRMA … Savannah Haeger of FedEx … Kate Ackley Zeller of Bloomberg Government … CBS’ Stefan Becket … POLITICO’s Catherine Kim and Diana Hernandez … David Martosko … Savanna Peterson of Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) office … Anna Palmer … Annie Clark of Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-Maine) office … Interior’s Alexandra Sanchez … NRCC’s Peyton Vogel (25) … Edelman’s Amy Fox … Alliance for Justice’s Carolyn Bobb … former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) … former Reps. Steve Russell (R-Okla.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) (8-0) … DIA’s Margaret Dobrydnio Motes … Matt Lakin … Ron Nessen … Courtney Joline … Mark Lutter … Natalie Morgan of Sen. James Lankford’s (R-Okla.) office 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.
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