| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Donald Trump is stoking his supporters to show up outside his arraignment in Florida on Tuesday. | Carmen Mandato/Getty Images | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | “SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!” former President DONALD TRUMP told his followers last night in a Truth Social post, amid a stream of political attacks, conspiracy theories and typical Trumpian bombast. It’s a message that portends some volatile days ahead for American democracy. You’ll remember that, as Congress prepared to certify JOE BIDEN’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, Trump’s allies organized a rally on the National Mall for Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump himself implored his backers to come out. “Be there, will be wild!” he wrote on Twitter — setting the stage for the Capitol riot weeks later. Already there are materials circulating online calling for a gathering outside the federal courthouse in downtown Miami where Trump will be arraigned Tuesday, though those plans do not have Trump’s imprimatur. “Specific plans for that day are still being developed, according to a Trump campaign aide,” WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf and Hannah Knowles report this morning. The backdrop is an unmistakable rhetorical escalation from Trump’s supporters — and even some of his rivals inside the GOP — some of whom have not only attacked the Justice Department and special counsel JACK SMITH but have cast Trump’s indictment as a politically apocalyptic moment. Consider how Rep. CLAY HIGGINS (R-La.) appeared to fan the flames in a Thursday night tweet: “This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all.” For those of you who don’t speak conspiracy theory, those are apparent references to the “real president of the United States,” military-scale maps and guerilla warfare tactics. “This isn’t a metaphor. This isn’t slow civil war,” said author and radicalization expert JEFF SHARLET. “This is a congressman calling for the real thing.” To be sure: Trump warned of “potential death & destruction” ahead of his April hush-money indictment in New York, and while some supporters (and counter-protesters) rallied outside the Manhattan courthouse, there was no significant violence. And you can be certain federal authorities will be taking every precaution to prevent a riot, or anything close to it. The Messenger’s Khaya Himmelman and Benjamin Powers reported yesterday on how officials are already ramping up security for Tuesday. But three days is a lot of time for Trump and his allies to continue raising the temperature. In the past 24 hours alone, Trump has sent more than 80 messages on Truth Social, including attacks on Smith as “a Coward and a Thug,” renewals of his false stolen-election claims and, early this morning, a parody video of himself driving a golf ball and knocking Biden down. “AMERICA WENT TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT WITH TEARS IN ITS EYES,” he wrote this morning. “SOMEDAY SOON, HOWEVER, IT WILL BE ABLE TO WIPE AWAY THOSE TEARS AND SMILE, BIGGER THAN EVER BEFORE.” Later today, Trump will make his first live remarks since the indictment at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina. We’ll be watching closely how he calls upon his supporters to react to his growing legal peril. Will he simply urge Republicans to keep filling his campaign coffers? Or will things take a darker turn? Worth a follow: Our ace reporter Alex Isenstadt, who will be flying with the former president to these events.
|  This image, contained in the indictment against Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. | Justice Department via AP | WHAT TRUMP HAS TO FEAR — By now, you’ve seen the shocking details from the 37-count indictment — including tidbits that surprised even plugged-in reporters who have broken scoop after scoop about the documents probe. The epic pictures of boxes stuffed with classified documents stored haphazardly around Mar-a-Lago, including in a bathroom. The transcripts of audio recordings that include Trump seemingly to acknowledge he knew he was in possession of illicit materials he could not summarily declassify. A lawyer’s secret notes that recorded Trump’s alleged suggestions that his attorneys clean up his dirty laundry. And text messages documenting his apparent obsession with keeping the documents in his possessions and concealed from law enforcement. Read the full indictment The consequences could be severe. Our colleagues Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein note: “Each count of willful retention of records carries a maximum 10-year sentence. Obstruction charges each carry a 20-year maximum sentence. False-statements charges each carry a five-year maximum.” If convicted, Trump would not face those maximums under federal sentencing guidelines. But he would certainly be facing significant jail time. What should be especially concerning for Trump is the swath of sympathetic lawyers — even longtime Trump defenders — weighing in on the gravity of the case against him. — GOP legal brain and Fox News contributor JONATHAN TURLEY called the details in the indictment “extremely damning,” arguing that the case is nothing like the charges Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG brought against the ex-president in April. “There are some indictments that are just bare bones. This is not,” he said on Fox yesterday. “These are witnesses who apparently testified under oath, gave statements to federal investigators, both of which can be criminally charged if they’re false. Those witnesses are directly quoting the president in encouraging others not to look for documents or allegedly to conceal them. It’s damaging.” — Former Trump attorney TIMOTHY PARLATORE noted to CNN’s Jake Tapper that Smith charged Trump for mishandling only 31 classified documents of the hundreds he was found to possess, suggesting that the prosecutors have a high level of confidence they can make their Espionage Act case. “It does seem that they are saying that these 31, at least, they think that they can prove that these are national defense” concerns, he said. — Even Trump ally ALAN DERSHOWITZ, who defended him during the first impeachment trial in the Senate, appeared to change his tune about the charges. Before they were unveiled, he called the prosecution “potentially dangerous to the rule of law” and argued it would lead presidents to “weaponize the criminal justice system against their political opponents.” On Fox Business last night, he acknowledged Trump faced serious peril surrounding the recording of the ex-president showing one of the classified documents to an unidentified writer while discussing how he could have declassified them when he was president but didn’t and now couldn’t. “This is the one that should be worrisome to the president, and he may have an answer for it,” Dershowitz said.
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Learn more | | | More indictment reads …
Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from UPS:   | | | THE OTHER DOJ INVESTIGATION — “Judge required Pence to answer most of special counsel’s questions, newly unsealed court docs show,” by Kyle Cheney: “U.S. District Court Judge JAMES BOASBERG’s 19-page opinion — which the judge partially unsealed Friday at the urging of media organizations — cleared the way for special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors to question the former vice president about his conversations with a wide array of figures who leaned on him to reject Biden’s electors, possibly including Donald Trump.” Read the opinion The context: “Boasberg’s newly unsealed ruling reveals that he required Pence to answer nearly every category of questions prosecutors intended to pose, including about the pressure by those who asked him to simply throw out or refuse to count Biden’s electors.”
| | BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president and first lady JILL BIDEN will host a Pride Month celebration with BETTY WHO at 1 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ SATURDAY — The vice president has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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President Joe Biden interacts with a child during a visit to Fort Liberty, N.C., on Friday, June 9. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. CALENDAR CONUNDRUM: “When are the Iowa caucuses? Great question,” by Steve Shepard: “The 2024 GOP calendar could slate Super Tuesday as many as four weeks after the South Carolina primary, which could throw a lifeline to candidates who fall flat in the early states. One of the biggest questions this cycle is around Iowa. In 2020, the Iowa caucuses were held on Feb. 3, just a month before Super Tuesday. This time, the caucuses could realistically be as early as Jan. 8, though the week after is considered more likely. Super Tuesday still wouldn’t be until March 5.” 2. DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD: “Ron DeSantis’ top aide organized government staff to solicit campaign cash from lobbyists,” by NBC’s Matt Dixon in Tallahassee: “The move, besides being out of the ordinary, raises ethical questions, and it shocked many of those Republican lobbyists here in Florida’s capital who felt pressured to donate because they have business before the administration. It also underscores the extent to which [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS has used the state government to further his ambitions. “The governor’s chief of staff, JAMES UTHMEIER, helped raise at least $423,042 for his presidential campaign in the hours after the May 24 launch. The information came from pictures of a leader board set up for a fundraising event — dubbed the ‘Ron-A-Rama’ — at the Miami Four Seasons in the 48 hours after the campaign kickoff.” The context: “DeSantis' campaign announced it raised an impressive $8.2 million in the first 24 hours, a massive haul due in large part to the Miami event. The pictures from two people in the room reviewed by NBC News show that well over half of that initial amount came from the one event.” On the trail: “As Biden visits renamed N.C. military base, DeSantis slams ‘political correctness run amok,’” by AP’s Aamer Madhani in Fort Liberty, N.C.: DeSantis “vowed to restore the former name of the base that until last week was called Fort Bragg in honor of a Confederate general, if voters elect him president.” Related read: “DeSantis woos GOP Christian voters but stays tight-lipped on his own Catholic faith,” by AP’s Tiffany Stanley 3. WAKE UP, MR. WEST: “Why some Dems fear Cornel West presents a unique challenge for Joe Biden,” by Holly Otterbein: “Unlike the other fringe candidates mounting presidential bids — such as ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. and MARIANNE WILLIAMSON — [CORNEL] WEST is not running as a Democrat. He is on the People’s Party ticket, which means he could be on the general election ballot in a small number of states. And while that may limit the votes he can take from Biden, there’s concern among Democrats that he could be a spoiler in November of 2024.” Adding to the headache, West still enjoys strong ties to a host of BERNIE SANDERS supporters, some of whom have not been shy in their cheering on of West. Plus: Semafor’s David Weigel speaks to West for a wide-ranging interview on topics from Ukraine to inflation to how his third-party run differs from the long list of also-rans in the past. A choice bite: “If the Democrats don't want third party candidates like myself, why don't you put poor and working people, here and abroad, at the center of your vision? … If the only alternative to neoliberalism is neofascism, that is a catastrophe, and you're still going to have fascism sooner or later.” 4. SPEAKING OF CONTROVERSIAL CANDIDATES: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wants to Be President. Cheryl Hines Is Along for the Ride,” by NYT’s Caitlin Moscatello: “The ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ actress is beloved in Hollywood. In supporting her husband’s campaign, is she normalizing his often dangerous ideas?” 5. CHURCH AND STATE: “With Turning Point Faith, pastors use politics as a church-growth strategy,” by Religion News Service’s Jack Jenkins: “For a growing number of evangelical pastors, embracing right-wing rhetoric is seen as a way to put more people in the pews — and it may be working.” 6. FOR YOUR RADAR: “DOJ investigating conservative-backed efforts in Wyoming to infiltrate DNC ahead of 2020 election, sources say,” by CNN’s Kara Scannell: “Prosecutors have subpoenaed RICHARD SEDDON, a former British intelligence official, and SUSAN GORE, a Republican donor and heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune, as part of the investigation, the people said. The investigation appears to stem from a 2021 New York Times article that, citing interviews and documents, detailed ‘an undercover operation by conservatives to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns, and the offices of Democratic as well as moderate Republican elected officials during the 2020 election cycle.’” Read the 2021 NYT article 7. ON TO THE NEXT ONE: “On heels of debt fight, House GOP rolls out tax-cut package,” by Brian Faler: “The package — which would beef up the standard deduction and expand business research writeoffs, among other provisions — is being rolled out with an eye toward a year-end tax deal, which many Democrats want as well. They are already demanding an expansion of the Child Tax Credit as the price of any agreement, which could swell the cost.” 8. BORDER BULK-UP: “Biden Names New Border Patrol Chief as Agency Moves Beyond Title-42 Era,” by WSJ’s Michelle Hackman: “JASON OWENS, the head of the Border Patrol’s sector in Del Rio, Texas, will become the agency’s new chief, the Biden administration said Friday. Owens will take over the top job when the current chief, RAUL ORTIZ, steps down at the end of the month. Owens will become the third person to lead the Border Patrol under President Biden, a relatively high rate of turnover.” 9. THE FIRE RISES: “Wildfires are now reshaping human life in an uncontrollable way,” by WaPo’s Shannon Osaka, Michael Miller and Beatriz Ríos: “Scientists say climate change plays a role. The connection is not direct — rising carbon emissions in the atmosphere don’t drop the cigarette, or down the power line, or create the lightning strike that sets things ablaze. But, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, rising temperatures can turn already fire-prone forests into tinderboxes.” Related reads: “Wildfire smoke broke U.S. records. Could it strike again this summer?” by WaPo’s Dan Stillman … “The U.S. and Canada saw dangerous smoke this week. It's a routine peril for many developing countries,” by AP’s Suman Naishadham
| | | | A message from UPS:   | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies
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| GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “Drew Barrymore Is Figuring It Out Live,” by N.Y. Mag’s E. Alex Jung: “Her radically intimate daytime show is as much therapy for her as it is for her guests.” — “The Fugitive Heiress Next Door,” by WaPo’s Manuel Roig-Franzia: “How a reclusive woman’s past in suburban D.C. sparked a true-crime sensation in Brazil — and a national reckoning over the status of household servants.” — “The Man Who Turned the World on to the Genius of Fungi,” by Jennifer Kahn for NYT Magazine: “A vast fungal web braids together life on Earth. Merlin Sheldrake wants to help us see it.” — “The Immortal Mel Brooks,” by Judd Apatow for The Atlantic: “The 2,000-year-old man turns 97 this summer. I talked with him about fighting in World War II, his life in comedy, and the secret to happiness.” — “What happened to Heather Mayer?” by the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Andy Mannix: “Police ruled Heather Mayer’s death a suicide. Her mother set out to prove them wrong and uncovered an escalating tale of violence. Nearly four years later, the circumstances of her death remain a mystery.” — “‘Building a Platform Like Twitter Is Not Difficult,’” by Wired’s Brendan Koerner: “When Elon Musk’s reign of toxic chaos began, Christopher Bouzy didn’t just go looking for a rival place to post. He joined the crowded race to create one. (It got difficult.)” — “The Pentagon Is Freaking Out About a Potential War With China,” by Michael Hirsh for POLITICO Magazine: “(Because America might lose.) — “America’s Long, Tortured Journey to Build EV Batteries,” by Bloomberg Businessweek’s Gabrielle Coppola: “The fall of startup A123 still haunts the U.S. decades later — and reveals everything that’s wrong with this country’s approach to innovation.” — “The Emerging Anti-MAGA Majority,” by Michael Podhorzer for Substack: “Wake up: Trump has fundamentally reshaped the electorate. This is good news for the fight against MAGA fascism.” — “Alaska’s army bases see glimmer of hope after 'horrifically high' suicide rates among soldiers,” by USA Today’s Tom Vanden Brook: “The 2021 wave of suicides that swept over Alaskan military bases has receded after commanders required troops to get counseling, the Pentagon added therapists and living conditions improved in America's ‘Last Frontier.’”
| | | | 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 | | Carlos Gimenez played golf with Donald Trump yesterday. Tim Hagood appeared on Jeopardy! yesterday. (He came in third place.) IN MEMORIAM — “Wade Goodwyn, longtime NPR correspondent, dies at age 63,” by NPR’s Debbie Elliott: “Longtime National Desk correspondent Wade Goodwyn died Thursday of cancer. He was 63. For more than 25 years, Wade reported on his home state of Texas and the southwest United States, covering top stories including the Oklahoma City bombing, school shootings, hurricanes, the American Sniper murder trial, and the Boy Scouts sexual abuse scandal.” SPOTTED: Former President Barack Obama having dinner with Broderick Johnson and Michelle Norris last night at Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown. Pic OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED Thursday and yesterday at EconCon 2023, a convention of progressive advocates and policymakers, at the Hotel Washington: OMB Director Shalanda Young, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Peggy Flanagan, Lindsay Owens, Rakeen Mabud, Igor Volsky, Dorothy Brown, Joelle Gamble, Sameera Fazili, Noah Kaufman, Olugbenga Ajilore, K. Sabeel Rahman, David Dayen, Talmon Smith, Nidhi Hegde, Dylan Matthews, Dorian Warren, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez and Alexandra Rojas. TRANSITION — Nicole Kiprilov is now press secretary for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). She most recently was a political and comms consultant. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CNN’s Jeff Zeleny (5-0) … Carlos Elizondo … NBC’s Shannon Pettypiece, Kate Snow and Sarah DeCaro … NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe … GSA’s Alex Goldman … WSJ’s Corinne Ramey … ABC’s Ellie Kaufman … Joe Trippi … James Rockas of the American Center for Law and Justice … Jeff Greenfield … Stef Weiss … Kellogg Company’s Michael Daniels … Jennifer Donnelly of the Aspen Institute ... Edelman’s Matthew Streit ... NAM’s David O’Brien ... Philip Recht … Thomas Showalter ... Al Mottur … Kylie Bohman of Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) office … Paula Burris of the American Association for Justice … Ben DeMarzo of Rep. Mary Miller’s (R-Ill.) office … POLITICO’s Sadler Gensch … J.D. Grom … former Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) (6-0) … former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) (7-0) … former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal … former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer … Nicole Hager … Sasha Obama THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): ABC “This Week”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Panel: Dan Abrams, Preet Bharara, Asha Rangappa and Elizabeth Neumann. Panel: Donna Brazile, Lee Zeldin, Julie Pace and Maggie Haberman. CBS “Face the Nation”: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu … North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum … H.R. McMaster … Amy Walter … Robert Costa … Ed O’Keefe … Catherine Herridge … Rikki Kleiman. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) … Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) … Vivek Ramaswamy … Asa Hutchinson. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Alina Habba … Bill Barr … Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Panel: Brit Hume … Trey Gowdy … Jonathan Turley. Panel: Guy Benson, Olivia Beavers, Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.). Panel: Matthew Whitaker, Alan Dershowitz, John Ratcliffe and Marianne Williamson. 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: Wednesday’s Playbook misspelled A’shanti Gholer’s name.
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