| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | Presented by The National Association of REALTORS® | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | EGG ON ITS FACE — Though the RONNA McDANIEL-NBC fracas went unmentioned on “Meet the Press” this morning, former RNC Chair REINCE PRIEBUS weighed in on it on ABC’s “This Week”: “I've never been hired without the management bringing me in meeting with people, doing interviews where I wasn't on a signed contract, finding out whether I could get off the talking points. … The root of the problem is that the management never brought her in before the contract was signed, so that all of this stuff could get worked out. And that was a huge failure, in my opinion.” SPRING TRAINING FOR VEEPSTAKES — With the Republican nomination wrapped up, it’s veepstakes season for Trump — and it’s not going to end any time soon. “He’s going to draw this out ‘Apprentice’-style,” one person close to the Trump campaign who was granted anonymity to speak freely told our Meridith McGraw, Natalie Allison and Burgess Everett. The trio reports that the process — which SUSIE WILES is leading, and for which an outside firm has been hired to vet candidates — has resulted in a constantly changing leaderboard of potential running mates. Currently, “around a dozen lawmakers and other Republican personalities” are under consideration. Who’s on the list? Though “multiple people familiar with the list” described it as being written in “pencil, not pen,” our colleagues report that among the names are …
- Four senators: Sens. KATIE BRITT (R-Ala.), MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) and J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio).
- Three governors: Govs. DOUG BURGUM (R-N.D.), KRISTI NOEM (R-S.D.) and SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS (R-Ark.).
- Two members of Congress: Reps. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.) and ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.).
- One former member of Congress: Rep. TULSI GABBARD (D-Hawaii).
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Almost every single year, the White House's Easter celebration goes off without any real drama or partisan sniping. But 2024 is different. | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images | A BEE IN THE EASTER BONNET — It’s been a tradition to celebrate Easter at the White House since President RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. Tomorrow, thousands of kids will bounce around White House grounds, chowing down on all sorts of sweets (and what we’re told will be 64,000 eggs). And almost every single year, it goes off without any real drama or partisan sniping. But 2024 is different. On Friday, the White House sent out a statement announcing that President JOE BIDEN was declaring today as Transgender Day of Visibility. He’s done that before. Every year, it’s on March 31: This year, March 31 just so happens to also be Easter, the date of which changes every year. Cue a ferocious reaction from the right, with Republican lawmakers and conservative media figures attacking the Biden administration for … well, acknowledging that Trans Visibility Day coincides with Easter. More from the AP “The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST,” said Speaker MIKE JOHNSON. “Banning sacred truth and tradition — while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’ — is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note.” Trump campaign spox KAROLINE LEAVITT sent out a statement calling on the Biden campaign and White House to “issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ," and further castigating the White House for “prohibit[ing] children from submitting religious egg designs for their Easter Art Event.” There’s a lot going on there. 1. “CATHOLICS AND CHRISTIANS”?: We couldn’t help but notice the curious phrasing of Leavitt’s tweet, separating Catholics from Christians — an old trope popular among certain Protestant denominations (a strange scab to pick at during Holy Week). Biden, of course, is the second Catholic president in American history. Biden world was quick to respond. White House Deputy Press Secretary ANDREW BATES, perhaps the most infamous Twitter user in the White House, tweeted out on his personal account: “*Odd* that this needs to be said to someone running ads claiming they’re sent by God - & who’s selling ‘endorsed’ Bibles for $60 - but: Catholics *are* Christians. You don’t say ‘Catholics and Christians.’” This morning, we asked Leavitt why she distinguished between Catholics and Christians. “All Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians identify as Catholic,” she told Playbook. “Of course the people celebrating Trans Day of Visibility don’t understand that, but the good news is, Jesus still loves them!” 2. ABOUT THOSE EGG DESIGNS: This one is a bit weird, but bear with us. The American Egg Board isn’t an organization with a household name. But if you do know anything about them, it’s probably this: For generations, they’ve worked with administrations of all stripes on the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. Every year, the same guidelines are sent out for the eggs kids can design for the event. It is true that overtly religious egg designs are not permitted. But it has been that way under every president since 1976 — including under DONALD TRUMP. “The American Egg Board has been a supporter of the White House Easter Egg Roll for over 45 years and the guideline language referenced in recent news reports has consistently applied to the board since its founding, across administrations,” the American Egg Board’s EMILY METZ told us this morning. (It’s been an unusual Easter morning on our phone.) The reason for this is straightforward: The guidelines are federal ones the Egg Board has to adhere to because they are a commodity Checkoff Program and basically they have to stay neutral. (They cannot use the Egg Roll to say that eggs are better than bacon, we’re told.) So any program or activity they are a part of cannot even be seen as lifting one religion or set of political beliefs over others. Three times this morning, we asked Leavitt about the Trump administration operating under the same guidelines as Biden’s for the Easter Egg Roll. She didn’t answer. She did say this: “President Trump did more for religious freedom than any Administration in history, and he certainly did not proclaim ‘Trans Day of Visibility’ on the same day as Easter Sunday.” (True, but Easter never fell on March 31 during his presidency.) What a weird news cycle. Good Sunday afternoon. Happy Easter! Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: The National Association of REALTORS® is fighting for housing affordability and availability before Congress.
The lack of affordable housing supply is hurting the middle class and depriving first-generation and first-time homebuyers of the financial security that homeownership provides.
That’s why REALTORS® are focused on fixing the affordable housing crisis and bringing relief to the American people. See our bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | A SIGN OF THE TIMES — “Under Biden and Trump, the presidential first pitch has disappeared,” by Frederic Frommer for WaPo SUNDAY BEST … — Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG on the timeline of construction on the Baltimore bridge collapse on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “We haven't received a timeline yet. But what I can tell you is the work is now underway, parts of the non-federal channel are already being worked on. … We've released the first $60 million in emergency relief funding through our department to go toward that work, everything from removing wreckage to design and procurement for the new bridge structure. This is not going to happen overnight. But we're going to help Maryland do it as quickly as they responsibly can.” More from Kelly Garrity — Maryland Gov. WES MOORE on the Baltimore bridge collapse on MSNBC’s “The Weekend”: “[T]his is not just about Maryland's economy. This is something that is impacting the nation's economy. This is the largest port for new cars, for heavy trucks, for agricultural equipment. So this is impacting people all over the country. You know, the third is we've got to make sure we're taking care of our people.” — Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.) on Biden’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU on ABC’s “This Week”: “We have a situation where Netanyahu continues to essentially give the finger to the President of the United States and we're sending more bombs. That doesn't make sense.” On the latest shipment of U.S. arms to Israel … “The Biden administration had been planning to submit to Congress a new round of weapons proposals. They decided not to do that because clearly they knew they would encounter resistance. And so they've essentially done an end run with this earlier version. … [U]ntil the Netanyahu government allows more assistance into Gaza to help people who are literally starving to death. We should not be sending more bombs.” — Rep. MIKE LAWLER (R-N.Y.) on if Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) will follow through on her push to oust House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “Look, voters enacted a House Republican majority because they wanted a check and balance on the Biden administration. … [Voters] wanted a House Republican majority to serve as a check and balance to fight to secure our border. Infighting does nothing to help advance any of those issues or policy positions. And, in fact, it undermines our majority.” — Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.) on whether Johnson could lose his speakership if he puts Ukraine bill on the floor on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “It’s possible, I’m not going to deny it. We have one or two people that are not team players … I do think there'll be Democrats, though, who do not want to see this dysfunction. And I think they'll probably vote present or maybe not be there for a vote, but it is very likely that after this Ukraine bill, we may have a standoff with the speaker. I hope the speaker prevails.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   Learn how you can support NAR’s efforts to expand homeownership at flyin.realtor. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will return to the White House from Camp David. VP KAMALA HARRIS has nothing on her public schedule.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR
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Hill Republicans are worried that Donald Trump’s frequent inflammatory comments could risk their chances in November. | Mike Mulholland/AP | 1. DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN: For the fourth consecutive election cycle, Hill Republicans are worried that Donald Trump’s frequent inflammatory comments and his focus on retribution over past grudges could imperil the GOP’s chances of winning control of Congress, Burgess Everett and Olivia Beavers report. “Atop of the list of topics some Republicans want Trump to avoid: his attempts to revise the violent history of the Capitol attack by his supporters and his description of people convicted of riot-related crimes as ‘patriots.’” (Good luck with that.) Sen. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.): Trump “needs to be sensitive to where he’s strong and where he’s weak in the electoral map.” Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa): Praising Capitol rioters “definitely is not my thing.” Sen. MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.): “I was there [on Jan. 6]. … And the courts have clearly said that these individuals engaged in criminal activity. Not all of them, but a sizable number. And I’m most certainly not going to call them patriots.” Of course, Hill Republicans are also quite capable of keeping the focus on those issues, too. AP’s Lisa Mascaro notes that Trump's proposals for mass deportations and pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters are “being met with little pushback and some enthusiasm by a new era of Republicans in Congress.” It gets at one of the central splits of the Trump-era GOP: The party is largely divided between those who are with Trump on policy but not rhetoric, and those for whom the rhetoric isn’t just part of his appeal, it’s part of his platform — bombast that should be taken both literally and seriously, to paraphrase a memorable line from 2016. 2. ‘LIKE NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA’ — Speaking of rhetoric that shocks and becomes a liability, at a town hall forum earlier this week — captured on video that has been making the rounds over the past day — Rep. TIM WALBERG (R-Mich.) suggested that Gaza should be dealt with “like Nagasaki and Hiroshima: Get it over quick.” A 47-second clip from that event caught fire on X yesterday, with Michigan Democrats quick to denounce Walberg’s comments. The Detroit Free Press reports that it reviewed a longer version of the video, with Walberg continuing: “The same should be in Ukraine. Defeat [Russian leader VLADIMIR] PUTIN quick. Instead of 80 percent of our funding for Ukraine being used for humanitarian purposes, it should be 80–100 percent to wipe out Russian forces if that’s what we want to do.” In a statement, Walberg spox MIKE RORKE said that the congressman’s invocation of Nagasaki and Hiroshima — the two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in 1945 — was “a metaphor to support Israel’s swift elimination of Hamas, which is the best chance to save lives long-term and the only hope at achieving a permanent peace in the region.” 3. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: “Biden’s plan for Gaza pier endangers U.S. troops, experts warn,” by WaPo’s Dan Lamothe: “The Americans’ fixed proximity to the fighting and the intense anger at the United States for its support of Israel will render the pier an enticing target for Hamas or another of the region’s militant groups — many of whom receive arms and military guidance from adversary Iran, skeptics of the operation warn. Rocket fire, attack drones and divers or speedboats hauling explosives all will pose a threat, they said. … “Those who defended the plan said the risk is real, but manageable, and that the United States is showing leadership by looking for new ways to feed Palestinians trapped by the fighting. Several, however, cited the deadly terrorist bombings in Beirut in 1983 and during the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021 as examples of the immense difficulty protecting U.S. service members during extended stays in vulnerable conditions.” 4. TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK: Some lawmakers backing an effective ban of TikTok in the U.S. fear the Senate’s plan to rework the recently passed House bill after recess will delay efforts to crackdown on the Chinese-controlled app, WSJ’s Natalie Andrews and Kristina Peterson report. What’s next in the Senate? While Senate Commerce Chair MARIA CANTWELL (D-Wash.) is expected to lead the charge to revise the bill, she’s keeping mum on her exact plans. Still, Republicans are warning any changes could tank support for the broadly popular legislation. Either way, the delay in the upper chamber has “bought time for TikTok and its opponents to try to shape public opinion about the popular but controversial app through multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns.”
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   America needs more affordable and more available housing. REALTORS® have a bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | 5. IS ‘OBAMACARE’ NOW A POLITICAL WINNER?: As the Biden campaign continues to mounts a full-scale blitz touting the Affordable Care Act, WaPo’s Dan Diamond reports how the political tides have shifted surrounding the ACA, as “a law once derided as ‘Obamacare’ and demonized as a big government power grab is becoming a politically untouchable part of the American safety net. … Even its critics talk about improving it, not destroying it, a tacit recognition that Obamacare is probably here for the long term.” The polling shift: In Nov. 2013, just 33 percent of Americans held favorable views of the ACA, according to KFF. Today, 59 percent of Americans hold favorable views of the law. 6. PRIMARY COLORS: Biden handily won North Dakota’s Democratic presidential primary yesterday, sweeping the state with more than 92% of the vote. Biden’s victory was “virtually assured,” in the state’s primary, which was held mostly by mail, AP’s Jack Dura reports. Both Biden and Trump have already secured enough delegates across the U.S. to secure their party nominations. Donald Trump won more than 84% of the vote and all 29 delegates in North Dakota’s Republican caucuses earlier this month. 7. GETTING PERSONAL ON IVF: As Democrats lean into the reproductive rights fight on the campaign trail, Iowa’s first district is shaping up as just one example of how the party hopes that talking about protecting in vitro fertilization — in sometimes very personal terms — could win over moderate voters. WSJ’s Natalie Andrews reports from DeWitt, Iowa that in the rematch between Democrat CHRISTINA BOHANNAN and Republican Rep. MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Bohannan is talking publicly “about her personal experience with IVF” while fighting for support in the right-leaning state. Zooming out, “Republican leaders, sensitive to the way the party handled the abortion debate in 2022, have told their members to talk about their positions, particularly in swing districts. … Some Republicans facing tough races across the country have tried to trumpet their support for IVF. Republican Reps. JUAN CISCOMANI of Arizona, LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER of Oregon and MICHELLE STEEL of California introduced a nonbinding resolution supporting protection for IVF.” 8. FROM THE BADGER STATE: “Democrats hope Biden could get a boost from down-ballot races under Wisconsin’s new legislative map,” by AP’s Thomas Beaumont and Scott Bauer: “New legislative districts adopted last month erase Republican advantages that gave the GOP dominance of the Wisconsin Assembly even as Democrats won 14 of the past 17 statewide elections. Democrats think they can now compete for a majority, but also that invigorated legislative campaigns can help turn out votes for President Joe Biden … [Wisconsin] Democrats argue there will be renewed personal attention to neighborhoods in small towns, suburbs and rural areas that had been part of GOP-heavy legislative seats but are now in more competitive districts.” 9. BALTIMORE BRIDGE LATEST — “Baltimore braces for economic hit amid fears port shuttered for months,” by WaPo’s David Lynch: “This temporary cargo halt could become one of the greatest blows to Baltimore’s maritime prosperity since the city emerged as a commercial gateway with the tobacco trade in the 1600s. … For the United States as a whole, the port closure will have ‘no significant effects’ on economic growth or inflation … But it is a cataclysm for the regional economy and for hopes of adding blue-collar jobs. Some freight and transport executives compared the situation to other epic disasters.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo hernia surgery tonight. Mark Esper is “definitely not voting for Trump” in November, he told Bill Maher. IN MEMORIAM — “Former US Rep. William Delahunt of Massachusetts has died at age 82,” by AP’s Brian Hannon: “Delahunt served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1997 to 2011, for Massachusetts’s 10th congressional district. … Delahunt stepped down from the U.S. House in January 2011. He told The Boston Globe he had previously considered retirement, but fellow veteran Bay State legislator Sen. Edward M. Kennedy convinced him he was needed to help pass Obama’s legislative initiatives at the time.” ENGAGED — Matthew May, a legislative aide for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Ariana Andrade, a comms coordinator at CropLife America, got engaged on Friday in front of the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. They are high school sweethearts. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) (8-0) … Reps. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) … Al Gore … White House’s Jennifer Molina … MSNBC’s Ari Melber … NYT’s Astead Herndon … Meghan Hays … POLITICO’s Brittany Gibson and Amal Hijazi … Ben White … Michael Yancey … CNN’s Sara Murray … John Kilvington … Monica Dixon of Monumental Sports & Entertainment … Anthony Giannetti … Advanced Biofuels Association’s Michael McAdams … Emily Knapp … Lauren Hutchinson … Eric Hoffman of Hoffman Public Affairs … Jean Guerrero … Toyota’s Ed Lewis … Alan Zibel … Jessica Dine of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation … former Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) … Neil Moseman … former Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) … Rusty Bermel of Bermel & Co. … Voters of Tomorrow’s Justin Meszler … Wellesley Daniels … Capita’s Joe Waters … Austin Eastridge … Kara Alaimo 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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®: The National Association of REALTORS® is fighting for housing affordability and availability before Congress.
The lack of affordable housing supply is hurting the middle class and depriving first-generation and first-time homebuyers of the financial security that homeownership provides.
REALTORS® play a pivotal role in the real estate transaction serving as a trusted advisor in one of the most important financial decisions of homebuyer’s lives.
The National Association of REALTORS® is focused on fixing the affordable housing crisis to make the dream of homeownership a reality for all.
America needs more affordable and more available housing. REALTORS® have a bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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