| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | Presented by The National Association of REALTORS® | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | IT’S FINALLY OUT — “The Kim Mulkey way,” by WaPo’s Kent Babb: “The LSU coach holds grudges, battles everyone — and keeps winning. But at what cost?”
|  The core Trumpian philosophy of an eye for an eye is now central to our politics. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | THE TRUMP CODE IN ACTION — When somebody hurts you,” DONALD TRUMP wrote in “How to Get Rich,” his 2004 book, “just go after them as viciously and as violently as you can. Like it says in the Bible, an eye for an eye.” He expanded on his beliefs in “Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life,” from 2009: “This is important not only for the person you are going after but for other people to know not to mess around with you. When other people see that you don't take crap and see you are really going after somebody for wronging you, they will respect you.” We want to draw your attention this morning to three ways in which this core Trumpian philosophy is now central to our politics: 1. First, the former president posted a video of a pro-Trump caravan on Long Island. It seems innocuous enough at first glance. But when you look closely at the tailgate of a pickup truck in the video, you see it painted with a disturbing image: President JOE BIDEN bound and tied as if he’s in the bed of the pickup. The Biden campaign sent us this statement: “This image from Donald Trump is the type of crap you post when you’re calling for a bloodbath or when you tell the Proud Boys to ‘stand back and stand by.’ Trump is regularly inciting political violence and it’s time people take him seriously — just ask the Capitol Police officers who were attacked protecting our democracy on January 6.” The coverage overnight has been withering. The NYT reminded readers of Trump’s “increasingly authoritarian language on the campaign trail,” while WaPo called it “the latest example of the Republican candidate’s use of increasingly violent rhetoric and imagery this campaign season.” The Secret Service told the AP that it “does not confirm or comment on matters of protective intelligence.” The Trump campaign had this to say: “That picture was on the back of a pick up truck that was traveling down the highway. Democrats and crazed lunatics have not only called for despicable violence against President Trump and his family, they are actually weaponizing the justice system against him.” For all their talk about running a more disciplined campaign, Trump’s staffers can’t control his worst impulses when it comes to this stuff. 2. The two Trump passages cited up top were actually included in Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG’s request for a gag order in the New York hush money case, along with some 300 pages of exhibits documenting the real-world consequences of Trump’s attacks. Judge JUAN MERCHAN found the filing persuasive. Trump’s “statements were threatening, inflammatory, denigrating, and the targets of his statements ranged from local and federal officials, court and court staff, prosecutors and staff assigned to the cases, and private individuals including grand jurors performing their civic duty,” the judge wrote, citing Bragg’s filing. He added that Trump’s statements had caused “the assignment of increased security resources to investigate threats and protect the individuals and family members” of those he’d targeted. After the gag order was issued, Trump attacked Merchan’s daughter. Last night, Bragg asked the judge to “clarify or confirm” that the order applies to family members and order Trump to “immediately desist from attacks on family members.” Trump’s recent rhetoric has alarmed not only the judges overseeing his four criminal cases. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge REGGIE WALTON spoke out in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about Trump possibly instigating violence — an exceedingly rare step taken as Walton’s colleague on the D.C. federal trial court, TANYA CHUTKAN, hears Trump’s election subversion case. “We do these jobs because we’re committed to the rule of law and we believe in the rule of law,” Walton said. “And the rule of law can only function effectively when we have judges who are prepared to carry out their duties without the threat of potential physical harm.”
| | | | 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. | | | 3. Finally, two important pieces this morning take a crack at what Trump’s sledgehammer approach means politically.
- The WSJ looks at how Trump’s hush money trial, which begins April 15, might cost him in terms of campaigning, fundraising and delivering a general-election message just as the Biden campaign seems to be climbing out of a winter rut.
- The NYT takes a deep look at how Trump keeps potential witnesses loyal to him using precisely the kind of tactics he laid out in print. On the one hand are hostile witnesses such as MICHAEL COHEN, whom “he attacks publicly,” and on the other are those such as ALLEN WEISSELBERG, whom “he rewards for loyalty.”
It works. As Trump put it in 2009, “Always have a good reason to go after someone. Do not do it without a good reason. When you are wronged, go after those people because it is a good feeling and because other people will see you doing it.” Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza. WHAT TRUMP ISN’T TALKING ABOUT — “Trump stays silent on detained U.S. reporter as he avoids criticizing Putin,” by WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A Washington money bomb just landed in an under-the-radar down-ballot race in Missouri: The Concord Fund, the conservative group connected to GOP legal consigliere LEONARD LEO, on Thursday donated $1 million to a PAC supporting WILL SCHARF’s campaign for Missouri AG, Daniel Lippman reports. The PAC is affiliated with the Club for Growth, whose national PAC on Wednesday sent $500,000 to the Missouri group, according to state campaign finance records. Scharf, a former federal prosecutor and aide to Gov. ERIC GREITENS who last year took on a role representing Trump, is seeking to unseat incumbent AG ANDREW BAILEY in the Aug. 6 GOP primary. He won the Club’s endorsement last April and has also benefited from a prior $500,000 donation from Concord to a separate pro-Scharf group. The seven-figure influx represents a remarkable sum for the Show Me State and outstrips what the candidates themselves raised through the end of 2023: Bailey reported total receipts of about $720,000 in January, while Scharf reported $1.1 million, almost half of which he gave himself. Bailey, who was appointed by Gov. MIKE PARSON and is standing for his first election, is attacking Scharf for his heavy out-of-state support: “Wall Street Willy is not from Missouri and neither are his million dollar donors,” Bailey adviser MIKE HAFNER said in a statement. “While my opponent is being supported by liberal trial lawyers, pot dealers and special interests, we’re proud to be supported by conservatives in Missourians and across the country,” Scharf said in a statement.
| | | | 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 VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | | 
The Biden administration has approved another new transfer of massive bombs and fighter jets to Israel, which is using them heavily in Gaza. | Ismael Abu Dayyah/AP Photo | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. STILL HOLDING STEADY: Despite the Biden administration’s growing public agita over Israel’s handling of its Gaza war, the U.S. is coming through for Israel where it matters most: weapons. The administration has approved another new transfer of massive bombs and fighter jets worth billions of dollars, WaPo’s John Hudson scooped. That includes 1,800 MK84 bombs, which are 2,000-pound behemoths that most Western countries don’t use in urban areas because they’re so destructive, but which Israel has used heavily in Gaza, including one mass casualty event that U.N. officials warned might be a war crime. Some Democrats — including Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.) — criticized the Biden administration’s latest transfer. But the White House is maintaining that it will not condition aid to its ally and will instead seek to shape Israel’s behavior through other channels. 2. FANI WILLIS UNBOWED: The Fulton County, Georgia, DA is barreling ahead with her sprawling 2020 election subversion trials — and instead of replacing NATHAN WADE, she’s planning to take more of a leading role herself, CBS’ Daniel Klaidman scooped. Willis may step up for an aggressive turn in the courtroom, as she considers doing opening statements and key witness interviews on the stand. Though it’s a risky move, “it was only after going through the searing two-month disqualification ordeal that she decided to play a leading, if not the leading trial role.” But, but, but: Trump and several of his co-defendants yesterday appealed Judge SCOTT McAFEE’s ruling that allowed Willis to remain on the case after the revelation of her relationship with Wade, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David Wickert, Tamar Hallerman and Bill Rankin report. They’re still trying to get her disqualified. 3. HOW THE SAUSAGE IS MADE: “How Patty Murray Used Her Gavel to Win $1 Billion for Child Care,” by NYT’s Catie Edmondson: “Tucked into the $1.2 trillion spending law Congress cleared last week was an additional $1 billion for a single year for child care and early education programs. … Previous leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful perches in Congress, have historically used their pens to steer funding to their own priorities — usually to benefit their home states. … For [PATTY] MURRAY, the first woman to helm the committee, it is child care, an issue that historically has had few powerful constituencies on Capitol Hill.” 4. ANOTHER BIPARTISAN OASIS TEETERS: “Congress’ Human Rights Panel Is Being Torn Apart by Partisan Clashes,” by Nahal Toosi: “More than a year after supporters of right-wing former Brazilian President JAIR BOLSONARO ransacked government buildings to express their fury over his election loss, the [Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s] two co-chairs are fighting over an attempt to give the Bolsonaro crowd a hearing to air their grievances. It’s a dispute partly about Brazil, and partly about Bolsanaro’s like-minded friend, former President Donald Trump.” 5. TRUMP’S GOP CHALLENGE: You’ve heard plenty about the worrying presidential primary results for Trump in the nation’s suburbs, where a stubborn band of GOP voters stuck with NIKKI HALEY and could spell trouble in November. But Jessica Piper and Zach Montellaro dove into the county-level primary data and found deeper problems for Trump: There remains a substantial percentage of Republican voters in red-leaning exurbs, not just the wealthy suburbs that have flipped to Democrats recently, who still oppose the former president. “Republicans are banking on the fact that partisanship usually wins out. … But in a close election fought on the margins, even small shifts matter.” The Biden campaign is trying to nudge some of those small shifts with a new ad aimed at Haley primary voters, NBC’s Mike Memoli, Carol Lee and Vaughn Hillyard report. The spot features Trump’s attacks on Haley and her supporters, though it’s not clear how much money Biden is putting behind it. Watch it here 6. THE SURVEILLANCE STATE: “DHS Is Expected to Stop Buying Access to Your Phone Movements,” by NOTUS’ Byron Tau: It’s “a controversial practice that has allowed it to warrantlessly track hundreds of millions of people for years. … [T]he Department of Homeland Security isn’t expected to buy access to more of this data, nor will the agency make any additional funding available to buy access to this data. The agency ‘paused’ this practice after a 2023 DHS watchdog report pending a recommendation that they draw up better privacy controls and policies. However, the department instead appears to be winding down the use of the data.”
| | | | A message from The National Association of REALTORS®:   America needs more affordable and more available housing. REALTORS® have a bipartisan plan at flyin.realtor. | | | 7. EYEING THE EXITS: A new report from the Congressional Management Foundation has very pessimistic findings about the state of a “broken” Congress, where nearly half of senior staffers are thinking about leaving their jobs, WaPo’s Paul Kane reports. The study notes some positive changes on the Hill, particularly around higher salaries and more resources for staffers, which have boosted staffers’ satisfaction with their access to policy expertise. But the awful partisan atmosphere — and the lingering ill will especially after Jan. 6 — has clouded their views of the institution. Wild stat: “[A]lmost 6 in 10 senior Republican staffers said they were thinking about leaving their jobs because of the actions of ‘my party.’” The full report 8. LATEST ON VENEZUELA: The Biden administration’s gambit to lift some sanctions on Venezuela in hopes that President NICOLÁS MADURO would move toward greater democracy hasn’t paid off: Maduro is once again blocking top opposition figures from running in elections. But the U.S. is caught between competing priorities — and it’s currently leaning against slapping the sanctions back on, WSJ’s Kejal Vyas, Patricia Garip and Juan Forero scooped. The Biden administration doesn’t want to risk pushing gas prices higher in an election year, or causing more economic pain in Venezuela that could trigger further migration to the U.S. Officials also don’t think the Trump-era sanctions were effective in yielding political change. 9. HISTORY LESSON: “The Defining House Races of Every Cycle Since 1984: Part One (1984-2002),” by The Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman: “To dive into the newly digitized archives of the Cook Political Report is to be transported to political places and times that are difficult to imagine today — when local newspaper endorsements and civic affiliations (rather than social media platforms and super PACs) were key influencers of vote choice, and split-ticket voting was the norm, not the exception. That’s not to say races were any less negative or tumultuous than they are today. But the contours of the House battlefield were much broader and less predictable from year to year.” CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 funnies
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Christopher Weyant - Boston Globe | GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “Big Tech Has a New Favorite Lobbyist: You,” by WSJ’s Brody Mullins and Luke Mullins: “Millions of ordinary Americans have become unwitting foot soldiers in political influence campaigns by companies like Google and TikTok.” — “Gloom in Ukraine,” by The New York Review of Books’ Tim Judah: “Two years after the Russian invasion, Ukrainian morale has plummeted.” — “The Wrenching Decision to Return to the Site of Horror,” by Der Spiegel’s Juliane von Mittelstaedt: “The first survivors of the Hamas massacre have returned to Kfar Aza, where almost ten percent of the population were either murdered or abducted. It is a changed place, and the community is fractured.” — “The Forgotten History of Hitler’s Establishment Enablers,” by The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik: “The Nazi leader didn’t seize power; he was given it.” — “The Patron Saint of Political Violence,” by The Atlantic’s Gal Beckerman: “Does Frantz Fanon have anything to teach us today?” — “Heir to the Revolution,” by Airmail’s Rich Cohen: “Fergie Chambers is an heir to the Cox media fortune. He also wants to destroy the West. Is he a political radical? Or a rich boy with daddy issues?” — “The Hotel Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave,” by NYT’s Matthew Haag: “Mickey Barreto’s five-year stay cost him only $200.57. Now it might cost him his freedom.” — “The Endgame in the Battle Over Abortion,” by Mary Ziegler in POLITICO Magazine: “The arc of the fetal personhood movement signals where Republicans may be headed.” — “The Darkness That Blew My Mind,” by Outside’s Tim Neville: “Embarking on four days of total blackout, inside the sensory equivalent of a tomb, our writer went on a dark-cave retreat, the same one that quarterback Aaron Rodgers did.” — “Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities of Synthetic Voices,” OpenAI: “We’re sharing lessons from a small scale preview of Voice Engine, a model for creating custom voices.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Joe Biden will head to Baltimore next week. Ruben Gallego’s divorce file could get unsealed. Mike Braun’s Senate campaign got one of the largest FEC campaign finance fines in history. Joe Lieberman was honored at a standing-room-only funeral in Connecticut. Lara Trump’s musical career got an answer from the Democrats. Kamala Harris, Gretchen Whitmer and more are listening to Beyoncé. MEDIA MOVE — David Lauter is retiring as an editor at the L.A. Times, where he’s worked for about 38 years, most recently as a senior editor in Washington. He’ll continue to write his Essential Politics newsletter/column through the election. TRANSITION — Michael Rogenmoser is now director of government relations for the Senate at Heritage Action. He previously was legislative assistant for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). WEDDING — Joelle Gamble and Zachary Copeland, via NYT: “Until early March, she was a deputy assistant to the president and deputy director at the White House National Economic Council and is now looking for a new position. … Mr. Copeland, 34, is special assistant to the general counsel at the U.S. Department of Defense. … Their March 16 wedding, at the George Peabody Library in Baltimore, was attended by 100 guests and officiated by the Rev. William Mies.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) … White House’s Rick Hart … Kevin Dowling of Venn Strategies … Tracey Lintott … WaPo’s John Hudson … Mark Pfeifle … Joe Kildea of the Club for Growth … Suzy Khimm … Payne Griffin of Rep. Dale Strong’s (R-Ala.) office … Morning Consult’s Michael Ramlet … Bradleigh Chance … NYT’s Alex Kingsbury … Scott Rasmussen … Casey Higgins of Akin Gump … CBS’ Richard Escobedo … Jason Greenblatt … Drew Maloney of the American Investment Council … Invariant’s Susan Lagana … Jeremy Kenney of Push Digital Group … Jamiyl Peters … AT&T’s Marc Gonzales … Peter La Fountain … Visa’s Jeremy Sturchio … Mark Strand … David Greer of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities … Matt Laslo … HuffPost’s Jessica Schulberg … former Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Bob Smith (R-N.H.) … former Reps. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) and Janice Hahn (D-Calif.) … Maxim Healthcare Services’ Veronica Charles … Noorain Khan … Mark Vandroff … Lesly Weber McNitt THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): CBS “Face the Nation”: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg … Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Cindy McCain … Wilton Cardinal Gregory … Bishop Mariann E. Budde. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Karen Kingsbury. Panel: Julia Manchester, Howard Kurtz, Philippe Reines and Marc Thiessen. Legal panel: Jonathan Turley and Tom Dupree. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … retired Gen. Frank McKenzie. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Rick Klein and Asma Khalid. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Panel: Barbara Comstock, Doug Thornell, Marc Lotter and Karen Finney. NBC “Meet the Press”: Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) … Savannah Guthrie. Panel: Jeh Johnson, Ramesh Ponnuru and Katie Rogers. MSNBC “The Weekend”: Prince George’s County, Md., Executive Angela Alsobrooks … Alabama state Rep.-elect Marilyn Lands. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Russell Moore. Panel: David Swerdlick, Mona Charen, Jack Butler and Domenico Montanaro. 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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