President JOE BIDEN’s press conference last night may have reassured some Democrats — soothing their jitters as he avoided face-planting on the international stage. But it hasn’t come close to ending the conversation about whether he should step aside and allow the party to field a new presidential candidate to take on DONALD TRUMP. In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent this morning, House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES said he met with Biden following the presser to voice House Dems’ concerns about his candidacy. During the meeting, Jeffries says he “expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.” Still, Jeffries did not clarify if he outright called on Biden to withdraw from the race, which many members of the caucus are privately hoping for. What now?
- “Jeffries indicated Thursday that he planned to convene Democratic House leaders to discuss the path forward on Biden, though the timing is unclear,” Sarah Ferris and Nicholas Wu report. For now, the party remains at a bit of a standstill: “There are no leadership meetings scheduled and no caucus meetings on the books. The House is out of session next week, and lawmakers are scattered across the country.”
- Biden will meet today with three key groups on the Hill: the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the centrist New Democrat Coalition, Nicholas and Sarah report.
- This makes 18: Freshman Rep. BRITTANY PETTERSEN (D-Colo.) became the 18th Hill Democrat to ask Biden to step aside as the nominee. In a statement on X, she urged Biden to “pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump,” describing her decision as “so painful.” More from Anthony Adragna
Biden’s Hill supporters are digging in.
- Rep. JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.) doubled down on his support in an appearance this morning on NBC’s "Today Show.” Though Clyburn didn’t fully close the door on the conversation, he declared he’s “all in” for Biden — though added that if Biden “decides to change his mind later on, then we will respond to that.” More from Anthony
- Sen. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.) told CNN’s Betsy Klein that he’s “been urging my colleagues to keep this a family conversation and not work through their emotions and concerns in editorials and public speeches, but to convey their concerns to our president. He has been listening.”
But Dems concerned about his candidacy are digging in, too:
- “Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that pledges worth roughly $90 million are now on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket,” NYT’s Shane Goldmacher scooped. “The frozen contributions include multiple eight-figure commitments … The potential shortfall in super PAC cash comes as the campaign itself is bracing for a rough July fund-raising period as major donors question Mr. Biden’s viability to win in November.”
TOP-ED — “Biden’s Path to Re-election Has All But Vanished,” by Doug Sosnik for NYT Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
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3. SURVEY SAYS: “More than 6 in 10 U.S. adults support protecting access to IVF, AP-NORC poll finds,” by AP’s Colleen Long and Amelia Thomson-Deveaux: “Views on banning the destruction of embryos created through IVF are less developed, with 4 in 10 adults expressing a neutral opinion. … About 3 in 10 Republicans and roughly one-quarter of Democrats favor banning the destruction of embryos created through IVF. Four in 10 Republicans — and nearly 6 in 10 independents — have a neutral view.” 4. THE OTHER TRUMP WITH A BIG WEEK AHEAD: With the Republican National Convention just days away, Time’s Eric Cortellessa writes in a buzzy profile how Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, LARA, went from a small TV production gig to co-chairing the RNC — and possibly emerging as the new face of the Trump political dynasty: “Lara Trump is potentially going places in MAGA World. … [T]here is one man in particular who has ideas for where she can go from here. As one of Donald Trump’s top aides tells me: ‘The boss has said on numerous occasions she should run.’” A big job ahead … “In the coming days, Lara Trump’s biggest job will be to help orchestrate a successful convention, with the goal of making Trump’s GOP look like a model of competency and strength in contrast to the dysfunction and doubt besetting Democrats.” 5. THE WEIGHT OF WAR: Reuters’ Tom Balmforth, John Irish and Max Hunder are out with a moving profile of Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY’s transformation under the pressures of Kyiv’s ongoing war with Russia. The “war-hardened” Zelenskyy “is a world away from the political novice who became president, let alone the TV comedian who was a showbiz heavyweight for years before,” and friends and colleagues “paint a portrait of a leader who has become tougher and more decisive, less tolerant of mistakes and even prone to paranoia, as he copes with round-the-clock stress and fatigue.” Now, “[a] president elected to drain the establishment swamp in a fierce expression of Ukrainian democracy has become ruler of a country under martial law,” with Zelenskyy growing “increasingly frustrated” with Western allies as he fights for crucial aid for Kyiv: “At meetings and phone calls with foreign officials, [Zelenskyy] hammers home the same message, relentlessly pushing his cause.” 6. YELLIN’ AT YELLEN: “Yellen Grilled by Trump Allies in Odd Feud Over Debt Management,” by Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin and Liz Capo McCormick: “[Treasury Secretary JANET] YELLEN has found herself on the receiving end of attacks from GOP lawmakers who claim she gamed Treasury debt auctions to juice the economy … The misdeed, as the Republicans tell it, is that by engineering a decline in long-term yields, she pushed down consumer borrowing rates to boost home sales and more … Within the Treasury, the chorus of criticism has struck a nerve.”
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Amy Klobuchar is again cancer-free after a “minimally invasive outpatient procedure.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Speaker Mike Johnson's NATO reception on Monday at the Capitol: Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Mike Turner (R-Ohio), and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), NATO Secretary Gen. Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Romanian Ambassador Leena Liukkonen and Karina Lipsman. — The Jenkins Hill Society celebrated its 10-year anniversary with an event Wednesday evening. SPOTTED: Alissa Clees, Jordan LaCrosse, Karissa Willhite, Joy McGlaun, Jen Frost, Mary Ryan Douglass, Ryann Hill, Kim Corbin and Alpha Lillstrom. — The National Italian American Foundation awarded Gen. Christopher Cavoli the Fiorello LaGuardia Medal of Honor in a ceremony Wednesday evening at the Decatur House with Italian Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. SPOTTED: Anita McBride, Paolo Messa, Robert Allegrini, Courtney Kube, Lt. Gen. Joseph P. McGee and Lorenzo Cesa. — Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apple Original Films hosted a private screening of “Fly Me To The Moon” at the Navy Memorial Burke Theater on Wednesday evening, with director Greg Berlanti and the movie’s producers Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn. SPOTTED: Andrew Reinsdorf, Kara Swisher, Kristin Fisher, Gen. B. Chance Salzman, John Bentivegna, Jennifer Kuhn, Bert Ulrich, Tom Jones, Eileen Collins, Jon Deuser, Bob Hickmott, Nicola Thomas, Gabrielle Howard, Gil Ruiz, Mark Dreiling, Josh Rogin and Patrick Kane. — Local D.C. charity Horton’s Kids celebrated the 16th Annual Home Runs for Horton’s Kids on Wednesday night at Nationals Park. SPOTTED: Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Kimberly McClain and Matt Gelman. — Kathy “Coach” Kemper and R. David Edelman co-hosted a breakfast on AI yesterday morning at the Embassy of Luxembourg with PM Luc Frieden and Ambassador Nicole Bintner. SPOTTED: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Kelly, Rachel Loeffler, Danyelle Solomon, Ruth Berry, Stephanie Bodoni, Véronique Dockendorf, Gilles Bauer, Geo Saba and Michel Scholer. — The Fund for American Studies honored Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Haley Barbour last night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown last night as part of their 34th annual scholarship dinner. SPOTTED: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Eric Tanenblatt, Louis DeJoy, Roger Ream, Steve Slattery, Randal Teague, Ed Gillespie, Chris Ullman, Charlie Black, Randy DeCleene, Wesley Britt, Jade West, Richard Benedetto and Joseph Lai. — SPOTTED at the Library of Congress last night for NATO’s 75th Anniversary Concert featuring the American Pops Orchestra and organized by Nouveau Productions: Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani, Albanian PM Edi Rama, Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Philippe Lavigne, Kurt Campbell, Denyce Graves, David Rubenstein, Capricia Marshall, John F. W. Rogers, Adrienne Arsht, Fred Kempe, Anita McBride, Luke Frazier, Virginia McGehee Friend and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Olivia Polen, corporate governance associate at Strive Asset Management and a Trump White House alum, and Ken Carroll, an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton and a Trump White House alum, welcomed Georgia Frances Carroll on Monday. Pic — Erin Donar, VP for comms at the National Beer Wholesalers Association, and Josh Dover, VP for government affairs at Avis Budget Group, recently welcomed Jason Donar Dover. — Krystal Gurnell, a legislative fellow in the House, and Braylon Gurnell, a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, recently welcomed Beau Gurnell. Pic 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misspelled YJ Fischer’s name.
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