| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Bethany Irvine | Presented by the Coalition to Preserve American Jobs | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK — “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” by George Clooney in the NYT: “It’s devastating to say it, but the JOE BIDEN I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
|  Democrats have been looking to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the best-positioned leader to potentially convince President Joe Biden to step aside. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | PELOSI’S WARNING TO BIDEN — As House Democrats concerned about JOE BIDEN’s vitality as a candidate bit their tongues this week, one senior House Democratic aide offered this thought to Playbook: “NANCY PELOSI has more balls than most the men in this caucus.” The former speaker has long been a close ally of the president’s. She privately pulled for Biden during the 2020 primary as progressive White House hopefuls dismissed him as old news in a party tilting increasingly left. She worked closely with Biden to pass much of his agenda, shepherding through climate and infrastructure spending, gun control measures and other big-ticket items that have now become the cornerstone of his legacy. And now that Biden’s campaign is flailing, many Democrats have been looking to Pelosi as the best-positioned leader to potentially convince the president to step aside. This morning, Pelosi buoyed those hopes when she went on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and subtly suggested Biden needs to reconsider his decision to stay in the race. "It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said, implicitly rejecting Biden’s stated decision that he is continuing to run. “The time is running short. … He’s beloved, he is respected, and people want him to make that decision.” Pelosi had previously noted her “full confidence” in Biden last week as rumblings emerged from members on whether he was fit for office, support she has parrotted this week when prodded. But in recent days she’s been avoiding the press and refusing to engage on the crisis engulfing her party. Now Pelosi did do a bit of clean-up on what she said this morning. Speaking to CBS after the interview, she accused some reporters of taking her words out of context: “I never said he should reconsider his decision,” she said. “The decision is the president’s.” And yet (1) that doesn’t contradict what she said earlier, and (2) those who have covered Pelosi for years, as we have, know that the speaker rarely utters a word without a plan and an intention. There’s little doubt that she knew — and fleshed out with confidants — exactly what she was doing before she was mic'd up at MSNBC this morning. In many ways, Pelosi is the most sensible choice to lead a rebellion against Biden. The currently elected congressional leader, HAKEEM JEFFRIES and CHUCK SCHUMER, are caught in the middle of a divided caucus. Taking sides on the matter could undercut their standing as leaders, create future enemies and otherwise undercut their own influence. Pelosi has already cemented her legacy. Unshackled from the burdens of caucus leadership, she doesn’t need to worry about pleasing members — something, we should be honest, she rarely fretted about as speaker. As such, she could be the one Democrat with the gravitas and wherewithal to tell Biden what everyone is saying privately — if, of course, she is willing. Meanwhile … Reactions to Pelosi’s comments have varied on Capitol Hill. While some senior Democrats, including Jeffries and Caucus Chair PETE AGUILAR side-stepped questions, saying they hadn’t yet seen her appearance on MSNBC. Yet there were signs that her comments were providing cover for other Democrats to speak more frankly. What they are saying:
- Rep. PAT RYAN (D-N.Y.) became the eighth member to call on Biden to step down, suggesting Democrats host an open convention for a new nominee as he rejected Biden’s claims that “elites” are trying to orchestrate his ouster: “These are the opposite of elites,” Ryan told NYT’s Nicholas Fandos. “These are people eating hot dogs and drinking beer and talking about my Yankees and where the country’s at and expressing some pretty deep and weighty things.”
- Minority Whip KATHERINE CLARK doubled down on the unity of the caucus but, like Pelosi, suggested Biden’s decision is not final: “There is just no light between our caucus and the work we have done with this administration and the work that we will do in the future. As always, this decision is up to the President,” Clark said.
- Rep. LLOYD DOGGETT (D-Texas), the first sitting Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the race, echoed Pelosi’s doubts, telling reporters: “The fact that she's raising these issues, leaving it out there, indicates I think her realization that we can't go forward without some greater certainty on a number of aspects of the president’s future.”
- Rep. RITCHE TORRES (D-N.Y.) demonstrated a striking change of tone in his most recently comments after describing efforts to force Biden out as “self destructive” on Monday. “In determining how to proceed as a party, there must be a serious reckoning with the down-ballot effect of whomever we nominate. What matters is not how we feel but what the numbers tell us.” Torres said today in a statement. He added in comments to CNN: “If we are going on a political suicide mission, then we should at least be honest about it.”
- In another tonal modulation, Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) noted this morning that while Biden has his full support as the nominee, he is “deeply concerned about [Biden] winning this November.”
So what’s next? Today, Jeffries is meeting with the center-left New Democrat Coalition and a group of swing-district “frontliners.” Both groups have expressed their fears that Biden's position may have a substantial impact on down-ballot races. Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me us line at rbade@politico.com and birvine@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the Coalition to Preserve American Jobs: IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel is telling 150,000-300,000 small businesses with low risk Employee Retention Credit claims to wait longer for relief they desperately need. That’s wrong.
Former IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig told POLITICO, “The already identified low risk ERC claims, submitted by struggling businesses, should be approved immediately.” American businesses can’t afford to wait longer for overdue aid. Urge the IRS to process low risk ERC claims immediately. Visit ERCSavesJobs.com/take-action. | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | 
Donald Trump commented on J.D. Vance’s beard after reports surfaced that he doesn’t like facial hair. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. I MUSTACHE YOU A QUESTION: Though he did not reveal his final pick, presumptive GOP nominee DONALD TRUMP weighed in on his shortlist for his running mate this morning in an interview with Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade — taking stock of Sens. J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) and MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), as well as North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM, Mia McCarthy reports: “During the interview, Trump was asked about Burgum’s stronger abortion stance, Rubio’s residency complications … and, of course, Vance’s beard after reports surfaced that Trump doesn’t like facial hair. ‘It looks good,’ Trump said in his glowing endorsement of the Ohio senator’s facial hair. ‘He looks like a young ABRAHAM LINCOLN.’” 2. NATO LATEST: With the NATO summit underway in downtown Washington this week, leading the agenda in today’s meeting is the U.S. and Western allies' ongoing support of Ukraine in their war against Russia, Reuters’ Trevor Hunnicutt reports. After Biden announced further military aid to Kyiv yesterday, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN announced that U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets have officially begun heading to Ukraine following weeks of waiting, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler and Betsy Klein report: “[T]hose jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression,” Blinken said at the NATO Public Forum. More live updates via CNN Top-ed … “You Can Count on a Strong NATO,” by White House national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN for NYT: “There is still more progress to be made, but we are well on our way to building strength that advances U.S. interests and enables us to work together to shape the future of the international order.” 3. MIRROR, MIRROR: WaPo’s Caroline Kitchener is out with a deep dive into two Houston women’s successful grassroots campaign to take abortion off the Texas Republican party's priorities list. GILDA BAYEGAN and MICHELLE BOUCHARD, alongside several other women, created a group called “Right to Win” that successfully argued to remove abortion as a legislative priority for the Texas GOP. The immediate backlash it stirred from the state’s anti-abortion groups “offered a preview of the national debate” that’s expected to be on full display at the RNC next week, Kitchener writes. Do, Ron, Ron: “Ron DeSantis will get an RNC speaking slot after a 'change in schedule,'” by NBC’s Matt Dixon 4. WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE?: As talk swirls around the Heritage Foundation’s ambitious “Project 2025” agenda for a second Trump presidency, NY Mag’s Alex Dent reports how the former president’s campaign is attempting to distance themselves from the plan, despite embracing many of its authors and contributors: “Conversations with current and former Trump staffers suggest that the policies of Project 2025 aren’t what have earned Trump’s ire — such as eliminating the Education Department and putting the president directly in charge of the FBI and the Justice Department — but rather how it has created the perception that someone else is in charge.”
| | | | Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more. | | | | | 5. THE LAST RESORT: Diving into the history behind Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, NYT’s Karen Yourish, Charlie Smart and David Fahrenthold report how the ornate social club has evolved into “nerve center for some of the most extreme elements of the party’s MAGA wing.” While political events were uncommon on the grounds prior to Trump’s presidency, now “conspiracy theories and fearmongering take the ballroom stage. … The 2024 presidential election is more than a political contest — it is a struggle between good and evil.” Becoming MAGA-central … “Traditional charities began peeling away from the club in August 2017, after then-President Trump said there were ‘very fine people on both sides’ of a violent rally to save a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Va. Of the groups that departed, 10 moved their events to Mar-a-Lago’s chief rival in the Palm Beach banquet business: The Breakers resort. Groups aligned with Mr. Trump’s politics have taken their place.” 6. KNOWING MATTHEW TREWHELLA: “How a Militant Anti-Abortion Activist Is Influencing Republican Politics,” by Phoebe Petrovic for Wisconsin Watch and ProPublica: “The Wisconsin pastor was once a political pariah. But now, his book is being quoted by politicians and former Trump officials. One activist is using it to disrupt elections. … Trewhella is more behind the scenes, providing a religious justification for some far-right policies and causes. With the political establishment shifting, he exemplifies how in this splintered landscape, even the most fringe figures can become influencers.” 7. AVANT LE DELUGE: “As Climate Toll Grows, FEMA Imposes Limits on Building in Flood Plains,” by NYT’s Christopher Flavelle: “The agency said Wednesday that projects constructed with FEMA money must be built in a way that prevents flood damage, whether by elevating them above the expected height of a flood or, if that’s not feasible, by building in a safer location. … The history of the new rule demonstrates the complicated politics of managing flood risks, as well as the slow pace of change when it comes to federal agencies.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Justin Trudeau was spotted jogging on the National Mall. OUT AND ABOUT — British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Charles Roxburgh hosted a reception celebrating the NATO summit at their residence, with guests of honor John Healey and Keith Blount. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) gave remarks in favor of continuing to support NATO. SPOTTED: co-host Fred Kempe, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Reps. Jim Baird (R-Ind.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), Jon Finer, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Angus Lapsley, Cara Abercrombie, Celeste Wallander, Mark Milley, Alice Albright, Karen Donfried, Jane Harman, Ron Kind, Tom Bell, Charles Woodburn, Eric Fanning, Helen Milby, Jennifer Griffin, Steve Clemons, Jim Sciutto, Alex Marquardt, Matt Kaminski, Cam Henderson and Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel. — Salt River Project’s Renee Eastman had her retirement party yesterday at the Recording Industry Association of America after 29 years at the organization and several more on Capitol Hill. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Blanche Lincoln spoke, and David Rousseau emceed. Also SPOTTED: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) and Ben Quayle. — IKEA hosted a Hill reception yesterday featuring a table assembly competition between Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.) and Rep. Buddy Carter’s (R-Ga.) staffers. SPOTTED: Javier Quiñones, Carolyn Bell, Doug Murray, Koh Chiba, Meg Stephens, Trevor Pearson, Brandon Neal, Allison Smith, Christina Lasek, Jonny Montano and Tommy Reynolds TRANSITION — Phoebe Keller is now comms adviser for the Senate Finance Committee GOP.. She previously was managing director of media relations at the American Enterprise Institute. WEDDING — Kuper Jones, senior director of state and external affairs at NCTA — the Internet and Television Association, and Erica Riordan, director of government relations at the American Gaming Association, got married Friday in Cleveland. Pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Ron Bonjean, co-founder and partner of ROKK Solutions, and Sara Bonjean, president of Rose Strategies, welcomed Blanca Rose Bonjean on Monday. She came in at 8 lbs and 21 inches long and joins big brother Bright. Pic ... Another 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.
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