| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | THE NEXT TRUMP IN OFFICE? — LARA TRUMP announced last night she is stepping down as RNC co-chair. And in an AP interview, the 42-year-old soon-to-be presidential daughter-in-law said an appointment to the Florida Senate seat soon to be vacated by MARCO RUBIO “is something I would seriously consider.” “If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like,” she added. “And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that’s real for me. But yeah, I would 100% consider it.” VERBAL ESSENCE — “‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year,” by AP’s Anna Furman
| 
Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard delivers remarks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, Feb. 22, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TULSI’S TURN — With MATT GAETZ and PETE HEGSETH serving as lightning rods, TULSI GABBARD’s nomination as director of national intelligence has so far mostly avoided the Washington storm clouds. The winds are now shifting. The shocking collapse this weekend of Syrian President BASHAR AL-ASSAD’s regime has reinvigorated scrutiny about Gabbard’s past sympathies for the brutal dictator. Her 2017 visit to Damascus to meet with Assad — years after he gassed his own people — and her comments defending his rule have long exemplified the former Democratic congresswoman’s unconventional foreign policy views. Now her past is both a punchline — “Wonder if [Gabbard] will offer Assad safe harbor at her house,” former Rep. ADAM KINZINGER jested as rebels closed in — and a complication for her confirmation prospects as senators begin to take stock. As if on cue, we can report this morning, Gabbard has left an Army training assignment in Oklahoma for Capitol Hill, where she will begin to press her case in person. That begins today with Sens. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.) and JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.), with additional Senate Intelligence Committee Republicans scheduled for later in the week. Despite the attention on her views, Gabbard and her allies remain cautiously optimistic. They say she’s eager to tackle her critics head-on. And unlike Gaetz and Hegseth, she has a posse of Hill allies prepared to help her along. “She is very prepared, because it’s the same shit people have been throwing at her for years,” one Gabbard confidant told us last night. “She’s not easily rocked by anything.” Former national security adviser JOHN BOLTON is already swinging hard. In a Sunday phone call, the renowned hawk told us Gabbard has shown “an inclination to believe the most outrageous propaganda against the United States by some of its strongest enemies” — citing, as an example, her parroting the unfounded, Russia-backed “biolabs” conspiracy theory holding that the U.S. was conducting biological warfare research in Ukraine. It “raises serious questions about her judgment,” Bolton said, reflecting a “funhouse of mirrors” view of American foreign policy that “goes beyond normal political discourse in this country — and really is evidence of some kind of flaw, maybe even a character flaw, that she doesn't realize what she's saying.” But Gabbard’s allies say she’s ready to go toe-to-toe with Bolton and likeminded critics, Republican and Democrat alike. When it comes to Bolton & Co., they argue, they are simply out of touch with today’s GOP — it’s Gabbard who is in lockstep with DONALD TRUMP, who controversially met with authoritarian figures like Russia’s VLADIMIR PUTIN and North Korea’s KIM JONG UN in his first term. “John Bolton is irrelevant and him saying he would write in DICK CHENEY for president this year should tell you everything you need to know about his disastrous and failed foreign policy instincts of never-ending wars and more American deaths,” said transition spokesperson ALEXA HENNING. Senate Republicans, however, are a different breed on foreign policy matters. Most are traditionally hawkish and aligned ideologically with Bolton. They will want to know if she will respect the assessments of intelligence community professionals — or substitute her own judgment in advising the president. But Gabbard’s team says she is well positioned to address any doubts. — She already holds a Top Secret security clearance, one Senate Republican recently told us (and the Trump transition confirmed). The senator also noted that Gabbard was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve in 2021 — years after her Syria trip. “If this were a problem, then they would have had an investigation a long time ago and she wouldn’t have the high-level clearance she has,” one ally said. — She’s prepared to add context to some of her more controversial moments. Expect Gabbard to argue that meeting with Assad isn’t the same as sympathizing with him, and she can point to instances where she called him a “brutal dictator” and made other frank assessments of his atrocities. — She’s ready to make a broader case for her noninterventionist views and argue to senators that meetings like the one she had with Assad are critical to stopping “endless wars.” She’ll argue that it’s her military service — not Russian propaganda — that shaped her worldview. Gabbard “is in lockstep with President Trump and his statements on the events in Syria over the weekend,” Henning said. “This is why President Trump was re-elected to prevent endless wars and put America First.” — She has the backing of one prominent hawk in Graham, who called her “extremely bright and capable” last month. On the other side of the ideological spectrum, she has Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) in her corner. And her team says she’s close with a cadre of former House members now in the Senate, including Lankford, MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-Tenn.), DAN SULLIVAN (R-Alaska) and MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-Okla.). — She’s looking to cross the aisle, or at least try: The former BERNIE SANDERS backer has tried to schedule meetings with at least some Intel Committee Democrats, so far to no avail. Still, her team has taken note that House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES was recently asked if she was a Russian agent, and he wouldn’t go there. One nod she could conceivably get is from Sanders (I-Vt.) — who has expressed a willingness to support ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR’s HHS nomination but has kept mum on Gabbard’s. Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Congrats to Steve Shepard, Zach Montellaro and the rest of the Mets fan base on the 765 million new ways they can now get their hearts broken. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
| | | | A message from Meta: Open source AI helps more people build amazing things.
Meta’s open source AI is available to all, not just the few. Which means more people can build amazing things.
It enables small businesses, start-ups, students, researchers and more to download and build with our models at no cost.
Learn more about open source AI. | | | |  President Joe Biden arrives to the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. Tuesday, March 8, 2022. | Andrew Harnik/AP | BIDEN HIS TIME — Biden only has 42 more days left in office, but within the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill — and even within his own administration — it feels like he left the Oval Office weeks ago, Adam Cancryn, Lauren Egan, Adam Wren and Ally Mutnick report. “Biden has effectively disappeared from the radar in the wake of Democrats’ bruising electoral loss. Since Nov. 5, he’s largely stuck to prepared remarks, avoided unscripted public appearances or press questions and opted to sit out the raging debate over Donald Trump’s victory, policy conversations in Congress and the Democratic Party’s future.” And the president’s low profile “has contributed to the sense of rudderlessness that’s taken hold across swaths of Washington, as lawmakers, aides and party officials brace for Trump’s return to power and seek a new direction and vision ahead of the midterms and 2028.” Quite the quote: “He’s been so cavalier and selfish about how he approaches the final weeks of the job,” said a former White House official. Related read: “Biden Is Ceding Presidential Influence to Trump, and Some Democrats Are Furious,” by WSJ’s Aaron Zitner and Ken Thomas ATTENTION D.C. TRIVIA NERDS — Our colleagues from Ottawa are heading to D.C. and invite all Canada-U.S. geeks to Ottawa Playbook Trivia on Monday, Dec. 16 at Astro Beer Hall. Registration is open. Space is limited. RSVP here
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. to take up a judicial nomination, with a vote at 5:30 p.m. The House will meet at noon and will take up several bills at 2 p.m. 3 things to watch …
- A bicameral compromise draft of the National Defense Authorization Act was released Saturday, putting the massive annual Pentagon bill on track for House floor consideration this week. That doesn’t mean there isn’t controversy: A package of China-related bills was dropped at the last minute, Eleanor Mueller reports, though it could still ride along on the expected spending stopgap. And Connor O’Brien notes that language in the bill restricting some healthcare options for transgender youth is causing heartburn for some Democrats, including House Armed Services ranker ADAM SMITH (D-Wash.).
- The big policy debate that is going to consume Capitol Hill in the coming weeks: one track or two? That is, should Republicans break up their legislative agenda into two reconciliation bills — starting with a quick-hit, border-focused piece — or just try for one, big tax-focused monster. CNN’s Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris and Lauren Fox dive deep on the GOP’s internal debate, but, not for nothing, STEPHEN MILLER, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff, strongly endorsed the two-step approach on Fox News yesterday, saying it could deliver the “largest investment in immigration and border security … something Republicans have been talking about for decades” within weeks of Trump taking office.
- By the end of the day, two new senators will have been sworn in: Democratic Reps. ANDY KIM (N.J.) and ADAM SCHIFF (Calif.) will get a head start on their Senate service after placeholders GEORGE HELMY and LAPHONZA BUTLER, respectively, resigned last week. Their first Senate votes likely will be on four district judges now awaiting final confirmation, part of Biden’s last ditch push to break Trump’s first-term record.
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. In the afternoon, Biden will depart the White House en route to the Interior Department where he will deliver remarks at a Tribal Nations Summit. In the evening, the president and first lady JILL BIDEN will host a Holiday Ball for members of Congress, with VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF also in attendance.
| | | | REGISTER NOW: As the 118th Congress ends, major decisions loom, including healthcare appropriations. Key focus: site neutrality. Can aligning hospital and clinic costs cut federal spending, reflect physician costs, and lower patient expenses? Join policymakers and providers to discuss. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
| 
President Joe Biden speaks about the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad from the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, Dec. 8, 2024. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP | MORE SYRIA FALLOUT — The U.S. carried out a major round of airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria on Sunday, and warned the terror group against trying to regain strength in the country after rebels took over the government, Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary and Joe Gould report. Behind the scenes, White House officials are “debating the extent to which they should engage directly with the rebel groups going forward,” NYT’s Peter Baker and Adam Entous report. “U.S. intelligence analysts and administration policymakers were trying to determine whether the groups had substantially changed, or were prepared to change, their ways to address the concerns of the United States and its allies in the region about terrorist affiliations.” Elsewhere in the region: Turkish military forces attacked “U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria this weekend, a war monitoring group and a spokesman for the Kurdish group said on Sunday, illuminating the tangle of competing interests and alliances in Syria in the wake of the government’s collapse,” NYT’s Eve Sampson writes. Smart read: Our colleague Nahal Toosi writes about how a reluctant Trump could be convinced to get involved in a liberated Syria. “Show him what you’re doing for the United States, especially if you’re investing in the American economy; lay out your plan to solve the latest crisis; and assure him that you’re willing to take the lead. Then, maybe, he might help you.” The domino effect: The family of AUSTIN TICE, the American journalist who went missing in Syria in 2012, is now hoping that the shakeup in the country could lead to his return home. “In chaos, there is opportunity. And I think for a lot of us, that’s really what we’re focusing on right now,” Austin’s sister NAOMI TICE told WaPo’s Herb Scribner. Related reads: “The 11-Day Blitz by Syrian Rebels That Ended 50 Years of Assad Rule,” by WSJ’s Jared Malsin, Summer Said and Isabel Coles … “Assad’s Downfall Marks a New Realignment in the Middle East,” by WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov … “Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria’s Assad?” by AP’s Kareem Chehayeb More top reads:
TRANSITION LENSES
| 
President-elect Donald Trump (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (center), and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Dec. 7, 2024. | Pool photo by Sarah Meyssonnier | TRUMP-ILY IN PARIS — Trump spoke to the NY Post’s Diana Glebova about his overseas trip, where he met with a handful of world leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral this weekend in Paris. Trump notably said Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY “wants to make peace,” and the president-elect noted that he is “formulating a concept of how to end that ridiculous war.” For the record: Zelenskyy responded to Trump’s assessment of the war, noting that roughly 43,000 of his soldiers have died since Russia invaded in 2022, contrary to Trump’s claim that Ukraine “lost” 400,000 soldiers “and many more civilians,” WaPo’s David Stern reports from Kyiv. What else Trump said:
- On French President EMMANUEL MACRON: “He’s a good man, he did a good job. I told him, ‘you have no idea how good a job you did’ on that chapel. That’s very hard to do. Painstaking.”
- On PRINCE WILLIAM: “I asked him about his wife and he said she’s doing well. And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad. … He’s a good looking guy. He looked really, very handsome last night. Some people look better in person? He looked great. He looked really nice, and I told him that.”
- On Italian PM GIORGIA MELONI: “She’s a real live wire, I will tell you. She’s great.”
- On first lady JILL BIDEN: “Very nice. She couldn’t have been nicer.”
More top reads:
- The latest appointments: Trump dropped a handful of new nominations to fill out his administration, most of them in the State Department. But the most notable was the announcement that his personal attorney ALINA HABBA will be counselor to the president — the same post that was held by KELLYANNE CONWAY in the first Trump White House.
- Trump’s transition team is “drafting several versions of his long-promised executive order to curtail automatic citizenship for anyone born in the U.S.,” WSJ’s Tarini Parti and Michelle Hackman report. “The eventual order is expected to focus on changing the requirements for documents issued by federal agencies that verify citizenship, such as a passport.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | POLICY CORNER IMMIGRATION FILES — A sprawling investigation by WaPo, Lighthouse Reports and El Universal in Eagle Pass, Texas chronicles the stretch of the Rio Grande that has become a graveyard “as the number of people dying while trying to cross rises,” the seven-person reporting team writes. The report finds that “hundreds more people have drowned than the U.S. and Mexican governments have reported. And nowhere in Texas have more people died than in Eagle Pass, where Republican Gov. GREG ABBOTT’s $11 billion border security initiative, Operation Lone Star, is concentrated.” By the numbers: “The data shows that at least 1,107 people drowned trying to cross the river in the seven years from 2017 to 2023. The deaths peaked in 2022 as the number of people trying to enter the United States soared. A rising number of women were among the dead. In 2023, more than 1 in 10 drownings involved a child.” MONUMENTAL MOVES — “Biden adds to the nation’s list of national monuments during his term. There’s an appetite for more,” by AP’s Susan Montoya Bryan JUDICIARY SQUARE TRIAL BALLOON — Despite nearly all of the litigation against Trump being put on ice, Trump isn’t off the hook for Jan. 6 just yet, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney write. “Though the criminal cases against him are all but dead, Trump is likely to be fighting eight civil lawsuits — from members of Congress and injured police officers — deep into his second term. They may be the last form of legal redress Trump faces for his role in spurring the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 … a last stand of sorts for those seeking to hold Trump accountable for the chaos his supporters wrought that day.” MEDIAWATCH NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY — Longtime WaPo editor MATEA GOLD is decamping to join The New York Times, Oliver Darcy scooped for Status. “The veteran Postie — currently the managing editor of national, local, and investigative divisions — had been in the running to be the newspaper’s next top editor. But as the search process enters its final stages, it had become clear Gold would not be tapped for the role. Now she’ll head to The NYT to serve as deputy to DICK STEVENSON, who was promoted last month to Washington bureau chief.”
| | | | Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Donald Trump is hawking perfume and cologne now. Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Arturo Sandoval and Bonnie Raitt were recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors. IN MEMORIAM — “Robert O’Harrow Jr., investigative veteran at Washington Post, dies at 64,” by WaPo’s Brian Murphy: “Robert O’Harrow Jr., a longtime investigative journalist at The Washington Post whose wide-ranging projects included probes into fiscal fraud, government contracts and internet privacy as one of the first reporters to explore emerging digital surveillance, died Dec. 4 at his home in Arlington, Virginia. He was 64. The cause was cancer, said his wife, Amy Spector.” OUT AND ABOUT — Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service co-hosted a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony at the National World War II Memorial yesterday. SPOTTED: Jane Droppa, Mike Litterst, April Stafford, Alex Kershaw, Travis Gardner, Todd Hiller, George Ruth, Elsie “Kitty” Rippin, Ralph May, Charles Stewart, Willard “Bill” Barnes, Joe McPhail, Jack Stowe, Lew Griffith, William Williams and Gordon Poff. TRANSITIONS — Darin Miller is now chief of staff for Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). He previously was comms director for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Macarena Martinez will take over as comms director for Cruz after serving as his campaign comms director. … Sarah Alspach is now EVP and chief comms officer for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. She previously was SVP of external affairs at bluebird bio. … John Commerford is now interim executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. He previously was chief of operations for the group’s lobbying and policy arm. ENGAGED — Jack Friend, COO of Thrive Global and Lily Rivkin, founder and CEO of Rooted Restaurants, got engaged in Paris in the backyard of the U.S. ambassador’s residence in where Lily grew up. The couple met at the Lox Club. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Seyward Darby, editor in chief of The Atavist Magazine, and Corey Sobel, a novelist and the author of “The Redshirt,” on Sunday welcomed Adair Darby Sobel. Pic — Josh Randle, CEO of Randle Strategies and a senior adviser at Haddad Media and the Washington AI Network, and Alexandra Peters Randle on Nov. 14 welcomed George Steven Randle, who came in at 7 lbs, 9 oz and 20.5 inches and joins siblings Ann Louise and Peter. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) … Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin … Wendell Primus … POLITICO’s Kaitlyn Olvera … The Boston Globe’s James Pindell … Brian McGuire of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck … former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle … Tamara Cofman Wittes … Shoshana Weissmann … Brunswick Group’s Neal Wolin … ABC’s Terry Moran … Veronique Rodman … Google’s Cris Turner … Aniela Butler … Megan Devlin of Deloitte … Karen Harbert of the American Gas Association … FGS Global’s Eric Wachter … K&L Gates’ Darrell Conner … Andrew Ricci of Riccon Strategic Communications … Emily Kopp … Tricia Enright of the Senate Commerce Committee … John E. Smith … Scott Schloegel of the Motorcycle Industry Council … former Reps. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas) and Pete Olson (R-Texas) … Laena Fallon … Eric Garcia … Jessica Furst Johnson … Anne Bradbury … Tiresias International’s Andrea Goldstein … Alexandra DeSanctis Marr 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: Saturday’s Playbook misstated which president appointed the judge that recently rejected a Boeing plea deal. The judge, Reed O’Connor, was appointed by George W. Bush.
| | | | A message from Meta: Open source AI is AI available to all, not just the few.
Meta’s open source AI enables small businesses, start-ups, students, researchers and more to download and build with our models at no cost.
When AI models are open source, they’re available to all. And when AI models are available to all, everyone benefits.
Learn more about open source AI. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment