World Wide Biden

Sep 27, 2023

By Myah Ward, Lauren Egan and Lawrence Ukenye

Presented by

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada.

Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren

Top Dem Super PAC Priorities USA came out with its $75 million investment target for the 2024 cycle a day after JOE BIDEN announced his reelection plans in April. Now the group is nailing down plans for actually spending the money.

For Priorities, it’s about being very online. Like, extremely online.

The bulk of the spending won’t come until next year when, the group believes, voters really start tuning in. But with a ton of action on the GOP side, Priorities is already testing out its 2024 digital strategy and dropping a new online ad called “Bidenomics!” timed with tonight’s debate.

In a new memo obtained by West Wing Playbook, the group detailed its three-part plan for bolstering Biden’s reelection effort:

— Pursuing multiple paths to 270: Priorities will focus its digital efforts in the battleground states Biden won in 2020, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But its early research shows that Republicans who don’t “identify as MAGA” are as much swing voters as independents. It also found that Black, Latino, AAPI and young voters don’t know enough about the president’s record. The group will try to help close these gaps and reel in these voters.

— Biden vs. “MAGA”: Sound familiar? Priorities plans to contrast Biden’s accomplishments with any candidate that emerges from the Republican field. They’ll home in on DONALD TRUMP, but the ads will paint all potential nominees as “extreme.”

— Breaking through with digital: Priorities is fielding constant research to stay up to speed on where voters are getting their content. The group will target its digital ad campaigns accordingly, whether that’s on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or streaming services.

The new memo is another sign that 2024 is coming in hot, and sheds light on Priorities’ lane now that Biden world has elevated Future Forward as a top outside spending group. Biden advisers have given their blessing to a constellation of super PACs, including Priorities, Future Forward, American Bridge and America Votes. The independent groups, in turn, are coordinating and collaborating, with each primarily owning a space, whether that’s in television advertising, field work or digital outreach.

“We view Priorities also as an incredible partner that has really led the way in the digital sphere — that has really partnered to elevate the president’s accomplishments not just in the campaign in 2020 but in the three years of the administration and the work that we’re doing,” a senior Biden adviser told West Wing Playbook.

Priorities is using the primary debates as an early testing ground. During the last GOP face-off, the group found that 14 million people watched the live debate on Fox — and that YouTube recaps captured 25 million views.

Finding viewers where they go will be a general theme for the group. While Biden and his campaign say they won’t be on TikTok (a throwback to when his admin deemed it a national security threat), Priorities will ensure the president’s message will be all over the app. The group launched its first TikTok account last month.

It is also paying content creators to share its videos and create their own debate-focused content on both TikTok and Instagram. In the run-up to the August debate, they recruited 16 new social media creators, 81 percent of whom were people of color.

And two days after, the content kept coming: Priorities placed ads on YouTube, bidding on keywords like “debate recap” so that its summary ad of the debate appeared in users’ feeds, generating 1.1 million impressions. The group plans to use the same tactics after tonight.

So if you’re doing any Googling or post-debate scrolling and can’t escape the pro-Biden content, you will know who to blame.

MESSAGE US — Are you RACHEL CHIU, chief of staff for the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.

Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!

A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies:

Kroger’s success has always been rooted in delivering more for our customers - more choices, more value, more access to fresh food. Kroger joining together with Albertsons Cos. will allow us to do even more for customers by investing half a billion dollars to further lower prices and $1.3 billion to improve the customer experience.

POTUS PUZZLER

Thanks to the White House Historical Association for this question!

Which Founding Father was the only one to free his enslaved workers?

(Answer at bottom.)

The Oval

MAKING BRANDON GO VIRAL: The Biden campaign’s social media strategy is to be “hotter,” “fast” and even “a little funny,” deputy campaign manager ROB FLAHERTY told our ELENA SCHNEIDER. The reelection team aims to build on the campaign’s efforts from 2020 with a rapid response operation that focuses on “producing viral content” rather than just pushing out talking points. The campaign also plans to lean on influencers to help spread its message and combat disinformation in real time.

A LITTLE FLAVOR OF THAT SNARK: It wasn’t the campaign, but the White House digital team gave the public a slice of the troll-adjacent approach Flaherty outlined with a tweet from the president’s account Wednesday.

TOM TERRIFIC: Former presidential candidate TOM STEYER is hosting Biden at a fundraiser Wednesday in California, Bloomberg’s JENNIFER JACOBS and JORDAN FABIAN report. The president has stepped up his fundraising efforts within the past month, ahead of the Sept. 30 quarterly reporting deadline. He’s slated to attend another fundraiser Thursday while in Arizona. In August, Biden stayed at a vacation home Steyer owns at Lake Tahoe.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by theGrio’s GERREN KEITH GAYNOR about Vice President KAMALA HARRIS’ visit to Morehouse College as part of her “Fight for our Freedoms College Tour.” “We’re not talking about pop culture. We are having very serious conversations, and they want those conversations,” Harris told theGrio about the young people she’s met on her tour. The vice president also spoke with advisers at the White House on Monday to mark National HBCU Week and discussed ways to close gaps in college funding, an effort headed by the Education Department. Harris’ press secretary KIRSTEN ALLEN posted the piece on X.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by Axios’ EMILY PECK about another poll suggesting that Americans aren’t feeling good about the economy despite the president’s efforts to sell voters on his “Bidenomics” record. A Morning Consult/Axios Inequality Index poll released on Wednesday found consumer sentiment about the economy fell by 4.3 percent, largely driven by recent gas prices. “Though the rate of price increases has certainly come down from the highs we saw last year, prices are still higher overall — and they aren't going back down,” Peck writes.

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

THE BUREAUCRATS

BYE-BYE, BHARAT: Biden administration officials are toasting BHARAT RAMAMURTI on his run as National Economic Council deputy director. His farewell party Wednesday night will be held in the Indian Treaty Room. The invite was aptly named “‘Byedenomics’ with Bharat.” Get it???

PERSONNEL MOVES: HAN NGUYEN has been promoted to associate administrator of the Office of Communications and Public Liaison at the Small Business Administration, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned.

— KARIN O’LEARY has joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration as the agency’s first deputy assistant secretary for operations and administration.

— TROY BLACKWELL JR. is now senior adviser of the newly-created Office of Enterprise Integration at the Selective Service System. Blackwell Jr., an alum of Biden’s 2020 campaign, is on detail from his role as chief spokesperson and director of the office of press relations at the Peace Corps, and most recently was on a comms detail at DHS.

A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies:

Agenda Setting

NOT QUITE SOLD: While many members of the United Auto Workers welcomed Biden on the picket line Tuesday, they also remained deeply skeptical of his electric vehicle strategy, our DAVID FERRIS, HANNAH NORTHEY and MIKE LEE report for Pro subscribers. UAW President SHAWN FAIN supports the transition to EVs but believes they are currently fueling a “race to the bottom” that fails to provide ample benefits for workers.

Aside from the labor-related implications of EVs, workers also expressed concern about the nation's charging infrastructure and whether EVs will ever be able to drive long distances.

BIG NEWS FOR BEARS: The White House on Wednesday released a memorandum aimed at restoring fish populations in the Columbia River Basin. The administration hopes to work with tribal communities on the effort, especially those harmed by federal dam projects. “This memo is a milestone in the effort to restore Pacific Northwest Salmon populations from the brink of destruction,” Sierra Club executive director BEN JEALOUS said in a statement.

ACCESS GRANTED: The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that Israeli citizens will soon be able to enter the U.S. without a visa, The New York Times’ EDWARD WONG and EILEEN SULLIVAN reported. The move is a step toward improving strained relations between two nations following Biden’s criticism of Israel’s judicial reforms and anti-Palestinian actions.

HAPPENING 9/28 — INSIDE THE CANCER MOONSHOT: Join POLITICO on Thursday, Sept. 28 for an in-depth discussion on the future of cancer treatment and innovation. Hear from experts including scientists, government officials and industry leaders as we explore the critical roles played by private industry, nonprofits, the National Cancer Institute and the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health in achieving the Biden administration's goal of cutting the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years. Don't miss this opportunity to dive into the progress of cancer treatments and learn about the challenges patients encounter in accessing care. REGISTER HERE.

What We're Reading

8 Tips for the Debate Stage From a Body Language Expert (Joe Navarro for POLITICO)

Biden’s UAW Rally Exposes the Bankruptcy of Trump’s Populism (New York Magazine's Eric Levitz)

‘No AI exemptions’: Lina Khan warns AI companies against building monopolies (POLITICO’s Rebecca Kern and Josh Sisco)

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

After owning slaves for 56 years, President GEORGE WASHINGTON stipulated in his will that his enslaved valet, WILLIAM LEE, was to be freed. The will also stipulated that the other 122 enslaved individuals were to be freed upon the death of his wife, MARTHA WASHINGTON, according to the White House Historical Association.

A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it!

Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.

A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies:

Over the last 10 years, Kroger grew its unionized workforce by over 100,000 members, making it one of America’s largest unionized workforces. Kroger has raised wages and increased benefits to respect and reward associates who fuel the company’s success. Kroger’s merger with Albertsons Cos. will allow us to build on this track record by securing the long-term future of union jobs and further rewarding associates. That’s why Kroger has committed to invest $1 billion post-close to continue raising associate wages and providing comprehensive industry-leading benefits.