Where Biden does his stargazing

Dec 04, 2023

By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Benjamin Johansen

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When ROBERT DE NIRO took the stage at the 46th annual Kennedy Center Honors to celebrate BILLY CRYSTAL, he applauded the honoree both for his accomplishments and his (relative) youth.

“You’re only 75,” De Niro noted Sunday night. “That means you’re just about six years away from being the perfect age to be elected president.”

The comment drew a big laugh from attendees, many of whom peered curiously toward the presidential box to see how JOE BIDEN would react. The president chuckled and wagged his finger at De Niro in response.

The moment was fitting for an event that has come to be a lighthearted but sentimental celebration of the nation’s most accomplished artists, one that draws a who’s-who from Washington and Hollywood. But the most notable part of the evening was, perhaps, that it took place at all, and with the president there to boot.

The Kennedy Center Honors took a real hit following Covid interruptions and after President DONALD TRUMP declined to participate throughout his term.

The event began in 1978 with President JIMMY CARTER, but there was no guarantee his successor would carry on and participate in the tradition. Kennedy Center president DEBORAH RUTTER said that according to folklore, President and former actor RONALD REAGAN couldn’t turn down an invitation once the Center decided to honor some of his close friends in the entertainment business.

Since then, aside from the Trump years, presidents have only occasionally missed the gala for international events or unforeseen travel. GEORGE H.W. BUSH missed one year due to a Malta summit with MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, President BILL CLINTON was in Budapest another year and President BARACK OBAMA showed up during intermission in 2015 after an Oval Office address.

Hundreds of guests pack the theater every year to honor award recipients for their lifetime achievements and contributions to American culture, and the ceremony airs later this month on CBS. For the most part, the Honors Ceremony has been a time to set aside politics. But the program has been unable to escape the fact that the arts have always been a mechanism and forum for political critique.

During a meeting ahead of the 43rd annual ceremony in 2021, honoree JOAN BAEZ told Biden that she had always wanted to sing a protest song in the Oval Office, according to Rutter. Baez didn’t miss her chance to do so, breaking into song with other honorees, including DICK VAN DYKE.

Trump decided to skip the first Honors Ceremony of his presidency after artists threatened to either boycott the event or use the platform to try to push the president on issues such as immigration. In 2008, honoree BARBRA STREISAND, a vocal critic of then-President GEORGE W. BUSH, said she wished she could have received the honor when President-elect Obama was in office.

But Rutter said regardless of how lighthearted or sharp some of the commentary around the event might be, it hardly creates tension with the president participating — even if it means enduring a joke or two about his age.

“Individuals with the greatest understanding of their role as a political leader, as an elected official, understand that that debate is critical to our democracy,” said Rutter. “Our leaders who are truly honest with themselves and with understanding their role understand that democracy is about that dialogue.”

While the Honors may be a place to spotlight American culture or lodge some protest, the real heart of the evening is (let’s be honest here) that it’s a star-fest. That’s true even for the most powerful man in the room.

“There is never a moment where there isn’t a turning around and seeing somebody,” said Rutter, adding that despite the gowns and tuxedos, it creates almost a casual setting for the president. One year, Rutter said she spotted TOM HANKS, RITA WILSON and Obama all chatting it up with STING during intermission.

At a White House ceremony ahead of the Kennedy Center show, Biden called it one of his “favorite events.”

MESSAGE US — Are you BILLY CRYSTAL? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.

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A message from Keep the Promise Coalition:

President Biden, keep your promise to Native Tribes! Secretary Haaland is considering a decision that would pit some of our country’s most marginalized communities against each other and irreparably deprive several Tribes of significant revenues. A bipartisan coalition of senators, representatives, and governors, along with local elected officials and Tribal leaders, strongly oppose this decision, which would harm Tribes and open the floodgates for an explosion of gaming across the country. Read More.

POTUS PUZZLER

Thanks to the White House Historical Association for this question!

During which presidency was the first cranberry tree put on display in the White House?

(Answer at bottom.)

The Oval

IMPEACHMENT … STILL A THING: The White House took aim Monday at Speaker MIKE JOHNSON for throwing “red meat” to the “far right flank of the House GOP” by allowing a vote to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden, The Messenger’s STEPHEN NEUKAM reports. In a statement, IAN SAMS, the White House oversight and investigations spokesperson, said Johnson is trying to appease his party’s most conservative members following the expulsion of their colleague GEORGE SANTOS.

LET THERE BE PHOTOS: West Wing Playbook wrote last week about how the White House was considering nixing the photo line for the annual media holiday parties. But it appears that someone inside the West Wing had a change of heart. Biden ended up doing an impromptu photo line at Friday night’s party for broadcast outlets, according to multiple people in attendance. The move took many by surprise and was warmly received by journalists and their guests.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by WaPo’s DEVLIN BARRETT, who reports on the Justice Department cracking down on gun traffickers, charging over 250 individuals in the past 16 months. Barrett found that since the passing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, over 1,300 guns have been seized, including 190 assault rifle-style guns. Through the law, the department has targeted straw purchasers, people buying guns on behalf of others who are not legally allowed to own a gun. Communications director BEN LABOLT shared the piece on X.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by our JENNIFER HABERKORN and BURGESS EVERETT, reporting that Senate border negotiations are apparently at a stalemate, with the top Democrat negotiator saying talks are dead. Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) said in an interview that Republicans are insisting on policies that would “essentially close the border.”

A stalled border deal would be a potential blow to the White House’s foreign policy agenda. But Murphy’s counterpart across the aisle, Sen. JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.), says that GOP lawmakers remain at the table, and have not yet reviewed Democrats’ most recent proposal.

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THE BUREAUCRATS

THE HOLIDAY COVID CRUSH BEGINS: Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND tested positive Monday for Covid. HuffPost’s JENNIFER BENDERY reports that Haaland has mild symptoms and is isolating per CDC guidance.

PERSONNEL MOVES: ANDRÉS ARGÜELLO is now deputy assistant secretary for health policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. He most recently was senior adviser in the immediate office of the secretary at HHS.

— PETER VELZ has left the State Department, where he was senior protocol officer, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He started on Monday as director of media logistics for the Democratic National Convention.

— YANA MAYAYEVA is now chief of staff for EEOC commissioner KALPANA KOTAGAL, Lippman has learned. She most recently was senior adviser for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the Department of Labor and is the former chief of staff for Rep. JACKIE SPEIER (D-Calif.).

CAMPAIGN HIRES: The Biden campaign announced a handful of new hires in South Carolina ahead of the state’s primary. SCOTT HARRIFORD will serve as state director, CLAY MIDDLETON and JALISA WASHINGTON PRICE will serve as senior advisers and BRADY QUIRK-GARVAN will be an adviser.

A message from Keep the Promise Coalition:

Agenda Setting

A TOPIC THEY WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO TALK ABOUT: This week, Biden is expected to announce health care measures that the president aims to pass in his second term, CNN’s EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, ARLETTE SAENZ and TAMI LUHBY report. The proposals would likely center around cutting prescription drug costs and expanding measures under the Affordable Care Act.

This comes as the White House is looking to further capitalize on former President Trump’s repeated calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

TRAFFICKING DRUGS IS BAD: The Treasury Department announced on Monday a new strike force to target illicit fentanyl trafficking, AP’s FATIMA HUSSEIN reports. The Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force will analyze the financial distribution of trafficking organizations, as well as work with law enforcement in areas hit hardest by the epidemic, among other things.

Noting that tackling this issue is a top priority of the Biden administration, Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN said the force will “allow us to bring the department’s unrivaled expertise in fighting financial crime to bear against this deadly epidemic.”

SHOCKING STUFF: The White House condemned pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the weekend in Philadelphia outside a Jewish-owned falafel shop. “You can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” protestors chanted.

“It is Antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy,” deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES said in a statement.

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What We're Reading

Talk About Abortion, Don’t Talk About Trump: Governors Give Biden Advice (NYT’s Reid J. Epstein)

How do Biden’s Wilmington-based campaign staffers blow off steam? Karaoke at Trolley Tap House (Delaware News Journal’s Ryan Cormier)

Protesters now chant and challenge Biden over Gaza at every chance (WaPo’s Matt Viser and Toluse Olorunnipa)

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

The first cranberry tree was displayed in the White House during the GERALD R. FORD administration, according to the White House Historical Association. To decorate your tree at home with a piece of White House history, check out the official 2023 White House christmas ornament that honors President Ford’s time in the White House.

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 Keep the Promise Coalition:

President Biden, keep your promise to Native Tribes! The Interior Department is considering a decision that would undermine your historic support of Native communities and commitment to advancing equity—both for and among Tribes.

Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to support Tribal communities through gaming revenues, while limiting the risks associated with gaming in communities across country. Now, one Tribe wants the Interior to help them circumvent the law and open more casinos, which would not only harm Tribes in Oregon, but open the floodgates for an explosion of gaming across the country. Read More.