| | | | |  | | By Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan, Shia Kapos and Ben Johansen | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren Last year when the White House hosted its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, five people named Kennedy and one Shriver showed up, according to White House visitor logs. There were at least 49 members of the Kennedy clan in the East Room on Sunday when President JOE BIDEN again hosted the annual event. And they didn’t just come for the corned beef and cabbage rolls, shamrock cookies or free-flowing pints of Guinness (yes, there was Guinness). They came to make a point: Family can come second to politics. Biden is up for reelection and ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. is not just a presidential candidate but a threatening one — a bench-pressing vaccine skeptic with just enough celebrity and crossover appeal to further complicate an already difficult path to 270 electoral votes. So when KERRY KENNEDY, RFK Jr.’s younger sister, posted a photo of Biden kneeling in the Rose Garden with seemingly the entire family behind him, the symbolism was lost on no one. But just in case there was confusion, she added a caption: “It’s not enough to wish the world were better, you must make the world better,” Kennedy wrote alongside the photo in her post on X. “@POTUS President Biden, you make the world better.”
|  | CHRIS KENNEDY, RFK Jr.’s brother and a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Illinois, acknowledged in an interview that the family “all made a bigger effort to get there than in years past” in an attempt “to show our support for the president.” But, he said, when the family met with Biden, the subject of his brother’s campaign didn’t come up. Still, the attendees were impressed. “I don’t think anyone expected so many Kennedys,” one person who was there told West Wing Playbook. “One of every six people in that room were Kennedys. But most of us didn’t realize how many there were until we saw that photo.” As soon as RFK Jr. launched his campaign last fall, a majority of Kennedys made clear they viewed his run as beneficial to the presumptive Republican nominee, former President DONALD TRUMP, and, therefore, “perilous” for the country. But only recently has Biden’s team started to ramp up efforts to neutralize the political threat. According to three people familiar with the process, planning for the St. Patrick’s Day event didn’t start until mid-February and invites went out shortly thereafter. The apparent last-minute nature and very specific invite list, they said, made it clear that the West Wing had a bigger role in arranging the event than is typical. Among those heavily involved were deputy chief of staff ANNIE TOMASINI and senior adviser for political engagement JOHN MCCARTHY. Guests were unaware of the photo op taking place in the Rose Garden as they milled about the crowd, eating green-dyed ice cream sandwiches, sipping on a bright green Baileys concoction and waiting for the official program to begin. When Biden took the stage, he recognized JOE KENNEDY, his special envoy to Northern Ireland, and made a point to note that the former congressman had brought what seemed like his entire family. “That’s okay, Joe Joe, you only have 57 here,” Biden joked. “And from one big Irish Catholic family to another, it’s great to have the Kennedys here.” The event, described on the invitation as a “Brunch with Catholic Leaders” that one attendee said felt “liturgical,” underscored some of the links shared by the Biden and Kennedy clans. “There is a special bond between our families,” Chris Kennedy said. “Particularly Irish Catholic families. We have both suffered great loss.”
|  | | Biden’s political team has taken steps to neutralize RFK Jr. beyond arranging not-so-subtle White House photos. Just last week, the Democratic National Committee announced a new team to go after third-party candidates and possible election spoilers — a group that looks likely to focus the bulk of their efforts on RFK Jr. compared to CORNEL WEST, JILL STEIN or whomever No Labels recruits to appear on its ballot line. MARY BETH CAHILL, a chief of staff to former Sen. TED KENNEDY (D-Mass), is overseeing the project. MATT CORRIDONI, a former aide to Rep. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-Mass.) is the spokesman who will report to LIS SMITH, the former PETE BUTTIGIEG operative coming in to run communications. The White House is marching in lockstep. MARIA SHRIVER, the niece of JFK and the cousin of RFK Jr., attended the State of the Union address earlier this month as a guest of first lady JILL BIDEN. She returned to the White House Monday to speak at an event on women’s health. Given that her work with the White House on that issue predated her cousin’s presidential bid, an administration official said her attendance Monday should not be viewed primarily through the lens of politics. “That event probably happens even if RFK Jr. isn’t in the picture,” said the official, who asked for anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. But, they didn’t suggest we were over-interpreting everything else. “Would the entire Kennedy clan have been here if he weren’t running for president?” the official asked. “Probably not.” MESSAGE US — Are you RFK Jr.? 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! FRIENDLY REMINDER: Sign up for West Wing Playbook’s March Madness group by Thursday! Click here to join the men’s group and here for the women’s group.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | | In 2018, which former president’s March Madness bracket was so good that the NCAA crowned him as the best celebrity bracket? (Answer at bottom.)
| | GIANNIS FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE? During a campaign swing through Wisconsin last week, President Biden met privately with the billionaire owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, WES EDENS, and the team’s head coach DOC RIVERS, according to three people familiar with the previously unreported meeting. As Eli reports, the meeting continues a pattern of Biden setting aside time to sit down with individual donors and others while on the trail. Interestingly, Edens, whose net worth is an estimated $4.1 billion, didn’t donate to Biden in 2020 but wrote him a $6,600 check in December. Perhaps more interesting: His daughter MALLORY EDENS is reportedly dating New York Jets quarterback (and RFK Jr. superfan) AARON RODGERS. ANOTHER BORDER ISSUE: As a part of its effort to present an alternative to an all-out invasion of Rafah, the Biden administration is planning to advise Israel to secure the Gaza-Egypt border, our ALEXANDER WARD reports. The proposal would see Israeli forces stationed at the border, aimed at curbing Hamas’ ability to smuggle weapons into Rafah. It’s one of “many ideas” officials will present to an Israeli delegation expected to visit Washington next week. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE? Biden and Vice President KAMALA HARRIS shared their men’s and women’s March Madness brackets on Wednesday. After four hours, Biden deleted his original bracket, only to post it again, quickly delete it, and repost it a third time. That’s probably because his initial women’s bracket had “Standfurd” going to the Final Four, with the university’s name misspelled on every line. The third and final bracket posted from Biden’s account was unchanged but with the correct spelling of “Stanford.” As for the picks …we’re not impressed. Lot of chalk. Biden and Harris both rode with the 1-seed UConn Huskies for the men’s side and 1-seed South Carolina Gamecocks for the women’s side. And in both of their men’s Final Fours, they went with all 1 or 2 seeds. There are some caveats. Biden, inexplicably, has CAITLIN CLARK and Iowa going out in the Sweet 16 to Colorado. Both he and Harris also chose McNeese State, a trendy pick, to take down Gonzaga. Biden and Harris also both latched on to NC State’s ACC run and chose them to make a trip to the Sweet 16. (ANDREW BATES, a Wolfpack alum, may have some explaining to do.) We do respect the guts from Harris, sticking with her roots and choosing the Oakland Golden Grizzlies to knock out JOHN CALIPARI’s Kentucky squad in the first round. Don’t hate the pick.
|  | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Any story on Biden’s announcement Wednesday unveiling one of the most ambitious climate rules in American history aimed at driving up electric car sales. The final version of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Cars rule is aimed at ensuring all passenger cars and trucks are electric or hybrid by 2032. Deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND shared NYT’s CORAL DAVENPORT’s story on the move, who called it one of the “most significant climate regulations in the nation’s history.” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by WaPo’s JEFF STEIN, who speaks with single mothers in Michigan who have struggled to obtain child care in recent years. Most were unaware of Biden’s plans to expand the safety net — and at least for now, unsure of whether or not he would get their vote this fall. “He didn’t live up to his policies on child care,” one single mother who voted for Biden in 2020 said. “He didn’t live up to his policies on helping parents. He talked a lot about investing in minority communities, and I haven’t seen it.” ALSO THIS: This piece by AP’s JOEY CAPPELLETTI and WILL WEISSERT about how Biden’s decision to skip a proposed visit to a Black church during a trip to Michigan last week sparked frustration among many Black community leaders. The president ultimately went to the front porch of two white local leaders before meeting with a Black family at a public golf course. HURLEY COLEMAN JR., a prominent pastor in the community and staunch Biden supporter called the trip a “missed opportunity” for the president to engage with the community in a way that was “real as opposed to what we saw.”
| | MAN OF STEEL: The United Steelworkers union, which represents over 850,000 workers across a variety of industries, formally endorsed Biden on Wednesday, Bloomberg’s JOSH WINGROVE and JOE DEAUX report. “President Biden proved time and again during his first term that he stands with working families,” USW International President DAVID MCCALL said in a statement.
| | SECRET TRIP: National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN made a secret trip to Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and other top Ukrainian officials. In a statement, the White House said Sullivan “stressed the urgent need for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the national security supplemental to meet Ukraine’s critical battlefield needs.”
| | THAT’S A TON OF CHIPS: The Biden administration reached a preliminary agreement to provide Intel with nearly $20 billion in grants and loans to expand its computer chip manufacturing, AP’s JOSH BOAK and SEUNG MIN KIM reports. The president made the announcement on Wednesday at an Intel campus in Chandler, Arizona, where he said nearly 30,000 jobs and tens of thousands of indirect jobs will be created. The projects would in part be funded through the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, and the announcement is the fourth and largest investment so far under the law. COMING TO A CAMPAIGN AD NEAR YOU: The largest House Republican caucus is calling for an increase in the Social Security retirement age, pushing for eligibility to be tied with life expectancy in its fiscal 2025 budget proposal, Bloomberg’s JACK FITZPATRICK reports. The Republican Study Committee, which comprises nearly 80 percent of House Republicans, also suggest cutting benefits for top earners who aren’t near retirement. If you listen closely, you can hear the champagne glasses clinking in Wilmington. President Biden has sought to attack Republicans for going after entitlement programs. And former President Trump has spent the past week insisting he has no plans to touch Social Security or Medicare. NOT THE SOUNDEST PLAN: The State Department on Wednesday released a plan to save Haiti from gang-led violence, our MATT BERG reports. The plan provides high-level guidance for a planned Kenyan security force but includes few details about how it can actually succeed. Kenya had extended an offer to deploy forces to the nation which has seen a spike in violence since the assassination of Haitian President JOVENEL MOÏSE in 2021.
| | DOJ escalates price-fixing probe on housing market (POLITICO’s Josh Sisco) What Trump Supporters Think When He Mocks People With Disabilities (The Atlantic’s John Hendrickson) A Bellwether Pennsylvania Factory Town Is Wary of Bidenomics (Bloomberg’s Akayla Gardner)
| | | GEORGE H.W. BUSH in 2018 scored 43 points, according to the NCAA, which put him in the 98th percentile, beating out dozens of other celebrities. He had Texas A&M, a 7-seed, winning the whole thing. That pick was huge for him when they upset 2-seed UNC in the round of 32, which was picked in just over 4 percent of brackets. 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 Sam Stein.
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