| | | | |  | | By Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan, Sam Stein and Ben Johansen | | Presented by |  | | | 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 No journalistic format has gotten more mileage the past few months than the “split screen” story. That’s because never have two presidential candidates occupied such wildly different planes. But even by the usual standards, today gave voters a vivid contrast. It wasn’t just former president DONALD TRUMP in a Manhattan courtroom for his hush money payments to a porn star while President JOE BIDEN discussed meeting a Hamas hostage victim. It was the Supreme Court weighing Trump’s claim of presidential immunity as Biden headed to Syracuse, New York, to talk about (what else?) CHIPS. It wasn’t a split screen so much as a goddamn political kaleidoscope, one best viewed in the most journalistically primitive of ways: a timeline. 10:00 a.m. — Well folks, it’s go time. SCOTUS, can you take me higher? 10:09 a.m. — Trump lawyer JOHN SAUER argues it “could well be an official act” if a president decides that his rival is corrupt and orders his assassination. We’re getting the good stuff early. 10:25 a.m. — Oh, look, the other trial. Former National Enquirer publisher DAVID PECKER says Trump referred to former Playboy model KAREN MCDOUGAL as a “nice girl” in a phone call. 10:38 a.m. — Back at the Supreme Court, Trump’s lawyers argue that ordering a military coup could be considered an “official act.” It’s like infrastructure week but for putsches. 11:15 a.m. — Biden walks out of the Oval Office. He stops to tell reporters about Wednesday’s meeting with ABIGAIL EDAN, the four-year-old hostage recently released by Hamas. 12:36 p.m. — Pecker says he tried to get Trump to buy STORMY DANIELS’ story alleging their affair. Trump’s people were upset that Pecker himself wasn’t going to purchase it. 12:44 p.m. — SCOTUS is done after an admittedly gripping 2.5 hours. 1:10 p.m. — Biden’s motorcade arrives at the Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, which is not a courthouse. He passes by about 100 pro-Palestinian protestors carrying signs that read “Ceasefire now!” and “Genocide Joe.” 1:07 p.m. — Trump leaves the Manhattan courtroom for a lunch break. 1:10 p.m. — Well, this wasn’t on our radar. A federal judge has upheld the $83 million verdict for E. JEAN CARROLL in the defamation case against Trump. 1:18 p.m. — Biden and Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) begin a tour of a semiconductor exhibit inside the museum. 2:07 p.m. — Schumer takes the stage, steps around the lectern and lifts up the hem of his slacks to show the crowd his Syracuse Orange, orange socks. There is no audible reaction. 2:25 p.m. — Trump is back in court. He used his lunch break to fire off eight new posts to his Truth Social account. 2:39 p.m. — Biden takes the stage in Syracuse. He (okay, the White House social media team) has been posting too, though less prolifically. His last tweet encouraged people to tune in to his speech. 2:45 p.m. — Pecker testifies that Trump hosted him at the White House for a “thank you” dinner in 2017. As they walked out of the Oval Office to the dining room, Pecker said he recalled Trump inquiring about McDougal, saying: “How is Karen doing?” 2:46 p.m. — Biden, squinting at the teleprompter, explains that the $1.6 billion federal investment incentivizing Micron to build a new semiconductor manufacturing plant will create “over 70,000 jobs” in the area. There is applause. 4:15 p.m. — Biden’s motorcade finally leaves the museum. Reporters are not told what the president has been doing for the last hour. Watching CNN’s trial coverage, probably. 4:22 p.m. — Judge JUAN MERCHAN dismisses the jury for the day. 4:32 p.m. — And here is Trump, emerging from the courthouse, where he tells reporters that the march of white supremacists in Charlottesville at the beginning of his presidency was “a little peanut” compared to the pro-Palestinian protests disrupting college campuses. Polling averages currently show Biden losing to Trump by roughly half a percentage point nationally with more robust deficits in the major swing states. MESSAGE US — Are you DAVID PECKER? 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!
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | | | What was HARRY TRUMAN’s relationship like with Washington Post music critic PAUL HUME? (Answer at bottom.)
| | COLD AS ICE: President Biden and Speaker MIKE JOHNSON had a good run. Their unlikely working relationship in recent months handed the president a key foreign policy win that most in Washington felt was dead in the water. But now, Johnson faces threats of an ouster by his fellow Republicans — and Biden’s not interested in sending him a life raft, our ADAM CANCRYN and JENNIFER HABERKORN report. The president has not advised House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES on what to do about Johnson's future, wary of undermining Jeffries’ authority and signaling he’d rather leave the decision entirely up to House Democrats. In the end, it’s probably the best for Johnson, whose job could be more imperiled if it appeared that he needed a Democratic president’s help for his survival. THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING: Johnson asked the White House to send the National Guard to quell pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, and the White House on Thursday responded with a hard no, Adam reports. “That is something for the governors to decide,” press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE said Thursday aboard Air Force One. New York Gov. KATHY HOCHUL has so far declined to seek federal assistance to quell the protests. Johnson has reached out to the White House about this and is scheduling a time to talk to Biden, per our OLIVIA BEAVERS (same link as above, folks). WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by NBC’s SAHIL KAPUR, who writes the White House is capitalizing on Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL’s recent remarks that Trump is resisting bipartisan compromise on border security legislation.“Our nominee for president didn’t seem to want us to do anything at all,” McConnell said Tuesday at a press conference. “Congressional Republicans have been direct about why many of them sided with drug cartels and human smugglers over the Border Patrol Union and the Chamber of Commerce — because Donald Trump told them to,” deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES told NBC. And, needless to say, Bates shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by our VICTORIA GUIDA, who reports that President Biden’s economic hot streak hit a real bump on Thursday. Gross domestic product grew by 1.6 percent in the first quarter, far slower than most economists had predicted, and progress toward the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent inflation target has stalled. It comes as the Fed is aggressively trying to lower inflation — but the worst-case scenario for Biden right now is that the economy slows while inflation remains stubbornly elevated. That looks like a very real possibility given Thursday’s numbers. KEEPING UP WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE TALKS: Vice President KAMALA HARRIS held a roundtable discussion on criminal justice reform Thursday with TV star and businesswoman KIM KARDASHIAN, our EUGENE DANIELS reports. The event, which took place at the White House, highlighted four people granted clemency by the Biden administration yesterday, all of whom were convicted of nonviolent offenses. Harris’ team initially reached out to Kardashian in March given her history working on the issue. Kardashian then requested a meeting with the people to whom the administration has pardoned or granted clemency, according to an official familiar with the situation.
| | A message from Chime: Tired of overdraft fees? Learn how Chime is different.
Chime is expanding banking with no overdraft fees to everyday people. Cost is a barrier to many, which is why Chime never charges overdraft or monthly fees — and there are no minimum balance requirements for our checking and savings accounts. We reach customers traditional banks don't, can't or won't and are helping everyone unlock financial progress. Learn more. | | | | | OCEAN’S FOURTEEN: The Biden campaign is in talks with former President BARACK OBAMA about appearing at a star-studded fundraiser in mid-June, hosted by GEORGE CLOONEY and Hollywood mogul JEFFREY KATZENBERG, Axios’ HANS NICHOLS reports. Democrats are optimistic that Katzenberg, who is also a co-chair of the Biden campaign, will lead another massive fundraising haul after the glitzy Radio City fundraiser with Biden, Obama and BILL CLINTON last month. Other big names, including JULIA ROBERTS, may be in attendance. Was MATT DAMON not available? Will ANDY GARCIA have to be robbed of his maxed out, $929,600 donation? HE DOESN’T WANT YOU, I DO: The Biden campaign is making a new digital ad buy in Pennsylvania, aimed at courting NIKKI HALEY supporters, CNN’s MJ LEE reports. The “mid-six figures” buy was prompted by Tuesday's Republican primary, which the Biden camp viewed as a serious warning sign for Trump after Haley received more than 157,000 GOP votes. The 30-second spot features Trump mocking Haley, including describing her as “birdbrain” and “not presidential timber.” “If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote,” the ad says. LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: Two days after President Biden spoke in Florida denouncing its six-week abortion ban, the Biden campaign opened its first office in the state, Axios’ YACOB REYES reports. The field office will be in Tampa’s Hillsborough County, the third largest county in Florida. PACK YOUR BAGS: ADRIENNE ELROD is joining the Biden campaign as a senior adviser and spokesperson, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s ALEX THOMAS reports. She most recently was president of Elrod Strategies and director of external and government affairs for the Commerce Department’s CHIPS program office and is a Biden 2020 alum.
| | PERSONNEL MOVES: JOHNATHAN SMITH has left the Justice Department where he was deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He has been named vice president and legal director of the MacArthur Justice Center. — JESSE YOUNG will soon take over next month as chief of staff for the Special Envoy for Climate office, reporting to senior adviser JOHN PODESTA. Young is currently senior adviser to Export-Import Bank Chair RETA JO LEWIS. — TRAVIS BERENT joined Microsoft earlier this month as director for Incident Response Strategy. Berent previously served as the director for Cyber Incident Response at the White House.
| | | | A message from Chime:   | | | | | FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: A new battleground state survey found that 66 percent of voters (and 73 percent of Hispanic voters) want a balanced approach to immigration “that includes both border security and protects Dreamers, providing them and other eligible immigrants who have been here for many years a pathway to citizenship,” our MYAH WARD writes in. Voters preferred this over an enforcement-only response focused on border security deportations, and limiting the use of asylum. The poll — from Global Strategy Group and BSP Research on behalf of Immigration Hub, a top immigration advocacy group — found that just 34 percent of likely voters and 27 percent of Hispanic voters support an enforcement-focused approach. The groups sent the new research to the White House as Biden officials weigh a number of executive actions to deal with the border. BREATHING GOOD: The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday launched an aggressive set of climate rules ordering power companies to cut pollution from coal plants, our ALEX GUILLÉN and ZACK COLMAN report. The rules will require about 200 coal-fired power plants to install carbon capture technology if they are planning to operate through 2039. The EPA’s package will also include a slew of requirements on mercury emissions from burning coals, as well as reductions in the pollutants discharged through coal plants’ wastewater. FOXES AND HEN HOUSES: A coalition of watchdog groups blasted the White House on Thursday for inviting leaders of major tech companies facing antitrust lawsuits to the state dinner honoring Japanese Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA earlier this month, our HAILEY FUCHS writes in. In a letter to Biden and White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS, organizers said that inviting Apple CEO TIM COOK, Amazon founder JEFF BEZOS and Alphabet president of global affairs KENT WALKER undermined the president’s efforts to curb anti-competitive behavior. The coalition — which included Demand Progress, the American Economic Liberties Project, and the Other 98% — cautioned the White House on inviting the tech officials again.
| | The Petty Feud Between the NYT and the White House (POLITICO’s Eli Stokols) How Parenthood Changed Pete Buttigieg (Dan Merica for NOTUS) What It’s Really Like Inside Trump’s Trial (POLITICO’s Ankush Khardori)
| | A message from Chime: Chime is expanding banking with no overdraft fees to everyday people. Cost is a barrier to many, which is why Chime never charges overdraft or monthly fees — and there are no minimum balance requirements for our checking and savings accounts. We reach customers traditional banks don't, can't or won't and are helping everyone unlock financial progress. Learn more. | | | | | White House senior video producer NEEHARIKA SIMHA says there’s “no experience in the world comparable to landing a joke.” (Sam, who lands tons of jokes, can attest to that.) As a part-time stand-up comic, Simha has been on stage since 2015. Balancing the demanding hours and travel schedule of the White House, Simha describes herself as a modern day HANNAH MONTANA when she has to “turn off my work filter and get on stage to perform about my love life or something." Sihma’s favorite joke is about the importance of the Oxford comma… interesting… Here it is! And some more free promo: Check out Sihma last month at D.C.’s Union Stage joking about the power of some juicy gossip. “Have you ever heard a news reporter say ‘I have a source’? I have a source, it’s my eyebrow lady!”
| | Not great. In 1950, Hume gave a review of the president’s daughter MARGARET TRUMAN, who had performed at Constitution Hall. And, well, he didn’t have the most glowing review. “She cannot sing very well… is flat a good deal of the time … and still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish.” Truman hit back in an official White House letter to Hume. “It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful,” the 33rd president wrote. “Someday I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!” Beefsteak for the eye… wow. 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 and Rishika Dugyala.
| | | | POLITICO IS BACK AT THE 2024 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO will again be your eyes and ears at the 27th Annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles from May 5-8 with exclusive, daily, reporting in our Global Playbook newsletter. Suzanne Lynch will be on the ground covering the biggest moments, behind-the-scenes buzz and on-stage insights from global leaders in health, finance, tech, philanthropy and beyond. Get a front-row seat to where the most interesting minds and top global leaders confront the world’s most pressing and complex challenges — subscribe today. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
