| | | | |  | | By Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan 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 In recent days, CNN has been badgering President JOE BIDEN’s campaign to provide the names of the officials and surrogates they’d be sending into the post-debate spin room. The network, sources familiar with the discussions told West Wing Playbook, was intent on making the traditional hand-held cardboard signs with people’s names on them so that journalists, when they saw a scrum, could know which official was in the middle of it. But for all the network’s efforts to make Thursday night’s showdown in Atlanta feel like a normal presidential debate (four years after a pandemic deprived them of any sense of normalcy), Biden’s campaign is operating on the premise that it’s anything but. At first, the president’s team succeeded in getting former President DONALD TRUMP’s campaign to agree to hold the first general election debate months earlier than usual — and to do so in a TV studio with no audience and outside the boundaries of the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. And now, they’re trying to reshape the post-debate spin process. Instead of dispatching an army of surrogates into a sea of reporters from the debate’s last word until they turn off the lights, the Biden campaign plans to send in a team of its top communicators to deliver succinct statements and take a few questions before departing. They’ll stand as a group and each speak briefly, one at a time. There will be, alas, no cardboard signs. “It’s not a secret that a big part of the exercise here is to not have the circus and the spectacle,” one senior Biden campaign official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the plan, told West Wing Playbook. “We aren’t here to do all the things the media or political ecosystem wants. We want to have a conversation about the substance of the debate.” This doesn't mean the spin room will be deprived of drama. The Biden campaign is creating some spectacle by bringing along MARY TRUMP, the former president’s sister, to talk to the press following the debate. Among the other top surrogates tasked with carrying the campaign’s message in the spin room tonight are: senior adviser KEISHA LANCE-BOTTOMS, Rep. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-Texas), California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM, Rep. ROBERT GARCIA (D-Calif.), former Rep. CEDRIC RICHMOND and Georgia Sen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK.
|  Cedric Richmond, senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee, is seen in the spin room at Georgia Institute of Technology's McCamish Pavilion hours before President Biden and former President Trump gear up for tonight's debate hosted by CNN in its nearby studios. | Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images | | With almost every broadcast and cable news network planning to carry a simulcast of the CNN-produced debate, those officials will also be bouncing from set to set before and after the 9 p.m. ET broadcast. A few additional surrogates, including SUSAN RICE, MITCH LANDRIEU and Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO, are also scheduled to do TV hits following the debate, the senior campaign official said. The campaign’s outreach isn’t limited to television or, for that matter, real life human beings. The airwaves will also feature a new Biden campaign ad focusing on Trump’s role in the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and its federal protections for abortion. Deputy campaign manager ROB FLAHERTY is also ready to deploy a social media plan to amplify select clips and messages on platforms where millions of younger people get their news. In addition, the campaign announced three “creators” who support Biden will be joining them in the spin room. “We’re trying to eliminate distractions, but we will be speaking to voters where they are,” the senior campaign official said. “What doesn’t make sense is a multi-hour exercise for a small group of reporters who really are just going to use two or three quotes anyway.” It’s not just the changing media habits of Americans that have rendered the traditional spin room somewhat obsolete. It’s also this particular presidential match-up — a race that’s barely budged all year and may not change much even after tonight. “It’s important for us to have our surrogates out there making the case for the president in all different forms of media, but you have two candidates who are so well defined,” said Rep. RO KHANNA (D-Calif.). “Probably the content creators on social media are going to matter more than what politicians are saying on cable news.” MESSAGE US — Are you MEREDITH GALANTI, deputy director of employee engagement and leadership development? 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!
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| | CNN VS. WHCA: The White House Correspondents’ Association has been going back and forth with CNN over the past few days about allowing the pool — the group of 13 journalists that travel with the president at all times — access to the debate studio during the 90-minute event. And it hasn’t been going well. CNN declined repeated requests from the WHCA to allow the White House travel pool to watch the debate from inside the studio to capture the moments that aren’t seen on camera. In a lengthy statement, WHCA president KELLY O’DONNELL of NBC said she’s “deeply concerned” that only one print pooler will be allowed inside the debate studio during a commercial break to observe the setting — a concession she said is “not sufficient” for the pool to fulfill its responsibilities. “The pool is there for the ‘what ifs?’ in a world where the unexpected does happen,” she continued, noting that both the Biden and Trump campaigns had no issues with allowing a pooler to be inside the hall during the debate. “Tonight’s debate will have no audience present and includes format rules that can silence candidates’ microphones. We don’t know how this will play out in real time. A pool reporter is there to observe what is said and done when microphones are off or when either candidate is not seen on camera but may speak, gesture, move, or engage in some way.” In response to the WHCA’s concerns, the network said the debate is “being held without an audience in a CNN studio and is closed to press.” WHERE ARE YOU WATCHING THE BIG GAME? When Biden delivered the State of the Union address, staff gathered together in the Roosevelt Room. But that’s more complicated — thanks a lot, Hatch Act — when it’s a campaign event. And gathering publicly and risking someone overhearing or tweeting your commentary is a nonstarter. So White House officials are planning at least one house party, which is being hosted by ROBERT HOBERT, deputy chief of staff in the Office of Pandemic Preparedness (no face masks required, we assume). And some teams will hit a bar for a drink before heading home to watch, aides told West Wing Playbook. “Some of us,” one staffer texted, “are too anxious to be around others.” MORE ON THE DEBATE: Tonight’s 90-minute showdown will look slightly different from past presidential debates, as moderators JAKE TAPPER and DANA BASH will have the ability to mute both candidates’ mics. CNN’s VICTOR BLACKWELL and PHIL MATTINGLY gave a preview of what that would look like if (let’s be real, when) that takes place. And on the policy front … our ADAM CANCRYN and JOSH SISCO report that many progressive Democrats are pushing Biden’s team to adopt a more populist message during the debate as a response to two problems: that Donald Trump is still winning over voters on the economy and that many Americans remain unaware of Biden’s record of taking on mega-corporations. A number of Dems are urging Biden to hone in on Trump’s schmoozing with executives and wealthy donors and paint himself as the enemy of the CEO class. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: The Biden campaign launched a website Thursday targeting Project 2025, the playbook Trump allies want to use for a near-complete overhaul of the federal government if he wins come November. The campaign argues that the agenda — compiled by the Heritage Foundation and not explicitly endorsed by the Trump campaign — would give “Trump more power over your daily life, gut democratic checks and balances, and consolidate power in the Oval Office.” Campaign director of rapid response AMMAR MOUSSA and campaign spokesperson JAMES SINGER shared the launch on X. Singer also wants you to know: STEPH CURRY, KLAY THOMPSON and DRAYMOND GREEN are a more iconic all time trio than the Kardashian sisters. And he's right. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This post from NBC’s STEVE KORNACKI on X, who outlines the sizable gap between Biden’s and Trump’s favorability ratings among three recently released polls from Quinnipiac, the New York Times/Siena College and Gallup. The Quinnipiac poll, conducted over the last week, found Biden’s favorability lies at 38 percent, while his unfavorable rating is at 57 percent. In that same poll, Trump received 44 percent approval and had an unfavorable rating of 51 percent. The other two polls had similar numbers, though Biden’s unfavorability rating hit 61 percent in Gallup’s.
| | HEADS UP IF YOU’RE IN ATLANTA TONIGHT: Atlanta’s not only on the hook for tonight’s presidential debate, it’s also hosting the Copa America tournament — where the U.S. men’s national soccer team will take on Panama. “If you are planning an evening out in Atlanta, for the game, dinner or any other of our offerings, we encourage you to plan ahead and anticipate limited parking and heavier than usual traffic,” the city wrote on X on Wednesday. Good luck, and may the odds be in your favor for a prime parking spot. NEW SCOTUS RULING = NEW BIDEN AD: After the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Idaho hospitals are required to provide abortions in a medical emergency — despite the state’s near-total ban on the procedure — the Biden campaign locked in. In a new TV ad, the campaign features testimony from an obstetrician in Idaho, CNN’s ARLETTE SAENZ reports. The doctor left Idaho after fearing she would face criminal charges for treating patients amid the state’s strict abortion law. “These laws are truly barbaric. They are putting us back decades, if not centuries,” Dr. LAUREN MILLER says in the ad. “Donald Trump did this. He put women’s lives in danger.” As mentioned above, the campaign will air the ad during tonight’s debate broadcast. PICKING UP SOME MASSIVE SURROGATES: Rappers FAT JOE and E-40 will join President Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN for a post-debate rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Axios’ ERIN DOHERTY reports. In a statement, a Biden campaign official said the two rappers are “legends of the music industry, who understand the importance of utilizing their platforms to ensure their fan base understands the stakes of this election.” Unclear if the president or first lady will give a rendition of “All The Way Up.” Let’s see how tonight goes.
| | | HEY GUYS, THERE’S REALLY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT… EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN gave a speech Thursday morning to his roughly 600 EPA employees, reassuring them about the future. He also recounted how the previous administration hobbled the agency and how the current administration rebuilt it, WaPo’s MAXINE JOSELOW reports. He took care not to violate the Hatch Act though: Regan was savvy enough not to mention Trump by name or explicitly endorse Biden. SOMEONE CALL WOMEN'S HEALTH! As the winners of an interdepartmental bake-off, the White House press team was rewarded with a trip to the famed EEOB bowling alley on Wednesday night. According to two people familiar, press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE came out on top after 10 frames with a score of 135 despite being, as one person put it, “not a frequent bowler.” Assistant press secretary ROBYN PATTERSON came in second, the person said.
| | | TOUGH BREAK FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO BE SCAMMED: The Justice Department charged nearly 200 people nationwide on health care fraud schemes, with false claims topping $2.7 billion, AP’s ALANNA DURKIN RICHER reports. On Thursday, Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND announced the charges against doctors, nurse practitioners and others across the country accused of a variety of scams — including a $900 million scheme in Arizona targeting dying patients. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” Garland said. BIG WIN FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BREATHING SMOG: The Supreme Court on Thursday halted the administration’s crackdown on smog-forming emissions that travel across state lines, E&E News’ SEAN REILLY reports. By a 5-4 vote, the court stayed the EPA’s “good neighbor” plan, saying it can’t be applied to coal-fired power plants and other industries while the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., considers the plan in a separate case.
| | Feuding Philadelphia Democrats Threaten Biden's 2024 Chances (Bloomberg’s Ted Mann) Exclusive: Michelle Obama's private frustration with the Bidens (Axios’ Alex Thompson) The Real Story of the Crisis at the Washington Post (Brian Stelter for The Atlantic)
| | | CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS was a geek while studying at La Salle University (You sorta have to be if you’re going to become the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.) One of his professors recalled his impression of Burns, when he arrived on the first day of a history class. Burns sat all the way in the back, JACK ROSSI said. “I’m noticing this fellow doesn’t seem to be taking many notes, usually a bad sign,” Rossi told the Philadelphia Inquirer back in 2011. “I gave an early writing assignment. His was almost perfect.” Another professor remembered a similar classroom episode. “I’m hammering on Greek history, everybody scribbling — except one guy,” GEORGE STOW told the Inquirer. “However, when the first exam came around, I had never seen anything like it.” History wasn’t his only strength at La Salle: “At the time, Burns seemed less Greek than geek — tall and skinny, with round John Lennon glasses,” the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote. “But on the basketball court, he routinely dropped in three-pointers during pickup games.” Burns’ love for basketball never left him (he’s a very proud Duke basketball fan – gross). In 2014, when he retired as deputy secretary of state, JOHN KERRY gifted him a basketball signed by Duke coach MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, head coach of the Blue Devils at the time: “To Bill, in the world of diplomacy, you have never missed a shot.”
| | There are some conflicting answers on this question. Most would point to the 1960 presidential election between JOHN F. KENNEDY and RICHARD NIXON as the first nationally televised debate. But there is an argument to be made for the one four years earlier — when Democrat ADLAI STEVENSON challenged incumbent Republican DWIGHT EISENHOWER. The candidates did not appear at the debate themselves, instead sending two surrogates to hash out the issues on television. For the Democrats, former first lady and party icon ELEANOR ROOSEVELT took on the challenge, while Maine Sen. MARGARET CHASE SMITH squared up for the Republicans. 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.
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