| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | Presented by the Coalition to Preserve American Jobs | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
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VP Kamala Harris is receiving more attention from Republicans, including Donald Trump, ahead of the Republican National Convention. | Ronda Churchill for POLITICO | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: THE VP FILES — Get ready for Republicans to be talking a lot about vice presidents, starting now: In a video exclusively obtained by Playbook that will play next week at the Republican National Convention, the GOP and presumptive nominee DONALD TRUMP are locking in on VP KAMALA HARRIS. “If you ever wondered how JOE BIDEN can get the border so screwed up, he had help,” the video starts, followed by images of the VP laughing. It paints Harris as Biden’s “border czar,” seizing on her role of stemming migration from the Northern Triangle countries and her liberal immigration stances from her pre-administration political life. Watch the full clip Said senior Trump adviser BRIAN HUGHES in a statement: “This video reminds Americans that standing right next to weak and failing Joe Biden has been his cackling co-pilot Kamala … making our communities less safe.” To state the obvious, parties don’t typically spend a lot of time attacking the other side’s No. 2 during their nominating convention (or ever, really). And while Harris has been a GOP target for years, the renewed conversation around whether or not Biden should stay on the ticket have clearly ramped up in the past two weeks. More from WSJ’s Sabrina Siddiqui Responding in a statement, Harris campaign spokesman BRIAN FALLON said the VP “has stood up to fraudsters and felons like Donald Trump her entire career” and that Trump “is lying about the Vice President because she has been prosecuting the case against him on the biggest issues in the race.”
|  Donald Trump is set to headline a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. | Chris Szagola/AP | As for who Trump will choose for his own running mate, we’re now in the final countdown — with the speculation trained on three men: Ohio Sen. J.D. VANCE, North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM and Florida Sen. MARCO RUBIO. Plans are afoot for a “reality show-style reveal” of the pick Monday night, our colleagues Meridith McGraw and Natalie Allison report — though as with everything Trump, “the planning is still fluid, aides stressed.” The mounting conventional wisdom is that the pick is Vance’s to lose, as a number of potential clues stack up. His top ally in Trump world, DONALD TRUMP JR., posted a biographical video about the Ohio senator to his X feed yesterday and is slated to introduce the VP pick at the RNC next week. He’s modulated his views on some key issues to match up with Trump — including abortion, as The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel notes. On the other hand, there’s forces pushing against Vance — notably RUPERT MURDOCH, who has been heavily pushing Burgum to the point of calling Trump several times a day, according to Reese Gorman of NOTUS. Caveat: “Trump hasn’t forgotten that Murdoch went all in on Gov. RON DeSANTIS in the primaries, according to multiple sources.” We'll also note that Trump will be holding a rally tonight in western Pennsylvania, about 30 miles from Vance’s home state — though we’ll note that Trump’s Miami-area rally earlier this week fueled similar speculation about Rubio. More from Reuters on tonight’s rally
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Biden told voters in Michigan yesterday that he's sticking in the race after promising that he's "OK." | Valaurian Waller for POLITICO | BIDEN GETS HUMBLE — We present to you the Joe Biden strategy for keeping your presidential nomination: 1. Hunker down: If you have a debate from Hell, start by brushing it off: It was a bad night — it happens! 2. Get indignant: When that doesn’t work, write a letter to Congress. Tell them Dark Brandon ain't going anywhere. Phone in to “Morning Joe” to drive home the point. Throw in some more calls and meetings. 3. Work the phones: A week later, finally amp up your outreach to leadership and key lawmakers. Sprinkle in a high-stakes national interview and say only “God Almighty” can get you out of the race and that all that matters is you did your best. 4. Show some humility: Follow up your competent-enough performance at an hour-plus news conference by acknowledging some vulnerability. Tell the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that “it’s important I gotta get out and show people … I’m still in good charge.” Say at a Detroit rally, “I promise you, I’m OK.” That’s where Biden finds himself now, 16 days after his debate disaster. Don’t get us wrong, some of that indignation is definitely still there: “I’m the nominee of this party because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries,” he said last night in Detroit. “You made me the nominee. No one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the press, not the donors. … I’m not going anywhere.” But in that CHC call, the 81-year-old president addressed his age issues in the most detail yet. “Biden, are you OK now? That’s what’s underlying,” Biden said, according to a partial transcript obtained by NOTUS. “That’s what people are worried about. ‘I’ve got a grandfather who’s 85 years old, and he can’t walk.’ It’s a legitimate concern for people.” That doesn’t mean things are turning on a dime for the embattled president. On the CHC call, he faced a direct appeal to get out of the race from Rep. MIKE LEVIN (D-Calif.), as Nicholas Wu and Sarah Ferris scooped. Donors continue to revolt, with some big-money patrons of Future Forward, the biggest pro-Biden super PAC, threatening to withhold $90 million if Biden stays, per NYT’s Shane Goldmacher and Theodore Schleifer. Connecticut’s NED LAMONT became the first Democratic governor to break ranks and openly call for Biden to step aside. Even some of Biden’s stalwart union allies are wavering, per Nick Niedzwiadek and Eleanor Mueller. Meanwhile, in the Senate — what should be a deep well of support for Biden — new details are emerging this morning courtesy of Myah, Eli Stokols, Elena Schneider and Holly Otterbein about how profound the doubts about Biden’s viability as nominee are. Toward the end of Thursday’s Senate lunch attended by top Biden aides, Sen. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-Pa.) put rubber to road when he asked his colleagues a simple question: Who, like him, was committed to standing by Biden as nominee? “No more than four people signaled that they were, according to four of the people familiar with the meeting,” they write, including Sens. Fetterman, CHRIS COONS (Del.) and TAMMY DUCKWORTH (Ill.). The upshot: “At the end of a week that Biden and his top aides hoped would allow them to finally turn the page on the post-debate fallout, the Democratic Party is left floundering in political purgatory. There is no clear path forward as the gulf between the president’s closest advisers, who continue to insist a path to victory still exists, and other party leaders continues to widen.” Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from the Coalition to Preserve American Jobs: The National Taxpayer Advocate recently called out IRS for slow rolling Employee Retention Credit processing, “The IRS’ delay in processing these legitimate claims is hurting the very businesses for whom Congress created the ERC.” Small businesses relied on the government’s word when they kept employees on payroll during the pandemic. The IRS is failing to do its part, resulting in a backlog of 1.4 million claims. Urge IRS to lift the moratorium and process the backlog of ERC claims. | | | MORE BIDEN READS …
- “The Obama Fantasy and the Biden Reality,” by NY Mag’s Gabriel Debenedetti: BARACK OBAMA “has made clear to allies that he believes nothing good can come of his personal advice to Biden, or his political concerns, coming to public light. As a result, he has often been reticent to do much at all in private beyond one-on-one conversations.”
- “After latest flubs, Trump and several allies hope Biden stays in race,” by Patrick Svitek and Josh Dawsey: “Several Trump allies said they viewed Biden’s Thursday night performance as the best of both worlds: not bad enough to make him leave immediately, but not good enough to assuage fears. Some of Trump’s advisers have plotted privately on whether they can do anything to help keep Biden in the race, believing he will be much easier to beat.”
- “We Learned Everything We Needed to Know About Biden in 1988,” by Alexander Stille in the New Republic: “His stubborn refusal to heed wise advice, and bottomless belief in his own greatness, were on display in his first campaign for president.”
| | | | A message from the Coalition to Preserve American Jobs:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | At the White House Biden has nothing on his public schedule. On the trail Harris will travel to Philadelphia this afternoon for a campaign event before returning to D.C. in the evening. Trump will hold a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, this evening.
| | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US
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The Republican National Convention this week is sure to bring in a cast of characters from MAGA world past and presesnt. | Alex Brandon/AP | 1. CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, Trump is more likely than not to come face-to-face with a number of people has sworn not to communicate with about details of the charges against him from witnesses to alleged co-conspirators. “The situation is, like many things associated with Trump, unprecedented, and it’s hard to gauge the likelihood that an interaction in a crowded convention hall could become legally perilous for the former president. But it’s not zero, according to legal experts,” Kyle Cheney writes. The lineup: “Several false electors for Trump in 2020 who were charged with crimes in Arizona, Nevada and Georgia are expected to be at the Republican National Convention. In addition, many of Trump’s former White House aides who testified to grand juries in Washington and Florida are likely to be on hand.” Back in the mix: TUCKER CARLSON “will be getting a prime time speaking slot at the Republican Convention on the night Trump is nominated,” NYT’s Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman report. … PETER NAVARRO, who is currently serving time in a Miami prison for contempt of Congress, is expected to speak at the convention after he’s released on Wednesday, AP’s Jill Colvin reports. Related reads: “Trump aides script convention to soften his image, but face challenges,” by WaPo’s Josh Dawsey and Hannah Knowles … “Republicans put Milwaukee on lockdown. Protesters fumed,” by Shia Kapos … “Public Smiles, Private Deal-Making and Confetti: 48 Years Inside the RNC,” photo essay by Anusha Mathur and David Hume Kennerly for POLITICO Magazine 2. CASH DASH: Despite claiming months ago that he wouldn’t donate to either candidate in the presidential race, mega-billionaire ELON MUSK has thrown his financial support behind a pro-Trump “low-profile group called America PAC,” Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs and Bill Allison scooped. “It’s unclear how much Musk has given, but the people characterized the figure as a sizable amount. The PAC is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.” Falling in line? “Separately, KEN GRIFFIN and PAUL SINGER, Republican billionaires who have criticized Trump, met with the former president to discuss donating to his campaign.” Meanwhile: “Make America Great Again Inc., a top super PAC supporting former President Trump's 2024 White House campaign, says it raked in $104 million during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising,” Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser reports. “And in figures shared first with Fox News on Friday, MAGA Inc. highlighted that it has nearly $114 million cash-on-hand in its coffers.” 3. BEHIND THE BLUEPRINTS: As Democrats decry the Heritage Foundation’s so-called “Project 2025” that outlines an extensive policy wishlist for a second Trump term, Trump himself has “suggested he has no interest in using the trove of planning work assembled by Project 2025 and other outside groups that have spent years preparing for his return to the White House,” WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia reports. “Trump has privately expressed annoyance that Project 2025 has received so much attention, and he resents the notion that the group is ghostwriting his policies and choosing candidates to fill the top ranks of his administration, according to associates.” But, but, but: “Several Trump allies said completely ignoring Project 2025’s work would be a mistake, and they are holding out hope that at least some of it will be used by Trump’s official presidential transition operation, which will likely launch after next week’s Republican convention.” On the ground in Milwaukee: “Project 2025 group makes immediate splash at Republican National Convention,” by Raw Story’s Dave Levinthal 4. HOW IT’S PLAYING: A pair of ads in Arizona from GOP Senate candidate KARI LAKE went up this week, directly referencing Biden’s debate performance, appearing to be the first major ads to hit on the issue as Lake seeks to best Democratic Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO. “Republicans had already been launching attacks against Democrats in House and Senate races that tied them to Biden prior to the debate, focusing on largely issues such as immigration and inflation. And that’s still the plan,” NRSC Chair STEVE DAINES told NBC’s Bridget Bowman. But the debate performance is expected to crop up more in GOP ads tying their opponents to concerns over Biden’s age. 5. ABORTION ON THE BALLOT: Rep. GABE VASQUEZ (D-N.M.) is leaning into abortion as he seeks to keep hold of his border district — but he is one of a handful of Hispanic male Dems specifically targeting the talk toward Hispanic men, an historically tricky demographic to break through with on the issue, NYT’s Jazmine Ulloa reports. Vasquez and others “point to polling and Democratic electoral victories in the two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned that capture how Latinos’ views on the issue have reversed. … Mr. Vasquez said abortion rights could resonate with Latino men as much as it has with women, because at its core is personal freedom, a value that attracts many immigrants to the United States.” Related read: “South Carolina’s GOP ‘sister senators’ warn of long-term damage from abortion fight,” by NBC’s Alexandra Marquez 6. WANING AFTER WAYNE: “The N.R.A. Is Facing a Court Fight for Control of Its Future,” by NYT’s Danny Hakim: “In the second phase [of the NRA’s trial], scheduled to begin on Monday in State Supreme Court, a judge will decide whether the group needs outside monitoring, a step that would curb its independence, at least temporarily, and that it stridently opposes. … [T]his new challenge comes as the group’s influence within the gun rights movement has waned, along with its standing as a power player in Republican politics.” 7. DOCU-DRAMA: In a new filing yesterday, special counsel JACK SMITH is “urging the judge overseeing … Trump’s classified documents case not to take into consideration a concurring opinion by Supreme Court Justice CLARENCE THOMAS that calls into question his authority as a special counsel,” NBC’s Zoë Richards reports. “In a court filing Friday, Smith agreed to a briefing on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling and how it pertains to Trump’s case in Florida. But he sought to dissuade U.S. District Judge AILEEN CANNON from factoring in Thomas’ opinion, which Trump’s lawyers say should be discussed.” 8. NAME TO KNOW: “Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country,” by ProPublica’s Andy Kroll and Documented’s Nick Surgey: “A network of ultrawealthy Christian donors is spending nearly $12 million to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, aiming to tilt the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald Trump. … [Its] donors have included some of the wealthiest conservative Christian families in the nation, including the billionaire Uihlein family, who made a fortune in office supplies, the Greens, who run Hobby Lobby, and the Wallers, who own the Jockey apparel corporation.” 9. YELLEN AND EATIN’: “How Janet Yellen Became an Unlikely Culinary Diplomat,” by NYT’s Alan Rappeport: JANET YELLEN “once described her family meals as too rich with economics talk to be appetizing to most, but as Treasury secretary she has been unleashing her inner GUY FIERI (she’s a fan of his show ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’). But beyond that, food adventures have become a way to connect with other officials, and her staff, while gaining a better understanding of local economies.”
| | | | A message from the Coalition to Preserve American Jobs: The National Taxpayer Advocate recently called out IRS for slow rolling Employee Retention Credit processing, “The IRS’ delay in processing these legitimate claims is hurting the very businesses for whom Congress created the ERC.” Small businesses relied on the government’s word when they sacrificed to keep employees on payroll during the pandemic. They counted on the government to help make them whole – as they were promised.
Now, years later, the IRS is unilaterally holding up ERC processing and payment of hundreds of thousands of valid claims. Small businesses are suffering and there’s no end in sight to a nearly one year long moratorium. The state of our economy is challenging enough without government agencies reneging on their obligations to America’s job creators. Urge the IRS to lift the moratorium and process the backlog of ERC claims immediately. | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 19 funnies
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| GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza: — “The Kidnapping I Can’t Escape,” by NYT Magazine’s Taffy Brodesser-Akner: “Fifty years ago, my father’s friend was taken at gunpoint on Long Island. Then he went on with his life — and that’s the part that haunts me.” — “A Subsea Cable Went Missing. Was Russia To Blame?” by Bloomberg’s Jordan Robertson and Drake Bennett: “The destruction of an underwater monitoring system corresponded with inexplicable movements of a single fishing boat.” — “Inside the Harvard Business School Ponzi Scheme,” by N.Y. Mag’s Jen Wieczner: “He had a successful Wall Street career. Why would he con his classmates?” — “Pablo Escobar’s Abandoned Hippos Are Wreaking Havoc in the Colombian Jungle,” by Joshua Hammer for Smithsonian Magazine: “Decades ago, the drug baron smuggled the beasts into South America for his private menagerie. They’ve been multiplying ever since. Now officials are taking extreme measures to counter the problem.” — “‘It comes for your very soul’: how Alzheimer’s undid my dazzling, creative wife in her 40s,” by The Guardian’s Michael Aylwin: “By the time my wife got a diagnosis, her long and harrowing deterioration had already begun. By the end, I was in awe of her.” — “A Wife’s Revenge from Beyond the Grave,” by The Free Press’ Francesca Block: “Caught in a brutal divorce, Catherine Kassenoff committed medically assisted suicide. Then the campaign to destroy her ex-husband truly began.” — “Harvard, the human remains trade, and collectors who fuel the market,” by WBUR’s Ally Jarmanning: “What’s most shocking about Jeremy Pauley isn’t his tattooed eyeball or the metal spikes protruding from his scalp. It’s his openness about trading in human remains.” — “Priscila, Queen of the Rideshare Mafia,” by Wired’s Lauren Smiley: “She came to the US with a dream. Using platforms like Uber, Instacart, and DoorDash, she built a business empire up from nothing. There was just one problem.” — “Planet TikTok,” by Yi-Ling Liu for The New York Review of Books: “The app’s young user base, fragmented content, and amped-up algorithm helped it spread around the world. If the US bans it, what would be lost?” — “How the Broccoli Perm Became the Definitive Zoomer Hairstyle,” by GQ’s Alex Nino Gheciu: “Whether you call it the ‘bird's nest’ or the ‘bussin cut,’ the curly-on-top, short-on-the-sides style is inescapable among younger men.”
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Susan Collins is planning to write in Nikki Haley on her ballot in November. Matthew McConaughey is still thinking about a future in politics. Herb Kohl’s legacy is being obscured for the RNC. Charles Holman made a shocking discovery: George H.W. Bush’s ancestors enslaved his own. OUT AND ABOUT — Governors from across the country met in Salt Lake City last week for the National Governors Association Summer Meeting, where Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was elected NGA chair, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was elected vice chair. Polis announced his NGA chair’s initiative, “Let’s Get Ready: Education All Americans for Success” and governors in attendance held meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and King Abdullah II of Jordan in addition to University of Florida President Ben Sasse and Matthew McConaughey. Also SPOTTED: Actor Ty Burrell and model and designer Camila Alves McConaughey. — SPOTTED at a 32nd birthday party for Eli Yokley at Dacha Beer Garden yesterday evening: Jonathan and Betsy Fischer Martin, Josh Dawsey, Evan Hollander, John McCarthy, Ned Price, Lincoln, Nebraska Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Scott Baird, Helen and Joe Milby, Lauren French and Jake Wilkins, Lauren Gillis and Alex Tureman, Liz Johnson, Betsy Klein and Jeff Solnet, Katherine Sears and Chris Bien, Cassie Spodak and Matt Mowers, Lauren Weber, Akbar Ahmed, Jeff Marootian, James Perry Adams, Matt Leffingwell, Ellie Warner and Devin Urness, Michael Ahrens, Tyler Lewis, Mark McDevitt, Evan Gillissie and Matt Hamblin. MEDIA MOVES — Holly Rosenkrantz and Romina Ruiz-Goiriena will now co-lead the USA Today politics team, with Rosenkrantz being promoted to managing editor for politics, legal affairs and world and Ruiz-Goiriena taking over as managing editor for politics, White House and storytelling. WEDDING — Brian Wolff, chief strategy officer at EEI and a Nancy Pelosi alum, and Peter Rothfeld, a Martin Heinrich alum, got married in Paris on July 4. Pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Roger Sollenberger, senior political reporter at The Daily Beast, and Kathleen O’Neill, director for federal affairs at UT Austin and a Sheldon Whitehouse alum, on June 21 welcomed Howard Joseph “Woody” Sollenberger. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) (4-0) … WaPo’s Josh Dawsey, Devlin Barrett and Michelle Gaps … José Andrés … U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Bagley … White House’s Zaina Javaid … POLITICO’s Natalie Allison, Joe Spector, Rachel Coe, Adam Peck and Uyen Hoang … Joe Lockhart … Tim Phillips … Anne Schroeder … Will Dempster … Microsoft’s Kate Frischmann … Amanda Hunter of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation … Todd Zwillich … Jen Howard … Alex Vogel … Punchbowl’s Max Cohen … Julie Eddy Rokala of Cassidy & Associates … Casey Katims … Celia Fischer … former Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) … Heather Larrison … Kevin Norton of Delve LLC … Chris Peters of U.S. European Command (4-0) … Prime Policy Group's Karen Antebi THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): FOX “Fox News Sunday”: RNC Chair Michael Whatley … Elaine Kamarck … new national polling. Panel: Mary Katharine Ham, Brit Hume, Karl Rove and Juan Williams. Sunday special: Behind the scenes at the GOP convention. CNN “State of the Union,” from Milwaukee: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Panel: David Urban, David Axelrod, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Ashley Allison. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday,” guest-hosted by Leland Vittert from Milwaukee: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson … Scott Walker. CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.). NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Steve Kornacki. Panel: Charles Benson, Lanhee Chen, Carol Lee and Jen Psaki. ABC “This Week,” from Milwaukee: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus and Chris Christie. MSNBC “Inside with Jen Psaki”: Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Rev. Al Sharpton … Symone Sanders-Townsend. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook misidentified the target of a new Biden campaign ad. It is Donald Trump. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
