| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | HOW PETE IS PLAYING — “‘Who the f--k is this guy?’: Defense world reacts to Trump’s surprise Pentagon pick,” by Joe Gould, Robbie Gramer, Paul McLeary, Connor O’Brien and Jack Detsch: “National security officials and defense analysts had braced for surprises from [DONALD] TRUMP after experiencing his first four years in office. But even grading on that curve, they say the announcement of Fox News host and decorated Army veteran PETE HEGSETH caught them totally off-guard.” SURE, WHY NOT — “‘People are begging’: Trump admin wannabes vie for jobs in the White House,” by Natalie Allison and Olivia Beavers: “A cadre of Palm Beach Instagram influencers and other MAGA keyboard warriors are launching public bids for jobs in Trump’s administration as the president-elect’s top advisers and prominent donors have convened to determine who will be in the next White House.” Reassuring … “‘President Trump is flanked by a team of competent advisers who will cut through this gaggle of Gucci-clad grifters like a knife through butter,’ said a Republican strategist close to the Trump campaign, who was granted anonymity to speak plainly about the jockeying.”
|  Some Trump insiders now say Elon Musk has become almost a comical distraction hanging around Mar-a-Lago. | Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images | ELON BUTTS IN — Later this morning, Trump travels to Washington for the first time since his sweeping presidential victory last week, where he’ll make the customary visit to the White House and huddle with allies on Capitol Hill. Earlier this week, however, Trump’s inner circle was abuzz that he might have a traveling companion for the trip: not wife MELANIA, who is remaining in Florida, but ELON MUSK — who privately expressed interest in joining Trump for his visit with President JOE BIDEN, to the vexation of some Trump insiders. To be fair, there have been few boundaries on Musk’s involvement in Trump’s campaign and now in his transition. Last night, Trump announced that Musk would co-lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” — a sort of meme-ified Simpson-Bowles commission — alongside MAGA hype man VIVEK RAMASWAMY. But the notion of allowing Musk to tag along to the White House, for a hallowed ritual in the peaceful transfer of power, prompted a bewildered reaction inside Trump world: Was that even allowed? What was the protocol for such a thing? As of last night, it appears the plan might not materialize. After appearing earlier this week on a draft manifest for this morning’s flight to D.C., we couldn’t get a clear answer last night on whether Musk is coming or not. The bigger picture, however, is how Musk is starting to wear out his welcome with some in Trump’s orbit. After initially making a huge splash with his endorsement, made just moments after the July attempt on Trump’s life, some insiders now say he’s become almost a comical distraction, hanging around Mar-a-Lago, sidling into high-level transition meetings and giving unsolicited feedback on Trump’s personnel decisions. “Elon is getting a little big for his britches,” one insider tells Playbook. Trump, for his part, doesn’t seem to mind, relishing the attention he’s getting from the richest man in the world. Over the weekend, our colleagues Meridith McGraw and Natalie Allison reported , Trump was zipping Musk around in his golf cart, introducing him to club members and showing him the resort’s gift shop. That proximity has given Musk access to some of the most intimate details of the Trump transition. For example: While much was made about Musk joining Trump’s recent call with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY , we’re told that the encounter was more or less a fluke: Musk happened to be in the room when Zelenskyy called, and Trump put him on the phone. Related reads: “Elon brings back ‘government by tweet,’” by Derek Robertson for Digital Future Daily … “Elon Musk Has a New Project to Run: Trump’s Government,” by Bloomberg’s Max Chafkin and Dana Hull ABOUT THAT MEETING — So … even if Musk doesn’t show, you can expect a very awkward meeting this morning between Biden and Trump. Yes, it’s a tradition for outgoing presidents to bring in their successors as a sign of goodwill. But never in recent memory has the enmity between the outgoing and incoming presidents been so obvious. So what’s on the agenda? As far as Biden is concerned, the meeting itself is the agenda — upholding a key governing norm and showing magnanimity, even if Trump skipped the whole ritual entirely last time around amid his denial of the 2020 election results. “At the end of the day, it doesn't matter that they said that Trump was dangerous and all these things,” a Biden administration official told Playbook. “It's about continuity of the government, moving America forward. And if this is who they chose, then this is who he needs to sit next to, period.” “On the other hand,” the person added, “I'm a human being and I'm like, what the fuck?” That succinctly captures the sentiments of many Democrats who watched Biden and VP KAMALA HARRIS over the course of months paint Trump as an existential threat to democracy. Now, they say, Biden is inexplicably saying, never mind all that. But Biden allies say that’s just who Joe Biden is: an institutionalist preoccupied with maintaining the norms and trappings of American democracy, perhaps to a fault. The alternative, one presidential ally told us, would be for Biden to renege on his principles — which doesn’t mean he’s reneging on the many warnings he made about Trump. As for the actual conversation between the two men, the White House and Trump team are keeping things close to the vest. But you can expect Biden to bring up America’s place in the world and the need to stay close to our allies. And you can expect Trump to pay as much heed to that as he did to BARACK OBAMA’s warnings about MICHAEL FLYNN during their Oval Office meeting eight years ago this week. Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels .
| | | | A message from America’s Credit Unions and the Independent Community Bankers of America: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: America’s approximately 9,000 credit unions and community banks are united in opposition to the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill because credit card routing mandates harm local financial institutions and the communities they serve. Durbin-Marshall jeopardizes access to credit for 140 million credit union and community bank customers. Congress should make no mistake about our adamant opposition. | | | THE OTHER MEETING TO WATCH — As media attention gets trained on the White House, the more consequential meeting for Trump will already have happened up on Capitol Hill. Trump is expected to join House Republicans during their 9 a.m. conference meeting for what’s likely to be a back-slapping celebration of their likely legislative trifecta. But it’s also Trump’s first opportunity to build goodwill with the rowdy House GOP, from whom he will need near-unanimous support to pass tax cuts and other major priorities. There are two immediate areas where Trump could choose to wield his influence this morning. The first is settling, at least for now, the saber-rattling facing Speaker MIKE JOHNSON from hard-right Republican members. Already it seems that that cadre has gotten the message: After they discussed launching a stalking horse challenger to Johnson in tomorrow’s GOP leadership elections, they decided last night to stand down, per Jordain Carney. Still, expect Trump to vocally back Johnson this morning to send a message that intraparty disunity will not be tolerated as the GOP seeks to wield unified power for the first time since 2018. And if he really wants to get in the weeds, he could get behind rules changes that could help protect Johnson from a coup (more on that below). The other big question Trump needs to address is what to do about the impending Dec. 20 government funding deadline. Lots of GOP power players would like to clear the decks for 2025, cutting a deal with Democrats and kicking the next deadline into September so Trump’s first move as president isn’t signing legislation the base despises. But doing that will infuriate conservatives, who could conceivably take it out on Johnson — who needs to get himself elected speaker on the floor in January. So expect the speaker and his fellow leaders to want Trump to be as clear as possible this morning about his spending druthers — lest they get creamed by their fellow members. HERE COMES RAHM — Jonathan Martin’s latest is a peek into the Democratic bloodletting now taking place over last week’s presidential thumping: “People, Not Groups: How Democrats Can Retool Their Message” Among those opening a vein: “Though still technically the U.S. ambassador to Japan, [RAHM] EMANUEL has been his typically unsubtle self since Harris’ defeat, venting from across the Pacific to friends and reporters alike about not just her mistakes but his party’s structural challenges. … ‘Identity politics did not work electorally and it failed miserably strategically,’ Emanuel told me.” THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: TOM DASCHLE — Later this morning, Senate Republicans will gather in the Capitol for the most hotly contested Senate leadership race in a generation. Thirty years before GOP Sen. JOHN THUNE tossed his hat in the ring, another South Dakotan emerged from a proverbial knife fight to lead his party — triumphing by a single vote. Friend of Playbook Ben Jacobs caught up with former Democratic Leader Tom Daschle yesterday to discuss what it takes to win a knock-down, drag-out leader brawl in the Senate’s otherwise polite confines: On the terms of engagement: “You're asking your electorate, your colleagues to make a difficult choice based not on policy-related matters. That's probably, oftentimes not even in the Top 5. … It's all about perception of leadership. It's about relationships. It's about the kind of perception you've created among your colleagues over a period of time.” On the room where it happens: “We had somebody who said he was going to vote for me, and I had two of my closest friends sitting at desks on either side just to make sure that he did vote right. And that's how intense it gets.” On ROBERT C. BYRD’s best advice: “I said, ‘I'm having my first one-on-one with President [BILL] CLINTON . … What should I say to him?’ And he thought for a minute, and he said, ‘You tell him you're happy to work with him, but not for him.’” On what today’s winner can look forward to: “There's going to be extraordinary pressure brought to bear. It's going to be one of the toughest jobs in town to be either speaker or majority leader in the next two years — probably, in many ways, much harder than the role I was in. And a lot of it is going to be because of the just enormous capacity that President Trump and his allies have to demand complete loyalty and submission.”
| | | | A message from America’s Credit Unions and the Independent Community Bankers of America:   CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The House will meet at 10 a.m. The Senate is in. 3 things to watch … - With conservatives withdrawing their symbolic challenge to Johnson, the real interfactional drama in the House GOP shifts to potential rules changes that are reflective, Olivia Beavers writes , of an “ongoing clash between conservatives, who are looking to strip more power from leadership, and other members who want to see disruptive GOP lawmakers punished.” Johnson, for his part, weighed in on the side of conservatives last night, saying dissident members should not be punished.
- The other main action in the House GOP surrounds two downballot leadership races: New York Rep. ELISE STEFANIK’s likely departure for the Trump administration has set up a hot race between Reps. LISA McCLAIN (R-Mich.) and KAT CAMMACK (R-Fla.) to succeed her as GOP conference chair, the No. 4 position. Rep. BLAKE MOORE (R-Utah) is staying put as vice chair, while Reps. MARK ALFORD (R-Mo.) and MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS (R-Utah) are battling it out for conference secretary.
- Will the House get any actual work done today amid all the internal politicking? Kinda sorta: House Oversight is convening at 11:30 a.m. hearing on “unidentified aerial phenomena” — unexplained fast-moving objects captured by military sensors that some have breathlessly suggested could be alien intelligence. Yesterday Rep. TIM BURCHETT (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill that would protect whistleblowers who come forward with new information on UAPs.
At the White House Biden and First Lady JILL BIDEN will deliver remarks at the Classroom to Career Summit at 10 a.m. Biden will meet with Trump in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. Harris will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with White House staff.
| | | | REGISTER NOW: Join POLITICO and Capital One for a deep-dive discussion with Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and other housing experts on how to fix America’s housing crisis and build a foundation for financial prosperity. Register to attend in-person or virtually here. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | TRANSITION LENSES
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Mike Huckabee leaves Trump Tower on November 18, 2016 in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images | TRUMP STAFFS UP — Beyond Hegseth’s surprise pick , Trump made a slew of announcements yesterday bringing various members of his inner circle into his administration as names floated around for other positions:
More transition reads … “Trump just handed ex-rival DeSantis some powerful decisions,” by Kimberly Leonard and Gary Fineout … “Trump Draft Executive Order Would Create Board to Purge Generals,” by WSJ’s Vivian Salama, Nancy Youssef and Lara Seligman CONGRESS
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Sens. John Thune (left) and John Cornyn (right) are the leading contenders to replace outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (center). | Alex Brandon/AP | DECISION DAY — Senate Republicans gather this morning behind closed doors to choose the successor to MITCH McCONNELL, with Sens. Thune, JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) and RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) vying to lead the Senate GOP into the future. Here are some key reads ahead of the secret ballot vote:
- About last night … Thune, Cornyn and Scott each made pitches at a candidate forum last night hosted by Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah). While the closed-door meeting was described as a “productive discussion,” lawmakers said it “didn't appear to greatly change the contours of the race,” Ursula Perano reports (though Lee afterward made an unsurprising Scott endorsement).
- How it works … Before the vote, the three contenders will each make final pitches, including nominating speeches from two colleagues, Axios’ Stef Knight reports: “If none of the three candidates win 27 votes in the first round, the candidate with the lowest vote total is removed and they all vote again. … If Scott is eliminated in the first round, it is a big question whether Thune or Cornyn will be more likely to gain his supporters' votes.”
- The stepback … In an interview with Ben Jacobs for POLITICO Mag, lobbyist and former GOP operative LIAM DONOVAN describes the vote as a “fundamental hinge point” for the Senate GOP.
| | | | A message from America’s Credit Unions and the Independent Community Bankers of America:   CREDIT UNIONS, COMMUNITY BANKS UNITED AGAINST DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on national security spending on Capitol Hill Oct. 31, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN opted not to suspend aid to Israel after the deadline passed yesterday for Israeli officials to improve Palestinians’ humanitarian crisis, Axios Barak Ravid reports. While some U.S. officials argued Israel did not meet U.S. demands, Blinken acquiesced after meeting with Israeli Minister RON DERMER, who described “steps Israel has taken and those that are planned” to address conditions in Gaza. If you say so … Ravid also reports that Biden adviser AMOS HOCHSTEIN said he believes “there is a shot” of formalizing a cease-fire deal soon in Lebanon, though little details are known. UKRAINE LATEST — Meanwhile, as world leaders continue to grapple with the possible impacts of a second Trump administration, Robbie Gramer, Veronika Melkozerova and Eric Bazail-Eimil report that some Kyiv power players are taking heart in the president-elect’s recent Cabinet picks: “Some Ukrainian lawmakers are hopeful that the picks of [MARCO] RUBIO and [MICHAEl] WALTZ signal the incoming Trump administration is sympathetic to Ukraine’s cause.” JUDICIARY SQUARE DURBIN’S DOUBTS — Senate Judiciary Chair DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) poured cold water on liberal hopes that Justice SONIA SOTOMAYOR might retire from the high court, allowing Democrats to quickly push through a replacement, Anthony Adragna reports: “Take a look at the calendar and tell me how in the world you could achieve that without setting aside the budget and the defense authorization act and all the other things that need to be done?” FOR YOUR RADAR — “Classified-Documents Leaker Jack Teixeira Is Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison,” by WSJ’s Victoria Albert and Joseph Pisani ALL POLITICS BEHIND THE CURTAIN — As the DNC grapples with the aftermath of last week’s election, the heated battle to lead the organization is well underway, Holly Otterbein and Elena Schneider report: “Some DNC members said they hope that this year’s race will not be a 2016 redux that pits the left against the center, and instead wrestles with more fundamental questions about the party.” MEDIAWATCH FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Earlier this week we noted that the Daily Beast had corrected an October report in the Daily Beast concerning Trump campaign payments to top adviser CHRIS LaCIVITA. Those changes, it turns out, did not satisfy LaCivita, whose lawyers are now renewing their demands for a retraction. Read the letter THE WHITE HOUSE SHOW ME THE MONEY — With Trump expected to toss Biden's sweeping climate reforms within the Inflation Reduction Act when he takes office, questions swirl around how much of the $145.4 billion allocated for climate spending remains for the president-elect to repossess, Jessie Blaeser and Kelsey Tamborrino report. POLICY CORNER IMMIGRATION FILES — “Incoming Trump admin is eyeing new immigrant detention centers near major U.S. cities,” by NBC News’ Julia Ainsley, Laura Strickler and Didi Martinez
| | | | The lame duck session could reshape major policies before year's end. Get Inside Congress delivered daily to follow the final sprint of dealmaking on defense funding, AI regulation and disaster aid. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Babydog will not be allowed on the Senate floor. Lisa McClain gave out etched bourbon glasses. Bill Cassidy rocked sunglasses at night. Muriel Bowser wants to meet with Donald Trump. A POINTED AWARD — As Senate Republicans gathered in the Capitol last night to discuss their next leader’s MAGA bona fides, their current leader was feted downtown by that bastion of traditional conservatism, the American Enterprise Institute. Hailed as the “GOAT” of congressional leaders at the black-tie dinner affair, Mitch McConnell won praise from various speakers for protecting the filibuster, certifying the 2020 election results and confirming more than 200 conservative judges. (Among those delivering plaudits in short video cameos: would-be successors John Thune and John Cornyn) In his own remarks, McConnell pointedly defended free-market economics and “American primacy” in world affairs — and joked about his unpopularity in both parties: “Democrats hate me because of the Supreme Court, and the Republicans — there is a certain president who didn’t care for me, either,” he said to laughs. Read the prepared speech During a Q&A session, McConnell took an unprompted jab at Trump’s push for recess appointments. Asked to comment on Trump’s personnel choices, he said to applause, “Each of these nominees needs to come before the Senate and go through the process and be vetted.” McConnell wouldn’t say who he would like to see fill his shoes as leader. But he took a shot at the MAGA influencers trying to swing the race to Rick Scott : “That’s a waste of their time.” SPOTTED at the event: Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), Reps. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Garret Graves (R-La.), Don McGahn, Paul Ryan, Phil Gramm, Rob Portman, Robert Thomson, Dan D'Aniello, Steven Law, Scott Gottlieb, Mike Gallagher, Eugene Scalia, Geoff Bennett, Robert Doar, Tim Berry, Lauren Bianchi, Josh Bolton and Mike Sommers. OUT AND ABOUT — The Patriotic Millionaires hosted a gathering at The Jefferson Hotel last night to celebrate the D.C. release of “PAY THE PEOPLE! Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America” ($18) by John Driscoll and Morris Pearl. The event featured remarks from the authors on the economic impact of fair wages. SPOTTED: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Erica Payne, Gene Haigh, Margaret Carlson, Stephen Prince, Will Jenkins, Ryan Grim, Adam Green, Tamara and Joe Buchwald, Isabel Gonzalez Whitaker, Bobby Cunningham, Julia Cohen, Lauren Windsor and Todd Flournoy. MEDIA MOVE — Kathy Gilsinan is now a senior editor at Puck. She previously was a contributing writer at POLITICO Magazine, and is an Atlantic alum. TRANSITIONS — Myechia Minter-Jordan is now CEO of AARP. She previously was president and CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. … Daniel Eriksson will be the new administration director of the Meta Oversight Board. He most recently has been CEO of Transparency International. … Teddy Tanzer will be senior director at Invariant. He previously was senior counsel on the House Energy and Commerce’s data and commerce subcommittee. … Alex Butcher-Nesbitt will be comms director for the Clooney Foundation for Justice. He previously was senior comms manager for NBC News. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: AG Merrick Garland … Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) (6-0) … Reps. Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) … Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and first lady Cecilia Abbott … Charlie Baker … Joe Cirincione … CNN’s Eric Bradner … Ken Rudin … Geoff Freeman of the U.S. Travel Association … Jon Wadsworth of Atlas Advocacy … Jared Parks of the Herald Group … Zach Gillan of S-3 Group … Washington Times’ Seth McLaughlin … Lindsay Drewel … Martha McKenna … Addie Whisenant … Jonathan Topaz … Todd Priest of Todd Priest & Associates (6-0) … Ayaan Hirsi Ali … Will Mascaro of Rep. David Joyce’s (R-Ohio) office … POLITICO’s Sue Allan 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Jeff Hild’s name.
| | | | A message from America’s Credit Unions and the Independent Community Bankers of America: CREDIT UNIONS & COMMUNITY BANKS IN All 50 STATES OPPOSE THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL: The Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill would create harmful new routing mandates on credit cards that would put consumer data and access to credit at risk. The threat of Durbin-Marshall to small financial institutions is so clear that America’s approximately 9,000 credit unions and community banks across America are opposed to the bill. Credit unions and community banks also see through the so-called “carveout” for community financial institutions, an unworkable policy designed to disguise the negative impact of this legislation. Our message to Congress is simple: on behalf of 140 million credit union and community bank customers in all 50 states, commit to opposing the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill. Lawmakers who choose not to support their local financial institutions can expect to hear from our 140 million customers this fall. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
