| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | SPOTTED: PAUL MANAFORT at Trump transition headquarters in West Palm Beach numerous times in recent weeks, according to a person who’s seen him there. Manafort has had an up-and-down relationship with President-elect DONALD TRUMP: He was hired and then fired as his 2016 campaign manager then was imprisoned for financial fraud before being pardoned in 2020 before Trump left office. Trump campaign spokesperson BRIAN HUGHES said Manafort has no official or unofficial role with the transition. Manafort previously had reportedly discussed helping the Trump campaign with its Milwaukee convention, but stopped providing advice after news that he had restarted the international consulting that got him in trouble in the first place. Manafort didn’t respond to a request for comment. (h/t Daniel Lippman) A BYLINE WE LOVE TO SEE — “Tracking Putin’s Most Feared Secret Agency — From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond,” by WSJ’s Evan Gershkovich
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Donald Trump listens as Rodney Davis speaks during a rally at Southern Illinois Airport Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in Murphysboro, Illinois. | Jeff Roberson/AP | MEET THE CHAMBER’S REHABILITATION MAN — It’s no secret that after decades spent in lockstep, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Party have grown apart in recent years. Partly, this is about DONALD TRUMP and the party’s move to a more economically populist posture. But that’s only one side of the story. From the GOP’s perspective, Republicans soured on the Chamber for (1) endorsing nearly two dozen vulnerable House Dems in 2020; (2) backing President JOE BIDEN’s decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement; (3) embracing what the right dismisses as “woke” corporate policies; and (4) pushing back on pro-Trump Republicans after Jan. 6, 2021. But with Trump returning to the White House and the Chamber’s top priorities — from tax reform and deregulation to permitting and immigration — on the to-do list next year, the group is trying to regain its swagger with Republicans. Their newest hope resides in former Rep. RODNEY DAVIS, the Illinois Republican whom the group recruited over the summer to lead government affairs. And there is, indeed, reason for them to be hopeful. Yesterday, we sat down with Davis for the latest episode of Playbook Deep Dive, and got a readout on just what he has planned to rejuvenate the GOP-Chamber relationship in the Trump 2.0 era. We covered Davis in the House for years and know he’s well-liked among his Republican colleagues, some of whom still join his fantasy football league and joke about his inexplicable enthusiasm for Busch Light. He’s tight with House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE (they were on the field together during the 2017 baseball practice shooting) and Whip TOM EMMER, and checked with both of them before accepting the job. And while he puts a glossy sheen on the idea that the GOP-Chamber alliance has frayed, he’s clearly already making moves to shore up that relationship.
- He’s quick to point out that this year, the Chamber endorsed more Republicans than Democrats because they “laid out a more pro-growth vision for America, and that's exactly what the Chamber cares about the most.”
- He’s traveled to some campaign events with House Republican leadership in recent months, including one with Emmer, a host of other senior Republicans and rising star JOHN JAMES (R-Mich.).
- He notes that while, yes, the Chamber did endorse some Dems in 2020, those members ended up supporting Trump’s USMCA because of Chamber pressure — and also that when some of them lost reelection, the Chamber backed the Republicans who replaced them.
- He cleaned house at the Chamber’s lobby shop, replacing some lobbyists with people he knows have better relationships with lawmakers (even bringing in some of his own former staffers from the Hill, including TIM MONAHAN, who worked for McCarthy and Speaker MIKE JOHNSON for a short time; NICK CROCKER, who worked for CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS on Energy and Commerce; and ANDREA PORWOLL, who was also a McCarthy spokesperson).
Overall, Davis stuck a different tune from Chamber leadership that has been critical of Trump in the past. “I'm excited to be able to work with the Trump administration again,” Davis said, despite the fact that Trump had backed the primary challenger who ousted him. Asked about Trump’s recent tariff threat, he didn’t get on a soapbox about the likelihood that such policies would raise prices for Americans — “the Chamber has a 118-year tradition of opposing tariffs, so that’s nothing new,” he told us — but instead pointed to Canada and Mexico’s recent comments about cracking down on the border situation as evidence that Trump “got results.” He mentioned a few times that he’s a “pro-labor Republican” — a modifier that’s key to interfacing with the new economically populist wing of the party. “I want to make sure every member knows exactly who they should reach out to if they need information, if they have any issues or anything at all — or if they just want me to, you know, bring over a 30-pack of Busch Light and drop it off in the House chamber.” Davis’ Hill connections will serve him well, no doubt. But even he has some work to do with the incoming Trump admin. Before we spoke to Davis, we checked in with one Trump world source about the perception of the Chamber, and here’s a flavor of what we heard:
- "They ask us to pass business-friendly legislation, then give to Democrats. There’s an annoyance and frustration, because they continue to stab us in the back [with] one hand and shake our hand with the other.”
- “There’s this perception in the incoming admin that all the Chamber does is ask, ask, ask, and they don’t deliver anything in return when it comes to supporting or being quiet on semi-controversial policies.”
We asked Davis about those perceptions in Trump world, and he suggested they weren’t the majority. “I watched President Trump and his team at the New York Stock Exchange today … and he's talking about pro-growth, pro-business opportunities and policies,” Davis said. “These are the things [where] I think the Chamber could be a valuable asset to the Trump administration — regardless of maybe a one-off frustration from some individual that you may have spoken with.” But after our conversation, he reached out to Playbook with a request: Pass my cell along to any Trump people upset with the Chamber. “I’d like to make sure anyone with frustrations has an open line to me directly,” he said. Listen to the interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Happy Friday the 13th. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
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Learn more about open source AI. | | | FUN ONE — “13 Christmas Gifts for Politics Nerds of All Stripes,” by POLITICO Mag’s Catherine Kim and Calder McHugh RFK JR.’S BARBARIANS INSIDE THE GATE — Sharp read from The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey that posted a few minutes ago: “Trump’s election win has been quickly written up as evidence of his campaign’s success in reaching young men via podcasts and the right-wing mediasphere. What that narrative misses is how Instagram became a rallying point of ‘crunchy moms’ for a contest in which the predicted wave of women for KAMALA HARRIS never materialized. Influencers such as these wellness women brought hordes of voters to Trump. People who have, until this point, mostly been outsiders beating against the barricades of the health-care establishment have at last been let inside. Now MAHA leaders see a chance to usher in their version of a wellness revolution.” NOT ATTENDING — Chinese President XI JINPING is not expected to attend Trump’s inauguration despite the president-elect personally inviting him, CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs and Margaret Brennan report. MAYBE ATTENDING — “RSVP? Democrats are split on snubbing or showing up for Donald Trump's inauguration,” by USA Today’s Phillip Bailey, Sudiksha Kochi and Savannah Kuchar BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB — The latest news you should know about the billionaires angling for a kinder, gentler relationship with the Trump administration …
- JEFF BEZOS’ Amazon.com is planning to make a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund, WSJ’s Dana Mattioli scooped. The donation comes as Bezos is scheduled to visit Trump next week at Mar-a-Lago.
- PATRICK SOON-SHIONG, the billionaire medical entrepreneur who owns the Los Angeles Times, again intervened to stop the paper from publishing a Trump-critical editorial (this one calling for the Senate to ignore Trump’s call for recess appointments to the Cabinet and instead follow its traditional process), NYT’s Katie Robinson reports.
- MARC BENIOFF, the founder of Salesforce and owner of Time magazine, reposted Trump’s “Person of the Year” cover on X, adding: “We look forward to working together to advance American success and prosperity for everyone.” (Fair question from Forbes’ Alex Konrad: “Is ‘we look forward to working together’ coming from the CEO of Salesforce, or the owner of TIME Magazine?”)
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. 3 things to watch …
- Could an elusive energy-permitting overhaul finally be within reach? Months of negotiations came to head in a Capitol meeting room last night where House Republicans and Senate Democrats got down to brass tacks — with Senate Environment and Public Works Chair TOM CARPER (D-Del.) storming out at one point, as Joshua Siegel scooped. The lawmakers left behind struck an upbeat tone, suggesting that a compromise to ease construction of vast pipeline and transmission projects might finally be at hand — and potentially ready to attach to next week’s spending stopgap.
- While things are looking up for permitting, chances that major new tech regulations get dealt with in the year-end package have essentially evaporated. Speaker Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju yesterday that passage of the Kids Online Safety Act this Congress is not “likely at this point,” citing ongoing free speech concerns. “It needs a little more tweaking and we'll do that,” he said. “I think we can do it early next year and get that achievement done.” More on KOSA from Ruth Reader
- President Biden has threatened to veto the JUDGES Act, which would add 66 new district bench slots over the next decade, suggesting Republicans want to pass it now only out of political expediency. But lawmakers aren’t going to make it easy on him: 29 House Democrats joined with Republicans to send the bill to his desk yesterday. And Sen. TODD YOUNG (R-Ind.) published a WaPo op-ed last night noting that the last time the federal bench grew, America had 100 million fewer people — and Biden was the driving force in favor of court expansion.
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9 a.m. Later, he will participate in a virtual G7 meeting. VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff.
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The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, on Dec. 10, 2024. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO | CR ENDGAME — House and Senate leaders are nearing a deal to fund the government that includes “tens of billions of dollars in disaster aid,” Jordain Carney and Jennifer Scholtes report. “The burgeoning agreement comes after weeks of House and Senate leadership negotiations, which included top appropriators, ahead of the Dec. 20 deadline. Text of the funding bill is expected over the weekend or early next week to allow both chambers to pass the measure before lawmakers leave town until January.” More top reads:
- Coming attractions: In a new letter, Sens. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) and SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.) are demanding that any correspondence between Trump's prospective nominees and longtime adviser BORIS EPSHTEYN be disclosed after it was recently revealed Epshteyn was requesting money from outsiders in exchange for potential administration appointments, CBS News’ Daniel Klaidman reports.
- Pass the SALT: “Trump Advisers Consider Raising SALT Write-Off Limit to $20,000,” by Bloomberg’s Stephanie Lai: “Economist STEPHEN MOORE, a member of [Trump’s] economic advisory transition team, told Bloomberg Thursday that the group has discussed expanding the tax write-off limit from $10,000 to $20,000. … No decision has been made about whether to propose to apply the $20,000 limit to all taxpayers, or to just expand it for joint filers.”
TRANSITION LENSES
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Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, talks to reporters after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 21, 2024. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO | NOT PETERING OUT — Over the last 24 hours or so, PETE HEGSETH has walked back some of his more controversial stances — including his opposition to women in combat and gays in the military, Joe Gould and Connor O’Brien report this morning. Though those moves can be read as attempts to soften Senate Republicans’ unease about his nomination, the “backtrack is unlikely to mollify Hegseth’s harshest critics on Capitol Hill, who argue his true positions are those he aired before being tapped for the Pentagon job.” More top reads:
ALL POLITICS WHAT CHRIS LaCIVITA WAS TWEETING ABOUT — Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) is hoping to ease the frustrations of Trump’s MAGA allies by naming former Senate chief of staff, JENNIFER DeCASPER, to a senior leadership job at the NRSC, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman and Alex Roarty scoop. The decision comes after some in Trump world accused Scott of staffing up the GOP senate arm with operatives who were insufficienty pro-Trump: “Scott was set to name STEPHEN DeMAURA, the former manager of MIKE PENCE’s 2024 presidential campaign, as the committee’s executive director. … But some GOP and Trumpworld operatives seethed as word of DeCasper’s ascension spread this week.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Our Revolution is announcing a collection of more than 10,000 signatures from active grassroots Democratic volunteers, donors and party leaders pushing for specific party reforms ahead of the upcoming DNC chair election. The petition, circulated electronically by Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) and Our Revolution board chair LARRY COHEN, encourages party leaders to reject corporate money, increase transparency and accountability and rebuild a multiracial, working-class base. Read the petition Other DNC news … Longtime Democratic donor and DNC member CHRIS LOWE announced his bid for DNC finance chair yesterday. Read the announcement TAKE HER, PLEASE — Some Arizona Republicans are celebrating Trump’s selection of KARI LAKE to head up Voice of America — not so much because they are fans of hers, but because her departure from the local political scene will give other (more viable) Republican candidates breathing room, Megan Messerly reports.
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Antony Blinken during a meeting with Turkey's president at Ankara Esenboga Airport on December 12, 2024. | Pool photo by Andrew Caballero Reynolds | SYRIA AND BEYOND — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN held meetings on the political transition in Syria yesterday while in Jordan, and noted the U.S. is working to bring home an American citizen, TRAVIS TIMMERMAN, who was freed from prison earlier in the week after Syrian rebel groups toppled longtime Syrian dictator BASHAR AL-ASSAD, Reuters’ Simon Lewis and Eric Cox report from Aqaba, Jordan. Blinken also met yesterday with Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN. The two leaders discussed growing concerns over a resurgence of ISIS amid Syria’s transition, insisting that the U.S. and Turkey’s anti-ISIS coalition must continue in its mission. More from CNN’s Jennifer Hansler Stop us if you’ve heard this one before … Meanwhile, after meeting with Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU yesterday, White House national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN said he hopes a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could come as soon as “this month,” adding “the surround sound of these negotiations is different today than it has been in the past,” NYT’s Isabel Kershner reports from Tel Aviv. THE WHITE HOUSE PARDON ME? — Joe Biden’s commutation of 1,500 sentences and granting of 39 pardons yesterday was touted as a victory by the White House, but some criminal justice advocates say the move feels “like something of a consolation prize” after Biden’s pardon of his son, HUNTER, Adam Cancryn and Myah Ward report. “[F]or clemency advocates and lawmakers, the attention now turns to other populations they hope Biden can assist before he leaves office in just over a month.” Keep an eye on this one … “Biden slammed for commuting sentence of notorious ‘Kids-for-Cash’ judge convicted of imprisoning juveniles for $2.1M kickbacks,” by NY Post’s Victor Nava TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Ali Vitali, Toluse Olorunnipa and Hans Nichols. SUNDAY SO FAR … NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Debra Tice. Panel: Ashley Etienne, Amna Nawaz, Ryan Nobles and Peggy Noonan. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.). Panel: Julia Manchester, Josh Kraushaar, Meghan Hays and Marc Thiessen. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) … Eric Schmidt. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Julie Pace and Marianna Sotomayor. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) MSNBC “The Weekend”: Ben Wikler … Gretchen Carlson … Julie Roginsky. MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) ... Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) ... Max Rose. CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) … Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova … Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) … Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Cindy McCain. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) … Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) … Ben Wikler. Panel: George Will, Julie Mason and Catherine Lucey.
| | | | Write your own chapter in the new Washington. From the Lame Duck Congress Series to New Administration insights, POLITICO Pro delivers intelligence across 22+ policy areas to help you anticipate and navigate change. Discover how a Pro subscription empowers you. Learn more today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Donald Trump won’t fly on a new Air Force One. Barry Black is recovering from a subdural hematoma. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED Thursday night having dinner at the Capital Grille: Stephen Hadley, Robert O’Brien, Mike Waltz and Alex Wong. — The National Confectioners Association hosted its “Cocktails and Candy Canes” reception for members of the Senate Press Secretaries Association and other guests at The Salt Line last night. SPOTTED: John Downs, Christopher Gindlesperger, Brian McKeon, Elise Fennig, Dan Shorts, Carly Schildhaus, Brennan Sullivan, Grant Colvin, Kate Balcerzak, Jackson Spivey, Ellie Warner, Wayne Skinner, Ben Jenkins, Tara Rush, Erin Billings, Caroline Kenny, Sahil Kapur, Sam Brodey, Taylor Giorno, Annie Grayer, Carl Hulse, Igor Bobic, Liz Essley Whyte, Peter Sullivan, Brad Bosserman, Christopher Doering, Jerry Hagstrom, Gary Nuzzi, Ellie Portillo, Meredith Connor, Ken Johnson, Jason Tuber, Courtney Clark, Emily Dimiero, Megan Whittemore, Josh Sorbe, Stephen Lewerenz, Marcia Brown, Grace Yarrow, Daniella Diaz and Louis Nelson. — PR Collaborative partnered with the State Department and the Ukrainian Embassy to host a screening of the documentary “Porcelain War” last night at AMC Georgetown. The screening was followed by a Q&A with the film team. SPOTTED: Nicole Elkon, Kateryna Smagli, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Paula DuPre Pesmen and David Smith. — SPOTTED at the American Gas Association annual holiday party at Barrel Wednesday night: Reps. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), John Joyce (R-Pa.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Tim Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas). — SPOTTED Wednesday night at the holiday party for American Global Strategies: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Kash Patel, Chad Wolf, Elbridge Colby and ambassadors from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, New Zealand, South Korea, Costa Rica, South Sudan, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Azerbaijan, Jordan, India, Ukraine, Germany, Mexico, Rwanda, Romania, the EU, Vietnam, the UK, Lithuania, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, Uzbekistan, Croatia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Argentina, Myanmar, Japan, Taiwan and Italy. — SPOTTED at separate tables on Wednesday night at Cafe Milano: Matt Haller, Jon Nabavi, Ben Jenkins, Joe Maloney, Andrew Kovalcin and Bennett Richardson; Mike Allen, Jonathan Karl and Jeff Miller. TRANSITIONS — John Gentzel is now a partner at Right Line Communications. He previously was a VP at DCI Group. … Todd Tuten will be senior health counsel for the Senate HELP committee. He currently is president of NN Consulting. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Zachary Lund, deputy chief of staff at the Farm Credit Administration, and Katherine Lund, welcomed Liam Cooper Lund on December 5. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack … Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) … Rep.-elect Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) … Jing Qu … Mo Elleithee of Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service … Stephenie Foster … Todd S. Purdum … Jeffrey Schneider of The Lead PR … Trish Regan … Allan Blutstein … Brian Baenig … former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke … CNN’s Haley Talbot … Michael Smith of AmeriCorps … Kyle Hauptman of the National Credit Union Association … Lizzie Gregory … Joe Rozek … Consumer Healthcare Products Association’s David Spangler … Precision’s Matt Creeden … Peter Ogburn … Martin Whitmer … Ruth Wedgwood … Alec Zender … Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried … Alexandra Seymour … Staci McDermott of the McCain Institute … Gillum Ferguson … Google’s Riva Sciuto … Tara Rigler … Eugene Kinlow … Kimberly Hunt 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 misidentified Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser’s party affiliation. He is a Republican.
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