A 9-step guide to winning Trump’s endorsement

By Tara Palmeri

In case you haven’t noticed, DONALD TRUMP has every intention of throwing his weight around in Republican primaries in 2022. And whether it’s for an incumbent looking to ward off an intraparty threat or a challenger aiming to knock off a sitting senator, his endorsement matters a lot. Even candidates in safe seats stand to raise a ton of money if they can manage to secure Trump’s imprimatur.

With that in mind, here’s Playbook’s nine-step guide to securing a Trump endorsement, based on our conversations with five people advising him from his new perch at Mar-a-Lago. A big caveat here: As with everything Trump, it starts and ends with his gut.

1) If you have Trump’s number, you have a leg up in the process. He takes his own calls.

2) If you don’t, you’ll probably need an entree via his gatekeepers. The three chiefs on this are JASON MILLER, JUSTIN CLARK and STEPHEN MILLER. COREY LEWANDOWSKI is running the Trump super PAC, so his influence is ascending. Others who can get the president on the phone include DAN SCAVINO, DAVE BOSSIE, MARK MEADOWS, BILL STEPIEN, Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) and SEAN HANNITY. Keep in mind some of them are pushing for candidates who have hired them to consult and are now their clients. “You don’t need to hire someone to get to Trump, you just need to know someone who can get you in front of him,” a former aide said.

3) Even better is a family connection: DONALD TRUMP JR. and ERIC TRUMP have a lot of sway over their father’s political business. IVANKA TRUMP and JARED KUSHNER have yet to weigh in, but when they do, it will matter.

4) If you’ve trashed Trump in the past, you have your work cut out. He does take people back, as we know, but a hard red line for him now is if you came out against him after Jan. 6 (see: NIKKI HALEY).

5) If you’re primarying one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him, you have a big head start. Trump is hellbent on revenge against those lawmakers. He’s already backed his former aide MAX MILLER, in a primary against Rep. ANTHONY GONZALEZ (R-Ohio), and met with Rep. ADAM KINZINGER’S (R-Ill.) primary challenger, CATALINA LAUF, at Mar-a-Lago.

6) If you’re a member of his private beach club or know a member, you can have proximate access to him. He’s often seen dining on the patio with his political advisers behind a red rope.

7) Renting space at Mar-a-Lago for your fundraiser through a member will get his attention. Trump has come down from his dinners to bless Utah Sen. MIKE LEE and South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM, who held their fundraisers at his club. He gave a 10-minute speech, cracked a few jokes and then gave them a hearty endorsement. It’s unclear if he’ll do the same at LYNDA BLANCHARD’S fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago this weekend for the Alabama Senate seat. Noem raised $300,000 at an event there hosted by Trump Jr. and KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE.

8) Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), who’s in Palm Beach this weekend to see Trump and will likely be back next week, has become the GOP establishment’s Trump whisperer. Graham is cajoling the former president to endorse incumbents who don’t wave the Trump flag — people like Sens. MIKE CRAPO of Idaho, JOHN BOOZMAN of Arkansas and JERRY MORAN of Kansas. “I said these folks, they show up to work every day, they work hard, they are just good solid reliable Republicans who helped his agenda,” Graham told Playbook. “I think President Trump wants to be helpful. I expect more of this to come.” (One caveat: Graham drew Trump’s ire after helping secure his endorsement of Nebraska Sen. BEN SASSE for reelection — only to see Sasse continue to harshly criticize the president.)

9) Be famous. Trump has already effectively endorsed former football star HERSCHEL WALKER for Senate in Georgia even though he hasn’t said he’s running.

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Good Saturday morning. Daylight savings is upon us — remember to spring forward an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday — and with it the annual debate over whether to make it permanent. Some lawmakers say they really mean it this time. WaPo: “Spring forward forever? Lawmakers consider keeping daylight saving time year-round”: “What if we advanced the clocks this weekend and never had to turn them back? The idea is gaining some traction after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators this week reintroduced a bill that would eliminate standard time and keep daylight saving time year-round.

“The Sunshine Protection Act, proposed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with four Republican and three Democratic senators, says we should ditch standard time since we only use it four months of the year, from November to March. ‘The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,’ Rubio said in a statement.”

Got a news tip? A document to share? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

DIPLOS MAD ABOUT VAXXING — Foreign diplomats across D.C. and the country have acted as essential workers by keeping their embassies and consulates open during the pandemic — and they’re frustrated the State Department isn’t treating them that way. Considered VIPs within their own governments, these foreign government workers expected that they would get the same status in the U.S. as other essential government workers. But they’ve been told that they have to wait in line for the vaccine like the rest of us.

According to a February memo, the State Department told the missions they would be “treated no differently than U.S. citizens with respect [to] their eligibility to receiving their Covid-19 vaccine in line with the vaccine distribution plans in the district in which they reside.” The Consular Corps in California conducted a survey that they submitted to the state government arguing that since they are constantly being exposed to the public in their work, they should be deemed essential government workers — or at least have the same status as workers like cashiers or teachers.

“We shouldn’t have special treatment, but we should have treatment in line with our jobs,” a senior foreign diplomat told Playbook. “We have been considered essential workers and that’s the reason why our offices didn’t close,” except for a brief period at the outset of the pandemic. As for American officials abroad, so many countries are so far behind the U.S. in terms of vaccine distribution that the State Department plans to send their missions vaccines in the coming weeks.

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BIDEN’S SATURDAY — President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS have nothing on their public schedules.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY: Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams speaks Friday at the unveiling of a new statue of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at City Point Brooklyn. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

THE WHITE HOUSE

WAPO: “After 50 days as president, Biden still hasn’t given a news conference. Critics and allies wonder why”: “The seven-week stretch is the longest a new president has gone without meeting the press in the past 100 years, dating back to when Calvin Coolidge, a man known as ‘Silent Cal,’ was president, according to research by the American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

“Biden delivered his first prime-time address to the nation Thursday night — but it appears the nation will wait longer to see him respond to questions at his first presidential news conference. He has often taken a question or two from reporters at the end of speeches or statements, as he did Wednesday after remarks about an increase in the coronavirus vaccine supply. But his record as president so far mirrors his behavior as a candidate, when Biden gave several interviews but rarely interacted with a roomful of reporters.”

CONGRESS

SCHUMER AND GILLIBRAND JOIN THE HERD — “Cuomo Says He Won’t Bow to ‘Cancel Culture’ and Rejects Calls to Resign,” NYT: “By the end of the day, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, two of the state’s most powerful Democrats, had also called on Mr. Cuomo to resign.

“‘Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York,’ the senators said in a joint statement late Friday afternoon. ‘Governor Cuomo should resign.’”

— Also via NYT: “Why Al Franken Hovers Over the Debate About Cuomo’s Future”

ALWAYS BE PREPARED — “McConnell Backs New Process to Fill Kentucky Senate Vacancy,” Bloomberg: “Mitch McConnell has given his blessing to legislation to change how a vacant U.S. Senate seat would be filled in his home state of Kentucky, but it most certainly doesn't signal an opening is contemplated, an ally of the Senate Republican leader said Friday.

“The bill was advanced by a Kentucky House committee, leaving it one step away from clearing the GOP-dominated legislature. The measure would remove the Democratic governor’s ability to make his own choice if a Senate seat opened up. Republicans hold both Senate seats from Kentucky and wield supermajorities in both legislative chambers, giving them the votes to override any veto. Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, the bill's lead sponsor, acknowledged Friday that the bill had sparked questions about the 79-year-old McConnell, who won reelection last year.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

KNOWING TODD YOUNG — “Meet the Republican building a McCain model on foreign policy,” by Andrew Desiderio: “[Todd Young’s] approach is reminiscent of that of the late Sen. John McCain, a fellow U.S. Naval Academy graduate who became known as the Senate’s ‘maverick’ for his deep aversion to political expediency and his eagerness to work across the aisle to reach a consensus or strike a deal.

“Young, who served three terms in the House before winning his Senate seat, dismisses the idea that voters back home would frown upon his efforts. Projecting a united front on the global stage is ‘both in the national interest and it comports with the desires and expectations of all of our constituents,’ he said in a lengthy interview this week, adding that voters ‘want foreign policy to be a nonpartisan exercise.’”

BIDEN’S BIG DECISION — “With clock ticking before exit deadline, U.S. appears poised to postpone troop withdrawal from Afghanistan,” WaPo: “Deliberations about the fate of the 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan grow increasingly urgent as the administration approaches the [May 1] deadline. …

“[O]fficials and experts point to several signs that the administration is likely to postpone a full withdrawal — potentially with Taliban acquiescence — to buy more time to advance a power-sharing proposal they hope can break an impasse in talks between the militants and the Afghan government.”

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PANDEMIC

ON VACCINE SUPPLY — “Conflict grows between U.S. and allies over vaccine supply,” AP: “The standoff is part of a growing global debate over who should have access to hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine that pharmaceutical companies are churning out in the U.S. Besides generating ill will, Biden’s insistence on an excess supply for America is potentially creating new openings for geopolitical rivals Russia and China.

“A two-dose vaccine from AstraZeneca has received emergency clearance from the European Union and World Health Organization but not from the U.S. Now America’s partners are prodding Biden to release his supply, noting that the administration has lined up enough doses of three already-authorized vaccines to cover every American adult by the end of May and the entire U.S. population by the end of July.”

TRUMP CARDS

THE INVESTIGATIONS … “Army reviewing investigation into Michael Flynn’s dealings with Russia, foreign firm,” WaPo: “The Defense Department’s internal watchdog has concluded a long-delayed investigation into Michael Flynn, defense officials said Friday, sending its findings to the Army in a case that could bring tens of thousands of dollars in financial penalties for President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser.

“The investigation focuses on Flynn’s acceptance of money from Russian and Turkish interests before joining the Trump administration, a potential violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause.”

— JUST GIVE HIM AN OFFICE: “Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen asked back for 8th interview in criminal probe as DA Vance prepares exit,” CNBC: “Senior officials in the Manhattan district attorney's office this week asked ex-President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to return for what would be his eighth interview with the office, which is conducting a wide-ranging criminal probe related to the Trump Organization.

“A person familiar with the case said that Cohen, while being questioned for the seventh time by officials via a video conference earlier this week, was asked to make himself available soon for an in-person interview in DA Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office.”

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION

THE RETURN TO NORMALCY? — “The Washington commute could return by fall for many workers. It won’t be the same as before,” WaPo: “Labor Day has become a target date among many employers eyeing the return of workers to the office … [E]xperts say the transition to widespread in-person office work should be gradual and telecommuting is likely to remain an option for many workers.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies

GREAT WEEKEND READS:

— “The Lost Year: What the Pandemic Cost Teenagers,” ProPublica: “In Hobbs, New Mexico, the high school closed and football was cancelled, while just across the state line in Texas, students seemed to be living nearly normal lives. Here’s how pandemic school closures exact their emotional toll on young people.”

— “America Without God,” The Atlantic: “As religious faith has declined, ideological intensity has risen. Will the quest for secular redemption through politics doom the American idea?”

— “Best friends separated in the Holocaust just reunited. They were ‘laughing like they were still 9 years old,’ family said.” WaPo: “Every Sunday, Betty Grebenschikoff and Ana María Wahrenberg have a scheduled phone call. They often lose track of time talking, as best friends tend to do. The weekly calls are only a recent ritual. In fact, just four months ago, both women believed the other had died in the Holocaust.”

— “Banker, princess, warlord: the many lives of Asma Assad,” 1843 Magazine: “How a girl from west London became the unlikely winner of Syria’s war.”

— “Special Report: Insider alleges Eli Lilly blocked her efforts to sound alarms about U.S. drug factory,” Reuters: “Among the most serious allegations: Records had been falsified or destroyed in the wake of manufacturing mistakes.”

— “Rebekah Jones Tried to Warn Us About COVID-19. Now Her Freedom Is on the Line,” Cosmopolitan: “In a Cosmopolitan exclusive, the whistleblower speaks out about being raided at gunpoint, charged with a felony, and forced to flee hundreds of miles to protect her family. And no, she doesn’t see this ending well.”

— “These Precious Days,” by Ann Patchett in Harper’s: “Tell me how the story ends.”

TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today.

SPOTTED: Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) on an American Airlines flight from DCA to DFW on Friday. Pic

TRANSITION — Morgan Lorraine Vina is now an adjunct fellow working on the International Organizations Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. She most recently was chief of staff for international security affairs at DOD.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Megan McMillan and Alexander Bolton, who covers the Senate for The Hill and is Burgess Everett’s arch-nemesis, welcomed Juliet Marie Bolton on March 8 just before midnight. She came in at 6 lbs. Pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) (64) … Sarah Makin … Ari Rabin-Havt (42) … Madeline Seaman … Jeff Weiss … Kiki McLean … Steven Hurst … POLITICO’s David Lim and Tamar Barsamian … Sarah Mulcahy … Ashley Hoy, partner at Monument Advocacy … Shawn Turner … Erin Billings of Global Strategy Group … former Reps. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), Joseph Cao (R-La.) and Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.) … Joe Rubin … Steve Rochlin … Erin Harbaugh … WSJ’s Ryan Tracy … Yelda Altalef, booking producer at MSNBC … Lauren Inouye, chief program officer at the American Academy of Nursing … Diamond Naga Siu … Microsoft’s David Pryor Jr. … Katelyn Polantz, CNN justice and courts reporter … Tres York of the National Conference of State Legislatures (32) … Simon Behrmann, Red Cedar Global managing partner (4-0) … Kalen Pruss … Georgetown’s Christina Roberts … James Pittman … Jamie Dimon, chair and CEO of JPMorgan Chase (65) … Nancy Soderberg … Laurel Touby … James Wesolek of Texas Action … Mike Dovilla (46) … Jennifer Morgan … John Kelly … James Russell, associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School … Kristy Schmidt … Facebook’s Caroline Chalmers … Allie Banwell

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

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