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| | | | |  | | By Eli Stokols , Jonathan Lemire and Alex Thompson | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice and Daniel Lippman. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Eli In 2006, President GEORGE W. BUSH called the Democratic takeover of Congress in that year’s midterm cycle “a thumping” during a 42-minute East Room press conference the next day. Four years later, when President BARACK OBAMA saw control of Congress swing back to the GOP, he called it “a shellacking” during a 56-minute presser in the White House Cross Hall. Humbled, Obama reflected on how he failed to address the curse of incumbent presidents losing ground in midterm years — and the long tradition of these leaders facing the music afterward. “This is something that I think every president needs to go through, because, you know, the responsibilities of this office are so enormous,” he said. “This is a growth process.” After his own midterm pummeling in 2018, President DONALD TRUMP held forth for nearly 90 minutes in the East Room. He was, not surprisingly, less chastened than his predecessors, blaming his party’s losses on Republicans who didn’t support him ardently enough. With polls showing the current election landscape tilting in favor of Republicans, it’s still unclear whether President JOE BIDEN is going to participate in the ritual of a post-midterm press conference. Or, more to the point, whether his aides see any upside in putting him out there. The White House has yet to commit to Biden holding a press conference next Wednesday after all the votes are cast. And it’s not for lack of trying by the White House Correspondents Association.The group’s president, NPR’s TAMARA KEITH, and others have been pushing press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE about the matter for months, first in routine meetings and, just weeks ago, in a written letter formalizing the request. “There is a long tradition of presidents, whether their party wins or loses, addressing the American people and answering questions at length from the press the day after a midterm election,” Keith said in a statement to West Wing Playbook. “We are disappointed that despite this precedent and repeated requests from the WHCA, the White House has thus far failed to commit to the traditional post-midterms press conference.” Biden’s schedule for Wednesday, the White House said, is still up in the air. But in a statement to West Wing Playbook, a White House spokesperson confirmed that Biden will deliver some kind of election response — it just might not be in the form of a press conference. “As WHCA knows, and as Karine has repeatedly confirmed from the podium, the president will speak to the elections the day afterward,” the spokesperson said. “He takes questions from the press nearly every day, which has not been the ‘norm’ for past presidents. We will have additional information to share next week.” An indication that Biden will face the music in some fashion came weeks ago, when his planned departure for an upcoming trip that’ll take him to three international summits were quietly pushed back from Wednesday night to Thursday. The move forced some of his travel schedule — which will include stops in Egypt, Cambodia and Indonesia — to be compressed, but was driven by a recognition he would need to focus Wednesday on the election fallout, according to a person familiar with the situation. And yet, aides remain split on what to do. Many in the president’s inner circle are leery of a full press conference for several reasons: giving reporters a chance to grandstand, Biden’s propensity for verbal slip-ups and, above all, the increasing probability that he won’t have much good news to discuss. The moment, some worry, is also ripe for questions about whether Biden will run again in 2024, a topic the president isn’t currently eager to discuss. One idea that has gained traction is to avoid an extended formal news conference on Wednesday but to address the press — and possibly take a few questions — in another setting, either at an event or even when he departs the White House on Thursday for Egypt en route to Asia. Regardless of form or format, the sentiment among some inside the building is that Biden must engage the press corps, in part to squash any stories that he is ducking them, but also to get it out of the way before he leaves for the hugely consequential Asia trip. Those aides argue that addressing the election before Air Force One lifts off will make it far more likely that the media will focus more fully on the trip itself – which will include a meeting with China’s XI JINPING and efforts to rally the world against Russia’s VLADIMIR PUTIN. MESSAGE US — Are you SANDRA FORD, the special assistant to the president for public health and science? We want to hear from you! Seriously! And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com .
| | | | NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID . | | | | | | | | This one’s from Allie. Which president was an avid speed reader and took courses while in the White House to learn how to read even faster? (Answer at the bottom.)
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Cartoon by Pat Bagley | Courtesy | TGIF! It’s cartoon feature day. This one’s by PAT BAGLEY. Our very own MATT WUERKER also publishes a selection of cartoons from all over the country. View the cartoon carousel here .
| | | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Anything about the latest jobs report. AP’s CHRISTOPHER RUGABER reports that “America’s employers kept hiring vigorously in October, adding 261,000 positions, a sign that as Election Day nears, the economy remains a picture of solid job growth and painful inflation. Friday’s report from the government showed that hiring was brisk across industries last month, though the overall gain declined from 315,000 in September. The unemployment rate rose from a five-decade low of 3.5 percent to a still-healthy 3.7 percent.” As senior adviser NEERA TANDEN tweeted : “Oh look. A strong jobs report showing that the labor market is healthy. Not vibes but actual facts.” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by NYT’s ALAN RAPPEPORT and JIM TANKERSLEY about Biden’s latest inaccurate statements about his record . As the president “has told it in recent months, America has the fastest-growing economy in the world, his student debt forgiveness program passed Congress by a vote or two, and Social Security benefits became more generous thanks to his leadership. None of that was accurate. The president, who has long been seen as embellishing the truth, has recently overstated his influence on the economy, or omitted key facts.” BETTING ON BASS: Rep. KAREN BASS , one of the few Democrats Biden has campaigned alongside this cycle, has seen her lead in the Los Angeles mayor’s race shrink dramatically over the last month. Billionaire businessman RICK CARUSO, who was 15 points down a month ago, is now within four points of Bass, according to the latest poll of the race by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times . Caruso has gained ground, the LAT’s BEN ORESKES reports , by “opening up sizeable leads among Latinos, moderates and people living in the San Fernando Valley.” Biden appeared with Bass, a once VP shortlister, twice in LA last month, touting construction of the city’s new, federally-funded Metrolink line and popping into a Westwood taco shop. And during an event in San Diego Thursday evening, he made his most explicit pitch for her to date: “By the way, our friends in Los Angeles, we need to elect Karen Bass.” California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM, on the other hand, hasn’t taken sides in the race. MAD DASH TO THE MIDTERMS: The president is spending parts of this weekend in Illinois, where he’ll deliver remarks about the administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices. On Saturday, he will rally with former President BARACK OBAMA and Democratic Senate candidate JOHN FETTERMAN in Philadelphia. On Sunday, he heads to Westchester County, N.Y., where he’ll participate in a political event days ahead of the midterm elections. Not exactly a string of traditional battlegrounds, and a worrisome signal for Democrats that New York Gov. KATHY HOCHUL could be in danger of losing her bid for a full term in a deep blue state. Similarly, first lady JILL BIDEN’s just-announced travel Monday to rally support for Rep. JENNIFER WEXTON (D-Va.) may be an indicator the party is worried about another district where a GOP flip (Wexton won two years ago by 13 points) would suggest that Democrats are about to get blown out. It’s not just the president who is on the move — our ELENA SCHNEIDER and HOLLY OTTERBEIN have more details on what’s happening as Election Day gets closer. As for Saturday’s rally with Obama, The Washington Post reports it is “the kind of joint appearance that some White House aides had been uneasy about for fear that Obama would overshadow Biden and invite unfavorable comparisons."
| | | NOT RUNNIN’ ON DUNKIN’: Labor Secretary MARTY WALSH said Friday in an interview with Bloomberg TV that he's not "actively involved in negotiations" between freight rail companies. This comes a day before members of one of the involved unions votes on the compromise negotiated in part by the White House, our ALEX DAUGHERTY reports for Pros . Walsh added that if an agreement is not reached, "Congress will have to take action." MEET THE FELLOWS: A new class of White House Leadership Development Fellows have started work at 1600 Pennsylvania: LYNE-ROBERT DESROCHES, VANESSA R. SLOAN, CHRISTOPHER O'CONNELL, MICHAEL BOYCE, ADITI SHAH, SEAN PETERS, DOMINIC BEAMER, ANNY K. PACHNER, CARMEN (COLES) TULL, ANIL CHAUDHRY, ASHLIE FLEGEL, BRIAN MOHR, CHRISTOPHER HOPPEL, DIANA RUTBERG, JONATHAN SLEEMAN, KATHERINE DONOHUE PAPILLON, MARC TKACH, MARIA TEMIQUEL, MINDY KAIDEN and PATRICK CLOWNEY. The U.S. government officials have been detailed to various White House offices from different federal agencies.
| | | WARNING SIGN FOR KYIV: A new poll by the Wall Street Journal shows that a majority of Americans support continuing aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, but such support is also becoming a more partisan issue. “Some 30 percent of respondents overall said in the new survey they believe the administration is doing too much to help Ukraine, up from 6 percent in a March Journal poll,” WSJ’s VIVIAN SALAMA reports . “The change was driven by a big shift among GOP voters: 48 percent of Republicans now say the U.S. is doing too much, up from 6 percent in the previous survey. The portion of GOP voters who said the U.S. isn’t doing enough to help Ukraine fell to 17 percent, a steep drop from 61 percent in March.” SPEAKING OF… National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN met Friday with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and other top Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, reaffirming U.S. support for the nation as the Russian invasion drags on. Sullivan also announced an additional $400 million in aid.
| | | Biden says ‘we’re gonna free Iran’ as protests there go on (AP’s Aamer Madhani) Immigration and rights groups ask Biden administration not to send Haitian migrants to Guantanamo facility (NBC News’ Julia Ainsley) U.S., Allies Set Parameters for Price Cap on Russian Oil (WSJ’s Andrew Duehren)
| | | Sullivan is appearing virtually at the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday with the group’s president, RICHARD HAAS, and journalist GEORGE PACKER, who has been critical of the administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, “At a Crossroads: America’s Defense Strategy” on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America’s national security. REGISTER HERE . | | | | | | | | Family vacations for Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN don’t sound exactly like a … vacation. According to a 2013 USA Today profile , Yellen, her husband GEORGE AKERLOF and their son, ROBERT AKERLOF, who are also economists, “occasionally escape from the grind, taking beach vacations.” To prepare for their time away, “they typically pack a suitcase of economics books.” A longtime friend, CHRISTINA ROMER , also said they “never go into the water. … They sit back and look at the water and read and write, and they're very happy.” At least download them on Kindle!
| | | JIMMY CARTER took speed reading very seriously, boasting that he could read up to 2,000 words per minute . In an NBC Nightly News interview , Carter said he, his family and White House staff took speed reading courses at night to improve their skills. “Although I was a fairly fast reader when I was elected president, I greatly improved my speed reading capabilities and also my comprehension and so did the members of my family and my key staff members,” he said. “One analysis that was made by my staff was that I had to read about 300 pages a day of important documents.” A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
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