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Presented by Center Forward: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing. | | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Benjamin Johansen | | | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren JOE BIDEN’s aides have long taken issue with the media's coverage of the president. So it was no surprise to see them pounce when the New York Times published a piece Tuesday exploring why DONALD TRUMP appeared less vulnerable than other Republicans on abortion, despite the role he played in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “Donald Trump says ‘no one has done more’ to overturn Roe than him. He brags about it CONSTANTLY on the campaign trail. But here’s the New York Times’ take,” AMMAR MOUSSA, the Biden campaign’s director of rapid response, wrote on X with a screenshot of the article headline. “Good to see folks have learned nothing from a decade of covering Donald Trump,” deputy campaign manager ROB FLAHERTY tweeted. For good measure — and in case anyone was confused about how they felt — the campaign also blasted out an email slamming the piece. Working the refs is a tried-and-true practice for presidential campaigns. But for the Biden operation it is now part of the DNA. Biden aides have a perpetual chip on their shoulders stemming from their belief that reporters consistently underestimate their boss, only focus on his negatives and don’t give him enough credit for his legislative successes. They and allies take issue with what they view as asymmetrical coverage between Biden and Trump. The former president, they reason, benefits from a press corps that’s grown callous to how out of the mainstream he truly is. The swift pushback Tuesday to the New York Times piece foreshadows a campaign in which these gripes are no longer a side show but a central element of the reelection strategy. As the 2024 general election comes into sharper focus, the campaign is openly stating its plan to press newsrooms to spend less time on the polls and more time explaining how Trump would govern in 2025. “It is essential every American knows the very real threat that a second Donald Trump White House would be to our economy, our rights, and our democracy,” Biden campaign spokesperson KEVIN MUNOZ said in a statement. “The radically different visions for the future of this country is at the core of the choices voters have next year, and you'll continue to see our campaign shine a bright light on that contrast while ensuring those responsible for informing the electorate do the same.” But there’s a risk in taking the media bashing too far. Some Democrats told West Wing Playbook that Biden aides don’t need to go after the press so explicitly in order to elevate stories about Trump. Being overly pugnacious, they say, can wind up making the campaign look desperate. It could also end up elevating story lines they don’t like, such as those on Biden’s age (which become part of the conversation when the main complaint is that the media is not highlighting Trump’s stamina for the job). White House deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES has at times leaned into sharper critiques of the media, posting on his personal X account earlier this week that reporters were preoccupied with being “a non-prescient ESPN for rich nerds.” He also made fun of reporters for asking the White House for “color” for stories rather than focusing on more substantive issues.
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| But a key driver of all this is also Biden himself. The president has made his frustrations with the press increasingly known. “We don’t have the means to communicate like we used to,” Biden said at a private fundraiser last month. “You don’t know what to believe when you read it. There’s no editors anymore.” Whether or not the Biden world’s strategy to call out the press more forcefully works in the president’s favor remains to be seen. But the campaign’s criticism of the New York Times story on abortion didn’t sit well with the Biden press corps, many of whom pointed out on X that the piece was a fair, nuanced look at a very real dynamic among voters. Privately, many reporters grumble that the White House and Biden campaign expect them to function as, essentially, stenographers. And they scoff at the idea that Trump is skating when it comes to critical coverage. “I agree, it’s finally time for @jonathanvswan to do some reporting on what a second term Trump agenda would look like,” Semafor’s DAVE WEIGEL joked on X. “Why is he not writing a comprehensive story on this once a month or so?” MESSAGE US — Are you RACHEL VOGELSTEIN, special assistant to the president for gender policy? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
| | A message from Center Forward: The Federal Reserve’s new proposed capital rules would have unintended consequences – hurting hard-working Americans, raising costs, and harming American competitiveness. Nearly every industry borrows money, and businesses will pass on higher costs to consumers. Increasing mortgage, credit card and student loan payments – even heating and energy bills. That’s the last thing we need right now. Tell the Fed: Protect our economy. | | | | | Thanks to NBC’s ALEX SEITZ-WALD (who ran weekly trivia in college) for sending us this question! Which early 20th century president awkwardly played along with his aides’ early PR campaign to “humanize” him by inviting reporters and photographers to watch him fish, picnic, and pose “under trees with a little waterfall?” (Answer at bottom.)
| | | GOLDEN GATE DIPLOMACY: In a resort just outside San Francisco, President Biden and Chinese President XI JINPING met Wednesday for the first time in over a year, trying to ease fears that the two superpowers are inching closer to open conflict, our CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and JONATHAN LEMIRE report. Xi seemed to nudge Biden on America’s involvement in Taiwan, noting the inherent differences between the U.S. and China, saying it is “not realistic for one side to try and shape the other.” “Officials stressed that the biggest accomplishment could be that the two men are talking at all,” Cadelago and Lemire write. “The administration’s goal, simply, was to turn back the clock and restore the bilateral relationship.” BIG AD DROP: The Biden reelection campaign dropped a bag early on TV and digital ads, spending over $50 million so far this year, Axios’ ALEX THOMPSON and ERIN DOHERTY report. The reelection strategy focuses on meeting Americans online, a shift from the Obama 2012 playbook, which invested resources on the ground in battleground states, as Thompson and Doherty write. KAMALA WORLD: Vice President KAMALA HARRIS is continuing the White House tradition of getting a spread in People Mag. On Wednesday, the magazine published an exclusive profile of Harris, in which she discussed the demanding “24/7, 365” role of vice president. “Restless nights, hurried days, intense pressure: Welcome to Kamala Harris’ world, in which the triple landmark of being the first woman, first Black person and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president carries an unprecedented combination of scrutiny and expectation,” MICHELLE TAUBER writes. WRONG BIDEN? On Wednesday, SARA NETANYAHU, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, sent a letter to first lady JILL BIDEN, urging her to call for the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. “I am writing you not only as Bibi’s wife but first and foremost as a mother to you as first lady and a mother… We must speak out on behalf of these children,” the letter read. No word on whether the first lady has written a response. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by AP’s WILL WEISSERT, on Biden announcing five nominees to federal judgeships, in what would add to his more than 150 confirmed federal judges since becoming president. One of the nominees, ADEEL MANGI, would be the first Muslim American judge to serve on a federal appeals court. White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates and deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND shared the story on X. ALSO THIS: This poll from YouGov that shows more Americans voicing their support for Biden’s handling of the economy, with a 9 point swing since September. There was a significant jump among young people aged 18-29, with a 10 percent increase from September to 54 percent approval on the economy. White House communications director BEN LABOLT shared the poll on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by CNN’s JEFF ZELENY, who reports that Biden is facing push back from young voters who have been frustrated by the president’s priorities in office. Zeleny notes that many young voters see the likely set up of Biden v. Trump in 2024 as the lesser of two evils. They say that issues such as student loan forgiveness and voting rights have been left in the dust, while Biden’s unwavering support and push for funding for Israel has been disappointing.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | | | | | PERSONNEL MOVES: GRAHAM STEELE, a lead Treasury Department official on banking and insurance issues, is planning to step down in January, our ZACHARY WARMBRODT and DANIEL LIPPMAN report for Pro s. Steele has served as Treasury assistant secretary for financial institutions since late 2021. — MARIAN DIMAANO is now director of partnerships at the White House. She most recently was senior manager for PR and communications at Digital Brand Architects. USDA MOVES: The Department of Agriculture named ERIC WOMACK deputy general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel. Womack was previously detailed to the White House Counsel's Office. — BRIAN SOWYRDA is now director of external affairs in the Office of Congressional Relations, and previously worked for XOCHITL TORRES SMALL, who is now deputy secretary of Agriculture. USDA also tapped ELAINE TREVINO for associate administrator in the Foreign Agricultural Service.
| | | | A message from Center Forward:   | | | | | SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO: Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) further indicated that a presidential challenge to Biden could be looming, NBC’s REBECCA SHABAD reports. In an interview Wednesday on “Meet the Press,” Manchin told moderator KRISTEN WELKER that he will spend the next few months leading up to Super Tuesday evaluating if there is a path for his campaign. “Manchin seemed to reject the notion that an independent bid could hurt President Joe Biden’s re-election chances. ‘I’ve never been a spoiler in my life of anything, and I would never be a spoiler now,’ he said,” Shabad writes. GRANITE STATE GETS FIRST DIBS: New Hampshire Secretary of State DAVID SCANLAN announced on Wednesday the state will hold its presidential primaries on Jan. 23, making them the first primary state. The move comes despite Democrats’ attempts to reshuffle the 2024 calendar, which has South Carolina as the party’s first official primary, our LISA KASHINSKY reports. This will leave Biden’s name off the New Hampshire ballot, but many allies in the state will lead a write-in campaign for the president, Kashinsky notes. THAT’S A WIN: The Biden administration seems to be delivering on a key component of its climate agenda: clean energy. According to WaPo’s SHANNON OSAKA, the investments in renewable energy have been disproportionately impacting areas that historically have relied on fossil fuels, which the White House describes as ‘energy communities.’ The WaPo analysis also noted that much of this clean investment is going towards disadvantaged communities, ones who are typically burdened with environmental challenges.
| | | | GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | | ‘Tons of Crazy’: The Inside Story of How Fox Fell for the ‘Big Lie’ (Brian Stelter for POLITICO) Why Democrats Are Ride or Die for Biden (Bloomberg’s Francis Wilkinson) Who can beat The Donald? The Rock. (WaPo’s David Von Drehle)
| | | HERBERT HOOVER. However, the performance did not go over particularly well, with one historian saying the pictures looked like he was “bored, irritated and even humiliated,” according to The White House Historical Association. Thanks to Alex for sending in this question! A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.
| | A message from Center Forward: If the Federal Reserve further tightens access to credit and weakens financial markets, our economy won’t have a soft landing.
It’s hard to get ahead — or even keep afloat — in this economy. The last thing we need is for the Federal Reserve to adopt new, overreaching capital rules that will further tighten access to credit and hurt financial markets. Making it even more expensive for a family to buy a house, send their kids to college and save for retirement. Even harder for small and mid-size businesses to get the loans they need to expand and innovate. Increasing the cost of life insurance, plane tickets, home energy bills, and shipping. Increasing prices and reducing employment.
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