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Presented by Kroger and Albertsons Companies: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing. | | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Daniel Lippman, Myah Ward and Ben 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 When Biden staffers learned that White House deputy chief of staff JEN O’MALLEY DILLON and senior adviser MIKE DONILON would soon be moving to the reelection campaign, their first thought was to wish their bosses good luck. Not long after came another: Who gets their office space? “There’s a lot of curiosity about what will become of just a few dozen square feet,” said a White House staffer. West Wing office space is tight and highly-coveted. Only so many of President JOE BIDEN’s aides can actually fit in the building (the vast majority of staffers work across the driveway in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building). So, naturally, whenever there’s a staff shake up, it ignites some chatter among West Wing officials about who could be in the running to upgrade their office space. By most standards, O’Malley Dillon and Donilon’s digs aren’t all that great. Both offices are small and fairly cramped. O’Malley Dillon doesn’t even have a window and the one in Donilon’s office is so small that it hardly lets in any natural light. But they do have four walls and a door, offering an enviable level of privacy and far more spacious accommodations than what more junior aides enjoy. But perhaps most importantly, both offices are incredibly close to the Oval Office. Donilon’s is nestled next to the president’s dining room, while O’Malley Dillon’s is slightly further down the hall, closer to chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS’ corner room. “Every White House staffer covets the kind of proximity that Mike Donilon and JOD have,” said a former White House official. “But it’s not just a status symbol. It’s an acknowledgement of their importance to the president and the crucial role they play at the White House.” Typically, such office space goes to whoever is coming in next to fill the position. When Obama senior adviser DAVID AXELROD left the White House, DAVID PLOUFFE moved into his office after being brought on board to replace him (that office now belongs to Donilon). But the consensus among staff in the West Wing is that it’s unlikely someone new will be brought in to replace Donilon, who, having worked for Biden since 1981, is uniquely trusted by the president. Plus, staffers pointed out that there wouldn’t be much of a need to fill his specific role since he will continue to advise the president, just from the campaign side. “President Biden has a tight circle of advisers, and they were all in the White House already,” said an administration official. “There is not another Mike Donilon in his orbit to come in.” O’Malley Dillon will similarly continue to advise Biden from Wilmington, Delaware. But there’s more of a need for someone to take over her White House portfolio given that she oversees day-to-day functions such as managing the White House campus. Multiple Biden officials floated ANNIE TOMASINI, director of Oval Office operations, as a likely candidate to take over as deputy chief of staff and move into O’Malley Dillon’s office. But they also stressed that no final decisions have been made. “This is all speculation at this point,” said one White House official. O’Malley Dillon and Donilon are expected to officially leave the White House in the coming weeks. But the jockeying to get their offices is clearly well underway — especially for Donilon’s, given that there’s no clear candidate to take it over. “It’s really anyone’s guess who will move in,” said another Biden staffer. “It’s two of the most coveted offices in the world, steps away from the Oval,” said the staffer, who jokingly added: “Why would there be any sensitivities about who sits there?” MESSAGE US — Are you ANNIE TOMASINI? 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!
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | Which president was gifted a 1,400-pound block of cheese? (Answer at bottom.)
| | MIDWEST INVESTMENT: On Thursday, Biden traveled to Wisconsin to announce $5 billion in infrastructure funding for dozens of projects nationwide. The largest of those investments will go toward the Blatnik Bridge — the highly trafficked bridge connecting Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota, which will receive $1 billion. “For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge but it never got done,” Biden said. “Until today.” Biden later made a stop at a nearby brewery — and in case you were curious about what it’s like to be on the road with Biden these days, this pool report from AFP’s AURELIA END sums it up: “While walking to the venue your pool spotted two Trump supporters standing on a lift with a ‘Let’s go Brandon’ flag. Next to them was a man with a ‘Thank you Joe Biden’ sign. Closer to the entrance was a group of pro Palestine protesters, chanting that they want a ceasefire ‘now.’” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Today’s Commerce Department report, which showed the economy growing at a faster rate than expected, all while inflation continues to drop. The U.S. growth domestic product grew at 3.3 percent in the final three months of 2023, significantly faster than what most economic forecasters projected. Commerce data also showed a 3.1 percent growth at the end of 2023 compared to a full year earlier, a win for the Biden administration as the economy continues to beat the odds of a much projected recession. Deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES, communications adviser for economic messaging ROB FRIELANDER and Biden campaign director of rapid response AMMAR MOUSSA shared the news on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by the Economist, which suggests that the southern border, and the Biden administration’s immigration policy, could cost the president the upcoming election. The piece argues that Democrats should reconsider what concessions they are willing to make with House Republicans in order to move public opinion on the issue. Instead of pushing back on efforts to tie an immigration bill to Ukraine funding, the president should lean into it. LARRY LARRY: Speaking of those GDP numbers, they were so good that LARRY KUDLOW, who served as the director of the National Economic Council under DONALD TRUMP, didn’t bother trying to spin them. “I’m an honest broker,” he said on his Fox Business show. “He got a good 3.3 percent GDP number for the fourth quarter following a good 4.9 percent in the third quarter. Okay, if I were he, I would be bragging about it, too. And inflation has come down. All's fair in love, war and politics. Brag when you can. I get it. I’ve been there.” This is a change for Kudlow, who just last week credited the record high S&P 500 number on Wall Street’s anticipation of Trump returning to office. DIPLOMATIC VISIT: Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN will host Japan Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA and Mrs. YUKO KISHIDA at the White House on April 10, press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE said in a statement Thursday. During the visit, which will include a state dinner, the leaders will discuss efforts to strengthen “political, security, economic, and people-to-people ties” between the two countries.
| | | | A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies: Kroger’s success has always been rooted in delivering more for our customers - more choices, more value, more access to fresh food. Kroger joining together with Albertsons Cos. will allow us to do even more for customers by investing half a billion dollars to further lower prices and $1.3 billion to improve the customer experience. Any other alternative will lead to higher prices and less access for the communities who want and need it most. | | | | | THE FINAL TALLY IS IN: New Hampshire Secretary of State DAVID SCANLAN released the final count of write-ins for the state’s primary on Tuesday. A write-in campaign for President Biden, who bypassed campaigning in the state after elevating South Carolina to the first-place calendar spot, won the Democratic primary with 77,061 write-ins. That outnumbered votes for Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.), who received 24,335 votes, and author MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, who had 5,006 votes. NIKKI HALEY and Donald Trump had the second and third most Dem write-ins, coming in at 4,695 and 2,055, respectively. And 1,497 voters wrote in “ceasefire”— a last ditch effort by progressives in the state to send a message to Biden over his Israel policy. Democratic voters also wrote in CHRIS CHRISTIE, RON DESANTIS, VIVEK RAMASWAMY, BERNIE SANDERS and ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.
| | PERSONNEL MOVES: Biden’s top diversity and inclusion chief MICHAEL LEACH has left the White House, AP’s MATT BROWN reports. Leach had served as one of the president’s top aides since his 2020 campaign and was the White House’s first-ever diversity and inclusion officer. A search for a successor is in progress. — EZINNE UZO-OKORO has left the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she was assistant director for space policy. — KRISTEN WILSON is now strategic acquisition data management lead in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at OMB. She most recently was a management analyst in the office on detail from the GSA. — JED HERRMANN is now a senior adviser at OMB. He previously served in the Department of Treasury's Office of Recovery Reforms as a senior adviser.
| | | | A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies:   | | | | | BRING THEM HOME: In the coming days, Biden plans to deploy CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS to help negotiate a deal between Israel and Hamas that would include the release of all remaining hostages being held in Gaza, WaPo’s JOHN HUDSON and CLAIRE PARKER report. He’s also aiming to broker the longest cessation since the conflict began, the duo notes. Burns is expected to travel to Europe next week, where he will meet with Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs, as well Qatari Prime Minister MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL THANI. GUN SAFETY MOVE: First lady Jill Biden, Education Secretary MIGUEL CARDONA and Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention STEFANIE FELDMAN hosted 70 school principals and education leaders Thursday at the White House, where they announced an initiative to get school leaders involved in spreading the importance of safe firearm storage. As part of the initiative, the Justice Department will release a guide on firearm safe storage recommendations and the Education Department will distribute material to schools to share with families.
| | | | Biden has a bridge to reelection — but has to rebuild first (CNN’s Stephen Collinson) Elon Musk Is Spreading Election Misinformation, but X’s Fact Checkers Are Long Gone (NYT’s Jim Rutenberg and Kate Conger) Lessons learned from Hunter Biden: Careful what you put in your memoir (POLITICO’s Betsy Woodruff Swan)
| | | | A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies: Over the last 10 years, Kroger has grown its unionized workforce by over 100,000 members, making it one of America’s largest unionized workforces. Kroger has raised wages and increased benefits to respect and reward associates who fuel our success. Kroger’s merger with Albertsons Cos. will allow us to build on this track record by securing the long-term future of union jobs and further rewarding associates. That’s why Kroger has committed to invest $1 billion post-close to continue raising associate wages and providing comprehensive industry-leading benefits. If the merger is blocked, the non-union retailers like Walmart and Amazon will become even more powerful and unaccountable – and that’s bad for everyone. | | | | | MEGAN COYNE, deputy director of platforms at the White House, was once named “the voice of New Jersey.” From 2018 to 2022, she worked on social media for Gov. PHIL MURPHY, serving as the social media director in her last seven months. During that time, Coyne was one of the architects of the official and quite meme-y New Jersey X account (currently the state’s profile picture is BABY YODA holding a cut out of the state). The account took off under her reign. When one user tweeted: “Who let New Jersey have a Twitter,” the NJ account (ie. Coyne) replied: “Your mom.” The tweet got over 400,000 likes and nearly 75,000 reposts. "As New Jersey’s social media tone setter, Coyne has played nearly every conceivable New Jersey card: the Sopranos, Springsteen and Bon Jovi,” according to the 2022 Jersey Globe profile on Coyne. "She has picked fights with other states, especially in defense of New Jersey’s pizza industry."
| | | | A New York dairy farmer sent ANDREW JACKSON the behemoth of a cheese block, which he left to age in the Entrance Hall of the White House for two years (absolutely vile). At the end of his presidency in 1837, Jackson invited the public to the White House to chow down on the cheese, which lasted all of two hours, according to the White House Historical Association. But the stain and smell lasted for years to come. 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.
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