| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard | Presented by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | Good Wednesday morning. This is a bleary-eyed Jack Blanchard, bemused that anyone thinks big political speeches should ever start after 9 p.m.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | LAST NIGHT ON THE HILL: Well, he didn’t hold back. The 45th and 47th president gave us the full Donald Trump experience last night with a raucous joint address to Congress which lauded his culture war victories, denigrated his political opponents (including Joe Biden by name more than a dozen times), attacked seething Democrats for refusing to stand and applaud him and generally felt more like a MAGA campaign rally than a traditional presidential speech. There was plenty of classic Trump boosterism, with the “Golden Age of America” line trotted out repeatedly amid endless promises that we’ve “never seen anything like” the successes of the past six weeks. In total, it lasted an hour and 40 minutes, the longest major address by a president to Congress in modern times.
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President Donald Trump delivers an address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on March 4, 2025. Behind him, Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson are pictured. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | First read this: POLITICO Editor-in-Chief John Harris gives his verdict in a new “Altitude” column that published overnight. Trump, he writes, again showed why “the presidency is such a powerful platform from which to wage national arguments, even as predecessor Joe Biden was never able to use it to good effect. By contrast, Trump in his showmanship — the boasts and bluster, the indignation and insults, the ability to channel popular frustrations — demonstrated anew why he has vexed opponents of both parties for the past decade.” This was an address aimed squarely at Trump’s 2024 coalition, John adds, “infused with a MAGA-brand overhaul of conservatism … as if a classic Ronald Reagan speech were recrafted for late-night delivery at a tavern in Queens.” Instead of reaching out to his political opponents to appeal for bipartisan work in Congress, as is traditional, Trump treated the Dems as “speech props” to further his ends. The headlines are in: “Combative Trump vows to press an ‘unrelenting’ agenda” (NYT) … “Trump celebrates second term’s early victories and charts course to ‘our greatest era’” (Fox News) … “Trump signals full speed ahead on divisive policies” (WaPo) … “Trump’s ‘swift, unrelenting action’ tests appetite for upheaval” (WSJ) … “Trump celebrates disruption and defies backlash” (POLITICO) … “Trump warns Americans of economic discomfort as trade war erupts” (Bloomberg) … “Reborn in the USA: Trump hails his whirlwind, six-week ‘common sense revolution’” (New York Post) But for all the noise … This was not a speech that shifted the news dial at all. New policy announcements were few and far between, and reports Trump would use the speech to announce the signing of the aborted rare minerals deal with Ukraine proved premature. Trump did throw out a partial olive branch to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announcing that the Ukrainian president had written to him offering to sign the agreement. “I appreciate he sent this letter,” Trump said. “I just got it a little while ago.” Sounds like the deal might be coming in the days ahead. Trading places: The only really newsy bit of the speech was on tariffs, with Trump confirming that new reciprocal tariffs on goods imported from a wide range of countries will be introduced on April 2. Strikingly, Trump also acknowledged his protectionism may create “a little disturbance” within the U.S. economy, but added: “We’re OK with that. It won't be much." Let’s see if those lines come back to haunt him in the months ahead. Speaking of tariffs: It’s worth noting that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hinted the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico could be reduced today, POLITICO’s Doug Palmer reports. “Both the Canadians and Mexicans were on the phone with me,” Lutnick said in a Fox Business interview yesterday. “I think [Trump] is going to work something out with them. It’s not going to be a pause … But I think he’s going to figure out, ‘you do more, and I’ll meet you in the middle some way.’ And we’re probably going to be announcing that tomorrow.” My colleague Victoria Guida has an ace primer on the economics of tariffs which is well worth your time.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents agree: make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent.
See why voters support permanent tax relief. Learn more. | | | | 
Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) call for the removal of Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) as he disrupts President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on March 4, 2025. Green was later removed from the chamber by the House sergeant at arms. | Pete Kiehart for POLITICO | But without much real news last night … the reaction in the chamber was the story. The pleas of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for solemn dignity from his caucus fell upon deaf ears, as Democrats responded to an aggressive and partisan speech in kind. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was ejected a few minutes into the speech for yelling at the president about Medicaid cuts while gesturing with his cane. Several other Dems turned their backs on the president and walked out part way through. There were protest banners and badges; whiteboards and placards. By the end, the heckles and boos were so frequent they barely registered at all. That bitter row over the impropriety of Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouting at Barack Obama feels like another age. Oh dear: The verdict on the protests, even among Dem supporters, is not great, POLITICO’s Elena Schneider and Adam Wren report. Some vented online at the lack of real opposition, and others mocked the small, handmade signs Dem politicians held up when Trump spoke. Such protests were “very silly, and unserious, but I can’t help but feel some level of empathy for them,” says one Democratic strategist, granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. “I’m sure they feel like they have to do something, anything … That wasn’t it.” In full agreement … Is POLITICO’s very own Rachael Bade, as her new “Corridors” column makes clear. “Congratulations, attention-hungry House Democrats: You stole the spotlight from Donald Trump on Tuesday night,” she writes. “Your reward? Undercutting your own message in the fight against Trump, making your party look small and desperate, and making Trump look like the commanding figure he desperately wants to be.” So was this the White House plan all along? It was, after all, Trump himself who teed up the whole dynamic, kicking off his speech by taunting opponents who, he said, would never applaud him even if he found “a cure to the most devastating disease.” Trump then went on to laud his own political achievements while giving emotional shoutouts to members of the public he’d invited along to share (at times) politically charged personal stories which tugged at the heartstrings. They included the family of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student murdered by an undocumented immigrant, Payton McNabb, a high school volleyball player injured by an opposing student athlete who was transgender, and DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy with brain cancer who Trump — ever the showman — made an honorary member of the U.S. Secret Service midway through the speech. Dems sat throughout, largely stone-faced. MAGA world in overdrive: Within minutes of the speech finishing, Trump supporters were using the Dems’ cold silence as a stick with which to beat the party. Check out White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (“Democrats reminded us they are the party of insanity and hate”) … deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller (“Has there ever been a more disgraceful and pitiful and malicious display?”) … Podcasters Charlie Kirk (“Really sick and messed up”) and Clay Travis (“Heart of stone”) … and many more. Expect to hear plenty of this stuff on conservative media today. Speaking of Leavitt: Watch for her to further hammer the point today at a televised press briefing at 1 p.m. But keeping his head down … will be Donald Trump himself, who currently has no events scheduled today and will not be undertaking the traditional post-speech tour of key states. Instead, it’s VP JD Vance who’s out and about, visiting the U.S.-Mexico border for a Fox-friendly trip. Vance is expected to tour a migrant processing facility at Eagle Pass, Texas, making him the highest-ranking official from the administration to visit the border. He will be joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced and simplified the federal tax burden on families and businesses, stimulated economic growth, created jobs, and enhanced the global competitiveness of American companies.
See why voters support making it permanent. Learn more. | | | | 
A protest sign, reading "This is NOT Normal," flies through the air as Trump greets lawmakers. The sign, initially held by Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) was taken out of her hands and tossed in the air by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas). | Pete Kiehart for POLITICO | THE SPEECH IN BRIEF By the numbers: Trump’s speech was 100 minutes long, smashing President Bill Clinton’s 88-minute record for a joint session address. The NYT transcript of Trump’s speech comes in at 9,888 words. Who turned up to watch? The entire Trump clan, including Ivanka and Jared Kushner … trusted Trump aides Elon Musk and Steve Witkoff … FBI chief Kash Patel … former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) … and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) sporting a MAGA-red hat declaring “Trump Was Right About Everything.” Who didn’t show? Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) … Veterans Affairs Secretary (and “designated survivor”) Doug Collins … Babydog Justice. The opening line: “America is back.” The standout moments: Trump suggesting he’s been more successful than George Washington … A shoutout and a standing ovation (from half the chamber) for Musk followed by a long roll call of DOGE’s supposed discoveries of wasteful spending, including *checks notes* “$8 million for making mice transgender” … “Our country will be ‘woke’ no longer!” … “The egg prices: out of control!” … “Our farmers are going to have a field day right now. So to our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you, too.” The bits that, erm, stretched the truth: Too many to mention, honestly. There’s a big CNN fact-check if you’ve got the willpower. The actual policy stuff: Trump confirmed reciprocal tariffs on countries globally will kick in on April 2 … Told Congress to scrap the CHIPS Act and spend the money on reducing the national debt … Called for a balanced budget … Called for “banning and criminalizing” gender-affirming medical care for minors … Pledged the U.S. “will be reclaiming the Panama Canal” … Vowed: “We need Greenland … One way or another we’re gonna get it.” A Kinsley gaffe that’s likely to matter: Trump twice referred to Musk as the head of DOGE, just as Trump’s own administration is arguing in lawsuits that Musk is not DOGE’s chief. “Expect Trump's comment to find its way into courtrooms across the country, possibly in a matter of hours,” POLITICO’s Irie Sentner and Kyle Cheney wrote moments after the comment. The sharpest line: “Our friends in the media insisted we needed new legislation to secure the border ... It turned out all we needed was a new president.” Less convincing: “There'll be a little disturbance [from tariffs], but we're okay with that. It won't be much." Stuff he didn’t mention at all: The words “middle class” … Medicaid or Medicare … artificial intelligence … Chinese President Xi Jinping … one big, beautiful bill vs. two … NATO. THE MAGA REVOLUTION THE TAIL WAGS THE DOGE: Musk heads to the Hill today to meet with the House GOP amid concern from some Republicans over the speed and scale of DOGE-led cuts across the federal government. (Oh to be a fly on the wall for that one.) NRCC Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) recently told Republican members to stop hosting in-person town hall events with their constituents due to potential political blowback from boisterous anger over DOGE’s approach. Pen pals: Musk seems to have a new friend in the Senate, too. Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) — who has thumped hard in defense of Congress’ power of the purse and a notable critic of the scope and speed of cuts to the federal government — has been texting with Musk, she told reporters yesterday, per POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus. Collins didn’t disclose what the two have been messaging about. THE MISEDUCATION OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: Once Education Secretary Linda McMahon was confirmed by the Senate on Monday, she sent around a missive to agency staffers lauding a “final mission” for the department: to shut it down. Staff raced to interpret McMahon’s message and many “called the email a ‘power grab’ focused on privatization at the expense of children with disabilities and from low-income families,” The Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports. MORE FOR MUSK: The Commerce Department under new Secretary Lutnick is “examining changes to a $42.5 billion Biden-era program aimed at expanding internet access around the country with new rules that will make it easier for Starlink, Musk’s satellite-internet service, to tap in to rural broadband funding,” WSJ’s Patience Haggin reports. “That change will free up states to award more funds to satellite-internet providers such as Starlink, rather than mainly to companies that lay fiber-optic cables, to connect the millions of U.S. households that lack high-speed internet service.” GOOD GIG IF YOU CAN GET IT: Wired’s Kate Knibbs reports that some DOGE staffers are pulling down six-figure, taxpayer-funded salaries from the very government they’re working to trim. Jeremy Lewin, who has been involved with efforts at USAID, NIH and the CFPB, is “listed as making just over $167,000 annually.” Then there’s Kyle Schutt, a CISA software engineer, who is “drawing a salary of $195,200 through [the General Services Administration], where he is assigned to the Office of the Deputy Administrator. That is the maximum amount that any ‘General Schedule’ federal employee can make annually, including bonuses.” ALPHABET WARS: As HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasizes the use of vitamin A to fight the measles outbreak that has cropped up in Texas, it is “raising concerns among public health experts, who fear he is sending the wrong message about preventing the highly contagious disease and distracting from the critical importance of vaccination,” WaPo’s Lena Sun and Fenit Nirappil report. “The Department of Health and Human Services has directed the nation’s top public health agency to add similar language to its guidance for caring for measles patients.” LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: The GSA is set to begin selling off more than 400 federal properties, including some of the government’s most recognizable office buildings, like the J. Edgar Hoover Building, which serves as the FBI HQ in Washington, and the Robert F. Kennedy Building, DOJ’s home — a landmark shift in how the government manages its real estate portfolio, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai and Danny Nguyen write. SIZING UP THE SLASHING: NYT’s Emily Badger, Aatish Bhatia, Josh Katz, Margot Sanger-Katz and Ethan Singer have an exceedingly useful visualizer that breaks down all of the cuts that Musk’s DOGE outfit has made. The top takeaway? DOGE “has so far barely touched the biggest sources of contract spending in the federal budget.” ON THE HILL SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN: House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters yesterday that his goal is to put the funding bill on the House floor “early next week,” with GOP sources indicating that legislative text will be released this weekend, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports. Expected to be included are additional defense funding requests from the Trump administration and “very minimal” other additions. Getting the steps right: And even though Johnson acknowledged several GOP lawmakers have “hesitation” over backing the six-month stopgap that he and Trump are pushing ahead of a March 14 shutdown deadline, he said “once people understand the necessity of it, I think they'll get on board and we'll pass it.” A group of House Republicans meets with Trump at the White House today to discuss the plan. WHAT ELSE TO WATCH TODAY: The marquee hearing of the day comes from the House Oversight Committee, which is pulling in Democratic mayors — Boston’s Michelle Wu, Chicago’s Brandon Johnson, Denver’s Michael Johnston and NYC’s Eric Adams — for a spectacle at which Republicans are expected to chastise the cities’ sanctuary policies. That gets started at 10 a.m. More from the AP. MR. BUTTIGIEG GOES TO WASHINGTON: Pete Buttigieg is injecting a fresh round of speculation that he could be the one to mount Democrats’ defense of retiring Michigan Sen. Gary Peters’ seat. Buttigieg met last week with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss a possible Senate bid in the Wolverine State, POLITICO’s Nick Wu and Adam Wren scooped. Sources told Nick and Adam that while the former Transportation secretary is still undecided about a Senate run in his adopted home state, the meeting is a sign of how seriously he is considering it.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce:  
Americans overwhelmingly support making the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, according to a new poll from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Learn more. | | | BEST OF THE REST COMING SOON TO A TOWN HALL NEAR YOU: Get ready to hear even more from Democrats on the GOP-led efforts to slash spending on Medicaid and other government services. Democrats are now scrambling to rethink their strategy of using Republican town halls to oppose the plans, POLITICO’s Katherine Long and Elena Schneider report. “Left-leaning organization Indivisible, which had been spearheading the efforts to disrupt constituent town halls, is calling on Democratic lawmakers to host their own town halls during the March recess or the group will do it for them, according to an email obtained by POLITICO.” PLEADING THE JAN. 6TH: Federal judges are pumping the brakes on the DOJ’s fresh claim that Trump’s blanket pardon of Jan. 6 defendants was meant to cover a broad list of crimes that have nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney writes. So far, three federal appeals courts have signaled skepticism about the scope of Trump’s Jan. 6 clemency, raising profound, untested questions about the presidential pardon power itself. The questions: How can courts be sure what was in a president’s mind when he signed a pardon using broad, ambiguous terms? And do judges have the authority to interpret for themselves what Trump meant when he pardoned people “convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021”? PUNTING ON ABORTION CASE: The Trump administration decided yesterday to drop a yearslong legal battle with Idaho over the right to an abortion in a medical emergency, just one day ahead of a major hearing — reversing its stance in one of the highest-profile cases it inherited from the Biden administration, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. WHAT’S UP AT WAPO: WaPo publisher Will Lewis sought out Washington Free Beacon EIC Eliana Johnson last month to discuss “how Johnson might be able to help Lewis in recruiting more conservative journalists to The Post,” Status’ Oliver Darcy reports. 86-ING 538: Amid widespread cuts at ABC — which is expected to see consolidations among many of the network’s most-popular programs — Disney is also planning to shutter the FiveThirtyEight site, WSJ’s Joe Flint reports. In total, around 200 employees are set to be let go.
| | | | CALIFORNIA DECODED: The technology industry and its key characters are driving the national political narrative right now, but it is also a uniquely California story. To understand how the Golden State is defining tech policy and politics within its borders and beyond, we’ve launched POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded. This new daily newsletter will track how industry players in Silicon Valley are trying to influence state and national lawmakers – and how government officials are encouraging or foiling those figures. Sign up now to get a limited, free trial of this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told NBC Washington that Black Lives Matter Plaza will be renamed following Rep. Andrew Clyde’s (R-Ga.) introduction of legislation to force the change. “The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser said in a statement. There was no timeline given for the change. NEW IN TOWN — Evident, a new nonprofit news organization, officially launched yesterday. Anchored by executive producer Zach Toombs and creative director Kevin Clancy, the outfit aims to “produce documentary journalism for the public good.” The launch video WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Max Bluestein is now director of strategic comms at the NSC. He previously was senior adviser at Interpol Washington. TRANSITIONS — Evan Low has been named the new president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. He is a former California assemblymember who ran for Congress last year. … Tusk Strategies has added Alexandra Caffrey and Joe Costello as VPs. Caffrey most recently was deputy director of message events on the Harris campaign, and is a Transportation Department alum. Costello most recently was a spokesperson on the Harris campaign, and is a House Oversight alum. … Anjali Motgi is now a partner at Jenner & Block. She most recently was chief of staff of the Justice Department’s civil division. … … Amber McIntyre is now senior director of civil space at the Aerospace Industries Association. She most recently was director of international space policy at the National Space Policy Council. … Bridget Cullen is now a professional staff member for the House Financial Services Capital Markets Subcommittee. She previously was managing director at Daly Consulting Group. … Tara Burchmore is now a government affairs associate at Robinhood Markets. She was most recently a TechCongress fellow for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). WEDDING — Max Schechter, a political law associate at Elias Law Group, and Samantha Gorny, a data scientist at Deloitte, got married on Saturday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. They tied the knot five years after having their first date at Call Your Mother in Georgetown. Pic by @annawrightphoto … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Tess Whittlesey, comms director for Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Justin Oswald, congressional lead for OpenAI and a Biden White House and Grace Meng alum, on Feb. 23 welcomed Quinn Oswald. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and Dave Min (D-Calif.) … MJ Lee … Fox News’ Chad Pergram … Stephen Goepfert … Jordan Fabian … Ken Lerer … Matthew Albence of GrindStone Strategic Consulting … Alan Miller … Class-Five Strategies’ Erick Mullen … John Twomey … Roy Gutman … April Mellody … Matt Dorf of West End Strategy Team (55) … Kyle Stewart … Phil Hardy … Fred Davis … Ron Boehmer … CBS’ Jacob Rosen … Win Ellington … Drake Henle … Sarah Little … Peter Metzger … Deloitte’s Carley Berlin … Sharon Block … Kolby Keo … Danny Schwarz … POLITICO’s Anastazja Kolodziej … David Unger 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 deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Eli Stokols’ name.
| | | | A message from The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey conducted by McLaughlin and Associates says:
By a nearly 3-to-1 margin (64% to 20%), voters favor permanently extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, noting its ability to reduce and simplify the federal tax burden on families and businesses, stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and enhance the global competitiveness of American companies. Support for permanent tax relief transcends partisan lines, with 81% of Republicans, 55% of Independents, and even a majority—53%—of Democrats backing the 2017 tax law. This broad support can translate at the polls, as 65% of voters say they are more likely to support a candidate who votes to make the tax cuts permanent, compared to just 20% who would be less likely to do so.
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