| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco The Playbook Podcast is back: This morning, Jack Blanchard and Megan Messerly discuss Donald Trump’s reemergence in the public eye, the return of Congress and the retirement of Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). Plus: Trump’s latest plan for White House decor.
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| Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. Get in touch. How was your Labor Day? Your Playbook author took the kids to a D.C. spray park. Most of the neighbors were having picnics or barbecues. Bill Belichick watched his Tar Heels get thumped by TCU. And the Trump family was merrily netting a cool $5 billion from its latest crypto venture. You read that right: Five. Billion. Dollars. Via the WSJ: “The Trump family notched as much as $5 billion in paper wealth on Monday after its flagship crypto venture opened trading of a new digital currency. The launch is akin to an initial public offering, in which the cryptocurrency, called WLFI, can now be bought and sold on the open market … The Trump family, including President Trump himself, holds just under a quarter of all WLFI tokens in existence.” For context: “WLFI is likely now the Trumps’ most valuable asset, exceeding their decades-old property portfolio,” per the WSJ. Call me old-fashioned, but … shouldn't we be talking about this a little more? Has America ever seen a serving president and his family making profits like this? In today’s Playbook … — Trump is back. And no, he’s not about to quit. — Congress is back too: Get ready for a month of shutdown frenzy. — Who’s in line to replace Jerome Powell? The Zoom interviews start today.
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President Donald Trump waves as he leaves Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., on Monday, Sept. 1. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo | BACK FROM THE DEAD: After — yes — an entire week without a public appearance, Donald Trump will return to the limelight today with a 2 p.m. announcement at the Oval Office. Which suggests that, much like Mark Twain, reports of his death have been somewhat exaggerated. His death? ICYMI, the president’s weeklong radio silence — well, apart from a neverending stream of social media pronouncements; an hourlong interview with a conservative news site; and the various images of him heading off to play golf — has been enough to send Very Online liberals into a frenzy, with a not-insignificant number of people convincing themselves Trump had secretly passed away. Spoiler: He hasn’t. But after several days of intense speculation, the questions are going to keep coming about his health, with various (Trump-hating) corners of the internet now utterly fixated with the president’s bruised hands, swollen ankles, tired-looking eyes and goodness knows what else. For what it’s worth: Trump wrote on social media on Sunday evening that he’s “NEVER BEEN IN BETTER SHAPE.” And given his last public event (less than a week ago) was a televised Cabinet meeting in which he spoke for more than three hours, it’s hard to argue the energy levels have slipped. But who really knows? And given he’s 79 years old — and given what happened with Joe Biden — it would hardly be surprising if health questions dog Trump throughout his second term. But in the meantime: Trump will not be announcing a shock diagnosis/health scare/his immediate retirement this afternoon, aides insist. In fact, today’s “announcement” will be focused on defense, POLITICO’s Megan Messerly texts Playbook to say. So let’s talk about defense … Because Trump’s first deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to make progress on peace talks passed without a murmur yesterday, as both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron were keen to point out. Trump’s second, extended two-week deadline is now approaching fast — and it seems unlikely anything will change. Some you win … Given the significant number of campaign pledges Trump has delivered in his first eight months back in office, his inability to bring an end to the Ukraine war (let alone on “Day One”) stands out in its abject failure. And it was fascinating to see Trump ruminating on this in his hourlong Daily Caller interview, the full transcript of which was released yesterday. In his own words: “I thought the easiest [war to end] would be this one, in a certain way,” he said, “because of relationships — because, you know, I just felt I knew. But it doesn’t seem, it’s going to get, it’s going to get done, but it’s taking long … You know, sometimes people aren’t ready for it.” Talk about a collector’s item: Was that the president actually admitting he got it wrong? Also notable from the interview: Trump said the border crisis is now “totally solved” …. Refused to take the bait on last week’s mass shooting in Minnesota (“generally it’s people that aren’t transgender”) … Admitted his supporters are “at odds” over letting migrants work on farms … Mulled bringing back “insane asylums” … and said the presidential Wall of Fame he’s constructing near the White House Rose Garden will feature a picture of an “autopen,” in place of Biden. Back to Putin: Trump will host the newly elected president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, for talks tomorrow. Expect Russia to again be top of mind.
| | | | A message from Booz Allen: Booz Allen is helping the Department of Homeland Security fight drug cartels at the border with advanced analytics. When American lives are at stake, our tech steps up. Learn more. | | | | MEANWHILE ON THE HILL STRAP IN: Congress returns today from its August recess for what promises to be a jam-packed legislative fall — kicking off with an all-out sprint toward a government shutdown at the end of this month. The clock is already ticking on some kind of deal. Expect the endless discussions about the Sept. 30 funding deadline to begin as soon as congressional members return this afternoon. Republicans have yet to settle on a strategy to keep the government open, with the party split over whether to seek a short-term or full-year stopgap bill. Dems are also divided — with some desperate to make a stand against Trump and others fearing the wrath of voters if the party is blamed for a shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s latest Dear Colleague letter urges Republicans to pass bipartisan legislation to keep the government open and reject further rescissions … Good luck with that. Read the letter About those rescissions: Democrats hoping the Supreme Court might bolster their claims that Trump has illegally seized control of the federal pursestrings have been disappointed, POLITICO’s Jennifer Scholtes and Kyle Cheney report today. “[T]he courts are littered with legal challenges to his administration’s abrupt, massive and often indiscriminate cuts to spending, contracts and personnel,” they write. But “the high court’s justices are unlikely to wade into the substance of the issue, if they choose to at all, until at least next year.” In the meantime, expect Trump to keep on keeping on. There’s so much more for Congress to juggle this fall, including the National Defense Authorization Act (for which the Senate will hold a procedural vote at 5:30 p.m. today) … a potential crime bill … a potential second reconciliation bill … a potential congressional stock trading ban … loads of nominees in the Senate (and a contentious plan to fast-track them through) … potential Russia sanctions … and a bunch of expiring health care subsidies to either extend or cut loose, as POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney lay out this morning. And of course … there’s the Epstein files, now coming back to the news agenda as Congress returns. The House Oversight Committee will meet in private with victims of Jeffrey Epstein today — but even as it does so, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are gathering signatures for a discharge petition to force a vote on their bipartisan bill demanding the files be released. They insist they have the numbers to get to 218, which would require a half-dozen Republicans backing their plan. Keep a close eye out for any rogue GOP members going public with their support today. POLITICO’s Inside Congress has more Reminder: Massie and Khanna have a big-ticket news conference planned tomorrow with 10 Epstein survivors. On today’s schedule: House Republicans will move forward with pieces of their fiscal year 2026 appropriations. The Rules Committee will take up the Energy-Water bill at 4 p.m., teeing up a floor vote this week, and an Appropriations subcommittee will mark up Labor-HHS-Education at 5 p.m. Republicans are proposing a $13.7 billion overall spending cut — and their plan includes slashing Labor Department funding by 28 percent; zeroing out the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and renaming AmeriCorps to the America First Corps. See the details
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| | | | THE ECONOMY, STUPID FED UP: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will today begin interviewing candidates to be the next Fed chair, as Trump tries to grasp unprecedented control over the central bank. Bessent told Semafor’s Eleanor Mueller he has “an open mind” on the best pick to replace Jerome Powell next May, with an “incredible list” of candidates lined up for a series of in-person and Zoom interviews. He also told Reuters’ Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal that the Fed should remain independent but has made “a lot of mistakes” — and that Trump had the right to fire Governor Lisa Cook. Great Scott: Indeed, Bessent made lots of news yesterday in a media blitz to promote Trump’s “no tax on tips” policy: He told Semafor that he’ll write a brief for a Supreme Court challenge over Trump’s tariff authority, arguing that trade deficits were an emergency because they’d reached “a tipping point.” He told the Washington Examiner’s Christian Datoc that Trump may declare another national emergency soon — this time on housing shortages. And he told Fox News’ Rich Edson that “everything’s on the table” for Russia sanctions. More “tax on tips” deets: The Treasury Department has laid out 68 different occupations that will qualify for the new tax break on tipped wages, from dishwashers to gambling cage workers to pet caretakers to tattoo artists, Axios’ Mike Allen scooped. The White House sees this one as a genuine vote-winner. But but but: American pessimism about the economy reaches new highs in the latest WSJ-NORC poll, in which just a quarter of the country thinks they’ll likely be able to boost their standard of living, per Lindsay Ellis and Aaron Zitner. Precious few people believe hard work pays off; almost 70 percent of Americans say the fabled American dream isn’t true anymore (or never was). Ratings of the economy are actually up from a year ago, but “a sense of economic fragility” endures across most demographic lines. The political upshot: Economic sentiment problems that afflicted Biden’s presidency have not disappeared under Trump.
| | | | Playbook goes beyond the newsletter — with powerhouse co-hosts at the mic. Join Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns every weekday on The Playbook Podcast for exclusive intel and sharp analysis on Trump’s Washington. Start listening now. | | | | | TRAIL MIX END OF AN ERA: Forget about the NYC mayoral race for one day — in the Big Apple, today’s political chatter will be about who might replace Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). NYT’s Nicholas Fandos scooped that the longtime liberal leader won’t be running for reelection after 34 years in Congress. Nadler credits Democrats’ desire for a new generation of elected officials, and it certainly feels like a generational moment for the party. His departure will likely open up a crowded primary battle in his very wealthy, very densely populated, very Democratic Manhattan district — though the Times reports Nadler plans to back Assemblymember Micah Lasher, one of his former aides, if he runs. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK … — Speaking of generational change: Future Forum PAC — which promotes millennial and Gen Z Democrats — is making its first candidate endorsements of the cycle, backing congressional candidates Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin and JoAnna Mendoza in Arizona. — Poll position: An internal Democratic survey for House Majority PAC finds Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayor Paige Cognetti up 2 points over GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan, 45 percent to 43 percent. The memo — Primary colors: Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) reelection campaign has created a new website, KenStoppers.com, for people to submit evidence of possible illegal activity by Texas AG Ken Paxton, who’s challenging Cornyn. Cornyn’s camp insists this is an actual working tip line — with a name riffing on Crime Stoppers — not just a troll of Paxton’s legal troubles. — Summer nights: The DNC has wrapped up its first-ever summer organizing blitz — an attempt to build an early ground game — having mounted 150 events and contacted 1.65 million voters, with 15,000 volunteers across 47 states and territories. THE SPRINT TO NOVEMBER: With two months until Election Day, the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races are about to kick into the highest gear with major ad spending. (Early voting in Virginia starts in two and a half weeks.) Republicans are lately feeling somewhat better about Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ chances in Virginia, NBC’s Adam Edelman and Bridget Bowman report, though some still think New Jersey holds the higher chance of a GOP win. GERRYMANDER WATCH: Democratic leaders are feeling intense pressure from their base to build on California’s gerrymander counter-strike, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky and colleagues report. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has talked with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore about the possibility of redistricting that could net Democrats three seats to counteract Republicans’ power grab. And House Dems are eyeing a possible new organization to bankroll such attempts. THE MEGABILL IN ACTION: Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act is quickly becoming a centerpiece of campaign messaging. Politically, vulnerable Republicans who voted to decimate subsidies for renewable energy like wind are facing, well, headwinds, as POLITICO’s Josh Siegel captures in a look at Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks from Ames, Iowa. But some Republicans are going all in on promoting the law, like Michael Whatley in the North Carolina Senate race, whose more conservative approach is different from retiring incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman reports.
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| | | | BEST OF THE REST TALKER: Is banning smartphones in schools the last great bipartisan cause in America? Red and blue states alike have taken up Jonathan Haidt’s mantle and enacted fast reforms in recent years, POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin reports from Little Rock, Arkansas, this morning. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent Haidt’s book to all governors last year. “All 50 states have either passed bills or have pending legislation. And the bulk of the credit goes to one mild-mannered professor on Washington Square,” JMart writes. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: Holding hands and hugging each other, Indian PM Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin sent an implicit signal to Trump at a summit in China yesterday, per NBC. Modi’s presence and warmth toward the autocrats was especially notable. BLEEDING CUTS: After a brutal earthquake killed at least 800 people in Afghanistan, the Trump administration’s destruction of USAID has hindered the disaster response, Reuters’ Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield report from Kabul. BIG MEDIA NEWS: The next leader of Vogue will be Chloe Malle, whom Anna Wintour has selected to lead daily operations at the American version of the magazine, Puck’s Lauren Sherman scooped. Malle is the current head of Vogue.com. … At Semafor, Ben Smith is launching a new weekly column about politics, “Washington View,” per Status’ Oliver Darcy. APOCALYPSE NOW: “AI Can’t Start a Nuclear War — Or Can It?” by POLITICO Magazine’s Michael Hirsh: In recent war games, “[a]lmost all of the AI models showed a preference to escalate aggressively, use firepower indiscriminately and turn crises into shooting wars — even to the point of launching nuclear weapons. … The Pentagon claims that won’t happen in real life.”
| | | | Don’t just keep up with policy shifts — set the pace. POLITICO Pro’s Policy Intelligence Assistant combines unmatched reporting with advanced AI to deliver sharper insights, faster answers, and two powerful report builders that turn intelligence into impact. Try it free for 30 days. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Rudy Giuliani got out of the hospital after a car accident — and received quite the welcome-home gift when Donald Trump announced that Giuliani will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s top civilian honor. Ilhan Omar and her husband’s net worth has skyrocketed to between $6 million and $30 million, according to her latest disclosure. Woody Allen said he “could do wonders” if he could direct Trump in another movie now. BIG GIG: The Trump administration may put up the White House’s Pierre Yared for the open spot of first deputy managing director at the IMF, Reuters’ Andrea Shalal scooped. BOOK CLUB: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in her new memoir “defends her vote reversing a half century of national abortion rights, declaring that Roe v. Wade usurped the will of the American people and ‘came at a cost,’” CNN’s Joan Biskupic reports. “CNN obtained access to Barrett’s memoir, in which the justice also takes on religious bias and details her decision-making process, revealing that her chambers once celebrated with champagne when other justices joined a ‘particularly tricky’ opinion of hers.” The book, “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution,” ($24.79) will be published on Sept. 9. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House is announcing its new group of distinguished visiting fellows: Julio Amador, Zack Beauchamp, Susan Biniaz, Eva Bordos, Sally Box, Agnes Callamard, Winston Chow, Kelley Eckels Currie, Jason Edwards, Satoshi Ezoe, Robert Habeck, Jennifer Hendrixson White, Carolina Jimenez, David Kaye, Aditi Kumar, Mark Malloch-Brown, Mami Mizutori, Richard Nephew, Radha Plumb, Jyotsna Puri and Samantha Vinograd. It’s also bringing on non-resident senior advisers Joseph Asunka, Hussein “Huss” Banai, Kenneth Braithwaite, Christopher Diaz, Khadeeja Naseem and Youssef Nassef. MEDIA MOVE — Gina Chua was named executive director of the Tow-Knight Center at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She currently is executive editor at Semafor, where she’ll remain executive editor-at-large, and is a Reuters and WSJ alum. TRANSITIONS — Amanda Eversole is now president and CEO of the Financial Services Forum. She previously was EVP and chief advocacy officer at the American Petroleum Institute. … Deb Haaland’s New Mexico gubernatorial campaign is staffing up with Dylan McArthur as campaign manager, Felicia Salazar as deputy campaign manager, Leah Johnson as finance director, Maggie Miller as digital director and Hannah Menchhoff as comms director. … Kate Smart is joining Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Senate campaign as comms director. She previously was comms director for NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and is a Bob Casey and Joe Biden campaign alum. … … Tina Lee is now manager of housing policy at the Economic Innovation Group. She is an NYC City Hall and National League of Cities alum. … The Edison Electric Institute is adding Rachael Marsh as chief legal officer (previously at Calpine Corporation), Emily Schillinger as chief comms officer (previously at the American Investment Council) and Kiel Weaver as chief advocacy officer (previously at NextEra Energy). … Applecart has added Tyler Brown and Jerilan Greene as senior managing directors. Brown previously was founder of Hadron Strategies, and is an RNC alum. Greene previously was at Yum! Brands. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) … Jess Fassler … NPR’s Don Gonyea … Newsmax’s James Rosen … former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) … J.P. Freire … former Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) … Zakiya Thomas … Dan Klaidman … Tom Manatos of Block … Gilead Sciences’ Bill Bode … Kris Balderston … Emily Porter of Sidecar Health … PBS’ Raney Aronson-Rath … Seth Gainer … Evan Viau of Cisco … Victoria Bonney of Rep. Frank Pallone’s (D-N.J.) office … Axiom Strategies’ Ethan Zorfas … Dylan Vorbach … AHIP’s Andrew Shine … Wyss Foundation’s Molly McUsic … Jennifer Haynes of Invariant … Lisa Barclay … POLITICO’s Michael Sanossian … Kevin P. Smith Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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