| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | |  It’s Donald Trump’s CPAC now, and it may well still be his Republican Party, too. | Getty Images | The Conservative Political Action Conference used to be a living monument of sorts to RONALD REAGAN, whose image was ubiquitous and whose remaking of conservatism laid the gathering’s political foundation. But it’s DONALD TRUMP’s CPAC now, and it may well still be his Republican Party, too. Trump merch and Trump support have dominated the first couple of days of the conference. Where Reagan iconography once proliferated, WSJ’s Alex Leary and John McCormick write from National Harbor that Trump has “refashioned the party into his own image, a brash form of populism illustrated on T-shirts sold in the vending booths. One depicted him as the ‘Trumpinator,’ wearing sunglasses and holding a gun. ‘I’ll be back,’ it read. Another showed him in a Superman-like costume.” And in a sign of just how thoroughly the Trump era transformed the GOP, a Trump confidant tells Axios’ Mike Allen and Josh Kraushaar that one of Trump’s main lines of attack against RON DeSANTIS will be to paint the Florida governor as a Reagan Republican in MAGA clothing. “There’s a pre-Trump Ron and there’s a post-Trump Ron,” the person says. “He used to be a Reagan Republican. That’s where he comes from. He’s now awkwardly trying to square his views up with the populist nationalist feeling of that party.” Trump has a five-pronged plan for damaging DeSantis, Allen and Kraushaar report: Hit DeSantis on his past support for cutting Social Security and Medicare; his disloyalty to Trump and likability issues; his PAUL RYAN ties; his Covid response as governor; and an insufficiently isolationist position on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump is rolling out a new suite of policy plans that amounts to an ambitious, next-generation version of his new morning in America, Meridith McGraw scooped today. Trump is calling for a contest to build as many as 10 new “Freedom Cities” from the ground up on federal land, encompassing everything from an industrial renewal sparked by the end of Chinese imports to “baby bonuses” that encourage having kids (paging CORY BOOKER!). Oh, and flying cars. (Or something close to them: “vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles,” essentially drones that could transport people.) Trump’s announcement video for the Freedom Cities plan reaches for grand reference points and a futuristic vision. His advisers liken the idea to DWIGHT EISENHOWER’s interstate highway system or TEDDY ROOSEVELT’s national park efforts. “Past generations of Americans pursued big dreams and daring projects that once seemed absolutely impossible,” Trump says. “But today, our country has lost its boldness. Under my leadership, we will get it back in a very big way. … Our objective will be a quantum leap in the American standard of living.” He’s expected to talk about his recent policy plans in his speech at CPAC on Saturday. Some conference attendees won audience seats for his speech via gold-wrapped chocolate bars under their seats today, WILLY WONKA-style. Where CPAC draws the line: Chair MATT SCHLAPP tweeted this morning that CPAC blocked white supremacist NICK FUENTES, who infamously dined with Trump last year, from attending. “[W]e are concerned about the rise in antisemitic rhetoric (or Jew hatred) in our country and around the globe, whether it be in the corridors of power and academia or through the online rantings of bigots like Fuentes,” Schlapp said. Elsewhere at the conference: VIVEK RAMASWAMY will call for the shutdown and replacement of the FBI, per Natalie Allison and Meridith. … NIKKI HALEY will blast President JOE BIDEN for not being tough enough on China, per Fox News’ Kelly Laco. … House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) said it’s “a lie” that he wanted BEAU BIDEN to have faced criminal charges, per The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg. Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
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Find out how Emergent perceives, prepares, and protects. | | | 2024 WATCH CASH DASH — DeSantis’ team is indicating to donors that he won’t travel for a fundraising event unless it raises $1 million — or, if he’s already in town, $500,000, NBC’s Jonathan Allen and Natasha Korecki report. It’s an ambitious goal to set as DeSantis heads toward a presidential bid. “The figures may be less consequential than the political truth they represent. DeSantis is in such high demand that donors are lining up to give him money rather than waiting for him to beg for it, allowing him to set a bar at the level of a sitting president or vice president.” REELECTION QUESTION — “How Biden leaves wiggle room to opt against reelection bid,” by AP’s Will Weissert: “[H]e’s leaving just enough room to back out of a race and focus instead on using such moves to cement his legacy. ‘I look at Biden from the outside, as a historian, and say, “Boy, if he stepped away now, his place in history is secure and extraordinarily positive,”’ said JEFFREY ENGEL, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. ‘That’s how a normal person thinks about these things. That’s not how a president thinks about these things.’” THE WHITE HOUSE PULL UP A CHAIR — Biden is close to picking his next nominee for Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, and he’s narrowed it down to two generals: frontrunner CHARLES Q. BROWN JR. and underdog DAVID BERGER, NYT’s Helene Cooper reports. Brown (known as “C.Q.”), chief of staff at the Air Force, would bring experience in the Pacific, a “firm and methodical” approach and rare racial diversity to the military’s top ranks. Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, has been a leader on innovation and has experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. “No matter which way Mr. Biden goes, the next chairman will be steeped in how to prepare the military for ‘great power conflict,’’ Cooper writes. “Neither man is the extrovert that is General [MARK] MILLEY.”
| | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | CONGRESS NOMINEE TRAVAILS — GIGI SOHN’s nomination for the FCC could be in trouble in the Senate, endangering Biden’s plans for a Democratic majority on the commission, Axios’ Hans Nichols reports. Sohn had a tough third (!) confirmation hearing last month, with vociferous opposition from Republicans and the Fraternal Order of Police. And Sen. JACKY ROSEN (D-Nev.) has voiced some skepticism about the nomination. Senate Commerce Chair MARIA CANTWELL (D-Wash.) still hasn’t scheduled a committee vote. — Senate Democrats’ ambitious plans to confirm judges are hitting some snags, too, with zero Senate Judiciary hearings scheduled for nominations this month, NBC’s Sahil Kapur reports. At the moment, the absences of Sens. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-Calif.) and JOHN FETTERMAN (D-Pa.) are one obstacle. But progressives are also fingering the “blue slip” tradition for delays. And Republicans have raised vocal concerns about nominees CHARNELLE BJELKENGREN and MICHAEL DELANEY. AN UNUSUAL POLITICIAN, PART I — “Future Democratic Hopeful Ro Khanna Takes On the Heartland From Silicon Valley,” by Bloomberg’s Mackenzie Hawkins: “With the public souring on Big Tech and President Joe Biden popularizing a ‘Made in America’ agenda, [Rep. RO] KHANNA is seizing on last year’s Chips Act, a massive bipartisan achievement that dedicates around $50 billion to making computer chips at home to reverse decades of production in Asia. The BERNIE SANDERS acolyte wants to replicate that formula in sectors like textiles, steel and offshore wind, pitching a ‘new economic patriotism’ that he estimates will cost $2 trillion over 10 years.” AN UNUSUAL POLITICIAN, PART II — “Statesman or Shitposter? J.D. Vance Makes His Entrance in Washington,” by Pablo Manríquez in Vanity Fair: “[Sen. J.D.] VANCE tells me he has begun conversations with his Senate colleagues about his proposal to make birthing free. ‘So you don’t have people who are caught off guard by unexpected insurance charges or they have the wrong anesthesiologist when they’re three minutes from birth and so they get financially ruined over,’ said Vance. ‘It’s just a question of willpower and resources … It sounds like a good idea to me.’ Then he attended [CPAC] on Thursday, where he sat onstage with TED CRUZ and attacked the very Democrats he’s been working with.” Plus: Vance reveals his favorite running song is The Wallflowers’ classic “One Headlight.” (“Come on try a little / Nothing is forever” …) THE FLOODGATES OPEN — Now that Biden has said he’ll sign Republicans’ bill to overturn a local D.C. crime law, Senate Democrats are feeling freer to jump on board: Sen. PATTY MURRAY (D-Wash.) told CNN’s Manu Raju that she’ll vote yes. THE BRAVE NEW WORLD — Artificial intelligence may be dominating headlines lately, but members of Congress are struggling to wrap their minds around it — let alone begin to regulate it, NYT’s Cecilia Kang and Adam Satariano report. “The inaction over A.I. is part of a familiar pattern, in which technology is again outstripping U.S. rule-making and regulation. … That means Washington is taking a hands-off stance as an A.I. boom has gripped Silicon Valley.” In the absence of new laws, more action around AI regulation is taking place at U.S. federal agencies or in the EU. ANNALS OF DIPLOMACY — Sen. BRIAN SCHATZ (D-Hawaii) tells The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey that Sen. MIKE LEE’s (R-Utah) Twitter campaign blasting Japanese PM FUMIO KISHIDA to get Lt. RIDGE ALKONIS released isn’t helpful. “The officer should be released,” Schatz says. “But that’s not the way we do diplomacy with our friends. The U.S.-Japan relationship remains the most important bilateral relationship that we have, bar none, and this is an immature way to try to get the result he’s working for.” But, but, but: The rep for Alkonis’ family says they appreciate Lee’s advocacy, and that criticism of his tweets is off-base. CLICKER — “Pretend you’re in Congress and we’ll give you a committee assignment,” by WaPo’s Camila DeChalus, Matthew Brown and Stephanie Hays
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE 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. 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | POLICY CORNER IMMIGRATION FILES — The big bet of Biden’s recent immigration moves is that if the U.S. offers asylum-seekers expanded opportunities to apply to come here legally, the number of illegal border crossings will drop, WSJ’s Michelle Hackman and Eric Bazail-Eimil report. And there are initial signs that it’s paying off: The number of Venezuelans at the border has plummeted in the past few months, for example. “What isn’t clear is whether the new program is targeting the same Venezuelans who already intended to migrate—or whether it has opened a new avenue for people to immigrate to the U.S. who may not have otherwise undertaken the perilous journey.” OPIOID FILES — A big policy change in the omnibus spending package Congress passed last year has made hundreds of thousands more doctors able to prescribe buprenorphine. That could majorly expand access to the anti-addiction medication across the country, NYT’s Noah Weiland reports from Baltimore. BEYOND THE BELTWAY DEMOCRACY WATCH — “Trump attorney reappointed to Wisconsin Supreme Court judicial conduct advisory committee,” by the Wisconsin State Journal’s Mitchell Schmidt THE NEW ABORTION LANDSCAPE — As abortion clinics have been forced out of states that ban the procedure, some have tried to move across state lines to nearby towns where it’s still legal. But in those places, abortion opponents are trying to use zoning changes and other local ordinances to block the relocations, AP’s Hilary Powell reports from Bristol, Va. It’s a reflection of the reality that the “politics of border towns and cities don’t always align with those in their state capitals.” AFTERNOON READ — “Alaska’s Fisheries Are Collapsing. This Congresswoman Is Taking on the Industry She Says Is to Blame,” by Adam Federman in Homer, Alaska, for POLITICO Magazine and Type Investigations: “MARY PELTOLA won her election by campaigning on a platform to save the state’s prized fisheries. A powerful fishing lobby is standing in her way.” PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION HQ2 GOOD 2 BE TRUE? — “Amazon says it is pausing construction at HQ2 in Arlington,” by WaPo’s Teo Armus and Rachel Lerman: “The tech giant said it has … plans in June to formally open Met Park, the first phase of construction in Arlington. But PenPlace, a larger phase that would take up more than 3 million square feet just a few blocks away, will be put on hold indefinitely.” PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITIONS — Michael O’Leary will be president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. He previously was SVP of government affairs at the Entertainment Software Association. … Vidhya Jeyadev is now press secretary for the House Ways and Means Dems. She previously was deputy press secretary for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). … … Timothy Doescher is now director of marketing for the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. He previously was an adviser for Coalition Communications and co-host of the Heritage Explains Podcast at the Heritage Foundation. … Daren Bakst will be a senior fellow and deputy director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment. He previously was a senior research fellow for environmental policy and regulation at the Heritage Foundation. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Kasie Hunt, anchor and chief national affairs analyst at CNN, and Matthew Mario Rivera welcomed Grey Hunt Rivera on Wednesday after a dramatic and sudden 13-minute labor at home, Angela Andaloro writes for People. She came in at 8 lbs, 4 oz, and joins older brother Mars. 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 editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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