| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | TWENTY-THREE YEARS LATER — “US commemorates 9/11 attacks with victims in focus, but politics in view,” by AP’s Jennifer Peltz: “Vice President KAMALA HARRIS and former President DONALD TRUMP are both expected to attend 9/11 observances at the World Trade Center in New York and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.”
|  Last night there was a dominant presence on stage in Philadelphia, and it sure wasn’t Donald Trump. | Alex Brandon/AP | HARRIS WINS — If there’s any one word to describe the secret to Trump’s success in business and politics, it’s dominance. In any given interaction, deal or debate, Trump relishes gaining the upper hand and relentlessly pressing his advantage, keeping his foes off-kilter and forcing them to fight on his own terms. Last night, however, there was a dominant presence on stage in Philadelphia, and it sure wasn’t Trump. For someone intensely mindful of stagecraft — he ranted over the weekend, after all, about the possible use of “boxes and artificial lifts” by his 5-foot-4 opponent — Trump appeared unsettled from the very first moments, when Harris nearly walked behind Trump’s lectern to force a handshake he clearly didn’t want to give. It was a “power move,” one Harris campaign official told us, and from then on — with very few exceptions — she was able to dictate the terms of the debate. The ultimate alpha male withered in the presence of an alpha female with a plan to take him on. Harris’s early moments (and a few others through the night, to be sure) came off as overly scripted, but she quickly figured out just how easily she could get under Trump’s skin. Talking about their respective economic plans less than 10 minutes into the debate, she mentioned how “the Wharton school has said … Donald Trump's plan would actually explode the deficit.” Trump couldn’t resist the mention of his alma mater — “Look, I went to the Wharton school of finance and many of those professors, the top professors, think my plan is a brilliant plan” — and on and on it went for the next hour-plus. On the crowds at his rallies. On his Republican critics. On the Central Park Five. On his peace talks with the Taliban. On how he’d been “fired by 81 million people” in 2020. “It’s astonishing he has taken the bait over and over and over again when everyone knew that was going to be her strategy,” one veteran Republican operative texted us last night. “She signaled weeks ago with her attempt to unmute the mics. But Trump is going to Trump.” While Trump’s allies made clear they wanted him to stick to his own policies, to Harris’ frequently changing positions and her role as President JOE BIDEN’s right-hand woman, he instead spent much of his time responding to what Harris wanted to have him talking about, only then clumsily pivoting to what he wanted to be talking about — usually immigration.
|  VP Kamala Harris’s early moments came off as overly scripted, but she quickly figured out just how easily she could get under Donald Trump’s skin. | AP | When Biden’s name did come up, it was often out of frustration over the midsummer ticket switch. At one point, rather than link Biden to Harris, Trump did the complete opposite: asserting without evidence that the incumbent “hates her.” Needless to say, the Harris campaign is pleased with their candidate’s performance, which they believe shored up key vulnerabilities — showing that she could be unscripted, think on her feet, avoid “word salad” moments and hold her own with Trump. (It certainly didn’t hurt that she also immediately afterward earned the single most coveted celebrity endorsement of the campaign — more on that below.) As for Trump, he is responding with trademark bluster, insisting on an overwhelming debate victory, while also encouraging attacks on ABC News moderators David Muir and Lindsey Davis: “I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!” Expect to hear plenty more from Republicans today about the moderation. Yes, it’s entirely true that Trump came in for more fact-checks and follow-ups than Harris did. (We were especially puzzled by the lack of follow-ups on a multi-pronged question about her changing positions, especially after Harris promised to “discuss … every point that you've made,” then discussed only fracking.) More on the ABC backlash But when the fact-checks have to do with matters such as infanticide being illegal and there being no credible reports of dog-eating in Springfield, Ohio, well, we will defer to CNN’s Abby Phillip: “[W]hen there is asymmetrical lying, there will be asymmetrical fact checking.” Tellingly, Trump hit the spin room after the debate to personally declare victory — something he has not done since 2016, and he will be on “Fox and Friends” later this morning, where we’ll get a fresh sense of where his head is at the morning after. The immediate question Trump is facing is whether to do it all over again. Harris comms guru BRIAN FALLON quickly threw down the challenge on X in the moments after the debate last night: “That was fun. Let’s do it again in October.” Trump, in comments in the spin room and on Truth Social was noncommittal: “Comrade Kamala Harris is going around wanting another Debate because she lost so badly.” More from WaPo’s Michael Scherer The ball might soon be back in Harris’ court: Fox News last night offered up three possible dates for a second round — Oct. 9 in Arizona, Oct. 15 in Georgia or Oct. 16 in North Carolina — and Trump suggested he might be open to debating in friendlier confines. Whether his attempts to move on start or end there is another question entirely. “The headline for the next few days will be how he lost this thing,” the GOP operative told us. “I expect him to do something drastic, whether it’s a campaign shake-up or some other wild antic, by the end of the week to change the upcoming news cycle.” Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk: At Novo Nordisk, our majority shareholder is a charitable foundation committed to improving people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. That lets us invest in early science and take risks for the benefit of patients as we drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases. | | | MORE DEBATE READS …
THE TAKES …
SPEAK NOW — TAYLOR SWIFT issued an endorsement for Harris last night, shortly after the conclusion of the debate. In her lengthy post on Instagram to her more than 283 million followers, Swift cited the recent controversial AI-generated images of Swift “endorsing” Trump, which the former president and his allies promoted. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift said of Harris before encouraging her followers to do their own research on the candidates and register to vote. Swift signed off on the post: “With love and hope, Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.” Asked for his instant reaction to Swift’s endorsement by CNN, Trump said: “I have no idea.” As for the Harris campaign, officials told NBC that Swift’s backing was a surprise. Walz found out about the endorsement live on MSNBC, telling Rachel Maddow he was “grateful” to Swift “as a cat owner.” More from Anthony Adragna
| 
Former GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte came out on top in the New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial primary. | Derek Stokely/WMUR-TV via AP | LAST NIGHT'S OTHER NEWS — The final congressional primary of 2024 went off last night, with most of the big-time results flowing in just as the debate was getting underway. Here’s a roundup of all the notable races: In New Hampshire: The marquee matchup of yesterday’s primaries saw MAGGIE GOODLANDER — a lawyer married to national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN — easily dispatch COLIN VAN OSTERN in the bruising Democratic primary for the seat Democratic Rep. ANN McLANE KUSTER is vacating. More from Ally Mutnick And former GOP Sen. KELLY AYOTTE inched closer to a political comeback, coming out on top in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Ayotte will face off against Democrat JOYCE CRAIG, who was most recently the mayor of Manchester, for New Hampshire’s open gubernatorial seat after GOP Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU decided to not seek another term. More from Madison Fernandez
|  Democratic state Sen. Sarah McBride will take on Republican John Whalen III in Delaware. | Kent Nishimura/Getty Images | | In Delaware: Democratic state Sen. SARAH McBRIDE will take on Republican JOHN WHALEN III for the seat being vacated by Dem Rep. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER. “If elected, McBride would be the first transgender person elected to federal office and the youngest elected official Delaware has sent to Washington since Joe Biden won a Senate seat in 1972,” the Delaware News Journal’s Xerxes Wilson writes. The gubernatorial race will see Democrat MATT MEYER take on state House Republican leader MIKE RAMONE, per the Journal’s Amanda Fries and Olivia Montes. As for outgoing Gov. JOHN CARNEY, he is “projected to win Wilmington’s mayoral election against former City Treasurer VELDA JONES-POTTER,” the Journal’s Anitra Johnson writes. COMING ATTRACTIONS — Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 17, for POLITICO’s AI & TECH SUMMIT: American Leadership, Security and Democracy. The summit will feature exclusive conversations on U.S. global competitiveness, election security, AI rulemaking, TikTok-era campaigning and what policies to expect from Harris or Trump administrations. Keynote guests include DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, Congress’ AI rule-writers Sen. MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.) and Rep. JAY OBERNOLTE (R-Calif.), Biden’s chief science and tech adviser ARATI PRABHAKAR and many more. RSVP to attend or watch here
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk:   Through revolutionary research, Novo Nordisk is transforming the lives of Americans with obesity and diabetes. | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate will meet at 11 a.m. to resume consideration of judicial nominations. The House will meet at noon to take up various legislation. 3 things to watch …
- First, the good news for Speaker MIKE JOHNSON: He managed to eke out a rule vote yesterday setting up a vote today on a six-month continuing resolution paired with a GOP voting bill — his preferred approach for funding the government past Sept. 30. The bad news is pretty much everything else: More rank-and-file Republicans came out against the plan yesterday, even as Trump urged the GOP to “CLOSE IT DOWN!!!” if the voting bill isn’t passed. If the math stays dismal this morning, expect Johnson to look for an off-ramp rather than risk a failed vote on the floor this afternoon.
- Congress was not in session amid last month’s Trump-related brouhaha at Arlington National Cemetery, but now that it is, three top House Democrats are getting involved, Connor O’Brien reports. Reps. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.), ADAM SMITH (D-Wash.), MARK TAKANO (D-Calif.) — ranking members of key oversight committees — said the Army must answer questions about the incident and “admonish” Trump for his actions, with “the integrity and honor of Arlington National Cemetery” and “longstanding rules, tradition, and norms requiring nonpartisanship in the U.S. military” at stake.
- Tough news for Rep. MARY PELTOLA (D-Alaska): She may have to share the November ballot with a fellow Democrat after all. Per Alaska’s News Source, a state judge late yesterday rejected a suit filed by the Alaska Democratic Party and ruled that ERIC HAFNER, who has never lived in Alaska and is now serving a 20-year federal prison sentence in New York, can remain on the four-name ranked-choice ballot. The party said it will appeal.
At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. At 8:30 a.m., Biden and Harris will participate in a 9/11 commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero in New York. In the afternoon, Biden will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where he and Harris will participate in a Flight 93 wreath laying ceremony. In the evening, Biden and Harris will participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the Pentagon before returning to the White House.
| | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD
|  Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine today to meet with officials. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | HOMING IN ON MISSILES — A band of House Republicans wrote a letter to Biden this week “urging him to lift the restrictions on the use of US-provided long-range weapons systems and allow Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia,” CNN’s Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler report. “The Republican lawmakers argue that the restrictions ‘have hampered Ukraine’s ability to defeat Russia’s war of aggression and have given the Kremlin’s forces a sanctuary from which it can attack Ukraine with impunity.’” The letter comes as Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, along with British Foreign Secretary DAVID LAMMY, visit Ukraine today to meet with officials who are expected to heavily push the two global powers to let them use long-range missiles, Joe Gould, Nahal Toosi and Paul McLeary report. But obstacles remain: Beyond the risk of escalating the war, U.S. officials say there’s a limited number of the missiles needed and that Russia has relocated its air assets out of range. FWIW: House Foreign Affairs Chair MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) said yesterday that he believes Blinken will tell Ukraine that its forces can use U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems across Russia’s border. But U.S. officials told CNN they are “not anticipating any policy changes when it comes to lifting restrictions.” More top reads:
MORE POLITICS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Playbook got a sneak peak at two new ad campaigns going up today, centering on two issues that are sure to animate a host of races this fall: Abortion and military service.
|  Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.)'s Senate campaign is going up with two new ads today as part of a multimillion-dollar campaign. | Bill Pugliano/Getty Images | In Michigan: Democratic Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN’s Senate campaign is going up with two new ads today as part of a multimillion-dollar campaign running on broadcast, cable and digital platforms, seeking to draw a sharp contrast with MIKE ROGERS on abortion. The first, “Timeline,” highlights Rogers’ record of supporting abortion restrictions during his time in Congress. Watch the 30-second spot The second ad, “Devastated,” features a Michigan resident named Sarah, who shares her experience of suffering five miscarriages that nearly cost her her life, saying that her ability to make her own medical decisions was crucial. “All of our options were terrible, but Mike Rogers thinks it's OK for politicians to make those medical decisions that saved my life,” she says in the ad. Watch the 30-second spot
| 
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) is going up with a six-figure ad campaign in the Golden State. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP | In California: Rep. KEN CALVERT (R-Calif.) is going up with a six-figure ad campaign featuring the parents of First Lieutenant DAVID SCHMITZ, an F-16 pilot who died in a training accident in 2020, that is starting on TV in Palm Springs and across the 41st Congressional District today. In the new ad, titled “The Same Commitment,” BRIAN SCHMITZ speaks about Calvert working across party lines to pass legislation to prevent future training accidents. “Our son had the commitment to do whatever it would take to serve his country, Ken Calvert has that same commitment,” David Schmitz says. Watch the 30-second spot More top reads:
- The Missouri Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a measure seeking to undo the state’s near-total abortion ban will appear on the ballot in November, AP’s Summer Ballentine reports from Jefferson City: “Judges ruled hours before the Tuesday deadline for changes to be made to the November ballot.”
- Meanwhile, abortion-rights activists in Nebraska will be testing out the merits of a novel approach this fall: adding conflicting measures to the ballot. NOTUS’ Oriana González has the details: “One would codify abortion access until fetal viability in the state’s constitution, and the other, which was designed in response to the first, would leave the state’s 12-week ban in place.”
CONGRESS HOW THE SAUSAGE DOESN’T GET MADE — Trump’s recent call to mandate access to in vitro fertilization through the government would require action by Congress. But if you ask the very lawmakers who Trump would need to get on board? A collection of “puzzled” congressional Republicans gave a “mix of skepticism and outright opposition across the party spectrum, from center-right to far-right lawmakers,” NBC’s Sahil Kapur and Dasha Burns report. “Some worried about the high cost of such a policy. Others confessed they don’t understand what he’s proposing to do. Yet others wondered aloud whether Trump was serious. And numerous Trump allies said his announcement, in an interview with NBC News last month, came as a surprise to them.” “I think that’s opening up a door that Republicans aren’t willing to open,” Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) said. “I got the sense maybe it was something that he thought of on his own and wanted to float out there,” Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) said. To wit: “None of the Republicans who spoke to NBC News said they had heard from Trump directly about his proposal, either, though it would need to be passed by Congress to become law.”
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk:   Novo Nordisk's revolutionary pharmaceutical research is transforming the lives of Americans with obesity and diabetes. At Novo Nordisk, we take the long view of health. | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY ON THE GROUND IN OHIO — Ohio GOP Gov. MIKE DeWINE said yesterday that the state is planning to “send law enforcement and millions of dollars in healthcare resources to the city of Springfield as it faces a surge in temporary Haitian migrants that has landed it in the national spotlight,” AP’s Julie Carr Smyth reports. DeWine said “he doesn’t oppose the Temporary Protected Status program under which some 15,000 Haitians have arrived in the city of about 59,000 people since 2020, but said the federal government must do more to help impacted communities.” Meanwhile: The “father of an 11-year-old Ohio boy who was killed last year when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant struck his school bus said Tuesday that Donald Trump and JD Vance were ‘morally bankrupt politicians’ who were using his deceased son as a political tool,” NBC’s David Ingram reports. Related read: “White House condemns Republican comments on Haitian immigrants: ‘Based on an element of racism,’” by Emmy Martin THE MOUNTING MORASS — “Firm Run by Brother of Top N.Y.C. Officials Is Focus of Bribery Inquiry,” by NYT’s Dana Rubinstein, William Rashbaum, Amy Julia Harris, Bianca Pallaro and Michael Rothfeld: “The inquiry appeared to be in its early stages, and the outlines of the suspected bribery scheme and whom it may have involved were not immediately clear." Related reads: “Mounting probes test Adams’ trademark loyalty to those in peril,” by Jeff Coltin, Sally Goldenberg and Michael Gartland THE ECONOMY MEGATREND — “U.S. Incomes Climbed Last Year, Census Bureau Says,” by WSJ’s Jon Kamp and Paul Overberg: “Inflation-adjusted median household income was $80,610 in 2023, up 4% from the 2022 estimate of $77,540, the bureau said in its annual report card on households’ financial well-being. This move returned incomes to about where they were in 2019.” BASEL FAULTY — “Fed Backpedals on Plan to Increase Big Bank Capital,” by WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy
| | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Joe Wilson is in the hospital after collapsing at an event in D.C. Laura Loomer traveled with Trump to the debate. Mitch McConnell met with Evan Gershkovich. Rick Scott isn’t falling in with the GOP’s racist immigration talking points. Chappell Roan explained why she turned down the White House’s invitation to perform at a Pride Month celebration. Franco Nuschese was awarded with the distinction of Magister di Civiltà Amalfitana in Italy. OUT AND ABOUT — Bari Weiss’ The Free Press with FIRE hosted one of their America Debates at the Capital Turnaround last night before the Trump-Harris showdown. NYT’s David Leonhardt and The Nation’s Bhaskar Sunkara took on Tyler Cowen from Mercatus and Reason’s Katherine Mangu-Ward in front of a sold-out crowd, where they argued about whether the American Dream is alive and well. There was also an after party where attendees crammed in to watch the presidential debate while sipping on custom drinks. SPOTTED at the after party: Robby Hoffman, Greg Lukianoff, Nico Perrino, Amy Smilovic, John Donvan, Aaron Sibarium, Anton Vuljaj, Dana Beyer, Uri Berliner, Isaac Grafstein, Jamie Kirchick, Reuel Gerecht, Mary Katharine Ham, Emily Yoffe, Olly Wiseman and Nick Gillespie. — Moffitt Cancer Center hosted its annual fly-in reception at the Florida House last night, where CEO Patrick Hwu’s band “The ReMissions” played a set with Reps. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) on the guitar and drums. SPOTTED: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), Julia Letlow (R-La.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.). Pics MEDIA MOVE — Liza Pluto is joining WaPo as director of comms. She previously was media relations and issues manager on the global external communications team at Mars Incorporated. The announcement FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Bill McGinley is joining The Article III Project as senior counsel. He previously was a partner at both The Vogel Group and Holtzman Vogel Josefiak Torchinsky and is a Trump White House alum. — Derek Osborn and Maria Reynolds are joining Sen. James Lankford’s (R-Okla.) office. Osborn will be chief of staff and most recently was director of federal relations at Oklahoma State University. Reynolds will be comms director and most recently was deputy comms director and speechwriter for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). TRANSITIONS — J.A. Green & Co. is adding Shannon Green as SVP of government affairs, Eddie “Fonz” Crossman as VP of government affairs, and Aaron Onoff and Neha Shridhar as research associates. Green is a House Armed Services and House Intelligence alum. Crossman is a retired Navy captain who most recently worked in several legislative affairs role for the Navy. … Alicia Walden-Bryan is now a staff assistant/legislative correspondent for Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). She is a former intern for the House Rules Committee Democrats and is a Raúl Grijalva alum. … … Kevin Boland has joined JPMorganChase’s corporate responsibility team as an executive director leading strategic comms. He previously was director of corporate affairs at Saab and is a John Boehner and Kay Granger alum. … Bailey Childers is now VP of external relations at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She previously was VP of external relations at the German Marshall Fund. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) … Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo … WaPo’s Ben Terris and Robin Givhan … Barbara Starr ... Matt Johnson of the Klein/Johnson Group … POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill, Joe Schatz and Michael Shushan … Lee Verstandig … Michael Hardaway … Michael Maitland … Claude Marx … Eric Lausten of Husch Blackwell Strategies … Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies … former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson … former Solicitor General Ted Olson … former Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) ... Sammy Yaish … Jon Downs of FP1 Strategies … NBC’s Pete Breen … Cyrus Artz … DLA Piper’s Tom Boyd ... Emy Lesofski ... Kyle Gerron … Bob McNally … Markos Moulitsas … Rebecca Angelson of Rep. Bob Latta’s (R-Ohio) office … Rebecca Brubaker … Emily Esfahani Smith … Claire Rizer 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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from Novo Nordisk: The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded thousands of grants worth approximately $5 billion over the last five years towards three focus areas: health, sustainability, and the life science ecosystem—including more than $1.3 billion in grants in 2023. Learn more at http://www.novonordisk.com. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
