| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba today called President Donald Trump’s letter “deeply regrettable.” | Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP | TRADING PLACES: President Donald Trump made clear today that there’s no wiggle room for his new Aug. 1 threat of hefty tariffs on 14 countries, along with however many more receive letters in the coming days. “There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change,” he posted on Truth Social. “No extensions will be granted.” It’s a shift from his administration’s recent changing deadlines and hedging. “No TACO Tuesday,” as POLITICO’s Nicole Markus writes. The latest details: The roller-coaster ride of Trump’s protectionist back-and-forth was reflected in stock markets, which so far today have vacillated between gains and losses, per Bloomberg. At his Cabinet meeting, Trump indicated that a deal with the EU is close: They’re “treating us very nicely,” he said. The president also said he’ll set a copper tariff rate of 50 percent — and floated a 200-percent rate for pharmaceuticals, though maybe not for a year or 18 months. The fallout: Trump’s plan to impose steep levies on countries that don’t strike deals by tomorrow’s deadline (or by “Liberation Day” take two on Aug. 1) has landed with a particular thud in Japan and South Korea. The two key U.S. trading partners and allies in East Asia are now scrambling to respond. Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba today said Trump’s letter was “deeply regrettable,” and a top party policy official called the U.S. move “extremely disrespectful,” per WaPo’s Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Rebecca Tan. Seoul searching: The new government in Seoul quickly held emergency meetings, while breathing a sign of relief for the extension. President Lee Jae Myung’s office, too, called parts of Trump’s letter “regrettable” afterward. Three weeks to go: The trouble for Japan, South Korea and others is that they’ve failed to dislodge Americans from hard-line trade positions over months of talks already. As WSJ’s Timothy Martin and Jason Douglas write, the two countries “are closely watched as a proxy for other U.S. trading partners,” because they have trade surpluses with the U.S. but also have major companies that could invest stateside. Autos, metals, rice and economic relations with China are all sticking points. Tokyo drift: Ishiba is especially stuck as he faces domestic political pressure to avoid job losses, with legislative elections in two weeks. And the breakdown between the U.S. and Japan has come as something of a surprise to both sides, which had labored to maintain a close relationship earlier in the year, NYT’s River Akira Davis reports. Japan’s strategy was to dangle big investments in the U.S. as a concession rather than lowering trade barriers on goods like rice — a plan that has “backfired spectacularly,” Reuters’ Tamiyuki Kihara and colleagues report. The view from Beijing: As Trump warned other countries against transshipping goods (likely from China), Chinese state media hit back today at U.S. efforts to upend the trade system or sideline China, per NBC. “If such situations arise, China will not accept them and will resolutely take countermeasures,” said the People’s Daily. Reality check: Though Trump’s threat has squeezed other countries, the delay to Aug. 1 also reflects that the sea change in global commerce he wanted “is proving harder and slower to execute than advertised,” Bloomberg’s Jenny Leonard writes. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
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WeDeliverForAmerica.org. | | | | | | 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. UKRAINE LATEST: In the wake of Trump’s 180 last night on sending more weapons to Ukraine, his national security team is due to meet today to plot out the details, CNN’s Kevin Liptak reports. The Patriot missiles, which are crucial for Ukraine to intercept some incoming Russian attacks, will be a particular focus. But Trump’s resumed shipments are still likely to include fewer Patriots than were initially planned, Axios’ Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid report, as the U.S. tries to find other sources (like Germany and Greece) to contribute. Notable quotable: Trump got even harsher in his newest assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin,” he said. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” 2. TRAIL MIX: Four months out from the Virginia gubernatorial election, Republicans are trying to run back their successful 2021 strategy, Semafor’s Dave Weigel reports from Vienna. The party still wants to hammer Democrats as too far left on culture wars, school and crime. But Democrats see an opening to seize the mantle on affordability issues and the fallout from Trump’s mass federal layoffs. 2026 watch: The House GOP-linked Congressional Leadership Fund is spending big to figure out how to turn out Trump voters for Republicans in the midterms, WSJ’s Lindsay Wise scooped. The group says it’s focused on “‘prosperity voters’ — people who value work and success.” And through polls and ads, CLF is investing in pitching those voters on Republicans’ big domestic-policy law. Cash dash: The Senate GOP-linked Senate Leadership Fund and its affiliates pulled in a whopping $85 million in the first half of the year, by far beating its previous off-year record of $38 million in 2023 over the same period, Axios’ Stef Kight scooped. … In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed raised $1.8 million since entering the race in the second quarter. Jumping in: Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones officially entered the GOP gubernatorial primary, tying himself closely to Trump in what could be a hotly contested race, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein. … Progressive Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb is the latest Democrat to enter an open-seat Philadelphia congressional primary, per the Philly Inquirer’s Julia Terruso. 2028 watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is in South Carolina for eight stops across two days, AP’s Meg Kinnard reports from Florence. Not to be outdone, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced he’ll make a swing through South Carolina this month with Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.). 3. THE BRAVE NEW WORLD: “A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials,” by WaPo’s John Hudson and Hannah Natanson: “U.S. authorities do not know who is behind the string of impersonation attempts but they believe the culprit was probably attempting to manipulate powerful government officials … Using both text messaging and the encrypted messaging app Signal … the impostor ‘contacted at least five non-Department individuals, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a U.S. member of Congress,’ said [a State Department] cable.” 4. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED: The Trump administration wants to shutter the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, as it has laid out in its fiscal year 2026 budget request. But the safety board, which investigates accidents, doesn’t even have opposition from the chemical industry, NYT’s Hiroko Tabuchi reports. The White House says the agency, which has a very small budget, is redundant. But “[t]he plan to dissolve the safety board is another blow to workplace safety at a time President Trump has already moved to make cuts at other federal agencies that protect workers.”
| | | | Playbook, the unofficial guide to official Washington, isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a podcast, too. With new co-hosts who bring unmatched Trump world reporting and analysis, The Playbook Podcast dives deeper into the power plays shaping Washington. Get the insider edge—start listening now. | | | | | 5. WHAT LINDA McMAHON IS UP TO: “Mass dismissals of Education Department civil rights complaints prompt concern from former officials,” by POLITICO’s Bianca Quilantan and colleagues: “The Education Department dismissed civil rights complaints at such a rapid clip this year that former officials and advocates are concerned about a core agency function amid Trump administration plans to make deep staffing cuts. In court documents filed last week, the department disclosed that its Office for Civil Rights dismissed 3,424 complaints between March 11 and June 27.” 6. FOR YOUR RADAR: HHS has started looking to fund vaccine development to tackle the Marburg virus and Sudan ebolavirus, which it labeled health security threats, NOTUS’ Margaret Manto reports. The move by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority isn’t particularly unusual — except that under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the agency has lately taken a number of steps to question or undermine vaccines. “Maybe don’t write about it,” one former official joked to NOTUS, for fear of drawing unwanted RFK Jr. attention. 7. INTERESTING READ: “How the GOP beat Democrats to a child care win,” by Vox’s Rachel Cohen Booth: “Lawmakers plan to invest $16 billion [from the GOP megabill] into three federal tax credit programs that haven’t been permanently updated in decades. That a Republican-led Congress would lead on new child care spending is unusual and reflects changing political priorities … Even Democrats, who made child care central to their social agenda, failed to deliver when they held unified control in 2021. … The new child care provisions — spearheaded primarily by Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama — deliver distinct nudges toward affordability, access, and infrastructure.” Related poll: A new AP-NORC Center survey finds that Americans would generally prefer for the government to focus more on child care costs than on pro-natalism. 8. DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSELY: An official White House list of corporate investments in the U.S. credits the “Trump effect” for spurring $2.6 trillion in economic development. But Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw finds that just about half of that money actually began under Joe Biden or was just “routine spending.” The White House responded to questions about the investments’ origins by saying that “President Trump is the greatest closer in modern history.” Speaking of lists: The Department of Government Efficiency’s “Greatest Hits” page touts the cancellation of a $20 million grant to tackle degrading infrastructure in Thomasville, Georgia. Without that money, low-income residents will continue to be “exposed to hazardous waste, radon, lead paint and polluted air” that have spiked asthma rates, NOTUS’ Mark Alfred reports. The EPA responds that it’s wasteful to spend money on such "environmental justice” concerns. 9. KNOWING DAN ‘RAZIN’ CAINE: “Trump’s New Favorite General,” by The Atlantic’s Mark Bowden: “Some of the people [Trump] has chosen seem keen mostly on the performative aspects of the job. … Caine does not fit this mold, and his selection was met with relief from the career military. He is known to be apolitical, and is genuinely liked. Where Trump is boisterous and self-aggrandizing, Caine is retiring and reflexively self-deprecating. The chairman is openly religious and prays over important decisions. … [But] Caine will find that it is hard to give advice to a man who feels he already knows best and prefers not to be contradicted.”
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We're American companies, making American products, with American workers, in America's hometowns. We're proud of what we do and how we do it. WeDeliverForAmerica.org. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Sergio Gor, whose origins have been a mystery, was born in the Soviet Union (in what is now Uzbekistan), the Times of Malta and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealed. The top White House staffer also spent part of his childhood in Malta. Jane Pauley will receive the Poynter Institute’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and Dean Baquet and Garry Trudeau will receive Distinguished Service to Journalism Awards, at this fall’s 50th-anniversary Bowtie Ball. Donald Trump is planning to go to the Club World Cup final Sunday. FIFA has also opened up a new office in Trump Tower. TRANSITIONS — Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is adding David Bergstein as comms director and elevating Jeff Giertz to staff director of Senate Democrats’ Strategic Communications Committee and Maya Krishna-Rogers to senior adviser, per Axios’ Stephen Neukam. Bergstein most recently was comms director of the DSCC. … Michael DeSantis is now senior adviser for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. He previously was executive director of American Commitment. … Robyn Shapiro is now senior adviser for the Senate Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. She previously was chief of staff at the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. … … Nicole Cornish will step down later this year as CEO of Avoq after eight years, per PRovoke’s Paul Holmes. … Peter Davis is now a partner at Jenner & Block. He previously was an associate at Latham & Watkins. … Asha Allam is now special counsel at Cooley. She most recently was acting general counsel and senior trial attorney at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. ENGAGED — Josh Jamison, policy adviser to Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Grace Davis, deputy chief of staff and comms director for Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.), got engaged Saturday at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. They met on the Hill, in Longworth. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Bethany Georgianni, comms manager for external affairs at Democracy Fund, and Brennan Georgianni, associate VP for government affairs and strategy at the American Cleaning Institute, recently welcomed Oscar Miller Georgianni. Pic BONUS BIRTHDAY: Treasury’s Caroline Farr 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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