| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro
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| Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. Boy, do we have news today.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | TRUMP INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Playbook’s very own Dasha Burns sat down with President Donald Trump at the White House yesterday for an in-depth interview with the world’s most powerful man. In a special edition of “The Conversation” published this morning, Trump makes headline news regarding Europe, America and the future of the GOP. Must watch: Over an extended 45-minute interview, Trump — pitching himself as “the most transparent politician maybe in the world” — offers a brutally candid verdict on America’s NATO allies. He also delivers a glowing assessment of the U.S. economy, despite polls consistently showing Americans are struggling with the cost of living. He makes clear any new Fed chair will be expected to cut interest rates next year. And he offers a stark warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as U.S. military activity grows in the Caribbean. The interview comes in the week that Trump tops the POLITICO 28 list of the most powerful people in Europe expected to shape politics and policy on the continent in the year ahead. Those who have been recognized in the past include Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Polish PM Donald Tusk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. See the full POLITICO 28 list Essential links: Watch the video … Listen and subscribe to “The Conversation” … Read the full transcript … Listen to the Playbook Podcast Trump interview highlights:
- In a blistering broadside against America’s allies, Trump said most European nations are “decaying” and derided fellow NATO leaders as “weak.”
- He said Russia has the upper hand in the Ukraine war and called on Zelenskyy to cut a deal and start “accepting things.”
- Trump rated the U.S. economy under his leadership as an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus,” and insisted prices for hard-pressed consumers are coming down — even as Americans continue to feel the pinch of high prices.
- He said immediately cutting interest rates will be a litmus test for whomever he appoints as Fed chair next year.
- He said Maduro’s “days are numbered” as leader of Venezuela and refused to rule out deploying U.S. troops on the ground.
- And he mused on the quality of his possible 2028 Republican successors, warning: “You never really know until they get tested.”
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President Donald Trump speaks with Dasha for a special episode of "The Conversation" at the White House on Monday, Dec. 8. | Jesse Dittmar for POLITICO | FIRST READ THIS: POLITICO’s senior executive editor Alex Burns lays it out in this must-read piece, published moments ago on our website. “Trump denounced Europe as a ‘decaying’ group of nations led by ‘weak’ people in an interview with POLITICO,” Alex writes, “belittling the traditional U.S. allies for failing to control migration and end the Russia-Ukraine war, and signaling that he would endorse European political candidates aligned with his own vision for the continent.” “The broadside attack against European political leadership represents the president’s most virulent denunciation to date of these Western democracies, threatening a decisive rupture with countries like France and Germany that already have deeply strained relations with the Trump administration.” What Trump said: “I think they’re weak,” he said of Europe’s political leaders, “but I think they also want to be so politically correct.” He added: “I think they don’t know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do.” And there’s more: “Trump matched that blunt, even abrasive, candor on European affairs with a sequence of stark pronouncements on matters closer to home,” Alex writes. “He said he would make support for immediately slashing interest rates a litmus test in his choice of a new Federal Reserve chair. He said he could extend anti-drug military operations to Mexico and Colombia. And Trump urged conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, both in their 70s, to stay on the bench.” “Trump’s comments about Europe come at an especially precarious moment in the negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, as European leaders express intensifying alarm that Trump may abandon Ukraine and its continental allies to Russian aggression,” Alex adds. “In the interview, Trump offered no reassurance to Europeans on that score and declared that Russia was obviously in a stronger position than Ukraine.” Read Alex’s full analysis Meanwhile in London: The interview took place shortly after Zelenskyy met with the leaders of America’s top European NATO allies — Britain, France and Germany — to discuss the latest version of Trump’s peace proposal. Afterward, Zelenskyy gave no indication he is prepared to willingly hand over Ukrainian land, as Trump and Putin want. “Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything,” Zelenskyy said. “So far there has been no compromise.”
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| | | | THE BIG PICTURE: In a newly published “Altitude” column, POLITICO founder and global editor-in-chief John Harris writes that this interview lands “at a highly fluid moment in the nearly eight-decade post-World War II alliance between the United States and Europe.” John writes: “There was debate in our newsroom about how much the new National Security Strategy released by the White House last week — a document warning of Europe’s ‘civilizational erasure’ — really reflected Trump’s input, as opposed to that of zealous advisers and policy warriors on his team. Do we really imagine Trump taking breaks from Truth Social and cable TV news to immerse himself in a foreign policy manifesto? He may well not have read it. But there can be no mistaking that in the ways that matter — the strategy’s ideological, cultural, and even psychological foundations — he is its primary author.” “[Dasha] Burns asked Trump whether his harsh comments about European allies were a form of ‘tough love,’ designed to stiffen spines and inspire reform, or were actually expressions of contempt toward those he doesn’t want to be allies with at all. He didn’t answer that question with precision, but his words were revealing even so: ‘I think they’re weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct. I think they don’t know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do.’ It was clear that when Trump says ‘Europe’ he actually has a critical distinction in mind. Western Europe is the target of his ire.” Read John’s column
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Trump speaks with Dasha at the White House. | Jesse Dittmar for POLITICO | TRUMP’S VIEW OF THE HOMELAND: Trump had big things to say on the U.S. economy, immigration and the future of the Republican Party after he leaves the White House. POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly picks out the seven key takeaways from the interview. They include Trump floating further carveouts on tariffs to help struggling families, delivering a fierce defense of his focus on foreign affairs — and offering precious little clarity on the Obamacare subsidies due to expire this month. Read Megan’s takeaways (for Pro subscribers) AND THERE’S MORE: Your Playbook author would also note that Trump says he has watched the video of the now-infamous second missile strike on a Venezuelan boat on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors (“It looked like they were trying to turn back over the boat,” Trump said, “but I don't get involved in that.”) … Refers to Zelenskyy as “P.T. Barnum” … Says he’s open to meeting Pope Leo XIV … And reveals he was moved to pardon the drug-trafficking ex-president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, after “very good people that I know … asked me to do it.” And on domestic politics: Trump sounds fascinatingly uncertain about the prospect of his GOP successor in 2028 successfully energizing the same voter coalition. “I hope so,” Trump says. “I don’t know. You never know until they’re tested. You know, it’s like, uh, you jump in the water; you can swim or you can’t. … I think we have a very good bench. … But you never know.”
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| | | | BEST OF THE REST FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rahm’s policy push: Rahm Emanuel thinks the U.S. should mirror Australia’s child social media ban and will push lawmakers in a new video today to help block kids under 16 from most social media platforms, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky scoops. It’s one of many policies Emanuel is hammering out as he eyes a bid for the White House in 2028. “Emanuel, asked if his proposed social-media ban would be key to his platform should he run for president, said ‘anything that allows us to keep focus on improving academic standards and protecting our children on a public-health basis is going to be a priority.’” POTUS ROADSHOW: Trump is taking his affordability messaging to Pennsylvania today at 6:10 p.m. to discuss his plan to tackle voters’ cost-of-living concerns, per AP’s Josh Boak and Marc Levy. “The president’s reception in the county hosting his Tuesday rally could give a signal of just how much voters trust his claims. Monroe County flipped to Trump in the 2024 election after having backed Biden in 2020, helping the Republican to win the swing state of Pennsylvania and return to the White House after a four-year hiatus.”
| | | | Transition of Power: What's Next for Virginia Join POLITICO in Richmond on Dec. 9 for dynamic conversations on the transition of power in the commonwealth and the future political stakes for Virginia residents.
Key speakers include Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Senate Republican Leader Ryan McDougle, and Virginia House Speaker Don Scott.
The event will be in-person and streamed live, and participants can request to join here. | | | | | CONCEPTS OF A PLAN: As the year-end deadline for Obamacare subsidy hikes looms, Senate Republicans are floating several health care plans in search of a solution, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney reports. Expect more to come later today following the conference’s weekly lunch meeting. First in Playbook: Morning Consult is out with new polling comparing how dueling subsidy plans from Democrats and Republicans are playing with the electorate. An online survey of 2,201 registered voters found that 58 percent say Congress should extend the subsidies, while 24 percent say it should let them expire. Full toplines here DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “US to allow powerful AI chip sales to China, Trump says,” by POLITICO’s Ari Hawkins and colleagues: “Trump said Monday that he authorized Nvidia to sell its powerful H200 artificial-intelligence chip in China in exchange for taking 25 percent of the revenue — a major win for the U.S. chipmaker that caps weeks of internal deliberations.”
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Explore Phil's story. | | | | TRUMP’S PLAN FOR CNN: “Behind Paramount’s Relentless Campaign to Woo Warner Discovery and President Trump,” by WSJ’s Joe Flint and colleagues: “During a visit to Washington in recent days, David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he’d make sweeping changes to CNN … Trump has told people close to him that he wants new ownership of CNN as well as changes to CNN programming. … Trump has told aides he wants to be kept regularly apprised of any potential antitrust probe into Netflix’s deal for Warner.” ANOTHER ONE GONE: “Alina Habba steps down as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor,” by POLITICO’s Erica Orden and Ry Rivard: “Habba’s decision to vacate the position was an unexpected twist in the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to circumvent the Senate confirmation process … The administration could have kept her in the job while appealing last week’s ruling by a panel from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court.”
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➡️ Learn more about Pro Briefings | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | DRESS UP SMART AND … WORK OUT? Sean Duffy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. participated in a pull-up demonstration yesterday at Reagan airport, per C-SPAN. TONIGHT IN D.C.: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will headline a discussion on political violence at the National Cathedral, POLITICO’s Samuel Benson writes in. Both men have dealt with high-profile incidents of violence in recent months — for Shapiro, a firebombing at the governor’s mansion during Passover, and for Cox, the September killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. According to the POLITICO Poll in October, a majority of Americans expect politically motivated violence to continue. The goal of the conversation, a Shapiro spokesperson said, is to show “how both governors are working to bring people together to restore people's faith in our institutions.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) is riding the Hoosiers’ high. Fresh off Indiana University’s win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship this past weekend, Banks is introducing a resolution seeking to rename a post office in Bloomington, Indiana, after Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers’ head football coach. Read the resolution OUT AND ABOUT — Silicon Valley AI entrepreneur Noosheen Hashemi hosted a “Toast to Christmas” at The Executive Branch last night. SPOTTED: Vince Haley, Dario Gil, Adam Boehler, Stephen Miran, Alicia Jackson, Paul Dabbar, Alexa Henning, Conner Prochaska, David and Adele Malpass, Michelle “Miki” Bowman, Pierre Yared, Paolo Zampolli, Matt Baker, Jason Miller, Taylor Budowich, Steve Clemons, Mike Sommers, David Wilezol, Stephen Renna and Andrew Loomis. MEDIA MOVE — Tucker Wilson is now a publicist at Versant. He previously worked for MS NOW. TRANSITIONS — Kraken has added Sarah Milby as senior manager of policy and market structure for Americas and Eric Peterson as senior manager of policy and government relations. Milby previously worked at the Blockchain Association. Peterson previously worked at the Satoshi Action Fund. … Virginia Boney Moore is now director for federal affairs at Netflix. She most recently worked at Amazon and is a Trump 1.0 White House, Commerce, and Lindsey Graham alum. … … Michael Lebovitz will be SVP of International Tax Policy for the U.S. Council for International Business. He previously worked at Eversheds Sutherland. … Akerman has added Jonathan Wright as a partner in its D.C. office. He previously worked at WilmerHale. … Abby Ledoux is now comms director for Reproductive Freedom for All. She previously worked at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. ENGAGED — Maddie Lewis, a senior policy associate at Solv Energy, and Daniel Schwartz, an applied scientist at Amazon Web Services, got engaged in Cape May, New Jersey. They had their first date walking along the monuments on the National Mall at night. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jill Colvin, a national political reporter with the AP, and Jeremy Herb, a national security reporter at CNN, recently welcomed twin girls, Brooke Louise Colvin-Herb and Gemma Raine Colvin-Herb. They were born one minute apart and came in just under 6 lbs each. Pic … Another pic — Julie (Orsini) Farmer, VP of public affairs at Prosek Partners, and Harrison Farmer, an attorney at Jones Day, welcomed Celeste Hale Farmer on Nov. 10. Pic … Another pic — Emily Hytha, senior director at Lumen, and Ian Foley, policy director for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, welcomed Sloane Foley on Saturday. She joins big sister Addison. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) … Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin … Wendell Primus … POLITICO’s Kaitlyn Olvera … The Boston Globe’s James Pindell … Brian McGuire of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck … former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle … Tamara Cofman Wittes … Shoshana Weissmann … Brunswick Group’s Neal Wolin … Terry Moran … Veronique Rodman … Google’s Cris Turner … Aniela Butler … Megan Devlin of Deloitte … Karen Harbert of the American Gas Association … FGS Global’s Eric Wachter … K&L Gates’ Darrell Conner … Andrew Ricci of Riccon Strategic Communications … Emily Kopp … Tricia Enright of the Senate Commerce Committee … John E. Smith … Scott Schloegel of the Motorcycle Industry Council … former Reps. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas) and Pete Olson (R-Texas) … Laena Fallon … Eric Garcia … Jessica Furst Johnson … Anne Bradbury … Anti-Defamation League’s Andrea Goldstein … Alexandra DeSanctis Marr 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 deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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