| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro On the Playbook Podcast: Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly offer their verdicts on Donald Trump’s performance at the Kennedy Center last night. Plus — the president’s power is put to the test at the Supreme Court.
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| Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, fresh off a debut trip to Baltimore yesterday to watch an inspired Aaron Rodgers rolling back the years. But the highlight? Definitely the crab cakes. ABOUT LAST NIGHT — The first reviews are in … and it seems Donald Trump’s performance at the Kennedy Center Honors wasn't half bad. The president had expected to get panned by critics after appointing himself emcee of the center’s flagship annual awards. But the president is nothing if not a showman. And even WaPo — the first recipient of the White House's “Media Offender of the Week” award — sounded quite impressed with last night’s show. “He’s been loose and funny,” WaPo’s Dan Diamond reported from the Kennedy Center. “And his delivery is far tighter and on-script than usual speeches.” The audacity of Hope: Trump had suggested before the show that he’d done little or no preparation, as “you want to be a little bit loose” hosting an event like this. His role models, he said, would be Johnny Carson and Bob Hope. In the end, the president did 20 minutes of questions on the red carpet, plus 37 “freewheeling” minutes on stage, per WaPo — not bad for 79-and-a-half years old. It did rather bring to mind the classic Bob Hope line: “My secret for staying young is good food, plenty of rest — and a makeup man with a spray gun.” Eyes on the prize: Asked if he could imagine one day receiving an honor from the Kennedy Center, Trump responded with a grin: “Yeah, I think I’m going to nominate myself for next year.” The MAGA-supporting audience in the Kennedy Center lapped it all up, WaPo reports. The rest of us will have to wait until Dec. 23, when the program airs on CBS, to make up our minds. In today’s Playbook … — A year into his presidency, Trump continues to expand his power in extraordinary ways. — U.S. farmers in line for $12 billion windfall. — Zelenskyy back in the firing line as Trump pushes another peace plan.
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President Donald Trump's unprecedented expansion of presidential power is going before the Supreme Court. | AP | THE POWER OF THE PRESIDENCY: This morning’s hotly anticipated case at the Supreme Court looks set to enshrine one of the landmark achievements of Trump 2.0 — the permanent expansion of executive power. FTC-ya: Justices will today hear arguments in the case of Slaughter v. Trump, an attempt by former Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter to overturn her firing by the president earlier this year. She may not be a household name, but Slaughter's job prospects are now central to the future formation of the federal government. Lamb to the Slaughter: A Democratic ex-counsel to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Slaughter was reconfirmed in her FTC role by the Senate last year. In theory, her appointment was protected from political interference by statute, backed up by a 90-year-old Supreme Court judgment. But Trump fired her anyway — and now SCOTUS is being asked to uphold his decision by overturning that original 1935 Supreme Court judgement, which found certain key appointments should be protected from presidential whims. The stakes are high. This case presents “one of the most important questions over the last century on the workings of the federal government,” says John Yoo, who served as a Justice Department lawyer under President George W. Bush. “The future of the independence of the administrative state is at issue.” So much winning: Conservative proponents of the “unitary executive” theory — that presidents should wield ultimate power over all appointments — are confident the Supreme Court will rule in their favor, given past judgments. “Without issuing definitive rulings, the justices have let stand almost every Trump firing that has reached them,” as POLITICO legal ace Josh Gerstein notes. The case is emblematic of a president who, almost a year into his second term, is still shattering norms and upending precedents on a weekly basis.
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Explore the impact in communities like Altoona. | | | | Here’s another one: Last night Trump made clear he will personally weigh in on one of the biggest media deals of the coming year — Netflix’s proposed $72 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Most previous holders of the office would have been careful to steer clear, in public at least, of a proposed merger like this. By contrast, Trump is flaunting his influence. Nice merger you got there: “That's got to go through a process, we'll see what happens,” Trump told reporters last night. “Netflix is a great company … They have a very big market share. And when they have Warner Bros, that market share goes up a lot. So I don’t know. That’s gonna be for some economists to tell, and I’ll be involved in that decision too … But it is a big market share, no question about it. Could be a problem.” Friends with benefits: Bloomberg revealed that Netflix boss Ted Sarandos recently visited Trump in the White House to discuss the possibility of a deal. Trump had previously been thought to favor a rival bid from Paramount Skydance, which is led by the president’s ally David Ellison. Given the expensive contortions that Paramount went through to avoid the wrath of the White House during its own merger with Skydance, it’s well worth watching how this latest Trump power play rolls out. And of course … Trump’s showmanlike performance at the Kennedy Center last night was itself an unprecedented show of presidential power, as my Playbook colleague Garrett Ross wrote yesterday. Trump wants to impose his world view onto every aspect of American life, and has no qualms about the lengths he’s prepared to go to do it.
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| | | | The problem: Fighting culture wars and trying to bend the media landscape to your will is all very well, but there are those in the White House who would rather the president was a little more focused on the matter in hand — i.e. defeating the Democrats at the midterms next year. Trump’s top team believes that will require a relentless focus on affordability, and to that end Trump will head to Pennsylvania tomorrow for his first big domestic speech on the cost of living since the GOP’s crushing election defeats last month. He needs to move fast: Business executives and analysts tell POLITICO’s Daniel Desrochers that Trump’s tariffs will send prices rising further next year. “Major retailers like Kohl’s, Abercrombie, Williams-Sonoma and Under Armour have all warned of price increases starting as early as late December or January,” he reports. So the big question is which version of Trump will show up tomorrow — the one the White House is hoping for, who explains how a raft of new Republican policies are designed to make everyday life more affordable; or the one we’ve all been watching throughout the fall, who keeps telling people the whole affordability thing is just a Democrat hoax. The irony is that White House policies designed to help those who are struggling are coming thick and fast. Key tariffs have already been rolled back. This weekend we saw a Biden-style investigation into food industry prices. The WSJ reports Trump aides are trying to figure out specific ways to bring down the cost of beef. And this afternoon’s big story will be a new $12 billion support package for struggling farmers, per a big scoop from Bloomberg’s Skylar Woodhouse and Gerson Freitas Jr. The president will hold a roundtable event in the White House at 2 p.m. with a large group of farmers, as well as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, per Bloomberg. “The action echoes support Trump offered during his first term, when the U.S. and China were also locked in a trade war,” Bloomberg reports, “and comes amid mounting frustration from lawmakers in the president’s own party over the economic pain farmers are experiencing and growing calls to address the issue ahead of next year’s midterm elections.” Expect affordability to dominate the afternoon again.
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| | | | WAR AND PEACE LONDON CALLING: Trump has piled fresh pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the Ukrainian president meets with key NATO allies in London this morning. In brief but potentially significant comments at the Kennedy Center last night, Trump claimed Russia is “fine” with the latest version of a peace deal being hammered out by his administration. But he had harsh words for Zelenskyy, who he suggested was not up to speed with the latest developments. “I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal — that was as of a few hours ago,” Trump told reporters. “Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it. But he isn’t ready.” It was unclear if Trump was referring to a new version of the peace plan following envoy Steve Witkoff’s trip to Moscow last week. Neither side has responded to his comments yet — though that will likely change in the next few hours, with Zelenskyy in London today to meet top European allies including British PM Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Congress steps in: There was better news for Ukraine from the Hill, where a compromise version of the sprawling NDAA defense legislation dropped last night. The legislation endorses an $8 billion topline increase of the Pentagon’s budget. Just as significantly, it places strict limits on any future troop reductions in Europe and South Korea; and offers $400 million for Ukraine security assistance, POLITICO’s Connor O’Brien reports. What NATO is reading: “[Both] House and Senate-passed defense bills reflected bipartisan concerns that the Trump administration would seek to significantly reduce the U.S. military footprint in Europe,” Connor writes. “Both measures included language that imposes requirements the Pentagon must meet before trimming military personnel levels on the continent below certain thresholds.” LATEST FROM GAZA: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu signaled yesterday that Israel and Hamas are “shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire,” as only one hostage body remains left in Gaza, AP’s Melanie Lidman and Kirsten Grieshaber report. Netanyahu said the second phase could begin by the end of December — and would include disarming Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the establishment of an international security force. Hamas is open to discussing “freezing or storing” its weapons, per AP. But the thorny question of who will lead Palestinian territories still lies ahead, WaPo’s Louisa Loveluck writes. Related peace news: “Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as Trump’s peace agreement hangs in balance,” by CNN’s Kocha Olarn and colleagues LATEST FROM THE CARIBBEAN: The simmering tension over the strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels near Venezuela shows little sign of subsiding as Democratic lawmakers sound alarms over the campaign. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) called the strikes “unconstitutional,” and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called the strikes “murder,” per POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels. More are calling for the release of the full footage of the “double-tap” strike on Sept. 2, an idea that isn’t raising any objections from Trump or GOP members, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), per AP. NOW READ THIS: Trump is facing plenty of issues at home: from affordability concerns, a looming health care cliff and a Republican Party wrestling with a future beyond his leadership. But at the Doha Forum this weekend, none of that really mattered, POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi reports in her latest Compass column from Doha, Qatar. “The U.S. president remains a behemoth in the eyes of the rest of the world. A person who could wreck another country. Or perhaps the only one who can fix another country’s problems … Some members of the jet set wondered if Trump’s domestic struggles will lead him to take more risks abroad — and some hope he does.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | TRAIL MIX RED-LIGHT REDISTRICT: It’s a big week for Hoosiers, with the Indiana state Senate set to convene today to consider the new congressional map approved by Republicans in the state House last week. As jockeying continues behind the scenes, the proposed map is expected to be put to a vote on Thursday. It’s one of the biggest stress tests yet for Trump’s nationwide push to gerrymander maps in favor of Republicans, POLITICO’s Adam Wren and Brakkton Booker write this morning. The final push: Speaker Mike Johnson, who has previously said he was staying out of the fray, has been calling reluctant Republican state senators to make the case. “One Indiana Republican elected official briefed on the calls said Johnson’s ‘soft touch’ with lawmakers may be moving the needle,” Adam and Brakkton report. And the issue is clearly playing on Trump’s mind: he brought up Indiana redistricting to visitors yesterday at a White House Christmas party attended by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun. Reality check: The big question of whether local Republican opposition will hold in the face of sustained White House pressure remains. As of now, “three Indiana Republicans close to the process — and granted anonymity to appraise support — said they do not believe there are currently enough votes in the Senate for the map to pass,” Adam and Brakkton report. ONE TO WATCH: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) — who has emerged as a favorite foil of Trump’s and frequent subject of his Truth Socials — is due to decide today whether she’ll jump into the Texas Senate race or opt to run for reelection. Crockett said she has drafted up the requisite checks for both scenarios and she and Rep. Marc Veasey, “a fellow Dallas Democrat dealing with the gerrymandered breakup of his current seat, have already discussed sequencing on Monday for him to file in her district shortly after she submits her Senate paperwork,” CNN’s Isaac Dovere reports. DOWN IN DADE COUNTY: It’s been almost 30 years since a Democrat held Miami’s mayor’s office, but Democrats like Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) have been part of the final stretch campaign push for candidate Eileen Higgins to reverse that trend. AP’s Adriana Gomez Licon writes how the runoff race tomorrow could be the latest test for Democratic inroads ahead of the midterms. HAPPENING TOMORROW: POLITICO is convening key Virginia leaders in Richmond for dynamic conversations on the transition of power in the commonwealth and the future political stakes for Virginia residents at 5:15 p.m. tomorrow. Key speakers include Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, state Senate Republican Leader Ryan McDougle, Democratic state House Speaker Don Scott, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore and Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder. The event will be in person and streamed live. Participants can request to join here.
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Explore the impact in communities like Altoona. | | | | BEST OF THE REST IMMIGRATION FILES: With the crackdown in New Orleans underway, state and federal officials are reviewing online criticism and message boards for threats against ICE agents, with threats to charge people interfering with immigration enforcement, AP’s Jim Mustian and Jack Brook report. The crackdown is also pitting the city’s sanctuary policies against stricter state laws backed by GOP lawmakers, NBC’s Alicia Victoria Lozano writes. Across the country, stories of deportations have gone viral, including college student Any Lucía López Belloza, who was arrested over Thanksgiving, and whose family is now being targeted, per NYT’s Annie Correal. How we got here: “How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration,” by NYT’s Christopher Flavelle: “The Democratic president and his top advisers rejected recommendations that could have eased the border crisis that helped return Donald Trump to the White House.” HEALTH OF A NATION: “Billions in rural health funding hinge on states passing Trump-backed policies,” by POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and colleagues: “The Trump administration offered states a deal: pledge to enact White House-favored policies for a chance to win a bigger share of the $50 billion aimed at transforming the nation’s struggling rural health care systems. The battle for those funds is now underway. … But in a bid to get better scores on their applications, and thus more funding, several also vowed to change their own laws.” For your radar: “Bessent Says He Divested From Soybean Farms After Ethics Office Warning,” by NYT’s Alan Rappeport: “The move will separate Mr. Bessent from properties that posed potential conflicts of interest as he leads President Trump’s trade negotiations with China … The move will separate Mr. Bessent from properties that posed potential conflicts of interest as he leads President Trump’s trade negotiations with China.”
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➡️ Learn more about Pro Briefings | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | John Thune still hates shoveling snow, in case anyone was wondering. IN MEMORIAM — “Television correspondent, West Virginia native Ed Rabel dies at 86,” by WOWK’s Jessica Patterson: “Known as a ‘fixture in American living rooms for more than a quarter century,’ Rabel was a correspondent for both NBC and CBS stations … Throughout his career in network television – 20 years at CBS and 13 at NBC – Rabel had more than 1,000 segments between the two networks’ shows. He also won five Emmy awards, and for a documentary on the slaughter of Guatemalan citizens by U.S.-sponsored death squads, he earned a George Polk Award.” SANDWICH GUY LIVES ON — CBS’ Scott MacFarlane spoke with the jurors who acquitted Sean Dunn, the man who threw a Subway sandwich at an immigration officer in D.C. The highlights: One juror said the panel “agreed that this is not and should not have been a federal case.” Another said, “We asked each other: If we only look at this case, can someone really do harm to someone wearing a ballistic vest by throwing a sandwich?” And another juror said they noticed witnesses and attorneys in the room appearing to “giggle” or unable to keep a “straight face.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Kennedy Center Honors last night: Speaker Mike Johnson, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, David Ellison, Tommy Hilfiger, Tiffany Trump, Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), Marit and Hank Stout, Bob Costa, Robert Kraft, Laura Ingraham, Jeanine Pirro, Bret and Amy Baier, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Dina Powell McCormick, Tammy Haddad, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jacqui Heinrich, Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) and Roxanne Babin, Tony and Maria Sayegh, Richard Grenell, Kellyanne Conway, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Mike Sommers, Kelsey Grammer, Kurt Russell, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Bill Conti, Laura Osnes, Carrie Manolakos, Roma Daravi and Miranda Lambert. — SPOTTED at GlobalWIN’s holiday party at the British ambassador’s residence: Helen Milby, Melika Carroll, Nicole Mortier, Senay Bulbul, James Roscoe, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Nikos Sapountzi, Ashleigh de la Torre, Amanda Slater, Rachel Welch, Allison O’Brien, Tammy Haddad, Toni-Marie Higgins, Caitlyn Stephenson, Sumi Somaskanda, Alison MacDonald and Angeli Chawla. TRANSITIONS — Hunt Wasden is now manager of government affairs at JetBlue. He previously worked for Allegiant Air. … Mary Novak Armstrong has joined FGS Global as managing director. She previously worked at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Anne Keeney, SVP at the Glen Echo Group, and Al Weaver, a Senate reporter at The Hill, got married at Holy Trinity on Saturday, with a reception at the Willard. They met in 2022. Pic — David Elrod, VP of government affairs for the National Chicken Council, and Katie Bolton, a nurse at Georgetown Hospital, got married Saturday on Sea Island, Georgia. They met in D.C. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Cesar Conde, Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner and Tom Mazzarelli … WSJ’s Sabrina Siddiqui … Debra Saunders … Reuters’ Scott Malon … Kerri Kupec Urbahn … Washington Examiner’s Zach Halaschak … Joseph Zeballos-Roig … POLITICO’s Annie Yu and Michael Cramer … Debbie Cox Bultan … AP’s Pablo Martínez Monsiváis … Judd Legum … Ann Coulter … Artemis Strategies’ Brooke Lorenz … Marc Burstein … Microsoft’s Ginny Badanes … Siemens’ Brie Sachse … Stephen Spaulding … Mark Piland of Artemis Group … former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim … Karen Keller … Steve Bouchard … Idaho AG Raúl Labrador … Courtney Johnson … Luis Rosero of NBC/Telemundo … State’s Anna Miller … Tom Bush … Lizzie O’Leary … Taylor Dibbert … Jeremy D’Aloisio of Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) office … Honey Sharp … Sophia Narrett … RTX’s Art Cameron 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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