| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
“We’re gonna have top of the line weapons and they’re gonna be sent to NATO,” Trump said. | Evan Vucci/AP | THE ‘MAJOR’ ANNOUNCEMENT: President Donald Trump announced this morning that NATO will buy air defense missiles and other weapons from the U.S. to support Ukraine — “his most significant move yet to support Kyiv in a war with Russia he’s long hoped to end,” POLITICO’s Eli Stokols and Paul McLeary write. And he’s still deeply unhappy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatening to levy “very severe” secondary tariffs and sanctions on Russia in 50 days if there’s no deal. The details: “A White House official clarified to CNN that when the president referred to ‘secondary tariffs,’ he meant 100% tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on other countries that buy Russian oil,” per CNN’s Kevin Liptak. While it’s a significant step for Trump, it’s not a ground-shaking moment considering that Trump has already said that he’s making a deal with NATO. And the secondary tariffs on Russia — a move that would single out Russia in the global economy and penalize their trading partners, as AP’s Chris Megerian notes — are not exactly the “sledgehammer” of 500 percent sanctions that hawks in Congress have been pushing forward for months. “We’re gonna have top of the line weapons and they’re gonna be sent to NATO,” Trump said. That includes Patriot air defense batteries and other defensive weapons worth billions, which should arrive in Kyiv “within days.” “They feel strongly about it and we feel strongly about it, too. But we’re in it for a lot of money and we don’t want to do it anymore.” Trump is continuing to turn the screws on Putin — a far cry from the state of things following the Oval Office smackdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy months ago. But he’s only willing to go so far at this point. Asked how he would respond if Putin escalates, Trump said, “Don’t ask me a question like that.” Trump also described how he tells first lady Melania Trump about his “nice” phone calls with Putin, only for Melania to respond, “Really? Another city just got hit.” Key context: The tariff threat comes as “two-way U.S. trade with Russia has already fallen sharply in recent years, from about $53 billion in 2021 to $5.5 billion last year,” POLITICO’s Doug Palmer writes in. The existing sanctions on Russian oil have already blocked their main export, so new tariffs on smaller imports “would probably cut off most, if not all, of the remaining trade.” By Trump’s side in the Oval was NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who said the “massive numbers of military equipment” coming into Ukraine should push Putin to come to the negotiating table. Some European nations will move their weapons over to Ukraine quickly, and the U.S. weapons may serve as backfill. “Speed is of the essence here,” Rutte added. A main player in delivering weapons will be Germany. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius today. But still on the table is the Senate’s sanctions bill. Trump said he’s not sure he needs the bill right now, but that he could push forward the package from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in the future. “It could be very useful, we’ll have to see,” Trump said. “They've actually crafted a pretty good piece of legislation, it’s probably going to pass very easily. And that includes Democrats.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune is going to the White House today to talk about the sanctions bill, Trump said. In Kyiv, Zelenskyy met with special envoy Keith Kellogg in a “productive conversation” about the path for peace in Ukraine. And he didn’t forget to thank Trump this time, writing in his post on X: “I am grateful to President Trump for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries.” Meanwhile: “Pentagon pulls speakers from Aspen Security Forum day before event,” by Breaking Defense’s Valerie Insinna and Ashley Roque: “‘Senior Department of Defense officials will no longer be participating at the Aspen Security Forum because their values do not align with the values of the DoD,’ Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.” The right-leaning outlet Just The News noted that the pullout was in part due to “the participation of such critics of President Trump as Biden administration National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.” Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your tips and thoughts at abianco@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The Vapor Technology Association: The U.S. vaping industry and tens of thousands of small businesses are at risk. A Biden-era task force and rogue FDA and CBP bureaucrats are blocking all flavored vapes from entering the U.S. These bureaucrats are undermining President Trump's promises to protect our children from illicit vapes and save flavored vaping.
President Trump: Tell the FDA and CBP to stop banning vapes – vaping voters and small businesses are counting on you.
Learn more. | | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. CUTTING DEEP: The Senate is gearing up for its next big legislative fight as the deadline looms to codify DOGE’s spending cuts this week. The one to watch this week is Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, our Inside Congress colleagues write this morning. But Trump is threatening to withhold endorsements from any Republicans who vote “nay” on the recissions. The vote needs to pass by Friday, otherwise the spending stays. More on the debate over the cuts from AP’s Kevin Freking Bracing for impact: Public broadcasters in rural areas are preparing for the imminent reality that their funding may run out come October, which would force these small stations to reduce their programming or “could even be a death sentence,” NYT’s Benjamin Mullin reports. A must read: “Facing Painful Cuts, the V.A. Reported Dubious Savings to DOGE,” by NYT’s David Fahrenthold and colleagues: “The veterans agency claimed credit for canceling contracts that had not been canceled, including those that provided veterans with prosthetic legs and wheelchairs. It also reported ending contracts for reasons unrelated to DOGE. They expired on schedule, or were cut off after a vendor shut down … DOGE still posted those claims on its website, adding $6 million to V.A.’s savings.” 2. TRAIL MIX: Michigan Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann announced today that he’s running for Michigan’s 4th Congressional District — held by longtime Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.). He joins a Democratic primary that already features two announced candidates, per the Detroit Free Press’ Arpan Lobo. … Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has a significant fundraising advantage over his primary challenger, AG Ken Paxton, with Cornyn raising $3.9 million last quarter and reporting $8.5 million in cash on hand, Axios’ Alex Isenstadt scooped. … Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) — widely speculated to be considering a gubernatorial run — raked in $4 million last quarter and has over $11 million in cash on hand, per Stefanik’s office. First in Playbook: James Osyf, who announced a run for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District on Thursday, raised over $200,000 in the first 72 hours of his campaign to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans, Playbook’s Adam Wren reports. 3. CAPITULATION CORNER: “Inside the Conservative Campaign That Took Down a University President,” by NYT’s Stephanie Saul: “The Jefferson Council, a band of conservative-leaning University of Virginia alumni, was impatient and fed up. For years, the group had railed against the university’s president, James E. Ryan, for his robust promotion of campus diversity initiatives. … The Justice Department then hired a lawyer to help enforce [Trump’s executive orders] at its Civil Rights Division: Gregory W. Brown, a University of Virginia alumnus and donor. … And in his new position, Mr. Brown helped engineer an unusual and concerted pressure campaign that would lead to Ryan’s resignation.” 4. TRADING PLACES: The European Union’s top trade chief plans to speak with U.S. counterparts again today as the EU pushes talks forward following Trump’s 30 percent tariff letter, WSJ’s Edith Hancock reports. “My sense was we are approaching the good outcome for both sides,” Maroš Šefčovič said. “I felt also from my U.S. counterparts that despite the letter, they’re ready to continue the negotiations.” Before the letter, EU officials thought they were already close to a deal on a 10 percent tariff — leading to a “totally different dynamic” now that could block trans-Atlantic trade, NYT’s Jeanna Smialek writes. More global fallout: Trump is continuing to rail against the imbalance in car exports with Japan as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent heads to Asia this week, Bloomberg’s Sakura Murakami reports. Meanwhile, China ended the first half of 2025 with a record trade surplus of about $586 billion, per Bloomberg. And Wall Street slipped this morning in reaction to Trump’s fresh tariffs against Mexico and the EU. Related read: “Battling Tariff Fraud Is a Little-Known Front in Trump’s Trade War,” by WSJ’s Corinne Ramey
| | | | 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. FED UP: Fed Chair Jerome Powell is bringing in an inspector general to review the Fed HQ building expansion that is stirring controversy from the White House, CNBC’s Jeff Cox reports. Powell “asked for the review, following blistering criticism of the project, initially pegged at $2.5 billion but hit by cost overruns that have brought accusations from President Donald Trump and other administration officials of ‘fundamental mismanagement.’” 6. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) will announce $70 billion in AI and energy investments for Pennsylvania at the state’s inaugural energy and innovation summit tomorrow, Axios’ Mike Allen reports. Among the more than 60 CEOs the summit is bringing to Pittsburgh are Chevron's Mike Wirth, BlackRock's Larry Fink and Palantir's Alex Karp. "Anticipated investments include new data centers, new power generation and grid infrastructure to meet surging data center demand, along with AI training programs and apprenticeships for businesses," McCormick’s office told Axios. 7. JUSTICE WATCH: “Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit,” by Reuters’ Andrew Goudsward: “Sixty-nine of the roughly 110 lawyers in the Federal Programs Branch have voluntarily left the unit since President Donald Trump's election in November or have announced plans to leave … The seven lawyers who spoke with Reuters cited a punishing workload and the need to defend policies that some felt were not legally justifiable … Three of them said some career lawyers feared they would be pressured to misrepresent facts or legal issues in court.” 8. THE LATEST ON TEXAS: Before the floods, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott slammed FEMA as “slow and clunky,” but Abbott has praised the agency for its coordinated response in the aftermath, WaPo’s Matthew Choi and colleagues write. His opinion will only become more important as one of two sitting governors on the FEMA Review Council. And the fallout from cuts to FEMA will continue to ripple out in the states: NOTUS’ Anna Kramer reports on how Trump has “systematically reduced states’ access to resources to safeguard their people against natural disasters, frustrating city and state leaders across the country.” How it happened: “Camp Mystic’s leader got a ‘life threatening’ flood alert. They evacuated an hour later,” by WaPo’s Annie Gowen and colleagues
| | | | A message from The Vapor Technology Association: Nearly 500,000 Americans die annually from smoking cigarettes. 67% of Trump voters say government should promote vapes to help Americans quit smoking – and all Americans need President Trump to save flavored vaping now.
VTA stands with President Trump in cracking down on the bad actors who sell vapes targeting youth. However, a Biden-era FDA task force is out of control – wasting CBP resources on vapes, rather than human traffickers – banning vapes from the market. The vape blockade is a de facto ban on flavored vapor products nationwide, which is already shutting down small businesses.
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Learn more. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Vivek Ramaswamy launched a billboard ad in Times Square today, telling New Yorkers to “flee” Zohran Mamdani and move to Ohio. WEATHER WATCH — Brace yourselves for a flash flood today — Capital Weather Gang says a storm with torrential rain will roll in around 5 p.m. PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE CORNER — “Chris Wallace home sale leads to speculation about Zuckerberg compound,” by Washington Business Journal’s Michael Neibauer: Mark Zuckerberg “paid $23 million cash in March for a Woodland Normanstone mansion. On June 30, the neighboring property — the only other home on this block of 30th Street NW — sold to Stone Terrace LLC, a Delaware limited liability corporation, and all signs suggest Zuckerberg is behind it. “The 8,100-square-foot, six-bedroom home sold for $8.8 million, nearly double its assessed value and more than double what it last sold for in 2021. The seller was powerhouse lobbyist Vin Roberti and his wife Amy. Less than 10 days later, the Robertis acquired the Jelleff Mansion in Kalorama for $5.65 million from Chris Wallace, formerly of CNN and Fox News, and his wife Lorraine, according to public records.” OUT AND ABOUT — The British Embassy on Saturday hosted a Wimbledon women’s final watch party, at British Ambassador Peter Mandelson’s residence. Guests enjoyed strawberries and clotted cream, Pimm’s cocktails and the first American in nearly a decade to take Centre Court in a Wimbledon singles championship. SPOTTED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Mike Faulkender, Madison Sheahan, Kellyanne Conway, Tommy Pigott, Roma Daravi, Pierre Yared, Paige Willey, Raheem Kassam, Hailey Borden, Kate Lair, Jayme Franklin, Arielle Goldberg, Jared Borg, Rob Crilly, Matt Gorman, Keenan Austin Reed and Anna Palmer. TRANSITIONS — Jennifer Thibodeau is now director of federal affairs at Wiz. She previously was head of policy at Checkr and a senior global adviser at AWS. … Scott Phillips is now a member of the Aviation practice at Eckert Seamans. He previously was the resident legal officer for Central America and Mexico Programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development. … … Rina Shah is joining Our Republican Legacy as a senior adviser. She is founder of Vental Strategic Advisory Group. … Brandon Shaw has launched the eponymous firm B. Shaw Communications, which focuses on corporate and crisis management. He most recently was VP for corporate communications at Disney Entertainment Television. 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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