| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun and Ali Bianco On today’s Playbook Podcast: Jack and Megan Messerly discuss the deluge of foreign policy crises confronting Donald Trump.
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| Good Thursday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, getting properly excited for another weekend of playoff football. Saturday has “sports bar” written all over it … hit me up with your recommendations. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Karoline Leavitt, MAHA mom: “When you become a mother, your whole perspective on life and everything changes,” the White House press secretary tells POLITICO’s Diana Nerozzi in a new interview published this morning. “For me, the ‘MAHA moment’ was just becoming a mom and obviously wanting what's best for my children.” Leavitt, 28, is the youngest person to serve as press secretary and first to serve while pregnant. She loves the healthy eating guidelines issued by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — but knows full well the challenges of keeping kids away from sugar. “It’s not always easy,” she says. “My son is a toddler now, so he’s pickier … Not every day is going to be perfect in parenting.” Playbook can only nod along in weary agreement. Read on for Leavitt’s takes on vaccines, Trump’s eating habits … and why Food Babe is her favorite MAHA influencer. In today’s Playbook … — A crisis on every continent: How foreign affairs consumed the Trump presidency. — Why Speaker Mike Johnson is having a really bad week. — And another shooting in Minneapolis sparks fresh protests.
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A handful of international fronts are simmering with tension as President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda expands. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | SITUATION REPORT: The Middle East remains a powder keg as Trump mulls military strikes on Iran. A panic-stricken Europe is sending troops to Greenland following the president’s threats to invade a NATO ally. Latin America is still reeling from the “Donroe Doctrine,” and just heard Trump hail Venezuela’s current leader as “a really terrific person.” And 2026 is only two weeks old. What on earth’s next? FIRST, IRAN: There was no U.S. military action overnight that we know of, and in fact some signs of a de-escalation following Trump’s unexpected suggestion that the killing in Iran may have stopped. The NYT reports U.S. plans to evacuate personnel from an American airbase in Qatar — exactly the sort of target Iran might hit with retaliatory strikes — were abruptly halted shortly after Trump spoke. So did Trump blink? Maybe. The president seems, for now, unconvinced by the military options before him. “Trump’s advisers have so far not been able to guarantee to him that the regime would quickly collapse after an American military strike,” NBC’s Katherine Doyle and colleagues report, “and there is concern the U.S. may not have all the assets in the region it would need to guard against … an aggressive Iranian response.” But that doesn't mean this is over. The Pentagon is moving a carrier strike group from the South China Sea toward the Middle East, NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer reports. And the NYT quotes a senior U.S. official who says Trump is awaiting Iran’s next move as he considers a range of military targets, including ballistic missile sites and Iran’s domestic security apparatus. “Any attack is at least several days away,” unnamed officials tell the NYT. And so we wait. Disappointed? Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sure is. “Every indication that I’ve seen says that the Iranian regime’s killing of protestors is still very much in full swing,” Graham wrote on X last night. “The death toll is mounting by the hour. Hoping that help is on the way.” His final line is an echo of Trump’s own words from Tuesday morning. MEANWHILE IN GREENLAND: European nations last night dispatched military forces to Greenland following Trump’s threats to take the island by force. New military exercises led by Denmark will be joined by France (a nuclear power), Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, POLITICO’s Chris Lunday and colleagues report. A European official said Canada is also involved, though a Canadian spokesperson said this was not the case. Either way, it’s extraordinary stuff. The aim is to convince Trump that his fears the Arctic is being abandoned by Western militaries are unfounded. “The goal is to show that Denmark and key allies can increase their presence in the Arctic region,” per one person briefed on the plans. (The Atlantic has an interview with Denmark's army chief if you want to learn more.) But that’s not all: This enhanced EU military presence would of course further complicate any U.S. mission to forcibly take over the island. Because direct conflict between American and European troops remains completely unthinkable. Right? JD on the rocks: This all follows yesterday’s spectacularly unsuccessful meeting between the U.S., Danish and Greenland administrations, which in truth had looked doomed from the moment VP JD Vance decided to get involved. “Vance hates us,” one European diplomat sighs to POLITICO’s Tim Ross and colleagues. “The fact that he’s there says a lot, and I think it’s negative for the outcome.” Nevertheless: Regular meetings between the two sides have now been established. And EU diplomats see this as a could-have-been-worse outcome, as at least the lines of diplomacy remain open. All eyes on the Hill: Congress remains the most likely check on Trump’s ability to take truly radical action on Greenland, with plenty of Republicans privately aghast at the president’s rhetoric. “I'll be candid with you: There's so many Republicans mad about this," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told the Omaha World-Herald. “If he went through with the threats, I think it would be the end of his presidency.” Bacon said he would “lean toward” impeachment in such a scenario. And there’s more: Sen Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is the latest Republican critic to speak out in the Senate, telling the chamber that Trump risks “incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies” for no real gain. After all, America already has near-unlimited military access to Greenland, and — as POLITICO’s Audrey Decker writes — can already use the island for its “Golden Dome” missile interceptors. But Trump does still have a hold over the GOP. As the White House had predicted, Trump’s efforts to flip enough rebel Republicans to win last night’s final Senate war powers vote on Venezuela were successful. With the vote tied 50-50, it fell to Vance to cast the deciding vote. AND SO TO VENEZUELA: Today’s regime-change debate is likely to be focused here in the Americas, with Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado due for lunch with Trump at the White House at 12:30 p.m. Disappointingly, there are currently no plans for media access, with Leavitt planning a press briefing at 1 p.m. instead. Machado, too, is likely to leave disappointed, with her hopes of being installed as Venezuela’s new leader rapidly diminishing. (She may also be disappointed to learn that prosecuting Nicolás Maduro is likely to take years, as POLITICO’s Erica Orden writes this morning.) Trump seems thrilled with the current set-up, praising Venezuela’s current leader and Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodríguez as a “really terrific person.” Thought bubble: Between this and Trump’s newly established text-buddy relationship with Zohran Mamdani, it seems the president is more open to embracing socialism than one might think. Meanwhile in the Senate: Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan faces his confirmation hearing to become the new head of U.S. Southern Command at 9:30 a.m., and should be worth watching for the questions he faces about missile strikes in the Caribbean. His predecessor, Admiral Alvin Holsey, retired last month after only a year in post, reportedly due to his concern over the missile attacks.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: Retail is poised for growth in 2026 and will continue building on the economic momentum of 2025. The retail industry is committed to serving customers by driving innovation and providing affordable solutions, including through the use of AI to enhance the customer experience. Learn more. | | | | ON THE HILL MELTDOWN ON THE FLOOR: With all the focus on foreign affairs, you might have missed the fact Speaker Mike Johnson has had a howler of a week. Frustrations are mounting within the GOP over their razor-thin majority and persistent intraparty clashes. POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy have a must-read on the meltdown that unfolded on the House floor this week, and the bewilderment that has spread among House Republicans after defections tanked a labor bill vote and forced three others off the floor. “They didn’t even whip the f--king bill,” one House Republican told our colleagues. The problem: The math is not getting better for Johnson any time soon. With the speaker operating on razor–thin margins, GOP lawmakers have been given a new edict — vote absences should literally be a matter of life or death, NBC’s Melanie Zanona and colleagues report. But but but: That’s not to say things aren’t happening in Congress. The House passed a two-bill spending package that will fund the State and Treasury departments, plus the IRS and the FTC through the remainder of the fiscal year, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus reports. That means eight of the 12 necessary funding bills have now passed in the House, ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline. But the remaining bills are massive, and the potential for further clashes is high. More from POLITICO’s Inside Congress MIDTERM MESSAGING: Despite these simmering frustrations, Johnson is still “bullish” on his chances to rally Republicans behind another big party-line bill, narrowing the priorities that would go into a second reconciliation package as the party increasingly tries to focus on the cost of living, Meredith writes. And the struggle is real: While egg prices are down, other grocery costs keep climbing, per the NYT. Really not helping: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who last night advised hard-pressed Americans to fall back on a frugal $3 nightly meal consisting of “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, a corn tortilla and … one other thing.” The clip has already gone viral, with critics comparing it to Jimmy Carter’s infamous 1977 sweater speech. It certainly doesn't scream “Golden Age of America.”
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| | | | TRAIL MIX ANTI-ABORTION … ANTI-TRUMP? The anti-abortion movement is growing deeply frustrated with Trump and starting to question its place within the Republican Party, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly report. The president’s rhetoric on government funding of abortion, IVF, and other hot-button issues is leading some activists to question their whole alliance with MAGA. “To reassert their influence, leading abortion opponents are threatening to redirect or withhold some of their pledged tens of millions in midterms spending,” Alice and Megan report. “Others are exploring backing primary campaigns against any Republicans they view as too soft on the issue.” SCOOP: Way for Congress campaign is launching the first TV ad of the special election cycle in New Jersey’s 11th District to replace Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, Playbook’s Eli Okun reports. The six-figure buy supporting Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way hammers (you guessed it) affordability on costs of health care, but also attacks on voting access. The primary election is set for Feb. 5. Watch the ad FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Affordability ricochet: The Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation, a center-right group, is launching a six-figure ad campaign pushing against Trump’s proposed idea of government caps on credit card interest rates. The campaign is running nationally and in key markets like Missouri, which have suffered from dropping credit scores. EXCLUSIVE — Cash dash: Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy raised $1.65 million in the final quarter of 2025 and has $11 million in cash on hand, POLITICO’s Liz Crampton reports. Senate Majority Leader John Thune will headline a fundraiser for Cassidy on Thursday that will bring in an additional $500,000, according to the campaign. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Endorsement watch: Brady PAC is announcing its first endorsements of the 2026 cycle today, which they say will fight against gun violence. They’re throwing support behind Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Chris Pappas (N.H.), John Hickenlooper (Colo.) and Mark Warner (Va.) for the Senate and Josh Riley (N.Y.), Laura Gillen (N.Y.), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.), Susie Lee (Nev.), Eugene Vindman (Va.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (Mich.), Derek Tran (Calif.), Dave Min (Calif.) and George Whitesides (Calif.) for the House. GEORGIA ON MY MIND: A whopping 22 candidates have already filed to run to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress, including 17 Republicans, AP’s Jeff Amy reports. The candidates will all run on the same ballot on March 10. But if no one gets a majority, the top two will head for a runoff four weeks later. REDISTRICTING RODEO: A federal court in Los Angeles yesterday ruled in favor of California’s newly redrawn congressional maps, giving the greenlight for the state to use the new district lines for the 2026 midterms, marking another victory for Gov. Gavin Newsom, LA Times’ Jenny Jarvie writes. Speaking of Newsom: He’s hosting Ben Shapiro on the latest episode of his podcast today. Despite ruffled feathers on the left last year about his approach to the pod, Newsom told POLITICO’s Melanie Mason earlier this week that he’s sticking with the formula that made his show popular with listeners, which includes hosting some controversial conservative figures.
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| | | | BEST OF THE REST ANOTHER SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA: Just over a week after Renee Good was shot and killed, a federal agent shot and injured an immigrant in Minneapolis last night, NYT’s Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and colleagues report. The clash happened as immigration officers were trying to arrest the Venezuelan man, whom DHS said fled from agents. The incident came just hours after Gov. Tim Walz delivered a speech calling for the federal government to “end this occupation.” Tensions in Minneapolis remain high, with further protests last night. For your radar: Good’s family announced they’ve hired George Floyd’s family’s lawyer to investigate her death, per WaPo. The next ICE age: The administration is considering expanding its crackdown on Somali immigrants by sending immigration officers to Maine, MS NOW’s Laura Barrón-López and Marc Santia report. WEAPONIZATION WATCH: Three more Democratic lawmakers said they’re being investigated for participating in a video that encouraged service members to defy illegal orders, NYT’s Greg Jaffe reports. Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) have received inquiries from U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro. It’s unclear what crime they’re believed to have committed. They join Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who received a similar notice earlier this week. TOP-ED: “The Post and the First Amendment,” by the WaPo editorial board: “The Justice Department’s decision to send FBI agents to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home Wednesday was an aggressive attack on the press freedom of all journalists. Yet anyone who believes the raid will deter reporters from doing their jobs is sorely mistaken.” WHAT’S IN A NAME?: Renaming the Defense Department to the “Department of War” could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million, according to the latest Congressional Budget Office report.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: For more than a century, NRF has served as the leading voice for retail. At NRF's annual conference and expo, retailers from all over the world hear from the biggest innovators, experience the latest technology and build relationships that matter most. NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show convened more than 40,000 people from 100 countries to explore emerging trends, challenges and opportunities facing the industry. As the voice of retail, NRF will continue to advance policy priorities focused on tax, trade and regulatory reforms that will enhance America's competitiveness, boost domestic investment and create jobs. Learn more about NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | RFK JR. ON TRUMP'S DIET — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Katie Miller on her podcast that Trump has the most “unhinged” diet. “The interesting thing about the president is that he eats really bad food, which is McDonald’s, and, you know, candy and Diet Coke. He drinks Diet Coke at all times. He has the constitution of a deity. I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is,” Kennedy told Miller. SOCCER CRAZE — FIFA received more than 350 million ticket requests for its World Cup lottery, despite only 7 million match tickets being available — a sky-high demand that could shoot up prices even further for the world’s biggest soccer tournament, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai scooped. “That’ll tell you alone just how many people are excited here to come to the United States for the World Cup,” Andrew Giuliani, who heads the FIFA task force, said. OUT AND ABOUT — The Progressive Policy Institute hosted a space policy happy hour at Barrel last night. SPOTTED: Mary Guenther, Susie Perez Quinn, Graham Harwood, Diana Moss, Justin Littleford, Charlie Kerr, Maggie McNeece, Jeff O'Neil, Mark Mozena, Kayla Renner, Audrey Schaffer, Jiral Shah, Oliver Du Bois, Rakhee Khambhati, Jessica Noble, Brian Weeden, Mike French, Ari Koeppel, Jack Kiraly, Frank Justice, Jonny Pellish, Nicholas Mangold, Tristan Brown, Christopher Wood, Akhil Rao, Mark Tiner, Teddy Johnston and Christine Joseph. — The Washington AI Network, NobleReach Foundation and Johns Hopkins University hosted an exclusive conversation and live podcast recording on the U.S. Tech Force last night at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, moderated by Tammy Haddad and featuring OPM Director Scott Kupor, NobleReach CEO Arun Gupta, Navy CTO Justin Fanelli and Johns Hopkins’ Christopher Watkins and Cybele Bjorklund. SPOTTED: Seval Oz, Robert Hayes, Jane Harman, Bob Dickey, Gary Haney, Steve Clemons, Christina Bonarrigo Villamil, Patrick George, Nicoletta Giordani, Quentin Auster, Carolina Ramos, McLaurine Pinover, Taylor Stockton, Elizabeth Falcone, Marie Baldassarre, Helen Milby and Kevin Hennecken. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Caitlin Durkovich, Jeff Greene and Liz Kozey are launching Civira Partners, a strategic advisory firm with a national security focus. Durkovich is a Biden White House and DHS alum; Greene is a CISA and NSC alum; and Kozey is a DOT, NSC and Navy alum. — Nathaly Arriola Maurice, Greg Minoff and Adrian Saenz are launching a new direct mail firm, Evolución, focused on Spanish language direct mail programs for hard-to-reach voters like Latinos across the country. Arriola Maurice founded Operativo and is a Biden White House alum; Minoff previously was at SKDK and is a Biden and Harris campaign alum; Saenz is co-founder of Conexión and a Biden and Obama White House alum. — Alex Mistri is now SVP for global government affairs and head of the D.C. office at Chevron. Mistri joined Chevron via the Hess Corporation, and is a Bush White House and Hill alum. Jay Thompson will be Chevron’s SVP of federal government affairs and Lem Smith will be VP of international affairs. MEDIAWATCH — Gary Rosen, editor of WSJ’s Weekend Review section, is leaving the paper after 15 years, a person familiar with the matter told POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. Mike Miller, who spent 42 years at the paper and oversaw features and WSJ Weekend, is also leaving. WSJ Magazine editor-in-chief Sarah Ball will now oversee features. MEDIA MOVES — Fox News Media has elevated Douglas Rohrbeck to EVP of Washington news and politics, Jessica Loker to SVP of politics, Tommy Firth to EVP of Fox News Digital’s editorial team, Beth Saunders to SVP of digital news, Stefanie Wheeler to SVP of digital editorial and video and Brett Zoeller to VP of primetime programming. TRANSITIONS — William Seabrook is now federal affairs director for National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. He previously worked for Rep. Debbie Dingell’s (D-Mich.) office. … Glenn Leon is joining Jenner & Block as partner in their investigations, compliance and defense practice. Leon joins from the DOJ Criminal Division’s fraud section. … … Briana Bateman is joining First Tuesday Strategies as a director in the firm’s public affairs shop. She previously worked for Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). … Trade scholar Drew Hale is joining Advancing American Freedom, per Reason’s Stephanie Slade. He previously worked at the Heritage Foundation. BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Dan Scavino, who turned 50 and was treated to a surprise party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Energy Secretary Chris Wright … Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav … Ben Shapiro … Mark Penn … NYT’s Sarah Kliff … Stuart Eizenstat of Covington and Burling … Deesha Dyer … CNN’s Jeremy Diamond … Lorraine Voles … Bloomberg Law’s Shayna Greene … The New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson … Amanda Sloat … Invenergy’s Andrew Wills … Scott Hall … Jaymi Light of SAS … Jason Larrabee … Jeff Carroll and George Sifakis of Capitol Counsel … Joe Fuld … Mike Hoffman … Rebecca Haller … Jonny Hiler of Miller Strategies … Katherine LaBeau … Mina Hite … Katie Wood of Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) office … WaPo’s Aaron Gregg … Chuck Babington … Scott Stanzel of Truist … Toni Verstandig … Janet Katowitz of Sage Media … former Hawaii Gov. David Ige … Andrew Dell’Orto … Wesley Morgan … Michael Chirico of American Water 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Peter Hamby’s name. | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
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