Now take a step back: Neither the pomp and ceremony, nor the fallout from Saturday night’s attack should overshadow what’s become a critically important trip for transatlantic relations, with America’s commitment to its NATO allies hanging in the balance. As your Playbook author writes in a big piece for POLITICO Magazine this morning, this state visit is shaping up as one of the most significant diplomatic missions of Charles’ life. Reminder: Trump has subjected British PM Keir Starmer to a torrent of abuse over his failure to provide fulsome support for the president’s war on Iran, threatening to scale back support for NATO in response. Yet the president still speaks warmly of Charles, and retains enormous respect for the British monarchy. And so it falls this week upon the 77-year-old king to find a way to restore the “special relationship” to its former glory. No pressure, Your Majesty. The king cuts an unlikely figure for the task — beset by illness, advancing years and myriad family scandals. But he’s a far more political actor than his late mother Queen Elizabeth, and has enjoyed semi-regular meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the war with Russia. Most of Charles’ conversations with Trump will happen behind closed doors, but the expectation will be treating the president to some gentle persuasion that Anglo-American relations — and the broader European security apparatus — are worth nurturing. “This is a monarch who is extremely well-informed about and interested in global issues, which I am sure he would be up for discussing privately,” former U.K. Ambassador to Washington Sir Peter Westmacott tells Playbook. Notably, the king will be accompanied by Britain’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. It’ll be a delicate tightrope for the pair to walk. Nobody mention the Epstein files: Trump reacted furiously last night when CBS’ Norah O'Donnell read out passages from the WHCA suspect’s alleged “manifesto” containing unsubstantiated allegations related to the Epstein files. Charles has had his own Epstein PR issues to contend with, thanks to his younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Presumably, it’s not a topic that will come up over tea. Coming attractions: Tomorrow’s royal address to Congress will be the visit’s biggest political moment, my POLITICO colleagues Dan Bloom and Esther Webber write from London today. Sources tell them Charles spent significant personal time working on the speech and is expected to address members for 30 minutes. (His mother spoke for just 12 minutes in her own congressional address back in 1991.) “You can say a lot in 30 minutes in Congress,” one person familiar with the planning tells Dan and Esther. There’s much more in today’s Playbook Podcast, where Jack and Megan Messerly dive deeper on the WHCA attack, the royal visit and the impossible-looking week on the Hill.
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IN MEMORIAM — “Donald Riegle, who represented Michigan in Congress under 7 presidents, dies at 88,” via AP: “Riegle, who began his career as a Republican and later became a Democrat, died Friday of cardiac arrest at his home in San Diego, according to a family statement.” DON’T KNOCK IT ’TIL YOU TRY IT — “Sorry, pub trivia. Nude drawing might be the hippest new event at D.C. bars,” by WaPo’s Sophia Solano: “The scantily clad events popping up across the city’s nightlife scene are more wholesome than you think.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the POLITICO-Star Brunch, hosted by Goli Sheikholeslami, Robert and Elena Allbritton, which was “Spanish” themed with flamenco performers, sangria and tapas. Guests left with party favors including blue and white POLITICO fans, Star-stamped cookies and petite ham and cheese bocadillos: Jonathan Greenberger, Cally Baute, Alex Burns, John Harris, Arielle Elliott, Alex Panas, David Urban, Jonathan Karl, Mike Tuffin, Olivia Igbokwe-Curry, Mathias Dรถpfner, Mark Dekan, Jan Bayer, Matthias Berninger, Mike Parrish, Helga Flores Trejo, Nidhi Sinha, Mary Streett, Ben Coffey Clark, Scott Mulhauser, Andrew Bleeker, Sam Feist, Shaun Modi, Alejandro Mayorkas, Lou Carranza, Faryar Shirzad, Kara Calvert, EU Ambassador Jovita Neliupsiene, Teresa Carlson, Tony Fratto, Karan Bhatia, Ben Smith, Tammy Haddad, Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Jonathan Adashek, Kellyanne Conway, David Bohigian, David Ginsberg, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Dina Powell McCormick, Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Joel Kaplan, Shannon McGahn, Chris Ruddy, Morgan Gress, Jenna McMullin, Brendan Buck, Robby Zirkelbach, Elizabeth Falcone, Kathy Baird, Gloria Dittus, Swiss Ambassador Ralf Heckner, Jarrod Agen, McLaurine Pinover, Calley Means, Mark Ein, Roy Blunt, Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris, Michael Chiklis, Ann Fairchild, Rick Klein, Manu Raju, Kasie Hunt, Jonathan Capehart, Josh Dawsey, David Chalian and Charlotte Klein. — Ned's Club D.C. hosted a WHCD Weekend wrap party yesterday with Air Mail — alongside 6666 Ranch and 101 Studios — featuring carving stations of 6666 Ranch beef and a 150-lb. Pacific bluefin tuna flown in from Japan. SPOTTED: Victoria Hervey, Kenyan McDuffie, Lynda Carter, Jon Kelly, Kellyanne Conway, Liz Gough, Julia Vitale, George Pendle, Jessica Sibley, Dana Shell Smith, Katy Balls, Alyson Krueger, Sarah Personette, John McCarthy, Joiwind Ronen, Emma Mears, Asher Grodman, Eilif Rรธsok, Cory Michael Smith, Michael Chiklis, Esai Morales, Iain Armitage, Aiden McLaughlin, Lachlan Cartwright, Carri Twigg, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Dylan Byers. — British Ambassador Christian Turner and CNN CEO Mark Thompson welcomed guests yesterday to the third annual WHCD Weekend Finale at the British Ambassador's Residence and Gardens. Brunch included a signature Bloody Mary bar — complete with mini grilled beef skewers, candied bacon and mini grilled cheese sandwiches — an experiential photo booth and custom stamped leather bookmarks. SPOTTED: Virginia Moseley, Alex MacCallum, Amanda Wills, Emily Kuhn, Amy Entelis, Sara Sidner, Laura Coates, Manu Raju, Alayna Treene, Kasie Hunt, Phil Mattingly, Jeremy Diamond, Jake Tapper and Jennifer Marie Brown, Jessica Dean, Omar Jimenez, Kara Swisher, Andrea Mitchell, Matt Friend, Tammy Haddad, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, Gordon Sondland, Lynda Carter, Scott Jennings, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, Michael Glantz, Reps. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Gabe Gutierrez, Jennifer Griffin, Sam Feist, Sean Spicer, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Marc Short, Sophia Bush, Sami Sage, Cathy Merrill, David Urban, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Claire Turner, Adrienne Arsht, Raheem Kassam, Harry Cole, Katy Balls, Anne McElvoy and Ryan Williams. TRANSITIONS — Ed Niles is now head of client strategy for ClarifyAI. He most recently worked at Green & Wood Media Services. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) … Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) … Jamie Citron … Hannah Kim … The Intercept’s James Risen … NOTUS’ Dana Milbank … Bruce Mehlman … POLITICO’s Aubree Weaver, David Smydra and Sarah Punjwani … Erica Elliott Richardson … Michael Crittenden of the Levinson Group … Will Marshall of the Progressive Policy Institute … Austin Hacker … Semafor’s Reed Albergotti … Bloomberg’s Mike Shepard … Enterprise Mobility’s Downey Magallanes … Sean Dugan of AHIP … Jon Fasman … Global Situation Room’s Brett Bruen … The Sun’s Harry Cole is 4-0 … NCTA’s Mansoor Abdul Khadir … Alexandra De Luca … Goldman Sachs’ Lee Brenner … Norberto Salinas … David Hudson of Aluta Strategies … EMILY’s List’s Christina Reynolds and Callie Fines … Dan Lindner … former Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) … Connor Walsh of Build Digital … Lauren Camera … Will Brown … Doug Rediker … Mary-Kate Fisher … Dan Gerstein … BGR Group’s Dan Farmer … Francesca Porreca … Chris Hayes of Thorn Run Partners 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 Giuseppe Macri and deputy editor Garrett Ross.
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