Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: How Trump will defend his Iran deal

How Trump will defend his Iran deal

Jun 17, 2026

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner

Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, leading with Donald Trump’s latest overnight pivot in the ongoing spy drama that, as of very early this morning, scuttled his own nomination of Jay Clayton to lead the nation’s spy apparatus in pursuit of yet another demand for Congress to pass the SAVE Act — this time in tandem with a FISA reauthorization. Read the details below, and get in touch.

In today’s Playbook …

— Trump is up at the mics from the G7 today after his Iran deal leaks.

— The president wins one, loses one in Georgia’s primary runoffs.

— The Boldfaces: Kevin Warsh, Gavin Newsom, Bill Pulte, JD Vance, Rick Jackson, Mike Collins, Jon Ossoff, James Talarico, Todd Blanche, Pam Evette, Alan Wilson and more.

DRIVING THE DAY

A TALE OF TWO PRESS CONFERENCES: Donald Trump is likely to lay out a fierce defense of the president’s newly leaked deal with Iran during a press conference in France today as the G7 summit wraps. Expect to hear some brash Trumpian predictions about the direction of the U.S. economy: Lower gas prices, surging stock markets, and free-flowing trade.

Compare and contrast: But let’s see whether Kevin Warsh strikes a similar tone in his first press conference as Fed chair this afternoon. Warsh will wrap his first Open Markets Committee meeting at 2 p.m. and hosts the usual media Q&A shortly after. With inflation running well-above the Fed’s target,, interest rates are sure to hold steady — which means all the attention will be on the new chairman's tone. Somehow, Warsh needs to thread a very fine needle between maintaining credibility with skeptical markets while keeping his erratic audience-of-one on side.

But first to France, where Trump’s post-G7 presser is currently scheduled for 8.20 a.m. Eastern. (As ever, timings may slip.) He’ll face a barrage of questions on topics including Ukraine, trade and AI, as well as domestic political issues including yesterday’s primary runoffs in Georgia, the DOJ investigation into Gov. Gavin Newsom, and overnight demands threatening to keep Bill Pulte in place atop ODNI unless Congress passes expired surveillance authorities alongside an overhaul of the nation’s voting laws. (More on all of that below.)

But top of the list will be Iran. We’re now three days on from Trump’s deal announcement aimed at ending the war, and we’ve still seen nothing official from the administration. But over the past 24 hours, details started to leak — and last night Bloomberg published what it said was the full text of the 14-point memo.

The text says the war will end on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The U.S. will immediately lift the blockade on Iran’s ports and remove all military presence within 30 days of a final agreement. Sanctions and embargoes on Iran will also be lifted immediately, allowing the regime to restart selling oil. And a “comprehensive plan” to reconstruct Iran — with at least $300 billion of outside investment — will be agreed within 60 days.

In return, Iran will pledge to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days and formally reiterate that it will never produce nuclear weapons. (These were, of course, their positions before the war began.) But there’s no clear commitment about Iran’s nuclear material, which will be subject to further discussion pending a final agreement in 60 days’ time. And there’s no mention of Iranian shipping tolls, Iranian proxies, Iranian missile depots, Iranian democracy, or any of the other issues touted as possible war aims since the American bombing began on Feb. 28.

Trump’s critics are already framing the deal as a total capitulation. They argue we can see in black and white that Trump achieved nothing through an expensive and high-risk war — and that Iran emerged stronger from the conflict. This Trump tweet from 2015 is already making the rounds online.

A message from Meta:

America’s Workforce Academy: Paid training, a job and a path to America's future.

America’s Workforce Academy, built by Meta, will give hundreds of thousands of Americans the skills to build our country's AI future.

The program offers paid training in electrical, plumbing, fiber installation and many other trades, with a job upon completion. No experience necessary. No degree required. No cost to the participant.

Because the future is for everyone.

Learn more.

The administration’s response is that we should all wait and see — that Iran is making much bigger promises on nukes behind the scenes, and we should reserve judgment for the final agreement in 60 days’ time. U.S. officials say the generous economic sweeteners built into the deal mean Iran has every incentive to follow through. Some even briefed CNN that the deal is purposefully worded to help Iran sell it to an internal audience.

Those close to the White House say we should consider the alternative to a deal. “People who are war mongers still do not understand that this is not the GOP of Bush and Romney," one told Dasha last night.

Trump’s critics will be highly skeptical. But the “let’s-wait-and-see” line should at least give nervous Republicans on the Hill cover as they face questions about the wisdom of the deal. And over the longer-term, the White House’s hope will be that Trump’s economic predictions come to pass following the reopening of Hormuz — and that in a few months’ time Americans will be too busy celebrating the return of $3 gas to care about the minutiae of Iran’s military defenses.

About that economy: It’s hard to see Warsh sounding quite so bullish about the economy when he leads his first post-FOMC press conference this afternoon. Markets are braced for rates to go up instead of down this year, while the president demands big rate cuts to boost U.S. growth and household finances ahead of the midterms on Nov. 3.

So what can Warsh say? Not a great deal, POLITICO’s Victoria Guida writes this morning. Helpfully, his longheld position on press conferences is that silence is generally golden. “While investors are desperate for guidance, Warsh has long argued that Fed officials communicate too often about economic developments and what they might mean for rates,” Vic notes. “That, he says, makes it harder for financial markets to separate meaningful signals from the chatter.”

Staying mum just also happens to be the easiest way of avoiding a Day 1 fist fight with Trump. So don’t hold your breath for big news. “His best move right now is just to hang tight” on giving any signal about what comes next, said Ellen Meade, a former senior Fed economist who’s now a professor at Duke University.

French connections: Before heading home Trump will join a fancy dinner at the Palace of Versailles with Emmanuel Macron. What attracted the president to prolong his stay in France an extra half-day? Some important matter of state?

Nope — it’s the bling. “Well, I'm a fan of beautiful places,” Trump explained yesterday, per POLITICO’s reporter on the ground Myah Ward. “I was leaving in the afternoon, and then the French president — who happens to be a very nice man —- invited me to dinner at Versailles. And Versailles is not gold leaf. Versailles is the real deal. And I said I'd like to do it. I mean, all it means is I get home later in the evening, meaning early in the morning. And I'm not a big sleeper … I won't lose any time in the Oval Office."

A message from Meta:

THE DOWNLOAD

TRUMP BLOWS UP CLAYTON NOM: In an overnight Truth Social post, Trump threw the fate of the FISA reauthorization into fresh peril and scrapped for now the nomination of Jay Clayton to lead ODNI. Trump blamed Democrats for the sudden reversal and said he would not approve the FISA reauthorization without the SAVE America Act also attached to its passage. And he said the Senate’s hearing for Clayton’s nomination as DNI scheduled for today “will not be going forward” until Jamie McDonald is approved as Clayton’s successor to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. “In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump said. More from AP

LIVE FROM NEW YORK: VP JD Vance is headed to Bethpage, New York, today for the latest stop on his fraud crackdown tour. He’ll be in the battleground district held by Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi. But right now — New York has eyes on a different election, with less than a week until the state’s primaries. The trend to watch: The Democratic Socialists of America are under the spotlight. If their candidates — Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier — win out, it’ll embolden the DSA as the next major Dem institution, POLITICO’s Chris Sommerfeldt writes.

ON THE HILL: The Senate kicked off debate on the new version of the housing bill, following a bipartisan breakthrough between Senate and House leaders. That’s expected to pass the Senate this week. (Read POLITICO’s Kate Hapgood for the details.) The legislation is a significant piece of Republicans’ cost-of-living agenda as housing prices remain top of voters’ minds.

Watch J.B. Pritzker on On the Road with Jonathan Martin

Gov. J.B. Pritzker joins Jonathan Martin in Chicago for a wide-ranging conversation on Democrats’ future, his own political rise, Trump and what it will take for the party to rebuild.
Watch the interview.

THE FRONT PAGE

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Trump’s streak of major primary victories hit a second speed bump last night when GOP businessman Rick Jackson bested Trump-backed Burt Jones in the Georgia governor’s race — a rare, but embarrassing second blemish on his endorsement record, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard and colleagues write. Jones supporters and Trump allies blamed Jackson’s record-breaking $100 million spending in the race — but some in Jones’ orbit also suggested the president didn’t do enough. “[Trump] absolutely moved the needle. He just moved the needle 15 points when we needed him to move the needle 25 points,” said a Georgia operative.

Overall, it was a mixed bag for Trump last night:

Across the map: Trump-endorsed Rep. Barry Moore cruised in his Alabama Senate runoff, though he had help from a pro-crypto super PAC that spent millions. Trump’s picks in two Oklahoma races are headed to runoffs. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) won the Senate runoff to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, but it wasn’t a blowout victory and Trump’s eleventh-hour endorsement makes it hard to give him full credit for the win.
On Georgia: Republicans in the state are fretting that a bruised Collins is entering into a general election race as the underdog against Ossoff — a prolific fundraiser who’s spent months building campaign infrastructure and refining his general election message as Republicans duked it out in the primary, POLITICO’s Erin Doherty and Alec Hernandez report.
In Washington: Robert White won the D.C. delegate Democratic primary, setting him up to represent the U.S. capital in Congress as its first new delegate in more than 35 years, taking the reins from Democratic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Playbook’s Irie Senter reports. The mayoral primary hasn’t been called, though democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George holds a significant lead as of publishing time.

TALARICO’S TURN: James Talarico has decried the influence of billionaires in politics. But he’s turning to big-money Dem donors in Silicon Valley to help him out in the Texas Senate race that’s expected to draw the most money across the midterms map. “Talarico attended at least four Bay Area fundraisers with prominent Democratic Party donors with ties to the tech industry in mid-April,” POLITICO’s Owen Dahlkamp scoops. Donations were accepted on behalf of Talarico’s campaign committee, not any super PAC. His campaign pointed to his public comments supporting stricter campaign finance regulations.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: DOJ’s streak of targeting Trump’s political adversaries may bolster California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s argument that he’s just next in line, even if it’s too soon to tell, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report. Newsom is positioning himself as another Jerome Powell, while trying to avoid John Bolton’s fate. But it’s still a remarkable legal trend: “Whether Newsom is situated more like Powell or Bolton is a question previous Departments of Justice would never have had to contend with,” Kyle and Josh write.

A message from Meta:

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. CARTE BLANCHE: The DOJ’s “Anti Weaponization Fund” stirred plenty of consternation from Republicans, but the party’s been quiet on plans to shield audits of Trump’s tax filings despite the lack of details, POLITICO’s Brian Faler reports. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expects it will come up at acting AG Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing.

On that confirmation: Blanche has mounted a charm offensive since the fund dustup, privately addressing concerns with some GOP senators about his nomination — which seems to be working for now, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Hailey Fuchs report.

2. BRAVE NEW WORLD: Trump’s sudden moves to rein-in AI startup Anthropic are spurring Congress into action, POLITICO’s Kelsey Brugger and Katherine Long report. In roughly a dozen interviews this week, lawmakers said they were shocked by the administration’s decision to impose an export ban on the AI company’s latest models and had yet to receive a formal briefing from administration officials. “Members of both parties said they now see an opening to mobilize their colleagues around legislation that would reclaim congressional authority at a time when the executive branch remains firmly in the drivers’ seat on AI regulation.”

3. 2026 WATCH: Sensing that his chosen candidate is in some danger — along with his endorsement record — Trump is considering backing both GOP candidates in South Carolina’s GOP primary runoff for governor, WaPo’s Natalie Allison reports. Trump already threw his support behind Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in the race, but some Republicans in South Carolina are skeptical of her bid — and internal polling shows state AG Alan Wilson ahead of her.

4. IMMIGRATION FILES: “Internal Emails Raise Questions About D.H.S. Ending Haiti Protections,” by NYT’s Madeleine Ngo and Ann Marimow: “[N]ewly released internal emails and documents indicate that the Homeland Security Department decided to terminate [Temporary Protected Status] last June without obtaining input from the State Department … The question of whether the Trump administration followed the procedures laid out in federal law is also central to a case now before the Supreme Court.”

5. REDISTRICTING RESPONSE: “Democrats Prep for Shrinking Southern Delegations,” by NOTUS’ Kadia Goba and Stephen Neukam: “One idea being floated to address the dwindling number of Black lawmakers is a realignment of the caucus’ 12 regions, and potentially allowing senior Democrats to take on a heavier committee workload. … Currently, Democrats who chair some of the top committees aren’t allowed to sit on another committee, per Democratic caucus rules.”

POLITICO Pro

Navigate policy challenges with confidence. POLITICO Pro gives professionals authoritative reporting, expert analysis and powerful tools to understand the business of government — in Washington and beyond. Learn more about POLITICO Pro.

TALK OF THE TOWN

DON THE RENOVATOR — “Trump promised clear water. The reflecting pool went green,” by POLITICO’s Kinnia Cheuk and Heather Richards: “The president had wanted a pool filled with clear water and a bottom painted ‘American Flag Blue’ … Instead, dark green clumps of algae sat Tuesday morning on a lighter green layer of algae that’s blanketed the water. … Around the pool, visitors from outside Washington mentioned that they had seen reports of algae forming from the past week but didn’t expect it to be so widespread. … Interior on Tuesday said it is working to kill the algae using the nanobubbling system and hydrogen peroxide.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Todd Lyons, Chad Mizelle and Sonny Joy Nelson are joining the America First Policy Institute. Lyons, who recently stepped down as acting ICE director, will be a senior fellow for homeland security and immigration policy. Mizelle, formerly chief of staff and acting associate AG at DOJ, will be a senior fellow for law and justice. Nelson, previously director of media affairs at the White House, will be a comms adviser.

TRANSITIONS — Colton Overcash has launched Vertex Strategies, a government relations, public affairs, and strategic advisory firm. He is a Motorola and Trump DHS alum. … Greg Saphier will join Shape Advocacy. He currently works at the Motion Picture Association. … Sanjeev Bhasker is joining K&L Gates as a partner in its public policy and law practice. He most recently worked at the Justice Department and is a White House alum.

… Elham Khatami and Alexis Schofield have joined New Heights Communications as a director and an associate, respectively. Khatami previously worked at Pew Charitable Trusts, and Schofield was previously at Chicago’s Red Line Project. … Brent Procida has joined Dykema as a member in the firm’s financial services litigation practice group. He previously worked at Venable LLP. … Jenay Fritz has joined ROKK Solutions as an Account Director. She previously worked at Veralto.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) … Newt Gingrich … Matt Canter of Global Strategy Group … Matt Miller … Diane Blagman of Greenberg Traurig … Maxwell Nunes … CNBC’s Christina Wilkie … Allie Malloy … Maxine Joselow … Will Sommer … Kent Lassman … Paul Steinhauser … Nisha Ramachandran … Miro Korenha … Scott Thuman … Gabe Horwitz … former Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and Jerry Carl (R-Ala.) … Chris Bedford … POLITICO’s Elizabeth Kisiday, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Christina Lei and Samuel Ogozalek … Jessica Boulanger … Boris Abreu ... Katie Grant Drew … CBS’ Nicole Domenica Sganga ... PBS NewsHour’s Jaywon Choe ... Linda Chavez … Chris Jennings … Precision’s Noah Cavicchi … Melissa Sabatine ... former HHS Secretary Alex Azar … Janice Lachance … former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett … Kerri Chyka … Jacob McIntosh of TriNet … Nora Taktajian of Rep. Doris Matsui’s (D-Calif.) office … Dan Hanlon … Lauren Kennedy of Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) office … David D’Antonio … Zainab Chaudary … former Education Secretary Rod Paige … NewsNation’s Blake Burman … Connor Joseph … Ryan Serote … Katie Wright … Roberto Lugones of Rep. Carlos Gimenez’s (R-Fla.) office … Jamie Wise of House Appropriations

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.

A message from Meta:

America’s Workforce Academy: Paid training, a job and a path to America's future.

For 250 years, America has delivered the world’s greatest inventions because Americans built them.

The AI revolution will bring historic opportunity. America's Workforce Academy, built by Meta, will train the electricians, welders, crew leaders, plumbers, fiber installers and more who will bring it about by offering paid training, with a job upon completion.

Because the future is for everyone.

Explore the program.