Donald Trump knows how to make a meal awkward. The president just wrapped a meeting with senators at a GOP lunch in the Capitol — the culmination of months of tension between Trump and Republican senators that highlights the power struggle between a president who demands complete fealty and a conference attempting to wrestle back some of its power. Trump hasn’t made life easy for Republicans this year. Last week, he blew up the FISA renewal right before it crossed the finish line. He effectively ended the political careers of Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana when he branded them as insufficiently loyal and endorsed their opponents in recent primaries. This morning, the president abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill and threatened to stall it from becoming law until the chamber passes his marquee election legislation, the SAVE America Act. As he walked into the Capitol today, a reporter asked Trump if the SAVE Act is more important than solving the housing crisis. “Every election is important … They want a lot of communists to come in,” he replied. Trump patted Senate Majority Leader John Thune on the back. Senate Republicans had hoped to claim the housing affordability package — the first comprehensive housing legislation in decades — as a major victory ahead of midterm elections where voters are widely concerned over the cost of living. If Trump doesn’t sign the legislation, it will become law in 10 days as long as he doesn’t veto it; even if he does, the bill has veto-proof majorities in both chambers. Still, the president’s pivot is souring what Senate Republicans hoped would be a moment of celebration. Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) was incredulous over Trump’s sudden reversal. “I don’t know why you're holding the bill … hostage over a bill that will never pass in this Congress. Makes no sense to me,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to get our act together and stop surprising people and having conflicting messages,” he added. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), the Senate’s No. 4 Republican, said she understood Trump’s “frustrations,” but was still “disappointed” by his decision not to sign it today. “We do have midterm elections coming up here, last time I heard,” quipped Cornyn, now another so-called YOLO Republican. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters if the housing bill doesn’t become law, “you would see a grown man cry.” Lawmakers’ angst only grew once they were inside the lunch with the president. Trump spent most of the meeting touting the SAVE America Act, per Semafor’s Burgess Everett. Cassidy and Trump got into a screaming match about the memorandum of understanding with Iran, MS NOW’s Mychael Schnell reports. And Trump lashed out at Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) for missing yesterday’s war powers vote — in spite of the fact that McCormick was absent because he was in Pennsylvania with Trump. One GOP senator told Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio the lunch was “more of a venting session for the president.” As Trump walked out of the meeting, he characterized it as “really great” and praised Thune. “I don’t like a few people, but that’s OK — I think you know who they are,” he said. “We have a really well-unified party,” the president added. Piling on: “Federal judge bars Trump from implementing proof of citizenship requirement to vote,” by AP’s Julie Carr Smyth and Michael Casey Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at isentner@politico.com and abianco@politico.com.
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1. SHOW ME THE MONEY: “The White House wanted to make money from 2 chip companies. Nearly a year later, it hasn't gotten a cent,” by POLITICO’s Daniel Desrochers: “Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the federal government has taken an aggressive approach to industrial policy, negotiating stock ownership or profit-sharing agreements with at least 19 companies. None have yielded returns, either because the government hasn’t issued regulations to transfer the profits or because it would require selling stock that the administration wants to hold onto as it tries to prop up specific companies.” 2. IRAN LATEST: Israel will not pull its troops out of southern Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today — the latest flashpoint in a widening rift between the U.S. and Israel as Trump pushes to finalize an agreement to end the war in Iran. Katz added that “there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.” More from Reuters 3. FOR YOUR RADAR: A panel of appeals court judges today struggled with the extraordinary prosecution of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for assault, POLITICO’s Ry Rivard reports from Wilmington, Delaware. “Members of the three-judge panel from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals heard close to 90 minutes of arguments — about three times longer than expected — over whether the Constitution protects McIver from prosecution and whether the Trump administration is illegally targeting the first-term Democrat.” The judges — one Trump appointee and two Democratic appointees — seemed skeptical of whether McIver is shielded from the charges by the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause.
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4. PUSHED OUT: Gen. Chris Donahue, the four-star Army commander in Europe who once appeared to be on a path to someday lead service, will relinquish his command next week in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest push to leave his mark on the military’s leadership, WSJ’s Michael Gordon and Lara Seligman report. The Pentagon says it’s part of a plan to reduce the number of generals and admirals by 10 percent and the four-star positions by 20 percent — but lawmakers and former military officials say Hegseth is pushing out experienced leaders in favor of political loyalists. 5. PARDONS FOR SALE: Mo Strategies, a federal lobbying firm started by former Trump campaign and administration officials, is wading into the lucrative new business of presidential pardons, CBS News’ Gabe Kaminsky reports. The firm’s early success — it’s already raked in more than $500,000 — highlights how a cottage industry composed of Trump allies is booming in his second term. 6. PAIN AT THE PUMPS: Trump this morning accused “big Oil Companies” of not dropping gas prices enough as energy prices tick down amid peace negotiations with Tehran. He said consumers were being “gouged” and announced he instructed the DOJ to probe them “immediately.” More from POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels
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THROWING SHADE — The NRCC delivered flowers and a condolences card to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office today after the House candidates he endorsed lost to the slate backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani in last night’s Democratic primaries, per Fox News’ Bill Melugin. “Three losses in one night is tough. We wanted so-called ‘Leader’ Jeffries to know our thoughts are with him, his candidates, and whatever remains of his influence in the Democrat Party,” NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said. FACE CARD — Trump’s face is displayed on a giant banner hanging outside the Interior Department, joining the departments of Agriculture, Labor and Justice, which feature similar adornments. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — The D.C. Council is locked in a showdown with D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee after Council Chair Phil Mendelson pulled $150 million from rainy day funds to preserve funding for social services in its $21.2 billion budget for fiscal 2027, NOTUS’ Martin Austermuhle reports. Lee called the move “imprudent” and warned that “should the Council persist with approving a budget that uses reserves to support spending, the Council would be approving an unbalanced budget and financial plan.” PLAYBOOK CULTURE SECTION — “Lee Greenwood and the never-ending quest to get God to bless the U.S.A.,” by WaPo’s Geoff Edgers: “How the former Vegas lounge singer became a permanent featured entertainer for the president.” OUT AND ABOUT — Warner Bros. Discovery and the Motion Picture Association hosted a special screening of DC Studios’ “Supergirl” last night, celebrating WBD’s partnership with Best Friends Animal Society. Attendees also got a visit from adoptable puppies from Brandywine Valley SPCA in honor of Supergirl’s loyal companion, Krypto. SPOTTED: Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.) and Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Kaelan Dorr, Robert Ogburn, Michael O’Donovan, Miranda Ganter, Elizabeth Adkins, Eduardo Lerma, Reggie Harris, Kelsey Greenwald, Susan Wheeler, Shannon Sprenger, Juan Manuel Cortelletti, Elizabeth Onibokun, Madalene Mielke, Tina Nguyen, Chantal Nong, Alexa Verveer, John Mercurio, John Gibson, Elise Traub and Erin Johnston. — The Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Institute held its annual Solutions Summit on climate, clean energy and a thriving economy at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library. SPOTTED: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine), Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Ernest Moniz, Melanie Nakagawa, Shalanda Baker, Ian Harrison, Clinton Britt and Max Frankel. MEDIA MOVE — Lizzie Johnson is now chief correspondent in Reuters’ Kyiv bureau. She previously reported for WaPo, which she said laid her off while she was in the middle of a warzone. TRANSITIONS — Christian Schultz is joining Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in Washington. He most recently was at Arnold & Porter and previously spent a decade as assistant chief litigation counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. … Alex Stroman has been named VP of external affairs at Vaulted Deep. He previously served as VP of government relations and regulatory affairs at Albemarle, and is a TC Energy and RNC alum. WEDDING — Elizabeth Ralph, ideas editor at the San Francisco Standard, and Alex Keeney, founder and CEO of the prediction market-focused media company Eventual, got married on June 6 in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The couple met while working at POLITICO. Pic by @alexschon 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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