| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun and Ali Bianco Good Saturday afternoon. I’m Adam Wren. Get in touch. ON TRUMP’S MIND TODAY: Back in Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to double down on his agenda — on multiple fronts. In a lengthy post, he announced, “in order to protect Global Peace and Security,” that he is instituting a 10 percent tariff on all goods from our European allies — Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Finland — starting Feb. 1. The tariff will jump to 25 percent come June 1. The tariff will continue until a deal is reached for the U.S. to buy Greenland. Brace yourselves for what will no doubt be a wave of backlash from across Europe, whose leaders this week — along with U.S. lawmakers yesterday — have been trying to assure Greenlanders that no such incursion would take place while also ramping up the island’s defense. “The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk,” Trump wrote. Pour one out for Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen this morning. That’s not all: In his latest confrontation with Wall Street, Trump announced he’s suing JPMorgan Chase in the next two weeks — “for incorrectly and inappropriately DEBANKING me after the January 6th Protest,” he wrote on Truth Social. And a bonus, courtesy of POLITICO’s one and only Sophia Cai, who spoke to Trump this morning. “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” he told Sophia, following a multi-hour barrage of posts on X from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seemingly aimed at Trump. “The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”
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Rahm Emanuel told Playbook that he is staking much of his travel strategy this year on visiting towns with fewer than 200,000 people. | Alex Wong/Getty Images | HITTING THE ROAD: Potential 2028 Democratic contenders, who in years past would’ve kept their campaigning to a few predictable early states, are doing something interesting in 2026: going everywhere. Unconstrained by a defined early nominating state calendar, Democrats are trekking to destinations further afield than just the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, New Hampshire, or the Beacon Drive-in in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In an unprecedented open process that will be charted by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, the calendaring of 2028 is unshackling Democrats from safe travel bets. And it could continue for a while, with the calendar not likely to be set in stone before the end of the summer at the very earliest. (Nearly a dozen states applied ahead of yesterday’s deadline to hold their contests in the early window) Just last night in La Crosse, Wisconsin — population 52,680 — former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg held a town hall that drew roughly 1,000 people in person, and tens of thousands of views across livestreams on Substack, YouTube and Instagram, according to a campaign spokesperson. Former Vice President Kamala Harris had stops in Memphis and New Orleans this week. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) spent the end of last year in Kansas City, Missouri, and Overland Park, Kansas. And earlier this month, former Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel traveled to Water Valley, Mississippi, a rural town of about 3,500, and Hattiesburg, with a population of just under 50,000. First in Playbook: Emanuel told Playbook that he is staking much of his travel strategy this year on visiting towns with fewer than 200,000 people. His next big trip will come Feb. 15-17, when makes a three-day trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, he told your author. “I'm not into Democrats sitting on the 30th floor of a Manhattan highrise in their Lululemon outfit with their Yeti cup, talking about, ‘We should go to places that we don't go’ and then never go,” Emanuel told Playbook. “So I don't talk about it, and I'm just gonna go.” On the numbers: In 2025, Democrats won or overperformed in 227 out of 255 key elections, according to the DNC, representing about 90 percent of elections. The Cook Political Report shifted 18 House races to Democrats this week, a potential sign of a still-forming blue wave election—to the extent wave years still exist on such a balkanized political map. But but: The scale of Democratic losses in 2024 still looms for the party: 90 percent of counties shifted right toward Trump. That necessitates a scrapping of traditional, safe travel, in the view of some Democratic hopefuls. “My schedule is going to be kind of the objective, smaller cities and the 2026 map,” Emanuel said. He is also plotting a Wisconsin swing ahead of this April’s Supreme Court election. All of this comes as welcome news to Jane Kleeb, the DNC vice chair from Nebraska who has long been a voice in the party calling for more rural and red-state engagement. “Because the presidential primary calendar isn’t set in stone with Democrats, how we’re revisiting that, it really does give a lot of freedom to candidates to go everywhere,” Kleeb told Playbook as she was on her way to huddle with DNC Chair Ken Martin in Washington. “They don’t have to go to only these four quote-unquote early states, because those four states may be very different from what the current calendar is. So it has given this flexibility for presidential hopefuls right now to kind of go to more red and rural areas and non-traditional states.”
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: Innovation and technology were on full display throughout NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show. Pioneers in AI and agentic AI are transforming every corner of retail from customer experience and operations to entirely new business models. Learn more. | | | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. ICED OUT: A federal judge last night blocked federal agents from arresting peaceful protesters or using crowd control tools, a major pushback from the courts amid the Trump administration’s escalating immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and colleagues report. The order prevents federal officers from using pepper spray or from stopping vehicles as long as they’re at a safe distance. The tensions in Minneapolis are ramping up, with the DOJ now investigating Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over allegations of conspiracy to impede federal agents, with subpoenas likely to follow, CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez and colleagues scoop. That comes as nearly 3,000 immigration agents are fanned out across the city. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy AG Todd Blanche visited Minneapolis yesterday, with a Patel post on X during the visit touting arrests, per CNN. The bigger picture: Trump indicated yesterday he doesn’t see an immediate reason to invoke the Insurrection Act, walking back his threat while still leaving the door open, per POLITICO’s Myah Ward. On the Hill, Democrats are increasingly frustrated with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, with some calling on the Senate Homeland Security Committee to start oversight hearings, CBS’ Patrick Maguire scoops. ICE’s detention numbers are now reaching a record high, surpassing 70,000, per CBS. And since September, ICE has shot 11 people — with many cases of officers firing into cars, per NBC. Meanwhile in D.C.: “Trump officials extend National Guard’s D.C. mission through 2026,” by WaPo’s Dan Lamothe 2. TRUMP AND THE WORLD: The heavy police presence and protest crackdown in Iran has stifled demonstrations across the country, with security forces deployed in nearly every neighborhood of Tehran, NYT’s Abdi Latif Dahir and colleagues report. Trump thanked the Iranian government yesterday for not executing political prisoners, saying he “greatly respected” the decision, per AP. When asked whether Arab and Israeli officials convinced him not to strike Iran, Trump told reporters that “nobody convinced me. I convinced myself.” That comes as his administration has been in talks with allies in the region, who advised against a strike, POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz reports. Iran’s exiled former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, however, made the opposite plea, urging Trump to follow through. Trump spoke about Iran with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Axios’ Barak Ravid scoops. On Greenland: A growing number of European officials and bipartisan lawmakers on the Hill say that a U.S. takeover of Greenland to counter Russian aggression may have the opposite effect, as straining the already shaky NATO relationship and diverting attention from Ukraine could play in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s favor, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols writes. Danish officials told a visiting group of U.S. lawmakers this week not to take a war powers vote unless it has a glide path to passage, as Copenhagen fears a weak showing could buoy Trump, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and colleagues scoop. Asked what would happen if the U.S. were to actually attack Greenland — Sören Andersen, Denmark’s Arctic commander in Greenland, said, “I think it's a hypothetical question, and I can't see a NATO country attack another NATO country,” in an interview in Nuuk with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which POLITICO is part of. He added that it would be his “task” to protect Greenland, but he doesn’t foresee any attack on NATO. On Gaza: Trump announced his slate of appointments to a Board of Peace, tasked with overseeing Gaza. Members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and others. Canada’s PM Mark Carney has also accepted an invitation to join, per Bloomberg. For your radar: “U.S. Officials Concerned Syria, Backed by Turkey, Will Expand Operation Against Kurds,” by WSJ’s Lara Seligman and Jared Malsin: “Senior U.S. officials are concerned that a new Syrian military offensive against Kurdish forces could expand into a broader campaign against the U.S.-backed militia … ” 3. PROTECT AND SERVE: “Confronted with thorny problems, Trump turns to the military,” by POLITICO’s Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary: “Faced with a domestic or international problem this term that he can’t resolve with traditional diplomacy or politicking, Trump has increasingly turned to the armed forces as an initial option rather than a last resort. … But the dramatic display of power has worried some defense officials, who fear it blurs the military’s core mission of protecting the country, overextends troops and risks acting cavalier with deadly force.” 4. FED UP: With Trump shaking up the race for who will lead the Federal Reserve, POLITICO’s ace columnist Victoria Guida takes a look at Christopher Waller, the Fed board member who “projects MAGA-friendly energy” and interviewed for the top job last month. Even though Waller is widely not considered the frontrunner, he’ll end up being a big part of Trump’s plans for the Fed anyways, Victoria writes, because despite his Trump-friendliness, “he isn’t seen as a willing puppet.” And NYT’s Colby Smith has a lengthy read on Chair Jerome Powell’s relationships on the Hill and how this week’s saga proved support for Powell surpassed even his own expectations. Trading spaces: Looking at the chaotic start to 2026, global markets may have once been rattled by so much change — but the markets have rocketed up, Bloomberg’s Denitsa Tsekova and Isabelle Lee write, and are creating little pushback as Trump increasingly tests their limits. The biggest test yet will be when the Supreme Court rules on Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda. Their next decision day — which could see the high court announce decisions on any case, including Trump’s tariffs — is scheduled for Tuesday, per Reuters.
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| | | | 5. THE TRUMP FOIL: “Gavin Newsom will attend Davos as counterweight to Trump,” by POLITICO’s Melanie Mason: “Gavin Newsom is taking his Donald Trump-bashing and California boosterism international, with plans to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week. … The California governor is slated to speak Thursday, one day after Trump’s scheduled speech, and will also attend private meetings with foreign leaders and business executives during his three-day trip. Newsom aims to use the backdrop of the conference, a symbol of global capitalism, to blast the president’s economic stewardship as ‘an assault on the free market.’” 6. AFFORDABILITY AGENDA: Student loan borrowers got a small reprieve yesterday as the Trump administration announced it will temporarily delay forced collections, like taking tax refunds and wages, NYT’s Tara Siegel Bernard reports. … The White House is weighing using executive action to enact Trump’s plan to cap credit card interest rates, Bloomberg’s Katanga Johnson and colleagues write. The plan, still in flux, may also ask regulators to relax liquidity standards to appease banks amid Wall Street pushback on Trump’s proposal. … And in another part of the administration’s push towards affordability, Trump will announce a plan for Americans to tap into their 401(k)s for down payments on homes at next week’s Davos Forum, WSJ’s Anne Tergesen and colleagues report. Finding the energy: A bipartisan coalition of governors took to the White House yesterday, pushing for tech companies to fund their own power plants in the hopes of taking the burden off everyday ratepayers, WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf and Evan Halper report. The plan — which featured many speculated presidential hopefuls, from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin — comes as utility costs are increasingly becoming a top voter concern. 7. ACROSS THE POTOMAC: Virginia Democrats yesterday set up a path for the state to carve out as many as four more Democratic-friendly seats ahead of the midterms, with the state Senate passing a constitutional amendment to redraw their maps, POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker reports. The measure will be put to voters in a special election in the spring as part of the last opportunity for Democrats to gerrymander seats before the midterms. Today at noon: Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in as governor of Virginia, the first female governor in the state’s history, WaPo’s Gregory Schneider writes. Spanberger, leaning into a theme of unity, will be inaugurated in the same place where suffragists once pushed for a woman’s right to vote decades ago. Former state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi will also be sworn in and become the first Muslim and Indian lieutenant governor, and former state Del. Jay Jones will become the state’s first Black AG. The trouble starts early: The leader and two members of the board overseeing the University of Virginia resigned yesterday under pressure from Spanberger, NYT’s Michael Schmidt and Stephanie Saul report. Spanberger asked at least five members to step aside as she comes into office. The incoming governor did not say why she asked them to resign, but it comes after the university was roiled in controversy last year that resulted in the resignation of its last president. 8. HEALTH OF A NATION: “No Link Between Acetaminophen in Pregnancy and Autism, a New Study Finds,” by NYT’s Azeen Ghorayshi: “A scientific review of 43 studies on acetaminophen use during pregnancy concluded that there was no evidence that the painkiller increased the risk of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. … The new review comes after President Trump told pregnant women during a news conference in September to ‘tough it out’ and ‘fight like hell’ not to take Tylenol, because he said the painkiller could cause autism in children.” 9. WHAT A HEADLINE: “Even Nicolás Maduro’s Prosecutors Are Tied Up Reviewing Epstein Files,” by NYT’s William Rashbaum and Benjamin Weiser: “Like almost every lawyer in the U.S. attorney’s office where they work, [deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s prosecutors] had been directed to turn their attention to reviewing Justice Department files related to the convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein … Nearly every lawyer there, except those handling a current trial or on vacation, were participating in the effort …But their assignment to that work underscores the political and legal imperatives driving the review.”
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| | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 funnies
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| GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “The Purged” by the Atlantic’s Franklin Foer: “Donald Trump’s destruction of the civil service is a tragedy not just for the roughly 300,000 workers who have been discarded, but for an entire nation.” — “What I Saw in Venezuela After Trump Seized Maduro,” by Tony Frangie Mawad for POLITICO Magazine: “Locals are still sorting through the fallout of the American attacks on Venezuela.” — “Russia’s Fearsome Arsenal Fizzled in Venezuela. Here’s Why,” by NYT’s Maria Abi-Habib and colleagues: “The Venezuelan regime had high-powered air defense systems from its allies in the Kremlin, but failed to set much of it up.” — “'Is Alp Addictive? F*ck Yeah, It’s Addictive!'” by Men’s Health’s Richard Dorment: “Riding shotgun with Tucker Carlson on his road to nicotine moguldom, MAHA megastardom, and absolute, All-American dominance of the so-called manosphere.” — “Inside the Conservative Campus Revolution,” by NY Mag’s Simon van Zuylen-Wood: “How Charlie Kirk’s youth movement was overwhelmed by darker forces after his death.” — “A Pregnant Woman at Risk of Heart Failure Couldn’t Get Urgent Treatment. She Died Waiting for an Abortion,” by ProPublica’s Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana: “In North Carolina, a state that had legislated its commitment to life, Ciji Graham spent her final days struggling to find anyone to save hers.” — “My daughter was a child of DC until the city took her away,” by Tim Shorrock on Substack: “A grieving father on the fentanyl crisis in America, how Trump’s military response fails to address root causes, a few solutions that could save lives, and why he's being prosecuted by Jeanine Pirro.”
| | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Chris LaCivita, Trump’s former campaign manager, has dropped his lawsuit against The Daily Beast. EXTREME MAKEOVER: WHITE HOUSE EDITION — Trump has appointed four new members to the independent agency, the Commission of Fine Arts, that will review his plans for the new White House ballroom, NYT’s Luke Broadwater writes. Trump’s picks include Mary Anne Carter, a Susie Wiles ally who heads the National Endowment for the Arts, Roger Kimball and Matthew Taylor. He also appointed James McCrery, who was the first architect on the ballroom project. SPEAKING OF RENOVATIONS — “DHS turns on border chief over $2 million office renovation plan,” by POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman: “Top brass at the $115 billion department said the request was too expensive and unnecessary since U.S. Customs and Border Protection will move its headquarters in the coming years … [CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott’s] renovation budget has become a concern of the department’s top political leadership, who also said that Scott is not delivering results at the speed that they want … A spokesperson for the division defended the proposed renovations as part of ‘a routine and responsible part of managing government contracts.’” VAX NOT — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told USA Today that he hasn’t taken a flu shot since 2005. Why? He believes it might have caused his spasmodic dysphonia, the condition that strained his voice. “Do I know whether that was caused by my annual flu shot? I have no idea,” Kennedy said. “It’s a possibility. It’s a potential culprit that I cannot rule out. I can’t prove it.” CAN’T MAKE THIS UP — “Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time,” by NYT’s Kenneth Vogel and Susanne Craig: “In 2021, a convicted fraudster named Adriana Camberos was freed from prison when President Trump commuted her sentence. … Ms. Camberos returned to crime. She and her brother were convicted in 2024 in an unrelated fraud. This week, Mr. Trump pardoned both siblings, marking the second time he had opened the prison gates for Ms. Camberos.” MEDIAWATCH — “Fox Went All In on Live Programming. It’s Paying Off,” by WSJ’s Suzanne Vranica and Isabella Simonetti: “Big brands are returning to Fox News, contributing to a run-up in its parent company’s shares that has validated a series of contrarian bets on the future of entertainment. … Fox News attracted hundreds of new national advertisers last year, the company said in its most recent earnings report, helped by growing viewership. Some ad buyers say clients advertise on Fox News in an attempt to speak directly to President Trump.” TRANSITIONS — Eyang Garrison is now managing director of domestic policy for Save the Children. She previously worked on the Senate Agriculture Committee. … Michael Missal and Paul Martin are forming IG Partners, a law and advisory firm focused on internal investigations, regulatory compliance and compliance monitoring. Missal previously was IG for the VA and Martin previously was IG at USAID and NASA. … Kenia Guerrero is now comms manager at Voto Latino. She previously worked for the DNC. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr … Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) … former first lady Michelle Obama … Amit Jani … WaPo’s John Wagner … Pew Research Center’s Steve Shepard … Joanne Kenen … Tommy Joyce … Steve Rabinowitz … Precision Strategies’ Mike Spahn … Scott Goodstein … Al Shofe … Rachel Bovard … Daily Mail’s Nikki Schwab … Hannah Ledford of the Fairness Project … Brookings’ Bill Galston … GOPAC’s David Avella … CapitolWorks’ Chris Jones … Alyssa Franke … Julie Alderman Boudreau … Jeremy Pelofsky of FGS Global … CNN’s Kwegyirba Croffie … Elizabeth Hays Bradley … Karlygash Faillace … Alyssa Roberts ... Corinne Noelani Kahapea ... Tegan Millspaw Gelfand … Mark Pieschel … Rebecca Buck … Jenner & Block’s Sam Feder … North American Millers’ Association’s Kim Cooper … Krista Drobac of Sirona Strategies … Patrick Butler of Kirkland & Ellis … Sebastian de la Peña … John Seabrook … Maury Povich … Mark McIntyre of Merchant McIntyre … Elizabeth Eddowes of the American Gas Association THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): NBC “Meet the Press”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Panel: Jeh Johnson, Carol Lee and Peggy Noonan. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill. Panel: Donna Brazile, Sarah Isgur, Faiz Shakir and Eliana Johnson. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) … Deputy AG Todd Blanche. Panel: Matt Gorman, Mary Katharine Ham, Marie Harf and Josh Kraushaar. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) … Mike Pence. Panel: Karen Finney, Bryan Lanza, Xochitl Hinojosa and Kristen Soltis Anderson. CBS “Face the Nation”: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey … Anthony Salvanto with new polling. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer … Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas). Panel: Seth Mandel, Margaret Talev and Elana Schor. PBS “Compass Points”: Victoria Coates … Kori Schake … Jennifer Kavanagh. MS NOW “The Weekend”: Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) … Ty Cobb … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) … Rev. Al Sharpton … Ameshia Cross … Annalyse Keller … Norman Eisen… Sarah Matthews. 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.
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