| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
On stage at the POLITICO Governor’s Summit this morning, Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt joined Playbook’s Adam Wren for a frank conversation. | Allison Robbert/AP | CHEERS TO THE GOVERNOR: What happens when you get a bipartisan group of the country’s most newsmaking governors in a room, ahead of a tension-filled meeting with President Donald Trump, and with a high-stakes midterm election on the horizon? Lots of questions about 2028 and the future of each party, naturally. On stage at the POLITICO Governor’s Summit this morning, Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt joined Playbook’s Adam Wren for a frank conversation, where the two at times shucked their own parties about what comes next and what voters want to see from their government. “There is no political party that made me. In fact, the Democratic Party put millions of dollars to try to stop me from winning,” Moore told Adam. He defended his clashes with Maryland Democrats over the state’s redistricting gambit. “I don’t answer to the Democratic Party. I don’t answer to party bosses.” Stitt, meanwhile, lobbed some criticism toward his fellow Republicans and Democrats in Washington. Congress “is not getting anything done,” he said. “I tell people, some of my friends back home, it feels like we’re a car racing toward a cliff — and right now, my party’s driving and the Democratic Party’s in the passenger seat. And we’re fighting over control of the radio.” POLITICO’s summit kicks off a series of conversations in D.C. as governors from across the U.S. and its territories gather for the National Governor’s Association’s winter meeting. Much of the focus in the lead-up to the weekend has centered on the White House meetings and annual dinner — to which some Democratic governors were not invited. Last year’s dinner saw Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills engage in a tense back-and-forth over policies on transgender athletes (legal threats were exchanged). Trump has also been publicly feuding with both Stitt — who chairs the NGA and Trump has called a “RINO” — and Moore — who’s been in the spotlight over the Potomac sewage spill. Stitt will come face-to-face with Trump in the White House this week, whereas Moore confirmed to Adam that he will not. The standoff is setting up the summit to become increasingly partisan, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (who chairs the Democratic Governor’s Association) repeating this morning that he also will not meet with Trump in solidarity. And of course, conversation veered to 2028 — as many governors, including Moore, have increasingly drawn attention as possible presidential contenders. Asked if he agreed that changing your mind after saying “I’m not running for president” is a bit of an old-fashioned idea, Moore deflected. “I am not thinking about this at all. I am trying to make sure that I am keeping food assistance for my kids,” Moore told Adam. Meanwhile, Stitt was asked if he’d like to see a governor become his party’s nominee next cycle, to which the governor responded “absolutely.” “If you look at Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush — you know, being an executive is … we’re calling balls and strikes,” he said. (That would rule out VP JD Vance, of course, though Stitt qualified that he was confident voters would choose the right candidate.) Moore, for his part, said he’s entirely focused on 2026. Also not running for president is GOP Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who told POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin that “there is no way I would ever be elected president of the United States. And I’m not running.” He then clarified that many people who are running would say the same thing, but that he is actually not running. But Cox did call Secretary of State Marco Rubio a “singular figure in American politics,” JMart notes. Cox also weighed in on the all-out redistricting war that has engulfed much of the country, calling it a “bad idea” that could risk further division among the states. “You don't need to do it. With the politicization of everything which is so bad for our country, we see it everywhere, and this is just another place where we're breaking down norms,” Cox said. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio also faced some pressing 2028 questions from JMart — and declined to immediately endorse Vance. “He’s a favorite son of ours, and we’ll see how this whole thing plays out,” he said. DeWine also deferred the chance to throw support behind DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, saying: “I think that what happened in Minnesota was a signal to a lot of people — they didn’t like what they saw.” Rounding out the morning’s panels, North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong sat down with POLITICO’s Elena Schneider to talk about his state’s energy policies, data centers … and 2028. “I think we are three years away, and if I’ve learned one thing in politics, three years is an absolute lifetime right now,” Armstrong said, pouring cold water on any predictions of what comes next. “I think we should concentrate on holding the House in the midterms and electing more governors to state capitals in the next election cycle.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Are you placing bets on 2028? Send me your predictions at abianco@politico.com. MORE FROM THE POLITICO GOVERNOR’S SUMMIT:
- Cox said the federal government “coming in and trying to tell us” to back off state-level fixes on AI regulations and data center expansions is “preposterous”: “Let's use this technology to benefit humankind, and let's regulate it to make sure they don't destroy humankind.” More from POLITICO’s Sam Benson
- Armstrong on the tariffs on Canada and its relationship with North Dakota: “We have friends and families on both sides of the border, we have farmers who farm on both sides of the border … We are very close with our neighbors in Canada, so that has put a strain on it. … But what we can do is make sure we’re talking to each other, make sure we’re communicating, make sure we are dealing with those issues as we can, so when the dust settles, we’re ready to go completely back open for business.”
- DeWine on whether ICE will conduct an operation in Springfield: “We don’t know if they’re going to come in, even if the TPS is taken away, we’ve not been told at all if they’re going to come in … but they’ve also said that could change.”
- DeWine also called for Trump to push comprehensive immigration reform: “He has basically sealed the Southern border … This could be a ‘Nixon goes to China.’ I think he literally has — he’s the one person who could put this together.”
- Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said law enforcement will “ignore” the recent bill signed by Moore that stops collaboration with ICE: “When they have violent criminals that they’re holding in jail, that ICE wants to be detained, they shouldn’t be left back on the street. So there’s two sides to this argument.” More from POLITICO’s Natalie Fertig
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For over 140 ingredients, you can find common uses, alternative names and safety assessments from food safety authorities at GoodToKnowFacts.org. | | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. WAR AND PEACE: At the first meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace in D.C. this morning, the president announced that member countries had pledged $7 billion of investments to fund the rebuilding of Gaza, adding that the U.S. would commit some $10 billion to the effort — a “small number” compared with the cost of endless war, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai and Eli Stokols report. He gave no indication of whether Congress has approved a new appropriation or where the money would be coming from. Trump also announced that he was naming his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a special peace envoy, focused on brokering new diplomatic agreements. On Iran: “Trump said he’s hoping Iran will make a deal to curb its nuclear weapons program, a program that the president said was decimated just months ago by U.S. strikes,” Sophia and Eli write. “But he left open the prospect of war after moving an immense amount of military resources into the Persian Gulf in preparation for a possible attack. ‘We may have to take it a step further, or we may not,’ Trump said. ‘You’re gonna be finding out over the next probably 10 days.’” Gaza latest: “Hamas tightens grip in Gaza as Trump pushes peace plan,” by Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell: “Hamas is cementing its hold over Gaza by placing loyalists in key government roles, collecting taxes and paying salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment seen by Reuters and sources in the Palestinian enclave.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel on Feb. 28, per Fox News’ Trey Yingst. Uncertainty in Ukraine: Despite Trump’s claim that an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine is “reasonably close,” top European intelligence officials are doubtful that an agreement to end the war will be struck this year, Reuters’ Tom Balmforth and colleagues report. 2. GEORGIA ON MY MIND: As Trump arrives in Georgia today to tout his administration’s affordability agenda, he’s doing so with a fresh reading on the U.S. jobless rate, which fell to 206,000 last week from 229,000 the week prior, WSJ’s Jessica Coacci reports. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported today that the U.S. trade deficit remained high last year at $1.2 trillion, which runs counter to Trump’s vow to wipe it out with his sweeping tariff agenda, WaPo’s David Lynch and Rachel Siegel report. The next topic du jour: With the midterms looming, Trump is “preparing to make health care a central focus” of his message to voters, despite poor polling and some skepticism from Republicans over elevating an issue that they’ve struggled to win on, CNN’s Adam Cancryn reports. 3. THE POLITICO POLL: The latest POLITICO Poll in partnership with Public First reveals the extent of the damage that Trump’s return has brought to U.S.-Canada relations. A majority of Canadians (58 percent) disagree that the U.S. is a reliable ally, with 42 percent outright saying the U.S. is no longer Canada’s ally. And some Canadians now see the U.S. as a bigger threat than Russia. “It’s the world’s most awkward breakup,” POLITICO’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Anna Wiederkehr write. “In survey question after survey question, Canadians say the U.S. no longer reflects their values, is more likely to provoke conflict than to prevent it and, as a result, is pushing Canada to consider closer ties with other global powers.” Read the full report 4. SHUTDOWN STALEMATE: DHS funding remains stalled with no progress on negotiations on ICE and Border Patrol, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is signaling Democrats are open to soon discuss how to reopen the less controversial aspects of DHS, like FEMA and TSA, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy reports. “It’s something that we’re going to have to take a close look at upon our return to Washington on Monday,” Jeffries told reporters.
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➡️ Subscribe Now | | | | | 5. THE EPSTEIN SAGA: Following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest over alleged misconduct in public office in connection to his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein today, “American lawmakers bemoaned the lack of legal consequences for the rich and powerful connected to Jeffrey Epstein inside the U.S. and called on the federal government to push harder on the people who were close to him,” POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy reports. Mountbatten-Windsor’s brother King Charles III in his first public statement said “the law must take its course,” NYT’s Ravi Mattu reports. “The statement was striking, because it addressed the British public directly but also because it was signed by Charles personally instead of being issued by Buckingham Palace.” Mountbatten-Windsor has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. 6. JET SET: “Inside a luxury jet DHS wants to buy for deportations,” by NBC’s Julia Ainsley: “An executive jet the Department of Homeland Security has told the White House’s Office of Management and Budget it needs for immigrant deportation flights and Cabinet officials’ travel features a bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and even a bar … DHS recently began leasing the Boeing 737 Max 8, which DHS officials have described as a luxury jet, but now Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking approval from OMB to purchase it for $70 million … ICE told OMB that it would be used for deportations and travel for Cabinet officials, the two officials said.” 7. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Trail mix: A new six-figure digital ad campaign targets GOP Reps. Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert for failing to address rising costs and instead giving “greedy corporations and billionaires tax breaks,” POLITICO’s Liz Crampton scoops. The buy, from grassroots group LUCHA and Way to Win’s Valiente Action Fund, is bilingual and will run online in the competitive swing districts for four weeks. Travel tracker: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) will deliver a keynote speech at the Frank & Bethine Church Gala on Saturday, March 7 in Boise, Idaho, Playbook’s Adam Wren reports. “Senator Slotkin is proof that Democrats can win the fights that matter,” the Idaho Democratic Party said in an announcement seen by Playbook, pointing to Slotkin’s participation in a recent video with other lawmakers urging members of the U.S. military to refuse illegal orders. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will also deliver a keynote address at the gala. Rare bipartisan moment?: “Former Nebraska first lady Susanne Shore runs for NU regent in Omaha,” by Nebraska Examiner’s Aaron Sanderford: “The political divide between Nebraska’s Democratic former first lady, Susanne Shore, and her husband, Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former two-term governor, has drawn attention for more than a decade. … this week, the political odd couple finally agreed on a Nebraska Democrat running for office. … Shore is seeking an Omaha seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.” 8. SPORTS BLINK: “Pressure Builds in L.A. on Wasserman to Step Down From Olympics Leadership,” by WSJ’s Paul Kiernan: Casey Wasserman’s “correspondence with [Ghislaine] Maxwell occurred years before she was convicted of sex trafficking, but those calling for his removal say the link to the scandal could take away from the Olympics and the athletes, and worried about the constant drip of revelations keeping Epstein in the news. Others, however, note privately that LA28 is beating its revenue targets, and worry that a sudden shake-up in its leadership could increase the risk of taxpayers needing to foot part of the bill for the Olympics.”
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America's beverage companies are making it easier than ever to find clear information about the ingredients in your favorite beverages. Learn more at GoodToKnowFacts.org. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | SPOTTED at Martin’s Tavern last night: Dave Butler, Dan Rickert and Mark Lepczyk. NOT THIS AGAIN — Forecasters are watching the possibility of a strong nor’easter storm that could hit the East Coast from Sunday into Monday, WaPo’s Ben Noll reports. “If that happens, a swath of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast — including cities from D.C. to Boston — could be hit by accumulating snow and strong winds, causing slippery roads and travel disruptions.” EXTREME MAKEOVER: WHITE HOUSE EDITION — “An arts panel made up of Trump appointees approves his White House ballroom proposal,” by AP’s Darlene Superville: “The meeting was supposed to be on the design, with a final vote expected at next month’s session. But the chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., made a motion to also vote on final approval, and six of the seven commissioners who were all installed by the Republican president since the start of the year voted in favor twice. … The project will be the subject of additional discussion by the National Capital Planning Commission in March.” TRANSITIONS — Barnes & Thornburg is adding several new partners to its government services and finance department in their D.C. office: Jeffrey Ballard, Garland Gantt, Charles Henck, Stephanie Kim, Daniel Nunez, Andy Spicknall, Charles Treece and John Wheatley. … The American Bankers Association is adding Tifany Pedersen as head of marketing and elevating Lia Fordjour to CFO. Pedersen is joining from Amazon. Fordjour previously was SVP for planning and reporting. … … Sheila Nix will be the next CEO of the Mobile Voting Project. She most recently worked on the Harris campaign and is an Obama White House alum. … Matthew Reed is now press secretary for Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). He previously worked for Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.). 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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