With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, taking a deep breath and diving into the next 100 days. Join me! I’m sure we’ll find some fun along the way.
In today’s Playbook:
— President Donald Trump in a pickle over Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a judge’s deadline looms.
— GOP sweats on Medicaid cuts.
— Mark Carney and Trump — best of friends?
DAY 101: Donald Trump’s “100 day” victory lap continues today with another flurry of high-impact media appearances. The president has an on-camera Cabinet meeting at 11 a.m., a White House event on the economy at 4 p.m. and then an 8 p.m. phone-in for a televised town hall. It follows last night’s blizzard of Trump-related TV, with his 90-minute rally in Michigan followed by an hour-long pre-recorded interview on ABC News. And if the White House’s grand plan was to switch focus back to immigration, it’s safe to say they succeeded … in a way.
Knuckle head: Social media was lit up last night (9 million views and counting!) by Trump’s fiery exchange with ABC’s Terry Moran over the knuckle tattoos of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia, of course, is the man the U.S. government deported to El Salvador by mistake. Trump got into a surreal back-and-forth with Moran over whether Garcia has the gang name “MS-13” literally tattooed on his knuckles, apparently confusing a very obviously-photoshopped image he once held up for social media with, well, real life.
Obviously … the White House will try to play the gaffe down today and insist Trump was referring to the *symbols* tattooed on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles, which some internet sleuths argue signify MS-13. (He clearly wasn’t, but whatever.)
But ignore all that noise: Because a way more important development came when Moran provoked Trump into admitting what has been obvious all along: that the U.S. president could get Abrego Garcia back to America if he wanted to. “I could, I could,” Trump said when Moran pointed to the phone on the Resolute Desk and suggested a single call to El Salvador would bring Abrego Garcia back. “And if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that,” Trump added. But the president insisted that he was not, in fact, “the one making this decision,” and blamed lawyers and “the law” for the situation. Here’s ABC’s story and clip.
Now this actually matters: The White House’s position in court has been that only El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, can release a Salvadoran man from a Salvadoran jail. So how will Trump’s admission that he could secure his release with a single phone call go down with, say, Judge Paula Xinis, who has set a deadline of 5 p.m. today for more information on this case? The Supreme Court, remember, ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s return to the U.S. way back on April 10. This whole case suddenly got more interesting.
Meanwhile in Michigan: That all followed Trump’s rally in Michigan last night, where again immigration was much of the focus. And here, things frankly got pretty bleak. Trump’s team twice played on big screens the entirety of that made-for-social video of Venezuelan migrants being deported to El Salvador, shackles and forced head-shavings and all. And yes, the crowd went wild. It’s one thing being pleased that your government is deporting undocumented immigrants. This felt like something else entirely.
Playbook’s own Zack Stanton — a Macomb County native, as he never tires of telling us — was at the rally and emails in with a few thoughts. He describes a “MAGA carnival” complete with Trump world celebs like Mike Lindell and the return of the Trump Unity Bridge, “its speaker system blaring music and enticing supporters to come and meet an authentic, pardoned ‘J6 survivor.’”
A few things Zack noted from Trump’s speech …
“Trump’s new-ish material is darker. It’s not simply the Bukele video, which is so dark it’s practically Vantablack: There are now attacks on judges (they ‘are trying to take away the power of our president,’ he said) and open flirtation with a constitutionally prohibited third term in the White House.
“His economic message is unlikely to calm markets. It’s not just the continued shots at Fed Chair Jerome Powell (‘I have a Fed person who’s not really doing a good job.’) There was also the suggestion of an even heavier governmental hand in the economy. ‘We’ll make deals [with other countries], but we don’t have to,’ Trump said. ‘We can just set the price.’
“Trump is running out of time to blame Biden. Time and again, the president returned to a consistent theme: blaming his predecessor for things being bad. Whether the topic is illegal border crossings or the price of eggs, Trump has a simple explanation: Joe Biden. That makes a certain amount of sense — Biden is/was unpopular. But the window of time in which that’s a plausible argument is fast closing. One-hundred days in, you start to really own the status quo.”
A message from Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
1 in 4 people have visited a Planned Parenthood health center for expert, affordable care, including birth control, wellness visits, cancer screenings and more.
But lawmakers who oppose reproductive health are targeting Planned Parenthood. They want to take away the health care millions of patients rely on — especially those with low incomes.
Planned Parenthood won’t stop fighting for the care people need and deserve.
We need you in this fight. Visit http://ImForPP.org to learn more.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Can’t blame Biden for this: Trump’s popularity continues to nosedive over the economy, as three swing-state focus groups shared with POLITICO’s Elena Schneider confirm. The research — backed by the Democratic group Navigator Research — found voters angry and disappointed at the impact of Trump’s tariff policies. One Black woman in the Pennsylvania focus group said she “specifically voted for him because of the economy,” but “now that we gave him a second term, I just feel like now it’s just downhill from there, and I’m thinking, ‘What the fuck?’”
In that vein: Consumer confidence just hit a five-year low, the AP reports… U.S. firms are reducing Chinese imports, with the number of containers arriving into west coast ports set to plummet in the coming days, the NYT’s Danielle Kaye reports … and her NYT colleague Daisuke Wakabayashi reckons toy shortages are going to ruin Christmas. And let’s face it — no president wants to be painted as the Grinch.
So no surprise … that the furious backpedaling continues. Trump confirmed his latest tariff U-turn last night, offering extra relief on automobiles, per CNN … U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told GOP senators at a private lunch that we’ll see trade deals within weeks, per POLITICO’s Daniel Desrochers, Jordain Carney and Lisa Kashinsky … In fact, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick even told CNBC that one deal has already been “done, done, done” … Although this was swiftly slapped down by his old frenemy, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, on Fox News.
About those trade deals: Just in case anyone was getting too carried away … “White House officials have boasted that more than a dozen countries have put offers on the table to avoid the biting tariffs scheduled to kick in in just over two months,” POLITICO’s Daniel Desrochers and Ari Hawkins report. “But the documents other countries have submitted to the White House are far from final offers, according to a dozen foreign diplomats and three officials …. Rather, they are preliminary outlines of what their governments are willing to discuss in the trade talks.”
News from the wilderness: It’s not just the White House which is marking the 100-day milestone this week — the Dems are also trying to go on the attack. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are holding a 100-days news conference at 2:30 p.m. … and then later this evening, former Vice President Kamala Harris is giving a speech in California where she’s expected to deliver her most extensive critique yet of Trump’s presidency. Whether America’s ready to listen is another matter.
A message from Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
MEANWHILE ON THE HILL
RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: It’s another big day for Republicans’ reconciliation mega-bill, as four House committees begin markup of their portions of the legislation — Financial Services, Oversight and Transportation & Infrastructure at 10 a.m., and Judiciary at 2 p.m. More in Inside Congress
Tax and spend: But two of the most contentious aspects will come to a head in private meetings this afternoon. Speaker Mike Johnson is due to meet with Republicans who want to raise the cap on the state and local tax deduction, Bloomberg’s Erik Wasson and Billy House preview. And Republicans who oppose Medicaid cuts will meet with House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), per POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Ben Leonard. Watch for the latest from Johnson at an Axios event that begins at 8 a.m.
Medicaid on the line: Medicaid cuts remain one of the politically diciest questions for Republicans to resolve. Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) told Ben and Meredith that he’s urging the GOP to back down from cuts, though he stopped short of declaring a red line. Axios’ Stef Kight has internal GOP polling showing a plurality of voters oppose making Medicaid cuts even to lower the debt.
Helpful: In Michigan last night, Trump said Republicans would increase Medicaid spending, per NOTUS. Let’s see how that goes.
And there’s so much more: Members of Congress and interest groups are scrambling to get all kinds of other priorities included in — or stripped from — the mega-bill. Here’s the latest:
- Tearing down the administrative state: House Judiciary’s text would yank control over antitrust from the FTC to the Justice Department, while upending the federal regulatory process to give the president more power, POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs and Mia McCarthy report.
- Pensions: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said he opposes a provision to slash federal workers’ pensions, and will vote against the House Oversight portion of the bill in committee today, per POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus.
- Immigration: The bill includes big money for the border wall and beefed-up immigration enforcement, while charging asylum-seekers $1,000 fees for the first time ever, AP’s Lisa Mascaro reports.
- Defense: Five Democrats voted for the House Armed Services portion of the bill, which would bolster defense spending, per POLITICO’s Connor O’Brien.
THE LOYAL OPPOSITION: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has a big decision to make — whether she’ll try again for the top spot on House Oversight, POLITICO’s Nick Wu and Holly Otterbein report. Some Hill supporters are excited by the prospect, but other allies think her barnstorming tour portends bigger things. Several progressives are eyeing bids if AOC passes, per NBC’s Scott Wong, while some senior Democrats are lining up behind Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) in a bid to stave off the party’s grassroots “youth revolt,” Axios’ Andrew Solender reports.
THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
CARNEY’S ARMY: Canadian PM Mark Carney will start to select his Cabinet this week following the Liberals’ stunning election triumph. The latest results from Monday’s vote show his Liberal Party falling three seats short of an outright majority in parliament, meaning they’ll need to rely on smaller parties on the left for extra votes. In the popular vote, the Liberals edged out the Conservatives by just 2 percentage points — which is both a tiny margin of victory and a stunning turnaround from their previous electoral quagmire.
The noisy neighbor: Trump called to congratulate Carney yesterday, and it’s clear their fledgling relationship will be pivotal to North America’s economic and diplomatic future. POLITICO’s ace White House reporter Megan Messerly spent yesterday seeking Trump world’s reaction to Carney’s victory, and emails in with these thoughts.
“Carney has two advantages when it comes to the U.S. president, two Trump allies tell me,” Megan writes. “Carney has a background in finance. And he’s not Justin Trudeau.
“Carney worked for more than a decade in senior positions at Goldman Sachs and ran both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. Some in Trump’s orbit believe the prime minister’s pedigree will lay a solid foundation for a strong relationship between the two men, despite their political differences. Trump often cites his own business experience — and tends to respect other world leaders who come from the same world.
“‘I think Carney knows how to build relationships with — what shall we say? — eccentric, iconoclastic leaders, both in business and in politics,’ one of the people told me. ‘I think he’ll end up being a good friend of Trump’s.’ Carney is ‘a well-respected, smart guy who isn’t particularly ideological,’ the person added.
“Notably, in the Oval Office last week, Trump correctly referred to Carney as the country’s prime minister — not ‘governor,’ as Trump mockingly called Trudeau. … And not being Trudeau is key. ‘Anyone is better than the former prime minister,’ the second person said.”
A message from Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
BEST OF THE REST
JUDICIARY SQUARE: Trump’s dismantling of the federal government continues to spawn endless legal fights. An appeals court yesterday barred the administration from firing the vast majority of CFPB staffers for now, per the NYT. … The Corporation for Public Broadcasting filed suit over Trump’s move to fire the majority of its board, per Reuters. … Several states sued over the destruction of AmeriCorps, saying DOGE had illegally made massive cuts, per the L.A. Times. … And the targeted firings of dozens of Justice Department lawyers are also being challenged in court — “a crucial new test of long-established law that may ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court,” NYT’s Devlin Barrett reports.
IMMIGRATION FILES: Trump’s immigration crackdown barrels forward today with a confirmation hearing for Rodney Scott as Customs & Border Protection commissioner at 10 a.m. at Senate Finance … Meanwhile U.S. Postal Service law enforcement has started working with immigration officials to find undocumented immigrants via mail surveillance, WaPo’s Jacob Bogage and Hannah Natanson scooped.
Meanwhile in Vermont: Detained Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi has a hearing to request release today. In his first interview, he told NPR’s “Morning Edition” that “I have faith that justice will prevail.”
The new family separations: “A Mother and Father Were Deported. What Happened to Their Toddler?” by NYT’s Julie Turkewitz and Isayen Herrera … “Cuban mother’s case fuels concerns over children caught in Trump deportation push,” by Reuters’ Mario Fuentes and Dave Sherwood
SCOTUS WATCH: “Separation of church and state at risk as Oklahoma case goes before Supreme Court this week,” by the Tulsa World’s Andrea Eger
TRAIL MIX: Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said directly that she’s thinking about running for president, per POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy. … Top Republicans are urging Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) to run for reelection rather than for governor, fearing they might lose his seat otherwise, NBC’s Melanie Zanona and Ryan Nobles report.
CAPITULATION CORNER: Paramount and Trump’s legal team will start mediation today over his “60 Minutes” lawsuit, NYT’s Ben Mullin, Lauren Hirsch and Michael Grynbaum report. The Paramount board laid the groundwork this month for a possible settlement.
THE ED MARTIN DRIP-DRIP CONTINUES: “Trump’s top DC prosecutor nominee claims to not recall numerous past controversial statements under oath,” by CNN’s Annie Grayer, Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck: “[I]n a number of instances, his answers fall short of accurately reflecting positions he has held.”
KNOWING TERRY COLE: Trump’s nominee for DEA administrator is facing questions about his connection to two fatal incidents in Latin America, CNN’s Rob Kuznia reports. Cole is up for a confirmation hearing before Senate Judiciary at 10:15 a.m.
POLITICIZING THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM: Trump fired Doug Emhoff, Ron Klain, Tom Perez, Susan Rice and Anthony Bernal from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, NYT’s Katie Glueck and Tyler Pager scooped.
Mike Johnson is renting a place from Darrell Issa.
Donald Trump seemingly mixed up John James and Shri Thanedar.
NewsNation reported that Donald Trump seemingly mixed up John James and Shri Thanedar at his 100 days rally. But the White House disputed that characterization: “The President was asking John James — who was in the crowd — about Democrat Congressman Shri Thanedar. If NewsNation watched the actual exchange, they would’ve known that,” a White House official said in a statement. Watch the video
The Six Triple Eight was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.
IN MEMORIAM — David Horowitz died at 86, the David Horowitz Freedom Center announced. A longtime conservative activist, writer and author, Horowitz founded that think tank and the advocacy group Students for Academic Freedom, fighting against immigration, Islam and the left. Charlie Kirk credited Horowitz with mentoring him and Stephen Miller to the positions they hold today.
SPOTTED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last night at The Occidental, overheard commenting on the bananas foster, per a tipster.
OUT AND ABOUT — Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America held its annual gala at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium last night, with Speaker Mike Johnson as the keynote and SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser also speaking. Johnson called SBA “one of the most effective organizations in our party.”
— Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) hosted an event commemorating Trump’s first 100 days last night at the Heritage Foundation. SPOTTED: Reps. Troy Downing (R-Mont.), John McGuire (R-Va.), Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) and Brian Jack (R-Ga.).
— SPOTTED at a celebration of the 45th year of WaPo’s Stern-Bryan Fellowship last night at London’s Frontline Club: Matt Murray, Steve Hendrix, William Booth, Dan Balz, Alex Duncan, Doug Jehl, Karla Adam, Greg Miller, Kevin Sullivan, Glenda Cooper, Mary Jordan, Sam Coates, Sarah Neville, Alexandra Heal, Liz Cookman, Tim Wigmore, Katie Tarrant, Rory Sullivan, Shayma Bakht, Ido Vock, Kendra Nichols, Paul Schemm, Vivian Ho, Catherine Belton, Victoria Craw, Jennifer Hassan, Alexandra Ma, Abbie Cheeseman, Imogen Piper, Helier Cheung and Olivia Petersen.
— SPOTTED at Potomac West Group’s 10th-anniversary party at Columbia Island Marina: Ed Rogers, Jonathan Martin, Paul Kane, Mike and Shannon Dubke, Brian Jones, Michael and Tovah Meehan, Rayner Reinhardt, Ansley Lacitis, Kerrianne Maloy, Michele Day, Ivy Copa, Vera Doherty, Ty Matsdorf, Mary Richards, Terry Samuel, Matt McCarthy, Angela Chiappetta, Eric Anglin, Terry Holt, Sam Siegler, Jamie Sterling and Brian Wild.
TRANSITIONS — Emma Doyle has launched a new lobbying shop, Marble Arch, focused on the executive branch. She most recently was senior adviser at Bondi Partners, and was principal deputy chief of staff in the first White House. … Brett Hart is joining the Rockefeller Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He is the president of United Airlines and an alum of the Clinton administration. … Paul Gage has joined the American Veterinary Medical Association as a director for the federal government relations division. He previously was deputy VP of federal advocacy at PhRMA and is a Kurt Schrader alum. … Alan Inouye is retiring as interim associate executive director of the American Library Association, to be succeeded by Lisa Varga. She previously was executive director of the Virginia Library Association. …
… Amanda Finney is now VP of reputation management at Avoq. She previously was director of public affairs at the Energy Department and is a Biden White House alum. … Inseparable has added Cara Cheevers as VP of coverage policy, Arpit Jain as VP of finance, Abbie Hodgson and Laurie Roberts as senior directors of state affairs, Julianne Hopper and Shannon Hoofman as policy and advocacy managers, and Imogen Bohen as policy and advocacy coordinator. … Ellie Hockenbury is joining Targeted Victory as a managing director on its public affairs team. She previously was deputy executive director and comms director for the California GOP, and is an RNC and RSLC alum.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), William Timmons (R-S.C.) and Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) … U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres … Stephen Mull … Tina Flournoy … POLITICO’s Luiza Savage and Jama Ayalew … Time’s Brian Bennett … Brooke Sours … Lindsay Walters … John Mulligan of Monument Advocacy … Jim Margolis … Taylor (Weeks) Armentrout … Chris Mindnich … DCCC’s Courtney Rice … Jose Aristimuño … Matt Loffman of PBS NewsHour … Robert Shalett … GM’s Eric Feldman … CBS’ Caitlin Yilek … Ali Solis … Michael Herson of American Defense International … Jonathan Jagoda … Bill Meierling … Joshua Levy … Vanity Fair’s Joe Hagan … former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx … Andrea Woods … former Reps. Bill Clay (D-Mo.) (94) and Bob Livingston (R-La.) … NBC’s Liz Bader … Nimrod Novik … Hina Razzaq of Rational 360 … Nezar Jamal of National Security Action … Tana Bosshard … Jonathan Harsch … HB Strategies’ Andy Blunt … Barry Blitt … Tori Taylor … Stone Workman
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Clarification: This newsletter has been updated with a statement from the White House disputing NewsNation’s characterization of a comment that President Donald Trump made about Rep. John James (R-Mich.).
