Playbook: Crunch time for Jeffries and Schumer

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine

DRIVING THE DAY

THE ‘GOODEST’ WAR — From Maureen Dowd’s latest in NYT: “In my Saturday column, I quoted [President JOE] BIDEN’s line to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, about how he would feel if Trump were sworn in as president because he refused to step aside: ‘I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about.’ … After my column posted Saturday morning, T.J. DUCKLO, a Biden campaign spokesman, emailed me to ‘flag’ that ABC News had updated its transcript to read: ‘I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the good as job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about.’

“Ducklo asked if I could ‘tweak’ the column and change the word ‘goodest’ to make my piece ‘consistent with the corrected transcript,’ even though the revised version was also gobbledygook.” It goes on from there — and on and on.

THE LITERAL STORM — “Hurricane Beryl makes landfall on the Texas coast near Matagorda, the National Weather Service says,” AP

THE PROVERBIAL STORM — Being a congressional leader isn’t all about donor calls, messaging bills and ski-resort fundraisers. It also involves listening to your members and making tough calls. And HAKEEM JEFFRIES and CHUCK SCHUMER are going to understand that this week in the most difficult way imaginable.

With Democratic lawmakers returning today from an incredibly well-timed congressional recess, a growing cadre among them is preparing to publicly urge Biden to call off his re-election bid. But, more than that, some want their leaders to nudge him out.

Biden is digging in, suggesting only the “Lord almighty” could persuade him to quit, and some Hill Democrats we’ve spoken to have grown only more convinced that it’s on the party elders to step in where God will not.

Many envision a private intervention — a la BARRY GOLDWATER and RICHARD NIXON circa August 1974. Others think a public statement would do the trick. But on this they agree: The clock is ticking.

“People have to act,” Rep. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-Ill.), who has called on Biden to step aside, told Playbook last night. “This isn’t a time for contemplation. Time is running out for this process to work effectively, and, frankly, it’s time for tough love.”

Several Democrats we spoke to view Friday as a soft deadline for Biden to prove he’s up to the job, lest the effort to force him aside get more aggressive — and potentially more humiliating.

BIDEN’S BASE PLAY: As of this morning, there is little indication that Biden is planning to yield. Playbook has reviewed a new memo from the Biden-Harris campaign that has been sent to Hill offices that highlights his campaign schedule in recent days, the recent Bloomberg-Morning Consult poll showing him gaining on DONALD TRUMP in some swing states, and a raft of supportive comments from various party figures. Biden himself has made some 20 calls to members of Congress, we’re told, with more to come.

Jonathan Martin this morning has a deep look at how Biden sees a path out of the wilderness, “counting on the support of African-American Democrats and his union allies as his last line of defense … portraying his detractors as mostly elite white liberals who are out of step with the more diverse and working-class grassroots of the party.”

“The donor class may have their preference, but it’s older Black women in church pews who will decide the nominee, thank you very much,” JMart writes, channeling the Wilmington mind-meld, with on-the-record quotes from inner-circle figures ANITA DUNN and CEDRIC RICHMOND to back it up.

Said Richmond: “I think it’s interesting that not one African-American member [of Congress] has called on the president to step down,” adding that white lawmakers “risk alienating some of their base” by abandoning the president.

Those dynamics played out on the conference call of top House Democrats yesterday afternoon, where several key committee leaders insisted that Biden should step aside.

Judiciary chief JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.) opened the conversation by arguing that Biden couldn’t prosecute the case against Trump. Armed Services leader ADAM SMITH (D-Wash.) insisted Biden couldn’t fix the damage already done.

Rep. JIM HIMES (D-Conn.), top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said he had gotten several hundred texts and emails about Biden’s age — and not a single one of them wanted him to remain. He also argued, we’re told, that both chambers of Congress would be lost with Biden in the race, a sentiment we’ve heard from most Democrats we’ve spoken to in the past week.

But while the gentleman from Cos Cob might be convinced, the party’s most powerful Black lawmakers are either silent or openly supportive of Biden.

During yesterday’s call, several giants of the Congressional Black Caucus — MAXINE WATERS (D-Calif.), BOBBY SCOTT (D-Va.), DAVID SCOTT (D-Ga.), BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) and GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.) — all argued that the party needs to stick with Biden, focus on Trump and talk about the policy contrast between the two.

THE MEN IN THE MIDDLE: In that context, the simple question posed to us by one senior House Democrat — “What does Hakeem do?” — doesn’t appear all that simple.

In this member’s estimation, the calculation is simple if you’re Jeffries, Schumer or NANCY PELOSI: “I’d go to JILL BIDEN and say: this man is going to be in the top 10 of American presidents … unless he loses.” So, the appeal goes, why risk that legacy?

If only it were that simple, senior Democratic aides say.

“I don’t think anybody wants to be too hasty in making a decision one way or the other,” one told Playbook, arguing that “Psychology 101 states that … trying to strong-arm him out probably not the best way to do it if that’s the end result you want.”

So leadership is instead “in listening mode,” senior aides say. And some of those most adamant about getting Biden to step aside are slowing their roll. The push from Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) for a Monday meeting to discuss Biden’s fate, for instance, has now been postponed to the typical Tuesday caucus lunch.

But, as Quigley suggested, there will be only so much patience. Many members are expecting to organize once they’re face-to-face with their colleagues, potentially creating the sort of hold-hands-and-jump moment that could force their leaders’ hands.

Once a critical mass is reached, the thinking goes, Schumer and Jeffries will have no choice but to tell Biden it’s game over.

Not that any of that thinking has been explicitly laid out for the leaders. On yesterday’s House call, we’re told, no one participating suggested to Jeffries what exactly he should do.

Instead, one Democrat simply quipped, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

MORE BIDEN READS — “Biden turns to Pennsylvania to try to save his campaign,” by Jessica Piper, Jared Mitovich and Jennifer Haberkorn … “Biden countering RNC with battleground state travel,” by ABC’s Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, and Will McDuffie … “These Black women vow to vote for Biden — but Harris excites them more,” by WaPo’s Holly Bailey and Amber Ferguson … “Cut-off for Democrats to replace Biden: A state-by-state breakdown for running alternate candidates,” by DailyMail.com’s Katelyn Caralle

FRENCH ELECTION SHOCKER — “French left beats Le Pen’s far right in election shock,” by Clea Caulcutt in Paris: “The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of MARINE LE PEN. … The result, however, looks set to throw the country into a period of political turmoil, with no single group winning enough seats to form a majority in parliament.”

The result vindicated the decision by several leftist parties to unite as the “New Popular Front,” as well the move from that bloc and the centrist party of President EMMANUEL MACRON to strategically withdraw from some parliamentary races in order to block Le Pen’s National Rally. But now, NYT’s Catherine Porter writes, it’s unclear whether the left will actually be able to govern: There are fissures between the parties in the coalition, who do not trust its most prominent figure, JEAN-LUC MÉLENCHON, to lead.

Deep dive: “Who could be the next French PM?” by Victor Goury-Laffont: “The winning left-wing alliance has many options for Prime Minister. None of them will make everyone happy.”

THE WEEK — Tomorrow: NATO Summit begins at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center; Biden delivers remarks there on the alliance’s 75th anniversary. Fed Chair JEROME POWELL testifies before Senate Banking. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN testifies before House Financial Services. Trump holds a campaign rally in Doral, Florida. … Wednesday: Biden attends a meeting of national union leaders at the AFL-CIO and participates in NATO Summit events. House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON meets with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and British PM KEIR STARMER. Powell testifies before House Financial Services. EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN testifies before House Oversight. … Thursday: Biden holds a news conference after participating in final NATO Summit events. June CPI inflation numbers released. … Friday: Biden travels to Detroit for a campaign event. … Saturday: Trump holds a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY

On the Hill

The House will meet at noon and will take up several bills at 2 p.m., with last votes expected by 6:30 p.m. The Rules Committee will take up several bills at 4 p.m., including Legislative Branch appropriations and a resolution to repeal the Biden administration’s controversial Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination.

The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. to take up NANCY MALDONADO’s judicial nomination, with a vote at 5:30 p.m.

3 things to watch …

  1. As Democrats come to grips with their presidential nomination crisis, expect House Republicans to take whatever advantage they can to prod the issue of Biden’s mental fitness. House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) leapt out of the gate yesterday by requesting an interview with White House physician KEVIN O’CONNOR, who in February described Biden as a “healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male.” Citing O’Connor’s past business associations with presidential brother JIM BIDEN, Comer questioned whether O’Connor is “in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve.” More from Jordain Carney
  2. Two other GOP initiatives to keep an eye on: Rep. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-Fla.) has retooled her “inherent contempt” resolution targeting AG MERRICK GARLAND over his refusal to hand over Biden’s interview tapes with special counsel ROBERT HUR. Rather than incarceration, her measure now threatens $10,000-a-day fines, and Luna said she will call it up for a vote later this week. Keep an ear out also for chatter about a resolution calling for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to unseat Biden — much as Democrats did against Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
  3. As for the House floor this week: Legislative Branch appropriations is the centerpiece item, but don’t sleep on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — a GOP bill that would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voters in federal elections. Noncitizen voting is already illegal, but Republicans see the issue as a useful partisan wedge. Fifty-two Democrats broke ranks on a previous measure aimed at noncitizen voting in D.C. local elections, and Democrats are whipping against the new bill in hopes of keeping those numbers down this time, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports.

At the White House

Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning, with VP KAMALA HARRIS attending.

PLAYBOOK READS

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

MOUNTING THE SUMMIT — Biden aside, a major focus in Washington this week will be the NATO summit that kicks off tomorrow, bringing a host of European and North American leaders to the U.S. They’ll aim to project strength and mostly unified resolve in support of Ukraine. But the mood is gloomy. And some discussions will also focus on essentially “Trump-proofing” the alliance against Trump’s skepticism if he returns to the White House, as well as rising far-right forces in other countries, AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer reports. But even if Europe steps up more, it’s “years from being able to fill any U.S.-sized hole in NATO.”

One of the perpetual thorns in Europe’s side, Hungarian PM VIKTOR ORBÁN, told Matt Berg and Paul Ronzheimer on the eve of the summit that he expects Trump to win the election and thinks that “would be good for the world.” That quasi-endorsement represents a bold break with diplomatic tradition of non-interference that has Nahal Toosi asking whether other European leaders — who oppose Trump — should follow suit. Meanwhile, many NATO eyes (well beyond Trumpists) are turning to Canada these days, as Ottawa has particularly failed to live up to the alliance’s military spending goals, Paul McLeary reports.

The local angle: Washingtonians this week can expect traffic jams, closed Metro stations, rerouted buses, shuttered businesses — and potentially (political) celebrity sightings — through Thursday, WaPo’s Ellie Silverman, Jenny Gathright and Meagan Flynn report.

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Hopes for a Diplomatic Opening Rise Under Iran’s New President,” by NYT’s Lara Jakes: “A key test of Iran’s interest in diplomacy with the West will be in whether it responds to efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, an issue that is complicated by the candidacy of former President Donald J. Trump.”

MEDIAWATCH

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — JEREMY SCAHILL and RYAN GRIM are leaving The Intercept to launch their own news outlet, Drop Site. The nonprofit plans to emphasize investigative reporting in the tradition of The Intercept, and will involve other Intercept alumni including NAUSICAA RENNER. The change follows publicly reported recent clashes between staff and management at The Intercept, which included an effort by Scahill and Grim to take over the site.

Drop Site later today will post an interview with DMITRI MEHLHORN about why Biden isn’t dropping out (aptly enough for the name of the new outlet). “Joe Biden is haunted by the fact that in 2016, he listened to these arguments. And he’s right. We were all wrong. If he’d run in 2016, we would not be here,” Mehlhorn says, adding that he thinks Biden would need to see a durable “plummet” in the polls of 5 points or more to bow out.

MUCK READ — “Top Democratic lawyer backs mysterious news site,” by Semafor’s Max Tani: “A secretive local media network with ties to high-profile national Democratic operatives wants to convince regulators in Arizona that despite the political tilt of its stories, it is not a political entity and should not be subject to campaign finance disclosures. Star Spangled Media operates a series of left-leaning websites including the Morning Mirror … The site is low on content, but it has the backing of the law firm led by MARC ELIAS … It’s part of a multi-pronged push by Democrats to counter conservative media across the country through increasingly creative and sometimes opaque digital strategies — ones that blur the line.”

ALL POLITICS

TURNING THE TABLES — For two years now, Democrats and abortion-rights groups have mobilized popular support with direct-to-camera testimonials from women affected by abortion restrictions. Now anti-abortion groups are trying something similar, with a new ad campaign that spotlights women who chose not to end their pregnancies, Megan Messerly and Alice Miranda Ollstein report this morning.

The videos aim to shift the narrative and “help people understand the reasons mothers decided not to have abortions,” even in intense circumstances like after a rape or the discovery of a fetal abnormality. It follows a major effort in recent months by the anti-abortion movement to test different messaging strategies through polls, focus groups and more. Social conservative groups see this as a crucial moment where they’re “in danger of losing the post-Roe messaging battle” — and of failing to meaningfully reduce the number of abortions.

More top reads:

  • FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Oregon Democrat JANELLE BYNUM raised $1.5 million in the second quarter in her campaign to challenge GOP Rep. LORI CHAVEZ-DeREMER. That’s a notable haul in the tossup district south of Portland. Bynum went into the second half of the year with $1 million on hand.
  • Almost Kevin: “McCarthy’s Revenge Tour Rolls On, With Mixed Results,” by NYT’s Annie Karni: “It is all a new role for a man best known as a happy-go-lucky political operator, a consummate team player and a prodigious fund-raiser … Now, bent on settling his own political scores, [KEVIN] McCARTHY has been inserting himself into a high-stakes election cycle … More targets lie ahead, including [Rep. ELI] CRANE.”

THE ECONOMY

SIGNS OF SLOWDOWN — “A key part of America’s economy has shifted into reverse,” by CNN’s Bryan Mena: “Consumer demand seems to have tapered off so far this summer … [The downshift,] if it persists for long enough, could translate into service-providing businesses hiring at a slower pace and possibly slashing jobs.”

BREAKING OVERNIGHT — “Boeing accepts a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over 737 Max crashes, Justice Department says,” by AP’s David Koenig and Alanna Durkin Richer: “Federal prosecutors gave Boeing the choice this week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

HISTORY LESSON — “‘What Do You Do When a Criminally Minded Person Is President?’” by POLITICO Magazine’s Michael Kruse: “A new book explores the history of presidents who abused their constitutional power and the citizen movements that stopped them. There’s a lesson for a second Trump administration.”

PLAYBOOKERS

Doug Emhoff has Covid, but Kamala Harris tested negative.

Dana Nessel got creative with her subtweeting.

Mikhail Gershkovich and many of his son’s WSJ colleagues got buzz cuts in recognition of Evan Gershkovich’s ongoing detention in Russia.

IN MEMORIAM — “Jane F. McAlevey, Who Empowered Workers Across the Globe, Dies at 59,” by Margot Roosevelt in the NYT: “[She] trained tens of thousands of workers across the globe … In her writings, including for The Nation … Ms. McAlevey became a vocal critic of what she saw as the complacency, ineptitude and corporate collusion of many U.S. labor leaders.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Rep. Tom McMillen (D-Md.) is now a partner in Moran Global Strategies’ government relations practice. He most recently has been president and CEO of the LEAD1 Association.

— Adam Hornbuckle is now Long Island regional director for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He previously was director at Threshold Group.

TRANSITIONS — Bully Pulpit International is adding a tax policy practice group, with an eye on the big tax policy fight coming in 2025. It’s led by partner/public affairs lead Scott Mulhauser and managing director Adam Hodge. ... Reid Dagul is now chief of staff for Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.). He previously was director of government affairs at the National Stone Sand and Gravel Association … Sam LaHood is joining Bondi Partners as director of government affairs. He most recently was at the International Republican Institute, and is a Bush State, McCain campaign and Trump advance alum.

ENGAGED — Brad Dayspring, EVP for global comms and brand at POLITICO, proposed to Kelley Hudak, director of federal relations at the American Petroleum Institute and a Steve Scalise alum, on Saturday on the Stargazer yacht in St. Michaels, Maryland, after spending the weekend at the Inn at Perry Cabin. They watched fireworks from the boat deck and sailed around the harbor sipping champagne. The couple met at the UTA White House Correspondents’ Dinner party at Fiola Mare. Pic … The ring, including their birthstones

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Jason Raymond

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Marianne Williamson … White House’s Stef Feldman and Andy Flick … Amanda Coyne of Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-Alaska) office … Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies … Nick Simpson … Eve Samborn McCool of Assemble … Dan Rosenthal of Albright Stonebridge Group … POLITICO’s Sean McMinn and Michael Hunley … Reuters’ Steve Holland … Robert Henline … Howard Gutman of the Gutman Group … Kelley Hudak … Geoff Garin of Hart Research … Andrew Kauders of Cogent Strategies … Kirk McPike … Anna Quindlen ... Ron Kampeas ... Erik Huey ... NYT’s Lara Jakes … Noah Yantis … former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) ... Tina Urbanski … Bill Hinkle … Jim Miklaszewski … David Greengrass of House Judiciary … Arlie Ziskend

Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.