Kirby’s bumpy launch

May 23, 2022 View in browser   By Max Tani, Laura Barrón-López and Alex Thompson Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max The comms specialists inside the White House are facing second-guessing for the way they communicated the recent shakeup at the White House communications shop. Not even a week into press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE's time at the lectern, the White House brought in her Pentagon counterpart JOHN KIRBY, a runner-up for the podium, for a communications role. The move roiled the White House's already delicate internal politics. For about 24 hours, no one at the White House could answer whether Kirby would be working at the National Security Council or the press office and how often he would be appearing at the podium, if at all. Several White House officials and insiders told West Wing Playbook that they felt the move put a damper on Jean-Pierre's first week, and undercut her credibility at a moment when conservative media has targeted her. "There are people in the White House who feel that the timing of Kirby's hiring demonstrates that White House leadership believes that the first African American White House press secretary needs 'adult supervision,'" one Democratic source familiar with dynamics in the White House and on Capitol Hill told West Wing Playbook, calling the move "demeaning," and "insulting." The source added that some Democratic lawmakers also expressed frustration with the White House announcement of Jean-Pierre's promotion because it included news that ANITA DUNN would be returning to the White House in a senior adviser role — an inclusion that, for them, left an impression that Jean-Pierre needed oversight. But a Democratic lobbyist countered that Dunn is viewed by many in the party as being in another realm, given her history with Biden and didn't see it as a slight to Jean-Pierre. The White House pushed back on the characterization of events, with a spokesperson saying: "If that is the case, that's news to the press team and we completely disagree." Senior staff supported Kirby's elevation and one person with knowledge said that chief of staff RON KLAIN was a fan of the former Pentagon spokesperson's poise during media availabilities. In theory, the move was meant to add a strong foreign policy voice at a moment when crises abroad occupy a huge portion of the president's time. Kirby's experience in the Pentagon, and the State Department, and his strong relationships with many reporters and broadcast network higher-ups serve as useful tools for a White House fielding numerous thorny foreign policy questions every day ( not to mention Kirby is the rare Biden official with good relationships with Fox News executives). The announcement of Kirby's new gig came after weeks of speculation, sparked in part by him being spotted at the White House repeatedly and even visiting the briefing room, a notable appearance given the Pentagon spokesperson was not a frequent visitor to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in JOE BIDEN 's first year in office. The timing of the announcement was, however, difficult to nail down as Kirby was preoccupied with responsibilities at the Pentagon and press reports about his potential hiring by the White House forced the administration's hand. In addition, there was confusion over what exactly Kirby would do in the White House. Another person familiar with the discussions told West Wing Playbook that there was some initial debate about Kirby's title and which White House official he would report to. There were also discussions about whether he would have the responsibilities and receive the same title held by BEN RHODES, former deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting. Ultimately, they tried to find a middle ground. One White House source said some reservations from other National Security Council officials helped the team settle on the coordinator title instead of Rhodes' deputy title. The White House also eventually announced that Kirby would sometimes brief at the podium "as appropriate." "The thing about describing models like that — the Ben Rhodes model — they tend to be unique to an individual," JAKE SULLIVAN told reporters on Air Force One Sunday. "John Kirby will have the John Kirby model of the role of coordinator for strategic communications at the NSC." TEXT US — ARE YOU BEN RHODES? We want to hear from you. And we'll keep you anonymous. Or if you think we missed something in today's edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow.  Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.   DON'T MISS CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE.     POTUS PUZZLER Which president and his future wife met in the fifth grade, dated in high school, and eventually married in their mid-thirties? Bonus points if you can guess the year the pair got married! (Answer at the bottom.) The Oval REED SPEAKS: TREVOR REED, the former U.S. Marine released by Russia on April 27 as part of a prisoner swap, criticized the White House for not doing more to help other Russian detainees . The Kremlin has reportedly floated the idea of trading Russian arms dealer VIKTOR BOUT for another former Marine, PAUL WHELAN, or WNBA star BRITTNEY GRINER, both also being detained in Russia. "I think that they need to do that," Reed told ABC News. "I don't care if it's 100 Viktor Bouts. They have to get our guys out." Reed, it should be noted, has also credited Biden for securing his release. But in a statement first shared with West Wing Playbook, Reed spokesperson JONATHAN FRANKS, who is advising families of Americans detained abroad as part of the Bring Our Families Home campaign, said the U.S. "could bring lots more Americans home if the White House had the political courage to make the deals." Read the full statement here. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: WaPo's HEATHER LONG highlights specific data points from the Federal Reserve's annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, released Monday, which was retweeted by the White House's EMILIE SIMONS. Tweet by Heather Long | Twitter WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: But this CNBC story by JEFF COX also notes that the survey indicates Americans were already getting nervous about the national economy "late last year, before the spate of surging prices and fears of a looming recession that have arisen in 2022." ON THE ROAD President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo NON STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY?: The president said the U.S. would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded the island during a press conference Monday with Japanese Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA . "Yes… That's the commitment we made," the president said. "We agree with a One China policy. We've signed on to it and all the intended agreements made from there. But the idea that, that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not, is just not appropriate." The blunt comments caught at least one Biden delegation member a bit off guard, as it seemed to go against longstanding, strategic ambiguous U.S. policy towards Taiwan. Sure enough, a "source" familiar with the president's thinking said he wasn't making new policy nor actually committing the U.S. to military conflict, just expressing support for sending arms shipments. Alex and CAMILLE GIJS have more details here.  RAHM-A-PALOOZA II: As reporters waited for the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework event Monday in Tokyo, U.S. Ambassador to Japan RAHM EMANUEL happened to walk by the area for reporters. Next thing you knew, there were over a dozen reporters surrounding him as he opined on many topics including Japanese restaurants and whiskey bars. OVERHEARD: New York Times photographer DOUG MILLS continued his streak of playing loud music on his laptop without headphones while reporters waited for Biden. Monday's entry: "Simply Irresistible" by ROBERT PALMER. Doug was blasting "Addicted to Love" the other day and we now feel morally obligated to let him know that there are musical artists other than Palmer. SEATING ARRANGEMENTS: At Biden's joint press conference Monday with the Japanese prime minister, the administration's three officials in the front row: Emanuel, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, and Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO. FAMILIAR FACE: Former White House press assistant NATALIE AUSTIN was doing advance work for the president's trip in South Korea. Agenda Setting SECOND TIMES THE CHARM?: Secretary of State Blinken is set to unveil the administration's China strategy Thursday. He was set to outline the proposal earlier this month but tested positive for Covid-19. People tell our PHELIM KINE, NAHAL TOOSI and GAVIN BADE that Blinken plans to underscore the administration's existing policy toward China, building on what the Trump administration established. Filling the Ranks EYES ON GLICK: The president plans to renominate Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair RICHARD GLICK to the post, as his term ends next month. But our MATTHEW CHOI reports that while Glick has garnered support from the clean energy industry, his nomination could face a rocky road as some GOP lawmakers have accused the agency of working against the domestic oil and gas industry under his tenure.   INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED:  Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today.     What We're Reading As Biden Zeroes In on Student-Loan Forgiveness Decision, Voter Anxiety Grows (WSJ's Andrew Restuccia) My Lunch With President Biden (NYT Opinion's Thomas Friedman) Where's Joe Biden is in Tokyo, where he met with the Emperor of Japan NARUHITO and held a bilateral meeting and press conference with Prime Minister Kishida. He also met with families of Japanese people abducted by North Korea decades ago. The president also unveiled the administration's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. In the evening, he had dinner with Kishida at Kochūan. Where's Kamala She visited the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. this afternoon, where she delivered remarks on mental health and wellness policies. The Oppo Book In yesterday's edition, we noted that National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN claimed he could "sleep like a champion." He also detailed the certain strategies he uses to attain the right balance of awake time and rest while traveling on the job. He admitted, in a 2017 interview with Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, that he tried to take a five-hour energy drink once, but that didn't work so well: "A little too much brain agitation taking that, so I could not continue with that particular method." But what works for him is fitting in naps whenever possible. "I try to grab sleep wherever I could, even for 30 minutes or an hour and was very disciplined about trying to make sure I was getting at least the minimum amount of sleep," he said. "You get in a car, you're driving 20 minutes from the airport to the location — I could do a power nap easily." POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER HARRY S. TRUMAN met ELIZABETH VIRGINIA WALLACE, also known as BESS, in fifth grade. The pair married in June 1919. A CALL OUT — Think you have a more difficult trivia question? Send us your best question on the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein   Follow us on Twitter Alex Thompson @AlexThomp Maxwell Tani @maxwelltani Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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