How Biden has his cake and eats it too

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Oct 13, 2022 View in browser   By Max Tani and Alex Thompson Presented by Walmart 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  JOE BIDEN is old, at least by presidential standards. That much is well known. But as the question of whether he will run again for office approaches, alongside his 80th birthday, it's raising more acute concerns inside the White House. Our JONATHAN LEMIRE reported this week that aides are nervous about the birthday milestone, and somewhat torn over how to mark the arrival of the first octogenarian president — which many believe is a political liability. While the instinct within the White House is to downplay the birthday, others familiar with this predicament think that might not be the savviest approach. Longtime conservative consultant CRAIG SHIRLEY spent a lot of time thinking about aging in the presidency when he was writing his biography of RONALD REAGAN, who, prior to Biden, was the oldest person ever to win a presidential election (which he did at the age of 73 in 1984). In a phone call this week, Shirley noted that in Reagan's first successful campaign, in 1980, the campaign similarly agonized over the then-governor's upcoming birthday. But it decided to lean into the event, throwing birthday parties and fundraisers for the candidate across the country. Reagan quipped that attending another birthday party for himself was better than the alternative—that being, death. "They decided to hide in plain sight turned it to their advantage," said Shirley. Ultimately, according to Shirley, the Reagan White House decided to follow the playbook for subsequent birthdays. During a press briefing that Reagan gave on one of his birthdays, his wife NANCY REAGAN surprised him and the reporters in the room with a cake. "If I was advising Biden, I would say don't hide it," he said. "Everybody knows you're going to be 80 years old, make it a positive. He can have a cake. Have some friends over." "To run away from it is foolish," Shirley said. Age and mental acuity have increasingly been a major issue in American politics as older generations hold on to political power. Conservative media regularly cover Biden as if he is senile, while left-leaning media outlets often did the same for DONALD TRUMP while he was in office. Power in Congress continues to be held by individuals who have reportedly been unable to recognize their own colleagues, staff, or people they'd met before. But it's not just the elderly whose health is coming under a more intense media and political microscope. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. turned Senate candidate JOHN FETTERMAN has faced questions this week about his fitness following a series of interviews which shed additional light on how a stroke he suffered earlier this year has impacted his ability to process auditory questions. Fetterman's Senate campaign has faced criticism for not providing information about his health over the past several months. While they brush off those charges, this week, the campaign has taken a less defensive tact too. In a series of tweets, Fetterman addressed the impact of his stroke on his campaigning and used it as an opportunity to bash his opponent. "Recovering from a stroke in public isn't easy," he wrote. "But in January, I'm going to be much better – and Dr. Oz will still be a fraud." Biden himself knows something about publicly recovering from a serious health episode. In February 1988, he had two surgeries to remove brain aneurysms and didn't have a public appearance for six months afterward. When he returned to the Senate to preside over a hearing, the New York Times reported that Biden quipped: ''My family is here. They prepared all the questions today and came to see if I could enunciate them and understand the answers.'' But if the president had any perspective to impart to Fetterman about what it's like to recover from a harrowing health incident while in the public spotlight, he hasn't offered it. According to a source close to Fetterman , when the two talked last month, Biden did not discuss health issues. Instead, they spoke about marijuana policy and sentencing. MESSAGE US — Are you GARRETT LAMM, director of presidential correspondence? Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. A message from Walmart: Walmart is strengthening their commitment to American jobs & communities. Over the next ten years, the company is committing an additional $350 billion dollars to products made, grown or assembled in America by 2030. This investment is estimated to support over 750,000 new U.S. jobs based on estimates from Boston Consulting Group. Last year, Walmart sourced $13.3 billion worth of goods from roughly 2,600 diverse small businesses. Learn more about Walmart's commitment to U.S manufacturing.   POTUS PUZZLER This one is from Allie. Why is the U.S. Marine Band also known as "The President's Own"? (Answer at the bottom.) The Oval NEW BIDEN BOOK DROPPING: CHRIS WIPPLE, the author of "The Gatekeepers," writes about the Biden presidency in a book coming out in January. The first excerpt from "The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House" dropped last night in Vanity Fair and focused on the transition.  Wipple obtained a lot of access to Biden's inner-circle. The excerpt quotes former Sen. TED KAUFMAN, Biden's longtime chief of staff in the Senate, and includes some of his internal notes. According to the book's description on Amazon, Wipple had access to Biden and also interviewed Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN , CIA Director BILL BURNS and chief of staff RON KLAIN. FLASHBACK: In June 2021, Wipple wrote that "Ron Klain, his White House chief of staff, may be — at least at this early stage — the most effective in modern history." JOHN CENA, REPLY GUY?: Actor and former pro wrestler JOHN CENA appears to have a new interest in politics and the Biden team. White House staffers were buzzing today about how Cena with his nearly 14 million Twitter followers began following at least a dozen members of the communications and press teams – from press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE to press assistant MEGHA BHATTACHARYA. Unclear, for now, if this is legit or another TAYE DIGGS situation. BIDEN TO THE RESCUE?: The president will headline a grassroots volunteer event with Democrats in Oregon, as the contest for governor looks increasingly more like a wildcard for the party despite it being a reliably blue state. The campaign event is a rarity for Biden this year, as his midterm travel schedule so far has consisted largely of raising cash for Democrats and highlighting more big-picture themes for the party. Our CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and ZACH MONTELLARO have more details on how the event came together. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Any news about how Social Security benefits are increasing. AP's FATIMA HUSSEIN writes: "Millions of Social Security recipients will get an 8.7 percent boost in their benefits in 2023, a historic increase but a gain that will be eaten up in part by the higher cost of everyday living. The cost-of living adjustment — the largest in more than 40 years — means the average recipient will receive more than $140 extra a month beginning in January, the Social Security Administration said Thursday." Ron Klain retweeted the article. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index report. WaPo's RACHEL SIEGEL reports that "Inflation sped up in September compared with the month before, rising 0.4 percent, despite policymakers' work to bring down higher prices that have weighed on American families and businesses. … The latest inflation report was driven by increased costs for shelter, medical care, health insurance, new vehicles, home furnishings and education." REMEMBER COVID?: White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator ASHISH JHA told NPR that the U.S. should expect a spike in Covid cases this winter. "We are seeing this increase in Europe, and Europe tends to precede us by about four to six weeks," Jha said. "And so it stands to reason that as we get into November, December, maybe January, we are going to see an increase in infections across much of the country." In other words, the pandemic isn't over. NEW ON THE TWITTERS: MEGAN COYNE, the White House deputy director of platforms, can be found at @MeganCoyne46. PAY IT FORWARD JOE: After ordering at Tacos 1986 in Los Angeles, Biden asked the restaurant what he owed. They told the president he received a 50 percent "public service" discount. Biden then gave the cashier $60 and told him to give the next customer their meal for free, according to pooler TYLER PAGER. West Wing Playbook was disappointed — though not terribly surprised — that the president ordered a chicken quesadilla. President Joe Biden pays for a takeout order at Tacos 1986, a Mexican restaurant, in Los Angeles, alongside Rep. Karen Bass, D, Calif. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     THE BUREAUCRATS FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: KEIGAN MULL is now senior adviser at the International Trade Administration at the Department of Commerce, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. Mull most recently was an international trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee. — ZEHRA KHAN is leaving the Council of Economic Advisors and heading to the Federal Trade Commission, where she'll serve as Chair LINA KHAN's speechwriter. TOUGH QUESTIONS: CNN's BIANNA GOLODRYGA pressed NEC Director BRIAN DEESE on today's inflation report. While Deese argued the U.S. was in a better position than other countries, Golodryga said that "just telling Americans that things aren't as bad here as they are around the world really isn't a reassuring statement at this point." Deese said that they need to "stay the course."   A message from Walmart:   Agenda Setting UP TO THE STATES: On top of his announcement to pardon thousands of people with low-level federal marijuana convictions, Biden urged governors across the country to do the same. But our PAUL DEMKO and MONA ZHANG report that states may not follow suit. That's expected for those with Republican governors, who are not interested in advancing Biden's agenda. But Democratic-led states also are unlikely to take significant steps — since many have already taken action, having wiped records or set up systems for people to get their convictions expunged as state lawmakers legalized weed.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     What We're Reading Can 'Kinship Care' Help the Child Welfare System? The White House Wants to Try. (NYT's Erica L. Green) White House aims to speed-up pace of building infrastructure (AP's Josh Boak) What We're Watching Or should we say listening to: President BARACK OBAMA on the Oct. 15 "Pod Save America" podcast. POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER The band is called "The President's Own" because of "its historic connection to the president of the United States," according to the White House Historical Association. "At its origin, the fledgling band consisted of a Drum Major, a Fife Major and 32 drums and fifes. Since that time, the band has been present at many of the most memorable moments in our nation's history, including every inauguration since the time of THOMAS JEFFERSON, who is credited with giving them the title, 'The President's Own.'" A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it. Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein. A message from Walmart: Walmart believes that supporting American manufacturing creates more American jobs and positively impacts communities nationwide. Jump-starting the manufacturing industry and rebuilding the middle class requires a national effort by companies, industry leaders, lawmakers and others. The company is leading in this effort - committing an additional $350 billion over the next ten years to products made, grown or assembled in America. This investment is estimated to support the creation of 750,000 new American jobs based on data from Boston Consulting Group. Last year alone, the company sourced $13.3 billion in goods from roughly 2,600 diverse small businesses. "U.S. manufacturing really matters. It matters to our suppliers, to entrepreneurs and to the environment. Most of all, because of the jobs it brings, it matters to American communities and the people who live in them." - John Furner, President & CEO, Walmart U.S. Learn more about Walmart's commitment to U.S. manufacturing.     Follow us on Twitter Alex Thompson @AlexThomp Maxwell Tani @maxwelltani Allie Bice @alliebice   Follow us

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