| | | | |  | | By Alex Thompson and Eli Stokols | | | 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 Eli As the year comes to a close, White House aides and reporters are gossiping about the most delicate of political issues: who got an invite to the White House holiday parties. 'Tis the season, so people are already upset. The more than 20 holiday White House receptions planned over the next four weeks kick off in earnest with the Dec. 5 black-tie Holiday Ball for members of Congress, their partners, and their chiefs of staff. But some lawmakers are miffed over the White House's strict "no substitutions" policy — if one's partner can't attend, that person can't be swapped for another. There are other parties planned for labor, business, and political stakeholders including a black-tie reception at the Kennedy Center. Some White House staffers who have yet to receive an invitation to such gatherings have been frustrated, and envious, of colleagues who have. People are particularly keen about the events because Covid disrupted festivities in 2021 — making this year feel like the Biden White House's first real holiday season. At times, White House staffers have been dismayed that top officials haven't put more effort into such potential morale-boosting events. The White House is also hosting two media holiday parties — the first ones since the Obama administration. The Dec. 8 party will largely host television journalists while the Dec. 13 gathering is geared for print and radio journalists. White House reporters are carefully monitoring slights. The White House did not invite any White House Fox News producers, according to people familiar with the matter. A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment. The same goes for CBS News' White House producers, although that is expected to be remedied, according to different people familiar with the matter. The press office has been flooded with complaints and questions about the invitations — most of them being adjudicated by a young aide to press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE. The White House has told reporters that a second round of invites is expected to go out as soon as Friday that will hopefully heal any bruised egos. Reporters are also curious if the president will submit to the hours-long photo line that BARACK OBAMA did during these parties – which resulted in many reporters immediately brandishing their pic with POTUS and FLOTUS on social media. The White House declined to say whether Biden would endure such a ritual. The vice president's office is also organizing a number of separate holiday events, including one in the residence on Dec. 7. The press and communications teams will have their own holiday potluck in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building later this month. The White House responded with several calls but ultimately declined to comment.
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White House Holiday Ball invitation | Courtesy | MESSAGE US — Are you not invited to one of the holiday parties? We want to hear from you! And we'll keep you anonymous. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com .
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| | | A FRENCH KISS: Biden and French President EMMANUEL MACRON presented a united front at a press conference following their bilateral meeting, which came amid new strains over trade and the growing impact of the war in Ukraine. Taking questions in the East Room, both expressed confidence they could resolve issues around the IRA's clean energy tax incentives that exclude Europe. They also vowed to stand with Ukraine as long as it takes until Russia ends its war . WELCOMING THE MACRONS: Biden and first lady JILL BIDEN gave Macron and first lady BRIGITTE MACRON a custom mirror made out of fallen wood from the White House grounds as their official gift to the pair, according to the White House press office. Biden also gave Macron a custom vinyl record collection of great American musicians and an archival facsimile print of Thomas Edison's 1877 patent of the American phonograph. The U.S. first lady gifted Mrs. Macron a gold and emerald pendant necklace designed by a French-American designer. The Macrons, for their part, brought the Bidens a vinyl copy of the soundtrack of Un Homme et une Femme , the film they watched on their first date, as well as a silver Christofle cup, a fancy French sweater and watch and, for Dr. Biden, editions of works by Gustav Flaubert and Albert Camus. Personally, we were hoping someone would hand the other party an iPod loaded with their favorite speeches and show tunes . FRENCH IS HARD: Biden, during his welcome remarks with Macron, referred to Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who joined the American side during the Revolutionary War. But the president called him "Marcus" de Lafayette, which was noted in the official White House transcript with a cross-out. C'est la vie!
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White House transcript | WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: We love nothing more than press flacks using selected POLITICO items to pummel one another on Twitter. After DOUG ANDRES, Sen. MITCH MCCONNELL's press secretary, tweeted one of our other newsletter product's piece on House Democrats' contentious leadership battles headlined "Democrats in Disarray," White House deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES fired back with two screen grabs of other items. One was about House GOP Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY under pressure from the far right of his caucus and the other featured Sen. RICK SCOTT defending his campaign proposal to sunset Social Security and Medicare, which Biden and other Democrats seized on to avert the usual midterm blowout. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by Bloomberg's MOLLY SMITH about how "Americans are saving at the lowest rate since 2005 , underscoring how inflation and higher borrowing costs are thinning out financial cushions. The personal savings rate as a share of disposable income dropped to 2.3 percent in October." IT'S NEWT!: NEWT GINGRICH , the former Speaker of the House, wrote in a piece Wednesday that Republicans should stop "underestimating Biden," adding that, "conservatives' hostility to the Biden administration on our terms tends to blind us to just how effective Biden has been on his terms. He has only built upon and fortified the left-wing Big Government Socialist woke culture system." Gingrich also makes an analogy between Biden's success and football. We encourage you to read for yourself here .
| | | | JOIN NEXT WEDNESDAY FOR A POLITICO DISCUSSION ON THE NEW TRAVEL EXPERIENCE : Americans are now traveling in record numbers — but the travel experience has changed drastically in recent years, not always for the better. What lessons can we learn from the pandemic and different responses around the globe? And in the face of a possible recession, what will help the travel industry remain vibrant and deliver jobs? Join POLITICO on Dec. 7 for "The Travel Experience Redefined" to discuss these questions and more. Breakfast and coffee will be provided. REGISTER HERE . | | | | | | | | FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: JUSTIN LEVITT is leaving the White House, where he was senior policy adviser for democracy and voting rights at the Domestic Policy Council, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He played a key role in implementing Biden's executive order to have federal agencies promote access to voting. Levitt is returning to LMU Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. ANOTHER DEPARTURE: SAMEERA FAZILI, deputy director of the National Economic Council and a deputy assistant to the president, is leaving her post Friday , Lippman also reports. For now, Fazili's industrial policy portfolio will be passed onto two NEC staffers: RONNIE CHATTERJI, the White House lead on the implementation of the CHIPS Act, who is moving into the role of acting deputy director of NEC, and Deputy NEC Director CELESTE DRAKE. AND ANOTHER ONE: PETER HARRELL, the White House National Security Council's lead for international economics, left his role , leaving the unfinished actions to limit China's technological development in a lurch, our GAVIN BADE reports for Pro subscribers. FOCUSING ON THE YUTES: ABBY FINKENAUER will serve as the State Department's Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues, focusing on putting youth voices in foreign policy, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN announced on Twitter Thursday . KEEPING CALM: Surgeon General VIVEK MURTHY has a series on the Calm app , a meditation and mindfulness platform, called "Mindfulness Tools." The series, also available on YouTube, tackles topics like "easing holiday stress, combating loneliness, navigating hectic days, and dealing with uncertainty, change, and negativity in the world," according to Fortune's JENNIFER FIELDS.
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | | THE MOON CAN BE MADE OF FRENCH CHEESE*: When the two met at NASA's headquarters Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron told Vice President KAMALA HARRIS that he had a candidate for America's next moon landing mission. Macron was referring to THOMAS PESQUET, the 44-year-old Frenchman standing next to him at that moment. Pesquet was first selected as a European Space Agency astronaut in 2009, who has since been to the International Space Station twice. POLITICO Europe's JOSHUA POSANER has more details on Macron's pitch. (*Even though Biden is — quelle horreur! — serving Macron cheese from America at the state dinner.)
| | | Biden administration projecting daily migrant border crossings could double when Trump-era policy ends (CNN's Priscilla Alvarez) Treasury's Adeyemo says underlying health of U.S. economy 'quite strong' (Reuters' Dan Burns) Biden administration prepares to end monkeypox emergency declaration (POLITICO's Adam Cancryn)
| | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our "Future Pulse" newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | | RONALD REAGAN's Secret Service code name was "Rawhide," and his wife, NANCY REAGAN's was "Rainbow." 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.
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