Biden’s unlikely kinship with the king

The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Jul 10, 2023 View in browser   By Jonathan Lemire, Eli Stokols and Lauren Egan Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Lawrence Ukenye. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren LONDON — He’s the oldest man ever to ascend to his powerful position, one for which he waited most of his life. He lost his first wife in a car crash and has a son who possesses a knack for drawing unflattering headlines. He has put climate change at the heart of his agenda. That’s President JOE BIDEN. But it’s also his unlikely kindred spirit, KING CHARLES III. The two men met Monday for the first time since Charles took the throne, with Biden making a stop in London before heading to the week’s main event, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Adhering to U.S. tradition, the president did not attend the king’s coronation back in May — the events of 1776 have something to do with this — but made sure to pay respects to the king’s new position on his next trip across the Atlantic. Biden, a proud Irish American, has long made clear privately that he is not a fan of the English monarchy. But he has told confidants he respected Queen Elizabeth’s leadership and longevity. And, during his years as vice president, he found common ground with Charles on the need to urgently combat climate change. The two men have an unexpected warmth, according to people close to Biden. And it was on display Monday, but only briefly in the public eye. When Biden’s motorcade arrived on the Windsor Castle grounds just after noon, the king was already waiting to meet him. They shook hands and Biden tapped and clasped the king’s elbow in a familiar fashion as the two smiling men inspected the traditional honor guard. It was a degree of familiarity — and informality — that Biden did not dare exhibit two years ago when he came to Windsor to call on Queen Elizabeth. Technically, it’s still a breach of protocol, not that anyone seemed to mind. Biden, 80, and Charles, 74, are of the same generation and have each suffered immense personal tragedy and public scrutiny. One was elected, the other ascended to his post. But both receive less than the full adoration of their respective nations. National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN previewed the visit by saying Biden approached the “relationship with enormous goodwill” and said it would “deepen the personal bond, the personal relationship” between the men. However, the press did not get a chance to actually hear the two speak to each other. As the pair prepared to address a group of business leaders over how to combat climate change, reporters were ushered from the room before either man spoke — despite the official White House schedule indicating the pool would be able to cover some of the remarks. It was reminiscent, for some journalists, of their experience at Windsor two years earlier, when the press pool was similarly frustrated over the lack of coverage opportunities — so much so that, a short time later, as Biden prepped for an airport gaggle with reporters, a heated conversation broke out between an aide and some members of the pool. In total, Biden spent less than two hours with the king. But that was still a longer visit than the 50 or so minutes he spent with Prime Minister RISHI SUNAK earlier in the day. That marked the two men’s sixth meeting in six months, the last coming just a month ago at the White House. Monday’s meeting at 10 Downing Street — Biden’s first visit to the prime minister’s residence as president — was deemed ahead of time by Sullivan as “an ongoing conversation, like returning to a text thread of sorts that they'd been having over the last six months on all of the significant issues of consequence.” The two men hit upon a number of key issues — including the war in Ukraine and NATO expansion. And they did not let a recent difference of opinion on cluster munitions — the U.S. is sending some to Kyiv, the U.K. will not — or more long-held tensions about Northern Ireland overshadow their meeting, according to American officials. In brief remarks, Biden said he “couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and a greater ally” than Sunak, calling the U.S.-U.K. relationship “rock solid.” But Sunak is already the third U.K. prime minister of Biden’s term and his party suffers from low poll numbers and seems poised to be swept from power. Biden has told aides that, despite a near four-decade age gap, he likes Sunak — especially compared to BORIS JOHNSON, whose antics he found grating — but wonders if he’ll soon have to get to know another leader. Once more across the pond, perhaps. MESSAGE US — Are you LARRY THE CAT? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!   KEEP AN EYE ON THE GOLDEN STATE: Our most loyal West Wing Playbook readers might be keeping an eye on what Gavin Newsom is up to and the latest happenings inside the political arena of the world’s fourth largest economy. A quick tip: You need to add California Playbook to your daily reading. We have a new team at the helm who are eager to take you behind the scenes in California’s power centers, from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and beyond. Get exclusive news, buzzy scoops and behind-the-scenes details of the latest from the Golden State, sent straight to your inbox. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     POTUS PUZZLER Which celebrity hand delivered a letter to the White House gates requesting a meeting with President RICHARD NIXON? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval NATO, SOON TO BE DESIGNED BY IKEA: The biggest story of this week’s NATO summit looks to have happened before it formally convenes Tuesday. Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN on Monday agreed to drop his resistance to Sweden joining the NATO alliance and submit the ratification to the Turkish parliament “as soon as possible.” As our LILI BAYER reports, NATO Secretary General JENS STOLTENBERG announced the breakthrough in a tweet that included him standing between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister ULF KRISTERSSON. Biden, who met last week with Kristersson in Washington and has lobbied Erdogan hard in recent days, plans to meet with the Turkish leader on Tuesday, Jonathan and ALEX WARD report. Following Stoltenberg’s announcement, Biden issued a statement welcoming the news, which will likely compel Hungary, the final country yet to sign off on Sweden’s accession, to follow Turkey’s lead. Biden also plans to meet with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY on Wednesday although details are not finalized. Just before heading overseas, Biden made clear that he isn’t ready to give Ukraine the green light to join the alliance – and it’s unclear if that position would change even after the country’s war with Russia is resolved. WHILE THE BOSS IS AWAY… The chief of staff will go to the EPA. As part of an effort to visit federal agencies in person, JEFF ZIENTS headed to the Environmental Protection Agency Monday afternoon. He met with Administrator MICHAEL REGAN and took some questions from senior leadership and other staff, a White House official told West Wing Playbook. Regional administrators from across the country joined virtually and the discussion focused, we’re told, on empowering and retaining employees. Shockingly, there were no Call Your Mother bagel boxes. Zients’ first such agency visit came in May when he visited the Department of Housing and Urban Development and answered questions from an auditorium full of staff alongside Secretary MARCIA FUDGE. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by TIME’s BRIAN BENNETT about how Biden has restored norms related to the Hatch Act, which limits certain political activities of federal employees. Although the White House has at times been criticized for using the Hatch Act as a way to dodge questions from the press (as this newsletter has written about), Bennett writes that Biden has “reset the guardrails against such abuses of power” common during the Trump administration. Deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES shared the piece on Twitter. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by Axios’ EMILY PECK about the looming economic challenges for student loan borrowers once payments resume this fall. “For millions of individuals that means real and often painful cuts to spending — cuts that will translate to a slowdown for the economy overall,” Peck writes, adding that Moody’s Analytics estimates that the resumption of student loan payments will pull $70 billion a year out of the economy. THE BUREAUCRATS PERSONNEL MOVES: DAN WATSON is now assistant secretary for the Office of Public Affairs at DHS, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. Watson most recently was managing director at FGS Global and is an Obama Treasury and FEMA alum. He replaces MARSHA ESPINOSA, who will announce her next steps in the coming weeks. — SOURAV BHOWMICK is now senior adviser and chief of staff for IRA implementation at the Treasury Department, supporting Chief Implementation Officer LAUREL BLATCHFORD, Lippman has also learned. He previously was deputy executive secretary at Treasury and recently returned from paternity leave. — MAYA HUMES MARKES is now senior communications adviser at the White House. She most recently was director of infrastructure communications at the White House. — GARRETT BERNTSEN is now director for technology and national security at the National Security Council. He most recently was deputy chief data officer at the State Department. Filling the Ranks WASTING AWAY AGAIN WITH TOMMY TUBERVILLE: Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE’s (R-Ala.) monthslong obstruction of Biden’s military nominees, a protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy, is beginning to take its toll on the services: The Marines will now be without Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in more than a century, our PAUL McLEARY reports. Commandant Gen. DAVID BERGER’s term ended Monday, and with more members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expected to retire in the coming months, the Biden administration and a growing chorus of lawmakers claim Tuberville’s tactics could hurt U.S. readiness given emerging threats from Russia and China. Lawmakers hope to settle disputes about the policy — which allows the Pentagon to pay for travel for service members who can’t get abortions in their own states — while debating the annual defense legislation. SPEAKING OF: State Department Counselor DEREK CHOLLET could be another one of those nominees forced to sit tight. Biden plans to tap him to replace COLIN KAHL as undersecretary for policy at the Pentagon, Bloomberg’s JENNIFER JACOBS scoops. Agenda Setting WE OBJECT: Speaking of that massive funding bill, the White House on Monday released a statement of administration policy outlining a list of its issues with the National Defense Authorization Act, our CONNOR O’BRIEN reports for Pro subscribers. Some of its concerns include the GOP-led House’s attempt to target the Pentagon’s diversity efforts and its failure to fund other programs — like shipbuilding — to levels Biden requested. The House proposal also would create a Space National Guard, which the White House argues is redundant and expensive. BUILDING RESILIENCE: The Department of Commerce and NOAA on Monday announced plans to invest $60 million in climate resilience for small businesses. The Ocean-Based Climate Resilience Accelerators program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, will provide businesses with support to understand how ocean observation technology can be used to mitigate against the effects of climate change. What We're Reading Here’s a realistic agenda for Biden’s second term (WaPo’s Jennifer Rubin) Biden Takes On Nightmare Government Paperwork (WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia) The Nowhere Election (New York Magazine's John Herrman) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER ELVIS PRESLEY penned a five-page letter, written on American Airlines stationery, requesting a meeting with Nixon. He personally delivered it to the northwest gate of the White House on Dec. 21, 1970. “Presley intended to present the president with a gift of a World War II-era pistol and obtain for himself the credentials of a federal agent in the war on drugs,” according to the National Archives. 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.   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.       Follow us on Twitter Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Lawrence Ukenye @Lawrence_Ukenye   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.