Biden, interrupted

Presented by Kroger and Albertsons Companies: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Jan 23, 2024 View in browser   By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Ben Johansen Presented by Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren MANASSAS, Virginia — Even by the standards of recent speeches, President JOE BIDEN’s address at George Mason University was a remarkable demonstration of the discontent that currently exists for him among some young and liberal voters. There to lay out the need for the restoration of abortion rights on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the president was interrupted at least 14 times as advance staffers and law enforcement officers scrambled around the auditorium to usher the protesters out. Biden supporters attempted to drown them out. Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM energetically cheered and clapped over them. But the effort was futile with chants of “genocide Joe” colliding with calls of “four more years.” “They feel deeply,” Biden said. “This is going to go on for a while. They’ve got this planned.” From the campaign’s vantage point, protests are a normal part of a functioning democracy — and something incumbents have had to deal with in past election cycles. And as one Biden campaign official noted, the event carried on and supporters far outnumbered the dozen protesters. But disruptions like this still grab headlines. And the reality is that a well-planned presidential speech on an issue the White House feels is central to Biden’s reelection was overtaken by a handful of people focused on an entirely different subject altogether. The protesters made clear their discontent with Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Every few minutes, someone interrupted with “ceasefire now or no vote” or another chant. One person held a homemade “stop genocide” banner. As the disruptions continued, Biden barreled through his speech. Those who had come to support Biden, in turn, made clear their disappointment with this vocal faction of the party. Even before the rally, several told West Wing Playbook that they feared younger and more progressive wings of the Democratic coalition didn’t appreciate the stakes of the election. With the Republican Party on the cusp of handing the presidential nomination to DONALD TRUMP, they argued that everyone needed to be clear eyed about the stakes. “If you can’t get behind the word ‘Biden,’ then get behind the word ‘democracy,’” said ANNA EPSTEIN, a Biden supporter from nearby Annandale. And not all the students were disappointed in Biden’s handling of the war. JASON JONES, a 21-year-old GMU student, said the U.S. has to support Israel but there were more important issues on the line. “The number one issue of why you need to vote for Biden is authoritarianism and denying elections,” he said. SUE SMITH, 67, lamented about the “naiveté” among a certain slice of the Biden coalition. Not voting for Biden over the conflict in the Middle East was nonsensical, she argued. “It’s not our war. It’s their war,” she said. There was also an acknowledgement among Biden supporters outside the rally that the campaign needs to more aggressively sell the president’s accomplishments. Smith, an active member of the Mount Vernon Democratic Party, argued that younger voters should be informed about how Biden’s policies will benefit them. “There’s a gap in the message, and attacking Trump isn’t going to cover it,” she said. Epstein summarized the voters’ sentiments most succinctly. The problem Biden faced was not the stuff he’d accomplished, she argued, but that he’d gone about it too “quietly.” But that was little solace for Biden on Tuesday. He shared the stage with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS — with “RESTORE ROE” displayed behind them in bold, white letters — and laid out the case that Trump was responsible for restricting critical health care access for women. But his big speech was veered off course, and he knew it. “I’m sorry it’s taking so long,” Biden said between protester number six and seven. MESSAGE US — Are you ELSIE STECKER, White House sign language interpreter? 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!    A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies: Kroger’s success has always been rooted in delivering more for our customers - more choices, more value, more access to fresh food. Kroger joining together with Albertsons Cos. will allow us to do even more for customers by investing half a billion dollars to further lower prices and $1.3 billion to improve the customer experience. Any other alternative will lead to higher prices and less access for the communities who want and need it most.   POTUS PUZZLER Who has the record for the most New Hampshire presidential primary wins? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval JUST IN CASE: After Biden decided to leave his name off today’s ballot in the New Hampshire primary, allies dedicated significant time and resources to save the president from the embarrassment that would come with a poor result, our ELENA SCHNEIDER and HOLLY OTTERBEIN report. Granite for America, the super PAC in charge of Biden’s write-in campaign, has spent $1.5 million to make sure the president not only wins the state, but wins by a significant margin over long shot candidates Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.) and author MARIANNE WILLIAMSON. A win for Biden — which no one is sure what exactly that entails — would give the president much-needed momentum as former President Donald Trump looks to leave his last remaining major opponent, former South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY, in the dust tonight. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by The Messenger’s ZACHARY LEEMAN, which shows Biden widening his lead in Pennsylvania in a hypothetical matchup with Donald Trump. According to data from Susquehanna Polling & Research, Biden holds approximately an 8 point lead — 47 percent to Trump’s 39. White House communications director BEN LABOLT and campaign director of rapid response AMMAR MOUSSA shared the data on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by WaPo’s COLBY ITKOWITZ and DYLAN WELLS, who report that Biden is in muddy waters with independent New Hampshire voters concerned about the president’s biggest political vulnerability: his age. Many voters the pair talked to point toward this issue as a reason why they’re iffy on the 81-year-old president and, for many, moved to Republican Nikki Haley, who is 52. CALLING GEN Z: Priorities USA, a prominent pro-Biden super PAC, is spending $1 million in its first ever “creator” program, enlisting over 150 social media influencers to post pro-Biden messaging, our REBECCA KERN reports. The move is a part of a larger effort among Biden-aligned groups to appeal to younger voters in battleground states. As Kern reports, each social media platform has its own policy on political advertising — TikTok being the strictest — which Priorities spokesperson JACK DOYLE stressed it’s committed to following.   SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.     THE BUREAUCRATS PERSONNEL MOVES: MELANIE DURAN has been promoted to director of video at the White House. She most recently was senior video producer. — JACKIE ROBINSON-BURNETTE is now associate administrator for the Office of Government Contracting & Business Development at the Small Business Administration. She most recently was CEO of Senior Executive Strategic Solutions. OFF TO WILMINGTON: White House Deputy Chief of Staff JEN O’MALLEY DILLON is set to join the Biden campaign, our JONATHAN LEMIRE reports. O’Malley Dillon, who was Biden’s 2020 campaign manager, will likely take on a senior adviser role, but it wasn’t immediately clear what her title will be.   A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies:   Agenda Setting THERE HE IS: In his first public appearance since his two-week hospitalization related to his prostate cancer treatment, Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN made the case for continued international support for Ukraine. The United States “must not waver in its support,” he said, according to our CONNOR O’BRIEN. The remarks come as additional U.S. funding for Ukraine remains in peril with an aid package including $60 billion for Ukraine sits in Congress. GLOBAL DIPLOMACY: Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN on Tuesday made his second stop of a four-nation visit to Africa, which is taking him to Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola, Reuters reports. In the Ivory Coast today, Blinken met with President ALASSANE OUATTARA, where he pledged $45 million in additional funding to help the region’s conflict in recent years since violence perpetrated by jihadist insurgencies spiked.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      What We're Reading Donald Trump has a big problem ahead (POLITICO’s Sam Stein and Natalie Allison) What happens to a campaign headquarters when the campaign ends? (WaPo’s Philip Bump) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER RICHARD NIXON, who won three primaries in the Granite State in 1960, 1968 and 1972. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.   A message from Kroger and Albertsons Companies: Over the last 10 years, Kroger has grown its unionized workforce by over 100,000 members, making it one of America’s largest unionized workforces. Kroger has raised wages and increased benefits to respect and reward associates who fuel our success. Kroger’s merger with Albertsons Cos. will allow us to build on this track record by securing the long-term future of union jobs and further rewarding associates. That’s why Kroger has committed to invest $1 billion post-close to continue raising associate wages and providing comprehensive industry-leading benefits. If the merger is blocked, the non-union retailers like Walmart and Amazon will become even more powerful and unaccountable – and that’s bad for everyone.     Follow us on Twitter Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Myah Ward @MyahWard Ben Johansen @BenJohansen3   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 Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service