Joe Biden NEEDS your $3

Presented by the League of United Latin American Citizens: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

May 22, 2024 View in browser   By Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan and Ben Johansen Presented by the League of United Latin American Citizens Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren Having spent months assuaging Democratic fears about the election by pointing to their fundraising lead over DONALD TRUMP, the Biden team reported this week that it had brought in less money in April than Trump’s campaign claimed to have raised alongside the RNC. That halted, at least for the moment, the Biden team’s months of crowing and promises to bury Trump in a pile of cash — and sparked some concern that one clear advantage the president enjoyed may be neutralized. Privately, aides have two main explanations. The first is that there was a dearth of big donor events last month, which they are already planning to change in the weeks ahead. Some also point to a larger structural dynamic that could prove harder to fix: The grassroots fundraising machine that boosted them in 2020 isn’t yet humming. “There is a question as to when the grassroots money really kicks in in a meaningful way,” said one campaign official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We saw that happening in March a bit, but it’s not organic yet in a way that it needs to be.” The campaign notes that it still has substantially more cash on hand and has spent four years building a strong and durable online network, adding that “a majority of April’s raise came from grassroots donors,” and that “one million more supporters” were added to its email list. But grassroots fundraising for the campaign has, so far, been less of a gusher and more of a faucet being occasionally turned on. Online donations spiked around events like the Radio City Music Hall gathering headlined by JOE BIDEN and former Presidents BILL CLINTON and BARACK OBAMA and Biden’s State of the Union address. But otherwise, it has been relatively flat. Biden's campaign and his principal joint fundraising committee, Biden Victory Fund, saw around 100,000 first-time givers on the online portal ActBlue in April, according to an analysis of ActBlue's FEC filings. That was down from nearly 250,000 donors who gave to Biden's campaign or his joint fundraising committee for the first time in March. Operatives in the digital space say they understand why. “This is a race that has not started yet,” said MIKE NELLIS, the founder of Quiller, a Democratic firm that specializes in fundraising, advertising and online organizing. Democrats, he said, have struggled to raise money online ever since Biden was inaugurated — largely because the MSNBC Moms who’d spent the last four years smashing the “donate” button to Act Blue, were able to take a breath. “Winning is one of the worst possible things for grassroots fundraising. It removes the urgency to donate,” Nellis continued. Once the Biden-Trump general election matchup crystallizes for people, Biden’s online fundraising should tick up. But for the moment, the broader electorate is fatigued with yet another Biden-Trump presidential contest. “It's like a movie sequel where they're just doing the same plot,” he said. “It makes sense that a lot of people are going to be tuned out until the final months.” The Biden team says it fully anticipated April’s numbers. When Biden’s national finance committee met at the campaign’s headquarters a few weeks ago, they discussed how Trump could — and even would — start closing in on their fundraising lead, noting reports that some billionaires and big Wall Street donors were warming up to the former president even after vowing to not support him again, according to a person who attended the meeting. Biden attended just two major campaign fundraisers last month as the White House prioritized official travel. And neither of those events compared to the Radio City Music Hall gala, which also engaged small-dollar online donors through a number of contests. The campaign also says it feels confident in its approach to grassroots fundraising. Aides see it as a longer term play, expressing confidence about being able to scale up in the closing months of the campaign. They point to 2020, when Biden’s online fundraising exploded in the final months of the general election, with hauls of nearly $13 million and $14 million following the naming of KAMALA HARRIS as Biden’s running mate and the closing night of the DNC, respectively. Conspicuously, the team has not tried to juice online giving by constantly capitalizing on Trump’s legal woes, in part because they believe that the quality of the small-dollar program matters far more than the quantity of emails and texts going out to its list. When they have touched the trial, it’s been indirectly, such as last week, when the campaign sold “Free on Wednesdays” t-shirts alluding to the one day a week the former president was not obligated to be in court. In the meantime, the immediate focus is on putting together big donor events around which they can generate more online giving. Biden traveled to Boston on Tuesday for multiple fundraisers, including one with famed cellist YO-YO MA and he is scheduled to attend a star-studded reception in Los Angeles next month with Obama, late-night host JIMMY KIMMEL and actors GEORGE CLOONEY and JULIA ROBERTS. As it did with the Radio City event, the Biden campaign is running a contest for grassroots donors vowing to fly two winners to Los Angeles for the event. Biden surrogates have also ramped up their fundraising events in recent days. ANNA WINTOUR and designer TOM FORD hosted a reception with Maryland Gov. WES MOORE on Tuesday and Vice President Harris, second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF, Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG and Rep. LAUREN UNDERWOOD (D-Ill.) are headlining finance events in the coming days. “It’s a story for a month,” said JOHN MORGAN, a Florida attorney and longtime Biden bundler, in talking about April’s lull. “And I think what will happen is the fundraisers will kick into high gear.” Jessica Piper contributed reporting. MESSAGE US — Are you JOE ROSPARS? 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 the League of United Latin American Citizens: Don't let the Department of Transportation (DOT) disrupt U.S.-Mexico air travel! It’s time for the DOT to reverse course and recognize the impact its decision would have on the Latino community. Get the facts.   POTUS PUZZLER What was JIMMY CARTER’s “Rabbitgate”? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP: On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed the 200th judge of President Biden’s tenure. And our JENNIFER HABERKORN reports that the administration is aiming to beat the 234 judges Trump appointed during his four years. Doing so would give Biden a governing imprint that Trump, should he win in November, could not erase. His nominees have also been historically diverse. Nearly two-thirds of the confirmed judges are women and 62 percent are people of color. “Despite differences in background and experience, they are all committed to principles that are at the core of our democracy: independence, freedom, and liberty,” Biden said in a statement following the 200th confirmation. But Biden’s going to have a much harder time with the remaining district court vacancies, the majority of which are in red states that will require Republican cooperation. And some Senate Republicans have criticized the White House for trying to push nominees through before the election. LET’S MAKE A DEAL: The Biden administration is in talks with a European Union organization to potentially reopen and take control of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza — which has been closed since Israel’s invasion earlier this month, our ERIN BANCO reports. Egyptian officials have argued that the Gazans who used to run the crossing should return. Israel countered that the old group included members of Hamas. Now, U.S. officials are proposing a neutral third party take control: the European Union Border Assistance Mission to the Rafah Crossing Point. They’ve worked behind the scenes for weeks, brokering talks with Israel and Egypt to strike a deal even as they scramble to get more aid into Gaza. WELCOME TO MY HOUSE: President Biden greeted Kenyan President WILLIAM RUTO at the White House on Wednesday for the start of a three-day state visit, the first visit by an African head of state in nearly 15 years. It comes as the East African nation prepares to deploy forces into Haiti to quell gang violence, which has devastated the country. Ruto will hold a bilateral meeting and press conference with the president on Thursday and a moderated conversation with Vice President Harris on Friday, where the two will discuss digital inclusion with Africa. Asked when he’ll visit Africa — after breaking his promise to visit the continent in 2023 — Biden said “I plan on going in February after I’m re-elected.” We’ll see how this ages. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by The Hill’s ALEX GANGITANO on a new White House memo highlighting fentanyl trafficking and urging Republicans to pass the bipartisan border security bill when it comes up in the Senate next week. The memo, titled “While President Biden sides with U.S. Border Patrol, congressional Republicans side with fentanyl traffickers,” calls on GOP lawmakers to choose “lives over politics.” The White House-backed border legislation would fund machines that make it easier to detect fentanyl and fund new law enforcement hires at the border. Senior deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by the Guardian’s LAUREN ARATANI, who reports that a new Harris/Guardian poll found nearly three in five Americans wrongly believe the U.S. is in a recession — and a majority blame the Biden administration. Seventy-two percent of respondents also believe that inflation is increasing, despite the rate of inflation having fallen sharply since its peak in 2022. Nearly half of all respondents believe that unemployment is at a 50-year high. In reality, the unemployment rate is at a near 50-year low, hovering below 4 percent.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     CAMPAIGN HQ INSERT THE SPIDER MAN POINTING MEME: Welcome to the “Trump MAGA Veepstakes,” an effort by the Democratic National Convention to paint all of Trump’s vice presidential contenders as extreme on abortion and 2020 election deniers, Axios’ SOPHIA CAI reports. As dozens of potential Trump VP picks aim to differentiate themselves in a crowded group, Democrats plan to lump them all together as backers of an “ultra-MAGA” policy agenda. The DNC, in coordination with the Biden campaign, plans to run paid ads and dedicate staff across its communications, digital and research departments for the effort.   A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens:   Agenda Setting NEEDED RELIEF: The Biden administration announced another series of student loan cancellations on Wednesday, wiping out debt for 166,000 borrowers, AP’s COLLIN BINKLEY reports. The Education Department said it will erase $7.7 billion in federal student loans for Americans in three categories. It will go to 54,000 borrowers who are enrolled in Biden’s new income-driven repayment plan, 39,000 who were enrolled in earlier income-driven plans and about 67,000 who are eligible through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. NORWAY? NO WAY: Norway, Ireland and Spain formally recognized Palestine as a state on Wednesday, a largely symbolic move that still sparked outrage from Israel, our SHAWN POGATCHNIK reports. The trio of European nations said the historic move is the best avenue for peace in the Middle East. But the White House pushed back, emphasizing that it believes a Palestinian state should be achieved through “direct negotiations” between the parties involved. In a statement to Forbes, National Security spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON said President Biden is a “strong supporter of a two-state solution,” but that a Palestinian state should not be recognized “through unilateral recognition,” and instead, “realized through direct negotiations between the parties.” What We're Reading Bibi Is Choosing Stefanik and Trump. President Biden, Don’t Be Fooled. (NYT’s Thomas L. Friedman) Biden campaign’s favorite time of the week? Trump’s day off (The Hill’s Judy Kurtz and Amie Parnes) Trump email falsely says Biden was ‘locked & loaded’ to ‘take me out’ in Mar-a-Lago search (WaPo’s Hannah Knowles) Female White House chef duo has dished up culinary diplomacy at state dinners for nearly a decade (AP’s Darlene Superville)   A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering ending the Delta-Aeroméxico joint venture, jeopardizing vital ties between the U.S. and Mexico. This vital partnership not only sustains more than 4,000 jobs, but it also contributes $134 million in annual GDP. Maintaining strong air connectivity between the United States and Mexico is not just about convenience for travelers, but also about ensuring the continued growth of businesses and jobs on both sides of the border. Get the facts.   POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER In 1979, a killer rabbit (think RABBIT OF CAERBANNOG) attacked former President Carter while he was fishing in Georgia. OK, “killer” rabbit may be a bit much. But Carter told his skeptical aides after the incident that an aggressive rabbit swam up to his fishing boat and he had to fend it off with a paddle. Several years later, press secretary JODY POWELL casually mentioned the story to Associated Press reporter BROOKS JACKSON, which political opponents latched on to, painting Carter as weak. 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 Sam Stein and Rishika Dugyala.   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.       Follow us on Twitter Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Ben Johansen @BenJohansen3   Follow us

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