Mr. Nice Trump

An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Jun 13, 2024 View in browser   By Ursula Perano and Daniella Diaz With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team At a meeting with House Republicans, former President Donald Trump kept a generally positive tone, though he appeared to be treating the event as more of a mini campaign rally. | AP WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE? If there’s one takeaway from Trump’s twin meetings with congressional Republicans on Thursday, it’s that the former president is at least trying to make nice. For now. Inside an National Republican Senatorial Committee conference room where a number of his sharpest critics were seated — including Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — senators overwhelmingly said the former president kept it civil. What’s more, Trump and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell bridged their divides for the first time in years, shaking hands and having a conversation for the first time since December 2020, when McConnell told Trump he would be recognizing Joe Biden as the rightfully elected president. It’s an about-face from some of Trump’s prior meetings with GOP lawmakers. Take the 2016 meeting in which he publicly blasted one attendee, then-Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), claiming he wanted Hillary Clinton as president instead. “He thanked people over and over and he just said, ‘I know that some of us in the room had our differences,’” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). “But — and he reiterated this in his remarks at the press conference — ‘Where we've had our differences, we've worked them out.’ And he said, ‘I just want to let you know I support all of you and I want you to be successful.’” At a meeting with House Republicans earlier Thursday, Trump also kept a generally positive tone, though he appeared to be treating the event as more of a mini campaign rally. Inside the Capitol Hill Club, a spicier Trump took a subtle jab at Virginia Rep. Bob Good, a former Ron DeSantis backer whose primary opponent Trump recently endorsed. Still, rank-and-file members described the mood in the room as jovial and fun — and less policy-oriented than Trump’s meeting with senators. (Your newsletter writers can’t help but wonder if the split-screen vibe was simply Trump reflecting the distinct energies of the two chambers back into those rooms.) While Sen. Roger Marshall (R-La.) described the meetings as “more family having a dinner as opposed to debating anything,” not all of the family members emerged gushing enthusiastically about Trump. That included Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), one of the few remaining congressional Republicans who has yet to endorse Trump and again declined to do so Thursday, despite calling it a “good meeting” afterward. “There are still libertarian leaning folks like myself who want some more assurances,” he said. Trump capped off his day with one final gesture that was nice on its face, though perhaps not so nice in its intent. After meeting with senators, he told Fox News that he is endorsing former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in the state’s big Senate race despite Hogan’s recent comments about respecting Trump’s felony convictions. Of course, Trump’s endorsement is not especially helpful in deep-blue Maryland, where Hogan has gone to great lengths to distance himself from the former president. “Governor Hogan has been clear he is not supporting President Trump just as he didn’t in 2016 and 2020,” Hogan spokesperson Mike Ricci said in a statement after Trump's endorsement. How nice is that? — Ursula Perano and Daniella Diaz   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.     GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, June 13, where we think Trump’s birthday cake looked pretty good. GOP SENATORS SAY 'HOLD UP' ON HOLD TACTICS Senate Republicans are expressing mixed views on the hardball tactics that a half-dozen conservatives are threatening to deploy in protest of Trump’s Manhattan felony convictions last month. The group, led by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), says it will block speedy consideration for nearly four dozen Biden nominees for judgeships, U.S. attorney postings and other slots. “Keep the process moving within reason,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in mild rebuke. “Anything we can do, they can do. You gotta think long term.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of the chamber’s most moderate GOP members, also said the blanket hold was “not something that I [am] personally engaged in” but noted that Biden has selected “plenty of problematic nominees” in her view. Vance, a rumored contender to be Trump’s running mate, is building on a less-specific promise to snarl the chamber made by Senate conservatives in the immediate aftermath of the May 31 verdict. Among the targeted nominees are normally uncontroversial picks such as Rep. Barbara Lee’s (D-Calif.) selection to represent the United States at the U.N. General Assembly and former Rep. Charlie Crist’s (D-Fla.) bid to sit on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Some other Republicans who have not joined Vance’s letter nevertheless expressed sympathy for the aims. “The only reason why I'm not on it is because you have to be available to go on the floor at any moment to personally object,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), another rumored VP pick, told Inside Congress, citing his work on the Intelligence Committee. “Every chance I get to support [Vance] in that effort, especially that list they outlined, I intend to support.” — Anthony Adragna SCHUMER PLANS TO KEEP THE ABORTION VOTES COMING A couple of failed cloture votes isn’t going to stop Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer from calling up legislation that would protect women’s reproductive health, he said Thursday. “We're not going to stop fighting, and you're going to see some more things coming,” Schumer said in a news conference after a failed vote on a Democratic bill that would codify federal protections for in vitro fertilization. Democrats are standing by Schumer’s decision to schedule votes on issues related to women’s reproductive health, whether it’s related to abortion access or in vitro fertilization access. “This is a discussion that we're going to keep going all through the fall, for sure,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the No. 3 party leader. “You can't blow off the concerns of women in this country. Our reproductive freedom, it's not some side issue. It's the main issue.” The IVF legislation is Schumer’s latest attempt to squeeze Republicans ahead of November on an issue where they appear to be out of step with public opinion nationally. Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) tried to pass their own legislation that would have stripped federal Medicaid funding from states that ban IVF services, but it was blocked by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) argued that by breaking the votes down into “pieces,” it made it harder for Republicans to “hide” behind objections to certain reproductive rights. — Anthony Adragna and Daniella Diaz   JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE.     HUDDLE HOTDISH Lindsey Graham says he’s warming to a House proposal enabling current and former presidents to move a state case to federal courts “given my experience in Georgia” where he had to testify before a grand jury over effort to overturn that state’s 2020 election results. Jennifer Coolidge made an appearance on the House floor. Tom Suozzi was spotted this morning still in his baseball attire. Summer intern tours are BACK. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez gave Virginia Foxx a hand with her Camry’s radio  John Hickenlooper is a Jos. A Bank fan. Happy Seersucker Day to all who celebrate. QUICK LINKS  The Divisive Housing Perk Adding Thousands of Dollars to Lawmaker Pay, from Katy Stech Ferek and Theo Francis at The Wall Street Journal Rep. Ben Cline Announces Bid for RSC Chairman, from Sean Moran in Breitbart Hakeem Jeffries fights to fend off the socialists on his lawn, from Jeff Coltin Hill Dems bemoan New York congestion pricing about-face, from Corbin Hiar and Emma Dumain at E&E News Fetterman had speeding tickets, distracted driving episodes before car crash, Liz Goodwin at The Washington Post Exclusive: Rep. Ben Cline Announces Bid for RSC Chairman, ‘Sky Is the Limit’ with Trump, GOP House, from Sean Moran at Breitbart TRANSITIONS  Rob Andrews will be a legislative aide for Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). He previously was a financial services and tax policy specialist at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House is in session. The Senate is out. FRIDAY AROUND THE HILL Quiet. TRIVIA WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: Brad Fitch was the first to correctly guess that Tip O'Neill was the leading politician who guest starred in a Season 1 episode of "Cheers.” TODAY’S QUESTION, from Brad: When was the last time a major motion picture studio was allowed to film parts of a movie on the Capitol Hill campus? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening.   Follow us

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