Hi. I’m in … Delaware.

Nov 29, 2023

By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Benjamin Johansen

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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.

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When the Biden campaign announced that it would be headquartered in Wilmington, Del., the main reaction among prospective staff was: Really, Delaware?

Few Democratic operatives were excited about the prospects of moving to the mid-Atlantic city. Many privately grumbled that they’d prefer nearby Philadelphia or even Washington, D.C.

Five months later, the lament remains. In conversations with more than a half-dozen staffers over the past few weeks, dissatisfaction was the common theme. They said that complaining about Wilmington had become a bonding activity for them and conceded feeling withdrawal from the D.C. bubble.

Publicly, the campaign insists that’s absurd. Not only is the D.C. bubble something one shouldn’t miss, but Wilmington is an attractive metropolis in its own right. Staff provided a slew of quotes as proof of their satisfaction with their current digs, though, frankly, many of them read as if Wilmington’s mayor was hovering over the computer while they typed, watching closely as they picked out specific words.

“Wilmington belongs in a hallmark Christmas movie,” said SHEA NECHELES, director of strategic communications. “I have a favorite local coffee shop, independent bookstore, and my commute home is a walk along a main street lined with twinkly lights.”

“Wilmington has been great so far. For a runner, the riverfront is awesome. The food scene has also taken me by surprise. Have you seen Le Cavalier? It’s gorgeous – like Paris, but Delaware!” said rapid response spokesperson SETH SCHUSTER.

“Wilmington is no Jacksonville, but nowhere is! Its running path puts Rock Creek to shame, my commute is the best commute I’ve ever had, and the Quoin bar is a top five bar I’ve been to!” said campaign spokesperson KEVIN MUNOZ.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve followed an $8 gyro meal from Opa Opa with a hop across the street for live band karaoke at Trolley Tap House,” said communications director MICHAEL TYLER.

“Wilmington has quickly become home: the lamb bao buns at Bardea, the avocado caesar at Le Cav, the cold brew at Brew HaHa, the cocktails at Torbert Street Social,” said TJ DUCKLO, senior adviser for communications.

“The best thing about campaign towns is that everyone moves there, works there, and goes out there. You build a better team culture, and more critically: you do it while living outside the DC bubble,” said ROB FLAHERTY, deputy campaign manager. “With Wilmo you get campaign town vibes without campaign town distance. Plus there’s a bar in Trolley Square that has live band karaoke on Sundays. What else do you need?”

Perhaps nothing else is needed. But West Wing Playbook is skeptical. We have ample reason, and reporting, to believe that those quotes are largely an effort to be kind to a place best known for its chancery court and corporate friendly tax code. (Seriously, Biden staffers, blink twice if you need help.)

In private talks, campaign aides had no shortage of grievances about Wilmington: The food isn’t good, there’s not a lot of places to hang out after work and the entertainment options are lacking. Yes, the campaign office is located next to a trendy (by Wilmington standards) food hall. Sure, the rent and cost of living are both relatively cheap. But even if a buck gets you a bit further at Bardea and the Quoin Hotel, how many Margherita pizzas can one reasonably consume in a single week?

Staffers have, in short order, begun developing common routines. Many go for runs on the downtown riverfront trail, frequent the Opera House and make a ritual of eating at La Fia on Wednesday nights for the tasting menu and attending weekly karaoke at Trolley Tap House. For some, like DANIEL WESSEL, strategic communications adviser, this is more than enough.

“Great bars. Good friends. Convenient commute,” he said in one of those ~~under duress~~ campaign-provided quotes. “What more could you ask for?”

For others, however, there is something more to ask for: their actual home.

Several Biden staffers told West Wing Playbook they still have D.C. housing and go back to the District on weekends when they can.

MESSAGE US — Are you Wilmington Mayor MIKE PURZYCKI? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.

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POTUS PUZZLER

Thanks to the White House Historical Association for this question!

Which first lady traveled to war encampments to help support her husband and other soldiers?

(Answer at bottom.)

The Oval

IT’S GETTING (BEETLE)JUICY: Biden on Wednesday traveled to Pueblo, Colo., to show off the hundreds of new jobs created at CS Wind, the largest wind tower manufacturer in the world, with the help of the Inflation Reduction Act. And he rubbed it in the face of hometown GOP Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT.

Boebert “called this law a massive failure,” Biden said after a tour of the facility. “Tell that to the 850 Coloradans who got new jobs in Pueblo and at CS Wind thanks to this law.”

Boebert was not invited to the event because “she has voted against creating these jobs multiple times,” a White House official told our JENNIFER HABERKORN. Local members of Congress are typically invited to events with the president, even if they are from the opposing party. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, was on site.

“It’s a real shame! Congresswoman Boebert would have loved to share her 2 cents with the President,” said Boebert spokesperson ANTHONY FAKHOURY. “In all seriousness, we’re not surprised. Joe Biden is here for a publicity stunt, not because he actually cares about the people of Southern Colorado.”

NON-CONDITIONAL: Despite Biden calling conditions for future Israel aid a “worthwhile thought,” three U.S. officials tell our ALEX WARD and JONATHAN LEMIRE that it is not something they are pursuing. One of the officials told the pair that the remark by Biden was less about siding with progressive sentiments, and more a reflection of his internal frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU.

Biden has privately expressed concerns that Netanyahu hasn’t always focused on the hostages and worries about the prime minister’s leadership moving forward, according to another of the officials.

COP-IN: Vice President KAMALA HARRIS will attend COP28, the global climate summit this week in Dubai, following criticism for Biden’s decision to skip out for the first time since taking office, Bloomberg’s JENNIFER DLOUHY and JOHN HARNEY first reported. Harris will join Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, climate envoy JOHN KERRY and other world leaders at the two week long event beginning Thursday.

“Throughout her engagements, the Vice President will underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s success in delivering on the most ambitious climate agenda in history, both at home and abroad,” KIRSTEN ALLEN, the vice president’s press secretary said in a statement.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Today’s report from the Department of Commerce showing gross domestic product increasing at an annualized rate of 5.2 percent during the third quarter of 2023. This tops the department’s initial estimate of 4.9 percent and the 5 percent estimate from economists polled by Dow Jones, according to CNBC’s JEFF COX.

White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS shared the figures on X, touting the administration’s economic agenda. “This did not just happen on its own. Result of smart policy choices by President Biden. Bidenomics!”

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by CBS’ AIMEE PICCHI about how a recent analysis of government data shows that a typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually to maintain the same standard of living it had in January 2021. “Such figures underscore the financial squeeze many families continue to face even as the rate of U.S. inflation recedes and the economy by many measures remains strong, with the jobless rate at a two-decade low,” Picchi writes.

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: BARBARA HOBLITZELL is now deputy assistant secretary of the office of legislation and congressional affairs at the Department of Education. She most recently was a legislative affairs specialist at DOE.

— MIRANDA SUMMERS LOWE is now director for cyber and emerging technologies at the National Security Council. She most recently was legislative liaison for the National Guard Bureau.

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Agenda Setting

WHERE IT’S NEEDED MOST: The Treasury Department on Wednesday released an analysis showing the impact clean energy investments under the IRA has had on lower income communities that took the brunt of fossil fuel production. According to the analysis, 81 percent of these investments have gone towards projects in counties with below-average weekly wages, with 86 percent of the investments going to communities with lower than average college graduation rates.

“Treasury analysis shows that funding is going where it’s needed most across the country, not just to the coasts or to wealthy communities,” Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN wrote.

WHAT’S GOOD FOR KYIV IS GOOD FOR PHOENIX, OR SOMETHING: The Biden administration is circulating a graphic on Capitol Hill that shows Pennsylvania, Arizona and other battleground states reaping billions of dollars in investments from Washington’s efforts to assist Ukraine, our LARA SELIGMAN, CONNOR O’BRIEN and JOE GOULD report.

This effort comes as the White House is trying to sell its proposed spending package for Ukraine and Israel. As our colleagues reported last month, the administration is making a push to shift its messaging on the issue to lawmakers following failed previous attempts.

GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW.

What We're Reading

It’s open season in New Hampshire for Democrats not named Joe Biden (WaPo’s Kara Voght)

The Biden-Obama divide over how closely to support Israel (NBC’s Carol E. Lee and Courtney Kube)

‘People have just rendered a judgment’: Inflation erodes Biden’s wins (POLITICO’s Sam Sutton)

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

First lady MARTHA WASHINGTON traveled to Cambridge, Mass., Valley Forge and Philadelphia, Pa., and Morristown, N.J., to support her husband, President GEORGE WASHINGTON and the soldiers in their disease-ridden winter encampments, according to the White House Historical Association.

To learn more about the Washington family, tune into White House History Live: The Washingtons, the Custises, and the Making of America on Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. EST.

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.

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