The Playbook Podcast

It’s the worst-kept secret in Washington: Being in Congress isn’t as glamorous as it seems from the outside. But what is life really like on Capitol Hill? What do members privately think about their colleagues? How do they know it’s time to hang up their spurs? And what are the things the rest of us really don’t get about the pressures they face? POLITICO’s Ben Jacobs asked them. And he joins chie...

President Donald Trump’s tariff regime is blooming before our eyes. That may delight his MAGA base, but it’s causing agita in the broader electorate, as Americans face the near inevitability of higher prices for the foreseeable future and businesses struggle to keep up with the head-spinning turn of events. Is there a point at which the political reality will overwhelm Trump’s tariff ambitions and...

In his joint address to Congress last night, President Donald Trump gave a red-meat speech that lauded his culture war victories, denigrated his political opponents, and, oh yeah, ran until 11pm. But for all the noise in the speech, many of the headlines this morning are about Democrats, who responded to the aggressive and partisan speech in kind. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was dramatically ejected f...

This evening, President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress for the first time in his second term in the White House. After a whirlwind 24 hours that included pausing all military aid to Ukraine, and imposing tariffs on our two closest trading partners, Congress will be in for quite the speech. Senior Congress editor Mike DeBonis joins chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels...

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency project has become the center of President Trump’s domestic agenda, with a lot of political capital being channeled into defending Musk’s actions from critics. But ahead of Trump’s joint address tomorrow, Politico’s Megan Messerly reports that some of the president’s allies are worried that DOGE is overshadowing Trump’s larger legislative agenda, and...

Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington, where he will meet President Donald Trump in person for the first time since Trump’s return to the White House. The relationship between the two leaders has long been contentious, but escalated in recent weeks, with Trump calling Zelenskyy a “dictator” while refusing to blame Russia for starting the war. Now, with a deal for rare and...

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Washington today to meet with President Donald Trump. On the surface, the two leaders couldn’t be more different. But as Playbook author Jack Blanchard tells chief correspondent Eugene Daniels, the Trump-Starmer relationship is, indeed, special. They dig into what’s on the agenda today and what deliverables Starmer wants to leave with.

In a dramatic scene last night, the House of Representatives passed its budget blueprint in a 217-215 vote. Earlier in the day, four Republicans stated they wouldn’t support the bill. But ultimately, the only GOP member to vote no was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in a near party-line vote. Congress reporter Nicholas Wu joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to talk through the chaos that led up t...

The House’s big, beautiful fiscal blueprint is up for a vote today, but Speaker Mike Johnson is already navigating inter-party fighting over possible budget cuts. POLITICO senior Congress editor Mike DeBonis joins deputy Playbook editor Zack Stanton to break down Johnson’s sticky situation. Plus, a military contractors’ pitch for deportation camps and all the rest of the news you need to know toda...

President Donald Trump’s election helped turbocharge an already surging bull market in the U.S., sending stocks and cryptocurrencies to even higher records. But, some on Wall Street are sounding the alarm that the fast times can’t last. POLITICO capital markets reporter Declan Harty joins chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels to explain what potential market turbulence could mean for Trump 2...

Warning signs are flashing for congressional Republicans as President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency project escalates its slash-and-burn approach to federal budget cuts. In deep-red Georgia, a raucous town hall forum last night portends potential problems for the GOP. In Washington, Republicans on the Hill back-channel with the White House as fear spreads about political blowb...

Day in and day out, the most consequential stories in Washington right now seem to include two key players. One is obvious: President Donald Trump. The other is Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man and Trump’s largest political benefactor. As their partnership remaps power in Washington, journalists on the frontlines scurry to crack the biggest story in the nation’s capital — and figure out what...

In last night’s interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk tried to rehab Musk’s image and reinforce that Trump runs the show. Beyond that, not much else happened. As White House reporter Irie Sentner tells chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels, it was the lack of significant news that made the hour memorable. Plus, the Senate eyes vote-a-rama, and all the re...

The biggest story in Washington today isn’t even in Washington. Today, top officials from the U.S. and Russia will meet in Saudi Arabia to talk about a future peace plan for Ukraine. But, officials from Ukraine will be missing at the table. National security reporter Robbie Gramer joins chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels to discuss how this is playing with Europe and the weekend’s Munich...

Late last night, the House Budget Committee approved GOP leadership’s voluminous one-bill budget plan — a giant step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, but one that sets them up for collision with the Senate GOP’s two-bill approach. But launching it out of committee may have been the easy part. Where do things go from here? POLITICO Capitol bureau chief and “Corridors” colum...

Today, President Donald Trump will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House — the latest high-stakes meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest democracies. On the agenda? Tariffs, immigration and the future of the global balance of power. POLITICO’s Washington-based China correspondent Phelim Kine breaks it all down with chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels....

There’s one thing dominating the discourse in Washington today: Money. Dueling Republican budgets face big days on Capitol Hill, new inflation numbers drop this morning and President Donald Trump could unleash his latest salvo of tariffs. Meanwhile, the economic world is bracing itself for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to come under scrutiny from Elon Musk and his DOGE team. Economic policy corre...

In the few weeks since President Donald Trump returned to office, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency panel has implemented significant changes within the federal government. Strong favorability ratings over the weekend are reported to have boosted morale within the White House, leaving them feeling emboldened. But as DOGE eyes new agencies to audit, how far can this bureaucracy-wrecki...

As soon as tomorrow, Tulsi Gabbard is likely to sail through confirmation as Director of National Intelligence. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation is likely to follow later this week. Just weeks ago, it felt like a stretch that either would be confirmed. So, what changed? Congress reporter Jordain Carney joins chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels to talk through President Donald Trump’s e...

The Republican battle for the upper hand in the reconciliation debate is in full swing today. House GOP leaders are set to finally unveil their plan. Senate Republicans descend on Mar-a-Lago to woo President Donald Trump toward their own competing vision. In the balance is Trump’s legislative agenda, whose plan will come out on top? Senior Congress editor Mike DeBonis walks Playbook deputy editor...

As Elon Musk wages war on the bureaucracy, federal workers face a time for choosing: At midnight tonight, the self-styled “early buyout” offer to federal employees expires, marking a potential hinge point in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s work in Washington. How did we get here and what happens next? National political reporter Holly Otterbein joins chief Playbook corresponden...

This afternoon, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would effectively ban trans women and girls from participating in women’s sports. The move would reverse a change to Title IX implemented by the Biden administration that argued the law should also apply to LGBTQ students. White House reporter Megan Messerly joins chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels to walk...

Today, President Donald Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his first visit from a foreign dignitary during his second term. There’s a lot at stake for both leaders — notably, the possibility of a more permanent ceasefire in the Middle East. National security reporter Robbie Gramer joins chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels to walk through what he will be wa...

On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed an order to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on energy products from Canada. Those new actions go into effect at midnight, and experts are predicting the economic fallout could be catastrophic. Canadian federal politics reporter and Ottawa Playbook author Nick Taylor-Vaisey joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to...

As the tragedy at Washington Reagan National Airport dominates the policy conversation in DC, the political conversation is quickly turning to the pivotal Democratic National Committee meeting tomorrow where the party will elect a new head. Minnesota’s Ken Martin and Wisconsin’s Ben Wikler are locked in a neck-and-neck contest for the top seat, and though the two frontrunners appear similar on the...