Subject: ??Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — Rave reviews: The night he became president — Ivanka's hand — Lent begins: What will Trump give up? — Exclusive: An amazing life lesson from Oprah
From: "Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2017 06:39:08 -0500 (EST)

Presented by Walmart:

Rave reviews: The night he became president — Ivanka's hand �=80� Lent begins: What will Trump give up? — Exclusive: An amazin= life lesson from Oprah

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Axios AM

By Mike Allen = ·Mar 01, 2017

1 big thing: The Trump card

Reuters' Carlos Barria

In the first restrained — dare we say conventio=al — speech of his lifetime, Donald Trump delighted Republicans, d=sarmed critics (at least for a night) and left anyone who doesn't waste th=ir day on Twitter with the impression of quick accomplishments and big, ea=ily doable things ahead.

Bloomberg View calls it "=rump's teleprompter triumph."

The strategy: I= was a savvy, unexpectedly deft clean-up of everything from the botched tr=vel ban to his delays in confronting race- or religious-based violence. Mo=t of the speech could have been delivered by Paul Ryan (who tweeted that i= was "a home run"). It buys Trump a l=t of wiggle room in the months ahead — and that was the strategic =im of the speech.

Why it matters: Wobbly Republic=ns, many of whom were and remain deeply suspicious of the=president, now have something normal, possibly popular to grab hold of. Su=cess - or the appearance of success - in politics washes away many sins.

With Trump officials basking in the reviews, th= White House told reporters that the new executive order on migrant travel=-- scheduled for release today -- was being delayed.

=he reasoning: "We want the EO to have its own 'moment,'" a senior=administration official told CNN's Jeremy Diamond. The=official didn't say positive reviews were the only reason for delay �=94 but didn't deny it was part of the calculus.

2. Rave reviews

The pundits rolled over for a big ole belly scr=tch: Flipping around the networks' postgame coverage, the praise =as almost completely unleavened by reality checks about Trump's track reco=d or the minefields awaiting his agenda. I suddenly realized the incredibl= honeymoon Trump could have had if had played his cards even slightly diff=rently.

CNN's Van Jones, former green jobs adviser =o President Obama, said of the sustained applause Trump led for Carryn Owe=s, widow of Ryan Owens, the SEAL lost in the Yemen raid: "That thing you j=st saw him do, if he finds a way to do that over and over again, he's goin= to be there for eight years. ... He did something tonight that you cannot=take away from him: He became president of the United States."

Savannah Guthrie: "loose and conversational." ... Nicol=e Wallace on NBC: "the best speech of his political career -- hi= short political career. ... It felt like an intervention had taken place.=

ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "The president has br=ken the mold in so many ways [but this was] quite a traditional structure.= .... CBS's John Dickerson: "using all the rhetorical an= symbolic tools at his disposal."

The big question:=Will the tone and the aura last? Even a full day? Today is Ash Wednesday, =he beginning of Lent. What will Trump give up?

But don't fo=get: Trump has proven to be a recidivist in the past. One close T=ump-watcher warned us that last night's Reaganesque statesman is the same =an: "He is a performer and his director(s) told him he is playing a differ=nt character tonight. It worked."

3. Behind the curtain: Ivanka's hand

A senior administration official emails: "The speech wa= all [Stephen] Miller, but Ivanka worked hard on it with him on many of th= parts, especially affirming that the president's desire to have an uplift=ng and aspirational speech was right. ...

"Notice the focus on women's health. It was Hope [Hick=]'s idea to add the upfront line about how 'we are a country that stands u=ited in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms.'

"Ivanka was working with Miller =n his office in the afternoon on the speech, including the paragraph on 'p=id family leave ... women's health ... clean air and clean water.' ... "A week ago, Ivanka and D=na Powell [senior counselor for economic initiatives] met with the preside=t on those parts of the speech with Steve Miller and Hope, and talked abou= those issues and how they would resonate in an important way."

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4. "Join me in dreaming big and bold and daring"

Carryn Owens, widow of SEAL Ryan Owens / AP's Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Trump's top moments:

"[I]n 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet. ... Finally, th= chorus became an earthquake."

"What we are witnessing tod=y is the renewal of the American spirit. Our allies will find tha= America is once again ready to lead."

"Dying industries will come roaring back to life."'

"I am going to bring back millions of jobs."

"The =ime for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is be=ind us."

"We are blessed to be joined tonight by =arryn Owens, the widow of U.S. Navy special operator, Senior Chief William='Ryan' Owens. Ryan died as he lived, a warrior and a hero, battling agains= terrorism and securing our nation. (APPLAUSE) I just spoke to our great G=neral [Defense Secretary] Mattis just now who reconfirmed that, and I quot=, 'Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amount= of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future=against our enemy.' Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. Thank you. (APP=AUSE) And Ryan is looking down right now. You know that. And he's very hap=y, because I think he just broke a record. (APPLAUSE) For as the Bible tea=hes us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for on='s friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country and f=r our freedom. And we will never forget Ryan."

5. Our takeaways

Jonathan Swan's "12 things that mattered in Trump's spe=ch":

Sought to tie the African-American exp=rience to nationalism: "We've financed and built one global project after =nother, but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chica=o, Baltimore, Detroit -- and so many other places throughout our land."
"Radical Islamic terrorism": Trump is still using th= phrase, despite the reported disapproval of his new national security adv=ser.

Crucial language on infrastructure: "To laun=h our national rebuilding, I will be asking Congress to approve legislatio= that produces a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure of the United St=tes, financed through both public and private capital, creating millions o= new jobs." The key phrase — "that produces," coupled with the men=ion of private capital — means the Bernie Sanders dream of $1 tril=ion in new government spending remains a fantasy.

Rea= the rest on our website, the Axios STREAM.

6. The substance

Jaret Seiberg of Cowen Washington Research Group alerts=clients:

"[T]he GOP needs to =epeal and replace Obamacare. It got significant time during the speech. ..= Trump has made clear that this is the top priority. Other issues are on h=ld until there is Obamacare repeal."

"The President also e=phasized that immigration is a close second to Obamacare repeal. =hough we wished he called it a Huge Wall rather than a Great, Great Wall, =.. Trump did not back off this pledge. Getting this done has to come befor= work on financial and housing reform."

"The President did=not discuss Dodd-Frank or financial reform. This is a reminder to=the market that there are many issues of more importance to the President =han changing the bank rules. It is why we remain dubious that the GOP will=repeal Dodd-Frank or provide the level of regulatory relief for banks that=the market expects."

7. The wilderness

Steve Schmidt on MSNBC: "The Democratic Party is at its=lowest point of power in this country since the 1920s. And the Democratic =esponse was made by a 72-year-old, retired, two-term governor from Kentuck= [Steve Beshear]. Not by Kamala Harris. Not by Kristen Gillibrand. Not by =he Castro brothers. Not by anyone who has a future in the actual Democrati= Party. Just amazing ineptitude. ... And on a personal, I do wish the host=ges behind him well."

Rachel Maddow, to Schmidt: "T=ere were a number of mannequins with him. ... The response is alw=ys trouble. It's always bad. I hear ya on this. I don't think this sinks t= the level of Bobby Jindahl."

N.Y. Times Quotation of the Da= ... Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.): "I don't think=Republicans have decided what they're waiting for — the White Hous= or Godot.".

8. A life lesson from Oprah that I'm going to take to heart

David Rubenstein gives Oprah a car.

One of the best launches in TV last year was Bloomberg =edia's "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations," starring t=e philanthropist and Carlyle Group co-founder and co-CEO, who had develope= the unexpected sideline of conducting fascinating, funny onstage intervie=s with the intriguing and powerful.

Season 2 launches today<=strong> with Rubenstein sitting down with Oprah Winfrey — cleverl= enough, in front of a live audience. Per Bloomberg: "Fut=re episodes capture him travelling the country to speak with Duke men's ba=ketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Morgan=Stanley CEO James Gorman, Former CIA Director David Petraeus, and Nike co-=ounder Phil Knight."

What Oprah told David:
"I've never been to a therapist, but I paid attention=all those days on the show."

"At the end of the day, whether you are interviewing me or I
get to interview you, whatever your profession is, wherever you are in your
life, in your relationships, every person that you encounter, every experie=ce,
the person wants to know: Was that OK?
Was that OK?
And what I started to hear was that what people are really
saying is: Did you hear me? Did you hear me? And did what I say mean anythi=g to you?"

"I would say the word for me now is: I=m content. I'm not just relaxed, I am content. Because I know a lot of ric= people who are not happy. But I am not one of them. (LAUGHTER) I am one =f the happiest rich people you are ever going to see."

See the episode here=beginning at 8:30 a.m., and on Bloomberg TV tonight at 9.

9. Obamas sign bumper book deal

Penguin Random House won the book industry's most covet=d contract: a deal to produce the memoirs of former president Barack Obama=and first lady Michelle Obama, AFP reported:

"The terms of the deal were not disclosed,=but bidding for the high-profile double book deal topped $60 million, a re=ord sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times." Th= figure was disputed by Obama sources, who would not give another one."The deal was negotiated by Washington super-lawyer R=bert Barnett who represented former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Cli=ton" and his partner Deneen Howell.

"Barack Obama=is already the author of two memoirs and a children's book. He has frequen=ly declared himself to have a 'writer's sensibility' and has said he does =ot want to write a conventional blow-by-blow account of his time in the Wh=te House."

"Michelle Obama's memoir =s likely to be just as eagerly anticipated."

10. 1 fun thing

Josh Earnest, to Steph=n Colbert on a special live, late-night edition of "The Last Show":
On his blue tie: "This is the last time I go sho=ping with Paul Ryan."

On Trump aides: "They wante= to demonstrate that President Trump could give a speech other than berati=g people at a campaign rally."

"In terms of l=wering the bar, I'm not sure if you can lower the bar any farther=than hoping people who are in your party who are in the audience like the =peech you've just given."

YouTube here for Earnest on Spicer, fake=news, Fox News and more.

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At Walmart, our commitment to domestic products helps reduce the overall=time from factory or farm to shelf. By investing in American manufacturing= we can support local businesses and create more jobs. Learn more.

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