Subject: Playbook PM: Trump takes victory lap after GOP loses House
From: "Anna Palmer Jake Sherman Daniel Lippman" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2018 13:34:13 -0600
List-Id: <1376319.xt.local>

Presented by BP: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington                Nov 07, 2018 View in browser                   
 By Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer, Daniel Lippman, Garrett Ross and Eli Okun 
             
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SPLIT SCREEN ... PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP spoke for just shy of an hour and 30 minutes in the White House East Room, delaying a NANCY PELOSI press conference originally scheduled for noon. He touted election results, saying "we defied history" in bolstering the GOP's Senate margin. He squashed any talk of a "blue wave," arguing that his campaigning blitz prevented what "could have been." He characterized election night as "very close to complete victory."

-- AS FOR THE HOUSE, Trump said Republicans "dramatically outperformed historical precedents" and overcame a "historical" number of retirements. He chalked the excess of retirements up to the GOP's chairmanship term limits and said "you could flip a coin" as to whether the Democrats' system is better. As for outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Trump said "I retired him. I'm very proud of it. I did the country a great service." 

-- THE PRESIDENT CALLED OUT several GOP lawmakers -- including Mia Love in Utah and Barbara Comstock in Virginia -- who he said lost their re-election bids because they distanced themselves from him. "They did very poorly. I'm not sure that I should be happy or sad, but I feel just fine about it." He said they decided "not to embrace -- whether it's me, or what we stand for." 

-- A NEW TONE FOR TRUMP? The president said he respected Nancy Pelosi's comments last night for "uniting" and a "bipartisan statement, which is so important because that's what we should be doing." "We have a lot of things in common on infrastructure ... health care. ... There are a lot of great things we could do together."

-- A "WAR-LIKE POSTURE" is what Trump said he would take if Dems aggressively push forward investigating him and warned of "investigations fatigue." "[W]e have a thing called the United States Senate. ... All you're going to do is end up in back-and-forth." He added that he could see it "being extremely good for me politically, because I think I'm better at that game than they are."

-- WHAT ELSE IS NEW ... An angry Trump clashed with several reporters. He said PBS' Yamiche Alcindor posed a "racist question" for asking about white nationalism. He got mad at a line of questioning from CNN's Jim Acosta, calling him a "rude, terrible person." 1:24 video 

CNN STATEMENT: "This President's ongoing attacks on the press have gone too far. They are not only dangerous, they are disturbingly un-American. While President Trump has made it clear he does not respect a free press, he has a sworn obligation to protect it. A free press is vital to democracy, and we stand behind Jim Acosta and his fellow journalists everywhere."

-- THE PRESIDENT said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meeting with North Korea that was originally set for this week will be rescheduled, "sometime early next year."

-- ASKED ABOUT HIS PAST ALLEGED USE OF THE N-WORD, Trump said, "I have never used racist remarks." Gabby Orr: "Trump calls for unity, but is spoiling for a fight" ... Full C-SPAN video 

PELOSI SPEAKS ... The House minority leader told reporters just after Trump finished speaking that "we won because from the beginning we focused on health care. ... We made our own environment, and while the GOP tried relentlessly to distract and divide, our candidates kept their focus on that subject."

-- SHE ALSO CAST THE DEMS' VICTORY as a check and balance on Republicans in power: "It was a vote to restore the health of our democracy." And she said that "we had to jump over gerrymandered lines all over the country."

-- ON BIPARTISANSHIP ... "We believe that we have a responsibility to seek common ground where we can." She touted infrastructure and drug prices as areas where Dems want to work with the GOP and Trump. She cited her collaborations with George W. Bush and quoted Ronald Reagan.

-- ON DEMS' RESPONSE TO IMMIGRATION RHETORIC: "I urged our colleagues not to take the bait on what the president was putting out there. It's a very dangerous issue on the campaign trail because of the misrepresentations that are put out there. ... I have no regret."

Happy day after. MATT DIXON: "Nelson, Scott race headed to recount" ... SEN. JON TESTER (D-MONT.) has officially won re-election. ... The latest results in the House and the Senate
       
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THE FIGHT FOR HOUSE MINORITY LEADER ... CALIFORNIA REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY will face off against OHIO REP. JIM JORDAN -- a key member in the diminished Freedom Caucus -- for the top Republican slot. McCarthy is the prohibitive favorite. One of the emerging dynamics to keep an eye on over the next few days is how much the rank and file blame the right flank of the conference for the health care flub. Details from Rachael Bade and John Bresnahan

-- THE NEW CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is the catch-all investigative committee, which will likely be run by MARYLAND REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS. This would be a great landing spot for Jordan. It would give him a platform from which he could defend the president -- something he's said he wants to do.

WYOMING REP. LIZ CHENEY MAKES HER MOVE ... Liz Cheney -- the second-term Republican -- is running for House Republican Conference chair, which is the No. 3 slot in GOP leadership in the minority. (Her letter) WASHINGTON STATE REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS has the job now, and she's been calling around about a run for GOP whip -- although it's not clear she'll make that move in the minority.

BUZZFEED'S LISSANDRA VILLA: "Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene Will Run For Democratic Leadership" ... COLORADO REP. DIANA DEGETTE says she's running against JIM CLYBURN for majority whip.

WILL DEMOCRATS BRING BACK EARMARKS? ... That's all the buzz at the moment. TRUMP has said he wants them. This could be an opportunity to bring them back. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY.) said at a press conference this morning that he hadn't thought about it, but Republicans have a party rule against it and he "can't imagine" that changing.

-- MCCONNELL also said he spoke to Pelosi, and they talked about the possibility of an infrastructure bill. 

-- "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT" -- that's what McConnell is calling the potential of cascading Democratic investigations into Trump and the administration.

WORTH THE READ ... THE TICK TOCK ... NYT'S ALEX BURNS and JONATHAN MARTIN: "How the House Fell: Republican Chaos and Democratic Focus"

-- RACHAEL BADE on what D.C. will look like now. The video from Eugene Daniels

-- STEVE SHEPARD: "7 takeaways from a wild midterm election": "[J]ust because the waves ran in opposite directions on the two maps doesn't mean they weren't driven by the same undertow. Democrats continued to draw increasing support from white college-educated voters that were once the core of the GOP. ... Republicans, however, continued to surge among the non-college-educated white voters that have powered the party in the Trump era." POLITICO 

POLITICO MAGAZINE'S MICHAEL KRUSE in Peach Creek, W.Va.: "How the Most Endangered Democrat in America Survived: Two years ago, Joe Manchin was predicted to lose in a state gone crazy for Trump. Turns out in West Virginia he might be more popular than the president." POLITICO Magazine 

IN THE STATES ... THE ATLANTIC'S ISAAC DOVERE (@IsaacDovere): "Democrats lost around a net 900 seats in state legislatures over the Obama presidency. With special elections and last night, they won 333 back this cycle."

-- "Voters Expand Medicaid, Weigh In on Gas Taxes in Ballot Measures," by WSJ's Alejandro Lazo: "Voters approved numerous alterations to election laws, rejected changes to gas taxes in three states, expanded Medicaid access in at least two, and delivered a mixed verdict on marijuana legalization. ... Florida voters approved a measure to allow most people convicted of felonies to have their voting rights automatically restored after they finish prison, probation or parole, a change estimated to affect 1.4 million people." WSJ 

         
TOP-ED -- SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-ARIZ.) in WAPO: "Republicans must move beyond the cult of Trump's personality"

THE INVESTIGATIONS ... "With the midterms over, Mueller faces key decisions in Russia investigation," by WaPo's Ros Helderman, Matt Zapotosky and Carol Leonnig: "Among the most pressing matters now before the special counsel: a probe into longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone's activities and ongoing negotiations with Trump's legal team over a request to interview him. ... 

"Behind the scenes, Mueller's investigators have been intensively gathering evidence and questioning witnesses in recent weeks. The grand jury hearing evidence in the Russia investigation has been seen meeting at a federal courthouse in Washington on six of the last eight Fridays." WaPo

-- "GOP running out of time to grill Russia investigators," by Kyle Cheney: "[T]hey want to depose Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and former FBI Director James Comey. They've sought new testimony from a raft of former Obama administration Justice Department officials. So far, those interview requests have not been backed by subpoenas. But with time running short, Democrats anticipate Republicans will use their remaining power to try to force the issue. ...

"It's unclear whether any of the GOP-led panels intends to issue new findings, documents or reports before the Democratic takeover." POLITICO

-- WAPO'S KAROUN DEMIRJIAN and GABRIEL POGRUND: "Newly empowered, House Democrats plan to launch immediate investigations of Trump, but leaders are wary of impeachment"

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: "Mueller has powerful new House allies as he bears down on Trump": "Democrats are even prepping a break-glass scenario in case there's a Nixon-era Saturday Night Massacre where Trump fires his current DOJ leadership and tries to shutter the Mueller probe in the process. If that happens, senior Democratic officials say Mueller would likely get an immediate summons to Capitol Hill for nationally-televised testimony about his findings." POLITICO 

-- STAT DU JOUR: NEW YORK LAW JOURNAL'S ANDREW DENNEY (@messagetime): "Uhhh wow. Between April and August, Rudy Giuliani spent just shy of $900k, of which $12,012 was spent on cigars."

BUZZFEED'S ZOE TILLMAN: "Republicans' Obama-Era Court Wins Could Come Back To Bite Them As Democrats Take Control Of The House"

FALLOUT IN THE SENATE -- GABBY ORR and DANIEL LIPPMAN: "GOP Senate will keep cranking out Trump judicial, cabinet nominees": "After Tuesday night's electoral setback, the president and his team plan to stress his ability to install judges as he rallies support for the 2020 election, according to more than a half-dozen current and former Trump officials. ...

"'If anything there will be more of an appetite for judges and more of a focus on it without the House anymore,' a White House official told POLITICO. 'It will be one of the few affirmative things that could still be pushed.' ... [But] Senate Democrats will deploy every delay tactic to draw out nominations and force Trump to pull candidates who meet the stiffest resistance." POLITICO

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- CLICKER -- Washingtonian: "The 21 Best Comfort Food Dishes in DC Restaurants Right Now"

SPOTTED at an election party last night hosted by Tammy Haddad, Megan Murphy and Hilary Rosen: Charlie Rifkin and Susan Tolson, Bob Barnett, Deborah Rutter, Kara Swisher, Juleanna Glover, Carol Melton, Kris Coratti, John Legittino, Bruce Andrews, Didem Nisanci, Jeremy and Robyn Bash, Jill Zuckman, Henry Schuster, Kathy O'Hearn, Melissa Moss, Kim Allman and Michael LaRosa.

MEDIAWATCH -- Dave Brown will be deputy defense editor at POLITICO Pro. He is currently senior editor at the Washington Examiner.

TRANSITIONS -- Diane Zeleny is now VP of external relations and global engagement at the International Republican Institute. She was previously VP of external relations at the U.S. Institute of Peace. ... Phoebe Sweet is now managing director of campaigns and strategies at Climate Nexus. She previously was a partner at Summers Strategies and a Harry Reid speechwriter.

ENGAGED -- Anastasia Jakabcin, senior product manager at POLITICO, got engaged to Sam Kussin-Shoptaw, senior program manager at Ad Hoc LLC, this Saturday. The couple met at Bloomberg Government, where they both worked on the government affairs data team. Pic ... Another pic
               
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