The Playbook Podcast

President Donald Trump delivered a live address to the nation from the White House in succinct fashion with a sharp focus on the economy on Wednesday night. During the roughly 20-minute speech — which was a far cry from the president’s meandering campaign-style rally in Pennsylvania last week — Trump touted the “progress” that his administration has made in addressing Americans’ cost-of-living concerns. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly assess whether the message will stick with voters ahead of this year’s midterms.

Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, set off a media storm on Tuesday after Vanity Fair published a deeply reported account of the White House’s inner circle of operators. The story featured candid comments delivered by Wiles over 11 interviews on a range of issues. Trump and other senior administration officials rushed to defend Wiles, while others privately questioned why she and other officials agreed to the interviews with Vanity Fair. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns break down what the episode revealed about the dynamics inside the White House.

Vice President JD Vance is headed to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to talk about affordability with voters who are feeling the pinch of cost-of-living concerns. Vance’s visit comes exactly one week after President Donald Trump delivered a speech on affordability in Pennsylvania — a sign that the administration is laser-focused on the all-important swing state ahead of the midterms, and perhaps an indication that Vance can drive the message home after Trump veered off script. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss the renewed push.

Negotiators are engaged in high-level talks to hammer out a peace plan for Ukraine in Berlin, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounding like he’s ready to cut a deal. Though President Donald Trump did not attend the weekend negotiations with European leaders, he seems poised to swoop in once a legitimate plan is on the table. The question mark looming over the talks, though, is uncertainty over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White House reporter Sophia Cai break down the latest developments.

Gates Foundation co-founder Bill Gates joined POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on this week’s episode of The Conversation to discuss his continued support for vaccine philanthropy, the impact of government aid cuts in global health, AI, vaccine skepticism and much more. The interview took place shortly after the release of The Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers Report projects, which predicts that child deaths will rise in 2025 for the first time this century.

The Indiana state Senate on Thursday rejected a proposed congressional map backed by President Donald Trump that would have all but guaranteed an additional two safe Republican seats, dealing a major blow to the president’s nationwide redistricting push. The rejection marks a rare loss for Trump during his second term, as state-level lawmakers flex their own political power in the face of an intense pressure campaign. Playbook’s Adam Wren and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss why Indiana Republicans stiff-armed Trump and what it means for the midterm map.

President Donald Trump has shaken up the way that America interacts with the rest of the world in nearly every way since he returned to office earlier this year. It’s a reality that is only becoming more apparent as Trump continues to navigate efforts to secure peace in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Longstanding alliances with Europe have taken precedent in the past, but that appears to no longer be the case. So what does this mean for the futures of Russia, Ukraine and U.S.-European relations? Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly dig in.

President Donald Trump made an affordability push on Tuesday night in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, where he spoke for more than an hour-and-a-half. The speech was billed as a major opening salvo in an increasing affordability push from the White House ahead of the midterms. The president clung to the idea that the high day-to-day expenses many Americans are facing is the fault of former President Joe Biden. But at various points he also veered off on tangents. So what do voters really think? Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly dig in.

In this special edition of the Playbook Podcast, we're bringing you an interview with President Donald Trump. POLITICO's Dasha Burns sat down with the president for The Conversation to discuss his global influence, especially his involvement in trying to end the Ukraine-Russia war and his evolving relationship with America’s longtime allies in Europe and beyond. Plus, they discuss the situation in Venezuela, domestic issues like affordability and rising healthcare costs and more.

Major cases coming before the Supreme Court will force the justices to consider the extent of President Donald Trump’s power. Today, the high court will hear oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter, which will determine whether a president has the authority to reshape independent federal agencies. And over the weekend, the justices indicated that they would take up the landmark case on birthright citizenship. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly walk through what to know ahead of the day’s proceedings, plus what Trump said about the Ukraine peace negotiations.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is no stranger to President Donald Trump’s tariff-forward trade agenda. Greer served as chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative in Trump’s first administration. But now, it’s Greer who’s at the helm of the president’s tariff implementation strategy — one that has drawn both criticism and praise from surprising places.  “I've also had members of Congress come to me, people who maybe weren't fans of tariffs two years ago, and they said, ‘This is actually real money that's coming in that can be used to pay down the debt or pay for other things or finance our reindustrialization,” Greer said. In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Ambassador Greer sits down with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to explain why trade policy defies political labels, the particulars of how deals are shaping up globally and the strategy behind reconfiguring seven decades’ worth of international policy.  Plus, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, joins Dasha to explain how the battle for school funding continues to unfold, the intrinsic relationship between education and democracy and why the well-being of students should be at the top of the president’s mind.

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at noon today at the Kennedy Center. The event is to determine which countries will fall into each group for the 48-team tournament this summer. But it’s not only a monumental day in the sports world: amid all the typical pageantry will be plenty of politicking. FIFA is plying President Donald Trump with praise and prizes. And Trump will be shaking hands with leaders of Canada and Mexico, the two other host nations with whom he has sparred at times. White House reporter Sophia Cai joins Playbook’s Adam Wren to break down all the behind-the-scenes drama and what you can expect from the draw.

Pete Hegseth has been no stranger to drama during his tenure as Defense secretary, with a steady stream of headlines following him since his nomination. But perhaps the most notable fiasco was the “Signalgate” incident, in which Hegseth shared detailed military plans in a group chat of administration officials — and one stray journalist. Today, the Pentagon inspector general’s report of the incident is set to be released. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns unpack what we already know, and what to expect.

Republican Matt Van Epps won a closely watched special election in Tennessee last night, defeating Democrat Aftyn Behn. But Republicans writ large may still be wringing their hands as they look forward. Despite Van Epps’ relatively easy victory, the margin of victory — which drastically trailed President Donald Trump’s edge in the district last year — shows that Republicans still have work to do to find a message that lands on affordability. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns break down what the results mean for the midterms and whether Trump can strike the right chord on cost-of-living issues.

President Donald Trump is holding his latest made-for-TV Cabinet meeting today, where all eyes will be on Pete Hegseth. The Defense secretary has captured headlines over the legality of airstrikes the U.S. conducted on the boats of alleged “narcoterrorists” around Venezuela — with a Washington Post report over the weekend raising more questions from Republicans and Democrats. Both Trump and Hegseth in recent days have voiced support for the action but distanced themselves from the report. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and Pentagon reporter Paul McLeary unpack what to know, plus the latest on Ukraine peace talks.

The Trump administration pressure campaign against Venezuela and strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the region are coming under increased scrutiny after reporting that caught the attention of bipartisan members of Congress. President Donald Trump offered cautious support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s involvement. It comes after Trump’s controversial decision to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted in the U.S. of drug trafficking. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns break down what to expect next, plus Trump’s next immigration crackdown.

A stunning transcript reportedly detailing Steve Witkoff’s private conversation with one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top aides reveals the approach that President Donald Trump’s administration is taking to end the war in Ukraine. The White House hasn’t denied the transcript’s validity, and the revelation comes as Trump’s plans to dispatch emissaries to meet with Putin next week. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and diplomatic correspondent Felicia Schwartz walk through the stakes. Plus, the FBI opens investigations into six Democratic members of Congress who Trump is accusing of sedition.

President Donald Trump has dispatched Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi over the Ukraine peace plan. The proposal is an updated version from the original 28-point plan, drafted by Steve Witkoff, which was criticized by many for favoring Russia. The new plan, which has been slimmed down, has garnered far more support in Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proclaimed that peace seems “doable” now. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and Adam Wren break down what to know and what comes next.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is back from Geneva, where he met with Ukrainian and European officials to negotiate a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Rubio said Sunday he was “very optimistic” about the progress thus far. President Donald Trump has set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept a deal. Meanwhile, tensions with Venezuela are mounting as the U.S. amasses military resources in the region at a level not seen in decades. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and diplomatic correspondent Felicia Schwartz discuss the stakes.

Dan Driscoll made history earlier this year when, at 38, he was sworn in as the youngest Army secretary in U.S. history. And he just made news again this week when he became the highest-level Trump administration official to visit Kyiv for the White House’s secret peace talks in effort to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. Driscoll joined high-level talks with Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as news broke about a potential peace deal on the horizon. Driscoll is a veteran of the Iraq War, and as a result, has felt the effects of Pentagon decisions firsthand. He’s set out to reshape the U.S. Army and the Pentagon into an agile institution that can make better use of existing resources and channel the best practices of the private sector. “When you are creating defensive and offensive solutions, you have to think even 10 years out when the war really gets to its most catastrophic moment, ‘What are the very basic tools of warfare that can't be impacted by the enemy,” Driscoll said. In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Driscoll sits down with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns to delve into the future of warfare, his plans for reinvigorating the Army’s technology and the innovation spurred by conflict. “I think the best guess is if the United States entered a conflict with a peer in a couple of years, it would be a hybrid war where nearly every human being on the battlefield would be empowered and enabled with a digital tool,” Driscoll said. “I think we believe every infantryman in the United States Army will carry a drone with them into battle.” CNN "NewsNight" host Abby Phillip also joined Dasha to chat about her new book, “A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power,” Jackson’s influence on today’s political landscape and Phillip’s approach to her own roundtable show.