Last night, President Donald Trump teased an announcement the White House had been waiting for: Trump’s first trade deal since his sweeping tariffs upended the global economy. Who answered Trump’s call? The United Kingdom, the latest chapter in the so-called “special relationship” between the two nations. What does it mean for Trump, for the econom…

This morning, Vice President JD Vance will speak at a meeting of world leaders convened in Washington by the Munich Security Conference. The speech is amid a backdrop of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, a Russia-Ukraine war that is dragging on, and seemingly endless tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Back home, officials are bra…

Today, President Donald Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the heels of his recent electoral victory. It’s their first time face to face, even as backlash to Trump in Canada helped propel Carney to power. Is it possible that the two men could actually find some middle ground? Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blancha…

If one issue has defined President Donald Trump’s second term, it is the economy. Markets continue to deal with tariff-induced whiplash, and people around the country are bracing for higher prices to hit home. But rather than denying the possible hits to people’s wallets, Trump has taken to projecting a new message: settle for less. Playbook managi…

Mike Waltz is out as national security adviser (and in as UN ambassador). Elon Musk is eyeing an exit from DOGE. And President Donald Trump continues to plow ahead, now past his first 100 days in office. Do you see all of this action as the fruit of a busy, ambitious administration or as, well, chaos? The White House’s political fortunes may rise o…

Former Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris adviser Ashley Etienne joins Rachael Bade to assess House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ first 100 days leading his caucus. They also discuss what Democratic kingmakers need to do to win back voters—from building a better ground game, to ditching attention-grabbing stunts, to coordinating their messaging so…

More than 100 days into his presidency, Donald Trump isn’t quite ready to claim the economy as his own. The latest GDP figures are underwhelming, markets are still dealing with tariff-induced whiplash and inflation fears are widespread. At what point does the economy become Trump’s for credit or blame? And how is the White House approaching messagi…

In marking his 100th day in office yesterday at a rally in Michigan, President Donald Trump wasn’t just looking backwards — he was projecting forward a vision for how he plans to sell his message to the public and what exactly his case to the American people will look like in 2026 and beyond. During a 90-minute speech, Trump flaunted his successes …

Today, President Donald Trump marks the 100th day of his second term, a head-spinning period of time that has upended the global order, pushed the bounds of executive power, rattled the economy and reshaped American politics. What mattered, what didn’t and what comes next? POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns joins Playbook managing editor…

As President Donald Trump gears up to mark his 100th day in office, his administration is beset by challenges. Polls show his approval rating at a historical low for this stage in a presidency. Markets are volatile, no new trade deals have yet been brokered and Americans’ economic outlook has darkened. His immigration agenda is stymied by the court…

The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is here and Washington is again beset by navel-gazing — that much is not a surprise. But something seems different this year. It’s not just that the president is skipping the affair. It’s not just that the relationship between the White House and the free press is combative. It’s that there’…

President Donald Trump promised a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine in one day. Nearly 100 days into his presidency, it remains elusive — and Trump is now ramping up the pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a deal that many observers see as overly favorable to Russia. What is Ukraine to do? What’s at stake for Europe? And…

The White House is attempting to stabilize the economy amid market fluctuations and the complexities of trade negotiations with more than 30 countries. But how long can Trump world say they're making progress with little to show for it? White House bureau chief Dasha Burns joins Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to discuss. Plus, t…

This morning, we’ll get a better look at the state of the world economy through the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Forecast. All signs point to a relatively grim prediction, due in no insignificant part to the tariffs President Donald Trump has leveled against nations around the world. White House bureau chief Dasha Burns joins Playbo…

Just how much trouble is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in? That question is set to dominate Washington today. Last night, former top Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot published an op-ed in POLITICO Magazine detailing chaotic conditions at the Pentagon and predicting President Donald Trump will oust Hegseth. Plus, the New York Times reports on a secon…

While new developments in the saga of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man wrongly deported from Maryland to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador — are certain to drive the day, there’s a bigger meta-story going on. It’s about Trump’s war on institutions — from the court system (as in the Abrego Garcia case) to higher education to law firms to the inde…

Longtime Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik joins Deep Dive host Dasha Burns to discuss the current identity crisis within the Democratic Party. Sosnik discusses insights from a presentation he’s shared exclusively with Playbook that details the path forward for the Democrats, including how to connect with voters, elevate the right new leaders, and …

Everyone is dispensable in Trump world, but don’t expect the president to get rid of his commerce secretary even when the going gets tough. Trump and Lutnick’s storied friendship goes far beyond business. Even with the tariff rollout proving chaotic, the chances Trump ousts his closest friend from his cabinet are slim. Capitol bureau chief and seni…

A court hearing in Maryland yesterday kicked off a two-week legal sprint that could shake America’s system of checks and balances. On its surface, the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a story about immigration policy and government power. But dig deeper, and the stakes for the rule of law are profound. Senior legal affairs reporter J…

On its face, the Oval Office meeting yesterday between President Donald Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador centered around the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the Maryland resident who is still locked away in a Salvadoran mega-prison despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the administration “facilitate” his release. But …

In the two-plus months since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency has been shaken to its core — data collection has been halted, research has been cut, and more than 10,000 employees have been laid off. POLITICO White House reporter Adam Cancryn joins host Steven Overly to unpack what is hap…

With Trump’s chaotic tariff moves shocking markets and spurring vast uncertainty about the economic outlook, Democrats see a political opening. Could the issue — so central to Trump’s political fortunes in 2024 — suddenly become his kryptonite? And what precisely are Democrats doing to make that happen? POLITICO national politics correspondent Brak…

Robert Doar, the President of the American Enterprise Institute, joins host Rachael Bade to discuss how an institution long dedicated to promoting ideas such as free trade and strong American global leadership, is asserting itself in a Trump administration that often does not prioritize those views. In this episode, they discuss who in the White Ho…

The U.S. is engaged in a trade war — just not the one many people expected. Yesterday afternoon, President Donald Trump backpedaled on most of the steep tariffs that took effect only hours earlier, pausing them for 90 days to allow time to negotiate potential deals with other nations. One big exception? China, which he announced will now be subject…