June 4, 2025: Musk vs. MAGA

The gloves are off between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and Playbook’s Zack Stanton and Adam Wren have all the explosive details. Today, Trump White House officials are due to have a call with Musk in an attempt to lower the temperature. That comes after Musk went nuclear against Trump, making shocking allegations about the president and badmouthing some of his signature policies. But not everyone in Trump’s orbit is so eager to forge a detente: Steve Bannon is taking a victory lap, Republicans are being forced to choose sides and there’s always the possibility that one of the two unpredictable principals at the center of the brouhaha will jump back into the fray. Adam reveals the behind-the-scenes attitudes and views driving the day in Washington, and the other news you need to know today.

In a trio of announcements last night, President Donald Trump unveiled a new travel ban barring entry into the U.S. by residents from of 12 nations, a fresh attempt to block Harvard-enrolled international students from entering the country and an investigation into the so-called “auto pen” scandal, alleging that White House aides unconstitutionally exercised presidential authority during Joe Biden’s presidency. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and contributing author Adam Wren discuss it all. Plus, a preview of today’s big White House meeting between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The moment has finally arrived: Elon Musk turned his chainsaw on the Trump White House yesterday in a blitz of X posts taking aim at the president’s reconciliation bill. Calling it an “abomination” and vowing retribution against those members of Congress who back it, Musk’s posture amounts to not only a stunning (but nascent) split between Trump’s movement and the man who financed a broad swath of it, but also a sign of the bumpy road ahead on Capitol Hill. Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns joins managing editor Jack Blanchard to unpack the story Washington is buzzing about.

President Donald Trump is calling. Will Senate Republicans answer? As the GOP homes in on the votes needed to pass the all-important reconciliation bill through the upper chamber, the president is escalating both his outreach to and pressure on holdouts. But what the White House is saying and what those last few Senate Republicans really want may be in conflict. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and chief correspondent Dasha Burns discuss the latest. Plus, Chinese President Xi Jinping gears up for his phone call with Trump on tariff negotiations.

Yesterday in Colorado, a man shouted “Free Palestine” as he attacked a group of elderly demonstrators who had gathered to peacefully advocate for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The episode is at once the nation’s latest paroxysm of antisemitic violence and the newest flashpoint in the debate about immigration: the alleged assailant was reportedly in the country illegally, having overstayed a visa. Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns and author and managing editor Jack Blanchard join unpack it all. That, plus a new wave of Ukrainian strikes hammer deep in Russian territory.

Listen to the first episode of Politico’s new podcast, The Conversation with Dasha Burns. Dr. Mehmet Oz, former TV host and Pennsylvania Senate candidate, is one of America’s most famous physicians. Now he’s running the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which means he’s in charge of programs that provide health care for about half of all Americans. He sits down with White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns to discuss potential Medicaid cuts, his big plans to lower drug pricing, why he’s fielding early morning phone calls from President Trump, and his advice to patients to “be curious” about their health.  Plus, Burns is joined by senior political columnist and politics bureau chief Jonathan Martin to discuss his juicy column about the Ohio governor’s race featuring Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. And senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney joins to discuss the showdown between Trump and the courts over his “Liberation Day” tariffs.

It’s a swing state with an open U.S. Senate seat, several competitive House races, an open gubernatorial seat — oh, and a potential leading 2028 candidate serving as governor. You may call it a political wonk’s dream; we call it Michigan. This week, as the battleground state’s political stars descended on idyllic Mackinac Island, the trends that will likely define 2026 across the nation came into full view. Live from the Mackinac Policy Conference, Playbook contributing author Adam Wren and supervising editor Zack Stanton talk through what they learned about the direction the campaign is heading. That, and President Donald Trump goes to Pennsylvania to trumpet the new U.S. Steel deal, while some leading Democrats head to South Carolina for a trial run of potential 2028 campaigns.

President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda has largely relied on one central claim: that America faces a national emergency that justifies the president taking extraordinary measures. Yesterday, a federal court blew a hole in that rationale in a ruling striking down his tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners while teeing up yet another looming Supreme Court showdown. On issue after issue, the legal system has proven to be the one reliable restraint on Trump’s policy ambitions. And on issue after issue, the administration is eager to go to war against the judiciary. Where do those battles go from here? Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns joins managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to map it out. That, plus Elon Musk’s DOGE days are over.

Even as President Donald Trump himself has a (relatively) quiet couple days, the gears of his administration continue to turn, and the pairing of his political and personal interests continues, brazenly and in the public. Today, Vice President JD Vance will deliver the keynote address at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas. A few hours later, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. will speak at the same event, which comes just one day after Trump’s media company announced it intends to raise billions to stockpile Bitcoin for its corporate coffers. Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns joins managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to talk through that, the president’s latest social media output, some notable 2026 maneuvering and an exciting announcement from Dasha.

The biggest story in Washington today isn’t really in Washington; it’s about how Washington is affecting pretty much every place else. With Congress out on Memorial Day recess, the focus in D.C. today is all international — from Iran nuclear talks to trade negotiations with the European Union to the war in Ukraine to Gaza to King Charles’ visit to Canada. And there is a fairly consistent through line connecting it all, chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns tells managing editor and author Jack Blanchard: Trump’s strategy of first destabilizing an institution or status quo and then seeking to reshape it. Where will it prove successful, and where will it come up short? We may get a few signs this week. That, and the rest of the news you need to know as the week revs back.