Exclusive: Buttigieg responds to Gaza criticism

Politico

9 hours ago

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With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco
On today's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk about the shifting politics surrounding Israel and Gaza, the latest news about tomorrow's Trump-Putin summit and the limits of Laura Loomer's influence in the administration.
Good Thursday morning. I'm Adam Wren. Send me your tips: Get in touch.
In today's Playbook …
— Pete Buttigieg tells Playbook what he really thinks about Israel and Gaza.
— Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to launch his redistricting effort today in California. But exclusive new polling suggests it's not so popular with voters.
— Turns out there are limits to Laura Loomer's sway in the Trump administration — and Susie Wiles' influence is among them.
DRIVING THE DAY
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Setting the record straight: Pete Buttigieg has heard the criticisms. After his appearance last week on 'Pod Save America,' the former Transportation secretary drew a negative reaction from fellow Democrats over his response to a question about Gaza — an answer that critics thought was mealy mouthed in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe.
'I get it,' Buttigieg says now of the negative reactions to that interview. 'It's important to be clear about something this enormous and this painful. It's just that it's so enormous and it's so painful that sometimes words can fail.'
In an interview with Playbook, Buttigieg sought to set the record straight about what he believes about Israel and Gaza.
Would he have voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) proposed arms embargo against Israel? Yes. Would he recognize a Palestinian state? Yes, as part of a two-state solution. Should the U.S. pass another 10-year agreement with Israel for foreign military aid? No.
The father of 4-year-old twins, Buttigieg told Playbook that his children have affected the way he views the crisis in Gaza. 'For anybody, looking at images of children starving and suffering and dying is horrifying, but I do think it's different when you're a parent,' he said. 'I think as a parent, you see these awful images of starving children with their ribs showing and automatically, you imagine your own kids.'
THE CHANGING TIDE: In 2019, as Buttigieg was running for president, he sat for an interview at the conference of the left-leaning, pro-Israel organization J Street, and fielded questions from 'Pod Save the World' co-hosts and former Obama aides Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes in front of a friendly audience.
Back then, asked about conditioning U.S. aid to stop or slow future settlement construction, Buttigieg spoke of the U.S. and Israel 'friendship,' and compared it to a friend 'acting in a way that might hurt your relationship … might hurt them and might hurt you, and what you do in that situation is you put your arm around your friends and you try to guide them to a better place.' Vietor clapped on his thigh. Rhodes nodded approvingly.
Just last week, some six years later, Buttigieg tried to use the same 'friendship' metaphor on 'Pod Save America.' It was not so well received.
Host Jon Favreau asked Buttigieg if he would have voted to oppose sending weapons to Israel, how the next president should handle America's relationship with the Jewish state and whether the U.S. should recognize a Palestinian state. Buttigieg, typically one of his party's most skilled communicators, dodged the questions and spoke generally of images that 'shock the conscience.' Then came the old 'friendship' metaphor.
This time, Rhodes wasn't nodding. 'I have absolutely no idea what he thinks based on these answers,' Rhodes vented on X alongside a clip of the exchange. 'Just tell us what you believe.' Others responded similarly. Democrats need 'moral clarity, not status quo,' said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), himself rumored to be considering a 2028 presidential bid.
It was a glaring sign of how much the politics surrounding Israel and Gaza have changed — and how answers that just a few years ago won applause among mainline Democrats are now out of step with the party's zeitgeist.
The old metaphor vs. the new perspective: Speaking to the 'friendship' metaphor, one Democratic strategist who was granted anonymity to speak candidly and was in the room with Buttigieg back in 2019 told Playbook this: 'When your 'friend' kills 60,000 people and starves an entire population for months at a time, shouldn't the question be: Why the f--k am I friends with this guy?'
IT ISN'T JUST BUTTIGIEG: Democrats across the party are searching for solid ground on the Israel-Gaza topic. Across the party's still-inchoate 2028 presidential field, ambitious Dems are reevaluating their positions and staking out territory, your author writes with Elena Schneider and Holly Otterbein this morning.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said his own position is 'evolving.' … Governors like Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, both staunch defenders of Israel, are keeping their powder dry and declining to engage on nuts-and-bolts policy questions. … Through a spokesperson, former VP Kamala Harris did not comment. … Khanna said in an interview with Playbook that Gaza/Israel is 'going to be a defining issue in the Democratic Party in the midterms and for 2028.'
'Israel is not acting like an ally now, defying our presidents, violating our values, and compromising our interests in the Middle East,' said Khanna, who is calling for the U.S. to recognize a Palestinian state and arguing America should stop sending weapons that kill civilians to Israel.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020, also joined Sanders' resolutions, a notable shift for the moderate senator. 'I've supported military assistance to Israel in the past,' she said in a statement. 'But I believe at this moment in time it's crucial that the Israeli government must do more to alleviate the urgent humanitarian crisis.'
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) did not vote on the resolution, though his office said the Arizona senator would have also opposed it if he were present at the time of the vote.
Democratic governors, some of whom are running for reelection next year, are somewhat more insulated from issue-defining votes, but they're still getting asked about it by voters.
THE BIG PICTURE: The response to Buttigieg was telling. Democrats have broadly recalibrated their views about Israel — and that's fast becoming a litmus test ahead of the 2028 Democratic primary. The DNC is weighing two different resolutions on the matter, with progressives pushing for elected Democrats to endorse an arms embargo on Israel and recognize a Palestinian state.
'Democrats — like all Americans, but certainly Democrats — are sickened by what's happening and trying to hold several things in mind at the same time, all of which can be true: that what has to happen next is the killing has to end,' Buttigieg told Playbook. 'The hostages have to come home. And the people of Gaza need aid unimpeded, and all of that should be happening immediately.'
PREPPING FOR PUTIN
COUNTDOWN: Trump is set to meet tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. And even as the White House has carefully worked to adjust expectations for the summit — emphasizing that this is likely to be the start of a long process or conversation rather than the culmination of one — European leaders have their own set of expectations.
Yesterday, Trump and top European officials spoke about the summit, and the Europeans were left with a clear impression that he 'does not intend to discuss any possible divisions of territory' in his meeting with Putin — despite previously suggesting there would be 'some land swapping' between both countries, per NBC's Katherine Doyle and colleagues. Trump reportedly told the leaders that the goal of the meeting was 'securing a ceasefire.'
The president also reportedly said 'the U.S. was willing to play some sort of role in providing Kyiv with the means to deter future Russian aggression,' though 'Trump said he would only make such a commitment if the effort is not part of NATO,' POLITICO's Felicia Schwartz and colleagues report.
Possibly on the agenda: During a news conference yesterday, Trump said he may bring up Russia's recent hack of U.S. federal court databases during his meeting with Putin, POLITICO's Maggie Miller reports. 'I guess I could, are you surprised?' Trump responded when asked if the topic would come up. 'They hack in, that's what they do. They're good at it, we're good at it, we're actually better at it.'
REDISTRICTING ROUNDUP
KEEP QUIET AND CARRY ON: As Trump presses forward in his campaign to get red states to gerrymander their maps ahead of the 2026 election, a number of Republicans — both on the Hill and in state capitals around the country — are uneasy with those efforts. And for them, senior party leaders have a message: Keep quiet, at least in public, POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky and Meredith Lee Hill report this morning.
'In Congress, House GOP leaders are trying to bridge the divide between the White House's 'maximum pressure' campaign to pad their majority, and the swath of GOP members who fear the gambit may backfire,' Lisa and Meredith write. Even so, 'senior GOP members of the impacted state delegations are quietly raising concerns about the fallout, though they ultimately fear crossing the president.' Other Republicans — namely those in blue states — are also voicing concern as Democratic governors threaten to carve their seats out in retaliatory drawings of their own.
For Republicans, there's a political reality with which to contend. Support for mid-cycle gerrymandering has become something of a loyalty test for the GOP: you're either with Trump, or you're against him. More on Hill Republicans' views in Inside Congress
GO WEST: At a news conference at 2:30 p.m. ET, Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to kick off Democrats' reciprocal effort to gerrymander California in response to Texas Republicans' remapping. The proposed new maps in California are expected to be unveiled by the end of this week before the state legislature can take action next week and place the issue before voters in November.
First in Playbook — California Dreamin':. But Californians' deep support for the state's current independent redistricting commission could stand in Newsom's way, POLITICO's Melanie Mason reports this morning. A new POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey shows Golden State voters prefer keeping an independent line-drawing panel to determine the state's House seats 'by nearly a two-to-one margin,' while only '36 percent of respondents back returning congressional redistricting authority to state lawmakers.'
Knowing this reality, California Dems have 'promised not to do away with the state's independent redistricting commission entirely,' and are instead planning to ask voters 'to approve a constitutional amendment that would put new maps approved by the Legislature in effect for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 election cycles.'
The commission is popular across parties: 'Independent voters were the most enthusiastic backers of the panel, with 72 percent in favor of the commission keeping its line-drawing authority,' Melanie writes. 'Support among Republicans and Democrats was roughly equal — 66 percent and 61 percent, respectively — marking a rare spot of bipartisan agreement in this hyper-polarized political moment.' Full results
DEEP IN THE HEART: An Illinois judge has ruled against Texas AG Ken Paxton's petition to have quorum-breaking Texas Democratic state legislators arrested, citing the state's circuit court 'does not have the inherent power' to execute Texas arrest warrants, per the Dallas Morning News' Aarón Torres.
BEST OF THE REST
POLITICO SCOOP — The limits of Loomer: Last month, far-right activist Laura Loomer successfully pressured the administration into ousting Vinay Prasad, a top vaccine regulator, over allegations that he was insufficiently politically loyal to Trump. Last week, in a stunning turnabout, Prasad was brought back into the fold. The driving force behind his reinstatement? White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, POLITICO's David Lim, Dasha Burns and Tim Röhn report this morning.
Wiles' intervention came after pleas from both FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Prasad's boss, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who insisted that Prasad was integral to their MAHA efforts — and MAHA remains, in turn, integral to Trump's support ahead of the midterms.
The Loomer angle: The reversal marks both a 'fragile win for Kennedy,' and demonstrates 'the limits of Loomer's influence,' our team writes. Says one senior administration official of Loomer: 'I think she wants to split the MAHA and MAGA coalition.'
SCENES FROM THE TAKEOVER: Last night, the federal police presence in the nation's capital ramped up considerably. On Truth Social, the president framed his efforts as part of a crusade to 'liberate this City, scrape away the filth, and make it safe, clean, habitable and beautiful once more!'
On the ground: 'After law enforcement set up a vehicle checkpoint along the busy 14th Street Northwest corridor, hecklers shouted, 'Go home, fascists' and 'Get off our streets,'' AP's Lindsay Whitehurst and Ashraf Khalil report. 'Some protesters stood at the intersection before the checkpoint and urged drivers to turn away from it.' Video and photos from the checkpoint from HuffPost's Jennifer Bendery and NOTUS' Anna Kramer
Throughout the day, Homeland Security agents 'patrolled the popular U Street corridor. Drug Enforcement Administration officers were seen on the National Mall, while National Guard members were parked nearby. DEA agents also joined Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in the Navy Yard neighborhood,' per the AP.
Meanwhile, D.C.'s homeless population 'has already seen federal agents entering camp sites and asking residents if they have drugs or weapons,' per WaPo's Kyle Swenson and colleagues. The White House has claimed unhoused residents will be given the option to leave their encampment, taken to a shelter or offered 'addiction and mental health services,' though many have expressed confusion over the plan. 'Shelters get full every night,' Frederick Walker, 44, told the Post. 'They fill up by 7 or 8, and if you're not in, you're on the street. Does that mean you're fair game to get arrested?'
Related reads: 'Man who hurled sandwich at law enforcement in D.C. charged with felony,' by WaPo's Joe Heim and Sophia Solano
LABOR PAINS: E.J. Antoni, Trump's nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was among the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, NBC News' Riley Rogerson scooped. A video unearthed on Parler 'shows Antoni walking away from the crowd on the west side of the Capitol grounds. Tear gas was in the air, and conservative radio host Alex Jones can be heard speaking over a megaphone.'
Though Antoni declined to comment on the photos, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers stated the nominee was 'a bystander to the events of January 6th, observing and then leaving the Capitol area … EJ was in town for meetings, and it is wrong and defamatory to suggest EJ engaged in anything inappropriate or illegal.'
2026 WATCH: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is 'quietly pressing former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) to plunge into the Alaska Senate race,' Axios' Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols report.
LOCK, STOCK: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is 'calling for a ban on single-stock trading by members of Congress, a push that could supercharge legislative efforts to ban the practice that have gained momentum in recent months,' POLITICO's Gregory Svirnovskiy and Meredith Lee Hill report.
TALK OF THE TOWN
JD Vance's U.K. vacation isn't going over well with residents of the Cotswolds, per WSJ's Roya Shahidi. One resident said Vance's presence has led to a 'curtailment of our freedoms here' and claimed that Secret Service agents were 'knocking on people's doors and asking about their Facebook profiles.'
TRANSITION — Meghan Green is now general counsel for the Senate Budget Committee. She most recently was general counsel for the House Intelligence Committee.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) … Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) … Boris Epshteyn … NYT's Adam Goldman … Rob Flaherty … Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner and AEI … Alia Awadallah … POLITICO's Peter Canellos … Erik Sperling … Dan Sena of Sena Kozar Strategies … David Ellis … WaPo's Lori Montgomery … Paige Decker … White House's Paige Willey … Josh Freed … BGR Group's Bill Viney … Jere Sullivan … Matt Lauer of Qorvis … Eric Wohlschlegel … Sean Miles of the Mayfair Group … Lynne Cheney … former Reps. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) and Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) (8-0) … Jessica Pavel … Denise Feriozzi of the Pipeline Fund … WSJ's Tim Hanrahan …Treasury's Elliott Hulse … Molly Chapman Norton of Catalist
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