POLITICO Playbook: Trump just poured rocket fuel on the impeachment fire Presented by Amazon

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for a trip to North Carolina on Monday, Sept. 9. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

DRIVING THE DAY

IMPEACHMENT IS BECOMING more and more likely. Some will tell you it’s approaching a certainty. Think of it this way: President DONALD TRUMP has just admitted that he -- the president of the United States -- discussed getting dirt on JOE BIDEN, a domestic political adversary, with a foreign leader. And now the president is withholding the whistleblower complaint from Congress.

HERE IS WHAT TO WATCH FOR this week: Will more and more fence-sitting Democrats explicitly call for an impeachment inquiry? House Intelligence Chairman ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.), a top ally of House leadership, laid down an important marker Sunday: The courts are too slow and cumbersome for Democrats, and they need another remedy, and that remedy might be impeachment.

UNLIKE THE BYZANTINE RUSSIAGATE ALLEGATIONS, the latest charge -- that the president repeatedly tried to get a foreign leader seeking military aid to investigate a political opponent -- is not hard to understand. It’s about the actions of Trump himself, not his aides or former campaign nobodies. At this point, the facts are pretty much in the open and agreed to: The president has practically admitted he discussed Biden with Ukraine’s president, and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been open about pressing the Ukrainians to investigate Biden’s son Hunter. Now it’s up to Congress to figure out how to proceed.

SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI understands the caucus’ moods better than anyone, and her letter Sunday -- which said the president needs to hand over the whistleblower report now, or else -- was a rifle shot that should not be underestimated.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE for the Trump White House. If they don’t produce the whistleblower report within days -- maybe a week -- Democrats are going to be under extreme pressure to move toward impeachment. Thursday will be an important day to watch: That’s when Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, is testifying in an open hearing.

THE PRESIDENT SAID HE’S CONSIDERING releasing a transcript of the phone call in question. From what we heard in the last few days, that’s not going to be enough for Democrats. They want the whistleblower report, and if they don’t get it, that’s going to be problematic.

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THE DETAILS …

-- PELOSI’S WARNING … “Pelosi warns White House over whistleblower complaint,” by Sarah Ferris and Eleanor Mueller: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday delivered a blunt warning to the Trump administration over its refusal so far to share details of an explosive whistleblower complaint, amid intensifying pressure from the vocal pro-impeachment wing of the Democratic Caucus.

“Pelosi wrote in a rare weekend letter to lawmakers that President Donald Trump would enter ‘a grave new chapter of lawlessness’ if he succeeded in blocking Congress from learning about his reported conversations pressing Ukranian officials to investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic frontrunner in the 2020 presidential contest.

“That kind of stonewalling, she said, would lead Democrats ‘into a whole new stage of investigation’ — marking her most forceful response yet to reports that Trump sought help from a foreign government to find dirt on a political rival. Still, Pelosi did not address the single biggest question on the mind of her caucus: impeachment.” POLITICO

-- NYT: “As Trump Confirms He Discussed Biden With Ukraine, Pressure to Impeach Builds,” by Nick Fandos, Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman: “President Trump acknowledged on Sunday that he raised corruption accusations against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. during a phone call with Ukraine’s leader, a stunning admission as pressure mounted on Democrats to impeach Mr. Trump over allegations he leaned on a foreign government to help damage a political rival.

“In public and in private, many Democrats said the evidence that has emerged in recent days indicating that Mr. Trump pushed the Ukrainian government to investigate Mr. Biden, and his administration’s stonewalling of attempts by Congress to learn more, were changing their calculations about whether to charge him with articles of impeachment.” NYT

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: “Inside the Trump legal team trying to stop impeachment before it starts”

Good Monday morning. THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS lost Sunday to the cellar-dwelling Miami Marlins. They landed at Dulles on Sunday night at 8:40 p.m., and play the Philadelphia Phillies tonight. They have five games against the Phillies this week -- a doubleheader Tuesday night -- and then three against the Cleveland Indians. The Nats are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for a wild-card berth.

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ABOUT LAST NIGHT -- “Trump plays unusual role of warm-up act at massive Modi rally in Houston,” by WaPo’s Phil Rucker in Houston: “The foreign strategy of soothing tensions with the United States by stroking President Trump’s ego was put into vivid effect here Sunday when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lathered praise on his American counterpart at a massive rally celebrating the Indian diaspora.

“The leaders of the world’s two largest democracies took the stage together in Houston before a roaring crowd of tens of thousands of Indian Americans, where Modi delivered an unmistakable endorsement of Trump’s presidency and cast their joint appearance in historic terms.

“‘His name is familiar to every person on the planet,’ Modi said as he introduced Trump. ‘He was a household name and very popular even before he went on to occupy the highest office in this great country. From CEO to commander in chief. From boardrooms to the Oval Office. From studios to global stage.’” WaPo

-- ANITA KUMAR: “At a rally like no other, Trump woos Indian American voters ahead of 2020”

UP NEXT: TURTLE BAY … “At U.N., Trump to face questions about Iran, Ukraine, allies,” by AP’s Jonathan Lemire: “Faced with growing tumult at home and abroad, President Donald Trump heads into his three-day visit to the United Nations this week hoping to lean on strained alliances while fending off questions about whether he sought foreign help to damage a political rival. Trump’s latest U.N. trip comes after nearly three years of an ‘America First’ foreign policy that has unsettled allies and shredded multinational pacts.

“A centerpiece of this year’s U.N. schedule will be a Monday session on climate change that Trump plans to skip. Instead, he will address a meeting about the persecution of religious minorities, particularly Christians, an issue that resonates with Trump’s evangelical supporters.” AP

-- POLITICO’s Ryan Heath is writing a special pop-up UNGA newsletter all week. Subscribe to U.N. Playbook here

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2020 WATCH …

-- ALEX ISENSTADT in Mackinac Island, Mich.: “Trump campaign pessimistic about winning Michigan again”: “Donald Trump has long heralded Michigan as the crown jewel of his 2016 victory. But the president's campaign team is increasingly grim about a repeat performance in the traditionally blue Rust Belt state. After a midterm election that decimated the ranks of Michigan Republicans, Trump's campaign is looking to other battlegrounds he lost last time — such as Minnesota and New Hampshire — that they see as more promising.

“The assessment illustrates how Trump’s support in the Rust Belt states that propelled him to the presidency has softened, jeopardizing his prospects for a second term. While they say it’s too early to write off Michigan — Trump aides say the campaign still intends to pump resources into the state — a range of public polling has shown Trump in poor shape here.” POLITICO

-- NYT’S REID EPSTEIN in Webster City, Iowa: “2020 Democrats Go All In on Iowa”: “Iowa’s presidential caucuses disenfranchise huge blocs of voters. The state is 91 percent white. It is not easy to get to, or get around in. But to a greater degree than in recent campaigns, this unrepresentative and idiosyncratic state is proving that it is the only electoral battleground that matters for Democrats from now until caucus night on Feb. 3.

“Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s campaign said it would have 110 staff members in the state by the end of this month. Senator Kamala Harris has promised to visit every week in October. Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Sunday kicked off a John McCain-like, everything-on-the-record bus tour and is advertising on local television and radio. Senator Amy Klobuchar is 49 counties into her tour of all 99 in the state. And on Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders will begin a ‘Bernie Beats Trump’ tour of eastern Iowa to highlight what he says is his strength as a general election candidate.” NYT

-- WSJ: “In Atlanta Suburb, Republicans See an Uphill Battle,” by Cameron McWhirter in Duluth, Ga.: “Gwinnett County in Atlanta’s suburbs has been a Republican stronghold since Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election, but an influx of minorities has transformed it, creating a possible Democratic juggernaut for 2020.

“‘If the Republicans don’t broaden their base, they are in serious trouble,’ said Fran Millar, a former Republican state senator who lost his re-election bid last year. No matter how much he campaigned, ‘It didn’t matter. I had the “R” next to my name,’ said Mr. Millar, whose district was partly in Gwinnett.

“Hot-button issues, including President Trump’s calls to limit immigration and a GOP-backed state abortion law, are driving people of color and women in suburban Atlanta to the Democrats, Mr. Millar said.” WSJ

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TRUMP’S MONDAY -- The president will leave Trump Tower at 11:20 a.m. en route to the United Nations headquarters. He will lead an event on religious freedom at 11:30 a.m. Afterward, Trump will travel to the InterContinental New York Barclay, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Pakistani President Arif Alvi. Then, he will hold a bilateral meeting at 2:25 p.m. with Polish President Andrzej Duda, followed by a pull-aside meeting with New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern at 3 p.m.

Trump will also hold bilateral meetings with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. He will depart the InterContinental at 6:05 p.m. and return to Trump Tower.

PLAYBOOK READS

PHOTO DU JOUR: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) pauses at the casket of his wife, Emily, on Sunday, Sept. 22, in West Columbia, S.C. | Meg Kinnard/AP Photo

UNGA LATEST -- “Macron cautious on Trump-Rouhani meeting at U.N. summit,” by POLITICO Europe’s Rym Momtaz with the French president en route to New York: “French President Emmanuel Macron said recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities have complicated his efforts to broker a U.S.-Iran meeting at the U.N. this week but he made clear he will press on with his initiative to bring the two sides together. ...

“Macron is expected to hold separate meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York. That has led to speculation that the U.S. and Iranian leaders could also meet each other at the gathering. But Macron lowered expectations that a meeting would happen at the U.N. summit.” POLITICO Europe

-- WHAT IRAN IS UP TO … REUTERS: “[Iran’s President] Rouhani said he would introduce a regional peace plan dubbed HOPE (Hormuz Peace Endeavour) at the United Nations General Assembly this week.

“‘All countries of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and the United Nations are invited to join,’ Rouhani said before leaving for New York to attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.” Reuters

-- WSJ: “For Trump, Long Odds on Securing New U.N. Action Against Iran,” by Michael Gordon, Vivian Salama and Courtney McBride: “Western diplomats … said they have been given no indication yet that the U.S. intends to push for action by the U.N. Security Council, which has the authority to impose sanctions and authorize military action. At the U.N., the process developing resolutions capable of winning support on the 15-member council can take weeks.” WSJ

-- “Boris Johnson: Don't expect ‘New York breakthrough’ on Brexit,” by POLITICO Europe's Emilio Casalicchio

UKRAINEGATE -- The New Yorker’s Joshua Yaffa and Adam Entous interviewed Andriy Yermak, a lawyer close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who has met with Giuliani. Yermak’s intriguing quote: “On such a political level, no one talks about these things in plain text.” New Yorker

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TRADE WARS -- “At 10,000 and Counting, This Company Is Flooding the U.S. With Tariff Appeals,” by WSJ’s Josh Zumbrun, Anthony DeBarros and Chad Day: “U.S. companies have filed more than 16,000 requests for exemptions from the $200 billion tranche of tariffs on Chinese goods that the Trump administration imposed one year ago. Of those appeals, over 10,000 have come from just one company: Arrowhead Engineered Products Inc. of Blaine, Minn.

“Arrowhead imports thousands of aftermarket repair parts for cars, lawn mowers, all-terrain vehicles and other items from China, which are now all being taxed with a 25% tariff that is set to jump to 30% on Oct. 15.

“The duties have undermined Arrowhead’s business model of selling cheaper alternatives to manufacturers’ parts, company officials said. Appealing the levies has proved a challenge in itself, illustrating the trade war’s sometimes hidden toll on U.S. companies. ‘We basically put everything else on the back burner’ to appeal the tariffs, said John Mosunic, Arrowhead’s chief operating officer.” WSJ

PLAYBOOK CRIME SECTION -- “Trump Tower Theft: $353,000 in Jewelry Reported Stolen,” by NYT’s Ashley Southall

MEDIAWATCH … COREY LEWANDOWSKI sort of apologized for saying he had no obligation to be truthful with the media, in an interview with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz: “I regret the fact that I should have explained it better and specifically as it related to my tenure in front of the special counsel … but I did that out of respect for the special counsel and the investigative process and at the advice of counsel, so we didn’t spend countless hours answering these questions in the public while the investigation continued.” Mediaite

-- WAPO’S MARGARET SULLIVAN: “Wyoming is ground zero for media mistrust. These journalists went there hoping to make it better.”: “Enter the Casper Project, a journey by the Society of Professional Journalists organization into the heart of media mistrust. For about six months, media people and 36 Casper-area citizen volunteers met on several occasions to try for some mutual understanding.

“The bottom-line result wasn’t great: According to a final questionnaire, participants didn’t change their attitudes toward the news media significantly or become any more trusting, said Hicks, who headed the project as SPJ’s ‘journalist on call,’ and who has made six trips to Casper since January.” WaPo

-- David Bahr is now managing editor of The American Mind, a new publication from the Claremont Institute. He previously was communications director at R Street Institute and is a Weekly Standard alum.

PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at [email protected].

IN MEMORIAM -- “Former WTOP political analyst Mark Plotkin dies at 72,” by Saeko Robinson and Jennifer Ortiz: “Plotkin was a staple on WTOP for 10 years. He hosted ‘The Politics Program with Mark Plotkin’ on Fridays, through which he delivered his colorful commentaries on air. Plotkin was passionate about D.C. statehood and voting rights, tennis and George Washington basketball.” WTOP

-- PLOTKIN was a passionate GW basketball fan, and will be missed in the Smith Center this season.

SPOTTED: Bob Woodward in first class on a Korean Air flight from Dulles to Seoul.

TRANSITIONS -- Alexandria Phillips will be deputy chief of staff for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). She most recently was traveling press secretary on Gillibrand’s presidential campaign and is a Hillary for America alum. … Marcella Burke is joining King and Spalding as a partner. She was previously senior counselor to the assistant Interior secretary of land and mineral management and a deputy solicitor, and is an EPA alum.

WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- Emily Kaplan, VP for consumer media at Edelman, and Bill Harton, a project manager at ARA Construction, got married Saturday at the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y. Pic, via Julia Rebecca Photography

-- Rebecca Coffman, who is leading a new digital and tech agency and an alum of Freedom Partners, Advoc8 and In Pursuit Of, and Mike Lurie, senior adviser at Stand Together, got married Saturday at a ceremony and reception at Arcola Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Siraj Hashmi, commentary video editor and writer at the Washington Examiner. How he thinks the Trump presidency is going: “The Trump presidency is going based on what you think of Donald Trump. If you love him, he’s the best president ever. If you hate him, he’s tantamount to an authoritarian dictator. As someone who’s trying to analyze every move he makes and the implications that follow, he’s on par with Ronald Reagan. I would also wager that if he didn’t have a Twitter account, his approval rating would be higher than 50 percent.” Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHWEEK (was Saturday): Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd turned 62

BIRTHDAYS: Todd Ricketts is 5-0 … Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) is 54 … Kristen Silverberg … Elise Jordan (hat tips: Ben Chang) … Richard Viguerie is 86 ... Sean Spicer is 48 … Nick Everhart of Content Creative Media ... Ana Marie Cox … NYT’s Mike Schmidt … Amanda Cox ... Abbey Watson ... Ralph Hellmann is 58 ... Joshua Foer is 37 … POLITICO’s Bernie Becker and Meredith Kirsch … PwC’s Todd Metcalf ... Kelly Sackley ... Naomi Seligman (h/t Tim Burger) ... Saunji Fyffe ... Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation (h/t Jon Haber) … Darryl Nirenberg, partner at Steptoe (h/t Kathy King) … POLITICO Europe’s Santa Silapētere ... Brooke Brogan is 31 … CNN producer Greg Wallace … Karen Czarnecki, VP of outreach for the Mercatus Center at George Mason … David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, is 7-0 …

… Kyle Wiley, senior adviser at DOE (h/t Teresa Davis) … Julia Edwards Ainsley, DOJ and DHS correspondent for NBC … former Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) is 64 … Jonathan Peled, Israeli ambassador to Mexico … SoRelle Wyckoff … Mike Davis ... GE alum Izabela Teixeira ... Gabriella Schwarz ... Julius Niyonsaba … Edelman’s Victoria Zarella ... Lincoln Ferguson ... Maura O’Brien ... former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is 78 ... Maria Karl (h/t husband Jon) … John Tamny is 5-0 … Kyle Cotner … Dan Conley … Ryan Shucard, VP at 720 Strategies ... Ken Rynne ... Blair Fowler ... Dustee Tucker Jenkins … Matt McAlvanah ... Corey Tellez ... Loretta Solon Greene ... Matt Hirsch ... Neil Schoolnik is 48 ... Tom Daley ... Katrina Mendiola ... Dale Leibach … Stan Davis (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Bruce Springsteen is 7-0

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