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Today, the Playbook podcast sharply criticized two of Chris Lasivita and James Blair. Will this duo become a scapegoat if a "blue wave" occurs in November? This is the main topic of the day. And in the "Talk of the Town " column: Marco Rubio sounds like a man running for president, despite claims of no such plans. Mike Rogers criticizes Trump in his latest video. And the political scandal surrounding strange preferences may not turn out to be And Will Stan. Today is Thursday, October 8. Well, Will. This week, much is being discussed about a New York Times article alleging that Trump advisers Chris Lasivita and James Blair were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to consult for a pro-Russian government in the Balkans. Trump, who was unaware of these trips
and work in advance, called several advisers to get their reactions. Then, two sources told us, yesterday he dictated a response to Natalie Garp, with whom you are all already well acquainted, for publication in Truth Social. Later in the Oval Office, he said the following about them. If I thought they had a conflict of interest, I would fire them, but they are just consultants. They don't work in the White House, you know. They don't sit at the cabinet table or anything like that. They are consultants and I'm sure they have other clients. I'm sure they have a lot of customers, but that goes for everyone in Washington. There's
a lot of pressure right now from Republican operatives who are frustrated with the situation leading up to the midterm elections and, you know, irritated by the level of access and power that Blair and Lasivita have had in Trump's circle over the last few years. I mean, I was there during the election campaign, and these two were there all the time. They are largely credited with the margin by which the president won in 2024, thanks to the turnout that they were able to secure, and, you know, they were really the architects of that strategy. Once he got to the White House, Blair was, of course, deputy chief of staff and Susie's right-hand man, always and often in the Oval Office with the president.
Lasivita was away all this time performing president's political wing during the administration. Then James Blair leaves the administration earlier this year to head MAGA, Inc. and work from the outside on the midterm elections. So, it's important that the president says that these people don't work for him, because they were very close to him, in his orbit. Yes. And to confirm your words, after his election in '24, when he himself-the president- largely attributed that victory to Chris and James. So it's kind of a stunning distancing that the president has demonstrated in this story. And if you look back at what the president wrote a few months ago, when he announced that James Blair was leaving the administration, he spoke
very favorably of James Blair. This is not at all like someone who is now saying, essentially, " I don't know," it sounds, as someone even told me, like one of those classic Trump posts where he's like, "I've never met this person." Although, of course, he met this person. But in your opinion, I think what we're really seeing-whether it's jealousy or people waiting for the doors to open-I think this public distancing on the part of the president has really opened the floodgates. And one person close to the White House told me that this opened the floodgates for people who wanted to pounce and were waiting to strike at both Chris and the team behind the midterm elections; because there's a lot of frustration about where things are going, and I know the
president has also, just from talking to people, expressed that frustration privately about how the midterm elections are going, where things are going, and what the money is being spent on. I remember the '20 election campaign when Brad Parscale was running the campaign and things were going in a direction he did n't like. And who, you know, are these people, usually when things go badly, they often become the ones to blame. So I wonder if that's what's happening now: a kind of groundwork for whoever will be responsible for the failure if things go wrong in November Yes, and there are many operatives ready to act right now, and I received several such messages yesterday.
One person working on Republican races across the country told me, quote: "As the president's image continues to decline, the brilliant redistricting plan is falling apart, and MAGA, Inc. still sitting on a mountain of money, these two arrogant fools are fleeing to the Balkans to make a quick buck from a Putin-controlled political party a month before the election." Great job, guys. I mean, it really gives people a chance to vent some of the frustrations that they've perhaps not-so- secretly been holding back over the past few months. And that's kind of an old story in the MAGA world, right? I mean, look back, I just remembered 2020.
Look at 2016, when Corey Lewandowski and others were around the president, and others were waiting behind the scenes to try to strike. I think what's exciting this time, as you said, is that this core group, like James Blair, Chris Lasita, Susie Wiles, have been with the president for a while. And that's largely because they were the first to be around the president when he was in a kind of exile after January 6, and they were very loyal. They worked around the clock, you know, as you said, during the 2024 campaign, and they earned a lot of trust from the president. But it also creates a lot of, you know, enemies in Trump's world, and it's clear that these people have been waiting for the moment to strike, and that's exactly what's
happening now. I'm just surprised that the president doesn't publish a message in Truth naming them and mentioning the dismissal, this doesn't usually happen. And I spoke to people close to President Trump, and they told me that this doesn't happen unless he's extremely angry. And this is a warning shot, right? This is a warning shot. And, obviously, this will be worth watching throughout November and beyond. Will, I know we've both heard from sources close to the White House that yes, the president is not happy. He's very angry with both of them right now, especially given the background and context of all of this, where we've spent a lot of time talking about the
difficulties for Republicans in the midterm elections, and how much time he himself is currently spending on the campaign trail trying to support these candidates. We have to remember, you know, about the pushback from people who worked with James Blair, Chris Losa, they obviously have a lot of defenders, but I think it's a matter of time, right? It seems like the article is coming out less than a month before the midterm elections, and they are out of the country. It's as if it was served on a silver platter to anger the president. And I spoke to one person who said that they actually broke the cardinal rule in Trump's world: not only don't try to cash in on my name, but you're also putting me in a bad light, right?
These stories coming out about them overseas at the finish line-these are not the headlines he wants to read, and now he feels he has to come forward and defend himself. Yes. And again, you can see how this could line up, especially with people outside the White House running this race, to point the finger at the two of them and the MAGA, Inc. operation if things go wrong for Republicans in November. Okay, time for Talk of the Town, where we'll discuss other stories that are stirring up Washington this morning. Megan Messerly, a senior White House reporter and Playbook contributor, will help us with this.
Hi, Megan. Hello, Dasha. How are you? I'm fine. And you know who else is better? To people traveling with Marco Rubio. Let's move on to the beautiful historic streets of Athens, where the Secretary of State gave a speech yesterday that, you know, didn't sound like the speech of someone who doesn't plan to run for president. And now we find ourselves at a crossroads, because the next decade and the decisions we make will write the history of the next century. The course we choose will determine whether the West remains a leader in the world or condemns itself to a future of atrophy, slavery, and decline. We will either choose to act now or lose the opportunity to act at all.
It was a really impressive speech, and I kept hearing from a bunch of people yesterday reacting to it. It was a speech designed to tell the story of Western civilization and the foundations of democracy, and of course he was delivering it in Greece, so a significant portion of it was aimed at the US's European allies. But it also created a really compelling argument for a certain balance between nationalism and globalism. And I think that's what struck a lot of people the most-here we see Marco Rubio. First of all, the beautiful background. The dramatic Acropolis behind him, literally at sunset, the "golden hour " as he speaks.
Camera work - well, you know, the president loves a show. I thought, if Rubio were auditioning for president, this would be great material to show the president, incredible footage, these panoramas of the crowd at sunset. It really felt like something special, worthy of the great Greek playwrights, you know? I wanted people in togas to come out, just come out on stage. That's right. In the style of Hercules. So, there is one fragment that I particularly remember. Let's listen. And so we must rebuild our institutions and our alliances to confront these threats together. Understanding that the purpose of these things is not to abolish the sovereignty of the nations that compose them. And to protect them, and that
nations do not need to give up their separate identities to recognize their common interests. So what was extremely interesting to me was that it seemed like his attempt to combine the current MAGA moment, the "America First" nationalism, with the old guard of the Republican Party, well, the globalists, the " American cops," right? He says in that passage, you know, that we each have our own national identity, but that doesn't mean we have to give up those identities for the sake of common interests, right? So it's a kind of marriage of these two philosophies, and I think you saw that in the way people responded to it. I mean, you've seen people, like die-hard MAGA supporters and establishment figures, Alex Brussowitz, you know, the
president's external advisor. He wrote in X: "What a background, what a speech." I corresponded with a bunch of people. One person close to the White House. I asked, "Do you see this as a soft start for Rubio's campaign?" And he said, "No, I think if it were a real soft launch, it would be happening in the US, not overseas." And I replied: " Fairly." Well, but he compared it to, I quote, the pre-launch sequence, like when they were at the castle, and I thought, " Okay, that sounds pretty apt." That's so interesting, Will, because, you know, I'm hearing more and more as we get closer to the midterm elections that people are starting to come to terms with the idea that Rubio is actually unlikely to run this time. He told people that if Vance ran,
he wouldn't. But that doesn't necessarily mean he should avoid opportunities that make him look like the president. I mean, he's also pretty young, especially compared to this incumbent president and the previous one. So he has time, and why not use this platform for a kind of soft launch, even if not necessarily for 2028. Yes. And you know, regarding your words, Megan, I've been getting messages from people saying that this is the person who should be running in 2028. But I think, in many ways, as you said, Dasha, many people have come to understand that now is not his time. You know, it's obvious that the machine, at least, seems to support DJ Vance. I was talking to one Republican operative from the MAGA world, and it was kind of in the air
. I think, you know, maybe it's better for Rubio to wait. I mean, the next person who runs, first of all, you're running while President Trump is in office, and I can only imagine how that's going to go. And you are following this administration. It's always harder, especially given the current situation, a potentially very bad midterm election. It will be a tough fight. Perhaps it would be better for Rubio to make a soft start towards not running this little tease and they'll be begging you in 2032. Yes. And these calls happen. So, yes, the donors really want him to run, and he's an incredibly smart politician, he's run before, so I think playing the long game is the right move, if the game is even going on. And it was extremely interesting, in fact,
the vice president himself spoke about this speech, so he wrote on social media.Marco's wonderful speech in one of the cradles of Western civilization, today our friends in Europe face a stark choice: decline or renewal, I hope they choose wisely. Yin and yang. Yes, Marco. Perhaps this is the key to success. Here is the perfect pair of candidates. JD and Marco. Marco and JD. That's what the And that's a dream for many Republicans I've spoken to. Um, okay, friends. Yesterday on the podcast we talked about Michigan Senate race. Now we have a new ad from Rogers. Look, he touches on Abdul El- Sayed a little, but the main blow is actually directed against the president.
Drinking Labatt's while watching a Red Wings game-well, it doesn't get more " Michigan" than that. And here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war immediately. So, Rogers is doing two things here. He's building on the issue of accessibility while distancing himself from President Trump, who's not doing very well in the polls in Michigan, and these ads are very telling. How do you feel about this, Will? I'm curious about the transition from being completely negative about Abdul El-Sayed to the fact that at the finish line he's trying to build an argument: as you said, he's criticizing Abdul, but he's also trying to distance himself more and more from the
president. And I mean, this is something we see everywhere. And we have yet to see a president visit Michigan. He's focused on, you know, the redder states, strengthening his base there. I mean, we could see him going there, but I think it's pretty telling: we saw Susan Collins actually say from the debate stage this week that he's not coming. The president will not come to Maine. Hmm, it would be interesting to hear his reaction to that. Okay, Megan, our fare queen. Yes, I agree. I accept this. Take it, girl.
It's very interesting to see Mike Rogers taking on not only the Iran war, as we saw a few weeks ago, but now the tariffs. Yes. I mean, the most interesting thing here is that what he says in this ad is markedly different from what he said right after this trade war with Canada started in late August. So, if people remember, he went on Fox News and said, quote, "Is this right for Michigan?" "Partially yes." And then he added, "The Canadians were not good partners." So, he was much more supportive of Trump right after these tariffs were implemented. If you recall, the US imposed 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods after trade
talks between the countries broke down. Canada then responded with its own 50 percent tariffs. The US then banned imports of some Canadian goods worth almost a billion dollars. The situation with the US's northern neighbor had become truly tense, but there To the great regret of many people I've spoken to, they say, "Yes, it would be very helpful if there were some kind of agreement, some kind of negotiation." If we could find a way out of this before the midterms, it would help a lot in Michigan, in Maine, and even in some of these very tight races in Iowa. So it's really interesting to see now, as we get closer to Election Day, how Rogers is creating a little more distance between himself and the president and essentially changing his stance from
what it was just a few weeks ago. I also like that it does n't.you know, the way it's presented in the advertising, like where did these fees come from, like they came out of nowhere. Yeah, just you know, I wonder where they're from, because this is the person who supported you for the Senate. Oh my god, you know, I'm going to miss analyzing ads when these midterm elections are over. But then we'll get 28 ads and. Oh, it'll start right away. Um, okay, one last one for you guys, oh my god, okay. So, there's a headline from the New York Times that caught our attention. Quote: "BDSM photos were not part of the campaign plan." So, essentially, photos of Chris Gallant, a
Democrat running for Congress in New York's 1st District, have been leaked. And in these photos he is wearing some kind of BDSM clothing. But Galant didn't really avoid it. He now poses in a T-shirt that says, "Let's make politics sexy again." Hmm, I don't know. Um, does it even matter? Does this help? Does this hurt? Does anyone care about fetishes in 2026? Um, speak up, everyone. My argument would be: no. I think we've outgrown that a long time ago. Just think about all these shenanigans. I mean, it came up over and over again.
Just think about all these scandals with different politicians, I do n't think it affects anyone and I haven't confirmed this, but all the reports say that these are also explicit sexual photos. Um, pretty blunt, but still, I don't think voters care , do they? Voters are disappointed. They want someone who will make life better and the economy more stable. Well, I mean, even if they're doing it in BDSM gear, it seems like we've come so far from the days of the "moral majority" in the Republican Party and all this theatrical shouting, you know? I can't even imagine MAGA people considering this a disqualifying factor.
What do you have in your closet, Will? Sorry. But, you know, agreeing with you, in New York, I think it's fascinating that he doesn't try to make excuses. Um, you know, this seems like the smartest move right now. And so, if there's anywhere to get out of this situation dry, I imagine it's definitely possible in New York. Authenticity, my friends, whether in leather or in costumes. Um, Carhartt, leather, whips, baseball bats, That's all for today. As always, more news and analysis in today's Playbook newsletter, which can be found at politico.com/playbook. If you watch us on YouTube, subscribe so you don't miss a single episode of Playbook. For our audio listeners - leave feedback.
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