The Playbook Podcast

Dasha sits down with Rep. Byron Donalds, the Florida Republican nominee for governor, for a special midterms edition of the show.

As Republicans face headwinds over affordability and rising costs tied to the war with Iran, Donalds explains how he can support President Trump while still disagreeing with him. He says Trump doesn’t want “yes men” and that he’s “allowed to have my own viewpoint” on how to govern Florida.

Donalds also discusses immigration enforcement, state regulation of AI, his past comments on race and voting rights, and the future of the Republican Party.

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Rep. Byron Donalds is making a play for Black voters in a new ad shared exclusively with POLITICO. What does his campaign tell us about the battle for Black voters this midterm election — and what are Democrats doing to win this voting bloc back? Then the other stories animating Washington: James Talarico has been sidelined by the flu and a South Carolina Democrat responds to anti-transgender attacks head on. Plus, Playbook shares a 200-second interview with GOP strategist Luke Thompson.

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Knives are out for MAGA Inc.’s top two globetrotting advisers, Chris LaCivita and James Blair. Does this open the duo to take the fall if a blue wave materializes in November? Then the other stories animating Washington: Marco Rubio sounds presidential in Athens, despite saying he doesn’t have plans to run in 2028, Mike Rogers takes aim at Trump in his latest ad and a political kink controversy may not be that controversial at all.

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Republicans appear on the verge of losing the Latino voter coalition that helped carry President Donald Trump in 2024. But that doesn’t mean they’re embracing Democrats. Then the other stories animating Washington: several tech companies fund Trump’s effort to accelerate AI, Abdul El-Sayed taps into Flock anxieties in a new attack ad against Mike Rogers, and the Kansas Senate seat is now a toss-up.

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Nearly a decade after leaving the White House, Barack Obama is still one of the Democratic Party’s most powerful political assets. Then the other stories animating Washington: Open AI CEO Sam Altman faces heat after his POLITICO interview, a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia has U.S. officials watching closely, and what Trump's latest Truth Social posts say about the GOP outlook on the midterms. Plus, Democratic Strategist and former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman, Adam Jentleson, joins Playbook for a 200-second interview.

For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Playbook newsletter: politico.com/playbook