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Tara Palmeri

Washington’s most feared and fearless politics reporter, covering what people are really talking about inside the White House, on the Hill, on K Street, and within the media companies who cover it all. Tara was previously a lead author of Playbook and White House correspondent at ABC News.

THE LATEST ARTICLES
NEWSLETTERS
WASHINGTON • September 14, 2023
The Hunter Manhunt
A candid conversation with former Biden administration official Michael LaRosa about Huntergate, the White House, and the messaging wars.
Facts First, David Brock’s super PAC, has been the main communications apparatus to defend Hunter Biden in G.O.P. inquiries.
WASHINGTON • September 8, 2023
Here Comes the Hunter Counterattack…
David Brock tells me he is readying an oppo dump targeting the family members of Republicans who are investigating Biden’s son. “Gloves are off,” says Brock. “Families are on.”
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is in the middle of a fight being waged by New York Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul—publicly demanding federal funds, lands, and work permits for migrants—against Joe Biden.
WASHINGTON • September 8, 2023
Hakeem’s Hometown Migrant Crisis
The House minority leader, and speaker-in-waiting, is in the middle of a pickle in his own backyard that might cost him the gavel.
Yesterday, the 81-year-old minority leader, Mitch McConnell, seemed to freeze up while addressing reporters in Kentucky, the second such incident in as many months.
WASHINGTON • August 31, 2023
Pre-Post-McConnell Jockeying & ’24 Dropout-itis
News and notes on the latest anxieties in Washington as the late-summer scaries take hold.
Ramaswamy’s success on the debate stage was yet another reminder that the G.O.P. establishment is largely out of touch with primary voters.
WASHINGTON • August 24, 2023
Measuring the Vivekquake
News and notes on what really went down in Milwaukee: despondent donors, missed signals, defensive DeSantis, and the possibility of a Trump-Vivek ticket.
The fixation on Casey DeSantis speaks to the question of how much power the DeSantis name and brand maintains in Florida.
WASHINGTON • August 17, 2023
Imagining “Jillary” DeSantis
As Ron DeSantis’s national campaign sags, the term-limited governor’s next political steps are under increased scrutiny. In Tallahassee, some are already considering the possibility of a third term—with Casey as governor.
James Uthmeier and Ryan Tyson are trusted Ron DeSantis loyalists, suggesting once again that the key qualification to lead the DeSantis campaign is fidelity to Ron and Casey.
WASHINGTON • August 10, 2023
Make Jeff Roe Great Again
The mega-consultant, currently ensconced at DeSantis’ super PAC, will now have a loyal and telekinetic deputy acting as de facto campaign manager and Tallahassee daycare operator. Is this just the first step before Roe starts calling all the shots, himself?
Despite Biden’s accomplishments and the diligence of his team to keep the media on message, politics is a profession that rewards operatives for preserving optionality.
WASHINGTON • August 3, 2023
The Biden Edge Case
Yes, of course, Biden is running for re-election. But national politics is a viper’s nest that requires ambitious putative candidates to prepare for even unthinkable, Murphy’s Law-style outcomes. So, what happens if Biden unexpectedly decides to bow out? Exploring D.C.’s increasingly popular hypothetical question.
Ron DeSantis has a schedule packed with intimate events, instead of the back-to-back town halls that he so desperately needs to reach thousands of voters inexpensively.
WASHINGTON • July 27, 2023
The DeSantis Donor Class’s Wandering Eye
As the candidate’s dearth of natural talent becomes clear, and his campaign endures a meaningful shake up, the Anyone-But-Trump donor class is, as Shakespeare once wrote, examining other beauties.
On television, DeSantis can come across as savvy, reasonably well media-trained, and sometimes aggressive. But in person, Tara immediately sensed a very different potential candidate.
WASHINGTON • May 22, 2023
Ronny on the Run
Lessons from a day shadowing a press-averse and socially uncomfortable presidential hopeful.
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