1 big thing: Scoop — Inside Trump's debate prep

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2. What to expect from the debates

3. What's next: Democracy in crisis

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4. Legal fight brewing over Trump's executive actions

5. Sneak Peek diary

Welcome to Sneak Peek, our weekly look ahead from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, plus our best scoops.

Today's newsletter is 1,492 words, a 6-minute read.

Sneak Peek

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Take a look at both ends of Penn Ave — and our best scoops

Axios Sneak Peek

1 big thing: Trump offered FBI director job to Kelly, asked for loyalty

2. Leaked memo on Jared Kushner's security clearance

3. Team Biden eyes a trillion-dollar January stimulus

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4. Team Trump's era of good feelings

6. First look: A former Trump aide's apocalyptic new book

Book cover of The Stakes by Michael Anton. 

🎬 Next on "Axios on HBO": At Eli Lilly HQ in Indianapolis, CEO David Ricks shares what he thinks of pressure from President Trump to rush coronavirus treatments and cures. See a clip.

Catch the full interview Monday at 11pm ET/PT on all HBO platforms.

Today's newsletter is 1,828 words, a 7-minute read.

Axios Sneak Peek: Leaked memos on Kushner security clearance

1 big thing: GOP convention is a Trumpian production

Photo illustration of President Trump in front of a crowd with a giant spotlight on him.

2. How Trump's convention differs from the DNC ... and one similarity

Photo illustration of President Donald Trump.

3. Scoop: The Trump-Navarro mind meld on the FDA

Navarro speaking at a press conference with Trump looking on.

4. Quote du jour

6. First look: Carter Page's new book

Photo of the cover of Carter Page's forthcoming book

Today's newsletter is 1,845 words, a 7-minute read.

Axios Sneak Peek: Previewing the RNC — Scoop: The Trump-Navarro mind meld on the FDA

1 big thing: Trump eyes new unproven virus "cure"

Illustration of a medicine bottle tipped on its side with oleander flowers spilling out.

2. Inside the oleandrin campaign

3. No plane for Biden campaign

4. Sheldon Adelson makes nice with Trump

5. What's next: Inside Dem Convention week

6. The other side: Inside Trump's DNC counterprogramming

7. Sneak Peek diary

🎫 For the next two weeks, Axios is your floor pass to the conventions! Check out Axios 2020 Conventions coverage on the app (Apple | Android) or online for can’t-miss coverage and daily virtual events with the biggest newsmakers.

🎥 In the next episode of "Axios on HBO," Mike Allen interviews the acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. See a clip, then tune in for the full interview on Monday at 11 pm ET/PT on all HBO platforms.

1 big thing ... Scoop ... McCarthy warns Trump's war on mail could screw GOP

Illustration of a mailbox covered in "I Voted" stickers.  

2. Republicans' internal conflict over diversity

Rep. Kevin McCarthy flanked by GOP members, mostly white men.

3. Trump hunts for foreign policy wins

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4. Republicans to vote on skinny bill 

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5. Sneak Peek diary 

My colleague Alayna Treene, an Axios White House reporter, is filling in for me today.

Happy Labor Day weekend. We are 58 days away from Election Day. 

Situational awareness: North Carolina started mailing ballots on Friday. Several other states will also begin sending out ballots in the coming days.

Today's newsletter is 1,879 words, a 7-minute read.

Axios Sneak Peek — Scoop: McCarthy warns Trump's war on mail could screw GOP — Conflict over diversity

National

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received huge applause at an annual meeting of Republican governors Tuesday morning after blaming former President Trump for GOP failures in the last three elections, according to three sources in the room and a fourth person familiar with the speech.

Why it matters: The chorus of Republican office-holders calling for the GOP to move on from Trump is growing louder, driving the party to the brink of civil war just as the former president prepares to announce his 2024 comeback bid.

Driving the news: Christie addressed a room full of hundreds of people — Republican governors, high-level donors and consultants — at a hotel in Orlando, less than 200 miles north from the Mar-a-Lago resort where Trump is expected to make his announcement Tuesday night.

Christie, a former Trump ally who is now considering his own 2024 presidential campaign, said voters "rejected crazy" in the 2022 midterms and that Republicans lost because of bad candidates.

But he didn't just harp on last week's disappointing results: Republicans lost in 2018, 2020 and 2022, Christie said, with Trump the one constant who has weighed the party down across all three election cycles.

Christie, the former chair of the Republican Governors Association, pointed out that there were 31 GOP governors when he left the role in 2014. There are now 26 — five gone in eight years, all because Trump picks his candidates based purely on loyalty, he argued.

Between the lines: Christie singled out Doug Mastriano, the far-right, Trump-backed Republican nominee in Pennsylvania who lost by nearly 15 points to Democrat Josh Shapiro.

Christie said the RGA made a smart decision not to invest in Pennsylvania because Mastriano was a hopeless, lost cause.

He called for the RGA to engage in Republican primaries to prevent these extreme candidates from being nominated.

The intrigue: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose rising profile as a potential 2024 challenger has divided the party and infuriated Trump, was not in the room.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu were among those in attendance. 

Ducey — the co-chair of the RGA, who will be succeeded as Arizona governor by Democrat Katie Hobbs after Trump-backed Kari Lake was narrowly defeated — applauded heartily after Christie's speech.

Scoop: Christie applauded after bashing Trump at GOP governor meeting

The chorus of Republican office-holders calling for the GOP to move on from Trump is growing louder.

Chris Christie

Politics & Policy

Axios AM

Stephen Schwarzman — chairman, CEO and co-founder of private-equity giant Blackstone — says in a statement to Axios that he's defecting from former President Trump for the 2024 presidential race.

Driving the news: "America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday," Schwarzman says.

"It is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders and I intend to support one of them in the presidential primaries."

Why it matters: This is a major defection by a GOP megadonor who was close to Trump — very engaged with him on trade issues — and had real pull in the Trump White House.

The big picture: It's the second GOP megadonor to come out against Trump in two weeks.

Ken Griffin — the billionaire founder of the Citadel hedge fund, who had praised Trump policies — endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.

Griffin, who moved Citadel's headquarters to Miami this year, told Bloomberg yesterday that Trump is a "three-time loser." 

Between the lines: Two of the country's largest and most influential Republican donors are looking for a next-generation candidate.

Trump doesn't need the money. But the statements by Schwarzman and Griffin are likely to give cover and backbone to some Republican elected officials to move on.

Another top Trump backer — his own daughter — announced her detachment from his political career last night. 

Ivanka Trump, a former White House official, said on Instagram, as her dad announced his third run for president: 

I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena. I am grateful to have had the honor of serving the American people and I will always be proud of many of our Administration's accomplishments.

Scoop: Stephen Schwarzman comes out against Trump in major defection

Two of the country's largest and most influential Republican donors are looking for a next-generation candidate.

Stephen A. Schwarzman (left) speaks next to former President Trump during a 2017 meeting at the White House. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Stephen Schwarzman (left) speaks next to former President Trump during a 2017 meeting at the White House. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trump

Stephen Schwarzman — chairman, CEO and co-founder of private-equity giant Blackstone — says in a statement to Axios that he&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="defecting from former President Trump" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/11/23/blackstone-ceo-stephen-schwarzman-trump-biden" data-vars-content-id="4f2ae55c-bdf2-409a-a35b-d99bd97c3c05" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Stephen Schwarzman comes out against Trump in major defection" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/11/23/blackstone-ceo-stephen-schwarzman-trump-biden" target="_self">defecting from former President Trump</a> for the 2024 presidential race.Driving the news: &quot;America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,&quot; Schwarzman says.

The PGA Tour is enlisting one of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s closest friends and confidants to help it beat back a new competitor that's in business with Donald Trump, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: This fight between professional sports leagues is about politics as much as business or athletics. 

Saudi-backed LIV Golf has established Republican bona fides by virtue of its relationship with Trump, whose courses have hosted multiple LIV tournaments.

With Republicans set to assume the majority in January, the PGA Tour is bringing on its own GOP muscle — Jeff Miller, principal of lobbying firm Miller Strategies and a close McCarthy ally.

He played a key role in House GOP fundraising efforts throughout the 2022 cycle, and also was a significant fundraiser for Trump's 2020 campaign.

Details: Miller's charge will be to promote the PGA Tour and its interests in Washington, including “shining a light on the competition,” a source familiar with Miller's hiring told Axios. 

That could entail amplifying criticism among lawmakers, the press and the public over LIV's ties to the Saudi government.

“This is a sports fight that is really a political one, and Jeff’s hiring is a very important weapon in the fight,” the source said.

A PGA Tour spokesperson declined to comment on the hire. Miller also declined to comment.

The big picture: LIV has poached top golfers from the PGA Tour since it launched last year. But it also has drawn intense scrutiny — in the golfing and political worlds — over its backing from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

Critics call it a "sportswashing" operation designed to boost the Kingdom's image amid human rights scandals, including the 2018 execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

LIV leadership got a cool reception during a meeting with the House GOP Conference earlier this year. One prominent Republican, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, has called for a federal investigation into the league.

The PGA Tour, meanwhile, is the subject of a Justice Department antitrust probe.

Between the lines: Miller's relationship with McCarthy was surely seen as a critical asset for the Tour, given the near universal presumption before the midterm elections that McCarthy would be the next House speaker. 

Miller has known McCarthy for three decades and is known to be his closest ally on K Street. 

After Republicans underperformed in the midterms, McCarthy is suddenly facing an intra-party insurgency that threatens his ascendance. But if McCarthy does make it, Miller could become, as Politico speculated before the midterms, the “most powerful unelected man in DC.”

The other side: LIV portrays itself as a scrappy upstart taking on an entrenched, corrupt incumbent.

The new league has brought on notable names in the political world, including former Bush White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and Ben Quayle, a former Republican congressman from Arizona and son of a former U.S. vice president.

LIV's chief executive, Greg Norman, at an event in England this year, said of the Saudis: "We've all made mistakes and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”

“This whole thing about Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi and human rights, talk about it, but also talk about the good the country is doing to change its culture."

PGA Tour taps top Kevin McCarthy confidant in LIV fight

PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf is a political fight, not just a business competition.

Illustration of an GOP elephant-shaped golf ball on a golf tee

Kevin McCarthy

The PGA Tour is enlisting one of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s closest friends and confidants to help it beat back a new competitor that&#x27;s in business with Donald Trump, Axios has learned.Why it matters: This fight between professional sports leagues is about politics as much as business or athletics.

Former President Trump dined and conversed with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night, according to two sources familiar with the matter. 

Why it matters: Trump's direct engagement with a man labeled a "white supremacist" by the Justice Department, one week after declaring his 2024 candidacy, is likely to draw renewed outrage over the former president's embrace of extremists.

Fuentes, who frequently promotes racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, had been spotted with Ye at Mar-a-Lago, but reports erroneously suggested he did not have dinner with the former president.

What they're saying: "Kanye West very much wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago. Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about," Trump said in a statement.

A Trump spokesman did not provide comment on additional reporting about the dinner. Fuentes did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

“Bigotry, hate, and antisemitism have absolutely no place in America - including at Mar-A-Lago," White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said Saturday in a statement.

"Holocaust denial is repugnant and dangerous, and it must be forcefully condemned,” the statement added.

Behind the scenes: A source familiar with the dinner conversation told Axios that Trump "seemed very taken" with Fuentes, impressed that the 24-year-old was able to rattle off statistics and recall speeches dating back to his 2016 campaign.

Paraphrasing the conversation, the source said Fuentes told the president he preferred him to be "authentic," and that Trump seemed scripted and unlike himself during his recent 2024 campaign announcement speech.

Trump responded, “You like it better when I just speak off the cuff," the source said. Fuentes replied that he did, calling Trump an "amazing" president when he was unrestrained. "There was a lot of fawning back and forth," the source added.

Fuentes told Trump that he represented a side of Trump's base that was disappointed with his newly cautious approach, especially with what some far-right activists view as a lack of support for those charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Trump didn't disagree with Fuentes, but said he has advisers who want him to read off teleprompters and be more "presidential." Notably, Trump referred to himself as a politician, which he has been loathe to do in the past. 

Fuentes also told Trump that he would crush potential 2024 Republican rivals in a primary, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump asked for Fuentes' opinion on other candidates as well.

Trump at one point turned to Ye and said, "I really like this guy. He gets me," according to the source. 

"To be honest, I don't believe the president knew who the hell [Fuentes] was," the source added.

Trump asked if Fuentes was on social media such as Truth Social, the former president's alternative to Twitter.

Fuentes told Trump that he was on Truth Social but had been banned from the social media platform Gettr because Trump adviser Jason Miller, the CEO of the company, wasn't a fan of his.

Trump asked whether it was because Fuentes was on the "fringe" of his supporter base, the source said. Fuentes acknowledged that he was, saying he's "one of those people who got banned from everything."

Driving the news: Ye, whose Twitter account was recently restored after being restricted for anti-Semitic comments, posted a video on Thursday night titled "Mar-a-Lago debrief."

Ye claims in the video that Trump was "really impressed" with Fuentes because "unlike so many of the lawyers and so many people that he was left with on his 2020 campaign, he's actually a loyalist."

A source familiar with the conversation told Axios Trump took a phone call during the dinner, and his demeanor toward Ye seemed to change when he got off the call. Trump made some nasty comments about Ye's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and told the rapper to pass them on.

Ye, who has lost major sponsorships over his anti-Semitism and recent far-right associations, has said he wants to run for president in 2024. The rapper claims Trump started "screaming" at him at the dinner and told him he would lose — "most perturbed" by Ye asking Trump to be his running mate.

Between the lines: The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that Fuentes was not present at the Mar-a-Lago dinner with Ye, citing a source familiar with the matter.

Ye tweeted out a screenshot of a group text with Fuentes on Thursday night in which a censored participant accuses a Trump adviser of being the source for the Daily Beast story.

Disgraced far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who appears with Ye in his "Mar-a-Lago debrief" video, is also in the "YE24" group chat.

Flashback: Truth Social, Trump's social media platform, sparked backlash by verifying Fuentes' account in February.

Fuentes first gained notoriety after attending the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

Trump was heavily criticized at the time for his response to the racist violence.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting and a statement from Trump and the White House.

Trump talks with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago dinner

Fuentes has been labeled a "white supremacist" by the Justice Department.

Nick Fuentes (center) with Alex Jones at a "Stop the Steal" rally in Georgia on Nov. 19, 2020. Photo: Zach Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

White nationalism

Former President Trump dined and conversed with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="white nationalist Nick Fuentes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.adl.org/blog/nicholas-j-fuentes-five-things-to-know" data-vars-content-id="b52a482f-3afb-4250-bed5-a322663b9a5a" data-vars-headline="Trump talks with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago dinner" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.adl.org/blog/nicholas-j-fuentes-five-things-to-know" target="_blank">white nationalist Nick Fuentes</a> and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Why it matters: Trump&#x27;s direct engagement with a man <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="labeled a &quot;white supremacist&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/case-multi-defendant/file/1367791/download" data-vars-content-id="b52a482f-3afb-4250-bed5-a322663b9a5a" data-vars-headline="Trump talks with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago dinner" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/case-multi-defendant/file/1367791/download" target="_blank">labeled a &quot;white supremacist&quot;</a> by the Justice Department, one week after declaring his 2024 candidacy, is likely to draw renewed outrage over the former president&#x27;s embrace of extremists.

Advisers knew former President Trump, bleeding support among Republicans for his wild antics over the past week, needed a reset during last night's 2024 announcement. So the text was deliberately low-key.

The big picture: Trump's delivery was so restrained, even languid, that it was widely derided as "low energy" — Trump's devastating jab at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during the 2016 primaries.

The tightly scripted, staff-driven speech reflected Trump's weakened position post-midterms. None of the cocky swagger and energy of his 2016 announcement.

This was a nostalgic, glory-days speech — Trump playing the hits.

He painted an apocalyptic picture of American decline under President Biden.

But Trump has done this schtick so many times before that he seemed bored by the text.

It's not unusual for him to be bored by the words in his teleprompter. But his tone was flatter than usual. Even his ad-libs were low energy.

Behind the scenes: Trump advisers had pushed for the more disciplined approach after Trump found himself on the defensive after Republican midterm losses.

That prompted him to lash out with unhinged attacks on potential 2024 rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Jeb Bush Jr. helped his dad get the last laugh by tweeting: "What a low energy speech by the Donald. ... #SleepyDonnie."

What's next — 2024 rematch begins: Trump took on his successor, and possible 2024 opponent, by name.

"Unlike Biden possibly getting us into World War 3, which can seriously happen, I will keep America out of foolish and unnecessary foreign wars, just as I did for four straight years," Trump said.

Hours before Trump's speech, the White House launched a new webpage, "The Biden-Harris record," highlighting legislative wins, Axios' Sophia Cai first reported.

White House press official Andrew Bates tweeted while Trump was still speaking: "Bored? A lot of people are. Read about @POTUS's high energy record!"

Trump's low-energy reset

Trump has done this schtick so many times before that he seemed bored by the text.

President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach last night.

President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach last night. Photo: Alon Skuy/AFP via Getty Images

Advisers knew <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="former President Trump" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="fd8171f7-d34f-4018-a862-2804087527be" data-vars-headline="Trump&#x27;s low-energy reset" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">former President Trump</a>, bleeding support among Republicans for his wild antics over the past week, needed a reset during last night&#x27;s 2024 announcement. So the text was deliberately low-key.The big picture: Trump&#x27;s delivery was so restrained, even languid, that it was widely derided as &quot;low energy&quot; — Trump&#x27;s devastating jab at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during the 2016 primaries.

Jonathan Swan

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