Dec. 10, 2021: Trump’s terrible Thursday, followed by Biden’s bad Friday?

Thursday was a double-whammy for former President Donald Trump. First, New York state A.G. Tish James announced that she was suspending her campaign for governor and would instead run for reelection. That all but assures the law enforcement officer who has been perhaps the most aggressive in investigating Trump will continue to focus her attention on the ex-president. 

Then, a federal appeals court flatly rejected that Trump’s claims of executive privilege, which he used to block the National Archives from turning over documents to the Jan. 6 committee. It’s not the final word on the matter — the Supreme Court could still intervene this month — but it’s a big win for the select committee. 

If Trump had a bad day Thursday, it might be Joe Biden's turn on Friday. A pair of critical reports out today could cause a spate of negative headlines just as the White House is looking to push Build Back Better (BBB) past the finish line. 

Listen and subscribe to Playbook Deep Dive

Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook.
Jenny Ament is the Senior Producer of POLITICO Audio.