The White House suddenly has a lot to brag about. And the president’s
aides, led by chief of staff Ron Klain, are reaching deep into the 20th
century to make the case that Joe Biden is a transformational president
with “historic achievements.”

Here’s the litany from Klain:

“We now have a presidency where the president has delivered the largest
economic recovery plan since Roosevelt, the largest infrastructure plan
since Eisenhower, the most judges confirmed since Kennedy, the second
largest health care bill since Johnson, and the largest climate change
bill in history. … The first time we've done gun control since President
Clinton was here, the first time ever an African-American woman has been
put on the U.S. Supreme Court. … I think it’s a record to take to the
American people.”

On Thursday, we ventured over to the White House and sat down with Klain
in the Roosevelt Room to review the last 18 months of the Biden
presidency and talk about what’s next.

When Biden is out of town, as he was on Thursday, the vibe in the West
Wing is a little different. Aides are more relaxed, but often busier.
Klain sleeps in a little later, but powers through more work. (“I
definitely get more done when he's not here,” he told Playbook. “No
question about it.”) It’s also noisier: there’s an ongoing refencing
project outside the White House that revs up whenever the president is
away.

At the start of the summer, this conversation would have been vastly
different. Now, gas prices have dropped, the last CPI report hints that
inflation may finally be trending down after hitting a peak. Election
forecasters are writing pieces at least entertaining the idea that
Democrats might not suffer the long-predicted midterm wipeout. And
there’s that burst of legislative victories that were squeezed out of
Congress in July and August that had Biden, a lover of alliteration,
calling this period “a season of substance.”

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Ron Klain is the White House Chief of Staff.
Afra Abdullah is associate producer for POLITICO audio.
Kara Tabor is producer for POLITICO audio.
Brook Hayes is senior editor for POLITICO audio.
Adam Allington is senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is executive producer for POLITICO audio.