How Ro Khanna looks to build on his victory in the Epstein files: From the Policy Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy officea newsletter bringing you the latest reporting and analysis of the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Sahil Kapoor talks with the Democratic House member who led the passage of the Epstein Files bill about what comes next. Plus, Andrea Mitchell dives into President Donald Trump’s growing list of foreign policy priorities.

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– Adam Woolner

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How Ro Khanna looks to build on his victory in the Epstein files

Written by Sahil Kapoor

With a near-unanimous vote in Congress to pass the bill demanding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, Rep. Ro Khanna can claim a victory no other Democratic presidential candidate has achieved: breaking the MAGA coalition.

Early polls suggest he would be a heavy underdog if he runs in 2028. But the California Democrat has been traveling to swing states and running early contests to test his viability for the White House.

Khanna and Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s bill — co-sponsored by GOP representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — has now passed the House and Senate and awaits President Donald Trump’s signature.

In an interview moments before the House voted on the bill, Khanna told NBC News that his bill contains the essential elements of a national vision.

“Whatever role I play, I hope it will be a role in shaping the national future of the Democratic Party and the country,” he said. “We need to build a lasting coalition around a new national economic vision that can unite left and right. The elements of this are attacking the elite ruling class that has created a system that does not work for ordinary Americans. And then offering a concrete vision for how to prioritize the economic independence and success of these forgotten Americans, rather than just an elite class of billionaires.”

Khanna’s approach is unique among Democrats. He does not have the fiery rhetoric of other presidential candidates, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, or the nationally progressive persona of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Simply put, his willingness to partner with MAGA figures that liberals hate may not be a selling point to an angry, zealous Democratic base.

“That’s a criticism I get sometimes,” Khanna quipped.

Khanna tends to look to GOP lawmakers to engage with on populist issues that both the left and right can market as a rebuke of an entrenched establishment.

He teamed up with Rep. Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, to repeal Trump’s coffee tariffs, and with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Jody Arrington, Republican of Texas, to propose term limits for Congress. He has worked with Republicans to call for curbing the government’s warrantless surveillance powers under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and to prevent U.S. military intervention in Yemen.

Read more from Sahil →

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Trump adds to his foreign policy agenda with a visit to the Saudi Crown Prince

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

President Donald Trump appeared energetic and cheerful as he hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Kennedy Center investor conference that Trump now chairs. Speaking of the benefits of strengthening security and economic ties with Saudi Arabia, Trump was particularly proud of what he called the “incredible display” at the lavish dinner on Tuesday, while promising that the next time the crown prince visits Saudi Arabia he will have a much larger venue — the ballroom he is building that seats 900 people, not the 119 guests at last night’s party.

For the Saudis, the Crown Prince’s first visit in seven years marked an inflection point and an opportunity to try to turn the page on the controversy surrounding the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and strengthen his ties with the United States.

His visit resulted in a security agreement and promises of advanced F-35 fighter jets and, in the future, civilian nuclear technology, as well as access to artificial intelligence and computer chips.

The Saudis play a pivotal role in achieving key American diplomatic goals in the Middle East, especially resolving the future of Gaza. Before Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, it was known that the crown prince was on the verge of joining Trump’s Trump Accords by recognizing Israel, which could change the region. Since the devastating two-year war, the Saudis have told the US that normalization with Israel will now require that the US pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept a path to statehood for the Palestinians.

Trump also said the crown prince would like him to do something about Sudan, which he said was “not in my plans,” citing the Saudi leader as telling him: “Sir, you talk about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan.”

Sudan has descended into one of the most brutal wars in modern history, with hundreds of thousands killed and mass graves in the blood-stained sands of the desert visible from commercial satellites. For more than two years, American diplomats, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and some European allies, have been trying unsuccessfully to negotiate a ceasefire. Millions of refugees have fled to neighboring countries to escape what the United States has declared genocide, straining available aid and threatening to destabilize the region.

As I mentioned for the first time before The New York Times in 2023Multiple US officials and foreign diplomats confirmed to NBC News that rebel forces have received billions of dollars in weapons from the United Arab Emirates, a US ally. The Saudis, concerned that the country will become a haven for ISIS and other rising terrorist groups, support the regime. In recent weeks, rebels have taken control of the main city of El Fasher, threatening the collapse of the central government.

Putting more energy into stopping Sudan’s horrific bloodshed would add to an already ambitious foreign policy list that includes threats against Venezuela and Nigeria.

Elsewhere, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, was today laying out a plan to offer major territorial concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin in exchange for security guarantees to jump-start dormant negotiations in Ukraine.

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That’s all from the Policy Office for now. Today’s newsletter is compiled by Adam Woolner.

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