First Lady Pool Reports of June 15, 2023

FLOTUS pool report #1: Biden Victory Fund event

Greetings from a lovely evening in D.C. Jesus Rodriguez with The Washington Post is your pooler for this Biden Victory Fund political event taking place in a light-filled room at the Hay-Adams Hotel. The terrace overlooked the White House, the monuments, and the setting sun.

The pool was escorted up to the 9th floor at 4:50 p.m. and held in an adjoining room. About 50 guests were in attendance dressed in cocktail attire.

Shortly after the pool was escorted into the room, FLOTUS entered from behind a partition to applause at 5:26 p.m. She was wearing a purple pantsuit. She was accompanied by Jacki Cisneros (president of The Gilbert & Jacki Cisneros Foundation) and actress, producer and director Eva Longoria.

The fundraiser focused on the Biden administration's accomplishments for the Latino community; it was a kickoff event for the Presidente Council of the Biden-Harris campaign, according to Longoria and Cisneros. On background from a Biden-Harris adviser, the council existed during the 2020 campaign but it is being relaunched.

Longoria shouted out the forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino and the White House's screening of the film "Flamin' Hot" tonight.

Please check any quotes against the Otter file at the bottom of this report.

"I don't have to tell you how important this upcoming election's going to be," Longoria said. "I'm preaching to the choir."

She said the campaign is going to galvanize the Latino community because "what's good for the Latino community is good for the country." Then she introduced campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez, who was standing at the back of the room. Following cheering and applause from the crowd, she moved to the front of the room near the podium.

"You know Julie's heritage — it's in her DNA to fight for the rights of others," she said of Chávez Rodríguez, who is the granddaughter of the labor rights activist César Chávez. "I'm so excited you will be in the room. You are our voice and you're going to be in the room making these key decisions."

Longoria then touted the administration's accomplishments, including for the Latino community, such as unemployment "at a historic low" and the most diverse cabinet in history, she said. The administration is "getting more Hispanic children clean water. We have substantially cutting [sic] Latino child poverty, and we're expanding COVID relief for mixed status families," she said.

She shouted out Henry Muñoz, the philanthropist and activist who has helped launch TheDream.US and Latino Victory. He was standing against a window a few feet to her right.

"There's a lot of attempts to drive this country backwards and it's no longer hidden agenda. It isthe agenda," she said. "These book bans is [sic] making me anxious," she added, to which FLOTUS chuckled and said in agreement, "Oh yeah."

Longoria said that Biden is the right candidate to lead us through a battle for the soul of the nation. "I feel like we say this every election but I really mean it this time."

She then introduced "the best First Lady we've had in a while."

She began her remarks at 5:36 p.m. and motioned guests to come closer to her, noting her background as a teacher. Of Muñoz, who has standing against a window just a few feet away to her right, he said, "you're just family." Her remarks lasted about 8 minutes.

She spoke about her background as an educator and assigning her students a poetry assignment that highlights giving students a chance to highlight their own personal narratives.

She said that the country's diversity is "our power." Only you can share those things when you have a seat at the table, which you deserve. And that's one of the reasons why Joe ran four years ago."

She said she "can't believe" she is jumping back into the campaign, but added that "Joe's steady leadership has brought us through really some of the toughest times — really not only of our history but of our lives," citing Covid-19, Russia's attack on Ukraine, and the debt ceiling crisis. The crowd nodded along.

"I know it's Joe's clear vision that will steer us forward," she touted. She touted the administration's 13 million jobs, manufacturing "boom," bipartisan infrastructure framework, negotiating lower prescription drug prices and gun reform.

On a lighter note, she said she'd been having "fun" traveling to the British Coronation and the Jordanian royal wedding. "But I've been working hard!" she joked.

She said people around the world thank her for POTUS' leadership on foreign policy because foreign leaders "didn't know where America's foreign policy was going."

She then turned to talking about Republicans and asked, "Can you imagine what's in store if the MAGA Republicans take control? We know, because we lived through it already. Remember?Remember all those late-night tweets and how they were forming our, then, our domestic and international policy?"

She said Republicans winning would signify a further assault on democratic institutions. "It's going to get worse, but you already know that."

"So that's our choice right now: Chaos and corruption, hatred and division, or you can have Joe Biden and strong, steady leadership."

"We can't go back to those dark days and you know that," she added.

She also spoke about efforts around the country to challenge books from school libraries. "As someone mentioned to me in the photo line, we cannot ban books. We cannot ban books. I'm a teacher. We cannot do that."

She thanked attendees for their support. Remarks ended at 5:44 p.m.

As the pool was being escorted out of the room, FLOTUS said "And now we'll go see the movie!" presumably in reference to the screening of "Flamin' Hot."

Your pooler did not see FLOTUS leave the Hay-Adams.

An Otter file is available here: https://otter.ai/u/DTfPKHEMcpQVKBoBKISFjzrk1rM?utm_source=copy_url. Thanks very much.