Pool Reports of April 28, 2020

In Town Pool Report #1 - All Is Quiet

Good morning everyone!

Your pooler has been camped out on the lawn looking out for officials who might gaggle. No such luck so far.

As of now, there is no task force briefing or news conference on today's schedule.

In Town Pool Report # 2 - "Press Conference" announced

The press secretary has tweeted that POTUS "will be having a press conference with the Governor of Florida" at 11:30 am ET.

https://twitter.com/presssec/status/1255140112884613120?s=21

Your pooler has asked for further details about this event including where it will take place and whether it is in lieu of or in addition to the 11am spray they were scheduled to have in the Oval Office.

We will keep you posted with any response or clarification we receive from the White House.

In Town Pool Report #3 - No Press Conference/Hassett Gaggle

Your pooler has been told the press secretary's tweet about a "press conference" with the governor of Florida was referring to a pool spray.

Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the council of economic advisers, came out to the lawn for a TV interview and spoke to reporters afterward at about 10:30. Full audio of the gaggle is attached.

Among other things, he said the WH is studying the idea of further stimulus payments beyond the $1,200. He also discussed his economic forecasts and said he believes they have been somewhat misconstrued to suggest he is predicting another depression when he is not.

In Town Pool Report #3a - Hassett Audio Link

Here is a dropbox link to the full Hassett gaggle audio for anyone who needs it:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e0bhn6az3p7tyaa/Kevin%20Hassett.m4a?dl=0

Your pooler is in the briefing room awaiting the event with the governor of Florida, which will not be a press conference.

In Town Pool Report #4 - Oval Office

The pool was brought into the Oval Office at about 11:36 am. President Trump is seated next to Gov. DeSantis.

President Trump began with brief remarks he praised DesSantis for doing a "spectacular job in florida." Trump said DeSantis "enjoys very high popularity"

"And that's for a reason ... he's doing a very good job," Trump said of DeSantis.

DeSantis is speaking now about actions Florida has taken to help the state's nursing home population. He is holding up a sign touting measures.

Your pooler will provide more details of the sign and their remarks ASAP.

In Town Pool Report #5 - Oval

Trump and DeSantis are still talking.

As DeSantis continued to speak, Trump offered to hold the sign for him.

"I'll be an easel," Trump said.

DeSantis said Florida's fatality rate has been lower than people would have expected. He is now touting the number of tests performed in the state.

DeSantis is showing photos of the test sites now. He noted some have golf cart drive throughs rather than cars. He also said the state has offered "walk up" testing for people without cars. He praised the support Florida has received from the National Guard. He said Florida already has contracts to "double our capacity" but it will "take about a month or so."

As of now, DeSantis said, "our ability to test exceeds the current demand."

Trump said that is "a fantastic thing."

In Town Pool Report #6 - Oval continuing

The president and Gov. DeSantis are still taking questions.

Your pooler asked the president and Dr. Birx why South Korea has given five times more tests per capita than the U.S. particularly since the White House has repeatedly touted our performance relative to South Korea. Your pooler also noted the infection rate is over 14 times higher here.

Gov. DeSantis did not respond to a question about why he waited until April to shut down his state.

DeSantis was asked why he's still allowing flights from Latin America. He said they were looking at the issue.

Trump suggested DeSantis would be "cutting off Brazil."

"Well not necessarily," DeSantis said.

"Would you ever want to ban certain countries?" Trump asked.

DeSantis indicated he would let the White House know.

DeSantis is now being asked about why he closed his state later than others. He contrasted Florida's "tailored" and "measured" approach with "draconian" measures in other states.

"Everyone in the media was saying Florida was going to be like New York or Italy and that has not happened," DeSantis said.

Dr. Birx spoke up at one point to address your pooler and insist we have done more testing per capita than South Korea. Trump asked if your pooler would apologize. The pool said he would if that is indeed correct but it did not seem to be based on the latest public information as of yesterday. Your pooler also noted the infection rate has been higher here. Birx did not respond.

Please check all these rough quotes against the video when it is available.

In Town Pool Report #6a - Clarification on testing

Your pooler asked the president why South Korea has done more tests per capita and has a far lower infection rate.

Dr. Birx later corrected us to note the US has done more tests, per capita, than South Korea. She was correct and your pooler was not. The US passed the per capita number of tests conducted in South Korea earlier this month. However, South Korea does have a far lower infection rate. Your pooler is sorry for the error about the test rates.

In Town Pool Report #7 - More From Oval

President Trump just said he would be criticized by the press no matter how many tests were given. He suggested press would say "you should have tested 325 million people 37 times."

DeSantis said he was in touch closely with Jared Kushner about his states needs. Kushner is behind the press with Mark Meadows.

The president was just asked about the food supply chain. He said he will be signing an executive order today to address "liability problems" in the food supply.

Trump is now being asking if he was "warned" about the threat from coronavirus in January and February.

"Probably a lot more than the Democrats because a month later Nancy Pelosi was saying let's dance in the streets of Chinatown," Trump said.

Trump is now touting his "ban on China."

When asked if he was "getting warnings" in the PDB Trump said "I would have to check" the dates.

"Whether it was luck, talent, or something else, we saved many thousands of lives," said Trump.

Jon Karl is now noting 40,000 people still came in from China, mostly American citizens. He is asking if more steps should have been taken to monitor them.

DeSantis piped in and said "that was very much in Florida." He said the state viewed it as a "China deal" at the time though eventually he blamed New York for bringing it to Florida.

In Town Pool Report #8 - Kim Jong Un And More From Oval

Pool left the Oval at 12:12 pm.

Before we departed, President Trump said the executive order on the food supply will be done today. He said we could speak to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows later for more details about what it is.

"We'll have that done today," Trump said of the order.

DeSantis was asked about potentially resuming tourism in the state.

"We have to make safety a priority ... I do think there's a path to do that," DeSantis said.

DeSantis noted "we didn't have outbreaks" tied to Disney being open in March and other activity in state early this year.

Trump was asked about the economy.

"I think the fourth quarter's going to be really strong and I think next year's going to be a tremendous year," he said.

Trump invited Kevin Hassett and Larry Kudlow to speak. Hassett deferred to Kudlow, who said, we we are in "a deep contraction" with a lot of "hardship." He touted the size of the rescue package given out so far.

"It's very bad. ... We're doing what we can," Kudlow said.

Kudlow said he is "optimistic about the future." He acknowledged this is "the worst we've seen" but said it would be "temporary."

Trump was asked to follow up on the comments he made yesterday about Kim Jong Un.

"I just don't want to comment on that ... I just wish him well," Trump said.

He did not respond to a question about whether Kim is still alive.

Trump said Dems are "enjoying their vacation" and "don't want to come back" to DC. When pressed if he really believed Democrats are enjoying this, Trump pointed to recent video of Nancy Pelosi and said she is "eating ice cream."

Again, please check all this against the video these are rough quotes.

In Town Pool Report #9- Lunch Lid

At 1:03pm the White House called a lunch lid until 2:15 pm.

In Town Pool Report #10 - East Room Event

As you may have seen, the White House just sent out an update that the president's 3pm remarks will take place in the East Room. As of now, this is still listed as restricted in house pool.

Your pooler has asked if this will be expanded to include full pool or potentially other reporters. We will let you know if we receive any response advising of potential changes.

In Town Pool Report #10a - East Room Event

We are informed that the 3pm remarks are still restricted pool only despite the venue change.

Pool will be gathering at 2:50.

In Town Pool Report #11- Nigeria Call

The White House just passed along the following statement:

"Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to discuss efforts by both nations to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump affirmed the strong support of the United States for the people of Nigeria and offered additional support for the nation's response efforts. The two leaders agreed that the United States and Nigeria would stand together in the fight to defeat the virus."

In Town Pool Report #12 - East Room

Pool is gathered at the back of the East Room for the 3pm event.

There are roughly 18 seats for guests in front of our rope line. They are spaced out to allow for social distancing. The restricted pool has been expanded somewhat and the press section is a bit more crowded.

There are four tables with displays fromvarious businesses including a bank and a coffee company set up around the president's podium. Your pooler will ask for a full list of participants and will forward it along if we receive one.

In Town Pool Report #13- details on PPP event

The White House sent along the following statement with details on this afternoon's event and the participants.Today, President Donald J. Trump will deliver remarks in the East Room on his Administration's actions to support small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. The President's own remarkable business experience has made protecting small businesses a personal initiative for him, especially during this unprecedented period. To date, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has disbursed $350 billion to small businesses across the country and more than 1.6 million forgivable loans have been approved by the Small Business Administration. Several small business leaders and employees who have benefitted from the PPP will be in attendance and will share their powerful stories.

"The Paycheck Protection Program has become a critical lifeline for millions of workers and small business owners across this country who have faced unprecedented challenges during this crisis. The program has been a landmark and massive success. We are incredibly excited to share the stories of some of the PPP recipients at the White House. These men and women represent the qualities of the 30 million hardworking, passionate and innovative small business owners nationwide." -Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump

The following individuals are expected to attend:

The White House
President Donald J. Trump
Ivanka Trump, Assistant to the President and Advisor to the President
Larry Kudlow, Assistant to the President and Director of the National Economic Council
Tim Pataki, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison

Trump Administration
Secretary Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Administrator Jovita Carranza, U.S. Small Business Administration

External Participants
Amy Wright, CEO and Founder, Bitty & Beau's Coffee
Michael Heup, Employee, Bitty & Beau's Coffee
Tony Stafford, Chef and Founder, Ford's Fish Shack
Mark Underwood, Employee, Ford's Fish Shack
Chris Stansbury, Co-Founder and Partner, West Virginia Eye Consultants
Luke Bernstein, Executive Vice President, Chief Retail Officer and Chief Communications Officer, Orrstown Bank
Jackie Krick, CEO and Founder, ECU Communications
Brandon Hutson, President, Ed and Jim's Body Shop
Tisa Clark, President and CEO, J.D. Clark Professional Services
Ali Mills, Executive Vice President, Plum Contracting, Inc.

In Town Pool Report #14 - PPP Event

Guests began filing in at about 3:14 pm.

The president came out with Ivanka Trump at roughly 3:16pm The audience stood and clapped.

President Trump described it as a great honor and told the crowd "I see you have social distance on your mind and that's a very good thing."

"Today we're really celebrating American workers and small businesses and we've done a job for you," Trump said.

He said the government's efforts had made it easier for businesses to eventually come back from the pandemic. Trump noted Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza were present.

"Have you gone to sleep in the past two weeks? I don't think so," Trump said to Carranza, adding, "You broke every single lending record."

Trump repeatedly pointed to the impacts of the virus.

"We suffer with one heart, but we will prevail. We're coming back and we're coming back strong," Trump said.

Trump expressed optimism that economic activity will ramp up.

"Now that our experts believe the worst days of this pandemic are behind us, Americans are looking forward to the safe and rapid reopening of our country," he said.

Trump then touted the amount of loans and relief given out by the government so far.

"Our swift action supported or saved 30 million American jobs at least," said Trump.

Trump then touted the role of his daughter, Ivanka Trump, who is also a senior White House adviserx

"Along with Administrator Carranza and Secretary Mnuchin ... Ivanka has played a role," Trump said, describing her contributions as essential.

"She's created many jobs," Trump said of Ivanka.

President Trump then invited Ivanka to speak. She told the audience that she's "very excited to hear your stories and hear specifically about how you're going through this challenge." Ivanka specifically acknowledged Mnuchin, Carranza, and Larry Kudlow for their work on small business loans.

Ivanka then invited Amy Wright of Bitty and Beau's Coffee to speak. Ivanka said Wright "was able to rehire the 120 workers that she was forced to lay off" due to the PPP program. Wright then spoke.

"Bitty and Beau's Coffee is more than just a coffee shop, it's a human rights movement," Wright said noting her employees have "intellectual disabilities."

Wright's colleague, Michael, then spoke.

"I love my job and I am excited about going back to work," Michael said.

President Trump praised Michael's performance. He told Michael to stay at the event in order to hear questions from the press

"They'll probably be a little bit nicer if you're in the audience," Trump said to Michael.

Representatives from Ford's Fish Shack spoke next. After their remarks, President Trump noted some restaurants have reopened to long lines.

"People want to be back. They want to come back," Trump said.

Trump then invited the CEO of ECU communications to speak. He reflexively went to grab the microphone and stopped himself.

"I'll get in trouble for touching it," Trump said. "They'll say, 'He touched the microphone.'"

A man from West Virginia Eye Associates was up next. Trump expressed his admiration for West Virginia.

"l like it. They like me," he said.

After the man spoke, Trump indicated he might want him to look at his eyes and suggested they would be better than high priced eye doctors he has seen in the past.

"I may have to see you OK?" Trump said.

The event is ongoing. As always, this is a rough transcript. Please refer to the transcript and videos for detailed quotes.

In Town Pool Report #16 - more from the East Room

Business people are still speaking here in the East Room as President Trump, his daughter Ivanka, and other officials look on.

Trump praised Tisa Clark of JD Clark Professional Services.

"Have you you ever thought about running for office? You are something," Trump said.

After a man from Ed and Jim's Body Shop spoke, Trump asked about the business.

"When there's a problem with the car can you generally fix it without sending for new pieces?" Trump asked.

"It depends," the man said.

Trump predicted the body shop would gain customers after the White House event.

Plum Contracting was up next. Trump encouraged someone to put their mask on. Your pooler is not clear what prompted the remark. The president is not wearing a mask.

Trump then invited Secretary Mnuchin to talk "just a little bit about how well it's going."

"Your stories are the stories of the 60 million American workers ... that are going to have the benefits of the close to $1 trillion that the president and Congress have invested in small business," Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin noted the press has "commented" on large companies that "inappropriately" received loans. He said any loan over $2 million will be reviewed going forward.

The event is continuing.

In Town Pool Report #17 - End of East Room Event

Trump next took questions from the press. He began by noting your pooler had apologized for incorrectly stating South Korea has done more tests per capita than the US earlier today. The US passed South Korea earlier this month. Trump said it was "very nice" of the pooler to correct and apologize. Your pooler noted we regret the error.

The president was asked if there would be additional direct payments to people.

"I like the idea of payroll tax cuts," he said.

Trump then said he assumed the "next question" would be about aid to states.

"The problem with the stares is we're not looking to recover 25 years of bad management," Trump said.

Trump said we could "talk about" money for states if it' "covid related" but he'd want to see things "including sanctuary city adjustments."

Trump then said he would be signing the executive order on food supply liabilities in the "next hour or so."

The president then talked about testing. He said the country is "really doing a great job on testing" and "hasn't been given the kind of credit that it deserves." He noted that "last month it was about ventilators."

"I notice the testing is starting to die down because we now have the best testing in the world," said Trump.

Trump was then asked about reports Mitch McConnell doesn't want to fund infrastructure through a corona stimulus.

"He likes infrastructure. We all do. ... We want to do infrastructure," Trump said.

Trump then criticized money spent in the Middle East and suggested that had beeb wasted while potholes are not repaired.

The president was asked if he'd spoken to any families who lost loved ones and whether he'd been touched by any particular stories.

"I know many stories ... I've spoken to three, maybe four families," Trump said.

The president said he'd lost multiple personal friends.

"It's a bad death. ... It's a bad thing. ... It grips on to some people," he said.

Trump noted young people seem to fare better and expressed some support for reopening schools.

"Computer learning is wondeful .. but it's not the same thing as being in a classroom," said Trump.

As he concluded, Trump pointed to Michael from the coffee shop.

"This guy right here is the biggesr star in the room," Trump said. "I vote for you."

Michael stood, bowed, and waved. He urged the president to visit the coffee shop in Annapolis.

"Be careful that could happen," Trump said, adding, "He's stolen the show."

As Trump was leaving Michael and the shop owner went up to him. Michael again asked him to visit. Trump said, "I may do that." He suggested the press would vilify him if he doesn't visit.

"Get it ready," Trump said of the store.

The president left the East Room at about 4:08 pm.

In Town Pool Report #18 - Travel Photo Lid

The White House called a travel/photo lid at about 5:39 pm.

Have a good night and stay safe my friends!

In Town Pool Report #19 - Unlidded

Hello,

Apparently someone was playing a recording of a lid announcement as a joke.

There is not actually a lid.

This is probably the time for an old school emoji to make its pool report debut.

¯\_(?)_/¯

In Town Pool Report #20- A real lid!

At 6:10 pm the actual White House called an actual lid.

Stay safe everybody.