Pool Reports of August 22, 2020

In-Town Pool Report #1: Departure

It is muggy and overcast, and showers are expected In the afternoon. Good morning.

After COVID tests, the pool piled into vans, and we are now rolling to an undisclosed location. Golf seems likely.

The president has no public events on his schedule until the evening. At 7pm, he and the First Lady will host a reception "celebrating the White House Rose Garden."

In-Town Pool Report #2: Arrival

The motorcade arrived at Trump National Golf Club a few minutes ago. A handful of protestors, including one with a Biden sign, stood outside.

The pool is now holding in the parking lot of a local strip mall. The bistro is closed.

In Town Pool Report #3: Leaving Golf Club

The motorcade left Trump

National a few minutes ago, and we are now rolling.

There was a little impromptu parade, outside of the country club rain and in the rain, as we waited for the president to depart.

Two Jeeps, covered in Trump bumper stickers and flying blue and yellow and pink Trump banners, buzzed up and down the boulevard. A big semi chugged alongside, complete with giant American flag and Trump 2020 mud flaps.

This convoy, for the better part of half-an-hour, laid on their horns, on and off again, to show support for the other Trump fans, the ones standing in the grass with their own Trump signs and Trump flags and Trump t-shirts and assorted Trump swag.

There were about two dozen, and they cheered as the motorcade passed by.

A handful of Biden supporters, who didn't have a semi or any Jeeps, also stood outside holding their signs.

In-Town Pool Report # 4: Arrival at WH

Motorcade pulled into the driveway at 3:45 after driving through sporadic downpours.

In-Town Pool Report #5 Dinner Lid

White House called a dinner lid until 6:30pm.

In-Town Pool Report #6 Travel/Photo Lid

The White House called a travel/photo lid. Have a good one.

Supplemental Pool: Rose Garden reveal

Good morning! CNN is your pool for today's reveal of the renovated Rose Garden. TV and stills and print are being taken out in shifts. We will feed back when we are finished here - currently delayed in a hold by Palm Room until POTUS movement complete.
*note: we were asked by the White House not to include images, still or video, of the set-up ongoing on the South Lawn for RNC events.

We have seen the garden from the ground level and are awaiting our turn to go up to the roof of the colonnade for a second position.There is still a large green grass center - with new grass we were not permitted to walk on. Instead, we were allowed only on the new limestone pathways that form an outer border around the grass and an inner border for the boxwood and flowers. Most notable is the absence of the 10 crabapple trees which were part of the original design. However, per a White House official, the shade they were casting over the flowers, as well as root growth, compromised the efficacy of keeping the other plantings alive and healthy. The official adds the trees were taken to the offsite White House greenhouse to be cared for and then at some point they will be replanted around the WH grounds.The new flowers are not huge. The colors are mostly whites and pastels, with some small hot pink roses and a few lavender colored flowers.

Also notable, there is no longer the area that most of us note as the location of the "Obama beer summit" at the east side of the garden. That area has been replaced by new limestone pavers and steps - the release given to press at this event says it will be "the new site for an unannounced art installation."

All of the information below was collected by your pooler on background from a White House official who was present, and most of it is also in the release:

This is a new garden, and it is expected to grow in concert across all of the flowers and boxwoods, rather than random replacement of sections or seasonal substitutions.

The predominant Rose veritable used in the new design is the "JFK Rose," a white flower. These are along the length of the garden, closest to the colonnade on one side, and the slope down to the South Lawn on the other. The "middle" of the plantings are filled with other smaller pink roses, and several "Peace" roses, which are sort of yellow/light pink (description by your pooler, who is not a horticulturist!) The other notable addition is the "Pope John Paul II Rose," a taller plant with white roses, in honor of of his visit to the White House in 1979, the first visit of a Pope to the White House. There is a place at the front of the beds for seasonal displays, but the actual garden itself is designed to remain as is and grow on its own.

A diamond-like pattern of boxwoods has also been reissued, part of the homage to the original 1962 design.

Supplemental Pool, #2 Rose Garden

Quick update, we're about to feed about 13 minutes of the Rose Garden footage.

Again, noting the *White House asked that images or video of the South Lawn RNC event set-up should not be for use. However, some of our shots do include the set-up simply by nature of background. Just asking to be mindful of the White House request to crop out the RNC staging/set up.

Supplemental Pool, #3 Rose Garden

I neglected to include what we know about the cost of the Rose Garden renovation, and who paid for it. Your pooler has asked – today and previously – for the cost of the Rose Garden project and has not received an answer. Your pooler has reported, confirmed via the White House, the funds were provided by private donations. However, the White House did not respond to requests for that list of donors, or how specifically the funds were solicited or a breakdown of funds.

The National Park Service is responsible for care and upkeep of the outdoor spaces of the White House.

First lady Melania Trump is scheduled to deliver her RNC speech from the updated Rose Garden, live, on Tuesday evening.