Pool Reports of August 26, 2022

In-town pool report #1- Briefing now 1 pm

Good morning!

The briefing with Karine Jean-Pierre is now set for 1 pm, per the White House.

In-town pool report #1a - new briefing guest

From the White House:

Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Bharat Ramamurti will be joining Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the Press Briefing today.

In-town pool report #2- checking in

Good morning from the White House!

It's a wonderfully sunny day in D.C. Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature is 82 degrees. Your pooler is eager to enjoy that weather poolside as soon as his work is complete here.

Below is the public schedule for POTUS, including his departure to Delaware for the weekend. Do remember the time for the briefing is now 1 pm. Your pooler will keep you apprised if anything else changes.

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9:30 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the President's Daily Brief
Closed Press

10:30 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

11:00 AM THE PRESIDENT drops by a meeting with state and local elected officials on Women's Equality Day to discuss actions to protect access to reproductive health care
Roosevelt Room
In-House Pool Spray (Gather 10:50 AM – Brady Press Briefing Room)

11:45 AM Supplemental Pool Call Time
Stakeout Location

1:00 PM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time
Stakeout Location

1:55 PM THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route Beltsville, Maryland
South Lawn
Open Press (Gather 1:45 PM – Palm Room Doors)

4:05 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Beltsville, Maryland en route New Castle, Delaware
Beltsville Landing Zone
Supplemental Pool

4:40 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in New Castle, Delaware
Delaware Air National Guard Base
Out-of-Town Pool

In-town pool report #3- POTUS remarks at top of event

Pool was escorted into the Roosevelt Room at 11:13. POTUS, wearing a Navy suit and blue tie, was seated with guests for the Women's Equality Day event.

"The court got Roe right for nearly 15 years. Congress in my views should codify Roe once and for all."- POTUS

POTUS said Congress is "short a few votes." The people, POTUS said, need to "make it happen" in November election.

Dobbs ruling, POTUS reiterated, is "Beyond the pale" and "goes too far."

POTUS points to federal court ruling in Idaho, calls it "a bit district court ruling."

Durham Mayor Elaine O'Neil began speaking about abortion issues. POTUS, after she finished, asked her: "How can you embarrass men to vote the right way?" O'Neil's response included greater awareness of reproductive procedures available to men.

More to come…

From the White House:

In attendance for the President's drop-by with state and local elected officials on Women's Equality Day to discuss actions to protect access to reproductive health care:

• Julie Rodriguez, Assistant to the President & Senior Adviser to the President & Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
• Jen Klein, Deputy Assistant to the President & Co-Chair & Executive Director of the White House Gender Policy Council
• Delaware Chief Deputy Attorney General Alexander Mackler
• Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore, MD
• Mayor Elaine O'Neal, Durham, NC
• Mayor Shawyn Patterson Howard, Mount Vernon, NY
• County Judge Lina Hidalgo, TX
• State Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, KS

More to come…

In-town pool report #4- POTUS quote on Mar-a-Lago

A cacophony of questions as wranglers sought to escort out reporters.

POTUS responded to one question: Do you think national security was threatened by documents at Mar-a-Lago?

POTUS: "We'll let the Justice Department determine that."

Pool exited at 11:24.

In-town pool report #5- More from Women's Equality Day event

Apologies from your pooler, but technical difficulties prevented recording of the top of the event with POTUS remarks and the full event in the Roosevelt Room.

Listen to partial recording: https://otter.ai/u/Q8x_SFy1_MiKs0MmhfWPZ889ZgM

Among the absent remarks in the recording (and not included in the previous report) is POTUS saying people have "no idea" about the strength with which we'll hear "women roar" in November. Please refer to a previous report from other remarks from POTUS at the top of the event.

Below is the start of a partial transcript of what was recorded:

POTUS (referencing legislation in Congress): be referred to seek medical care and protect a woman's right to travel to get the health care she needs, I think one that's going to turn out to be the biggest consequence on anything we're done is to protect your right to privacy...

And we also just had a big district court win in Idaho, and I'm here today to hear what you think, what you guys are doing. And so I'm gonna to, as they say, I yield the floor and I want to keep listening...

More to come...

In-town pool report #5a- full event now on CSPAN

A video recording on the full Women's Equality Day event is now on CSPAN:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?522506-1/president-biden-urges-congress-codify-roe-v-wade

In-town pool report #6- lunch lid

The White House has called a lunch lid until 1 pm (the start of the briefing).

In-town pool report #7- briefing started

The briefing with White House Press Secretary and Karine Jean-Pierre and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Bharat Ramamurti started at 1:15.

In-town pool report #8 - gathering

Pool was called to gather for departure at the Palm Room Doors at 1:49. The briefing was set to continue.

In-town pool report #9- POTUS does Q&A upon departure- "great economic report today"

Pool entered the South Lawn at around 1:53. POTUS had already emerged and was heading to pool to take questions.

POTUS talked about a "great economic report today,"and initially defended student loan forgiveness and took questions on Mar-a-Lago.

POTUS was just about impossible to hear over the roar of Marine One. Your pooler will do his best.

Listen:

https://otter.ai/u/xxA1v-DXX8EOvYOa104C7lDfabQ

POTUS boarded Marine One at 2:04 and took off shortly afterward. Handing off monitoring POTUS to out-of-town pooler, but will provide more on the Q&A.

In-town pool #9a- synopsis of Q&A Mar-a-Lago

One of the Mar-a-Lago questions came from Peter Alexander of NBC News, who asked whether it was ever appropriate for a president to take home classified info.

POTUS said "it depends on the circumstances," then talked about a safe place he has where he's staying this weekend for storing documents, according to Peter Alexander.

Peter Alexander said he asked then if there's every a circumstance when it's not OK, but got a non-substantive answer from POTUS in response.

In-town pool report #9a- synopsis of Q&A with Angola reporter
[APP Note: This report should have been numbered as "Report #9b".]

One of the last questions POTUS took on the South Lawn was from a reporter from Angola. The exchange was Inaudible to pool at the time of the exchange, but the reporter later told pool she asked about her Angola's upcoming election and the $2 billion investment from the United States in the country

POTUS replied, "Do you think we're investing in your country for nothing? There must be a reason," according to the reporter.

In-town pool report #9c- snippets on exchange on student loans

Apologies for not being able to clearer quotes by this time. Your pooler will consult with TV crew to get a better feed. Below are some snippets on student loans.

POTUS, asked a skeptical question about student loan forgiveness, replied, "Look, people need help."

POTUS went on to talk about meetings he's had on the issue, although your pooler cannot immediately discern the principals POTUS identified. POTUS brought up economic struggles of borrowers, including the ability "to be able to buy a home."

POTUS, taking a job at Republicans, said he was "fascinated" some of them were critical of forgiveness when they had received forgiveness in the PPP program.

"A whole lot of Republicans got a lot of money," POTUS said.

In-town pool report #9d- Another Otter recording of Biden Q&A

Here's another Otter recording, courtesy Aamer Madhani of the Associated Press: https://otter.ai/u/39iBtDkoc7O2xf_8qAQm3CL96BQ

This is one based on the TV feed of the exchange and a little clearer.

In-town pool report #9e- Full quote on Mar-a-Lago

Here's a full quote from POTUS in response to Peter Alexander's question on whether it is ever appropriate for a president to take home classified information.

"It depends on the circumstance," POTUS said. "For example, I have in my home a cabined-off space that is completely secure. I'm taking home with me today today's PDB. It's locked, a person with me — military with me I read it. I lock it back up and give it to the military."

Asked whether there's any situation when it's not OK, POTUS replied, "It depends on the document and it depends on how secure [they are]."

In-town pool report #9f- Full quote on student loans

Below is a full quote from POTUS on the South Lawn when asked about student loan forgiveness. Note his unnamed mention of Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

"Look, people need help," POTUS said. "And by the way, the end result of this is — as I've met with everyone from the former Secretary of Treasury to everyone else — this is not going to cause inflation, number one. Number two, it will generate economic growth, the opposite, because you now have people who are going to be freed up, to be able to go borrow money to buy a home, to be able to start businesses and do the things that need to be done."

"And I find it absolutely fascinating that some of the folks who are talking about this is big spending are the same people that got $158,000 in PPP money, including the — what's the name? That woman who believes in — Anyway, a whole lot of Republicans got a lot of money.," POTUS said. "The very people criticizing it. I think it's a good thing...It's going to grow the economy. We still have a way to go but I'm optimistic."

Supplemental pool report #1

Hi all, I'll be your supplemental pooler for the president's trip today.

POTUS is taping with Jay Leno this afternoon.

Pool is currently holding at the James Rowley Training Center, which is operated by the United States Secret Service. POTUS will be arriving on Marine One shortly.

Supplemental pool report #2

Marine One touched down at the James Rowley Training Center at 2:19pm.

POTUS deplaned and got in the beast to go to the taping location.

There were no Leno spottings.

Supplemental pool report #3

Pool is holding and not watching the taping.

From the WH—

Traveling with the President on Marine One from the White House en route to Beltsville, MD:

• Anita Dunn, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President
• Ashley Williams, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
• Meghan Hays, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Message Planning
• Terry Wolff, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for MENA

Supplemental pool report #4

Pool spotted a corvette, an old pickup truck, and another newer pickup truck on a giant track. They were left from the taping.

Pool joined the motorcade at 4:24 pm and we are rolling to JBA for Biden's departure for Delaware.

Supplemental pool report #5

POTUS got out of the beast and came and talked briefly to reporters about the taping with Leno and getting out on the campaign trail. Will send quotes.

He boarded Air Force One at 4:54 pm.

Supplemental pool report #6

Air Force One was wheels up at 5:03pm.

Biden before departure-

On Leno: "It was great. It was a lot of fun. We talked about how electric cars are going to change the nature of our environment.

"It was really good. It was even more fun driving my old corevette."

How often are you going to get out on the campaign trail ahead of the midterms?

"My sense is to get out as much as I can."

Supplemental pool report #7

Air Force One was wheels down at DANG at 5:29pm.

Biden deplaned, didn't answer shouted questions from the press on Afghanistan and the affidavit, and got into the beast.

Another quote from Biden pre departure about his taping with Leno—

"And they had that Ford Lightning vehicle, got to drive that again too. That was a fast SOB," he said referring to the Ford pickup.

Handing off now to travel pool.

Out-of-Town Pool #1 motorcade rolling

Taking over from supplemental pool.

(Your out-of-town poolers have spent some time this afternoon waiting around at a Wawa parking lot and at DANG base. Supplemental pool, which ended up flying with POTUS on AF1, covered arrival).

Motorcade rolling from DANG at 5:41 pm.

Out-of-Town Pool #2 Residence arrival

Press van peeled off from the motorcade near the Biden residence at 5:52 pm.

Out-of-Town Pool #3 lid

Lid called at 5:58 pm.

Have a good evening!