Pool Reports of December 2, 2020

Pool Report #1

Good morning from the White House, where pool has just taken the standard COVID test. The D.C. weather is getting colder: The forecast today is a high of 46 degrees with mostly cloudy skies.

The only item on POTUS' public schedule is lunch with the secretary of state, which is closed press. Pool will apprise you of any changes.

Pool Report #2 — WH briefing at 1 pm

Kayleigh McEnany just tweeted a White House news conference will take place at 1 pm: https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1334170999563149325

Pool Report #3 — WH briefing over

Kayleigh McEnany concluded the White House news briefing at 3 pm.

Pool Report #3a — correction

Kayleigh McEnany concluded the White House news briefing at 1:30 pm. Deep apologies for the time error in the previous report.

Pool Report #4 — lunch lid

The White House has called a lunch lid until 3 pm.

Pool Report #5 — Incident after WH briefing

Kayleigh McEnany's husband, Sean Gilmartin, was present during the news briefing in the rear of the briefing room and maskless. Nearby was a reporter with First Class Fatherhood, who was not part of the COVID approved rotation, and at the end of the briefing shouted out, "You crushed it, Kayleigh!"

New York Times photographer Doug Mills politely pointed out to Gilmartin rules requiring masks be worn in White House press areas. A White House staffer who was with Gilmartin said incredulously, "Kayleigh's husband?" The staffer and Gilmartin exited together as Mills restated the mask rules and said it doesn't matter who he is.

Mills later confirmed to pool Gilmartin was maskless for the entirety of the briefing and he was unaware of Gilmartin's identity when pointing out the rules.

Pool Report #5a — clarification on incident

Your pooler has been asked to clarify whether Sean Gilmartin ever donned as a mask after the incident following the White House briefing.

In the last moment pool saw Gilmartin before he exited, he was still not wearing a mask. New York Times photographer Doug Mills confirmed Gilmartin never put on a mask after the exchange.

Pool Report #6 — POTUS posts video remarks on Twitter

POTUS just posted to Twitter a video of him delivering remarks for two minutes.

Link to tweet: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1334240039639937026

Averring these remarks "may be the most important speech he ever made," POTUS continues to allege "coordinated assault and siege" in the 2020 election and declares he's "determined to protect our election system."

POTUS: "My opponent was told to stay away from the election. Don't campaign. We don't need you. We've got it. This election is done. In fact. they were acting like they already knew what the outcome was going to be. They had it covered and perhaps they did, very sadly for our country. It was all very, very strange."

POTUS: "The constitutional process must be allowed to continue. We are going to defend the honesty of the vote by ensuring that every legal ballot is counted and that no illegal ballot is counted."

No mention of concession.

Pool Report #7 — Transcript of POTUS' 45 min video (c/o FactSquared)

The folks at FactSquared, a D.C-based data company, have graciously sent over a transcript of POTUS' remarks from his longer 45-minute video on Facebook. (A link to that longer video was included in POTUS' tweet of the video.) I'm told there's no restriction on use or other requirements for the transcript and it can be used for pool purposes.

A link to FactSquared: https://corp.factsquared.com/

The transcript as provided by Bill Frischling at FactSquared is below:

Pool Report #7a — Updated transcript for 45-min video

?Bill Frischling at FactSquared just sent me a link to an updated, proofread transcript of POTUS' 45-minute remarks, which is sectioned off against different portions of the Facebook video.

Check it out here: https://factba.se/transcript/donald-trump-speech-elections-unannounced-d...

Pool Report #8 — travel-photo lid

?The White House called a travel-photo lid at 7:37.

Enjoy the rest of your evening and have a great holiday season!