Pool Reports of June 9, 2022

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool No. 1

Hi all,

I'm your pooler on what promises to be a very busy day in Los Angeles – President Biden's second day at the Summit of the Americas. I'm attaching the president's schedule (all times are PDT) and searching out the first of what I anticipate will be many cups of caffeine. My contact info is below if there are questions. -Cleve

The guidance from the White House:

Thursday, June 9, 2022

In the morning, the President will deliver remarks at the IV CEO Summit of the Americas. These remarks at the Intercontinental Hotel, Los Angeles, California will be covered by the out-of-town pool.

After, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada where they will discuss how to strengthen our cooperation on economic development, the pandemic, migration and more. This meeting at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California will have an out-of-town pool spray.

In the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will meet with leaders of Caribbean nations. This meeting will focus on deepening the U.S.-Caribbean partnership, building on the Vice President's April 29 virtual meeting with Caribbean leaders. They will launch a new partnership, which the Vice President is leading, to address the climate crisis. Opening and closing remarks at the Los Angeles Convention Center will have an out-of-town pool spray.

Then, the President will attend and deliver remarks at the opening plenary of the Ninth Summit of the Americas. This event at the Los Angeles Convention Center will have an out-of-town pool spray.

After, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil where they will reaffirm the importance of our strategic partnership on issues such as combatting the climate crisis and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting at the Los Angeles Convention Center will have an out-of-town pool spray.

In the evening, the President and the First Lady will welcome heads of state and government and their spouses for a dinner as part of the Ninth Summit of the Americas. This event at the Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California will have an out-of-town pool spray.

PDT

10:00 AM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time

11:00 AM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at the IV CEO Summit of the Americas
Intercontinental Hotel, Los Angeles, California
Out-of-Town Pool

11:45 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada where they will discuss how to strengthen our cooperation on economic development, the pandemic, migration and more
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

1:30 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT will meet with leaders of Caribbean nations, deepening the U.S.-Caribbean partnership, building on the Vice President's April 29 virtual meeting with Caribbean leaders.
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

2:00 PM THE PRESIDENT attends and delivers remarks at the opening plenary of the Ninth Summit of the Americas
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

3:30 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil where they will reaffirm the importance of our strategic partnership on issues such as combatting the climate crisis and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

7:45 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY welcome heads of state and government and their spouses for a dinner as part of the Ninth Summit of the Americas
Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool Report No. 2

Biden will make his first public remarks of the day at the IV CEO Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Pool traveled independently and did not see POTUS before he was on stage.

Remarks will be livestreamed and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtC_oytrxDY

Cleve R. Wootson Jr. | White House Reporter - The Washington Post | 202-494-3278 (mobile)

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool Report No. 3

POTUS began speaking at 11:13 a.m.

He is flanked by several signs bearing the insignia of the IV CEO Summit of the Americas and of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Remarks here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtC_oytrxDY

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool report No. 4

POTUS remarks to the IV CEO Summit of the Americas ended at 11:26 a.m.

Pool and POTUS are rolling to next event.

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool report No. 5. Trudeau bilat, Jan. 6 commission remarks.

Motorcade arrived at the LA convention center at 11:48 a.m. Pool did not see POTUS enter and was ushered to a hold on the bilat floor of the summit, then to a floor where POTUS and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were waiting.

Biden — wearing a blue suit, lighter blue tie and pocket handkerchief folded into triangles — sat on the right. Trudeau was to the left. Four flags, two from each country, were placed behind them. Here are selected quotes. Please refer to the transcript.

POTUS: "We have no better friend in the whole world. And you're a good personal friend as well."

POTUS started by commenting on "The first open hearings of the Jan. 6 committee," which take place tonight.

Of the attack he said "I think it's a clear and flagrant violation of the constitution" and that participants were "trying to turn around the results of the election. A lot of Americans are going to see for the first time some of the details. "

On the Summit of the Americas, he said "We already have a circumstance where it's the most Democratic hemisphere in the world" and added "there's no reason Why it can't become more democratic and prosperous."

Trudeau echoed his remarks about democracy, occasionally in French and said both counties are trying to "make the case that democracy is not just fairer but it's also better for citizens for putting food on the table and putting futures in front of them."

POTUS TRAVEL POOL NO. 6 bilat quotes / delegation

Here's a better Jan. 6 quote.

"Before we begin, one of the things that is going to occupy my country tonight, I suspect, is the first open hearings on January the sixth. As I said when it was occurring and subsequently, I think it was a clear, flagrant violation of the constitution. I think these guys and women broke the law, tried to turn around the result of an election. And there are a lot of questions about who is responsible and who is involved. I'm not going to make a judgement on that."

h/t to Franco Ordoñez of NPR.

White House also passes along the participants of the bilat:

Joining the President for his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau :

U.S. Manifest
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
T.H. Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
T.H. Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, National Security Council
T.H. Katie Tobin, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Transborder Security, National Security Council
Ms. Neda Brown, Director for Caribbean Affairs, National Security Council

Canada Manifest
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Kirsten Hillman, Ambassador of Canada to the United States
Ms. Katie Telford, Chief of Staff, Prime Minister's Office
Ms. Nathalie Drouin, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council
Ms. Jody Thomas, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister
Mr. Brian Clow, Deputy Chief of Staff, Prime Minister's Office
Mr. John Brodhead, Director of Policy, Prime Minister's Office
Ms. Elise Wagner, Advisor, Canada-U.S. Relations and Issues Management

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool Report No. 7. CARICOM dropin. Statement about boycott.

The bilat with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lasted from 12:08 p.m. to 1:01 p.m.

At approximately 1:43 p.m. POTUS "dropped in" on a meeting between VPOTUS Harris and CARICOM leaders. Harris was seated at center, flanked by more than a dozen Caribbean leaders at a U-shaped table. The flags of the various countries were behind Harris.

As always, please refer to the transcript for most accurate quotes.

At approximately 1:43 p.m. POTUS walked in and told VPOTUS "I apologize for crashing your meeting," then sat next to VPOTUS.

VPOTUS told POTUS that she and the Caribbean leaders were engaged in "a discussion, a family conversation. A very candid conversation about the challenges that our neighbors in this region have been experiencing."

"I have underscored in this meeting our commitment … to putting time and resources toward strengthening these nations," VPOTUS said.

Upon entering, POTUS told the gathered leaders "I'm not here to tell you anything, but to hear what's on your mind."

"I mean this sincerely: You're critically important to us in every way, and I hope we are important to you," he said. "And I think that there's a means by which we can maybe undo some of the damage done in the previous four years, when you weren't very much taken seriously, the relationships."

As the pool was ushered out, Biden responded to one shouted question:

Q: Any concerns about the boycott.

A: No.

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool report No. 8 Plenary remarks

At 2:37 p.m. POTUS begin his remarks opening the plenary session of the summit of the Americas.

Remarks are streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGd5EeJvhB0

POTUS 6/9 Travel pool report 9

Plenary session ended at 3:47 with remarks from Biden. A note: POTUS shook hands with H.E. Alberto Fernández, President of the Argentine Republic, one of the leaders who criticized him during the session over the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

POTUS and Fernandez spoke briefly, but it was out of earshot of the pool.

POTUS 6/9 pool report no. 10. Bolsonaro bilat

At 3:59 pm pool was ushered into a room where POTUS was scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Jair Bolsonaro, President of the Federal Republic of Brazil.

The two presidents were already seated. Four flags, two from each country, were placed behind them.

POTUS remarked that he was "fortunate enough to visit your magnificent country on three different occasions, including for the World Cup … Brazil is a wonderful place with magnificent people."

He lauded the country for its stewardship of the Amazon rainforest and said the country had made some "real sacrifices" in protecting the forest.

"I think the rest of the world should be able to help you preserve as much as you can" POTUS said.

"I'm anxious to hear what's on your mind," POTUS added.

Bolsonaro spoke in Portuguese, and no translation was provided by the White House. But one fellow pooler provided a translation. Please check translation, as your pooler does not speak Portuguese: "I came to office through democracy and I'm quite certain when I leave office it will also be through Democratic means"

Attendees (From the White House): Joining the President for his bilateral meeting with Jair Bolsonaro, President of the Federal Republic of Brazil:

U.S. Manifest:
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
T.H. Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
T.H. Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, National Security Council
T.H. Katie Tobin, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Transborder Security, National Security Council
Ms. Neda Brown, Director for Caribbean Affairs, National Security Council

Brazil Manifest:
H.E. Jair Bolsonaro, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
Arthur Lira, Speaker of the House of Representatives
Carlos França, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Anderson Torres, Ministry of Justice
Marcelo Queiroga, Ministry of Health
Fábio Faria, Ministry of Communications
Joaquim Leite, Ministry of Environment
Flávio Rocha, Special Secretary of Strategic Affairs
Nestor Forster Jr., Ambassador of Brazil in the US

POTUS 6/9 Pool Report No. 11. Bilat ends.

The bilat with Bolsonaro ended at 4:48

Motorcade will be rolling shortly.

Also should note, POTUS did not answer a cacophony of shouted questions during the Bolsonaro bilat

POTUS pool report no. 12. Departing convention center.

At 5:20 POTUS and motorcade departed the convention center. Headed to brief hold and next stop.

POTUS 6/9 Pool report no. 13. Motorcade moving.

At 6 pm, motorcade departed the RON and is now motoring toward our next destination. Ultimately ending up at Getty Villa, where POTUS will dine with other heads of state.

Some Los Angelenos waved to the passing motorcades and took pictures or videos with their phones.

POTUS 6/9 travel report No. 14. Getty Villa arrival.

Pool caught a glimpse of POTUS boarding Marine One but was not close enough to ask questions and was ferried to vans as he exited the helicopter.

After a brief helicopter flight over Los Angeles and a ride along the Pacific Coast Highway POTUS arrived at Getty Villa at 6:44 pm. People along the way took photos and waved - most with all five fingers. At the villa several service men and women lined the driveway, holding the flags of various nations.

Pool did not see POTUS enter the villa.

POTUS 6/9 Travel Pool Report No. 15. Toast at Getty Villa

At 7:53 p.m., POTUS, FLOTUS and other leaders and heads of state gathered in a columnated pavilion at the Getty Villa near a long, blue pool near the Pacific Ocean and POTUS offered a toast before dinner.

Please check quotes against transcript.

"You know, I thought today was a good day," POTUS said. "I used to always kid Barack – President Obama. I'd always say to him all politics is personal, meaning that it makes a difference when you get to know someone, whether you agree or not, it makes a difference to look in their eyes and understand a little more what's in their heart."

POTUS told leaders that they'd found more common ground than differences.

"I hope getting to know each other better will make it easier to accomplish what we all want done because it is all personal and all the people we represent, it matters to them, deeply, to get it done."

POTUS appeared to ignore shouted questions. One reporter asked if POTUS had seen any of the Jan. 6 commission hearings and POTUS, with the microphone away from his mouth, appeared to shrug and say "didn't have time."

Pool was ushered out as the dignitaries began eating.

POTUS 6/9 Pool Reporter No. 16 Menu.

White House Passes along the dinner menu from tonight.

The Garden of Little Gem Lettuce

Seasonal Radishes
Two Peas in A Pod Snap Peas
Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper Cheese
Brioche Croutons
Chive Avocado Dressing

Pacific Halibut

Valdivia Farms Tomato Confit
Weiser Family Farms Sunchoke Purée
Babé Farms Glazed Globe Carrots Made With White House Honey
Organic Green Garlic Gremolata

Spring Pavlova

Meyer Lemon Mousse
Crème Fraîche Chantilly
J.G. Berries
Vanilla Bean Meringue Crisp

POTUS 6/9 pool report No. 17. Getty villa departure.

POTUS and motorcade departed from Getty Villa at 10:24 en route to RON.

Pool did not see POTUS enter motorcade, which is rolling.

POTUS 6/9 Travel pool report. RON.

POTUS and the motorcade returned to the RON at 10:59. Pool did not see POTUS enter.

And we have a lid at 11:00.

Foreign Pool Report #1 - POTUS bilateral with President Bolsonaro / Background + Agenda

Good afternoon from Los Angeles!

It's a pleasure to be your foreign pooler for the bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and President Jair Bolsonaro that was scheduled for 3:30pm PT.

Before they shake hands for the first time, let me provide you all with some background information.

Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain who spent nearly three decades in Congress, is the President of Brazil since January of 2019. He is running for re-election this year. The voting will take place on October, 2nd, 2022.

In three and half years in office, this is Bolsonaro's fifth visit to the United States. He met former president Donald Trump- whom he admires - three times. The last time was in Mar-a-Lago in March 2020. During the election of 2020, Bolsonaro didn't hide his support for Trump and waited more than one month to congratulate Biden after his victory- the last leader of the G20 to do so.

This will be the first time president Biden and Bolsonaro will meet - or even speak. They never had a phone call. Bolsonaro said he was inclined not to attend the Summit of the Americas and changed his mind after the White House extended an invitation for a bilateral meeting with President Biden.

When confirming his trip to Los Angeles, Bolsonaro said: "He (Biden) sent a person (former senator and senior adviser for the summit Christopher Dodd) specially to talk to me and there I put the cards on the table. With Trump everything was going very well. When Biden came in, there was just a freeze… I saw him at the G-20, he passed by as if I didn't exist…I don't know if it's his age, or what it is. I will have a bilateral with him. I will enforce what Brazil represents to the world...I'm not going to smile and shake hands or appear in a photo. I'm going to solve issues. I'm the president of Brazil and will not, as some want, accept an international agenda to look good".

Both leaders will try to set their differences aside, but many disagreements persist.

A senior administration official said "the decision to do a meeting is that President Bolsonaro is the democratically elected leader of Brazil, a country with whom the United States shares a significant set of common interests and concerns. >We obviously also have some disagreements with the president and the government of Brazil that will also be the subject of what I'm sure will be a candid conversation between the two leaders."

National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, said there are no topics off limits.

The Brazilian government said Brazil and the US are working on declarations on democratic governance, sustainable health and resilience, clean energy, and digital transformation. President Bolsonaro plans to address the Brazilian concern with the global supply of fertilizers - one of the topics he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow one week before the invasion in Ukraine.

Leaving his hotel for the meeting this afternoon, Bolsonaro said "the world without Brazil goes hungry" and "Brazil is increasingly an important actor for humanity". He said both leaders need to "deepen the relationship" and emphasized that he always had a "great respect for the American people. We have common values, like democracy, freedom".

President Biden has been under pressure by progressive congressmen to not advance partnerships with Brazil if president Bolsonaro doesn't respect democracy, human rights, and environmental laws.

What to watch:

- AMAZON DEFORESTATION: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said aboard AF1 flying to LA that climate can be an area of progress, "particularly around concrete and tangible action to protect the Amazon".

Today the United States announced its intent to provide $12 million to support Brazil, Colombia, and Peru through Amazonia Connect. This initiative will contribute to the President's Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks by reducing commodity-driven deforestation and associated greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural supply chains while conserving biodiversity, improving livelihoods, and enhancing climate resilience.

Last November, during the COP26, President Bolsonaro, who didn't attend the event, pledged to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030. The US government responded that "President Bolsonaro struck a positive and constructive tone in his Summit remarks''. So far it's not clear if the United States sees any progress on the commitment. The United States says the conversation with Brazil is still ongoing.

The day before boarding to Los Angeles, on Tuesday, Bolsonaro said during an interview "if President Biden gets into the environmental issue, I already know how to proceed. From what I understand, he (Biden) is not going to try to impose anything I should be doing on the Amazon. We cannot relativize our sovereignty".

During a presidential debate in 2020, then-candidate Biden said that "the rainforests of Brazil are being torn down", and threatened "economic consequences" if Brazil didn't stop deforestation. Bolsonaro quickly responded that Brazil would respond with "gunpowder".

- MISSING IN THE AMAZON: The meeting takes place amid growing international pressure for searches for the British journalist Dom Phillips and the indigenous expert Bruno Araújo Pereira who have been missing in the Amazon for 5 days. In Washington, congressmen have released public messages expressing concern and urging the Brazilian government to intensify its search.

The US Embassy in Brasilia said in a brief statement: "We are aware of the disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Araújo Pereira in Brazil and continue to monitor the situation with great interest. We hope Mr. Phillips and Mr. Pereira are found and brought to safety as quickly as possible"

Bolsonaro said earlier this week "two people in a boat, in a completely wild region like this, is an adventure that isn't recommendable for one to do. Anything could happen, an accident could happen, they could have been executed, anything. The Armed Forces are working very hard in the region" to find them. He added today that he hopes "they are found alive, but every day it gets harder".

- ELECTION FRAUD: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said yesterday that President Biden will discuss "open, free, fair, transparent democratic elections" during the meeting.

Just like Donald Trump, President Bolsonaro has questioned the voting system in Brazil, arguing that Brazil's electronic voting - used in Brazil since 1996 - is susceptible to fraud and calls for the reestablishment of paper ballots. After Jan. 6, Bolsonaro told his supporters "if we don't have the ballot printed in 2022, to audit the votes, we're going to have bigger problems than the US".

Before coming to Los Angeles this week, Bolsonaro questioned again the electoral system in Brazil, as well as in the United States: "It's the American people who says it (there was fraud in the US election). Trump was doing very well. And a lot of things came to us that made us wonder. There is information from Brazilians that some people voted more than once. We don't want that to happen in Brazil."

During a meeting with Bolsonaro in Brasilia last August, Jake Sullivan expressed confidence in the Brazilian electoral system. Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzales, added they were "very direct in expressing great confidence in the ability of the Brazilian institutions to carry out a free and fair election with proper safeguards in place to guard against fraud, and we stressed the importance of not undermining confidence in that process, especially since there were no signs of fraud in prior elections. We were very candid in terms of our views, particularly given some of the parallels here in the United States".

Other topics they will discuss:

Covid-19 pandemic, food and energy security, war in Ukraine and China.

Foreign Pool Report #2 - POTUS bilateral with President Bolsonaro / Meeting

President Joe Biden and President Jair Bolsonaro were sitting apart and didn't shake hands in front of the camera

President Joe Biden and President Jair Bolsonaro were sitting apart and didn't shake hands in front of the cameras. POTUS welcomed President Jair Bolsonaro, and remembered he went to Brazil on two different occasions, including during the World Cup in 2014.

In the opening, President Biden sent a message that he has confidence in the Brazilian election system: "Brazil is a wonderful place, people because of the vibrant and inclusive democracy and strong election institutions"

On the Amazon, Biden said Brazil has done a good work to protect the Amazon and defended the rest of the world should be participating and helping Brazil to protect the Amazon.

President Jair Bolsonaro - who doesn't speak English- talked the most- for about 7 minutes. Speaking directly with the audience back home, he questioned again the Brazilian voting system, defended his decision of not getting involved in the global coalition against Russia for the war in Ukraine and defended the sovereignty of the Amazon.

President Biden many times looked down and didn't engage in eye contact.

The meeting is scheduled to last about 30 minutes.

I will send full quotes soon.

Foreign Pool Report #3 - POTUS bilateral with President Bolsonaro - quotes

Presidente Bolsonaro started "we have a lot in common. As for example we love freedom, we are democrats, we share the same values and we want the good of our people and peace in the world"

Amazon:

" Brazil is a gigantic country of territorial proportions among the largest in the world, we have a wealth in the heart of Brazil, our Amazon, which is bigger than western Europe. With wealth and biodiversity, mining wealth, drinking water and a source of oxygen. Sometimes we feel threatened for our sovereignty in that area, but Brazil preserves it's territory very well. Two thirds of Brazil are preserved. More than 85% of the Amazon, too. Our environmental legislation is very strict and we do our best to comply with it for the good of our country. We may soon be the biggest exporter of clean energy via green hydrogen"

Food Security:

"We also have other issues such as Brazil feeds more than 1 billion people around the world with cutting-edge agriculture, machinery and technology that is unparalleled in the entire world.

The world today I dare say depends a lot on Brazil for its survival."

"The environmental issue has it's difficulties, but we do our best to meet our own interest and also the will of the world, but as I said we are an example for the world on the environmental issue. In addition to food security and clean energy, as well as in terms of the environment, Brazil is a giant. And it presents itself to the world as the solution to many problems."

Bilateral relationship with the US:

"We have a huge interest in getting closer and closer to the US. We almost 200 years in partnership. At times, we distance ourselves due to issues of ideology. But I'm sure that at the time of our arrival in the government we never had such a great opportunity because of the affinities that our government has."

Brazilian election:

"This year we have elections in Brazil and we want clean, reliable and auditable elections so that there is no doubt after the results of the election and I am sure it will be held in this democratic spirit. I was elected by democracy and I am sure that when I leave the government, it will also be in a democratic way."

More to come.

Foreign Pool Report #4 - POTUS bilateral with President Bolsonaro - more quotes

More Bolsonaro quotes:

Trade relations:

"Brazil and the United States have everything to seal our trade relations - materializing the north-south axis that our countries complement each other, and we have everything to integrate ourselves more and more and be an example to the world."

War in Ukraine:

"Furthermore, Brazil is dependent on some things from other countries. We always adopt a position of balance. We want peace and we will do everything for peace to be achieved. We regret the conflicts, but I have a country to manage and due to its dependence we must always be cautious, because the consequences of the pandemic with the mistaken "stay at home" police, aggravated by a war 10 thousand kilometers away from Brazil, the economic consequences are harmful for all of us in Brazil, especially for the most humble, who face an inflation in food as well as energy"

"So president Joe Biden, we are ready to collaborate in the construction of a way out of this episode that we do not want between Ukraine and Russia, because we must, we hope and pray that we get out of this situation as soon as possible, so that not only Brazil, but the world returns to normality."