Pool Reports by Hailey Fuchs, Politico
| Sent: | Reports: |
| March 20, 2024 10:44 MST |
Travel pool report #1 — Motorcade rolling Good morning all from sunny Scottsdale, Ariz. The schedule for the day is below. Motorcade is rolling. MST 8:45 AM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time 9:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing 10:40 AM THE PRESIDENT tours the Intel Ocotillo Campus 11:45 AM THE PRESIDENT announces a preliminary agreement with Intel for a major CHIPS and Science Act award 1:25 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Phoenix, Arizona en route Dallas, Texas CDT 5:25 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Dallas, Texas 6:05 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a campaign reception 8:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a campaign reception |
| March 20, 2024 11:04 MST |
Travel pool report #2 — Gaggle Planned on AF1 From the White House -- Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby will gaggle aboard AF1 at 4:45 PM EDT. |
| March 20, 2024 11:32 MST |
Travel pool report #3 — Arrival at the Intel Ocotillo Campus The motorcade has arrived at the Intel Ocotillo Campus in Chandler, Ariz. On the way to the location, there was a group of people standing on the side of the road, one of whom held a sign that said: "F*** JOE BIDEN," with the expletive fully spelled out. |
| March 20, 2024 11:41 MST |
Travel pool report #4 — Intel facility President Biden stood behind a table, next to Intel's CEO among a number of others. On the table, there are five wafers, which each have chips in them. Two small signs on the table read "President Joe Biden Investing in America." Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was among the group standing with POTUS. President Biden held and inspected one of the wafers. An Intel employee -- Michelle Blackwell --- spoke about them. Biden: "It's amazing. I'll be darned. You're bringing the future back to America." He remarked on the "thinness" of the fiber and small size of the chips. From the White House: The President is touring the Intel Ocotillo Campus in Chandler, Arizona. Tour Participants: ______ From the White House, regarding who traveled to the Intel site with the President: Traveling with the President via motorcade en route the Intel Ocotillo Campus, Chandler, Arizona: Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff |
| March 20, 2024 11:43 MST |
Travel pool report #5 — Intel event continued The President will speak shortly at the Intel facility. His remarks will be live-streamed here. |
| March 20, 2024 12:17 MST |
Travel pool report #6 — Intel event The event is being livestreamed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSANLciiU9k From the White House: Participating in a photoline with the President at theIntel Ocotillo Campus in Chandler, Arizona Secretary Gina Raimondo, Department of Commerce The President is delivering remarks and announcing a preliminary agreement with Intel for a major CHIPS and Science Act award. Pre-Program: Kevin Hartke, Mayor of Chandler Speaking Program: Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel |
| March 20, 2024 12:38 MST |
Travel pool report #7 — President's remarks conclude POTUS' remarks concluded at around 12:37 pm local time. |
| March 20, 2024 | [APP Note: Report #8 does not exist or was not received by the APP.] |
| March 20, 2024 13:45 MST |
Travel pool report #9 — Phoenix airport arrival We have arrived at the Phoenix airport, but the pool did not see POTUS enter AF1. From the White House: The President did an interview with Univision following his remarks at Intel, to discuss economic progress and job creation for the Latino community. On the way to the airport, there was a group of people by the road. Among them was a Trump 2024 sign. |
| March 20, 2024 15:54 CDT |
Travel pool report #10 — Phoenix departure AF1 was wheels up at around 1:53 pm local time. From the White House: Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff |
| March 20, 2024 17:46 CDT |
Travel pool report #11 — Texas arrival I understand that the audio for the gaggle on AF1 fell off, so I am sending a link to my Otter. Kirby spoke about Haiti, Israel, and Ukraine. Jeanne-Pierre spoke about the Texas immigration enforcement law, a judicial confirmation, and Republican efforts to impeach the President. https://otter.ai/u/7ALPUVWcFB40AVavZmkgbJV2bTI AF1 was wheels down at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at about 5:35 pm local time. |
| March 20, 2024 17:50 CDT |
Travel pool report #12 — Texas arrival continued POTUS exited AF1 at about 5:48pm local time. He shook hands with Clay Jenkins, a Dallas county judge. The two spoke briefly. He then loaded into the car. From the White House: Greeting the President upon arrival at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Judge |
| March 20, 2024 18:02 CDT |
Travel pool report #13 — motorcade rolling Motorcade is rolling to the first campaign stop. I will share more details of the stop when I have it. |
| March 20, 2024 18:36 CDT |
Travel pool report #14 — First campaign event The motorcade has arrived at the first campaign event. There were two signs on the way to the event. One said "TRUMP WON SAVE AMERICA," and another was folded but appeared to say, at least in part, Trump keep America great. There was also someone with a Let's Go Brandon sweatshirt or hoodie on the way to the first event. |
| March 20, 2024 18:44 CDT |
Travel pool report #15 — campaign event 1 On behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign: The President is participating in a campaign reception in the Dallas area, Texas. Speaking Program Russell Budd |
| March 20, 2024 19:58 CDT |
Travel pool report #16 — campaign stop 1 POTUS spoke in the backyard of the home where the campaign event is taking place and string lights are strewn across the yard above attendees. There are about 100 people here. After POTUS stepped out, attendees shouted "Four more years." Russell Budd introduced him and called Biden the "hottest ticket in Texas" tonight. He said the campaign approached him about the event, and they raised $2.5 million. He listed the co-hosts, including his wife Dorothy, Jack Baldwin, Alan Greenspan, among others. Officials here include Clay Jenkins, who became a father of twins this morning, Budd said (Jenkins is Dallas County judge). DNC Chair Jaime Harrison is here, along with top Biden Victory Fund official Chris Korge, he said. Budd said that this was the third time Biden has been to his home. The last time he was here was May of 2019. The first time was in the early 2000s, Budd said. Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Joe Biden were all here. Budd described a trip to Washington the next day with Biden, in which he gave a lesson in foreign policy and even Harry Reid was "in learning mode," Budd said. The President began speaking at 7:24pm. He thanked Russell and Dorothy for their friendship, and he thanked Jaime Harrison and others. He spoke about opening field offices and said that he was ahead in a number of recent polls. "I'm not sure any of 'em matter because it's so hard to take polls these days," he said. He spoke about the Covid pandemic under Trump four years ago and how the former President tried to downplay the virus. He mentioned the revelation on Trump's knowledge of the virus in Bob Woodward's book. POTUS also mentioned the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He claimed that Trump was going to pardon those involved in the riot. He spoke about economic gains during his administration and efforts to reduce the deficit, along with efforts to improve infrastructure. He called to do more on climate change and pointed to how inflation was dropping. "The problem is … where he wants to take us now," Biden said of Trump. "He means what he says." He said Trump intends to repeal the ACA. "Look at the judges he put on the bench," Biden said. "He wants to do away with NATO." Biden said Trump recently hosted Orban of Hungary at Mar-a-Lago and said Trump brags about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. Biden said Trump brought chaos to the American border. He pointed to the bipartisan group of Senators that were negotiating a deal. "Unlike Trump, I'm not gonna demonize immigrants," Biden said. "Our standing in the world is the greatest threat" Trump poses to democracy, Biden said. Biden said they were going to take Texas and Colin Allred was going to be Senator. He spoke again of his proposal to raise the tax rate for billionaires. POTUS spoke of his dad and said he used to say a job is about more than a paycheck. "Thanks for giving me a shot to do it again," Biden said, met with cheers from the crowd. He concluded at 7:39pm local time. Motorcade is rolling to the next stop. |
| March 20, 2024 20:01 CDT |
Travel pool report #17 — more quotes from campaign stop 1 More quotes from the first campaign event: "Although you probably haven't read about it There have been five national polls where we're actually leading again in the polls. The truth is I'm not sure it matters because it's so hard to do a poll these days." Biden then did a riff on the are you better off than you were four years ago? "Speaking of Donald Trump just a few days ago, he asked the famous question at one of his rallies: Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" "Well Donald I'm glad you asked that question man because I hope everyone in the country takes a moment to think back when it was like in March of 2020 - COVID had come to America and Trump was president. Hospital emergency rooms were overcrowded. First Responders were risking their lives. Nurses were wearing garbage bags for protection. Morgues were being set up all outside not just in the hospital. And loved ones are dying all alone. You couldn't even say goodbye to them. Unemployment was up to 14%. The stock market crashed. Grocery store shelves were empty. And we were even in a toilet paper crisis." Biden then lists how it's different from four years ago. "Donald Trump is no longer president that's the first thing." "COVID no longer controls our lives. 15 million new jobs. We had record economic growth, new small business creation record, stock market as highest has ever been." On Trump: "The problem isn't just going back to where Trump had the country. It's where he wants to take us now. Look to what he's saying. I hope we're all going to take it seriously. He means what he says. As crazy as it sounds he means what he says." He then said Trump wants to get rid of Obamacare, affordable prescription drugs, tax cuts for rich, cut social security and Medicare. "He recently hosted Victor Orban - prime minister of Hungry - at Mar a Lago. Orban says he doesn't think democracy works. That's who he admires the most." "Trump didn't just being chaos to Americans. He also brought chaos to the American border." Biden then talked about how the border bill got held up in Congress. |
| March 20, 2024 20:20 CDT |
Travel pool report #18 — pool campaign event Pool is waiting at the second campaign event, also in Dallas. Will send updates when I have them. |
| March 20, 2024 21:05 CDT |
Travel pool report #19 — campaign event 2 continued On behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign: The President is participating in a campaign reception in the Dallas area, Texas. Speaking Program Kneeland Youngblood ____ Biden was introduced by Kneeland Youngblood in Youngblood's backyard. POTUS began speaking around 8:35 pm. His remarks were largely similar to those at the previous campaign event. "We've had 1.3 million people contribute to our campaign," with 500,000 of them new contributors, POTUS said. "Donald, I'm sorry I can't help you," POTUS said of a man with crushing debt -- a joke he's told before. He pointed to what the economy and world was like four years ago, at the start of the pandemic, and a revelation from Bob Woodward's book that Trump knew about the severity of the virus, along with some of Trump's other comments about Covid. "Donald Trump is not president," Biden said to the crowd. "I am. Because of you." He spoke about the economic growth during his term and infrastructure, along with investments to fight climate change. "Does anyone here want to go back to 2020?" Biden asked, to which the crowd responded, "No." "He means what he says," Biden said of Trump, pointing to, among others, his comments about being a dictator for a day. "He's a climate denier," Biden said of Trump. He said Trump brags about how he's the reason Roe v. Wade is overturned. Biden said he had never seen another President ask people to vote against something because of how it would make the other guy look. "The greatest threat he poses is to our democracy," Biden said of Trump. Biden pointed to Trump's recent "bloodbath" remarks. He pointed to how Liz Cheney said she couldn't vote for Trump. "The stakes couldn't be higher across the board," he said. He also called for elected Colin Allred instead of Ted Cruz for Senate from Texas. Biden said he was "41," but said the real question was the age of their ideas. "Are you better off now than four years ago?" He asked. He repeated his plan to increase taxes for billionaires. He stopped speaking at about 8:48 pm local time. The motorcade is now rolling. |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of March 20, 2024 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/370924