Pool Reports by Marek Walkuski, Polskie Radio
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| May 19, 2022 08:38 |
Foreign pool report #1 - background Good morning, I'm your foreign pooler for Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson's and President of Finland Sauli Niinistö's visit to the White House. POTUS welcomes the leaders of Sweden and Finland after both nations began formal process of applying for NATO membership. On Wednesday, Finnish and Swedish ambassadors submitted written applications to join the alliance to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Finland and Sweden's decisions to join NATO "a historic event, a watershed moment in European security." Announcing the visit the White House said that the leaders would discuss Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications, European security, strengthening partnerships on global issues and support for Ukraine. In a very similar announcements President Niinistö's and PM Andersson's offices said that besides NATO accession and the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the leaders will discuss transatlantic relations in the new security environment. The in-person meeting follows President Biden's Call with Prime Minister Andersson and President Niinistö on May 13. President Niinistö flew to Washington D.C. from Stockholm after two day state visit to Sweden. Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf hosted the Finnish President and First Lady in a royal show of unity. Schedule: 9:00 AM - Arrival at the South Portico (In-house pool) 9:15 AM - The trilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room, VP joins (Closed press) 10:30 AM - POTUS, PM Andersson, and President Niinistö deliver brief remarks at the Rose Garden, the VP attends (Open press, deadline to RSVP has passed). Sauli Niinistö, 73, a pro-European conservative, the 12th President of the Republic of Finland. Niinistö started his public service as a police chief, an assistant judge and a member of a city council. First elected to parliament in 1987, he was later appointed Minister of Justice, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and the Speaker of Parliament. He was active in Swedish and European conservative parties. Niinistö was inaugurated as the President of Finland in March 2012, and re-elected for the second six-year term in January 2018. President Niinistö is married to Jenni Haukio and they have a son, Aaro (born February 2018). He also has two adult sons from his previous marriage with Marja-Leena Niinistö, who died in a car crash in 1995. Sauli Niinistö survived the Asian tsunami of 2004 in Thailand by climbing up a tree to escape the waves. He is keen roller-blader. In 2015 BBC reported that he rollerbladed in more than 30 countries during his travels around the world. Politico once called Niinistö a "Roller-blading pragmatist" (not sure if he still skates). Niinistö visited the United States eight times as President. In 2012 and 2016 he met with President Barack Obama, and in 2017 and 2019 with President Donald Trump. President Niinistö and President Biden last met on 4 March 2022 in Washington D.C. Magdalena Andersson, 54, a Swedish economist and politician, chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party and Sweden's first woman Prime Minister. Her interest in politics started early. At the age of 16 she joined the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. In 1992, she earned a master's degree in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics. Since 1996 she served numerous government positions: a political adviser, director of planning, state secretary, director of the Swedish Tax Agency and the minister of finance. In November 2021, Andersson was elected as the prime minister of Sweden by the Riksdag. Andersson has built a reputation for being straightforward and blunt. Andersson is married to Richard Friberg, a professor in economics at the Stockholm School of Economics; they have two children. They like to spend time outdoors hiking, kayaking and camping. |
| May 19, 2022 09:25 |
Foreign pool report #2 - arrival / agenda President Niinistö's SUV with Finish and U.S. flags arrived at the South Portico at 9:07 AM, followed by Prime Minister Andersson's black SUV with American and Swedish flags two minutes later. The President greeted the leaders, they posed for pictures, chatted and smiled. They entered the White House at 9:11AM. The pool was the escorted to the West Colonnade to watch POTUS and his guests walking to the West Wing. They entered the Oval Office at 9:21AM. POTUS, PM Andersson and President Niinistö now will be holding trilateral talks in the Cabinet Room. The Vice President also attends. The meeting is closed press but the leaders are expected to focus on Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications and the war in Ukraine. NATO accession: Finland and Sweden applications to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization constitute a remarkable shift for two historically neutral countries, and for Europe. Both, Finland and Sweden, already closely cooperate with NATO but had avoided formal membership. Russian invasion of Ukraine dramatically changed the security situation in Europe and forced Finland and Sweden to reconsider their policy of non-alignment. The support for joining NATO went up not only among policymakers but also among the public. 76 percent of Finns now support their country accession to NATO, up from 60 percent in March, according to the poll commissioned by national public broadcasting company YLE. In the Helsingin Sanomat-Gallup poll conducted at the beginning of January 2022, only 28 percent were in favor of joining NATO. On Tuesday the Finnish Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of Finland applying for membership in NATO. The proposal was supported by 188 and opposed by 8 lawmakers. In Sweden, public support for joining NATO is slightly lower, but the majority (53 percent) are now in favor of membership, according to a survey conducted by Novus. The support for joining NATO grew to 64 percent when respondents were asked if Sweden should join if Finland joins. Sweden's governing Social Democratic Party announced on Sunday that it would vote in favor of joining NATO. During the debate in Swedish parliament seven out of nine parties, representing more than 300 out of 349 members of the parliament, supported NATO membership. Finland's military (*): Sweden's military (**): (*) (**) Source: CIA World Factbook Support for Ukraine:
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| May 19, 2022 11:13 |
Foreign pool report #3 - Remarks at the Rose Garden POTUS, PM Andersson and President Niinistö emerged from the Oval Office at 10:45 AM and walked to the podium with American, Finnish and Swedish flags as a background. POTUS spoke first and expressed "strong support for the applications of two great democracies and two close, highly capable partners to join the strongest, most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world". He called it "a momentous moment". He said that Finland and Sweden have full, total complete backing of the United States of America. After 10 minutes, POTUS invited to the podium the President of Finland. "Together we are taking a historic step by seeking to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization" - Niinistö said about Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications. He added that Finland will become a strong NATO ally. Noinistö thanked Biden for support and addressed directly Turkey's concerns: "As NATO allies, we will commit to Turkey security just as Turkey we will commit to our security we take terrorism seriously. we condemn terrorism in all its forms and we are actively engaged in combating it" - said Niinistö. He also expressed support for Ukraine. President of Finland spoke for about 5 minutes. Prime minister Anderson spoke next about shared values and beliefs that are "now being put to the test". "Today the situation in Ukraine reminds us of the darkest days of European history" - she said. Anderson added that with Sweden and Finland as members, NATO will be stronger. "We are security providers with sophisticated defense capabilities. And we are champions of freedom, democracy and human rights" - said Swedish PM. She thanked Biden and the leaders of both parties in Congress. "We stand together more united than ever" - Anderson concluded. The remarks ended at 11:08 AM. POTUS didn't answer shouted questions as the leaders walked back to the Oval Office. |
| May 19, 2022 11:14 |
Foreign pool report #4 - delegations From the White House: In attendance for the trilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room with the President, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland: U.S. Manifest: The President Finland Manifest: H.E. Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland Sweden Manifest: Her Excellency Magdalena Andersson, Prime Minister of Sweden |
| May 19, 2022 11:24 |
Foreign pool report #5 - departures President Niinistö departed the White House at 11:19 AM, followed by PM Anderson and her delegation at 11:23AM. |
Pool Reports below by Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News
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| May 19, 2022 08:52 |
In-town pool report 1: gathering Pool is gathering at 8:50 a.m. for the arrival of Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finland President Sauli Niinistö at the White House. No changes to today's schedule, per White House: 9:00 AM Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland arrive at the White House 9:15 AM THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland meet to discuss Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications and European security, as well as strengthening our close partnerships across a range of global issues and support for Ukraine 9:45 AM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time 10:30 AM THE PRESIDENT, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland deliver brief remarks; THE VICE PRESIDENT attends 11:30 AM THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route Joint Base Andrews 12:00 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Joint Base Andrews en route Anchorage, Alaska |
| May 19, 2022 09:25 |
In-town pool report 2: arrival The black SUV transporting the Finland President Sauli Niinistö came up the driveway at 9:08 a.m. and stopped at the South Portico. He was greeted by POTUS and chief of protocol Ambassador Rufus Gifford. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson arrived at 9:10, also in black SUV. They three posed for photos in a row then went inside around 9:11. The leaders then reappeared at the colonnade doors to walk along the colonnade moments later at 9:20, talking quietly and headed toward the Oval. They disappeared inside a moment later. Per the WH, POTUS is meeting with the leaders to discuss Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications and European security, "as well as strengthening our close partnerships across a range of global issues and support for Ukraine." |
| May 19, 2022 10:47 |
In-town pool report 3: Rose Garden remarks starting Your pool was escorted to the Rose Garden around 9:45 a.m. for remarks by POTUS with the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finland President Sauli Niinistö. The speakers' platform is set up with U.S., Finnish and Swedish flags and three rows of chairs for the audience. POTUS walked out with the two leaders at 10:44. He took the stage at 10:45 and remarks are beginning with him calling it a "momentous day," with the US supporting the applications of both countries to join NATO. Remarks are open press and you can listen or follow along here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fiQMOkG6jqU The Vice President is here, as well as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, senior adviser Neera Tanden and others. |
| May 19, 2022 11:10 |
In-town pool report 4: Rose Garden remarks end Rose Garden remarks ended at 11:08. Biden spoke for about 11 min, followed by President Niinistö and PM Andersson. POTUS did not respond to shouted questions from press, and all three returned to the Oval. |
| May 19, 2022 11:17 |
in-town pool report 5: meeting attendees From the White House: In attendance for the trilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room with the President, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland: U.S. Manifest: The President Finland Manifest: H.E. Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland Sweden Manifest: Her Excellency Magdalena Andersson, Prime Minister of Sweden |
| May 19, 2022 11:44 |
In-town pool report 6: motorcade rolling POTUS is motorcading en route Joint Base Andrews because of the event that just ended in the Rose Garden. Your pool loaded into the vans on the north driveway at 11:28 a.m., and we are rolling at 11:42. From the White House: In attendance for the President, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland's brief remarks: The Vice President |
| May 19, 2022 12:08 |
in-town pool report 7: JBA arrival Motorcade arrived at JBA at 12:01 p.m. We had the usual onlookers shooting photos and video on their phones as we left D.C. POTUS boarded AF1 at 12:04, stopping to wave at the top. Handing off to travel pool. |
| May 19, 2022 15:26 |
In-town Pool Report 8 White House says the press gaggle on Air Force One will begin at approx. 3:30 p.m. You can stream it on wh.gov/live |
| May 19, 2022 18:30 |
In-town Pool Report 9 The White House says there was a refeed on the press gaggle audio. Hopefully that fixed the audio issue. |
Pool Reports below by Nikki Schwab, Daily Mail
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| May 19, 2022 12:08 |
Foreign Pool Report No. 1 - departure/no questions Welcome to President Joe Biden's first trip to Asia as POTUS. I'll be your print pooler for the first leg. It's 74 degrees, sunny with fluffy white clouds and slightly breezy here at Joint Base Andrews. The motorcade pulled up to the JBA tarmac at 12:03 p.m. President Biden stepped out of the Beast at 12:04 p.m. He saluted and briefly spoke with the greeter. Biden waved at pool but didn't answer shouted questions. He stopped at the top of the stairs to salute and then wave. He stepped on board AF1 at 12:05 p.m. There are about two to three dozen people gathered outside the terminal watching the departure. Karine Jean-Pierre and Jake Sullivan are expected to gaggle around 3:30 p.m. EST. I'll send along an Otter link in case playback isn't great. We'll be wheels up to Alaska shortly. |
| May 19, 2022 12:11 |
Foreign Pool Report No. 2 - traveling with POTUS Passing along from the White House - Travelling with the President to Joint Base Andrews: Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff Travelling with the President to Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce |
| May 19, 2022 14:57 AKDT |
Foreign Pool Report No. 3 - arrival in Alaska Air Force One was wheels up at 12:14 p.m. EST. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre kicked off the gaggle at 3:35 p.m. EST and wrapped at approximately 4:34 p.m. EST. It's our understanding that playback was choppy so I'll be sending out a rough transcript that the pool pulled together in the next report. From now on all times are local. AF1 was wheels down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for a refueling stop at 2:56 p.m. We had no other visitors to the press cabin during the first leg of our journey to Seoul. More TK |
| May 19, 2022 15:14 AKDT |
Foreign Pool Report 3a - gaggle transcript/notes Here's a rough transcript/notes from the Sullivan/Jean-Pierre gaggle. As always, please check against the White House transcript. A shout-out to CNN's Betsy Klein and AP's Aamer Madhani for their help transcribing. Pool is holding on Air Force One while staff gets COVID-tested. JAKE SULLIVAN GAGGLE Q: How concerned are you about the possible missile or nuclear tests by the North Koreans while we are there? And what would it mean for the visit? So first we've been forthcoming ... there is a genuine possibility and real risk of some kind of provocation while we're in the region, whether in South Korea or Japan. That could take the form of a nuclear test. The seventh nuclear test North Korea has conducted. It could take the form of a missile test. There have been a number of missile tests this year ... We are prepared for those eventualities, we are coordinated closely with both the ROK and Japan. We know what we will do to respond to them. We have communicated with not just our allies, but also with China. And this could cause the United States really to increase our fortitude in terms of defending our allies and cause adjustments to the way that our military is postured in the region. As far as the trip is concerned, I think all it would do is underscore, it would underscore one of the main messages that we are sending on this trip, which is that the United States is here for our allies and partners. We are here to help define deterrence and defense for the ROK and Japan. We will respond to any threats and any aggression decisively. We want cooperation from these two countries bilaterally. And U.S.-ROK-Japan cooperation trilaterally. Strengthening in the face of any further provocations by North Korea. ... Q: Can you talk about what the United States is doing to bring North Korea to the table for any kind of talks right now? ... since the very beginning of this administration, they have reached out to North Korea to say that we are prepared to sit down and talk without preconditions, to discuss a pathway forward to make progress toward the ultimate goal of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. And we have proposed to do that on an action-to-action basis. We are prepared to take steps if they are prepared to take steps in service of that ultimate goal. We have communicated that directly to the North Koreans through different channels, we have communicated that through our allies and partners, we have also spoken with the PRC about our willingness to do that. Thus far North Korea has not displayed any indication of willingness to engage in any meaningful or constructive diplomacy. And as long as they continue to refuse to do so we'll continue to stay on the course we're on, which is to impose pressure and to coordinate closer with our allies and to respond to provocations with clarity ... Q: Has North Korea indicated they wanted a meeting with President Biden? We have not gotten any indication to that effect. Q: If Turkey decides they're going to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO do you think an F16 deal should go through? I don't want to answer a hypothetical question because our view is that ... the Turkish concerns about the accession of Sweden and Finland that have been expressed by President Erdogan and others can be addressed and can be resolved. And today when the president met with President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, the president of Finland and the prime minister of Sweden, he indicated that they're both intending to speak directly to President Erdogan and their teams are going to engage directly with senior Turkish officials. We're there to support that effort in any way but we think they can work through this and ultimately Finland and Sweden will be admitted as members. Q: Have any of the checklist items Turkey wants been addressed yet to date? The two NATO aspirants have had additional conversations with the Turks, they will have further very high-level consultations with them over the course of the next days. And they will work through this between them. I don't want to speak for the Fins or the Swedes. What they feel they want to do as part of their effort to bring Turkey to a place where they support their membership. President Biden is very clear (inaudible) ... I've spoken with my Turkish counterpart, Secretary Blinken has spoken with his Turkish counterpart .... Ultimately this is an issue Turkey has raised vis-a-vis Finland and Sweden. This is not a U.S. issue. Other than it being a U.S. issue in that we want to see it resolved in a way that brings these two members into the alliance. We're confident that that is going to happen. I don't think we're going to get to the point ... (interrupted by the next question) Q: Can you talk about security guarantees and what that means in the interim of accession. How do you guarantee Sweden and Finland's security? Well we are going to work very closely with Finland and Sweden to deter any aggression against either of them and, of course, we'll be prepared to work with Finland and Sweden to respond to any aggression that occurred. And that's on the basis of a very deep existing partnership we already have with these two countries. ... I'm not going to get into the specifics of what that looks like, only that to - our respective militaries to work through. The United States will be there for Finland and Sweden if anything were to occur between now and the time that they are fully admitted ... This is in the period between now and when they're full members of NATO. We are prepared to work with them and deter aggression. As a practical matter, any would-be aggressor should be on notice that the United States will be there for Finland and Sweden in the event. Q: Are there any plans for the president to engage directly with President Erdogan? Not at the moment. But the president made clear that the United States is prepared to do whatever we're asked to do to be supportive in resolving this issue. ... Q: On a slightly different note, CNN reported today that Biden would be meeting with MBS soon, can you confirm that and provide us with any details? I cannot confirm that. No. Q: Will the president be addressing the issue of the $7 billion in Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks? At technical and expert levels we discuss that issue with the South Koreans on a regular basis. This is bound up with the sanctions imposed on Iran's nuclear program. I don't know if it will be on the agenda for the presidents. Our view is that the sanctions should be enforced. ... Q: On Ukraine aid, presuming the bill passes the Senate today, are there plans for the president to sign it while he's abroad and he had said in a statement that funding could have run out as early as today, is there a contingency if there were a gap, were there any consequences if there's even a short gap in funding? (Sullivan is told that the bill has since passed) So the president does intend to sign the bill while he's on the road so he can sign it expeditiously. ... There won't be a gap for that very reason. ... So we will have the kind of continuity of support that we asked for. And for that we are grateful for the bipartisan backing that we've got from the Congress, who stepped up and did this from a timely fashion. Q: Can you share your reaction to China saying this is becoming a "dangerous" situation in regards to Taiwan? Are you aware of that report? I did not see the specific phraseology in dangerous, but they've offered formulas of that sort for months now, I don't think anything particularly new in that statement. Our view that we've expressed many times is that we are concerned about peace and stability across the Taiwan strait and the ratcheting up of tensions and we believe China is contributing to the ratcheting up of those tensions through provocative military activities around Taiwan and around the strait. But we've been equally clear that our policy toward Taiwan has not changed. We support the One China policy, the three joint communiques, the Taiwan relations act, the six assurances and we remain committed to supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan strait and to assuring there are no unilateral status changes to the status quo. From our perspective, our position has been very consistent and we believe that it would help if the PRC dialed-down the actions and activities that we think are contributing to tensions. Q: There was a report this morning that China was going to replenish its strategic oil reserves with oil from Russia - does that cross the red line that you've laid down for them in terms of cooperating with Russia on evading sanctions? We have banned Russian oil to the United States, but we have not imposed sanctions on the sale of Russian oil elsewhere and therefore other countries purchasing Russian oil are not contravening the sanctions that we have laid out. Now of course the Europeans are contemplating a Russian oil ban, which we support, which President Biden made clear when he issued the ban that we did that we are in a particular position given we are an energy producer. Europe's in a different position. Q: Is that accurate though, what China is doing with Russia? So we have seen the statement about it but we have not yet seen the action taken to that effect. Q) Russia/stalemate/Is time on Russian side? "I certainly understand the question. There's something tragic in time being on the side of a country that is losing young men in large numbers by the day as Russia is suffering." Sullivan notes "Korea and Japan have really stepped up in significant ways to support this effort" regarding sanctions against Russia." Q) AMLO said today answers to his concerns on excluding countries for upcoming summit are coming in the next day or two? Do you have an answer for him? Are you going to address his concerns? "We are having constructive conversation with President Lopez-Obrador. Senator Dodd our special representative for the summit spent two hours with him on Zoom yesterday.... It was a good exchange of views. Ambassador Salazar will be engaged today. I am not going to get into the details of what our candid concerns, conversations back and forth. We'll have something more to say on this" ... He added nothing to announce today. Q) Preview on Samsung visit The President will be met by President Yoon at this Samsung facility, along with leadership from Samsung. The facility is a very similar model to what Samsung will build in the United States and that significant multi billion dollar investment ...in the U.S. will (mean) good paying jobs for Americans and very importantly it will mean more supply chain resisilience" in the United States. Biden will get a chance to take a tour and then speak about the investments Samsung in creating American jobs and advance U.S. competitiveness. "The final thing he will reinforce is that this ecosystem of high technology among democracies and free societies needs to be protected against predation by other countries." Q) Any agreements coming on export controls on high tech with South Korea and Japan? " I think we're going to have some very robust discussions on export controls....I don't expect we're going to have some specific announcements, because what we're looking to do is to align our approach around a set principles and then on a case by case basis as opposed to some new initiative or some new formula. We actually believe there is a substantial convergence that will be on display on this trip on this issue with Korea and Japan." Q) Sullivan's Yang Jiechi call on Wednesday. What was he trying to convey to Chinese ahead of the trip? " I am no going to say too much because I actually value the opportunity to engage with Yang in a way that allows for the free exchange of perspectives back and forth without it all being laid out in the press." He added, "I will say that I was quite direct with him about our concerns about North Korea's nuclear missile activities and our that this not in China's interests. It's not in America's interests...China should contemplate taking whatever steps it can to reduce the possibility of a provocative" act. Sullivan added they covered Taiwan and some other issues. Q) Did you meet with Pakistan's chief recently? He said he hasn't met with the new chief. Notes he met previous ISI chief about a year ago. Q) Was Yang call intended to set up another Xi-Biden call? "It was not, although I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming weeks President Biden and President Xi speak again. But this was not specifically laying the ground for a call...." Q) Why haven't Biden administration officials been speaking frequently as of late? "I actually think the cadence is not usual..." Sullivan notes he spent the whole day with Yang Jiechi in Rome and "seven or eight weeks later we had good long conversation yesterday." Says Secretary Blinken speaks with his Chinese counterpart on similar cadence. "We are certainly not intending to present any notion that we are slowing or somehow constraining our high-level diplomatic engagement with China." Q) Is administration ready to levy secondary sanctions against China for assisting North Korea? Are you satisfied China isn't helping Russia and taking heed to U.S. warnings not to help Moscow avoid sanctions? "We have not seen evidence thus far of China supplying military equipment to Russia for its (inaudible) in Ukraine nor have we seen evidence that China is systematically" helped Russia avert western sanctions. "That's something "not going to make any threats about secondary sanctions" on NK Q) Criticism about tariffs on China doing more harm on US businesses than China. If that's case, why not lift them? The president has asked his economic team, his foreign policy team to engage in a consistent review of our trade policy toward China. There are discussion right now about how to move forward with the challenges poses to the economy, national security...and how to move beyond the trade approach of the previous administration. I think we'll ultimately make a series of decisions on that following the opportunity to get advice from his team and I'm not going to say anything else in public on that" Q) Why skip the DMZ this trip? Too dangerous? "The president has been to the DMZ before. It's not that it's too dangerous." Notes Biden went to DMZ he visited South Korea in 2013 as VP. "He felt on this trip rather than repeat" the DMZ visit Bide wanted to opportunity to actually see where the rubber hits the road in terms of US-ROK forces sitting side-by-side and "managing a theater" "He'll do that at the air base. He'll get the opportunity to get briefed on the strategic pitch in way that can actually show him more than going and standing at the DMZ." Q) Is the President going to engage with Hyundai on the expected EV factory announcement in Georgia? How important is getting to know Yoon and Kishida--who are new on the scene--for the president on this trip? "You've heard the president say before that--he refers to this Tip O'Neil expression that all politics is local-- He says all politics is personal, he says all foreign policy is personal. It is fundamentally about these personal relationships with leaders. So in both cases he looking for the opportunity to just spend time to get to know these leaders, so that they have a feel for one another. And then when they need to pick up the phone in a crisis or to respond to a major world event, there's a baseline of trust and understanding and almost like a common operating language as they go forward." "He's already built that to a certain extent with Prime Minister Kishida. They did meet in Glasgow last year and had the chance to extended video conversations." Sullivan said Biden has only spoke briefly on the phone with Yoon, who was just took office last week. Yoon is meeting with Biden when he arrives in South Korea. He'll also take part in the air base visit with Biden. Sullivan noted that with Kishida is hosting a small dinner for Biden. "It will give them a chance to talk just as humans as opposed to world leaders." "Yes, he'll meet with the CEO of Hyundai in Seoul" before he leaves on Sunday. "He'll have the opportunity to say thank you for the significant investment" in the United States. COVID FUNDING ABROAD "Can't give you an exact dollar figure but it is more than any other country" continuing efforts to get shots in arms with the funding that is out there PM KISHIDA + PRESIDENT YOON Biden feels "all politics is personal, all foreign policy is personal. It's fundamentally about these personal relationships with leaders," Sullivan said. In both cases, he's looking to "get to know these leaders" so that "when they need to pick up the phone in a crisis or respond to a major world event, there's a baseline of trust, understanding, and almost like, a common operating language." Already built that with PM Kishida when they met last year and "extended video conversations." Spoken "briefly" with Yoon, opportunity to "build that relationship from the ground up." Will have a small meeting with Yoon "to get to know one another." With Kishida, will have a "small dinner" and an opportunity to "talk as human." HYUNDAI Biden will meet with the CEO of Hyundai in Seoul before departing on Sunday, will have the opportunity to say thank you for significant investment in the US, Sullivan said. SAUDI DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER MEETING Sullivan called him an "important adviser across a range of issues." They spoke about economics, energy. POTUS TO MBS Sullivan declined to comment or speculate on travel to the Middle East. INDO PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK Sullivan previewed a "wide-ranging and comprehensive set of countries from across the region" and a "mix" of economies. He called it a "modern negotiation designed to deal with modern challenges," reiterating some of his points from Wednesday's briefing. DECLASSIFIED INTEL ABOUT MARIUPOL TORTURE Sullivan declined to speak beyond information released Thursday, "Other than to say that we warned before the conflict began that we were likely to see brutality and repression by Russia in occupied areas and we are seeing it in cities and towns… But we are also seeing increasingly is the reality of the Ukrainian populace pushing back against this in these areas." He cited "concern in Moscow" that hopes the occupied Ukrainians would see Russians as "liberators or brothers" is "not bearing out." He said it would put pressure on the long term efforts to occupy those areas NORTH KOREA There are "no indications" that North Koreans are prepared to sit down and negotiate with the US, Sullivan said. He did not know if Trump is still in touch with Kim Jong Un. KARINE JEAN-PIERRE BABY FORMULA Biden has "directed his administration to do everything possible to ensure that there is enough safe infant formula in the country available for families that need it," Jean-Pierre said, citing Biden's move to invoke the Defense Production Act. She outlined how the DPA authority works and walked through some examples of how it would work, including prioritizing formula manufacturers with the manufacturers of can labels. She also highlighted efforts to speed up formula imports from abroad through DOD-contracted aircraft. She called it a "top priority." Pressed on criticism from Sen. Wyden that Abbott fell short of its corporate responsibility, she said Biden's goal right now is to "do everything in his power" to get the US in a better place with formula supply. She noted that the FDA "stepped in" with Abbott, which "voluntarily" shut down its Michigan plant. Asked again about criticism of Abbott, she said, "We understand the outrage. We see how mothers and parents are dealing right now in this situation," she said, noting that as a mom she had a child who was allergic certain formula, "I know how this feels… clearly I'm not dealing with this in its current form, which is something we're trying to deal with." As for how soon there will progress from the DPA move, she said Biden was working to "cut the red tape" and increase supply, but did not provide a timeline. The US is working with manufacturers abroad to identify existing stockpiles and there will be more details to share. Asked why it took so long for the President to act on the DPA, she said, "We've been doing this for months. We've been working on this for several months now and the DPA was always on the table. We're always examining, trying to figure out the best way to do this, but there were other actions as I just listed that we have been doing. This is a building on, the DPA and the Operation Flyover is just an added addition to items that we've announced just a couple days ago. So we have not been sitting on this. We have been doing everything in our power to move forward as quickly as possible." Asked whether the White House would heed Sen. Patty Murray's calls to appoint a formula coordinator, Jean-Pierre declined to say whether that was under consideration and said the White House would "continue working closely" with the lawmakers involved in the issue. GAS PRICES Jean-Pierre reiterated that curbing high gas prices is a "priority" for the President and outlined recent steps. "We are doing everything that we can" to address high prices, she said. She declined to comment on whether price caps were on the table. Pressed on whether there were other tools to deal with the high prices, she reiterated that the prices are attributable to "Putin's price hike." Asked whether Americans should be driving less or altering plans, Jean-Pierre said it wasn't the White House's place to say. REPLACEMENT THEORY Jean-Pierre called replacement theory "a conspiracy theory that is really dangerous" and cited some of Biden's remarks earlier this week. She drew some contrasts with Republicans on economic plans (this was in response to a question on midterm messaging). TRUMP TELLING DR. OZ TO DECLARE VICTORY Jean-Pierre declined to comment and said she hasn't spoken to the President about this. She reiterated Biden's support for Democratic candidate John Fetterman. |
| May 19, 2022 16:33 AKDT |
Foreign Pool Report No. 4 - Alaska departure/POTUS sighting The pool spotted President Biden on the tarmac as we returned to AF1 from COVID testing. He was getting on the plane the same time as the pool. It was unclear what drew him outside, but it's 66 degrees, sunny and a snow-peaked mountain range is in view. He was dressed more casually than when he boarded, sporting what appeared to be a navy Air Force One zip-up jacket and matching pants. AF1 was wheels up at 4:33 p.m. Next stop: Seoul, South Korea. And if you haven't had enough gaggle coverage, the White House has also provided a link to clean audio: Gaggle with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan aboard Air Force One en route Anchorage, Alaska: https://youtu.be/Jd1GCwXDk04 |
Joseph R. Biden, Pool Reports of May 19, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/356017