Pool Reports of September 13, 2023

In-town pool report #1 checking in

Good morning from a relatively cool if still humid day in Washington. Your pooler is stationed at the White House for a 10 a.m. call-time.

See below for a reminder of today's public schedule. Note that both Jared Bernstein and John Kirby are slated to be at today's briefing at 1 p.m.:

EDT

10:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

10:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Closed Press

2:30 PM THE PRESIDENT convenes a meeting of his Cancer Cabinet; THE FIRST LADY participates
Cabinet Room
In-House Pool (Gather 2:20 PM – Brady Press Briefing Room)

6:15 PM THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route to McLean, Virginia
South Grounds
In-Town Travel Pool (Gather 5:50 PM – Palm Room Doors)

6:30 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
In-Town Travel Pool

6:40 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a campaign reception
McLean, Virginia
Restricted In-Town Travel Pool

8:30 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House
South Grounds
In-Town Travel Pool

Briefing Schedule

EDT

1:00 PM Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein

In-town pool report #2 brunch lid

White House calls a brunch lid until 12:45.

In-town pool report #3 two-minute warning

WH calls a two-minute warning for the press briefing

in-town pool report #4 briefing ends

The briefing began at 1:10 p.m. and ended at 2:17

pool is scheduled to gather shortly for the president's Cancer Cabinet meeting.

in-town pool report #5 pool gathering

Pool gathering now for POTUS' Cancer Cabinet meeting, which had been slated to start at 2:30

In-town pool report #6 cancer cabinet // biden didn't answer questions

Pool was escorted into the Cabinet Room at 3:00.

Before leaving, reporters asked Biden questions about the House GOP impeachment inquiry and Sen. Mitt Romney's retirement. The president ignored all questions.

During the event, Biden, seated next to First Lady Jill Biden, started speaking moments after poll entered the room, touting his work on cancer treatment as Vice President and promoting the work he and his Cancer Cabinet had done as part of his "unity agenda."

"The bottom line is the cancer moonshot as it today embodies the nation of possibilities."

The president touted initiatives to get Americans to quit smoking and forthcoming plans to award hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to fight cancer. He said his administration's goal remained curing cancer.

"We used to think we could handle anything. We sorta gave up on the notion that we could cure cancer."

POTUS then handed over the conversation to FLOTUS Jill Biden, who praised her husband's leadership on the issue.

"You did good things, Joe," Jill Biden told her husband.

Pool was escorted out at 3:11. Please check all quotes against the transcript.

Attending the meeting, per the White House:

Participants
Secretary Xavier Becerra, Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Department of Energy
Director Shalanda Young, Office of Management and Budget
Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Assistant to the President & Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Evan Ryan, Assistant to the President & Cabinet Secretary
Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President & Domestic Policy Advisor
Stephen Benjamin, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of the Office of Public Engagement
Shuwanza Goff, Assistant to the President & Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs
Chair Brenda Mallory, Council on Environmental Quality
Danielle Carnival, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot & Deputy Director for Health Outcomes, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Don Graves, Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce
Guy Kiyokawa, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs
Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Mandy Cohen, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Larry Tabak, Acting Director, National Institutes of Health
Jon Blum, Principal Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Bill Nelson, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Robert Califf, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration
Doug Lowy, Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute
Nikki McKinney, Associate Deputy Secretary, Department of Labor
Ashish Vazirani, Deputy Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense
Sanah Baig, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, Department of Agriculture
Renee Wegrzyn, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)

in-town pool report #7 lid until 5:45

White House calls a lid until 5:45.

The president is scheduled to attend a campaign reception in McLean, Va, later this evening.

in-town pool report #8 Biden speaks to Rep. Peltola

From the White House:

The President spoke to Congresswoman Mary Peltola and expressed his deepest condolences on the loss of her husband.

In-town pool report #9 gathering

Pool is gathering for the motorcade to McLean, Va. The president's campaign reception is slated to begin at 6:40.

in-town pool report #10 motorcade departs

Motorcade is rolling from in front of the South Portico as of 6:36

Pool spotted Biden walking from the Oval Office to an awaiting SUV in the motorcade a minute earlier

in-town pool report #11 motorcade arrives

Motorcade arrived at the location of the reception at 6:53 after an uneventful ride through DC and northern Virginia. Not many people roadside on this temperate Wednesday evening.

Pool has not seen POTUS exit his SUV.

Traveling with the president in the motorcade, per the White House:

Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President & Counselor to the President
Olivia Dalton, Deputy Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy Press Secretary & Senior Advisor
John McCarthy, Deputy Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the Counselor to the President
Ashley Williams, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
Marc Gustafson, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for the White House Situation Room
Travis Dredd, Special Assistant to the President & Trip Director
Sheila Grant, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Presidential Speechwriter

in-town pool report #12 reception hosts

Pool is holding in a large tent erected for the occasion awaiting Biden's remarks.

Meanwhile, the WH passes this along about who is hosting tonight's reception:

On behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign:

The President is attending a campaign reception in McLean, Virginia at the home of David Frederick and Sophie Lynn.

Speaking Program
David Frederick
The President

in-town pool report #13 Biden on impeachment

Near end his speech at this campaign reception, Biden addressed the House GOP move to open impeachment inquiry. He mentioned Marjorie Taylor Greene and her interest in impeaching bin on day one.

"First they just wanted to impeach me, now best as I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to shut down the government."

But Biden said he "has a job to do" before he moved on to a different subject.

Before he talked impeachment, Biden started his speech touting recent foreign policy visits, including "historic visit" to Vietnam.

"We strengthened out security in the Indian Ocean and that area, and everyone knows it."

He said he the world and American foreign policy was at an "inflection point" but said he was more optimistic about the state of the world than ever had been.

"Oh, by the way, NATO's still together," he said.

Pivoted to the economy afterward, pointing to a speech tomorrow in Maryland. He said today's inflation report was good news.

"Core inflation, which the fed looks at, is trending back down" to historic levels, he said.

Touts the fastest economic recovery in the world but said people don't read about it in the news.

Touted investments in infrastructure and clean energy but said the deficit has still come down.

"By the way, with all this spending, we brought the deficit down one trillion dollars."

Talked about "codifying" Roe v Wade and banning assault weapons. And said congress should pass the PRO Act.

Please check all quotes against transcript — pool was stationed near a loud fan in this reception area and it was often difficult to hear POTUS clearly.

A large cheer erupted when Biden entered the tent area at 7:20. The host introduced a handful of local elected Democrats, including Sens. Kaine and Warner, and labor leaders from AFSCME Lee Saunders and SEIU's Mary Kay Henry.

Pool had been escorted through the spacious backyard of the reception location — one of the many large homes that dot this leafy part of Virginia — and into a tent that had been set up for the occasion. Soft jazz played while a few dozen people made conversation and enjoyed provided libations while waiting for POTUS to speak (some attendees were inside the house and out of eyesight of the pool). On the other end of the tent from where pool was positioned, POTUS spoke in front of a blue curtain had been hung behind a lectern, flanked by two American flags.

Pool could see former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe working the crowd before the president's speech, shaking hands and making conversation.

White House sends this along about who participated in a photoline with the president:

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04)
Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08)
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10)
Mayor Levar Stoney, Richmond, Virginia

in-town pool report #14 motorcade rolling

Motorcade is rolling from the reception at 8:10. Pool did not spot POTUS

In-town report #15 fuller Biden quote on impeachment

Pool was able to listen to recording of Biden's remarks on impeachment immediately after exiting the event. A fuller quote follows — apologies this wasn't sent first time, it was very difficult to hear Biden.

"Well, I tell you what, I don't know quite why, but they just knew they wanted to impeach me. Now, best I can tell they want to impeach me because they want shutdown the government."

"Everybody always asked about impeachment. I get up every day not focused on impeachment, I've got job to do. I've got to deal with issues that affect the American people every single solitary day."

in-town pool report #16 motorcade arrives at WH / lid

Motorcade arrived back at the White House at 8:26, pulling it up outside the south portico.

Lid was called after arrival

In-town pool report #17 cleaned up quote Biden on impeachment

After finding a quiet spot at the White House, your pooler listened to the recording one more time. Here's what Biden said about impeachment. Additions from the last pool report are in bold:

"Well, I tell you what, I don't know quite why, but they just knew they wanted to impeach me. And now, the best I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to shut down the government."

"So look, look, I got a job to do. Everybody always asked about impeachment. I get up every day, not a joke, not focused on impeachment. I've got a job to do. I've got to deal with the issues that affect the American people every single solitary day."

That's it from me today, folks. appreciate everyone following along at home.