Vice Presidential Pool Reports of January 18, 2024

VP Pool Report 1

Good afternoon - I’m your pooler for the Vice President’s speech to the U.S Conference of Mayors today.

Per the VP’s public schedule, she will participate in a moderated conversation about gun violence prevention at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting around 2pm. The conversation will be moderated by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and livestreamed at WhiteHouse.Gov/Live.

The pool did not see the VP get in her vehicle, but the motorcade left the White House gates at 1:20pm heading to the Capitol Hilton just a few blocks away.

Some background on the Conference of Mayors:

The U.S Conference of Mayors (USCM) is holding its 92nd Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. from January 17 through January 19 at the Capital Hilton. Presided over by USCM President Reno (NV) Mayor Hillary Schieve, the three-day conference brings together a bipartisan group of more than 250 mayors from across the country to discuss the biggest challenges facing cities, including the surging mental health crisis, public safety, immigration, housing and homelessness, workforce development, and infrastructure investment. The annual gathering also features appearances from other national leaders, including high-ranking Administration officials and other members of the public and private sectors.

More can be found here: United States Conference of Mayors

VP Pool Report 2

Pool arrived at the hotel at 1:23pm. We did not see the Vice President exit the car and enter the hotel, as we were ushered around the corner and into the hotel through the front entrance.

Pool was taken into the Presidential ballroom of the Hilton around 1:25pm where the VP is scheduled to appear shortly. A panel is wrapping up now called "the effects of the media on women's leadership and political participation."

Pool is holding in the back of the ballroom. More to come.

VP Pool Report 3

At 1:53pm, Tom Perez came to the stage and gave introductory remarks, to the Vice President's conversation. The otter below includes his comments.

At 2:01pm Mayor Lucas came to the stage, followed shortly after by the VP, who received a standing ovation from the mayors in the room.

The VP and the Mayor sat on the stage in two low chairs with a table between them. Each of them held a hand held microphone.

Mayor Lucas reminded the crowd the President signed into law the bipartisan safer communities act, and the administration created the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

The Vice President started by thanking the conference of mayors for all they do. She said during her time as District Attorney, she witnessed autopsies and "I know what guns do" to the human body.

She added that she "loves Gen Z," which drew a chuckle from the room, and said during her college tour last fall, she would ask students to "please raise your hand if you had to endure an active shooter drill between kindergarten and twelfth grade. And almost every hand went up."

"The young people of our country have lived through this and they want change."

Some other quotes:

On the second amendment: "It is a false choice to suggest you're either in favor of the second amendment or you want to take everyone's guns away. I'm in favor of the second amendment. But is it not reasonable that we would have an assault weapons ban understanding that assault weapons were literally designed to kill a lot of human beings quickly and our weapons of war are now placed on our streets in a civil society?"

On reproductive freedom: "I think we can all agree that one does not have to abandon their face or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling her what to do with your body. If she chooses, she will talk with her priest or pastor or rabbi or imam, but that the government should not be telling her what to do with her body."

"For so many of us, I'm going to judge that most of us for our entire adult or conscious lives, Roe v Wade was intact. And you know, many of us would, you know, start with you know, we are pro choice. We must protect roe but didn't necessarily think it was ever going to go away. Well, it did. And there has been a consequence of that that is very real to real people who are silently suffering every day. We are a group of adults. So I'm going to just share with you what you may know. There are women in America having miscarriages of twins. There are women who have been denied emergency care because the health care providers at the emergency room are afraid that they may go to jail for assisting these women and giving them health care that they want to give."

"The President has been clear, we are clear that when Congress puts back in place for the court took away President Joe Biden will sign back into on the protections of Roe v Wade."

VP wrapped up her convo at 2:23pm to a standing ovation. Pool sprinted to the vans, did not see the VP exit, and we rolled from the Capitol Hilton at 2:26pm.

Otter from the remarks - as always check the quotes against the recording/teanscript: https://otter.ai/u/zwLG87dDcrMk3l9lYA5ZD8xVaTg

We returned to the White House at 2:29pm, we did not see the VP exit the motorcade.

That's it from me!