Pool Reports of August 13, 2025

in-town pool report #1 - gathered

Good morning. The in-town pool has gathered at the briefing room doors for President Trump's departure to the Kennedy Center. The event is slated to be live-streamed by C-SPAN and others. A link to the C-SPAN stream is below. We are heading to the vans.

https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-visits-the-kennedy-center/664174

As we waited, Sen. Lindsey Graham exited the West Wing via the briefing room. Your pooler asked if would be accompanying the president to Alaska for the Putin summit. "No," he replied, adding: "I'd be afraid Putin would take me back to Russia."

More TK.

In-town pool report #2 - rolling

Motorcade began rolling from the South Lawn at 11:16 a.m. Sightline from pool van was tough, pooler did not see POTUS board the Beast, which was parked outside the Residence. Destination: the Kennedy Center.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Sen. Graham were spotted boarding staff vans on the South Lawn driveway. Graham then boarded the Beast at 11:15 a.m., carrying a red baseball cap.

There is construction ongoing on the South Lawn, screened off but mounds of dirt, construction workers and a large backhoe were visible. Additionally, a white trailer from Low Country Flooring was parked on the driveway.

More TK.

In-town pool report #3 — Kennedy Center

The motorcade twisted through D.C. streets and arrived at the Kennedy Center at 11:23 a.m. Your pooler did not see POTUS exit his vehicle in the art center’s garage. We are in the move to the Hall of Nations.

In-town pool report #4 - Trump speaking

The event is starting. POTUS is speaking. Pooler will send color and highlights. Live-stream link is in report #1.

In-town pool report #5 — Honorees + color

POTUS spoke on the center's red carpet from the blue presidential lectern. Pictures of honorees were behind him beneath red cloths, which were removed as he announced their names.

Kennedy Center Honors recipients:

Country music star George Strait. "They call him the king of country. … Good looking guy. I hope he still looks that way," Trump said.

Theatre star Michael Crawford. "Nobody did it like him," Trump said.

Actor Sylvester Stallone: "Rocky, Rambo, Creed and others. You do one, it's good. You do two…" POTUS told a story about how Stallone got the part for "Rocky," saying actors brought in to try out didn't have a boxer's body build.

Grammy winner Gloria Gaynor. He noted her hits, including "I will survive," which Trump called an "unbelievable song" that he's heard many times. It gets better each time he hears it, POTUs said.

Rock band KISS. "It's an honor to present KISS," he said, teasing the band might perform before the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS.

POTUS still speaking. He said with "a little work," he would make the Center "magnificent," and said the building has "good bones."

Trump congratulated Graham on his poll numbers in his South Carolina reelection campaign. Graham smiled and shook his head.

At the top: "Next year, we'll honor Trump," POTUS quipped.

AG Bondi, Sen. Graham, WH press secretary Leavitt were among those seated in the front row to Trump's left.

Event is ongoing and being carried live.

In-town pool report #6 — Questions

POTUS wrapped up his remarks at 12:01 p.m and began taking questions.

Please check all quotes against video and transcript, as always.

POTUS On DC:

He said he would ask Congress for a "relatively small amount of money" to clean up DC and make it safer. He predicted GOP members would support the request and maybe some Democrats, but he said the opposition party "has the yips" on voting for legislation.

"Crime is the worst it has ever been," contending the crime rate has fallen in the 48 hours since he federalized MPD. Trump also said folks in DC were afraid to go outside, but now they're totally fine with it.

"This is going to be a crime-free area. … People are afraid to go run, they'll be running again."

"It's going to take place very rapidly. Be prepared."

"It will be … an example of what can be done."

Kennedy Center:

POTUS said it would play a big part in celebration of USA's 250 birthday.

In-town pool report #7 - Russia+'very severe consequences'

Quotes are not in chronological order, prioritizing news. Please check against transcript and video. POTUS is still taking questions:

Asked if Russia would face consequences if there is no ceasefire deal after his Putin summit: "There will. … I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences."

POTUS said his Friday summit with Russian President Putin could produce "great things,"
and said he would like to have a second trilateral meeting "almost immediately."

"Quick second meeting with President Putin and President Zelensky."

POTUS told your pooler that he would meet with House Democratic Leader Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Schumer about the coming government funding deadline. But he also said doing so would be "almost a waste of time to meet because they never approve anything."

On DC legislation, Trump cast the coming legislative request as a "crime bill," and predicted Republicans would unanimously vote in favor of it but no Democratic member would.

On Kennedy Center Honors and Academy Awards: Trump called the latter too "woke," and said of its annual TV ratings: "I think they've gone down to numbers that are like a regular show."

More TK. Event is streaming live.

In-town pool report #8 - Event over/ Ukraine civilians

POTUS wrapped up and left the Hall of Nations at 12:28 p.m. Pool rushed back to the Center's main drive. He are holding to link up to the motorcade at 12:31 p.m.

Asked if he believed he could convince President Putin to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine, Trump replied:

"Well, I'll tell you what I've had that conversation with him. I've had a lot of good conversations with him. Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home, or a rocket hit an apartment building, and people are laying dead in the state. So I guess the answer to that is no, because I've had this conversation."

More TK.

In-town pool report #9 - POTUS tour

President Trump is still inside the Kennedy Center as of 1:06 p.m. AWhite House official gives this explanation as we wait in the vans: "The president is touring the Kennedy Center to discuss upcoming renovations."

In-town pool report #10 - back at WH

The motorcade rolled from the Kennedy Center at 1:46 p.m. and arrived back at the White House at 1:53 p.m. along West Executive Avenue.

A very small number of protestors were along the streets around the performing arts center. Your pooler saw one Palestinian flag on a homemade banner that also had an Israeli flag. Other on-lookers watched us zoom by, some filming on their phones.

Pool did not see POTUS on our journey back, following our 72-minute hold in the vans.

Here is one last newsy quote from the Q&A after his Kennedy Center Honors remarks:

Trump was asked to respond to DC Mayor Bowser pushing for District statehood near the end of the exchange with reporters. He replied:

"Statehood is ridiculous. We want to straighten the place out. Statehood is ridiculous. It's unacceptable. It's the Democrats want it, because the Democrats have, you know, about 95 percent in this little area. I didn't get very much. They want that. They want to pick up two senators. And it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. And that's the least of the reasons why, by the way, but that's one of the reasons why. What we want to do is make Washington, DC the greatest, most beautiful, safest capital anywhere in the world, and that's going to happen."

in-town pool report #11 - lunch lid

The White House has called a lunch lid until 3 p.m.

in-town pool report #12 - lid

The White House called a travel/photo lid at 6:01 p.m. Have a nice evening, folks. Safe travels to all those heading to Alaska.