Note: The reporter continued the numbering sequence thoughout the First Lady's overseas trip.
Report #1 is availabe by clicking here.
Pool Reports by Kara Voght, The Washington Post
| Sent: | Reports: |
| December 4, 2024 11:01 CET |
FLOTUS Pool Report #2 | Arrival and remarks at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella Buongiorno from Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella in Catania, Italy, where Executive One touched down at 7:51 AM local time. FLOTUS and daughter Ashley emerged from the plane together and walked down to their greeters (listed below). The group took a photo together before FLOTUS and Ashley loaded into their car. After a quick pause to refresh on base, the motorcade rolled to the town square at NAS Sigonella at 9:48 AM. It's a bluebird day here; the motorcade passed groves of orange and olive trees along the route. About 150 people, several in uniform, had gathered in the town square. Christmas carols played over speakers as the crowd waited for FLOTUS to arrive. She soon walked out in a suede jacket and a knit gold dress. The base's middle-high school band played the Italian and American national anthem before remarks began. Captain Aaron Shoemaker introduced FLOTUS and noted how her visit marked a very special occasion for the service members and their families. FLOTUS began speaking at 10:07 AM. She said that the "Bidens are a military family" and thanked service members and their families for their sacrifices. She highlighted the Biden administration's efforts on behalf of military members, as well as her Joining Forces program to support military families. FLOTUS noted an initiative to help military spouses work remotely so "spouses have employment opportunities, no matter where they are." FLOTUS said, as she often has in recent weeks, that it has been "the honor of my life" to serve as First Lady. She noted that this is her final overseas trip: "I saved the best for last," she said to cheers. (The First Lady's office will send out the full prepared remarks.) FLOTUS stumbled a bit in her first remarks after the eight-hour red eye flight — announcing to the crowd, for example, that "we just began White House season at the White House" (your pooler believes she meant to say "holiday season"). She struggled with the pronunciation of "Sigonella" and annunciated each syllable slowly; the crowd cheered when she finished sounding it out correctly. Her remarks concluded at 10:13 AM. FLOTUS shook hands along the rope line for a few minutes before departing toward the motorcade. As she left, a teenager shouted: "Can you sign my phone Miss Biden?" FLOTUS did not. Your pooler returned to the motorcade to begin the 90-minutes drive to Gesso, FLOTUS's ancestral hometown. REPORTABLE BACKGROUND FROM THE OFFICE OF THE FIRST LADY: December 4, 2024 Today, December 4th, as part of her Joining Forces initiative and continued support for the military-connected community, First Lady Jill Biden will visit Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella in Catania, Italy. Later, the First Lady will visit her ancestral hometown of Gesso, Italy. Following her visit to Italy, the First Lady will continue her travel to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. VISIT TO NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA
While at NAS Sigonella, the First Lady will join military-connected families to celebrate the holidays and NAS Sigonella's 65th anniversary. Remarks Program
Background on Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella Background on Joining Forces |
| December 4, 2024 21:04 CET |
FLOTUS Pool Report #3 | Gesso, Italy The motorcade arrived outside the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate in the mountaintop village of Gesso, Italy, a little before 12:00 PM local time. This is where FLOTUS's great-grandparents, Gaetano Giacoppo and Concetta Scaltrito, had lived before emigrating to Hammonton, New Jersey in the late 19th century. FLOTUS entered the church with her daughter, Ashley, and some staff. She was greeted by Don Franco Arrigo, Priest, Sant'Antonio Abate, and Mario Sarica, Museum Director, Museo Cultura e Musica Popolare dei Peloritani. Sarica told her it is "a precious gift for us" to welcome FLOTUS as one of the town's descendants. "In the story of immigration…you are the symbol of the highest," Sarica added. The group looked at some of FLOTUS's family documents, including FLOTUS's great-grandmother's original baptismal document and birth certificate. FLOTUS relied on a translator to communicate with her hosts. FLOTUS then lit a candle on the church's altar, which had been a gift from Gesso descendants living in Hammonton, New Jersey. FLOTUS and Ashley paused to admire the church's elaborate nativity creche. A few minutes later, your pooler was brought to a town square behind the church. A crowd had gathered to hear FLOTUS speak, waving flags printed with the American flag on one side and the Italian flag on the other. Others packed onto nearby balconies hung with banners that said "Welcome to Gesso, Jill" and "You will always have a home here!" FLOTUS walked out at 12:24 PM. "We love you, Jill!" several in the crowd shouted at her. Gesso's mayor introduced FLOTUS, who remarked that her great-grandparents' Italian heritage and values had been "wisely preserved and passed down to you." He added that he wished FLOTUS "and President Biden a prosperous future full of even more success." FLOTUS spoke next, pausing periodically to allow an interpreter to repeat her remarks in Italian. (Her full remarks, provided by the First Lady's office, were sent out separately.) "Wow, this is amazing!" she began. FLOTUS thanked her hosts, especially for researching her family's history in Gesso and presenting it to her in a book. She paraphrased Matthew 5:14 ("You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden") to great applause. "I'm here today because the light from the hills of Gesso shines across the world—and it shines brightly within me." She told the story of her great-grandparents emigrating to the United States and how she'd been shaped by the Italian values of "loyalty, hard work, and there's always one more seat at the table." She remarked that she is the United States' first Italian-American first lady and she's "brought the vibrant Italian-American community together to celebrate our traditions." The crowd laughed when she told them she'd served both gnocchi and braciole at the White House. FLOTUS concluded her remarks by gifting Gesso with a European holly tree, a cousin of the American holly, which is the state flower of Delaware. She called it "a symbol of the enduring bond between Gesso and her children across the ocean." She did an extended rope line after her remarks, traveling all across the square to greet well-wishers. The motorcade began rolling back to NAS Sigonella a little after 1:00 PM, and Executive One was wheels up en route to Abu Dhabi at 3:22 PM. Reportable background from the Office of the First Lady
Following her visit to the church, the First Lady will join Mayor Federico Basile of Messina, Italy in speaking to the local community in Gesso. Following her remarks, the First Lady will present the mayor with a European holly tree, native to the region, to commemorate her visit to Gesso. The European holly is the cousin of the American holly, which has been the state tree of Delaware since 1939. Background on the First Lady's Ancestral Lineage in Gesso The First Lady's great-grandparents, Gaetano Giacoppo and Concetta Scaltrito, emigrated from Gesso to Hammonton, New Jersey, in the late 19th century. Background on Gesso With a population of around 500, Gesso is a small village of the Messina municipality in the eastern end of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Background on the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate It was built in the 1600s and likely was where many of the First Lady's ancestors were baptized and married. The church recently uncovered the original baptismal record of the First Lady's great-grandmother Concetta. At the church, the First Lady will also see her great grandmother's original baptismal document and birth certificate; a copy of her great grandmothers' passenger of record document into Ellis Island; in addition to Mario Sarica's book Di là del mare, that focuses on the First Lady's genealogy and roots to Gesso. In April of 2023, the First Lady visited Ellis Island, where she was briefed about her family's ancestry. Departure from Italy Later in the afternoon, the First Lady will depart from NAS Sigonella in Catania, Italy, to Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE. |
| December 5, 2024 12:08 GST |
FLOTUS Pool Report #4 | Arrival in Abu Dhabi Executive One touched down at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE at 11:08 PM local time. FLOTUS deplaned with Ashley and met her greeters. The motorcade departed for the RON at 11:44 PM. Reportable background from the Office of the First Lady Arrival to Abu Dhabi, UAE In the late evening, the First Lady will arrive at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and be greeted by the following:
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Jill Biden, First Lady Pool Reports of December 4, 2024 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/375357