First Lady Pool Reports of February 7, 2022

FLOTUS pool report #1: departing

Good morning from an overcast and frigid White House lawn. Press van departed at 8:45 for this morning's FLOTUS event. The White House sends along the background info below:

The First Lady will deliver remarks at the 2022 Community College National Legislative Summit. She will be introduced by Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Chair Judge Jim Cooksey. The summit, hosted by the ACCT and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), is being held in-person from Saturday, February 5, to Wednesday, February 9, in Washington, DC. Over 700 participants will attend the summit, including legislators, community college leadership, advocates, faculty, and students.

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community colleges across the country.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is an advocacy organization for community colleges and represents nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions that have an enrollment of more than 12 million students.

FLOTUS pool report #2: Arrival and anticipation

FLOTUS will speak before a packed ballroom at the Washington Marriott Marquis. Round tables fill the room, all of them fully occupied by masked attendees in anticipation of the First Lady's arrival. Event officially began at 9:13. Pool is seated at the back of the room along with other members of the press.

Other speakers at this in-person conference, which runs from Saturday to Wednesday, include U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh.

I'll send another update following the speech. Call or text with any questions.

FLOTUS pool report #3: remarks

After being introduced, Jill Biden received a standing ovation from the gathered community college leaders.

Sporting a solid red dress , Biden began her speech by noting her work with ACCT dating back to her time as second lady. The main thrust of the speech was how Joe Biden's agenda will boost community colleges. Below are excerpts, as provided by the First Lady's press office.

[APP Note: The remarks as noted above are available as a separate document in the APP archives at: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/354411]

FLOTUS pool report #4: Additional color and signing off

Jill Biden's speech ended at 9:28 and the press promptly fled the area for transportation back to the White House.

Biden's speech was well-received, drawing lots of applause and bookended by standing ovations. She leaned into the microphone to deliver the final words, "we are not giving up."

While acknowledging students, she asked those present to stand and be recognized. Mentions of free community college, affordable child care and more Pell grants also drew applause from the friendly crowd (full disclosure: your pool and his spouse are both Pell grant recipients).

That's all for me. It has been an honor to serve as your pooler this morning.