First Lady Pool Reports of June 22, 2021

FLOTUS pool #1: WH departure for JBA

Greetings from a very very rainy Washington. It's 68 degrees.

The first lady will tour vaccination sites in two states, Mississippi and Tennessee, today, as part of the Biden administration's efforts to get as many Americans as possible vaccinated. (The administration is currently revisiting the president's goal of vaccinating 70 percent of Americans by July 4.)

The first lady's recent trips have been targeted to schools and rural areas. Today is a bit different because she will tour a moonshine distillery with a country music star. Brad Paisley will be touring a pop-up vaccination site at the distillery with her and then he will perform some songs. So it's a full day.

The pool did not see the first lady climb into her SUV but we are rolling for JBA at 12:23 pm.

Here is a lot of background on both stops from the East Wing:

The First Lady will visit a COVID-19 vaccination clinic located at Jackson State University (JSU) in Jackson, Mississippi. The clinic is organized in partnership with the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, a nonprofit federally qualified health center that administers vaccines in central Mississippi. Later, the First Lady and Brad Paisley will visit a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Company in Nashville, Tennessee. The pop-up clinic was organized by the Made to Save campaign. Her visits today are part of the administration's nationwide tour to reach Americans who still need protection against the virus, highlight the ease of getting vaccinated, and mobilize vaccination outreach efforts.
FLOTUS Traveling Staff:
Anthony Bernal, Senior Adviser
Mala Adiga, Policy Director
Michael LaRosa, Press Secretary
Jordan Montoya, Trip Director

In Jackson, FLOTUS will encourage Mississippians to get vaccinated. Jackson State University is participating in the Biden Administration's COVID-19 College Challenge, which was launched as part of the Month of Action. Participating colleges commit to engaging students, faculty, and staff members; organizing their college community to get as many members vaccinated as possible; and delivering vaccine access for all.

• FLOTUS will greet with Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Dr. Ebony Lumumba, and Rep. Bennie Thompson upon arrival at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evans Int'l Airport.
• Mayor Lumumba, Dr. Lumumba, and Rep. Thompson will join FLOTUS at JSU where they will be greeted Mr. Thomas Hudson, President of Jackson State University.
• FLOTUS will take a three-stop tour of the clinic:
  • Registration area
  • Vaccination area
  • Observation area
• FLOTUS will then deliver remarks.

BACKGROUND

The clinic is run by the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, a nonprofit federally qualified health center that has helped lead the COVID-19 response and vaccination effort in central Mississippi. Today's clinic will be the 14th COVID-19 vaccination clinic hosted at Jackson State University in partnership with Jackson-Hinds. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available today and both walk-ins and scheduled appointments are accepted.

Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center
The Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center is the largest FQHC (federally qualified health center) in the state of Mississippi. Founded in 1970, Jackson-Hinds offers health care services at 31 locations in three counties – Hinds, Warren, and Copiah – in central Mississippi. Jackson-Hinds serves around 50,000 unique patients annually.

Jackson State University
Jackson State University is a public historically black university in Jackson, Mississippi. With approximately 7,000 students, it is one of the largest HBCUs in the country.

In Nashville, FLOTUS and Brad Paisley will visit a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic held at Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Company. The pop-up clinic was organized by the Made to Save campaign. Kroger Health is the pharmacy partner supporting this clinic.

• The First Lady will greet with Mayor John Cooper and Rep. Jim Cooper at the Nashville International Airport.
• At Ole Smokey Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Company, FLOTUS and Brad Paisley will take a three-stop tour of the pop-up vaccination clinic:
  • Registration area
  • Vaccination area
  • Observation area
• After, FLOTUS and Brad Paisley will deliver remarks, and then Brad will perform 2-3 songs.

BACKGROUND

This will be the first pop-up clinic taking place at this venue. There will be Pfizer vaccines and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available.

Made to Save
Run by the nonprofit Civic Nation, Made to Save is a national campaign to ensure communities hardest hit by the pandemic have access to COVID-19 vaccines and accurate and timely information. Made to Save has organized events and actions for volunteers — such as phone banks, text banks, and events—to increase access, confidence, and equity for vaccines across the country.

Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Company at 6th & Peabody
Located in Nashville's SoBro neighborhood, Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Co. at 6th & Peabody is a complex that features a distillery, brewery, bars, tasting rooms, and live music. It is a partnership between Ole Smoky Distillery, a craft distiller of moonshine, and Yee-Haw Brewing Company, a brewery. During in the pandemic, Ole Smoky Distillery started making and distributing hand sanitizer, which they donated to police and fire departments and non-profit organizations.

Kroger Health – Tennessee and Nashville
Kroger Health is the pharmacy partner for Tuesday's pop-up vaccine clinic. Kroger Health was one of the first federal pharmacy partners activated in Tennessee as part of the Biden Administration's Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. (In February 2021, the Biden Administration launched this program to make vaccines available to communities in local pharmacies across the country. The program is a nationwide network of chain and independent pharmacy partners that receive COVID-19 vaccines directly from the federal government. In Nashville, Kroger Health has partnered with local community partners to provide COVID-19 testing and vaccines at numerous sites.

FLOTUS pool #2: Wheels up for Jackson

Motorcade pulled up to the first lady's plane at 12:49 pm. Flotus emerged in a trench coat and quickly boarded. We will be wheels up shortly at 12:50 pm. --

FLOTUS pool #3: Jackson arrival

FLOTUS's plane landed in Jackson at 2:13 pm. The flight was uneventful.

FLOTUS disembarked at 2:20 pm. Her silver heels caught the the sunlight at Jackson airport, where it's 81 degrees. She gave hugs to her greeters and patted the arm of Rep. Bennie Thompson.

She waved at assembled reporters and seemed to think about coming over to journalists shouting questions, including "Do you think you can meet the goal?" But she smiled and turned back to her SUV. We are rolling to Jackson State University at 2:24 pm.

FLOTUS pool #4: Jackson State Arrival

FLOTUS tour of Jackson State vaccination pop-up began at 2:50 pm. A group of about 10 young people were waiting to receive the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

FLOTUS introduced herself as Jill to a student named Brian, and she asked him what his major was. His answer was inaudible but she told him he'd now be healthy to go out and take a job in his chosen field. She rested her manicured hand on his shoulder as he received his shot.

She then held the hand of a middle schooler who was afraid of needles: "I'm afraid too," she told the student.

"Thank you everybody for coming and doing this. We're really working hard to get people vaccinated," she told a group of people who were seated and waiting for their shots.

"Could I ask each of you to go home and make a phone call" to tell a friend the vaccine was free and easy to receive, she asked. They timidly nodded. She asked them again if they'd make the call. They nodded more assertively that time.

Pool was ushered into an event room to await remarks at 2:58 pm while she introduced herself to the group.

"I'm Jill Biden," she told one of them, as pool departed.

FLOTUS pool #5: FLOTUS remarks: "God Bless you, Mississippi. Go get vaccinated."

FLOTUS entered the room to deliver remarks at 3:11 pm. Please check quotes against transcripts.

Rep. Bennie Thompson spoke first: "You understand why she's here, because it's so important, given the demographics of the population that is most vulnerable."

Thompson added that the first lady's visit to Mississippi could "mitigate a lot of the rumors floating in the community as to why we can't accept the shot."

FLOTUS took the podium next and said she felt "so much at home as a teacher" at Jackson State, then delivered a speech in which she directly pointed out that the vaccination rates in Mississippi were not high enough, and emphatically encouraged Mississippians to do all they could to change the ratio.

"Do you remember how lonely and uncertain many of us felt? We can't lose that."

"Now, in a lot of ways, the vaccines feel like a miracle. They were rolled out in record time and work much better than we hoped. But still, and I'm sure a lot of you hear this, there's a lot of misinformation out there."

"The technology behind them really isn't new at all. You know, scientists have been studying similar viruses and working on this type of vaccine for decades."

In Mississippi, she said, "35 percent of eligible people have been vaccinated, and that's just not enough. And that's why I wanted to be here today. That's why the White House says 'please, can you go to Mississippi?' … The president and I — the White House, our administration — we care about you."

"I'm here today to ask all of the people who can hear my voice, who can see my face, to get their shot. The vaccine is safe and it doesn't hurt. I promise it doesn't hurt."

"The air smells so much sweeter without a mask, doesn't it?" she asked the crowd.

"God Bless you, Mississippi. Go get vaccinated," she told the crowd, pressing her hands together. People rose to their feet to applaud her.

A note: Mississippi is home to some of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation. Some 35 percent of residents have received at least one dose, and 29 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, per a NY Times database. The school where the First Lady gave remarks required visitors to wear masks.

Another note: FLOTUS pointed out that several young students in the crowd were excited to get back into the classroom this fall, "just like I am."

Pool headed to motorcade at 3:28 pm. We are rolling at 3:31 pm.

FLOTUS pool #6: Jackson > Nashville

FLOTUS motorcade pulled up to the plane at 3:52 pm. FLOTUS spent a few minutes posing for photos with police officers on the tarmac. We are wheels up to Nashville shortly at 3:58 pm.

The full remarks from her appearance at Jackson State are below, per East Wing:

**EXCERPTS**
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
First Lady Jill Biden
Jackson State University, Jackson, MS
June 22, 2021

***
It's hard to believe how far we've come from this point last year. Do you remember how quiet the streets were? Remember the empty grocery aisles? And just how uncertain and lonely so many of us felt? We couldn't know when it would end. It felt like it would take a miracle. But now, people tell me that they're finally feeling hopeful again. Restaurants are reopening. Families are getting back to work. So many of our kids finished the school year in-person and are excited to start there in the fall. And I know all the parents here are silently yelling, "Thank God!" to that one. Right?
We're getting back those things we lost for so long: hugging the people we love…catching up with friends face to face… smiling at strangers.
And it's because so many people have chosen to get vaccinated.
***
Now, in a lot of ways, the vaccines feel like a miracle. They were rolled-out in record time and work better than we'd hoped.
Still, there's misinformation out there – and people have a lot of questions. They've come up to me and asked: Is it safe? Was it created too fast? Was it tested enough?
As a teacher, as a mom and grandma, I wanted to be able to give the best answers I could. So, I asked some experts. And I was surprised to learn that, while these vaccines might be new, the technology behind them isn't at all. Scientists have been studying similar viruses and working on this type of vaccine for decades now. So, when the pandemic started, they already had a blueprint ready to go.
The vaccines might feel like a miracle, but there's no faith required. They are the result of decades of rigorous scientific research and discoveries. And they've been held to the very same safety standard as every other vaccine. Here in Mississippi, only 30 percent of eligible people have been fully vaccinated. That's just not enough. And it's why I wanted to visit. Because your health… your life… and your community… it matters to me – and it matters to the President.
***
So, I'm here today to ask you to get your shot. And as I do, I want you to know three things:
Number one: As I said, getting vaccinated is safe. It doesn't even hurt. I promise, I barely felt mine. And I hate needles!
Number two: It's effective. This is important for your health. Studies show that they offer almost perfect protection against death or hospitalization.
And remember, there are some people who can't get vaccinated—like those with compromised immune systems. Your aunt in chemotherapy. Your neighbor with diabetes. Your friend at church with rheumatoid arthritis. They are counting on the rest of us to get protected so we don't unknowingly spread it to them.
Number three: It's easy and absolutely free. Maybe with work and family, you don't think you have time to get vaccinated. But most places don't require appointments – you can just walk up and get your shot. If you need a ride, Uber and Lyft are offering trips for free – there are even child care options. No matter where you live, there is a vaccination site close by. Just go to "Vaccines-dot-gov" to find one.

If you still have questions – that's OK! Talk to your doctor. This is your choice – so get the information you need.
***
From barbeques to baseball games to boardwalks full of laughing children, summer is here and it has never felt more full of promise. The fresh air smells sweeter without our masks. The time with our loved ones feels more precious now that we know it could be lost. The bonds of our community feel stronger because we carried each other through the darkest times.
That's what we do. It's who we are: people who take care of our neighbors and friends. People who know that, together, there is no challenge we can't face—no obstacle we can't soar above.
Now, we must rise once more – each of us doing our part to protect ourselves and everyone around us.
Do your part. Choose to get your shot. And we'll be able celebrate this summer the way it should be: safe and together.

FLOTUS pool #7: Nashville arrival

FLOTUS's plane landed in Nashville at 4:58 pm. It was an uneventful flight, but there *is* a concert coming up.

FLOTUS disembarked at 5:07 pm, taking special care walking down the stairs in her heels. She greeted Rep. Jim Cooper and Mayor John Cooper (brothers) at the bottom of the stairs.

We are rolling to the distillery at 5:11 pm.

FLOTUS pool #8: Distillery arrival

Motorcade arrived at 5:25 pm after snaking through downtown Nashville. Lots of people were recording with their phones and one lady waved an American flag.

The distillery was packed with young people drinking beer and waiting for the first lady (and Brad). We are holding for a few minutes and then will observe FLOTUS on pop-up vaccination site tour.

Several attendees wore "Made to Save" buttons, which is the name of the organization that is hosting the pop-up vaccine clinic.

A note: 40 percent of eligible people in Tennessee have received at least one shot of the vaccine, and 35 percent are fully vaccinated, per an NYT database.

FLOTUS pool #9: Pop up vaccination site tour with the Paisleys

FLOTUS did a meet and greet with VIPs before she toured the pop up site, which is sparsely populated compared to the full bar next door. There were two people in the vaccine relaxation area and a handful of people (10) waiting for or receiving shots.

FLOTUS, Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams Paisley ("Father of the Bride") walked slowly through the pop-up at 5:55 pm. There was one young girl waiting to get her shot. They were all well out of earshot of the pool. FLOTUS placed her hand on the girl's arm before she received a shot. There was applause after the girl received it, and live country music played in the background from the bar next door.

A PR person for the distillery handed us a fact sheet: Ole Smoky is the most awarded-moonshine in the world.

FLOTUS was still greeting people when pool was ushered inside to hold for remarks/concert at 6:01 pm.

FLOTUS pool #10: Remarks & Brad Paisley

FLOTUS entered the distillery at 6:09 pm to applause. Please check quotes against transcripts.

"This is so amazing, I love this place!"

"Didn't you just miss the jumble of people and the murmur of the crowd and the music?"

"It's because of everyone who got the vaccine to make this effort possible."

"The people on the frontlines, the volunteers just like all of you, you know, stepped up, because you know you know what vaccines mean for your family and your friends and your neighbors, and you know that they're saving lives, and you know that the vaccines are the only way to get back to, you know, the open mics and the music festivals and concerts that have made this city so very special."

"This state still has a little bit of a way to go. Only 3 in 10 Tennesseans are vaccinated."

The crowd booed.

"Well, you're booing yourselves!"

"This misinformation out there - I don't know where it's coming from."

"You might have questions. Call your doc."

She grabbed the mic and came closer to the crowd, to applause. "What else do you want? They're safe, effective and they're free."

She handed things over to Brad Paisley at 6:18 pm.

He started with the opening lyrics of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," retooled to "Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacc-iiiine…"

FLOTUS pool #11: Distillery departure

Pool was escorted from the distillery at 6:26, after Brad Paisley did a short set of two songs.

Just before we left, FLOTUS was clapping along to Paisley's song about the importance of teamwork: "No 'I' in Beer."

We are rolling to the airport at 6:34 pm.

FLOTUS pool #12: Nashville > JBA

Pool was escorted from the distillery at 6:26, after Brad Paisley did a short set of two songs.

Just before we left, FLOTUS was clapping along to Paisley's song about the importance of teamwork: "No 'I' in Beer."

We are rolling to the airport at 6:34 pm.

FLOTUS pool #13: JBA arrival

FLOTUS's plane landed at JBA at 9:26 pm. The flight was uneventful. She disembarked at 9:36 pm and chatted with an Air Force officer for a few seconds before climbing into her SUV. We are rolling to the White House at 9:37 pm, and we are 25 minutes ahead of schedule, her spokesman Michael LaRosa points out.

FLOTUS pool #14: WH arrival

Motorcade arrived at 10:02 pm. We did not see FLOTUS enter the White House. That's a wrap.