Pool Reports of April 27, 2021

In-Town Pool Report: #1 checking in

Good morning,

Pool has been COVID tested and is in position. President Biden has one event today, remarks on the pandemic this afternoon. The speech is taking place outdoors on the North Lawn -- a new location for this president to deliver remarks.

The speech will be livestreamed, but I will send color as warranted.

Today's schedule is below for your convenience:

1:15 PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on the COVID-19 response
North Lawn
In-House Pool Coverage (Final Gather 12:55 PM – Palm Room Doors)

Briefing Schedule

12:30 PM Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and public health officials

1:45 PM Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki

In-town travel pool report #2: Lunch lid until 12:55 pm

The White House at roughly 12:37 pm put a lunch lid in place until 12:55 pm.

In-town pool report #3: press briefing moved to 2pm

The White House tells the pool that the press briefing that had been scheduled for 1:45 pm has been moved to 2pm.

In-town pool report #4: another schedule change

The White House just pushed the gather time for the president's remarks down to 1:30 PM.

For those keeping track: his speech was scheduled for 1:15 pm but the pool's gather time is now 1:30 pm and the White House pushed the press briefing down to 2pm.

All of which suggests the president's speech is now taking place sometime between 1:30pm and 2pm.

In-town pool report: #5: Biden remarks color

At 1:54 pm the president walked out of the North Portico -- wearing a black mask -- and over to a podium that had been set up on the sidewalk to deliver remarks.

He took off his mask at the podium just before he began speaking.

Before the president's remarks, Jeff Zients briefly came over to speak to technicians.

He also said a brief hello to pool and commented on the good weather.

The president is speaking now. His speech is streaming on the White House's website.

In-town pool report #6: Biden takes questions, walks away maskless

After the president's short remarks, he took several questions:

For those who couldn't hear the questions, the first one was: if the risk is so low outdoors, why doesn't this new guidance apply to everybody.

The second one was: you chose to wear a mask, what message are you sending, wearing a mask outside alone. (The president was more than six feet away from the pool.)

The third question was about meeting Vladimir Putin.

The fourth question was about making it faster for India to get the vaccine.

A maskless President Biden left the podium for the final time roughly 9 minutes after he started speaking at 2:04 pm and walked into the White House alone. Pool could not see from where it was standing when he put it back on but it was not before he reached the North Portico to reenter the White House.

In-town pool report #7: briefing ongoing

The White House press briefing began just before 2:30 pm after a 2 minute warning and a delay that was apparently due to the president's remarks concluding after the briefing's scheduled start time.

The briefing is ongoing.

In town-pool report #8: travel/photo lid

The White House called a travel/photo lid at 3:30 pm on a beautiful 85F degree day. Enjoy the sunshine, everybody.