Pool Reports of February 19, 2025

Travel Pool #1 rolling for PBI

Press vans joined the president's motorcade at Mar-a-Lago at 8:29 am. 

We are rolling for PBI.

Travel Pool #2 PBI arrival/wheels up

Motorcade arrived at the airport at 8:35 am. 

Trump boarded AF1 at 8:37 am, as pool was still sprinting toward the plane from the vans. He was wearing a white polo and red MAGA hat. 

Wheels up shortly.

Travel Pool #3 Miami arrival

AF1 landed at Miami International Airport at 9:10 am after a short flight. 

Trump deplaned at 9:24 am and pumped his fist twice, looking at the crowd of supporters waiting for him at the tarmac. He mouthed something to the press but it was hard for us to figure out. 

Motorcade rolling for Trump National Doral at 9:26 am.

Travel Pool #4 Doral arrival

Motorcade arrived at Trump National Doral at 9:33 am. Pool is heading to a holding area.

Travel Pool #5 EO factsheet

Apologies for any formatting issues -- below is a factsheet from the WH on an EO he signed yesterday. 

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Reins in Independent Agencies to Restore a Government that Answers to the American People

RESTORING DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNMENT: Today,
President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order ensuring that all federal agencies are accountable to the American people, as required by the Constitution. 

Under this Executive Order:
· The Order notes that Article II of the U.S. Constitution vests all executive power
in the President, meaning that all executive branch officials and employees are
subject to his supervision.
· Therefore, because all executive power is vested in the President, all agencies
must: (1) submit draft regulations for White House review—with no carve-out for
so-called independent agencies, except for the monetary policy functions of the
Federal Reserve; and (2) consult with the White House on their priorities and
strategic plans, and the White House will set their performance standards.
· The Office of Management and Budget will adjust so-called independent
agencies' apportionments to ensure tax dollars are spent wisely.
· The President and the Attorney General (subject to the President's supervision
and control) will interpret the law for the executive branch, instead of having
separate agencies adopt conflicting interpretations.
REINING IN INDEPENDENT AGENCIES: So-called independent agencies like the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have exercised enormous power over the American people without Presidential oversight.
· These agencies issue rules and regulations that cost billions of dollars and
implicate some of the most controversial policy matters, and they do so without
the review of the democratically elected President.
· They also spend American tax dollars and set priorities without consulting the
President, while setting their own performance standards.
· Now they will no longer impose rules on the American people without oversight
or accountability.
ENSURING A GOVERNMENT THAT ANSWERS TO THE PEOPLE: This order fulfills President Trump's promise to restore constitutional governance and accountability to the entire executive branch.

· Executive power without responsibility has no place in our Republic. The United
States was founded on the principle that the government should be accountable
to the people. That is why the Founders created a single President who is alone
vested with "the executive Power" and responsibility to "take Care that the Laws
be faithfully executed."
· Voters and the President can now hold all Federal agencies—not just Cabinet
departments—responsible for their decisions, as the Constitution demands.

Travel Pool #6 lunch lid

At 11 am, the WH called a lunch lid until noon.

Travel Pool #7 rolling for FII summit

Motorcade rolling for the FII event at 4:19 pm. 

Looked like Trump had changed into a navy suit from the glimpse we caught of him in his car.

Travel Pool #8 event arrival

Motorcade arrived at the FII event at 4:41 pm. Pool enjoyed the ocean views during the drive. 

Lots of people gathered to watch the motorcade as we got closer to the event at Miami Beach. Some were wearing MAGA hats and had "welcome Trump" signs. One man gave a thumbs down as we drove by. 

We are told Trump's remarks will be carried live so I will not be sending detailed notes/quotes.

Travel Pool #9 Trump takes the stage

Trump walked out on the stage at 5:33 pm. He stood on the stage as "God Bless the USA" played. The crowd cheered as the song wrapped. 

His remarks, carried live, are now underway 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11CnoIJidr8

Elon Musk, wearing a black MAGA hat, was seated front and center. Pool also spotted Susie Wiles.

Travel Pool #10 speech ends

Trump ended his remarks at 6:35 pm. He is now taking some questions.  

Some color and quotes from the president's remarks:

Trump called Saudi Arabia a "special place with special leaders."

Musk got a standing ovation from the crowd, as Trump said: "He's been making a little news lately"

Trump spent some time detailing the results of the 2024 election. In talking about his deportation efforts, he said Europe needed to do more to curb illegal immigration. "It's really hurting Europe," he said. 

He said he's accomplished more in four weeks than previous administrations have done in four years.

On Musk, Trump joked: "He's got his faults also -- I'll tell you that."

He also talked about giving 20% of the savings from DOGE's cost-cutting efforts to taxpayers and 20% to pay down the debt. 

The crowd here laughed as Trump went through some examples of programs that DOGE has deemed wasteful. 

"They're all deleted," he said of DEI jobs in the government. 

Trump said he's going to be announcing tariffs on cars, semi conductors, pharmaceuticals and lumber. 

He addressed the peace talks in Saudi Arabia and said they were going well before criticizing Zelensky. "The only thing he was good at was playing Joe Biden like a fiddle."

Travel Pool #11 q&a

Trump took some questions before wrapping up at 6:54 pm. The event was carried live. 

Some of the questions:
What's the best piece of advice you have received?
Who would you invite to a dinner party?
If you could take a sabbatical year, what would you do?
What's the best investment you have made in your personal growth?
If you were a historical ruler, would you rule during war or peace?
Describe America in three words? 
What would you like your legacy to be?

The room was totally packed with barely any room for attendees to walk.

Travel Pool #12 rolling for MIA

Motorcade was rolling for the Miami airport at 7:03. 

Apologies my pool report didn't go through the first time I sent.

Travel Pool #13 airport arrival/wheels up

Motorcade arrived at the Miami airport at 7:23 pm. On our way to the airport, a car somehow briefly got into the motorcade before getting pulled over by a cop. 

Trump boarded the plane with Musk at 7:27 pm, as pool was still running to get in position. 

Wheels up shortly. Please note that Trump is expected to sign executive orders on the flight.

Travel Pool #14 Trump AF1 gaggle

AF1 landed at JBA at 9:25 pm.

Trump came to the back of the plane toward the end of the flight for a gaggle. We are still transcribing. But here's an initial take (with help from Nikki Schwab)

Trump a printout of a map of the US with the counties that he won in 2024. The map was accompanied with a USA Today story. 

Tik tok update:

"There's a lot of people interested in Tiktok and we have a chance of doing something good and we'll be speaking to China also.

"It will be great to keep TikTok alive., sell it to somebody that is going to do a great job"

He didn't see the CEO

Payments from DOGE findings:

"I love it" 20% divident
"I think it's great idea. It could be a lot."

"It could also give the taxpayer incentive to go out and report things."

ICE arrests:
"I think they are doing a great job. You've got people that are hiding. They are professionals…and they are criminals in many cases. oBviously they are easy to capture. 

Boeing and Air Force One:
"I'm not happy with Boeing."

"There's no excuse for it."

"I would not consider Airbus. I could buy one from another country perhaps or get one from another country,:

"We're looking at alternatives because it's taking Boeing too long."

Egyptian proposal on Gaza:
"I haven't seen it,"

Deal on rare minerals:
"We don't get our money back and we told them we'll do something for rare minerals etc etc and they agreed to it more or less and then Scott Bessent went there and was treated rather rudely because essentially they told him no."

Said zelensky was unavailable to meet with him. "He went there do to get a document signed and he came back empty," 

"I'm going to resurrect." 

"It's all time to figure out what happened with the money." 

"We can make a deal with Russia to stop the killing."

Q: do you have a rate in mind for that for lumber tariffs?

No but we're thinking about maybe 25 percent.

Q: Would that also be April …
In that vicinity. A little bit later.

Q: Which car companies did you speak to?
I spoke to all car companies.  Everybody is coming back to America.

Q: foreign car companies?
They're going to be coming back. Because they don't want to pay the tariffs.

Q: You said you'll be having lunch with some Democrats next week – who?
You'll see when I do it. Some good ones. Some biggies.

Q: Are you worried about congressional funding?
No I think we're going to do something, I think it would be great if Republicans and Democrats could get along.

Q:  Russia negotiate in good faith?
I do, I think the Russians want to see the war end. I do, I really do. But I think they have the cards a little bit because they've taken a lot of territory so they have the cards.

Q: Set a date for the British PM's visit?
He'll be coming soon, he's asked to come.

Q: What about Macron?
And the president of France also, Macron will be coming.

Q: But no set dates yet?
Very soon. Maybe Monday.

Travel Pool #15 otter link

Here's the link to the gaggle, while we wait for Trump on the tarmac 
https://otter.ai/u/oJSvTyw7UHAKKzNHtsiJKMabyJg

Travel Pool #16 Trump on congestion pricing

(Thanks to Nikki for this)

Q: Congestion pricing – MTA shortfall? 

Well that's up to New York they have to do that. New York has treated a lot of people very badly and it's hard to feel sorry for what's happened in New York, it's sad, to see the way they've treated people. And they continue to do it and look at what's going on with the mayor, look at what's going on with so many other things. Congestion pricing is not a good situation, they're treating the people of New York very badly. Suppose you work at a shoe shop, or you worked at a restaurant as a waiter, and you have to come into Manhattan and they're taking many, many dollars out of your pocket. … If you take a look traffic will go down because people aren't going to come, if people don't come the whole place is going to be a disaster. So … traffic will go down but that means they're not going to spend their money in New York, they'll go someplace else.

Travel Pool #17 M1 wheels up

Trump deplaned at 9:38 pm and boarded M1 soon after. 

M1 was wheels up at 9:45 pm.

Travel Pool #18 more, newsy DC response

Would you make a new trade deal with China? 

"It's possible."

"Well, we did a great trade deal with China. We did it great for the farmers. Great for manufacturers. They had about $50 billion worth of our product, and we were making them buy it. The problem is that Biden didn't push them to adhere to it."

Paying for tax cuts while taking Medicare and Medicaid off the table: 

Well, I think we're going to take in tremendous tariff money number one and number two, you take a look at Doge, and you see what's happening. We're saving billions of dollars

Should DC govern itself: 
I think that we should govern the District of Columbia … I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless… And I think we should take over Washington, D.C. We could save people from getting killed. They have a great police department there. Somehow they're not utilized properly. We should govern D.C. The federal government should take over the governance of D.C. And run it really, really properly. And I like the mayor, I get along great with the mayor, they're not doing the job – too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns, there's magnificent lawns and there's tents. It's a sad thing, homeless people all over the place, we've gotta take care of the homeless. But we can't have that in Washington, D.C. When they come in to see me – like Macron is coming, the prime minister of the UK is coming, all these people coming over to see me. We'll have ultimately President Xi, we'll have everybody. … You can't let that happen. You can't have tents all over your beautiful, your once magnificent houses and lawns, you just can't do it.

In town pool report 1: gather

Pool is gathering for the President's South Lawn arrival.

In town pool report 2: Arrival / no questions.

Marine 1 landed at 9:53 pm. 

The President disembarked at 9:56 and walked by himself across the frigid South Lawn. He pumped a fist and waved at the pool but didn't approach or otherwise interact with the pool and its shouted questions. Elon Musk followed behind with staff and waved but didn't say anything. He was holding a stuffed toy of AF1, according to a fellow pooler. Everyone was inside the White House by 9:57. 
The group which included Musk and Steven Cheung then walked across the Colonnade toward the West Wing at 9:58.

In town travel pool 3: Lid

Travel/photo lid called at 10 pm

Also a clarification to report 2: Trump was not among the group that walked toward the West Wing, in case it was unclear, according to my eagle-eyed fellow poolers. And apologies for a double report 1, computer troubles. 

Have a great night.