Pool Reports of February 24, 2024

In-town pool report #1: video conference with other G7 leaders

Hey all,

Happy Saturday. I'll be your in-town print pooler for the day. Passing along the following from the White House:

"The President is participating in a video conference call with other G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss our continued support for Ukraine and steps we can take together to continue holding Russia accountable.

Video Conference Participants
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, United Kingdom
President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission
President Charles Michel, European Council
Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, France

U.S. Participants
The President
T.H. Christina Segal-Knowles, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Economics, National Security Council"

In-town pool report #2: Change in call time

Passing along this guidance:

"Pushing call time to 6pm."

In-town pool report #3: Campaign call

The White House passed along the following note via the campaign:

"President Biden joined a campaign organizing call along with Governor Whitmer and Michigan Democratic Party Chair."

In-town pool report #4: More Michigan campaign activity

Some additional campaign activity updates, courtesy of the White House:

"Today, President Biden taped two radio interviews ahead of Tuesday’s Michigan primary: The Bushman Show and Afternoon Jamz with P.A. Both interviews will air on Monday, February 26th."

Also, a clarification re: in-town pool report #3 to avoid any confusion: The campaign activity was passed along by the White House, not "via" the campaign.

In-town pool report #5: Color from governor black-tie dinner

POTUS and FLOTUS entered the State Dining Room at 7:35 EST to a standing ovation.

Govs. Polis of Colorado (D) and Cox of Utah (R) gave toasts to the president. Cox joked that maybe he shouldn't be doing this event as a Republican, but "my parents taught me that we should pray for the leaders of this country. … we are always Americans first." (Cox also had an earlier joke about how he only saw a few people measuring the curtains.)

VPOTUS mingled with guests ahead of everyone being asked to take their seats.

In-town pool report #6: POTUS remarks at dinner

POTUS began speaking about 7:40 p.m. EST to a still-standing room.

"We have a lot to do. The thing that makes me feel good about having the governors here is we have a tradition of doing things together. We fight like hell, we make sure that we get our points across. At the end of the day, we know who we work for. The objective is to get things done."

"Politics have gotten too bitter. Democrats and Republicans. Politics has gotten too personal. It's just not like it was." He added that he served at times when the parties had stark differences.

Concluded his speech by talking about time spent with Xi Jinping when he was Vice President, at request of Obama because "it was clear he was going to be the head of R— of China, and we were ... having problems with Russia at the time, and other countries as well." Talked about all the travel they did together, and how Biden defined America to him as full of "possibilities."

POTUS's toast was to "possibilities."

He spoke about three minutes before the press was ushered out.

In-town pool report #7: Guest list and menu

Here's some more information from tonight's dinner, provided by the White House:

"Expected Attendees

The First Lady
The Vice President
The Second Gentleman
Secretary Antony Blinken, Department of State
Secretary Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce
Secretary Xavier Becerra, Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Department of Transportation
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Department of Homeland Security
Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
Administrator Isabel Guzman, Small Business Administration
Governor Spencer Cox (UT), National Governors Association Chair
Governor Jared Polis (CO), National Governors Association Vice Chair
Governor Andy Beshear (KY)
Governor Doug Burgum (ND)
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. (USVI)
Governor John Carney (DE)
Governor Roy Cooper (NC)
Governor Mike DeWine (OH)
Governor Tony Evers (WI)
Governor Greg Gianforte (MT)
Governor Mark Gordon (WY)
Governor Josh Green, M.D. (HI)
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM)
Governor Maura Healey (MA)
Governor Kathy Hochul (NY)
Governor Jay Inslee (WA)
Governor Tina Kotek (OR)
Governor Ned Lamont (CT)
Governor Bill Lee (TN)
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero (GU)
Governor Brad Little (ID)
Governor Dan McKee (RI)
Governor Janet T. Mills (ME)
Governor Wes Moore (MD)
Governor Philip Murphy (NJ)
Governor Gavin Newsom (CA)
Governor Arnold Palacios (MP)
Governor Pedro Pierluisi (PR)
Governor Josh Shapiro (PA)
Governor Kevin Stitt (OK)
Governor Christopher Sununu (NH)
Governor Tim Walz (MN)
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (MI)
Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President and Counselor to the President
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant and Senior Advisor to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Lorraine Voles, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Emmy Ruiz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach
Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor
Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Implementation
Tom Perez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Bill McBride, Executive Director, National Governors Association
Tiffany Waddell, National Governors Association

Speaking Program
Governor Jared Polis (CO), National Governors Association Vice Chair
Governor Spencer Cox (UT), National Governors Association Chair
The President

MENU
The First Lady worked with White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison on tonight's menu.

"Spring Impression", House Made Burrata,
Early Spring Vegetables, Basil Puree
Italian Bread Basket

Choice of:
Beef Braciole with Barolo Glaze
Trio of Pasta
OR
Cod Almandine
Trio of Pasta

Lemon Meringue Tart with Limoncello Ice Cream"

In-town pool report #8: Entertainment and color

As guests started entering the East Room around 9 p.m. EST, they chatted as they got settled in, some at standing tables.

POTUS and FLOTUS sat at a table in the front.

POTUS smiled and engaged throughout Trisha Yearwood's performance, and when the crowd started clapping along he appeared to as well. Press was ushered out after one song, but POTUS cheered and applauded after.

Below is info from the WH on the artist.

"ENTERTAINMENT
This evening's entertainment will include a performance by multiplatinum, Grammy award-winning music artist, Trisha Yearwood.

Following three decades in the spotlight, numerousGRAMMY, CMA, and ACM Awards, countless multi-platinum certifications, and millions of fans entertained, the same passion still motivates and moves Trisha Yearwood. The singer, actress, author, chef, personality, and entrepreneur derives deep fulfillment from simply walking up to a microphone and pouring her heart out by way of a celebrated powerhouse voice. In 2019, Trisha unveiled her highly anticipated first full-length country record in over a decade, Every Girl. Every Girl: Deluxeincludes a new acoustic re-recording of her first album's lead single "She's In Love With The Boy." Trisha made history when the original "She's In Love With The Boy" vaulted to No. 1 and cemented her as the first female country artist to have a debut single reach the top of the country charts. She made history once again in 2021, when "She's In Love With The Boy" was named "The Most Listened To Country Song by a Female Artist" in the history of Billboard'sCountry Airplay Charts. Every Girl: Deluxe upholds and extends her legacy for a new generation of fans. Trisha remains a timeless entertainer whose influence permeates multiple facets of culture. Beyond fifteen albums, she hosts the EMMY Award-winning Food Network hit Trisha's Southern Kitchenand her Facebook Live show, T's Coffee Talk. At the forefront of a veritable lifestyle empire, she has penned four New York Times bestselling cookbooks and has designed cookware, furniture, home accessories, and more.

Run of Show
The First Lady
Trisha Yearwood"

In-town pool report #9: Lid

We got a lid at 9:39 p.m. EST.

Attaching a photo where you can see POTUS as Yearwood performed "XXX's and OOO's" in case helpful to anyone.

Have a nice rest of your weekends!