Pool Reports by Steven Nelson, New York Post
| Sent: | Reports: |
| January 19, 2023 09:24 EST |
Pool Report 1/Gathered for departure The pool has gathered for President Biden's South Lawn departure for his day-trip to California. He was scheduled to board Marine One around 9:25. |
| January 19, 2023 09:30 EST |
Pool Report 2/No Qs President Biden walked out of the White House residence at 9:24. He smiled and waved, but took no questions. Marine One lifted off at 9:28. |
| January 19, 2023 09:34 EST |
Pool Report 3/M1 Entourage The White House shares the following: Traveling with the President aboard Marine One en route Joint Base Andrews: Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff |
| January 19, 2023 23:10 EST |
Pool Report 4/Bad weather call The in-town pool received a surprise bad weather call, resulting in a somewhat frantic dash to the White House to load into vans to join President Biden's motorcade back from JBA. It's slightly foggy in DC and the bad-weather call means no Q&A on the lawn. |
| January 20, 2023 00:02 EST |
Pool Report 5/Motorcade rolling The in-town pool vans joined President Biden's motorcade at 11:57 as it rolled out of JBA toward the White House. |
| January 20, 2023 00:24 EST |
Pool Report 6/Lid The motorcade came to a stop on White House driveway at 12:18. We didn't see the president enter the building. And we have a lid. |
Pool Reports below by Rob Crilly, Daily Mail
| Sent: | Reports: |
| January 19, 2023 09:42 EST |
Travel pool report #1: JBA Good morning from a gray and damp JBA. Pool was held up getting on to the base by some kind of unspecified security issue. I will be your travel pooler today for our trip to Northern California where POTUS will see storm damage, and hear from first responders and local officials. Marine One was wheels down at 09:36. POTUS spoke to pilots briefly before exiting and walked directly to AF1 steps with greeter. He waved to pool before clining steps, stopping to salute and wave before entering AF1 cabin. We will be wheels up imminently List of greeters and travellers is below. Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will gaggle en route to Santa Clara County, California. We are on AF1 with tail number 28000, for those who keep count. We have been told there will be limited connectivity and no bathrooms on the ground - so thoughts and prayers please. From the White House: Greeting the President upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews: Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route Moffett Federal Airfield, Santa Clara County, California: |
| January 19, 2023 11:48 PST |
Travel pool report #2: Moffett Federal Airfield AF1 was wheels up from JBA at 09:50 eastern. Wheels down at Moffett Federal Airfield, Santa Clara county at 11:41 PST. No visitors to rear cabin during flight other than for gaggle. Just waiting for AF1 to park up. First event will be aerial survey of storm damaged area. |
| January 19, 2023 12:01 PST |
Travel pool report #3: Aerial tour starts POTUS deplaned at 11:55. He is in Aviators and has changed into a blazer and blue trousers from the suit he wore getting aboard AF1. Gov Newsom among the greeters (full details below). We could see some remnants of the storm as we landed- areas of standing water were evident at the airfield. It is a sunny day with temps in the low 50s. POTUS made his way to Marine with Newsom and greeting party and boarded at 11:59. Pool is headed to an Osprey for the aerial survey of storm hit area. From the White House: Greeting the President upon arrival at Moffett Federal Airfield: |
| January 19, 2023 12:12 PST |
Travel pool report #4: Aerial tour participants From the White House: Joining the President aboard Marine One for an aerial tour of impacted areas overlooking California: |
| January 19, 2023 12:54 PST |
Travel pool report #5: Aerial tour ends Pool was in the air for 23 minutes, but was unable to see Marine One take off or in the air. The route took us around the coast before landing at Watsonville Municipal Airport, at 12:31. It was difficult to see the ground from our vantage point in the Osprey. Photogs close to open rear door said they were able to see possible storm damage in the firm of landslips or beach erosion near the shore line, storm debris and logs on the beach, and a damaged pier. Marine One landed at 12:39. POTUS emerged at about 12:45 (out of sight) but then we saw him climb into motorcade after chatting for a bit. Greeters below. Motorcade rolling at 12:53. Headed to Capitola Pier to meet residents and business owners, according to guidance. White House sends the following: Greeting the President upon arrival at Watsonville Municipal Airport, Santa Cruz County, California: |
| January 19, 2023 13:02 PST |
Travel pool report #6: holding in vans Slight adjustment to arrangements. Pool is actually holding at airport while POTUS takes part in photo line out of sight from us. We will be motorcading to next part of schedule momentarily. |
| January 19, 2023 13:24 PST |
Travel pool report #7: motorcade Motorcqde all came together at 13:18 after photo line event and now driving to next event. White House sends the following details for the photo line. Participating in a photoline with the President at Watsonville Municipal Airport: |
| January 19, 2023 13:45 PST |
Travel pool report #8: Capitola Pier Motorcade was waved on its way by a smiling crowd of a good couple of hundred people outside the airport. Someone held an 'Asylum please' sign while another held a Welcome to Watsonville' sign. Another couple of hundred people lined the first part of the route, holding up phones as the motorcade passed. Aa People even assembled on a couple of bridges to wave down as the convoy passed underneath. Last section of journey took us along the shore, by a placid ocean, and past hundreds more people. With a 'Trump won" flag sounding the only dissent. We arrived at Capitola Pier at 13:38 and walked through town past seaside themed stores to a little bar grille, with a half destroyed floor. POTUS entered at 13:42 on a tour with the owner describing how the waves rolled through. 'you're kidding me' said POTUS before pool was ushered to next stop |
| January 19, 2023 14:10 PST |
Travel pool report #9: Capitola tour Pool was moved outside on to a small area of boardwalk above a sandy beach, littered with tree trunks washed up against a sea wall. In the distance we can see pretty little cottages painted in bright greens, pinks, purples and greens. It feels like the whole town has turned out to look on from afar. The previous stop was the Paradise Beach Grille, where POTUS also said: 'sorry man we're slowing up your work' POTUS said to a contractor, where he was looking at a sea-shredded floor. Full details of businesses and owners etc is below. Next stop is Zelda's on the Beach, which has sandbags piled by its beachside exit. And what look like construction supplies inside an otherwise bare interior. POTUS and Newsom appeared along the decking on front of the restaurant as a local business owner appeared do talk them through the damage caused by storms. They chatted for a few minutes out of earshot of pool before we were moved back to a third location looking out to sea, with the pier off to our left for pics. POTUS ignored an innocuous shouted question about what he had learned on the trip. And we are hustled off as he continues his tour to load into vans, at 14:06. |
| January 19, 2023 14:27 PST |
Travel pool report #10: Seacliff State Park Motorcade arrived for next event with first responders and state and local officials at Seacliff State Park at 14:21. Again the route was thronged by hundreds of people at key points. The last bit of the road zigzagged down to a sandy beach with a shipwreck about 50 yards out. Nearby a a pleasure pier, used by sightseers to view the wreck (towed down from Oakland, I'm told) shows signs of storm damage, its platform all twisted. |
| January 19, 2023 14:57 PST |
Travel pool report #11: pier POTUS emerged from his black suburban at 14:28 about 50 yards from pool. Stills were separated from rest of pool and taken closer. Then he went back into the SUV for about five minutes before resuming tour, viewing pile of damaged planks from the pier and then looking at the pier itself. Needless to say, pool is too far away to hear anything. Newsom and Creswell are still accompanying POTUS, who was handed some challenge coins as he began meeting what look like emergency workers and members of the military. He was given another handful of coins after a couple of minutes This all took place on a small road just above the beach, which was as flat as a mirror. From the White House: Participating in a greet with the President at Seacliff State Park: Pool is being moved to location for remarks at 14:40 Chris Spohrer, District Superintendent of Santa Cruz State Parks |
| January 19, 2023 14:49 PST |
Travel pool report #12: two min warning To remarks. Lectern is set up with pier as the backdrop. POTUS will be speaking above the sound of gently breaking waves |
| January 19, 2023 15:28 PST |
Travel pool report #13: Remarks AND News on docs: 'no regrets' Gov Newsom introduced POTUS after what he said were three years of 'mega drought' before three years of 'mega floods.' He thanks POTUS for visiting and said ' 'this has been challenging. 21 lives have been lost.' Then talked about a missing five-year-old. 'we won't give up until we find Kyle.' Said there had been 1400 'historic saves.' POTUS began speaking at 14:55. 'you and I gotta stop taking these helicopter rides,' he opens with, before saying anyone who doesn't believe in climate change must have been asleep for years. He thanked the mayor and local responders. 'the fact is Jill and it have him in our prayers' on missing five-year-old Said we 'have to build back better' 'it was devastating here what happened' he said of tour with local business owners 'We are not leaving until you build back and build back better'. At the end he responded to a question 'What quite frankly bugs me... We have a serious problem here ' and expressed irritation about being asked about documents scandal - before asking to hear the question... E 'we found a handful of documents we filed in the wrong place... 'I have no regrets ' in following what his attorney told him to do. 'I think you're going to find there nothing there... There's no there there' Loading into vans, more to come. Please check against video. |
| January 19, 2023 15:32 PST |
Travel pool report #14: Motorcade and full quotes No phone signal here at the beach. so I hope you were all watching the livestream We are motorcading for Watsonville airfield at 15:23 Full POTUS exchange from end of remarks when he took one question: Asked if he'd take a question on classified documents: "I'll answer your question but here's the deal. You know, what quite frankly bugs me is that we have a serious problem here we're talking about, talking about what's going on. And the American people don't quite understand why you don't ask me questions about that." He told a staffer to hang on while he answered The question was if he had regrets for not revealing the classified documents before the November election. "Look, as we found a handful of documents that were filed in the wrong place, we immediately turned them over to the archives and the Justice department. We are fully cooperating and looking forward to getting this resolved quickly. I think you're going to find there's nothing there — I have no regrets in following what the lawyers have told me what they want me to do, it's exactly what we're doing. There's no there there." Massive assist from Matt Viser. |
| January 19, 2023 15:41 PST |
Travel pool report #15: Watsonville Motorcade pulled up at Watsonville Airport at 15:39 Again we passed throngs of almost entirely supportive locals along the route. POTUS boarded Marine One immediately for short hop to Moffett airfield where Air Force One awaits. Pool in Osprey |
| January 19, 2023 16:23 PST |
Travel pool report #16: Moffett Federal Airfield, Santa Clara county Marine One was wheels down at Moffett Federal Airfield at 16:13. POTUS disembarked a few minutes later, spoke briefly to the pilots through the cockpit window, walked to AF1 steps where he saluted twin airmen. He climbed to the top of the steps waved with his hat. And entered at 16:21. Wheels up for JBA shortly and just ahead of schedule. For your records, it was Bloomberg's inestimable Jennifer Jacobs who managed to get POTUS to talk documents after his remarks. |
| January 19, 2023 23:56 EST |
Travel pool report #17: JBA Air Force One was wheels down at JBA at 23:42 after an uneventful return flight, brightened by distribution of unfeasibly large ice cream sandwiches after dinner (from Marianne's of Santa Cruz - mint and chocolate) It's a very foggy, damp night here. POTUS emerged from AF1 at 23:54, walked briskly down the steps and saluted a guard at the bottom. He climbed into his SUV and the motorcade is rolling. Handing off to the in-town pool for motorcade back to the White House. It just remains for me to thank co-poolers for help with transcription and signal services on our California day trip. |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of January 19, 2023 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/359426