Pool Reports of January 9, 2023

Out-of-town pool report #1: Checking in

Good morning from Mexico City, where it's mostly Sunny with a high of 71. I'll be your print pooler, so please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Pool call time isn't until later this afternoon, but reminder that Mexico City is 1 hour behind Washington. And here's a general run down of the president's schedule later today:

Monday, January 9, 2023

The President and the First Lady will participate in an official welcome ceremony hosted by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller of Mexico.

The President will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, where they will discuss strengthening our supply chains to make our hemisphere even more competitive, discuss our shared security, including our joint actions to address fentanyl, and how we can continue to tackle irregular migration together.

The President and the First Lady will participate in a trilateral dinner with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Mrs. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.

Out-of-two pool report #2: Gaggle with Sullivan

The pool is gaggling with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Gaggle started at 10:10 local time, and I'll send highlights and an audio feed after it wraps.

Out-of-town pool report #3: Gaggle audio

Sullivan gaggled with reporters for roughly 30 minutes.

He covered a range of topics, including Brazil, migration/the border, fentanyl, energy, Ukraine, Iran etc., ahead of this afternoon's events. Here's an audio file, I'll send out a few too:

https://otter.ai/u/Yd_gT66kmq-4xmXTxF-nPEFLTn4

Out-of-town pool report #4: Rolling

Motorcade is rolling to the National Palace at 4:00 pm local time for the welcome ceremony and President Biden's bilateral meeting with Mexican President Lopez Obrador.

Pool did not see the president.

Out-of-town pool report #5: Arrival

The motorcade has arrived at the National Palace.

Out-of-town pool report #6: Ceremony begins

President López Obrador’s welcome ceremony for President Joe Biden is starting now. It's being live streamed here, according to the White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

More from WH:

Traveling with the President and the First Lady via motorcade en route the National Palace:

Ambassador Ken Salazar, Ambassador of the United States to Mexico
Secretary Antony Blinken, U.S. Department of State
Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Department of Justice
Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Department of Commerce
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the First Lady
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President & Homeland Security Advisor & Deputy National Security Advisor
Kate Bedingfield, Assistant to the President & Director of Communications
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Former Senator Chris Dodd, Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas, U.S. Department of State
Ryan Montoya, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance
Curtis Ried, Deputy Assistant to the President & NSC Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary
Mala Adiga, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Policy & Projects for the First Lady
Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, U.S. Department of State
Ashley Williams, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Western Hemisphere
Katie Tobin, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Transborder Security
Carlyn Reichel, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Speechwriting & Strategic Initiatives
Travis Dredd, Special Assistant to the President & Trip Director
Adrienne Watson, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Press & NSC Spokesperson
Ambassador Rufus Gifford, Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State
Charles Fromstein, NSC Director of Visits and Diplomatic Affairs
Ariana Berengaut, Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor
Maxwell Hamilton, NSC Director for North America

Out-of-town pool report #7: Ceremony color

Hearing the live stream isn't up on the WH page yet. Here's some color so far:

POTUS, FLOTUS, and President López Obrador, Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller just posed for group photos after both National anthems were played. You can also find a photo of the set up on my Twitter: @MyahWard

First Lady Biden and Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller are now delivering a message about the countries' relationship in both English and Spanish. There was a bit of a scramble at first while someone retrieved the First Lady's glasses.

Out-of-town pool report #8: Ceremony concludes

POTUS, FLOTUS, President Lopez Obrador and Dr. Gutierrez Muller just exited the small, internal courtyard of the National Palace, chatting while walking up the steps.

FLOTUS hugged Gutierrez Muller before pulling Presidents Biden and Lopez Obrador into a brief group hug.

Next on Biden's schedule is the bilat with Lopez Obrador. Pool spray is expected at top of the meeting.

Out-of town pool report #9: Awaiting bilat spray

There was delay getting the US press to the bilat location because Mexican officials were not letting a secret service agent through. Pool had to move, and it’s not clear officials let the agent enter.

We’re in the room now awaiting the bilat. A large table is set up with administration officials including Merrick Garland, Alejandro Mayorkas, Ambassador Salazar and John Kerry. Photo attached. [APP Note: The image noted here was not included in the report received by the APP.]

Out-of-town pool report #10: 2-mins on pool spray

Sorry for the double send on #9, phone signal is spotty. 2 min warning for pool spray at top of bilat between Biden and Lopez Obrador

Out-of-town pool report #11: Bilat spray begins

The leaders entered the room at 5:50, and Lopez Obrador is speaking first. Biden is seated across from Lopez Obrador, both leaders at the center of the long table.

This is not being live streamed, but I'll send an audio feed and highlights once it wraps.

Out-of-town pool report #12: Pool spray ends

Lopez-Obrador spoke for roughly 8 minutes, but the English translation audio was not working for your poolers.

Biden spoke for about 4 minutes. His sound was also very muffled and difficult to hear, so please check quotes against transcript.

"We have to continue to build and contribute to democratic institutions in the hemisphere."

"We're at one of those inflection points"

Noted the leaders will discuss migration, fentanyl, supply chains etc. Said he's looking forward to the discussions.

The pool was escorted out at 6:04 pm, and both leaders ignored shouted questions. Biden and Lopez Obrador will now participate in a closed-door meeting. Pool is on the move to holding location, and I'll do my best to get fuller quotes/ an audio as soon as I can.

Out-of-town pool report #13: Audio bilat spray

Here's an otter audio file, not sure how great the quality is: https://otter.ai/u/D_PkxXEmem-uTWweSs4fKbI4nuo

Will send along more detail if I get it.

Out-of-town pool report #14: Better audio

Here's some better audio. Big thanks to radio pooler Anita Powell for sharing her feed: https://otter.ai/u/puTinVkVDbsS_QCtqRXAuOklUwk

Out-of-town pool report #15: Bilat participants

Passing along from the White House:

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico.

U.S. Manifest:
The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Merrick Garland, Attorney General
T.H. Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce
T.H. Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Ken Salazar, Ambassador of the United States to Mexico
T.H. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor
T.H. John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
T.H. Chris Dodd, Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas
T.H. Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
T.H. Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, National Security Council
T.H. Katie Tobin, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Transborder Security, National Security Council
Mr. Maxwell Hamilton, Director for North America, National Security Council

Mexico Manifest:
H.E. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of the United Mexican States
H.E. Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Gen. Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, Secretary of National Defense
Adm. José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy
H.E. Adán Augusto López Hernández, Secretary of the Interior
H.E. Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, Secretary of Security and Citizens Protection
H.E. Rogelio Ramírez de la O, Secretary of Finances and Public Credit
H.E. María Luisa Albores González, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources
H.E. Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, Secretary of Economy
H.E. Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexican Ambassador to the United States of America
Mr. Roberto Velasco Álvarez, Chief of Unit for North America
Mr. Alfonso Carlos Romo Garza, Honorary Counselor
Mr. Francisco Garduño Yáñez, Commissioner of the National Migration Institute
Ms. Laura Elena Carrillo Cubillas, Executive Director of the Mexican Agency

Out-of-town pool report #16: Bilat ends, dinner

The bilat has ended, and the White House just released a readout of Biden's meeting with Lopez Obrador.

And the closed-press, private dinner with POTUS, FlOTUS, President Lopez Obrador, Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mrs. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has begun, per the White House.

Out-of-town pool report #17: Rolling

At 9:04 pm local time, the motorcade is rolling from the National Palace back to the hotel. Pool did not see POTUS.

Out-of-town pool report #18: Arrival/lid

Motorcade arrived at the hotel at 9:18, and the White House called a lid.

Thanks all!