Pool Reports of July 15, 2021

WH pool report 1

' Morgen…from a steamy WH. Pool is gathering for Biden's 11:45 remarks in the south court auditorium on the Child Tax Credit. No changes to POTUS's schedule.

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WH pool report 2

From a WH official:

Attending the President's remarks are nine families who will benefit from the monthly Child Tax Credit relief payments thanks to the American Rescue Plan.--

WH pool report 3: two minute warning

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.]

WH pool report 4

Biden concludes event at 12:39.

You saw it all on TV, but perhaps didn't hear the smattering of baby gurgles and cries, which both Biden and Harris acknowledged.

WH pool report 5

Per WH

The press briefing will now begin at 1:00pm EST.

WH pool report 6: Two minute warning on the briefing

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.]

WH pool report 7: Update on schedule, which appears to be running a little late

The 1:40 PM gather time for the 2 PM Oval office event has been pushed back to 2:15 PM.

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WH pool report 8: Merkel arrival

At approximately 2:12, Merkel's Chevy SUV arrived at the NW gate, rolled past the honor guard and then deposited her at the entrance to the west wing. She entered without incident or comment.

WH pool report 9: oval spray concluded

Welcomes and thanks at the top.

Biden, responding to a question about when he might visit Germany, responded: "soon, I hope"

Press was ushered out around 231. Full AI transcript to come.

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WH pool report 10: Quotes from Oval

Biden, sitting down in front of the fireplace in the wingback chairs, with Merkel to his right.

"It's a great pleasure to welcome Chancellor Merkel back to the White House, she has been to the Oval Office many times. She's a great friend, a personal friend, and a friend of the United States....

We saw each other at the G7 and we saw each other again at the NATO meeting...

We have a full agenda ahead of us. We are going to be meeting alone for a while and then we are going to be bringing in some of our key staff. And one of the things that I want to talk about is the enduring friendship..."

Merkel (through a translator)

Well, thank you Mr. President, thank you very much for the invitation. I'm delighted to be here. We met that was true at the g7 also the NATO meeting and now we have an opportunity to talk more about the bi-lateral relationship of that relationship between Germany and America, obviously always in the context of European matters....

I'd like to say here how much I value friendship with the United States of America. We are more than aware of the contribution of America to a free and democratic Germany...So I am very much looking forward to deepening the relationship again."

German press question: "Mr. President, when will we see you in Germany?"

Biden: "Soon, I hope."

WH pool report 11: Manifests for the bi-lateral meeting and the dinner

Attending the President's expanded bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany:

U.S. Manifest
The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Daleep Singh, Deputy Assistant to the President, Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Mr. Woodward Price, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States to Germany
T.H. Dr. Amanda Sloat, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council
Dr. Robin Brooks, Director for Germany, Central Europe, and the Balkans, National Security Council

German Manifest
H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Mr. Steffen Seibert, State Secretary
H.E. Dr. Emily Haber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States
Dr. Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
Dr. Lars-Hendrik Röller, Economic Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
Ms. Petra Rülke, Deputy Head of the Chancellor's Office
Mr. Dominik Mutter, Head of Division

Attending the dinner hosted by the President and the First Lady for H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel and Professor Dr. Joachim Sauer this evening:

The President
The First Lady
H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Professor Dr. Joachim Sauer
The Vice President
The Second Gentleman
Dr. A. Paul Alivisatos, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of California Berkeley and Incoming President of the University of Chicago
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Hillary Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State
Dr. Stephen Jay Greenblatt, John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University
H.E. Dr. Emily Haber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the U.S.
T.H. Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor
Dr. Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
T.H. Robert M. Kimmitt, Former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany
T.H. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (CA-23)
T.H. Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate (KY)
T.H. Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee (NY-05)
T.H. Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey and Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany
T.H. Colin Powell, Former U.S. Secretary of State
T.H. Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President and Counselor to the President
T.H. Susan E. Rice, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor, and Former National Security Advisor
Dr. Lars-Hendrik Röller, Economic Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
Mr. Steffen Seibert, State Secretary
T.H. Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (MI)
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor

WH pool report 12: Update on timing

The expanded bilateral meeting began at 3:40 PM, per the WH.

And they are expecting to give us new guidance on the timing for the press conference. So standby. We appear to be running a little late.

WH pool report 13

The expanded bilateral meeting ended at 4:29 PM, per WH.

WH pool report 14

Pool has been told to gather at the Palm Room doors for presser.

WH pool report 15: Two minute warning

Press is the east room; correspondents, front row on the US side.

Tony Blinken and Jake Sullivan are seated up front (on the other side of the braided rope). Mike Donilon in the third row.

WH pool report 16: travel photo lid

Standby for menu.

WH Pool 17: Presser concludes

You saw it live. Will now endeavor to get us the dinner menu…

Pool holding in East Room.

And kudos to Bloomberg's Jenny Leonard for the questions in English and auf Deutsch.

WH Pool 18: menu!

Per WH at tonight's dinner, the President will be seated next to:

H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

Dr. Stephen Greenblatt, John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University

The dinner menu:
Grilled Catoctin Mountain peaches
Summer butter lettuces and fresh mozzarella
Balsamico bianco glaze
Crispy sea bass
Black pepper tagliatelle
Kabocha squash and tomato compote
Citrus chiffon cake
Summer berry coulis
Vanilla ice cream

Foreign pool report #1 - background on Chancellor Merkel's visit

Good Afternoon,

It's partly cloudy evening in Berlin (72°F) and sunny (90°F), humid early afternoon in Washington. I am Marek Walkuski from Polish Radio. It's my pleasure to be your foreign pooler for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the White House. As we wait for the arrival I would like to share some background information that you may find useful.

Schedule:

Angela Merkel arrived in Washington yesterday evening and spend the night at a hotel in Georgetown. Today at 9:00 AM she joined vice president Kamala Harris for a working breakfast at the VP's residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory. After a meeting with business leaders, the Chancellor was presented with a honorary degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Following the ceremony, Merkel delivered remarks and answered questions submitted by JHU students.

Angela Merkel will arrive at the White House around 1:55 PM. After meeting with POTUS at the Oval Office at 2:00 PM and an expanded bilateral-meeting at 2:25 PM, both leaders will hold a press conference at 4:15 PM in the East Room. At 6:15 PM the President and the First lady will host Dr. Merkel and her husband Professor Joachim Sauer for a dinner. Other guests include VP Kamala Harris, the First Gentleman and a group of "supporters of the bilateral relationship with Germany", per the White House.

As Chancellor Merkel visits Washington more than 40 people have died and dozens are missing in deadly floods in Germany and Belgium. Chancellor Merkel expressed shock and sorrow and assured that everything possible will be done to find those who are still missing.

Farewell visit

After leaders of Japan, South Korea, Israel and Afghanistan, Angela Merkel will be the fifth foreign official and the first European leader to visit the White House since Joe Biden's inauguration. Today's visit will be Angela Merkel's final trip to Washington as a Chancellor before she steps down from her post in September following the German federal election. During her sixteen-year tenure Merkel visited the United States at least 19 times, including 11 visits to the White House, per Office of the Historian at the Department of State.

Restoring German – U.S. relations

Chancellor Merkel have had a chilly relationship with former President Donald Trump, who publicly criticized Germany for what he considered unfair trade practices, open borders and insufficient defense spending. He repeatedly accused Germany and the European Union of exploiting the United States and in 2020 announced partial U.S. troops withdrawal from Germany.

After four years of strain relations with Washington, German political establishment welcomed Joe Biden's presidency calling the trans-Atlantic alliance "irreplaceable" and declaring their willingness to open "a new chapter in the U.S. – German relations". Soon after assuming the office President Biden told Merkel that he wanted to revitalize the alliance with Germany. He quickly reversed his predecessor's decision on troops withdrawal and ended some trade disputes with the EU. Biden also waived sanctions against company overseeing the Nord Stream 2 and it's CEO, essentially letting the project to continue. He justified his decision by pointing to the fact that the pipeline has been 90% completed and expressed hid belief that imposing sanctions would be "counter-productive" foe U.S. European relations. This decision however upset leaders in Ukraine, Poland and other Eastern European countries, who fear that Russia will use energy as a weapon and are concerned that the Berlin–oriented U.S policy in Europe will be conducted at the expense of NATO's eastern flank.

How Germans see Biden?

Joe Biden's electoral win has led to a significant shift in America's image in Germany. According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. favorability among Germans rose from 26% to 59%. Majority now believe that the United States takes into account interests of their country when making foreign policy decisions (32% increase), and almost three in four see the United States as a reliable partner. In the Pew's 2021 Global Attitudes Survey President Joe Biden enjoys positive ratings from 78% of Germans - slightly lower than Barack Obama but significantly higher than Donald Trump (in 2020 only 10% of Germans had confidence in Trump to do the right thing in world affairs). More than 80% of surveyed approved Joe Biden's decision to rejoin WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement. This policy alignment may not be the case regarding relations with China. In a poll for German newspaper Die Weld in December only 17% of Germans supported siding with the U.S. in a potential conflict with China, 77% preferred not to get involved.

Foreign pool report #2 - the arrival

Chancellor Merkel arrived in a black SUV at the West Wing doors at 2:12 pm. She was greeted by the Acting Chief of Protocol of the United States Asel Roberts. Before the arrival a full honor military corridor lined up on both sides of the driveway, with 56 flags representing all U.S. states and territories. The pool has gathered at the James Brady briefing Room before the Oval Office meeting.

The agenda

"The message is harmony" – that's how German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle described Angela Merkel's visit to the White House. Both leaders expressed their willingness to repair and strengthen bilateral and transatlantic relations. But even with the willingness on both sides to bridge the divisions and cooperate, there are differences between both governments on several issues, including relations with China, waving patent rights for the coronavirus vaccines and U.S. pandemic restrictions for travelers from the European Union. The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has been the most contentious issue in U.S.-German relations recently.

Nord stream 2

Despite waving sanctions on Nord Steram2 AG and it's CEO Matthias Warnig the Biden administration continues voicing opposition to the pipeline. Secretary of state Anthony Blinken said that Washington was working with Germany to mitigate adverse effects of Nord Stream 2. After the meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday in Berlin, Angela Merkel declared that Ukraine will remain gas-transit country even when Nord Stream 2 is complete. At the same time she lowered expectations before her visit to the White House saying that she doubts the dispute over the pipeline will be fully resolved at a meeting with President Biden. The high ranking Biden administration official also said that while the issue will be discussed, the White House is not anticipating any formal announcement or deliverable on Nord Stream 2 coming out of the leaders meeting.

Foreign pool report #3 - the Oval Office

When the pool entered the Oval Office at 2:27 pm, President Biden and Chancellor Merkel were seated by the fireplace about 4-5 feet aparat.

After President Biden's welcoming remarks, the Chancellor thanked him for the invitation. She recalled their meetings at G7 and at the NATO summits. „We have now an opportunity to talk more about our bilateral relationship (…), relationship between Germany and America, obviously always in the context of European matters. We can also talk about matters that relate to immediate neighbors" - Merkel said in German through an English interpreter. The President and the Chancellor did not respond to shouted questions.

As always check your pooler's notes against the official transcript.

German ambassador to the United States Emily Haber, foreign policy adviser Jan Hecker, economic adviser

Lars-Hendrik Röller and spokesperson

Steffen Seibert will join both leaders for the expanded bilateral meeting.

Foreign pool report 4 - Merkel full quote

Full Chancellor Merkel's quote from the Oval Office:

„Well, thank you Mr. President, thank you very much for the invitation. I'm delighted to be here, we met at the g7 also at the NATO meeting, and now we have an opportunity to talk more about our bilateral relationship, relationship between Germany and America, obviously always in the context of European matters. We can also talk about matters that relate to immediate neighbors, geopolitical issues.

I'd like to say here how much I value friendship with the United States of America. We are more than aware of the contribution of America to a free and democratic Germany. So I am very much looking forward to deepening our relations yet again".

As my colleague Hans Nichols of Axios pointed out, when we were leaving the Oval Office a German reporter asked Biden when he would visit Germany. "Soon, I hope" - the President responded smiling.

Foreign pool report #5 - attendees

The White House passed along the following:

Attending the President's expanded bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany:

U.S. Manifest
The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Daleep Singh, Deputy Assistant to the President, Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Mr. Woodward Price, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States to Germany
T.H. Dr. Amanda Sloat, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council
Dr. Robin Brooks, Director for Germany, Central Europe, and the Balkans, National Security Council

German Manifest
H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Mr. Steffen Seibert, State Secretary
H.E. Dr. Emily Haber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States
Dr. Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
Dr. Lars-Hendrik Röller, Economic Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
Ms. Petra Rülke, Deputy Head of the Chancellor's Office
Mr. Dominik Mutter, Head of Division

Attending the dinner hosted by the President and the First Lady for H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel and Professor Dr. Joachim Sauer this evening:

The President
The First Lady
H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Professor Dr. Joachim Sauer
The Vice President
The Second Gentleman
Dr. A. Paul Alivisatos, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of California Berkeley and Incoming President of the University of Chicago
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Hillary Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State
Dr. Stephen Jay Greenblatt, John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University
H.E. Dr. Emily Haber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the U.S.
T.H. Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor
Dr. Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
T.H. Robert M. Kimmitt, Former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany
T.H. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (CA-23)
T.H. Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate (KY)
T.H. Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee (NY-05)
T.H. Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey and Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany
T.H. Colin Powell, Former U.S. Secretary of State
T.H. Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President and Counselor to the President
T.H. Susan E. Rice, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor, and Former National Security Advisor
Dr. Lars-Hendrik Röller, Economic Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor
Mr. Steffen Seibert, State Secretary
T.H. Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (MI)
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor

Foreign pool report #5 - the departure

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has concluded her farewell visit to the White House. The motorcace departed at 8:42 PM and, according to the plan, is supposed to be heading to the Dulles International Airport.

It was a pleasure to be your foreign poler for this historic visit. Many thanks to my coleague Peter Kleim, from RTL & n-tv German TV, for his assistance.

Have a good night,

Marek