Pool Reports of July 16, 2022

Travel pool #1 - rolling to the Ritz

Good morning from Jeddah.

The motorcade starting rolling from POTUS’ RON to the Ritz-Carlton at 11:09 am, where POTUS has bilats and the GCC+3 meeting today.

Pool preset in the vans and didn’t lay eyes on POTUS.

It is 94 degrees, hot and sunny.

Here is the schedule for the day:

11:00 AM The PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of Iraq
Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

11:40 AM The PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt
Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

12:15 PM The PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates
Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

12:45 PM The PRESIDENT attends a GCC + 3 Leaders Welcome Reception
Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Officials Only

12:55 PM The PRESIDENT participates in a family photo with GCC + 3 leaders
Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Restricted Out-of-Town Travel Pool

1:15 PM The PRESIDENT attends the GCC + 3 Summit Meeting
Ritz-Carltonl, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Out-of-Town Pool Spray

3:00 PM The PRESIDENT participates in a working lunch
Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Officials Only

4:45 PM The PRESIDENT departs Jeddah, Saudi Arabia en route Mildenhall, United Kingdom
King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Out-of-Town Pool

BST

8:55 PM The PRESIDENT arrives in Mildenhall, United Kingdom for a refuel stop
Royal Air Force Mildenhall
Out-of-Town Pool

10:25 PM The PRESIDENT departs Mildenhall, United Kingdom en route Joint Base Andrews
Royal Air Force Mildenhall
Out-of-Town

Please reach out with any questions.

Travel pool #2 - arrival at Ritz

Motorcade arrived at Ritz-Carlton at 11:24 am.

Drive was uneventful with streets cleared. There were some lovely views of the Red Sea. American and Saudi flags were hanging on street light poles along the route as were flags of other GCC+3 countries.

The Ritz is a palatial white stone building on the Red Sea.

Pool did it see POTUS exit the Beast. We are headed inside the Ritz.

Travel pool #3 - bilateral with Iraqi PM

Pool was brought in to President Biden's meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of Iraq at 11:56 am.

POTUS said: "It's great to see you again. We've known each other for a long time."

He then talked about their move to democracy. "I want the press and you to know we want to be helpful as we can in doing that."

Pool was brought in at bottom of the bilat. Two leaders sat on each side of a table with the American and Iraqi flags behind them. Aides sat in chairs on each side of the room.

Also National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to the pool off the record for a few minutes outside the bilat location.

From the White House:

Participating in a bilateral meeting with the President and Mustafa-Al-Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq:

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. Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Mr. Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator
T.H. Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Ms. Stephanie Hallett, Acting Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council

Iraq Manifest
H.E. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq
H.E. Dr. Fuad Hussein, Minister of Foreign Affairs
H.E. Dr. Ali Allawi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
H.E. Mr. Ihsan Abdul Jabbar, Minister of Oil
H.E. Dr. Alaa Al-Jubouri, Minister of Trade
Dr. Fareed Yasseen, Ambassador
Mr. Ahmed Najati, Head Prime Minister's Private Office

Travel pool #4 - bilat with President of Egypt

Pool was brought into POTUS bilat with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt at 12:14 pm.

POTUS: "It's good to see you. And I'd like to start by thanking you for the incredible assistance" with Gaza.

More: "I'm looking forward to talking with you about a whole range of issues."

Note it was hard to hear POTUS. Sisi spoke in Arabic.

POTUS did not respond to a shouted question about what he would do if Iran sent drones to Russia.

From White House:

Participating in a bilateral meeting with the President and Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt:

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. Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Mr. Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator
T.H. Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Ms. Stephanie Hallett, Acting Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council

Egypt:
H.E. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
H.E. Abbas Kamel, Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate
H.E. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Gen. Ahmed Ali, Chief of Presidential Staff in Egypt
Ambassador Bassam Rady, Spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency

Travel pool #5 - bilat with UAE

Pool was brought into POTUS bilat with Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, at 1:05 pm.

News: POTUS formally invited the sheik to the States.

"Challenges you face today only make it a heck of a lot more important we spend time together. I want to formally invite you to the States."

When pool came in and journalists were jockeying for position, POTUS joked: "I think they're pushing for combat pay."

The Sheik chuckled.

At the top, POTUS said it was good to see the sheik again after the virtual I2U2 summit and congratulated him on his new job as president.

At the end his remarks, the Sheik noted he was new on the job but working hard.

POTUS replied that he was new too.

They both laughed.

From WH:

Participating in a bilateral meeting with the President and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates:

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. Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Mr. Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator
T.H. Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Ms. Stephanie Hallett, Acting Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council

United Arab Emirates Manifest
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates
His Highness Shk Tahnoun Bin Zayed, National Security Advisor
His Highness Shk Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court
His Highness Shk Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
H.E. Ali Al Shamisi, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council for National Security
H.E. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber Member of the Federal Cabinet,
Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology UAE Special Envoy for climate
H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba UAE Ambassador to the United States and Minister of State

Travel pool #6 - family photo/opening remarks

POTUS walked into the family photo area at 1:55 pm with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud walking beside him.

The photo took place in a large marble room with a lavender carpet runner going around it.

The backdrop read "Jeddah Security and Development Summit" and had the dates of the summit.

The stand had 10 flags, the American one and the ones for the GCC+3 countries.

POTUS took his spot in front of the American flag while the prince and other leaders took their spots by their flags.

POTUS and the prince were talking as they came in but no words could be heard.

The leaders posed for the picture. The prince walked POTUS out at 1:58 pm with the other leaders following.

They went down the hall to a large room with a round wooden table where they are all seated.

The restricted press pool pushed its way inside with help of WH staff.

MBS is making opening remarks. POTUS will speak here. It should be live streamed. https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

More tk…

Travel pool #7 - remarks

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud’s opening remarks were in Arabic. Pool didn’t have a translation device.

POTUS joined the applause after MBS opening remarks.

POTUS started speaking at 2:09 pm. Seated behind him are Sec/State Tony Blinken, NSA Jake Sullivan, Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein.

The remarks played out on White House live.

MBS and the others applauded when POTUS wrapped at 2:20 pm.

The leaders were spaced around the round table with a few feet between them. Aides are behind each leader.

A very large ornate chandelier hangs over the table. The room was very large - as in the size of a very large ballroom.

The rest of the pool joined the restricted pool for POTUS remarks. Entire pool was escorted out after POTUS wrapped.

Travel pool #7 - participants

From the White House:

Participating in a family photo with the President at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit:
H.M. Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain
H.E. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
H.M. King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
H.R.H. Mishal Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait
H.E. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq
Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs
H.R.H. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of the Sultanate of Oman
H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, Al-Thani Amir of the State of Qatar
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates

In attendance for the President’s remarks at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit Meeting:
H.M. Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain
H.E. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
H.M. King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
H.R.H. Mishal Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait
H.E. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq
Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs
H.R.H. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of the Sultanate of Oman
H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, Al-Thani Amir of the State of Qatar
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Mr. Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator
T.H. Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Ms. Stephanie Hallett, Acting Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council
Mr. Tim Lenderking, Special Envoy for Yemen

Travel pool #8 - Departing Ritz-Carlton

Motorcade departed the Ritz-Carlton at 4:24 pm.

Pool pre-loaded into vans but saw POTUS in the Beast as it went by, checking his phone and wearing his signature aviators.

Next stop is King Abdulaziz International Airport for the journey back to the States.

Travel pool #9 - airport arrival

The motorcade arrived at the King Abdulaziz International Airport at 4:41 pm after an uneventful drive.

POTUS was greeted by several Saudi officials upon arrival but he was already out of the Beast by the time pool got under the wing so we didn’t see it all.

He shook hands with Embassy staff. Saudi officials walked him down the lavender carpet to the stairway of the plane.

POTUS boarded at 4:45 pm with a wave.

From the White House:

Greeting the President upon arrival at the King Abdulaziz International Airport:
His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Al Saud, Governor of Makkah Region
Princess Reema Bint Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America
Martina Strong, Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Faris Y. Asad, Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Fahad Al Saheel, Director General of Royal Terminals

Less than 24 hours after our arrival in Jeddah we are headed Stateside.

We have a refuel stop in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, on our way back to JBA.

Many thanks to co-pooler Noah Bierman of the LA Times for his help today.

We are wheels up shortly.

Travel pool #10 - refuel stop

Air Force One was wheels down Mildenhall, United Kingdom, for a refuel stop at 8:19 pm local time. For the record, AF1 was wheels up from Jeddah at 4:55 pm local time. Flight here was uneventful. John Kirby came back for an OTR visit.

Travel pool # 11 - wheels up for JBA

Refuel stop was uneventful.

Several members of staff and pool got off the plane to stretch their legs on the tarmac. No POTUS sightings.

At 9:17 pm local we are rolling for JBA.

Travel pool report #12 - arrival JBA

Air Force One was wheels down JBA at 11:26 pm.

Second leg of the flight back was uneventful with no visitors to the press cabin.

From the White House:

Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route Royal Air Force Mildenhall and Washington D.C.:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Kate Bedingfield, Assistant to the President & Communications Director
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Ambassador Rufus Gifford, Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State
Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Ryan Montoya, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling and Advance
Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor for Energy Security, U.S. Department of State
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President
Meghan Hays, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Message Planning
Adrienne Watson, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Press and NSC Spokesperson
John Kirby, National Security Coordinator for Strategic Communications
Ariana Berengaut, Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor
Charlie Fromstein, Director of Visits and Diplomatic Affairs
Suzy George, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State

Travel pool #13 - Marine One wheels up

POTUS walked off Air Force One at 11:34 pm.

He gave a wave to the pool but did not stop to take questions, heading straight to Marine One.

Marine One was wheels up at 11:42 pm.

Thanks again to copooler Noah Bierman and the rest of the travel pool.

Handing POTUS off to the in town pool …