Pool Reports of July 3, 2020

In-town Pool Report #1

Good morning

I'll be your pooler on this sunny Friday.
It's 79 degrees and pool was called to gather at 8:45 am for an unknown in-town movement.

No temperature checks or COVID-19 test for this pooler.

In-town Pool Report #2 — Moving

The President's motorcade departed the White House from the Southwest gate at 9:13 am. Your pooler did not see POTUS.

In-town Pool Report #3 — Trump National

The President's motorcade arrived at Trump National Golf Club, in Sterling, VA, at 9:52 am. Your pooler saw a woman near the entrance holding a “Trump is a Traitor” sign and separately a man giving the motorcade a thumbs up. Your pooler did not see POTUS. We're holding at a nearby restaurant.

In-town Pool Report #4 - Golf at Trump National

POTUS is golfing.

He's wearing a white polo shirt, red cap, dark pants, and a white glove on his left hand, as seen on the pool camera. He's driving his own golf cart.

It's unclear who POTUS is with on the golf course but your pooler has asked for more details.

In-town Pool Report #6 - leaving golf club

The motorcade left the Trump National Golf Club at 2:03 pm.

In-town Pool Report #7 — Return to White House

The motorcade arrived at the White House campus at 2:43 pm

In-town Pool Report #8 — lunch lid

The White House called a lunch lid at 2:49 pm until 4:15 pm.

In-town Pool Report #9 -- Peter Navarro Gaggle

Peter Navarro, the assistant to the president and director of the office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, gaggled for about 23 minutes on the North driveway just before 4 pm.

Audio attached. Here are some excerpts:

"A new study came out from Henry Ford hospital system that shows that if we take the medicine hydroxychloroquine In early treatment, we can observe a more than 50% reduction in mortality, without any adverse effects."

"Now what, what, practically, that means is that if we had been using hydroxychloroquine at the very beginning, we could have saved 10s of thousands of lives already. And moving forward If hydroxychloroquine is used under the advice of the physician in early treatment, this study suggests that we could save hundreds of thousands of American lives over time and perhaps millions worldwide."

"And the same day that that came out, a similar study came out from Mount Sinai Hospital system, which had a similar conclusion that hydroxychloroquine basically lowers the mortality rate."

Navarro said he found it "reprehensible" only two outlets covered the news and reflects a "very strong bias media."

"This is an undue and unnecessary fear of medicine is the use of more than six decades relatively safely. This is a drug that is regularly prescribed for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, pregnant women take it. It's, it's a drug that that has gotten this hysterical bad rap, on the basis of the media selectively pro promoting studies which on their face are flawed studies.

Navarro when asked about the FDA saying hydroxychloroquine has no benefit and creates heart problems.

"So, the FDA is an independent agency when it makes those kinds of decisions."

"But let me, let me talk about what the implications first of what those two FDA decisions...."Those two FDA decisions were crushing.

I'm the defense policy coordinator I personally oversaw the transport of 10s of billions by drugs, or in capsules to 14 different hot zones, at the height of the pandemic when we were trying to flatten the curve.

And it was what it was essentially a one, two punch by the FDA -- first to do a black box on a warning and then to shut it completely down, there's been two effects.

One is it's completely shut down the demand for hydroxychloroquine at the front lines, not just for patients but also among the hospital care workers, because of this hydroxy is hysteria. "And the other, which is equally criminal, is that it became very difficult for doctors like William O'Neal at the hospital at the Detroit Hospital Center and William Grace at the New York hospital system to get subjects to actually be able to conduct the gold standard randomized blind clinical trials...."

"What's going on here is you've got anger on the part of American people being locked down. You've got anxiousness about your economic future. And you have fear of getting the virus. And all those emotions are being channeled domestically in a partisan way pitting Democrats against Republicans. And the big picture here is the common denominator for all that suffering and damage we are experiencing right now is the Chinese Communist Party. They spawn the virus in November. They hit it in December and January, into February, while they were hiding that virus they were locking their own country down, but sending aircraft over here with hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens to effectively seed and spread the world with the China Wuhan, Chinese Communist Party virus."

Travel Pool Report 1- Leaving The White House

President Trump and the First Lady walked out of the White House and boarded the motorcade on West Executive Avenue at about 5:05 pm. We rolled out about a minute later and are now en route to Joint Base Andrews.

It is a positively swampy 95 degree afternoon here in Washington. Your pooler is hoping for (even slightly) cooler weather in South Dakota.

Travel Pool #2 - Brief Remarks at JBA

The motorcade arrived on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews at 5:32 pm. President Trump left the motorcade at about 5:34. The president briefly spoke with reporters under the wing before boarding the plane at about 5:36pm.

"We're going to Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is in great shape and it's going to be in great shape for centuries to come. Looking forward to it. ... I'll be making a speech there. I'll be seeing a lot of people a lot of different people and I think it will be a fantastic evening," Trump said.

He also said the "economy is doing very well" and touted the jobs number.

"Our country's doing very well. I think we will have a V-shape," he said, presumably in reference to coronavirus.

The plane is now moving along the tarmac. Your pooler was given a cold towel. We are rolling down the runway now. Our flight time to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota is set to be about three hours and 25 minutes.

Travel Pool Report #3 - Up In The Air

Air Force One is currently in flight. We have a but of cell service so your pooler is taking the opportunity to send along a full transcript of the president's comments from JBA and some other details from the flight.

Here's the president's full remarks from the tarmac. He did not take any questions:

"Thank you very much. We're going to Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is in great shape and it's going to be in great shape for centuries to come. Looking forward to it. I'll be making a speech there. I'll be seeing a lot of people – a lot of different people – and I think it will be a fantastic evening. The economy's doing very well. Our jobs number was the biggest number in history, in the history of our country, bigger even than last month by almost double. So a lot of good things are happening, a lot of very powerful things are happening, and our country's doing very well. I think we will have a V-shape if you look at what's going on, if you look at the numbers all over. I think we're going to have a very strong V-shape. And I will see you on the airplane. Thank you. I'll see you on the airplane."

So far, we have not seen him on the plane.

As we boarded the flight, the pool saw Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and national security adviser Robert O'Brien get on the plane. Here on board, all of the TVs on the plane are turned to Fox News. One segment featured a "flashback" of Geraldo Rivera's motorcycle road trip to Mount Rushmore.

A meal was served including filet mignon, bacon wrapped asparagus, and red velvet cake.

We are flying low and may be doing a flyover of Mount Rushmore momentarily. The pool is glued to the windows.

Travel Pool Report #4 - Arrival in South Dakota

Air Force One landed at Ellsworth Air Force Base at 6:40 pm local time.

There were no notable visitors to the press cabin.

Shortly befote 6:30 pm, the plane made a steep turn that was presumably the Mount Rushmore flyover. We could not see the sculpture from on board.

We have been informed we will have to make a quick dash to Marine One for the ride to the Mount Rushmore landing zone.

Travel Pool Report #5 - Heading to Mt Rushmore

Marine One came to a stop on the tarmac at 6:45 pm. President Trump and the First Lady departed the plane five minutes later.

He was greeted by a group that included Sen. John Thune, Gov. Kristi Noem, Col. David Doss, and Col. Daniel Hoadley.

The president briefly spoke to them as wind blowing across the tarmac blew his tie over his shoulder. He did not attempt to fix his tie.

Tiffany Trump and Dan Scavino got off the plane at 6:52 pm. Your pooler also spotted Hope Hicks as we made a mad dash across the tarmac to the Ospreys.

We did not see the president board Marine One. We are told all the helicopters will take off at the same time. We are lifting off momentarily en route to the Mount Rushmore Landing Zone.

One note - your pooler has been told there is no wi fi service at Mount Rushmore. Pool reports may be delayed or spotty from the event. We will try our best. The president's remarks from the ampitheater will be broadcast.

Travel Pool Report #5a - Liftoff

The helicopters took off from Ellsworth AFB at approximately 7:00pm

The flight to the Mount Rushmore landing zone is scheduled to take approximately 35 minutes.

As noted in the prior report, we may not have wi fi service at Mount Rushmore and will do our best to get further reports out.

President Trump and the First Lady are scheduled to visit Gutzon Borglum's sculptor's studio in addition to participating in the fireworks celebration.

Travel Pool Report #6 -Mount Rushmore Flyover

Marine One flew past Mount Rushmore at about 7:22 pm. We are told we will watch it land after this flyover.

The press pool was on board helicopters that touched down amid the lush greenery of the Mount Rushmore Landing Zone at about 7:16 pm after a scenic flight that included a brief glimpse of Washington's monumental profile.

Your pooler can smell the trees faintly through our N95 mask.

One clarification. Pool report #5 said Marine One hit the tarmac at 6:45 pm. Your pooler meant to type Air Force One. We regret the error.

Travel Pool Report #7 - POTUS Arrival

Marine One touched down at the Mount Rushmore Landing Zone at about 7:36 pm.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembarked at 7:39 pm and boarded the motorcade. They were followed by Gov. Noem and Sen. Thune.

We are moving to the press vans and are scheduled to make an approximately five minute drive to the sculptor's studio.

Travel Pool Report #8 - No sculptor's studio

The pool is in press vans that began rolling en route to the ampitheater at 7:43 pm.

We are moving independently of POTUS and have been told by staff that we will not be accompanying President Trump and the First Lady on their visit to the studio.

Travel Pool Report #9 - At The Ampitheater

Pool arrived at the Mount Rushmore ampitheater at about 7:46 pm. We are on a few rows of folding chairs at the back of the crowd.

The seats here are packed and the vast majority of the audience is unmasked.

A few people in the crowd nearby have signs. One is double sided and says both "Communist News Network" and "Bureau Land Management." Those words flow from under all caps "CNN" and "BLM." Another person has a sign that says "RHINO Republicans Stand With Trump Or Retire." A third attendee opted for a simple "Trump 2020."

Music is playing on large speakers behind the stage. Thus far, we have been treated to a soft rock rendition of Lionel Richie's 1984 hit "Hello" and "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" by Elton John. An upbeat recording of a military march is now playing.

We have not seen the president since he disembarked the helicopter. He is due to arrive here at 8:05 pm.

Pool Report #10 - Sarah Sanders sighting - USA! USA!

At about 8:01 pm, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the program will begin "momentarily." Some in the crowd broke out into loud chants of "USA! USA! USA!" After that died down, a few people chanted "Four more years!"

At 8:03 pm former press secretary Sarah Sanders and her family walked along the side of the stage. Many in the crowd stood and cheered for them.

Another "Four More Years!" chant broke out at 8:04 pm. The man with the small "TRUMP 2020" sign was, by far, the most enthusiastic participant.

Travel Pool Report #11 - POTUS is at the ampitheater

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump took the stage at 8:13 pm to the sounds of "Hail To The Chief" and cheers from the crowd.

The national anthem is now playing. One man shouted "Oh yeah!" when it was announced.

A group of fighter jets did a flyover at about 8:15 once the anthem wrapped. Four helicopters passed over in formation about a minute later. Three more jets came roughly a minute after that. A pair of large jets were next at about 8:19. They were followed shortly afterwards by the Blue Angels.

This event will be broadcast so please refer to your televisions for details about the program on stage.

Here are some details of what we saw in the audience before the event began. At about 8:08 pm, the crowd broke out into chants of "We want Trump!"

Tiffany and Eric Trump are in seats along one side of the stage. They were joined by Mark Meadows and Robert O'Brien before 8:10.

Many in the crowd are wearing Trump hats. One man in front of the pool has a shirt that says "I PREFER DANGEROUS FREEDOM" above an image of an antique style rifle wrapped in a red, white, and blue flag. Another man is wearing a t-shirt with the "three percent" symbol on a flag.

At 8:11 pm, one man shouted "Thank you Kristi!" leading to hoots and cheers. Another man followed that up with a shout of "Legalize pot!" which also got loud cheers.

The man with the "TRUMP 2020" sign started up another "Four more years!" chant about a minute later.

Former "Entertainment Tonight" host Mary Hart, who was announced as the "master of ceremonies," took the stage at about 8:20. As she walked out, your pooler heard a man behind us in the crowd exclaim, "That's who that was!"

"I knew she had to be somebody," the man's companion said.

Travel Pool Report #12- Speech Excerpts

The White House sent the pool the following copy of President Trump's remarks as prepared for delivery:

Excerpts from President Donald J. Trump's remarks at South Dakota's 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebrations (as prepared)
…
There could be no better place to celebrate America's Independence than beneath this majestic monument to four of the Greatest Americans who have ever lived!
…
Our Founders launched not only a revolution in government – but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty and prosperity. No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America. And no people have done more to promote human progress than the CITIZENS of our great nation.
…
Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.
…
This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore. […] Before these figures were immortalized in stone, they were American giants in full flesh and blood, gallant men whose intrepid deeds unleashed the greatest leap of human advancement the world has ever known. Tonight, I will tell you and, most importantly, the youth of our nation, the true stories of these great men.
…
We will state the truth in full, without apology: We declare that the United States of America is the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on earth.
…
Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or America's destiny. In toppling the heroes of 1776, they seek to dissolve the bonds of love and loyalty that we feel for our country, and for each other.
…
They would tear down the beliefs, culture, and identity that have made America the most vibrant and tolerant society in the history of the earth.
…
My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and defend the integrity of our country! It is time to summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors. It is time to plant our flag and protect the greatness of this nation, for citizens of every race, in every city, and every part of this glorious land. For the sake of our honor, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our union, we must protect and preserve our history, our heritage and our heroes.
…
Here tonight, before the eyes of our forefathers, Americans declare again, as we did 244 years ago: we will not be tyrannized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated! We will proclaim the ideals of the Declaration of Independence—and we will never surrender the spirit and the courage and the cause of July 4th, 1776!
…
Uplifted by the titans of Mount Rushmore, we will find unity that no one expected; we will make strides that no one thought possible. This country will be everything that our citizens hope, and that our enemies fear—because we will never forget that American Freedom EXISTS for American Greatness.
…

Travel Pool Report #13 - Leaving Rushmore/Event Details

The pool left the ampitheater at about 9:52 pm as fireworks were still bursting in the air. We moved independently to the landing zone. The motorcade rolled by at about 10:04 pm and headed towards Marine One.

Marine One took off at about 10:09 pm and is en route to Ellsworth Air Force Base. Your pooler could not see precisely when the president got on board due to darkness at the landing zone.

The White House sent along the following details about tonight's event:

Today, President Trump is at Mount Rushmore to give remarks in commemoration of America's 244th Birthday.

The Independence Day celebration is hosted by Governor Kristi Noem and will include a spectacular fireworks display above the faces of Presidents Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson and Lincoln.

The following individuals are expected to attend:

The White House
President Donald J. Trump
First Lady Melania Trump

Trump Administration
Secretary David Bernhardt, Department of the Interior

Members of Congress
Rand Paul, United States Senator from Kentucky
Mike Rounds, United States Senator from South Dakota
Adrian Smith, United States Representative from Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District
Mark Wayne Mullin, United States Representative from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District
Jason Smith, United States Representative from Missouri's 8th Congressional District
Alex Mooney, United States Representative from West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District
Dan Crenshaw, United States Representative from Texas' 2nd Congressional District
Russ Fulcher, United States Representative from Idaho's 1st Congressional District
Dusty Johnson, United States Representative from South Dakota At-Large Congressional District

External Participants
Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota
Larry Rhoden, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
Jason Ravnborg, Attorney General of South Dakota
Steven Haugaard, Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives and Representative from South Dakota's 10th State House District
Major General Jeff Marlette, Adjutant General of the South Dakota National Guard
Aurelia Skipwith, Director of the United States Fish and

Wildlife Service
South Dakota Air National Guard 114th Fighter Wing
United States Air Force 28th Bomber Wing
United States Air Force Academy Concert Band
United States Navy Blue Angels
Mary Hart, Former Host of Entertainment Tonight

Travel Pool #14 - Back on Air Force One

The press pool landed at Ellsworth Air Force base at about 10:45 pm after a flight through some lightning that crackled through the Black Hills. The Osprey spent some time on the tarmac before we disembarked and boarded Air Force One at 10:54 pm.

The White House confirmed President Trump was already on board aheb we arrived. The pool did not see him land at the base or board the plane.

We are taking off for the return flight to Joint Base Andrews imminently. It is scheduled to take about three hours.

Air Force One currently smells strongly of peppers and cheese. Your pooler has heard they are serving a "jalapeno corn cheese dip."

Travel Pool Report #15 - Wheels Up

Air Force One was wheels up at about 11:07 pm.

We are headed home.

Travel Pool Report #16 - Update on Hong Kong + Meadows Gaggle

We have had a bit of a busy flight back fromSouth Dakota so far.

An official came back to the press cabin and said on background that the president is looking at "two or three things" to address the situation with Hong Kong and China. The official said there is a "high probality it would be addressed in the coming weeks."

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows came back and gaggled briefly in the press cabin. He described the president's Mount Rushmore speech as "historic."

"I think it was a historic speech with a historic backdrop. The response that we're getting from all across America is ... one that ... applauded the boldness, the directness, and, candidly, the resolve with which the president wants to make sure that the America that we have today and tomorrow is the America that we celebrate each Fourth of July," Meadows said.

Meadows was asked how Trump felt about the remarks.

"The president feels like the American people got to see a vision for what's important – not just to him but to our founding fathers and to really all Americans. And that is ... to celebrate American exceptionalism and understand that this experiment that we get to call America and our home is one that we can celebrate, not just on the Fourth of July, but 365 days a year regardless of the difficulties we have, regardless of the challenges," Meadows said, adding, "We've faced more difficult challenges than what we face right now and I'm confident that, not only can this president bring us to a point of unity and prosperity again, but I'm also confident that ... his vision for America is one that resonates on Main Streets across the country and is really a welcome message. ... Tonight's delivery is one that had people cheering in front of their TV sets at home."

Meadows was asked by a reporter why Trump did not mention the pandemic "much" during the remarks.

"He mentioned the pandemic. I don't know that focusing on a pandemic is necessarily a topic that you would espouse on July the 4th. It's not to say that it's ... something that you ignore, which he didn't, he acknowledged it," Meadows said. "But at the same time, he's put forth unbelievable resources to make sure that we address the COVID 19 virus. I'm confident that we'll have a vaccine by this fall and we're already seeing therapeutics being used more and more to start to lessen the death rate. And again it's really a time for celebrating who we are as a nation - and that's in good times and bad. There are still people wanting to come to America. Theyre not fleeing America."

Meadows was also asked if the president has an opinion on the Redskins' potential name change.

"I don't know if he has an opinion on the Redskins changing their name. It's not something I've talked to him about," Meadows said.

Your pooler can also report that the cheese dip was quite good.

Travel Pool Report #17 - Back at JBA

Air Force One was wheels down at JBA at 3:35 am.

There were no other visits to the press cabin during our flight.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembarked at 3:45 am and got onto the motorcade.

We rolled out en route to the White House at 3:47 am.

Due to the unusually late (or is it early?) arrival, there is no in town pool at the White House to hand off to. You are stuck with me a bit longer.

Travel Pool Report #18 - Travel/Photo Lid

The motorcade pulled up to the White House at about 4:11 am. The White House called a lid immediately after we arrived.

Your pooler did not see the president enter the White House. However, your pooler did see Stephen Miller, David Bossie, and Corey Lewandowski on West Executive Avenue. Lewandowski told your pooler he went along for the trip to South Dakota.

Happy birthday America!