Pool Reports of July 9, 2024

Pool Report #1

Good morning, all, from your White House pooler today. The only item on the president's public schedule is the opening of NATO summit at the Mellon Auditorium.

We have a lunch lid until 12:45 pm.

Pool report #2

This from the White House:

Today, President Biden spoke with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo about the impacts of Hurricane Beryl on the Houston area.

Also, daily press briefing now delayed until 1:45.

Pool Report #3

We have a two-minute warning for the press briefing, which is now 90 minutes behind the original schedule.

Pool report #4

Pool has loaded into vans for short tip to Mellon auditorium.

White House issued following statement:

This afternoon, President Biden participated in a phone interview with the Houston Chronicle, the largest daily newspaper in Houston. The President discussed the impacts of Hurricane Beryl and emphasized his commitment to the people of Texas, including his approval of the Major Disaster Declaration.

Pool Report #5

Motorcade rolled a little before 4:45, and by 4:50 arrived at Mellon Auditorium. A smattering of assembled groups with signs en route, including "Russia Is a Terrorist State."

Pool never saw the President. Pool is now seated, a smattering of dignitaries are seated, including. Dep sec of state Kurt Campbell. Presidents reported backstage greeting leaders.

Stage, positioned roughly as it was in pictures of 1949 treaty signing, has the words "Defending Our Future" emblazoned. Marine Band is playing.

Event itself is being broadcast; pool reports will resume as President heads back to White House.

Pool Report #6 - Return to White House/ lid

The President's remarks were broadcast; he spoke in a strong voice, no stumbles, from a teleprompter. But it was among his best-delivered speeches in recent times, reminiscent of some he delivered in Poland in the first two years of the war.

The White House passed on the names of the attendees and delegation that were in the auditorium with the President:

Speaking Program
Bajro Buzaljko, Master Sergeant, USMC
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The President

Attendees
Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and his spouse, Ms. Amélie Fédérique Derbaudrenghien
Masahiro Mikami, Permanent Representative of the State of Japan to NATO
Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, and his spouse, Ms. Olena Zelenska

U.S. Delegation
The First Lady
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Julie Smith, Permanent Representative of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Senator Ben Cardin (MD)
Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
Senator Jeff Merkley (OR)
Senator Chris Coons (DE)
Senator Chris Murphy (CT)
Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL)
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11)
Rep. Don Norcross (NJ-01)
Rep. Mike Turner (OH-10)
Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell, Department of State
Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Richard Verma, Department of State
Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Department of Defense
Secretary Carlos Del Toro, Navy
Secretary Frank Kendall III, Air Force
General Charles Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Washington D.C.

The president departed around 6:13 and pulled into the White House gates at 6:17. Your pool did not see him exit the Beast. He was more than an hour ahead of the schedule, so he chose not to stay and talk with the visiting leaders.

The White House has declared a travel/photo lid. Good night from your pooler.

Pool Report #7

Post-lid, White House announced:

Tonight, President Biden is joining a virtual meeting with the Democratic Mayors Association (DMA) to discuss the 2024 election. During the call, President Biden will deliver remarks and answer questions from mayors.

Foreign Pool Report #1 – Background for the NATO Summit: Key Issues

Good afternoon,

I will be serving as your foreign pool reporter for the opening day of the NATO summit.

Today's highlight is the NATO 75th Anniversary Celebratory Event at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. This venue holds historical significance as the site where President Harry S Truman hosted the 1949 signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, which established the alliance. President Bill Clinton also chose this location for the 50th anniversary commemoration.

As we look ahead, here are 7 crucial topics for the summit, as identified by European diplomats, officials, and NATO sources:

1) Ukraine: The Top Priority for the Summit

According to a European official, "the priority number 1, 2, and 3 for the summit" will be Ukraine. This same official explained that European countries see the summit coming at a critical juncture in terms of security for two reasons. First, the situation on the battlefield is stable but fragile, with Russia doubling down on attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and ramping up their defense industry due to support from Iran, China, and North Korea. Secondly, Russia seems to think they can wait out the West and that support for Ukraine will crumble. The official emphasized that this is why many European countries want the summit to be about showing "unity" and "resolve" with a long-term commitment to Ukraine's security.

2) A "Bridge" to Membership for Ukraine

To make the goal of long-term support tangible, NATO plans to present Ukraine with a "bridge" to membership. This will consist of financial pledges, numerous bilateral security agreements, a new senior NATO civilian post in Kyiv, and training for Ukrainian soldiers.
There will be several announcements seen as a way to "Trump-proof" future aid to Ukraine if he is elected in November by "institutionalizing" aid to Kyiv in NATO. The alliance will coordinate aid to Ukraine through a command led by a three-star general, with around 700 people working at a NATO headquarters in Germany. To facilitate the transfer of military support to Ukraine, logistical nodes will be set up in Romania, Slovakia, and Poland, according to NATO sources, although Kyiv will be responsible for bringing the equipment into its territory.

Regarding economic support, outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that contributions of roughly $43 billion per year should be the baseline moving forward.
Moreover, it's expected that there will also be an announcement of a new military aid package that will include additional air defense systems for Ukraine.

3) Discussions Around the Final Declaration and Eastern Flank Demands
According to NATO sources, there is discussion about including the concept of "irreversibility" in the summit's final declaration. The Ukrainian government has publicly called for the declaration to confirm the "irreversibility" of their path to NATO membership.
The strongest advocates for robust language and actions in support of Ukraine are the Eastern flank countries, especially the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, which, in terms of percentage of their GDP, are among the strongest suppliers of military aid to Ukraine.
In this regard, all eyes are on Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the future EU's new chief diplomat and who has been a fierce Kremlin critic. On Monday, she said that the leaders at the NATO summit should approve a "strong package" of support for Ukraine and "confirm with words and deeds that Ukraine's path to NATO is irreversible," according to a press release from her office.

4) Orban's Trips to Moscow and Beijing
Another important topic is likely to be Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who, since Hungary began its six-month EU presidency in July, has visited Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing on what he calls a "peace mission" for the war in Ukraine. This initiative has drawn condemnation from Kyiv and EU officials, who insisted Orban was not acting on behalf of the entire European bloc.

On Friday, Stoltenberg said during a press conference that he expects there will be "opportunities" during the summit to "discuss and address" the discussions that Orban recently had with other foreign leaders. Stoltenberg reiterated that "Viktor Orban is not representing NATO at these meetings. He's representing his own country."

5) Priorities for NATO's "Southern Flank"
For countries on NATO's "southern flank," one of the priorities is for the summit to approve a new strategy to strengthen relations with countries on the south, from the Middle East to the Gulf of Guinea. Countries like Spain and Italy have particularly warned about the need to fully implement NATO's 360-degree vision of potential threats, such as migration waves, terrorism, or political instability, despite the prominence and resources that Russia's behavior in the east demands.
This new strategy, expected to be approved during the summit, was developed through a report by a group of eleven experts appointed by Stoltenberg. In their final report, they proposed the appointment of a special NATO envoy for the southern flank. They also suggested offering NATO partners in North Africa or the Middle East the possibility of accessing the alliance missions dedicated to training and capacity building. NATO has already promoted defense capacity development packages for Jordan, Tunisia, and Mauritania.

6) Preparing for a Potential Trump Presidency: Making the Alliance "More European"
According to another diplomatic source, the feeling among many European countries is that the alliance needs to become "more European" and reduce its dependence on the US. This would be achieved through various actions such as increased defense spending or strengthening support for Kyiv, with the aim of shielding itself from political fluctuations and potentially a new Trump presidency.
According to this source, many NATO members are worried about the prospect of Trump returning to power due to the unpredictability it implies. However, the source emphasized that they have already lived through four years of Trump and are preparing for that possible scenario.
This sentiment was encapsulated by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who on July 4, during a speech in the German Parliament on NATO's 75th anniversary, said that regardless of the outcome of the elections in the United States, "NATO must become more European if it wants to remain transatlantic."

7) US Elections and Biden
Diplomats say they'll be closely observing President Biden at the summit, especially in light of recent calls for him to withdraw from the race. A diplomatic source noted that while European concerns about US elections persist, many allies face similar populist challenges at home. Despite this, the diplomat praised Biden's presidency as highly beneficial for NATO. Though public expressions of concern are unlikely, behind-the-scenes diplomatic discussions are taking place - a standard practice regardless of the host nation, the diplomat noted.
On Friday, Stoltenberg was asked about his impression of Biden's current health and answered by praising his "strong personal commitment to NATO" and saying that he had recently met with him in the Oval Office and made "progress" in the preparations for the summit.