Pool Reports of June 13, 2021

Travel pool report #1 - Leaving Tregenna Castle

Good morning from Tregenna Castle, in St. Ives, on the third and final day of the G7 summit.

Beautiful, sunny day in Cornwall.

The motorcade started rolling at 9:10am.

Once again, pool access will be extremely limited today.

The pool will have no access whatsoever to POTUS visit to Windsor Castle and meeting with the Queen.

Travel pool report #2 - Church

After a short drive, the motorcade made an unannounced stop at the Sacred Heart and St. Ia Catholic Church where POTUS will attend mass.

POTUS and FLOTUS entered the church at 9:15am.

Pool holding outside.

Travel pool report #3 - Motorcade rolling

POTUS and FLOTUS exited the church at 9:42am.

Asked about the church, POTUS said it was "beautiful".

He did not answer a shouted question about the G7 and China.

Motorcade rolling.

Travel pool report #4 - Arrival at Carbis Bay

After an uneventful drive, the motorcade arrived at Carbis Bay where POTUS will participate in the last two sessions of the G7 summit.

Travel pool report #6 - Leaving Carbis Bay

The motorcade left Carbis Bay at 1:20pm.

Pool did not see POTUS.

Travel pool report #7 - Marine One

After a short drive to Tregenna Castle, POTUS and FLOTUS boarded Marine One.

Pool heloing.

Per WH

Flying with the President and the First Lady on Marine One:
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Deputy Chief of Staff
Stephen Goepfert, Personal Aide to the President
Jordan Montoya, Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady

Travel pool report #8 - Arrival at Cornwall Airport Newquay

Marine One landed at Cornwall Airport Newquay at 1:52pm.

We are motorcading to the hangar where the presser will take place.

The press conference, which is scheduled to start at 2:40pm, is open press.

Travel pool report #9 - Presser

The pool, wearing masks, is holding in a medium size room in the middle of large hangar where POTUS will give the first press conference of his first overseas trip.

A podium with the G7 logo is awaiting him. Flags of the seven countries plus the EU in the background.

The presser will be live on whitehouse.gov.

Travel pool report #10 - 2-minute warning

Two-minute warning for POTUS post-G7 press conference

Travel pool report #11 - Press conference over

POTUS wrapped up is press conference at 3:22pm.

Motorcading from the hangar to Air Force One.

Travel pool report #12 - Wheels up

POTUS boarded Air Force One at 3:28pm.

Air Force One wheels up soon.

Next stops: Heathrow Airport, then Windsor Castle.

Travel pool report #13 - POTUS/Queen

Per WH

Background:

According to available records of the President’s Senate travel, then-Senator Biden traveled to the United Kingdom in November of 1982 for a meeting of the British-American Parliamentary Group. During that visit, he participated in an audience with Her Majesty The Queen.

Travel pool report #14 - Heathrow

Air Force One landed at Heathrow airport at 4:18pm.

Travel pool report #15 - Heading to Windsor

POTUS and FLOTUS walked down Air Force One stairs at 4:40pm.

They immediately boarded Marine One.

Next stop: Windsor.

Travel pool report #16 - Windsor

Marine One landed in Windsor, on a well manicured lawn right in front of the castle, at 4:55pm.

Travel pool report #17 - Windsor/No access for the pool

Pool observed from a distance POTUS and FLOTUS exiting Marine One and boarding the Beast which started rolling towards the castle where the President and the First Lady will meet the Queen.

The 13-member White House press pool has no access whatsoever to the event.

We are holding under a tree, in the shade.

Travel pool report #18 - Leaving Windsor

At 6:07pm, POTUS and FLOTUS boarded Marine One.

The presidential helicopter took off soon after.

In pool report #17, I mistakenly wrote that POTUS and FLOTUS had boarded the Beast on arrival. They were actually driven over to the castle in a black Range Rover (thanks to Darlene Superville from AP for outpointing).

Travel pool report #19 - Back at Heathrow Airport/ POTUS comments about the Queen

Marine One landed at Heathrow at 6:20pm.

Per WH, POTUS and FLOTUS greeted by:

The Honorable Yael Lempert, Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in London
Fergus Williams, CEO of Walking With The Wounded
Edward Parker, Co-Founder and former CEO of Walking With The Wounded
British Armed Forces veterans

After talking on the tarmac for a few minutes and taking pictures with the greeters, POTUS came to talk to the pool about the Queen.

"She was very gracious"

"She reminded me of my mother"

POTUS said the Queen asked him about world leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. He said she also asked what life in the White House was like.

"I said, this is..., we could fit the White House in the courtyard", POTUS added, referring to the Windsor Castle.

Asked if he had invited her to the White House, he answered "yes".

Wheels up soon.
Next stop: Brussels.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will gaggle aboard Air Force One.

Travel pool report #20 - Arrival in Brussels

At 8:49pm, Air Force One landed in Brussels, the second leg of POTUS eight-day overseas trip.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan gaggled during the flight.

The WH said they would send out highlights as soon as possible.

Travel pool report #21 - Arrival ceremony in Brussels

President Biden walked down Air Force One stairs at 9:02pm.

He was welcomed by a Belgium military honor guard and three trumpeters.

After walking down the red carpet, he boarded the Beast.

Motorcade rolling.

Beautiful sunset over Brussels.

Travel pool report #22 - Greeters at Brussels airport

Per WH

The President was greeted by:
His Excellency Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium
Ambassador Olivier Belle, Chief of Protocol, Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nicholas Berliner, Chargé d'Affaires, U.S. Mission in Belgium
Douglas Jones, Chargé d'Affaires, U.S. Mission to NATO
Mark Libby, Chargé d'Affaires, U.S. Mission to the European Union

Travel pool report #23 - Cell signals jammed at G7?

Jake Sullivan was asked during the gaggle about cell signals being jammed during some the G7 summit meetings.

On arrival, the WH sent the following:

From a White House official:

We were told that some of the G7 Summit sessions were going to be conducted in a more secure format. As the host country, the United Kingdom would oversee the communications networks at the Summit.

Travel pool report #24 - Lid

At 9:32pm, the motorcade arrived at the US Embassy in Brussels where POTUS will be staying.

We have a lid.

Today was my last day in the pool, as am leaving the WH soon.

Covering presidential trips over the last seven years with so many talented colleagues from the White House press corps has been an extraordinary adventure.

Have a good night everyone.

Windsor supplemental pool #1

hello White House writers

505pm: POTUS and FLOTUS have arrived at Windsor Castle to meet Queen Elizabeth II

Windsor supplemental pool #2

Hello White House reporters.

This is Kelvin chan filling in on supplemental pool. I hope you got my first dispatch but I’m not sure it made it through because of signal problems.

Here is the latest:

518pm UK time : POTUS, FLOTUS and the Queen have gone inside the castle for their private meeting Reporters will soon be escorted off the grounds

Windsor supplemental pool #3 - Final

Forwarding on behalf of AP’s Kelvin Chan:

POTUS and FLOTUS arrived at Windsor Castle for their meeting with Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by one of the hottest days of the year so far in the U.K. The sun was fierce and the skies were dazzlingly blue.

Ahead of their arrival, soldiers from the Queen’s Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards assembled in an honour guard formation on the well manicured lawn in the castle’s Quadrangle.

Riding in the back of a black Land Rover, POTUS and FLOTUS arrived at 505pm local UIK time at the castle’s Quadrangle via the King George IV gateway. They were driven around the Quadrangle in a clockwise direction before arriving at a dais where the Queen was waiting to greet them. She had arrived minutes before, walking over from a doorway in a corner of the Quadrangle leading to her apartment in the castle. The queen, 95, was wearing a pink dress and hat. She had celebrated her official birthday the day before ( though her actual birthday is in April).

Upon arrival at Windsor Castle, the President and the First Lady were greeted by: Mr. James Puxley, HM Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire; Admiral Sir James Perowne, Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle Vice-Admiral and Sir Anthony Johnstone-Burt, Master of the Household.

The First Lady was wearing a baby blue suit and was seen tucking her mask into her pocket. The President wore a navy blue suit and kept his aviator sunglasses on while they stood at attention for a royal salute and for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. (The UK anthem, God Save the Queen, was played minutes before the couple arrived.)
The President then took part in an Inspection of the Guard of Honor accompanied by Major James Taylor, Captain of the Regiment, and Major General Christopher Ghika, Captain of the Guard. The President walked down the first line of troops, with what appeared to be quite a stern expression on his face - at times it appeared that he was frowning. As he got to the end of the row, one of the senior guardsman escorting the President went walked around in front of him, turned to face him and raised his sword to up to his face four times, which elicited a grin from the President. He also made some comments which I was not able to hear.

The President was then escorted back to the dais where all three watched the military march past. After the soldiers left, the three left the dais. After the President walked down the steps, he offered his elbow to the queen who appeared to momentarily consider taking it before declining. As the three walked to the queen's apartment, the queen was overheard introducing her ladies in waiting to POTUS and FLOTUS. They disappeared into the castle at 518pm local UK time for tea with the Queen. It was a private meeting and the press pool were then escorted off the grounds.