Pool Reports of June 14, 2022

In-town Pool Report 1-- Gathering for departure

Good Morning & Happy Flag Day

There's a slight drizzle but no changes so far to POTUS' scheduled South Lawn departure, reporters have been called to gather....

In-Town Pool Report 2 - Departure/NO Qs

POTUS stepped out at 8:10am under drizzly skies and walked over to shake hands with WH staff gathered on opposite side of pool.

At 8:12am he waved to reporters but did not walk over as we called out to him, instead he walked over to Marine One.

Marine One was wheels up at 8:16am

Below From the WH Press Office:

Traveling with the President on Marine One to Joint Base Andrews:

Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Mike Donilon, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operation
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President

In-Town Pool Report 3 -- 2 minute warning on AF1 Gaggle

The WH press office issued a 2minute warning for the AF1 gaggle at 8:59a

You can follow along here

https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

In-town pool Report # 4 - WH arrival/No Qs

Marine One landed at 1:31pm

POTUS walked directly to the Oval Office and did not respond to questions shouted by reporters.

In-Town Pool Report 5-- Lid called at 1:51pm

WH called a lid at 1:51pm.

Have a great rest of your day,

Laura

Travel pool #1/JBA check in

Checking in from Andrews.

President Biden is taking a quick trip to Philadelphia -- wasn't he just there? -- for a speech at the AFL-CIO convention around 11am.
It's only a 45-minute flight. Karine Jean-Pierre is expected to gaggle about 15 minutes in. Please rely on the livestream as there won't be much time for a thorough pool report. The speech also will be streamed.

Michael Kikukawa is wrangling the travel pool. This is his final day before moving over to Treasury, starting tomorrow.

Holler with any questions.

travel pool #2/Marine One arrives JBAand brief remarks

The president spoke briefly to the pool before boarding Air Force One. The engine sound was terrible. Rough transcript:

"All you just got sent to your email addresses everything I'm doing in the Middle East. It lays it all out. I'm focused on labor. You cover the labor speech, and I'll tell you more about what I'm doing."

On board AF1 before takeoff, President Biden was visible in the conference room fore of the cabin where Secret Service sits, facing toward the press cabin

Marine One touched down at Joint Base Andrews at 8:25am under a sky hazy off the left side of Air Force One and menacing on the right. It's 76 and humid.

A very light drizzle started a few minutes before the president landed.

President Biden walked off the helo after removing his mask, mask in left hand as he walked to the pool.

Taxiing for takeoff at 8:39a.

Greeting the President upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews:

Colonel Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing

Traveling with the President to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Air Force One:

Congressman Brendan Boyle (PA-02)
Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01)
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05)
Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Mike Donilon, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operation
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Vinay Reddy, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting
Curtis Ried, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs
Travis Dredd, Special Assistant to the President & Trip Director
Meghan Hays, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Message Planning
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President

Travel pool #3/Biden photo

President Biden left the Air Force One conference room during taxiing. Here's a photo

[APP Note: The photo noted in this pool report was not included in the report received by the APP.]

Pool report #4/Philadelphia arrival and gaggle

Air Force One touched down in Philadelphia at 9:10a. Wheels up from JBA was at 8:44am.

Karine Jean-Pierre gaggle for the final 10 minutes, ending shortly after landing.

Will POTUS address the Khashoggi murder directly with MBS in Saudi Arabia? "We are not overlooking any conduct that took place before the president took office."

The president deplaned at 9:21am in a light rain, acknowledged the pool and headed straight into the Beast.

Rolling at 9:23.

Clarifying from pool reports 2 and 3 that when President Biden was in the AF1 conference room before takeoff and visible to the pool, he was visiting with the three members of Congress aboard: Brendan Boyle and Mary Gay Scanlon of PA and Donald Norcross of the Garden State.

Sorry for the delay on this. Cell service not good on arrival.

pool report #5/downtown Philadelphia

The motorcade pulled up at the Philadelphia Convention Center at 9:40. The president is slated to speak to the AFL-CIO convention at 11am. Photo line and some greets until then, no pool coverage.

Greeting the President upon arrival at Philadelphia International Airport:

Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Uneventful motorcade.

travel pool #6/no airport greeter after all

Correction on report #5.

There was apparently a change of plan and the Philadelphia mayor was not on hand at the airport to greet the president. Which explains why the president was able to go straight from the airplane to the Beast.

Pool is in the press pen at the back of a large hall at the Philadelphia Convention Center, for the 29TH AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention. Speakers are lauding Biden as the most pro-labor president in history, blasting right-wing anti-union politicians, and talking about elections around the country and growing the labor movement.

You can watch live at https://aflcio.org/aflciotv.

The president is scheduled to speak in about an hour.

travel pool #7/photo line

Ahead of President Biden's speech at the 29th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention, attendees have been given a one-side flyer spotlighting Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and the "11 Point Plan to Rescue America." The part about sunsetting all federal legislation every five years ("If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again") is highlighted. "Led by Sen. Rick Scott, congressional Republicans' plans would put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every five years."

As the program continues, emceed by AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler...

The President is participating in a photo line with labor leaders, including:

Fred Redmond, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO
Lee Saunders, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) (who by the way took the stage earlier to "Teach Your Children" from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
Ray Curry, United Auto Workers (UAW)
Tom Conway, United Steelworkers (USW)
Ed Kelly, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
Terry O'Sullivan, Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA)
Marc Perrone, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
Bob Martinez, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Bonnie Castillo, National Nurses United (NNU)
Gabrielle Carteris, Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
Joe Sellers, International Association of Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)
Fred Rolando, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
D. Taylor, Unite-HERE
John Costa, President, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
Eric Dean, President, Ironworkers (IW)

travel pool #8/Biden takes stage at AFL-CIO

President Biden strode onstage at the Philadelphia Convention Center at 11:03 a.m. to a standing ovation, which lots of whistles and cheers.

"You're a gigantic reason why I'm standing here... as your president," he said. Speech ongoing and livestreamed.

In attendance at the 29th Quadrennial AFL-CIO Convention are 2,000 AFL-CIO union members from across the country, union leaders, and state and local state elected officials, per the White House.

Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO, introduced Biden as the "most pro-union president in the history of the United States," a president who doesn't need a briefing book to prep for talking to the AFL-CIO. "It means having a champion in the Oval Office who knows that working people are the engine of our economy and the heartbeat of our communities and our country."

On the no-greeter situation, per the press shop:

"Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney was unable to greet the President at Philadelphia International Airport this morning because he was under the weather."

travel pool #9/Biden finishes speaking

The president finished speaking at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia at 11:38 am. Roughly 35 minutes.

Standing ovation when he said the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans should pay their fair share of taxes.

Usual economic themes covered, with special attention the GOP proposal to sunset all federal legislation after 5 years, requiring Congress to reauthorize to keep programs alive: "How well are you going to sleep at night knowing that every five years, Ted Cruz and the other ultra-MAGA Republicans are going to vote on whether you have Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid?"

Pool is back in vans outside the convention center.

travel pool #10/rolling

The motorcade pulled away from the Philadelphia Convention Center at 12:06 p.m. The pool has not seen President Biden since his remarks ended nearly a half hour ago.

Heading back to the airport under a bright but partly cloudy sky.

travel pool #11/leaving Philadelphia

Uneventful motorcade from downtown Philadelphia to the airport, passing Wells Fargo Center, site of the 2016 Democratic convention.

The presidential limo pulled up to Air Force One at 12:21 p.m. and the President was quickly aboard.

Travel pool #12/back at JBA

Air Force One took off from Philadelphia at 12:33p and touched down at Joint Base Andrews at 1:04p.

Karine Jean-Pierre was in the press cabin upon landing, for the second time today. She had been visiting with our excellent and unfortunately departing wrangler Michael Kikukawa. No gaggling or such.

Travel pool #13/JBA

President Biden walked down the stairs from Air Force One at 1:17, snapped a salute and Strode to Marine One with Colonel Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing.

He boarded at 1:18. Helo began to taxi three minutes later and lifted at 1:23.

That was a very quick trip to Philadelphia and back. Alas, since we did not stop for cheesesteak we cannot claim bragging rights and a speed record over the DC-area high schoolers who engage in the Philly cheesesteak challenge.

Handing back to the in-town pool.