Pool Reports of June 5, 2023

In-town pool report #1: Lid called until 1p.m.

Good morning,

Chris Kane, here, your print pooler for today. See below from the WH:

Brunch lid until 1:00 PM.

FPPO: Reminder we have a 12:30 PM pre-set for the late afternoon event on the South Lawn for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pool report #2: John Kirby to join briefing with KJP at 1:45

Good morning,

White House: Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be joined by NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby at today’s press briefing

Pool report #3: Pool gathers in Briefing Room for Oval Bilat

Good afternoon,

In-house pool instructed to gather in the Brady Briefing Room for the Oval Bilat.

Pool report #4: briefing to follow bilat spray

From the WH: The press briefing will begin after the pool spray for the bilat is finished

Pool report #5

Good afternoon,

President Biden’s remarks during bilat spray:

• "Well, I am delighted to have Madam Prime Minister here today. Great to see you again."
• "And as we all know, we don't talk often enough about how Denmark is one of our greatest allies, most reliable friends, in lockstep on every global issue"
• "I understand today is Constitution Day and it reflects the fact that we have the same values" ...
• "Together, we are working to protect those values, including standing up for the people of Ukraine against the brutal aggression of the Russians"
• "Thank you for your community transition plan. Together with our NATO allies we're taking steps to strengthen our shared security, including finishing our bilateral defense cooperation agreement"

Pool report #6: details on bilat

From the WH:

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark.

U.S. Manifest
The President
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Alan Leventhal, Ambassador of the United States to Denmark
T.H. Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
T.H. Mike Pyle, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs
T.H. Amanda Sloat, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe, National Security Council
Ms. Bindi Patel, Director for European Affairs, National Security Council

Denmark Manifest
H.E. Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark
T.H. Barbara Bertelsen, Permanent Secretary of State
H.E. Christina Lassen, Ambassador of Denmark to the United States
T.H. Jean Ellermann-Kingombe, Permanent Under-Secretary of State
Mr. Martin Justesen, Chief of Staff
Ms. Lene Mandel Vensild, Head of Department, Global Affairs
Ms. Lea Teglbjaerg, Minister Counselor

Pool report #7: 2-minute warning for briefing

The press briefing will begin in 2 minutes.Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be joined by NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby at today’s press briefing.

Pool report #8: Briefing begins

Today's press briefing began at 2:12 p.m. ET

Pool report #9: Briefing ends

Today's press briefing wrapped at 3:14p.m. ET

Pool report #10: PM Frederiksen of Denmark headed to the stakeout location.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark is headed to the stakeout location.

Pool report #11: Gather for South Lawn KC Chiefs event

Good afternoon, press asked to gather at the Palm Room Doors for the event on the South Lawn, the Kansas City Chiefs' visit

Pool report #12: Details Re. KC Chiefs event

From the WH:

The President is welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House to celebrate their championship season and victory in Super Bowl LVII.

Attendees:
Senator Roger Marshall (KS)
Governor Laura Kelly (KS)
Rep. Ron Estes (KS-04)
Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03)
Rep. Jake LaTurner (KS-02)
Rep. Mark Alford (MO-04)
Rep. Eric Burlison (MO-07)
Rep. Sam Graves (MO-06)
Rep. Jason Smith (MO-08)
Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Stacey Dixon, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
Enoh Ebong, Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Mayor Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri

Participants
Mark Donovan, President of the Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid, Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce, Tight End of the Kansas City Chiefs
Members of the Kansas City Chiefs organization, including players, ownership, managers, & staff

Speaking Program
The President
Mark Donovan, President of the Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid, Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes (Quarterback) & Travis Kelce (Tight End) of the Kansas City Chiefs, present the President with a personalized Kansas City Chiefs jersey

Pool report #13: 2-minute warning

2 minutes until the event with the KC Chiefs is set to begin.

Pool report #14: Lid

And that's a lid. More to follow: Biden's remarks on the South Lawn and comments from the Chiefs at the stakeout location.

Pool report #15: Biden's remarks at KC Chiefs event

Incomplete transcript, President Biden:

Welcome to the White House, 2023 Super Bowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs

I have to be careful what I say today. I married a Philly girl — which explains a lot. Fortunately, she is overseas right now. She's a rabid Eagles fan. And we the way the game ended, I might be in for a rough night. Jill still doesn't even believe the Eagles player who acknowledged the holding penalty.

I figured the Kelce family could make it work, with Travis and Jason the first two brothers to play against each other at the Super Bowl. So there's hope for the rest of us.

It's an honor to be with Super Bowl champs, including a former University of Delaware player. Right, your GM was born in Pennsylvania and went to college at the University of Delaware. It's is one heck of a combination where I come from.

Wide receiver [...], the offensive coordinator, was Delaware star quarterback, setting 20 school records. And [...], your wide receiver's coach, played the same position in college when Delaware won the national championship in 2003.

I played freshman football at Delaware. Ended up, I shouldn't say this, but you had to have a 2.0 to keep going but I had a 2.99 — I mean, a 1.99 — my mother made me quit. And I went back out my junior and senior year. And while […] was the assistant coach, I played defensive back. And after running in drills and spring practice, he came over and said, "Biden, […] you run faster backwards than anyone I've ever seen." Well, my political opposition says the same thing to me.

Look, we've got a lot of Chiefs fans here today. Including Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. And Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas. Several members of the Congress from Kansas and Missouri are present.

*Biden asks audience to stand for the Congressional delegations*

I tell you what, man, we don't get a quorum that quickly. Good to see you guys and ladies. Appreciate it very much. And we also know that we're missing one of the most loyal Chiefs fans that ever was, Norma Hunt, who passed away this weekend. I'd like to suggest a moment of silence.

*Audience observes moment of silence*

Norma was known as the First Lady of Football. She attended every single Super Bowl in history - all 57 - including the past one where the Chiefs won.

Jill and I send our condolences to the entire Hunt family including their son [...] The Chiefs not only hold the title again, they're building a dynasty.

[...] [...]

As much as these guys know about football, they know about life and how to use their platform to make a difference. Speaking out for racial justice, honoring veterans as you do. 40 tutors and mentors for local schools, this is an organization that emphasizes community service and encourages players to create their own charitable organizations which many of them have done. And it matters. They've shown the power of one of the most elusive things in a world, unity. People from different backgrounds, each have their own personalities, work together as one team. To play together. The distinct style and constant motion. The real joy of the game. [...]

That's the power of this team. It's the power of sports. And, I might add, it's the power of this country. The power to remind us who we are as Americans. We're the United States of America. And there's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together like these guys behind me. Folks, congratulations to the Super Bowl Champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. Good luck next season. And by the way, you got three coaches from the University of Delaware. I've got my University of Delaware hat on. God bless you. God bless the memory of Norma Hunt. God bless you all and may God protect our troops.

Pool report #16: Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, remarks from stakeout location

Incomplete transcript below:

Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid:

It doesn't matter whether you're Democrat, Republican or independent. It's about getting the opportunity to come together here as the United States and be a part of that. I think our guys displayed that today and I think the staff here, along with President Biden, expressed that to all of us. It was just a great time.

Foreign Pool Report #1 - Background Ahead of POTUS Meeting with Denmark's PM

Hej allesammen (Hi everyone)!

I will be your foreign pooler for the bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The meeting is scheduled for 1:30 pm.

Meetings/calls:

Today's bilateral meeting is the first between both leaders in the White House since POTUS took office. Biden and Frederiksen have participated together in several international summits, including the NATO Summit in Madrid in June 2022. It is expected that both leaders will also participate in the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania in July.

Frederiksen has participated in several initiatives launched by POTUS, such as the Summit for Democracy and the Summit on Climate hosted by the United States in April 2021.

In February 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Frederiksen on the phone, expressing the United States' commitment to working with Denmark to combat climate change, advance common interests in the Arctic and High North, enhance energy security, and strengthen NATO.

Priorities for the bilat:

The bilateral meeting takes place amid speculation that Frederiksen could become the first female NATO Secretary-General. According to European diplomats, Frederiksen is on the shortlist of potential replacements for NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is planning to leave his post in October after nine years. Some NATO members are observing her visit to the White House today to see if Biden implicitly endorses her as an acceptable choice to lead the 31-nation alliance.

At the top of the agenda, there will also be the war in Ukraine. During Friday's briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned that we can expect both leaders to discuss the joint efforts of the U.S. and Denmark in training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft, including F-16s. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Denmark has provided more defense aid to Ukraine per capita than several of its larger European neighbors. Denmark will assist in overseeing the new initiative to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation military aircraft, including American-made F-16s, and has expressed openness to the possibility of providing Ukraine with some of these airplanes.

Other possible topics might include the Arctic and the High North, energy security, and climate change.

Schedule/Delegation:

Frederiksen arrived in Washington yesterday, as seen in this tweet from the Statsminister (Danish word meaning prime minister). The Danish government has not provided many details about the Prime Minister's schedule in Washington or the delegation accompanying her to the Oval Office.

Bio:

Frederiksen became the youngest-ever Danish Prime Minister in 2019 at the age of 41. After being widely praised for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, she won reelection last year. Frederiksen is a career politician and serves as the head of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet). Her political ideology leans towards social democracy, advocating for robust welfare programs and progressive policies. From October 2014 to June 2015, she held the position of Denmark's Minister of Justice, and from October 2011 to October 2014, she served as the Minister of Employment.

On the international stage, Frederiksen has emerged as a strong supporter of Ukraine. Since the outbreak of the war in February 2022, she has visited Ukraine three times. In terms of NATO, she has managed to avoid open clashes with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This pragmatic approach has garnered attention from European diplomats who perceive it as a strategic move that positions her favorably for potentially becoming the next leader of NATO.

Foreign Pool Report #2- Quotes from bilat

When the pool entered, POTUS and Frederiksen were seated next to each other, chatting.

Frederiksen mentioned the "strong" support the US and Denmark have provided to Ukraine and said: "I am looking forward to working even closer with you in defense and security." Frederiksen considered it very "important" for Europe to have a President like Biden who supports the transatlantic alliance.

She also talked about the clean energy and climate change initiatives that POTUS has advocated for. Frederiksen considered Biden's approach "interesting" due to his emphasis on creating jobs for the US with a clean energy transition.

Neither leader responded to shouted questions.

Please check the quotes against the transcript. I will send fuller quotes momentarily.

Foreign Pool Report #3- POTUS question

In the previous pool, I mentioned that neither leader responded to shouted questions.

However, during that time, one journalist shouted to Biden, "Will Ukraine's counteroffensive work?" Biden did not respond verbally, but he lifted his hand and crossed two fingers of one hand.

Foreign Pool Report #4- Fuller quotes from the bilat

Fuller quotes from Frederiksen:

"I would like to thank you for your leadership. I mean for the European Union to have a president in the US who's committed to the Transatlantic Alliance has always been extremely important." She considered that now, in the current context, it is even more important for all countries to "stick together" and be "united".

Frederiksen mentioned the "strong" support the US and Denmark have provided to Ukraine and said: "I am looking forward to working even closer with you in defense and security."

She also thanked Biden for his leadership on the energy transition. "You brought the US back to the fight against climate change. And you are doing it in a very interesting ways because you do you have high ambitions when it comes to climate change, but at the same time you insist on making sure that Americans will have a job because of this sustainable growth. This is so important. Thank you for your leadership."

Foreign Pool Report #5- Denmark’s PM going to the sticks

We don’t have an exact time of when she would talk at the stakeout.

Foreign Pool Report #6- Frederiksen quotes at the stakeout

Most of Frederiksen’s comments were in Danish. Sorry I cannot help with that.

Your pooler was able to ask in English: "Is it time for a woman to be the leader of NATO?" She responded that she had already responded to that to the Danish media and that she did not want to go further.

Danish journalists told some journalists in the WH press corps that she believes that being considered it is like a "pat in the back" (or something similar) but that she does not want to speculate.

Frederiksen was asked about the Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, tasked by Pope Francis to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, heading to Kyiv. She said that "I think all of us are very interested in peace" but "it takes two to tango" and "we still need a signal from Russia." "None of us in the Alliance want to do anything without Ukraine."

(Thank you to Sebastian Smith for the help!)