Pool Reports of March 13, 2024

In-Town Pool Report #1

All quiet here at the White House. The only public event before POTUS leaves for Milwaukee is his Marine One departure on the South Lawn scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

In-Town Pool Report #2

POTUS emerged from the Oval wearing a dark suit, white shirt, red tie and sunglasses. He walked alone to Marine One without stopping for questions. Bruce Reed, Karine Jean-Pierre and other aides later followed and boarded through the back door. Marine One was wheels up at 1:45 p.m. en route JBA.

Travel Pool report #1

Greetings from Joint Base Andrews, where POTUS touched down on Marine One at 1:55pm.

POTUS disembarked Marine One at 1:57pm. He is wearing a navy blue suit and a red and blue striped tie. He waved once to the press pool but did not react to a couple of shouted questions. By 1:58 he had climbed the short set of stairs to Air Force One without indecent.

POTUS is heading to Milwaukee, a great city on a Great Lake, where he is expected to tout a DOT grant and formally open his Wisconsin campaign headquarters.

Air Force One began rolling for takeoff at 2:03 pm. We expect a press gaggle en route.

Travel pool report #1a

The White House shares this list of travelers aboard Air Force One today to Milwaukee:

Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04)

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff

Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff

Natalie Quillian, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff

Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary

Vinay Reddy, Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting

Ben LaBolt, Assistant to the President & Director of Communications

Ryan Montoya, Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance

Ashley Williams, Deputy Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Strategic Outreach

Marc Gustafson, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for the White House Situation Room

Krystal Ortiz, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Political Engagement

Diala Jadallah-Redding, Special Assistant to the President & House Legislative Affairs Liaison

Travel Pool Report #2

Air Force One touched down at Milwaukee"s Mitchell International Airport at 2:32 pm Central Time.

Karine Jean-Pierre gaggled with the press pool for 25 minutes. She addressed topics including the House vote on TikTok, the crisis in Haiti, NATO, Putin and nuclear weapons, Gaza and Israel policy, yesterday"s testimony from Special Counsel Robert Hur ("the case is closed"), the Georgia judge dropping some of the Trump charges, whether POTUS would meet with Arab-American groups in Michigan tomorrow, the $3.3 billion in DOT grants he is to announce at today"s event, Aaron Rodgers running for vice president and whether the White House has been briefed by its UK partners about Kate Middleton"s health or the doctored photo she released.

"We certainly wish her a speedy recovery. She has asked for privacy, her family has asked for privacy and we"re certainly going to respect that," KJP said of the princess.

There was not much other news to report from the gaggle. KJP referred all political questions to the Biden campaign, which was not represented in the gaggle.

A transcript from the White House is forthcoming. There were no other visitors to the press cabin.

POTUS disembarked Air Force One at 2:41 pm. He was greeted on the tarmac by Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Mayor Cavalier Johnson of Milwaukee and David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive. Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin followed him off the plane. The five of them spoke for several minutes. The pool could not hear their conversation.

Also present were Colonel Charles C. Merkel, Commander of the 128th Air Refueling Wing, General Mitchell Air National Guard Base and Command Sergeant Major Curtis P. Patrouille of the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

POTUS and the pool are loaded into the presidential motorcade and heading to the first event. It is 2:48 pm.

Travel pool report #3

The pool arrived at the corner of N. 6th St and W. Vliet St at 3:06 pm. Your pooler did not see POTUS leave his vehicle. We are heading to the POTUS event at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, which is due to begin in about an hour.

It was an uneventful drive from the airport to downtown Milwaukee on 794 over the Hohn Bridge, which movie fans may recognize from the classic film "The Blues Brothers."

It is a gorgeous day in Milwaukee. It is 55 degrees with few clouds in the sky. We passed a sign on the median on N. 6th Street that noted upcoming improvements are paid for by "President Joe Biden"s Inflation Reduction Act."

Travel pool report #4 - Boys & Girls Club event concludes

POTUS's event at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee was open press.

The president concluded his remarks at 3:54 pm. The pool loaded into the motorcade and is prepared for the short ride to the Biden campaign headquarters. It should be a short ride. It is now 3:59 pm.

Also: Your pooler apologies for misspelling the name of the Hoan Bridge in the previous pool report.

Travel pool report #5 - campaign HQ arrival

The motorcade left the Boys and Girls Club at 4:05 pm for the short drive to the Biden campaign's Wisconsin headquarters.

Along the way, we passed a handful of students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. They waved.

We arrived at 4:08 pm. Your pooler did not see the president leave his vehicle.

The campaign headquarters is located inside the old Blatz brewery, which long ago stopped producing beer and now hosts a series of offices.

This event is pool-only. Expect a full report soon.

From the White House:

Participating in a photoline with the President at the Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club:

Governor Tony Evers (WI)

Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04)

Secretary Sarah Godlewski, Secretary of State of Wisconsin

Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sen. LaTonya Johnson, Wisconsin State Senate, 6th Senate District

Rep. Chris Sinicki, Wisconsin State Assembly, 20thAssembly District & Chair of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County

Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde, Wisconsin State Assembly, 17th Assembly District

Rep. Kaylan Haywood II, Wisconsin State Assembly, 16th Assembly District

David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive

Carlos Monje Jr., Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Department of Transportation

Travel pool report #6 - campaign HQ stop

POTUS emerged at his Wisconsin campaign headquarters at 4:17 pm. Upon entering the room, POTUS made a face similar to the one he made at Marjorie Taylor Greene at the State of the Union last week.

The room had eight tables at which people sat, along with a few dozen others who stood. There were signs around with the campaign"s post-State of the Union slogan, "We"re on Board," attached to the walls. At the tables, Biden supporters have written on their own signs reasons why they are "on board" with POTUS.

He was introduced by Jaliah Jefferson, the Coordinated Campaign Deputy Organizing Director for Milwaukee.

POTUS began his remarks at 4:19 pm.

He told the assembled supporters that his campaign will require "knocking on doors and making contact with people."

He approached a boy, who appeared to be about 10 years old, and said: "This is going to be the next president one of these days." He asked the young man to remember him when he is president.

POTUS thanked the crowd for supporting him when he ran against Donald Trump in the last campaign. "A lot of you helped me in 2020 to make sure he is a loser and we"re going to make sure we do it again," he said.

POTUS saw one man, who was wearing a Milwaukee Brewers hat and holding a sign that said he was "on board" with the Biden campaign because "no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana."

"I"m taking care of that," POTUS said.

At 4:26pm, the pool was ushered out of the campaign headquarters while POTUS remained inside. We are holding in the vans awaiting the next movement. It is beginning to rain in Milwaukee. The pool can hear, but not see, people shouting something. They are too far away to be understood.

Travel Pool report #7 - protestors and another gaggle

Your pooler investigated the chants. A block away from the Biden campaign headquarters, at the corner of State and Broadway, there are several dozen protestors chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and waving Palestinian flags.

"Hey hey, ho ho, Genocide Joe has got to go," they chanted. Another chant: "Up, up with liberation, down, down with occupation." Another: "Biden, Biden, you"re a liar. We demand a ceasefire."

Later, Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, spoke to the pool for 11 minutes. Your pooler can assure you he did not make any news.

One example: When asked if Aaron Rodgers remains popular in Wisconsin, Mr. Wikler replied, "Wisconsinites love the Packers." He predicted they would win the next Super Bowl. Your pooler is skeptical.

If anyone really wants the tape your pooler is happy to share it.

It is 5:41pm. The pool is still waiting outside the Biden campaign headquarters.

Travel pool report #8 - moving from campaign HQ

The motorcade began rolling at 6:46 pm.

The pool did not see POTUS leave the former Blatz brewery building.

The White House shared this note about what he has been doing while the pool waited outside:

"Today, President Biden taped two radio interviews: Black Information Network with Vanessa Tyler, and WNOV 860 with Michelle Bryant in Milwaukee. The Black Information Network interview will air starting tomorrow morning across all Black Information Network stations nationally, and the WNOV interview will air tomorrow morning."

One addendum to the pool report #7. Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic chairman, has revised and extended his remarks about Aaron Rodgers.

"Wisconsinites know from painful experience that Aaron Rodgers tends to choke when it matters most," Mr. Wikler told the pool.

Travel Pool report #9 - Pfister Hotel arrival

The pool arrived at the RON, the Pfister Hotel, which is said to be haunted, at 6:52 pm. We did not see POTUS or any ghosts — yet.

A lid was called at 7:06 pm.

Good night everybody, more TK tomorrow.