Pool Reports of March 29, 2023

In-town pool report #1 - brunch lid

Good morning folks.

A brunch lid has been called until 10:45 am.

In-town pool report #2 -briefing timing

White House says that today's press briefing will now begin at 1:30 pm.

In-town pool report #3

Pool is heading to the South Court auditorium for the president's remarks at the Summit for Democracy.

The summit schedule along with a stream appears on the State Department website, here:

https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy-2023/#March29

In-town pool report #4 - program

From the White House:

In attendance for the President's remarks at the Summit for Democracy Virtual Plenary on Democracy Delivering on Global Challenges:

Virtual Participants

President Zuzana ?aputová, Slovakia
President Lazarus Chakwera, Malawi
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine
President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza, Ecuador
President Maia Sandu, Moldova
President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark
President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, Panama

In-Person Participant

Secretary Antony Blinken, Department of State

Speaking Program

The President

In-town pool report #5

Two minute warning for the president.

Secretary Blinken entered at 11:33 am.

In-town pool report #6 - POTUS remarks

POTUS entered the South Court auditorium at 11:42 am after a brief introductory video.

With other world leaders appearing on a center stage video screen, the president said he was battling a cold.

"We're going forward from this summit. Our job is to keep building on our progress," Biden said.

He said that at home, midterm election courts "Rejected the voices of extremism." He highlighted the signing of the Electoral Count Act and said he would continue to push for additional legislation including the John Lewis voting rights act.

POTUS said "Democracies stepping up to lead" before discussing priorities including the global COVID response, efforts to bolster food security and the efforts of democracies around the world to oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He also mentioned the executive order on spyware.

The program was continuing and there was no opportunity for questions.

Check quotes against transcript.

Pool is on its way out as of 11:53 am.

In-town pool report #7 - lunch lid

Lunch lid has been called until 1 pm.

In-town pool report #8 - Kirby joining

From the White House: NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby will join Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the press briefing today.

In-town pool report #9 - briefing delay

White House says the briefing will now be starting at 1:45 pm.

In-town pool report #10 - briefing ends

The briefing got underway at 1:52 pm.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened and then handed off to John Kirby, who took questions until 2:22 pm.

Briefing ended at 2:37 pm, and the pool is now gathering for the spray at the bilateral meeting with POTUS and President Alberto Fernández of Argentina.

In-town pool report #11 - Blackburn call

From the White House:

The President spoke by phone with Senator Marsha Blackburn about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.

In-town pool report #12 - bilat

Pool entered the Oval Office at 2:55 pm

POTUS welcomed the president of Argentina. POTUS noted that a previous meeting was postponed because he tested positive for COVID last summer.

"This meeting is a chance to reaffirm nothing is beyond our reach if we work together," Biden said.

Biden said there was an opportunity for increased "economic integration" between the US and Argentina.

Check quotes against transcript. And from the White House:

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with President Alberto Fernández of the Argentine Republic.

U.S. Manifest

The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Marc Stanley, Ambassador of the United States to the Argentine Republic
T.H. Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
T.H. Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere, National Security Council
T.H. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications, National Security Council
Mr. Lorenzo Harris, Director for Brazil and Southern Cone, National Security Council

Argentina Manifest

H.E. Alberto Fernández, President of the Argentine Republic
H.E. Santiago Cafiero, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship
H.E. Jorge Argüello, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to the U.S.
H.E. Sergio Massa, Minister of Economy
H.E. Aníbal Fernández, Minister of Security
Mr. Julio Vitobello, General Secretary of the Presidency
Ms. Gabriela Cerruti, Secretary of Press and Communications
Ms. Luciana Tito, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship
Mr. Jorge Madcur, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Economy

In-town pool report #13

Pool exited the Oval Office at 3:07 pm, following remarks from the two presidents.

The president of Argentina during his remarks, spoke through a translator to express condolences about the shooting in Nashville, with POTUS responding by nothing that FLOTUS is visiting with families this afternoon.

It was extremely hard to hear, but Biden appeared to respond to a shouted question about the Pope being in the hospital saying he has just heard about it minutes earlier, calling him a "friend."

In-town pool report #14 - gathering

The pool and other pre-credentialed media are gathering now for the Greek Independence Day reception, which is scheduled for 5 pm in the East Room.

In-town pool report #15 - attendees

We are gathered in a packed East Room for the Greek Independence Day reception, which will be streamed by the White House and others.

Attendees list from the White House:

In attendance for the President's remarks at the White House Greek Independence Day Reception:

T.H. George Tsunis, Ambassador of the United States to the Hellenic Republic
H.E. Alexandra Papadopoulou, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the United States
H.E. Marios Lysiotis, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (NJ)
Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-03)
T.H. Tom Miller, Former Ambassador of the United States to the Hellenic Republic
T.H. Tom Korologos, Former Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Belgium
Mayor George Alpogianis, Niles, Illinois
Anita McBride, Former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush
Greek American political and community leaders, members of the Biden-Harris Administration, and White House staff.

Speaking Program

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros Lambriniadis of America
The President

In-town pool report #16

Two minute warning for the event.

In-town pool report #17 - highlights and Rita Wilson

The president finished speaking at 5:44 pm, with the program proceeding to a performance by Rita Wilson.

During his remarks, POTUS referenced the Pope's current illness and asked for a prayer for him.

POTUS made reference to the political support he's received from the Greek American community in Delaware. He highlighted a number of guests in the audience.

"I'm a little worried, my sister's sitting next to Tom Hanks," Biden said, referencing one of the guests in the front row. (Hanks is married to Wilson)

Biden also made multiple references to former Sen. Paul Sarbanes.

"We've got a guy sitting over there who I think is Greek" POTUS says in acknowledging Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez.

From the White House:

Performing at the White House Greek Independence Day Reception:

Performer

Rita Wilson

Background on Performer

Rita Wilson, who is of Greek descent, will perform the following songs:

"Strong Tonight" written by Kelly Archer, Blair Daly and Rita Wilson

"Til You're Home" written by Rita Wilson and David Hodges

"Where's My Country Song?" written by Rita Wilson and Lee DeWyze

"Mia Parenthesis Ke Mono" written by Giorgos Hatzinasios and Nikos Vrettos

Rita Wilson is an actress, producer and singer/songwriter who has starred in over 30 feature films including Sleepless in Seattle and It's Complicated, and TV shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Wife, Girls and many more.

Rita produced and developed My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mamma Mia! and their sequels.

An acclaimed singer/songwriter, Rita has released five studio albums including her latest, Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets, and has performed on stages all over the world.

In-town pool report #18

The president returned to the stage at 6:02 pm to thank Wilson and members is the band for the performance.

"The only thing I worry about is your taste in men" Biden said before calling Hanks forward.

"No, I am not Greek, but I had the good sense to marry one," Hanks said.

Pool exited the East Room at 6:14 pm

In-town pool report #19 - lid

A lid was called at 6:35 pm.

Have a good night, folks.

Foreign pool report #1 - Summit for Democracy

Hello all,

I'll be one of your foreign poolers today. My colleague Beatriz Pascual from EFE will be covering this afternoon's bilateral with the President of Argentina.

But first, here's some background on the second edition of the Summit for Democracy following the inaugural edition in December 2021.

The US is co-hosting the Summit with 4 leaders from 4 continents: President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, President Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea and Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands.

120 countries have been invited, including 8 who are participating for the 1st time. 5 are in Africa (Tanzania, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Mauritania and Mozambique). Honduras, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Lichtenstein are also invited for the 1st time.

All countries invited in 2021 were invited again in 2023 according to an administration official. But several US partners were once again shunned including Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Singapore as well as 2 NATO allies Turkey & Hungary.

The US insists that Summit invitations are not meant "to define which countries are and aren't democracies."

John Kirby: "We're committed to supporting democratic institutions human rights, rule of law, media freedom. So decisions around whether to add countries to the summit invitation were made with all these themes in mind. Those that were newly invited in 2023 demonstrated clear political will to bolster the themes of the summit."

NSC official: "There's an incredibly broad swath of countries invited to participate in this process, from those with deeply consolidated democracies all the way through governments that have some democratic institutions and some non-democratic institutions. But in all cases, what we're looking for is positive will to move in the right direction and we really want to use the summit itself and the process to put wind in the sails of actors who are interested in positive steps in this regard."

The Summit officially kicked off earlier this morning with a short video of pre-taped remarks from the 5 co-host leaders. Each co-host is also hosting a thematic plenary session. Plenaries are interspersed with "spotlight interventions" by leading activists and civil society figures.

3 plenaries have already taken place: Economic Growth and Shared Prosperity (Republic of Korea), Justice for All (The Netherlands) and Strong Institutions (Zambia)

Here is the speaking program for the US lead plenary:

11:30 am – Leader-level Plenary on Democracy Delivering on Global Challenges

Hosted by President Biden, United States

Speakers:
President Zuzana ?aputová of Slovakia
President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera of Malawi
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine
President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza of Ecuador
President Maia Sandu of Moldova
President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark
President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen of Panama

There will be one more plenary after that on Inclusion and Equality (Costa Rica)

You can find the full program of the summit here:
https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy-2023/#:~:text=a%20Digital%20Age-,Speakers%3A,International%20Trade%20and%20Worship%2C%20Argentina

Foreign pool report #2

Sec of State Tony Blinken entered the room at 11:33am as Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, (Belarus opposition leader) and Natalia Pinchuk (wife of imprisoned Nobel Laureate Ales Bialiatski) remarks were being aired on the screen.

Tsikhanouskaya compared dictatorships to a cancer that will keep growing if every cancerous cell is not completely eradicated.

POTUS walked in at 11:42am.

On the screen facing POTUS & Blinken are the 8 leaders taking part in this session (Slovakia, Malawi, Ukraine, Ecuador, Moldova, Niger, Denmark, Panama)

POTUS singled out Angola, the Dominican Republic, Croatia as examples of recent efforts towards more democratic institutions.

At 11:53am, POTUS turned it over to the President of Slovakia, Zuzana ?aputová.

As pool was being ushered out, we could hear the beginning of her remarks about how Russia's war in Ukraine is a threat to democracy around the world.

You can see a picture of the set-up here: https://twitter.com/ketgorjestani/status/1641107555421237248?s=46&t=9wic...

Foreign pool report #3 – Background for the Bilateral

¡Hola a todos!

I will be your foreign pooler for the bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina. The meeting is scheduled for 2.45 pm (In-House Pool Spray)

Meetings/calls:

The bilateral between the US President and his Argentine counterpart was originally set for July last year. However, that meeting was postponed after Biden tested positive for Covid-19. Since then, both parties have reportedly been working to arrange a meeting. The bilateral will take place this afternoon following the conclusion of day one of the second Summit for Democracy.

Today's bilateral meeting will be the first one for both leaders as presidents. Fernandez will also be the first Personist leader to meet in the White House with a US President since 2003, when Nestor Kirchner met with George W. Bush.

Fernandez and Biden have been together at several international summits, such as the G20 summit in Bali in November 2022 and the Ninth Summit of the Americas that took place in June 2022 in Los Angeles. Both presidents spoke on the phone in June 2022, in advance of the Summit of the Americas.

Schedule:

After attending the Ibero-American Summit meeting in the Dominican Republic, Fernandez arrived in the United States on Sunday. He spent Monday and Tuesday in New York, where he met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and participated in a private event with business leaders organized by the Council of the Americas.

Fernandez arrived in Washington DC, on Tuesday night and will depart to Argentina tonight. We can expect a joint statement at the end of the bilat.

Priorities for the bilat:

Before meeting with Guterres at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Fernandez briefly talked with reporters about what he expects from the meeting with Biden. The Argentine President said that the meeting would serve to strengthen the relationship with the United States and that he expects to discuss with Biden a variety of topics.

Although Fernandez did not mention it, economic cooperation will probably be at the top of the agenda. Fernández is looking for backing from the United States as Argentina tries to secure a deal on the country's $44 billion program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that was signed in 2022. The United States is the largest stakeholder at the IMF, and any deal needs clearance from the White House and the Treasury. This month, Argentina reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF to ease some of the targets of its program, arguing that a drought and higher energy prices have negatively impacted the already fragile South American economy. The IMF board is expected to meet to discuss this new deal in the coming days.

Other topics will be cooperation on climate change, space, technology, and critical minerals, according to the statement the White House released on Saturday announcing the visit. Argentina is one of the world's biggest producers of lithium, used for electric vehicles.

NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said yesterday that 5G will also be part of the conversation.

Migration will also come up during the bilat. Kirby said yesterday that the two presidents will discuss the bilateral and regional efforts to implement the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, signed by 20 countries at the Summit of the Americas.

The war in Ukraine will also be part of the conversations, according to Kirby.,

The bilateral meeting takes place when Argentina and the United States celebrate the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Delegation joining Fernandez at the White House, per the Argentine Presidency:

Minister of Foreign Affairs Santiago Cafiero
Minister of Economy Sergio Massa
Minister of Security Anibal Fernandez
Ambassador of Argentina to the United States Jorge Argüello
The Press secretary for the Presidency Gabriela Cerruti
General Secretary of the Presidency Julio Vitobello

Bio:

Alberto Fernandez, 63, assumed office on 10 December 2019.

After a long career as a behind-the-scenes wielder of power, high-stakes negotiator, and bureaucrat, Fernandez stepped into the spotlight in 2019 as the presidential candidate of the Front for All (Frente de Todos), a coalition that included former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (2007-1015) as its candidate for vice-president.

In October, Argentina will hold general elections, and Alberto Fernandez is expected to seek reelection.

As a curiosity, Alberto Fernandez is a well-know music lover and a fan of Bob Dylan (after whom he named his dog).

Foreign pool report #4 – POTUS bilat with Fernandez

President Joe Biden and President Fernandez were standing up when the pool entered. They shook hands twice. Once after Biden gave his initial remarks. The second time after Fernández gave him condolences for the shooting in Nashville at the end of his initial remarks.

Biden answered a question about the Pope but your pool could not hear the answer well.

In his initial remarks, Fernandez said they were going to talk about the economy and thanked Biden for the support the US has given to Argentina in international organizations.

He said that Argentina is suffering the "worst drought" in record since 1929, which has affected Argentina's economy. "We certainly look forward to your continued support as you have done so far"

Reminder that Fernández is looking for backing from the United States as Argentina negotiates with the IMF, where the US is the largest stakeholder.

The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by an extended bilateral. Fernandez will be joined, among others, by Minister of Foreign Affairs Santiago Cafiero, and Minister of Economy Sergio Massa.

I will send full quotes soon.

Foreign pool report #5 – Fuller quotes. POTUS bilat with Fernandez

Here fuller quotes of President Fernandez of Argentina, please check against the transcript.

Fernandez started his remarks remembering that Biden and him have met on several occasions, including the G20 summit in Bali or the Summit of the Americas. But he welcomed the opportunity to talk today specifically about Argentina and the US.

First issue he brought up was the pandemic. He thanked Biden for the help that the US gave to Argentina and other countries in the Western Hemisphere, sending vaccines to fight the virus.

Second issue was the economy. "More than once we have been able to talk about the economic problems that Argentina faces and which I inherited as a president. The international context is not helping. I also want to thank you because your Administration has consistently supported us in the context of financial institutions."

Third, he said that Argentina has been able to see the "serious problem" that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created, and highlighted that Argentina has supported the US in the UN condemning the invasion. "The war has brought terrible damage to the world economy. We need to work a lot together for that war to end, for no more human lives to be lost, and for the global economy to recover as well."

Fourth, he said that his administration and Biden's see democracy and human rights as central for development.

Fifth, were food security and energy, saying that there are great opportunities for collaboration. "The world is demanding food, and it is demanding energy and we have all of those resources and we can produce them in our countries." Fernandez alluded to his speech in the Summit of the Americas when he alluded to that.

Sixth, climate change and financial institutions. "We also share a concern with regard to climate change. Argentina, you might know, is going through the worst drought on record since 1929, which has very much complicated our economy. And this situation is something that we are discussing with financial institutions, so we certainly do look forward to your continued support the way we have had it so far."

Lastly, he gave POTUS condolences for the shooting in Nashville. "I would like to publicly state my support for your initiative to regulate the sale of firearms in the United States. This idea which you are spearheading represents a problem that the world suffers. In my country, some are suggesting that arms should be sold freely in order for people to protect themselves. So, I deeply value your initiative, and you can count on me as an unreserved partner."