Pool Reports of May 22, 2020

in-town pool report #1: good morning

Happy Friday from a rainy morning at the White House. I'll be your print pooler today.

The restricted in-house pool is currently receiving COVID-19 tests in lower press.

Per the daily guidance, pool is expecting to see POTUS once today, at an 11:30 am ceremony honoring veterans. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany will then brief at 2 pm.

Pool will advise if there are any changes to the schedule, and please let me know if you have any questions throughout the day.

in-town pool report #2: Hassett gaggle

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett gaggled outside after a TV hit at 11:00 am for about 10 minutes.

Some highlights:

We "expect a very strong second half of the year"

"We expect... the third quarter will be the highest growth quarter in US history"

"We expect that output is going to recover relatively quickly... employment lags that a little bit"

"We've been planning for a phase 4 deal in case one happens... We're ready." Says he expects if one happens it would be in June sometime, but notes he hasn't been in discussions about timeline.

When asked about Trump saying he wouldn't shut down the economy a second time, Hassett says he's very "heartened that the places that are opening up are getting back to normal relatively quickly... If you look at the data, it's fair to be optimistic that the opening up will continue"

"Chinese move in Hong Kong is going to be very very bad for the Chinese economy and the Hong Kong economy"

in-town pool report #3: gather for veterans event

Pool has been called at 11:14 to gather at the Palm Room doors for the 11:30 am event Rolling to Remember Ceremony: Honoring Our Nation's Veterans and POW/MIA.

In-town pool report #4: details of AMVETS event

Passing on from the White house:

Today, President Donald J. Trump will deliver remarks honoring America's veterans and fallen heroes from the Blue Room Balcony to representatives of AMVETS (America Veterans) who will lead Rolling to Remember: Honoring our Nation's Veterans and POW/MIA.For 32 years, Rolling Thunder, a motorcycle demonstration on Memorial Day weekend, has raised awareness of issues facing our Nation's veterans and honored the 82,000 service members missing in action since WWII. This year, AMVETS planned to lead the first annual Rolling to Remember ride to bring attention to veteran suicide. Due to COVID-19, AMVETS is leading a virtual/at-home Rolling to Remember Ride Challenge to encourage individual riders nationwide to ride 22 miles in their own community to recognize the 22 veterans who die by suicide every day. President Trump is proud to host the few riders in Washington, DC who will lead the virtual Rolling to Remember Challenge.

The following individuals are expected to attend:

The White House
President Donald J. Trump

Trump Administration
Secretary Robert Wilke, Department of Veterans Affairs

External Participants
Jeremiah Botkin, AMVETS Riders National
Linda Botkin, AMVETS Riders National
Jan Brown, Commander, AMVETS National
John "JP" Brown, President, AMVETS Charities
Patrick Bundy, Rider, AMVETS Riders
Mary Francis Bundy, Ladies Auxiliary Member, AMVETS
Francis MacDonald, Virginia Chapter President, Rolling Thunder
Carrollyn McDonald, Member, Rolling Thunder
Thomas McNamara, National President, AMVETS Riders
Shannon McNamara, Riders Department Judge Advocate, AMVETS
Miles Migliara, National Communications Manager, AMVETS
John Reando, Rider, AMVETS Riders
Paul Spuhl, Treasurer, AMVETS Riders National
George Cummings, Former National President, AMVETS Riders
Bruce McElhaney, Former National President, AMVETS Riders
Rob Quick, Former National President, AMVETS Riders
JR May, Rider, AMVETS Riders
Robert Patrick, Veteran/Military advocate and Hollywood Actor
Michael Shelby, Member, Rolling Thunder

In-town pool report #5: POTUS speaking

Trump emerged onto the blue room balcony at 11:47 after ‘eye of the Tiger' played. A group of about 15 members of Amvets watched from the drizzle below outside beside their motorcycles.

Trump praised VA Sec Robert Wilkie and said the VA has more accountability now and has fired hundreds of thousands people who didn't treat vets well. "They were sadists, they were thieves"

"We've secured over $2.1 trillion in funding to completely rebuild American military"

Said the US has great testing capacity and ventilators

Event is ongoing.

in-town pool report #6: end of veterans event

Trump spoke for a few minutes at the veterans event on a range of topics.

He said the CDC is going to issue a "strong recommendation" today or soon about reopening churches. "We want our churches and our places of faith and worship" to open. "We're going to make that essential. (After the event, Trump took one question from reporters about when that CDC guidelines will come. He was walking down the colonnade to the Oval Office and the pool was far away from him, and no one in the pool is 100% sure of his answer, because it was so hard to hear at that distance. He either said "today or Tuesday" or "today or very soon.")

At the veterans event, he also praised bikers, saying he has "98% approval" among bikers. He implored bikers and veterans to go vote on November 3 - "We don't want to destroy this country."

He said when he halted travel from China during coronavirus Joe Biden called him "xenophobic" and Nancy Pelosi was "dancing in the streets of Chinatown" in San Francisco.

At 11:59, the bikes started up, and the assembled group rode around the South Lawn for two laps in the rain while "Sweet Child O' Mine" played. Trump watched and clapped from the balcony as they rode.

The event ended and Trump walked back inside at 12:04 pm. (Then, as noted earlier in this report, pool saw him once more when he walked to the Oval Office.)

in-town pool report #7: lunch lid

A lunch lid was called at 12:21 pm until 1 pm.

in-town pool report #8: Trump briefing in 10 mins

White House just alerted the pool of an addition to the schedule today: President Donald J. Trump will hold a news conference in the Brady Briefing Room at 1 p.m.

in-town pool report #9: two min warning

Two minute warning at 1:46 pm for the briefing with POTUS.

in-town pool report #10: POTUS enters briefing room

Trump entered the briefing room at 1:48 pm. Pooler will not send highlights of remarks because they are being broadcast and streamed, but will send along any color from offscreen.

Sitting inside the briefing room: Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, and Dr. Deborah Birx. (Birx is wearing a mask; the other two women are not.)

At this point in the day, pool has had a COVID-19 test and had 3 separate temperature checks.

in-town pool report #11: Trump leaves, briefing ongoing

POTUS left the briefing room at 1:50 pm after making brief remarks about opening churches. The briefing is ongoing with Kayleigh McEnany and Dr. Birx.

(Again, pool will not be sending remarks, since the briefing is being streamed.)

in-town pool report #12: travel photo lid

We have a travel photo lid at 5:41 pm. Have a nice Memorial Day weekend, everyone!