Pool Reports by Alex Thompson, Politico
| Sent: | Reports: |
| May 23, 2022 09:54 JST |
Travel pool #1 We are rolling as of 9:51 JT. Press is swept and loaded into vans with blue bags of snacks kindly supplied for us ahead of the day. Pool did not see Biden exit RON. We are on our way to the Imperial Palace in Japan where Biden is expected to meet with Emperor Naruhito. Pray for me not to have typos today, |
| May 23, 2022 10:02 JST |
Travel report #2 5/23 The motorcade crossed a moat and the palace walls at 9:56 am. Your pooler's van briefly lost the motorcade which added some excitement to the morning. Guards stand completely still as the motorcade passes. The grounds are lush with green. Biden has arrived. The supplemental pool should have his arrival. |
| May 23, 2022 10:35 JST |
Travel report #3 We are rolling from the imperial palace. |
| May 23, 2022 10:51 JST |
Travel Report #4 POTUS and the pool entered the gates at Akasaka palace at 1046 The streets along the route were mostly empty except for patches with ppl taking pictures. POTUS was greeted by a military band playing the star spangled banner. He held his hand on his heart. It was then followed by the Japanese national anthem. |
| May 23, 2022 10:52 JST |
Travel report #5 The WH passes along the following background. Upon arrival at Akasaka Palace, the President will be greeted by: H.E. Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Fukui Hitoshi, Director of the Guest House, Akasaka Palace Members of the U.S. Delegation in attendance: Members of the Japan Delegation in attendance: Run of show: |
| May 23, 2022 11:01 JST |
Travel report #6 POTUS and the PM participated in a red carpet ceremony. The PM and POTUS shook hands with members of the delegation. The two then walked toward the palace with what appeared to be an interpreter trailing closely behind them as they spoke. POTUS and PM entered the palace with the Japan delegation following them in followed by the US delegation. The pool didn't follow them through that door and entered the palace through a smaller side door. We are moving. |
| May 23, 2022 11:12 JST |
Travel report 7 Passing this along from the WH. President Biden called on His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito today to offer greetings on behalf of the American people, highlighting the strength of the U.S.-Japan relationship anchored by deep people-to-people ties. The pool is holding in a hallway inside the palace. The American press and the Japanese press have been separated into a line on the left side of the hallway and the right side, respectively. We have been told we are entering a room one at a time. |
| May 23, 2022 11:16 JST |
Travel report 8 The White House passes the following along: Participating in the President's bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida: U.S. Manifest Japan Manifest |
| May 23, 2022 11:23 JST |
Travel report 9 The White House sends this along The President's tête-à-tête with Prime Minister Kishida started at 11:01 AM JST. Poolers and reporters are holding in the hallway. |
| May 23, 2022 11:54 JST |
Travel report 10 There will be a full stream of the remarks below but here are the highlights with an Otter link below courtesy of Noah Bierman from the LAT. The pool entered a large ornate room with high ceilings. The president and the PM sat alongside an ornate table with a beautiful boquet or red and white flowers on the table. There was an American flag behind POTUS and a Japanese flag behind the PM. The PM had a male translator seated behind him and there was a female translator seated behind Biden. Biden sat with his legs crossed and his hand one his chin with the PM was speaking. He held some papers in the other hand. There were four chairs on the left side of the room w/ American delegation and Four chairs on the right side of the room with Members of the Japan delegation. The chairs were facing each other. On the left side of the room, the Biden delegation was the following order from closest to Biden to furthest away: Antony Blinken, Rahm Emanuel, Gina Raimondo, Katherine Tai. Your pooler did not know the names of the four members of the Japanese delegation sitting across from them but they were all men. The PM, speaking in Japanese, welcomed Biden for his first visit as president. He also declared solidarity with the US in confronting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Russia's aggression of Ukraine undermines the foundation of global order," Kishida said. Biden said that the US remains committed to Japan's defense. At the conclusion of their statements, they ignored shouted questions from reporters. The pool is holding until the press conference this afternoon. We have been given two ribbons—one pink, one red and white—as our credentials. Otter link via Noah. Excuse him for spamming the list earlier, he was trying to help me by sending a quote. |
| May 23, 2022 14:06 JST |
Travel report 11-2 minute warning [APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.] |
| May 23, 2022 14:15 JST |
travel report 12- another 2 minute warning [APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.] |
| May 23, 2022 14:18 JST |
Travel report 13 The presser begins. It will be live-streamed but here is some color: The Biden delegation is seated stage right. The front row is Raimondo, Blinken, Emanuel. Katherine Tai is in the next row back with Jake Sullivan and a third seat that was empty at the beginning of the press conference. The row after that is Kate Bedingfield, Karine Jean-Pierre, and Jen OMalley Dillon. Your pooler's near-sightedness failed him for the next rows. Raimondo and Tai were conferring about something before the presser began. The Japanese delegation is stage left. There are teleprompters set up for each world leader. The teleprompters are different models. If you are in the room looking at POTUS and the PM. American reporters are seated on the left side of the room and the Japanese reporters are in the right side of the room. There are many more Japanese reporters than American reporters. Everyone is masked. Some info about the room per the Japanese govt. website. https://www.geihinkan.go.jp/en/akasaka/hagoromo_no_ma/ Situated on the west side of the State Guest House, Hagoromo no Ma is so called for the large ceiling painting inspired by a passage from the Noh play Hagoromo ("Robe of Heaven"). A grand space in shades of gold and scarlet, adorned with mirrors, it was formerly referred to as the ballroom. It also hosts ceremonial welcomes in inclement weather, or serves pre-dinner drinks for guests. |
| May 23, 2022 14:59 JST |
Travel report 14 Press conference ends at 258 JST President Biden called on reporters from the Wall Street Journal (Ken Thomas) and CBS News. He did not take any shouted questions. |
| May 23, 2022 15:29 JST |
Travel report 15 POTUS Is rolling from the palace at 3:28 pm JST. |
| May 23, 2022 15:36 JST |
Travel pool 16 POTUS has arrived at the Izumi Garden Gallery for the IPEF launch event at 3:36 JST. |
| May 23, 2022 16:01 JST |
Travel pool 17 The White House passes along the following: President Biden met today with members of the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea several decades ago, to express solidarity with the victims and to lend his support to Prime Minister Kishida's effort to resolve this painful issue. The President listened to the personal stories of the families, expressed his deepest condolences for their suffering, and called on North Korea to right this historic wrong and provide a full accounting of the 12 Japanese nationals who remain missing. |
| May 23, 2022 16:38 JST |
Travel pool 18, 2 minute warning. [APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.] |
| May 23, 2022 16:41 JST |
Travel pool 19 The White House sends this along: Participants in the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF): United States: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States of America Run of show: United States of America: T.H. Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr., President of the United States of America (in person) |
| May 23, 2022 16:47 JST |
Travel pool 20 there was a photo op with the leaders of India, Japan, and the US—Biden was in the middle of the three. They stood where pieces of pink tape were placed on the ground. After the photos, Modi make a quip that drew some laughter but your pooler and reporters around him couldn't make out what he said. Then the three leaders sat at a table and were joined by Antony Blinken. They are facing a screen that includes 10 boxes of other countries joining virtually. The remarks are streaming. |
| May 23, 2022 17:31 JST |
Travel pool 21 IPEF launch event concludes. Biden ignored several shouted questions about Taiwan. As he walked out of the event space, Gina Raimondo gave POTUS a pat on the back. Some color from the event in case people couldn't see it in the livestream: After New Zealand's leader spoke, she disappeared from her screen which was replaced by a IPEF logo while other leaders began speaking . She had said in Her remarks that she was on her way to the US. The other leaders stayed on after their remarks. When there was a technical malfunction with the leader of Singapore and a non-English translation rang out in the hall, Biden gave Blinken a look with a shrug. Once one of Malaysia's ministers began speaking, someone came and told PM something that prompted him to quietly depart. Aides then also brought both Blinken and Biden cups that, from a distance, look like coffee cups. Both also had glasses of water in front of them. |
| May 23, 2022 17:35 JST |
Travel pool 22 POTUS officially departed at 5:34. The motercade is leaving back to RON. |
| May 23, 2022 17:38 JST |
Travel pool 23 POTUS arrived at RON at 5:37pm JST. |
| May 23, 2022 18:58 JST |
Travel pool 24 The president departed RON at 6:55pm JST for Kochuan for a dinner hosted by PM Kishida |
| May 23, 2022 19:15 JST |
Travel pool 25 Biden arrived around 705. He waited in the car until pool cameras set up. Biden got out of the car at 710 and walked up to be greeted by the PM and his wife. They turned around and posed for photos. Biden ignored a question about China. They then went inside. On the drive over, there were lots of people lined up along the roads taking pictures with theirs phones. Some even waved at the pooler van. |
| May 23, 2022 20:14 JST |
Travel pool 26 White House passes along the following: Before dinner, the President participated in a tea ceremony hosted by Mrs. Kishida Yuko. Attending the tea ceremony and dinner: The WH also provided a menu. Pictures often don't come through so you can see the menu here: https://twitter.com/alexthomp/status/1528695499234193408?s=21&t=xgHqu9vtw6phoIycmd_Faw |
| May 23, 2022 20:42 JST |
Travel pool 27 Biden departed the dinner at 841 JST. We are headed back to RON. |
| May 23, 2022 20:57 JST |
Travel report 28 POTUS Arrived back at RON at 853pm JST. Thanks for following along on a busy day. Cheers, |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of May 23, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/356094