Pool Reports by Zolan Kanno-Youngs, The New York Times
| Sent: | Reports: |
| May 31, 2024 09:30 |
Out of town pool report #1 rolling Hello all. Happy Friday. Your pooler could not see the president enter his motorcade at his Rehoboth Beach residence. The president joined his motorcade at 9:28 am and we're rolling to Dover. Here's the rest of the White House schedule today: EDT 7:30 AM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time 8:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the President's Daily Brief 9:00 AM THE PRESIDENT departs Rehoboth Beach, Delaware en route to Dover, Delaware 9:45 AM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Dover, Delaware 9:55 AM THE PRESIDENT departs Dover, Delaware en route to Joint Base Andrews 10:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time 10:30 AM THE PRESIDENT arrives to Joint Base Andrews 10:40 AM THE PRESIDENT departs Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House 11:00 AM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House 2:30 PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium for a meeting at the White House 4:15 PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House to celebrate their championship season and victory in Super Bowl LVIII 6:45 PM THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route to Fort Lesley J. McNair 6:55 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives to Fort Lesley J. McNair 7:05 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Fort Lesley J. McNair en route to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 8:00 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware |
| May 31, 2024 10:15 |
Out of town pool report #2 Dover The president's motorcade entered Dover at 10:10 am. The president exited the Beast at 10:12 am. From a distance, your pooler saw him enter Air Force One at 10:13 am. Your supplemental pool was closer to Air Force One. Handing it off to the supplemental pool. From the White House: Greeting the President upon arrival to Dover Air Force Base: Colonel William "Chris" McDonald, Commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base The White House also sends along the following officials who traveled in the president's motorcade to Dover: Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff |
| May 31, 2024 10:18 |
Out of town pool report #3 AF1 travelers From the White House: Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff |
| May 31, 2024 19:10 |
Out of town pool report #4 M1 landing/LID Marine One landed in the Gordons Pond landing area at 7 PM. The President exited the helicopter and entered the Beast at 7:03 PM. The photographers in our pool spotted Hunter Biden also exiting the helicopter while holding his son, Beau. The motorcade dropped off the president at 7:08 PM. We have a lid. Thanks! |
Pool Reports below by Paris Huang, Voice of America
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| May 31, 2024 10:20 |
Supplemental #1 Dover departure Good morning. VOA is your supplemental pooler this morning for POTUS's returning to the White House from Dover. Pool is gathered at Dover Air Force base at 7:49AM. POTUS motorcade arrived the tarmac at 10:10am He got out of the vehicle and walked straight to and up the ladder, did not take the shouted Ukraine question, embarked the plane 1012am Hunter Biden, Mellissa , Baby Beau, boarded the plane at 1013am We are traveling on the small AF1 so might lose signal after getting in the cabin; in that case I will update the wheel up time after we land at JBA. |
| May 31, 2024 10:24 |
Supplemental #2 Wheel up AF1 wheeled up at 1024am En route to JBA |
| May 31, 2024 10:58 |
Supplemental #3 JBA arrival AF1 wheels down at 10:44 uneventful flight, POTUS disembarked at 1054 Walked passed press and no chat He boarded vehicle at 1055 Start rolling at 1057 Heading back to the White House Per the White House: Greeting the President upon arrival to Joint Base Andrews: Colonel Angela Ochoa, 89th Air Wing, Joint Base Andrews |
| May 31, 2024 11:22 |
Supplemental #4 WH arrival Motorcade arrived on the WH South Ground at 1119am uneventful drive Pool didn't see POTUS Pooler asked a press officer on approximately when POTUS's remarks on Middle East would be , no idea as for now. Hand off to in town pool |
Pool Reports below by Brett Samuels, The Hill
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| May 31, 2024 13:08 |
In-town pool report #1: Gathering for Middle East remarks Hello from the White House. I'll be your in-town pooler for this afternoon's events. Pool is gathering now for President Biden's remarks on the Middle East in the State Dining Room, which were added to the schedule this morning but with no specific time. Updates to follow. |
| May 31, 2024 13:23 |
In-town pool report #2: two minute warning Two minute warning for POTUS remarks. The remarks are being live streamed here, so I will not send full quotes but will provide color and top lines: https://www.youtube.com/live/l-U3w0qou-s?si=f-IcMJXesxagl7R7 |
| May 31, 2024 13:44 |
In-town pool report #3: POTUS remarks Biden began speaking just before 1:30 and concluded his prepared remarks at 1:42 p.m. Biden was asked as he was walking out what he thought of Trump's claims that Biden was responsible for his legal troubles and what affect the verdict might have on the campaign. He paused for a moment, but did not answer. Please check quotes against video/transcript. POTUS, standing alone in the center of the room with an Abraham Lincoln portrait behind him, opened by addressing the guilty verdict in former President Trump's criminal case. "It's reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict." "The justice system should be respected, and we should never allow anyone to tear it down." Biden then pivoted to speaking about efforts to reach a cease-fire in the Middle East. He urged leadership in Israel to support the deal put forward. He called the proposal a roadmap to secure the release of hostages and for a prolonged cease-fire. "This is truly a decisive moment. Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a cease-fire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it," he said. The Palestinian people have been through "sheer hell," Biden said. |
| May 31, 2024 14:37 |
In-town pool report #4: Lunch lid We have a lunch lid until 3:30 p.m. The next event with press access is the Kansas City Chiefs celebration on the South Lawn, scheduled for 4:15 p.m. |
| May 31, 2024 16:15 |
In-town pool report #5: Chiefs event Pool and other reporters are assembled on the South Lawn for the celebration of the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. There are a few hundred people here on this sunny, cloudless afternoon. The event is open press, and you can watch it live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnkR2vZZPOo Your pooler will send any notable color. The Lombardi Trophy and a Chiefs helmet are set up on a table next to a lectern with the presidential seal. Just before press gathered for the event, Chiefs safety Justin Reid and guard Trey Smith posed for photos at the podium in the briefing room. |
| May 31, 2024 16:32 |
In-town pool report #6: Event begins President Biden walked out to the South Lawn at 4:31 p.m. He was preceded by members of the Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and coach Andy Reid standing front and center. Event is being streamed live and is open press. |
| May 31, 2024 16:41 |
In-town pool report #7: Attendees Passing along from the White House the list of attendees, and noting kicker Harrison Butker is among the players in attendance. The President is welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House to celebrate their championship season and victory in Super Bowl LVIII. Attendees: Participants Speaking Program |
| May 31, 2024 17:06 |
In-town pool report #8: Biden answers Qs After the Chiefs event, President Biden answered a few questions from Fox News' Peter Doocy as he was exiting. Many, many thanks to the Fox News team for their help sharing this transcript of the exchange: DOOCY: Do you think this conviction helps Trump in the election? BIDEN: I have no idea. DOOCY: Are you worried this could happen to you someday? Somebody comes up with some charges and tries to bring you into court after your term? BIDEN: Not at all. I didn't do anything wrong. The system still works. DOOCY: When Trump says you're just trying to bruise him – what do you say? Politically, politically... He thinks you're pulling the strings behind the scenes doing all of this to help yourself? BIDEN: I didn't know I was that powerful. |
| May 31, 2024 17:25 |
In-town pool report #9: Mahomes/Reid Head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes spoke briefly at the sticks and took a few questions. A few quotes below, though there was no major news. "We got royal treatment and a nice tour," Reid said. On Biden trying on the Chiefs helmet, Reid said it "might be a first." Mahomes: "To be back to back and be back at the White House again, it really is cool." He said the second trip in a row was particularly special for members of the team who were not there in 2023. Asked if Biden would need the helmet with a tough reelection fight ahead, Mahomes demurred. "It was really cool to see him throw that helmet on," he said. |
| May 31, 2024 17:29 |
In-town pool report #10: Gathering for departure Pool is gathering now for the president's departure, about an hour earlier than scheduled. |
| May 31, 2024 17:52 |
In-town pool report #11: Rolling Motorcade is rolling from the north driveway of the White House at 5:52 p.m. to Fort McNair. Your pooler did not see the president enter his vehicle. |
| May 31, 2024 18:13 |
In-town pool report #12: POTUS departure Motorcade arrived at Fort McNair at 6 pm after an uneventful drive that included plenty of onlookers on the streets of DC. President Biden chatted with the military greeter as he walked across the grass field to Marine One. He did not address the pool at all. Marine One lifted off at 6:09 p.m. Handing off to the out of town pool. From the White House: Traveling with the President aboard Marine One en route to Gordon's Pond Landing Zone: |
Pool Reports below by Sonia Dridi, France 24
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| May 31, 2024 12:23 |
Foreign Pool Report #1 Background informations on the visit of Prime Minister De Croo Hi, Bonjour, Goeiedag, Guten tag, I am the RTBF correspondent in Washington DC (Belgian Radio-television public broadcaster, in French language) and your foreign pooler to cover the visit of the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Belgium has 3 official languages: French, Dutch and German. Today is an historic visit for the Belgians: it's the first White House visit by a Belgian Prime Minister since 2006. According to a Belgian official, the invitation came from the White House. Belgium currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, until June 30, 2024. Prime Minister De Croo faces elections in June. Alexander De Croo stated "The US-Belgium relationship is more important than ever. Our country is a bridge to the EU". Per the White House "The leaders will reaffirm the close partnership between the United States and Belgium to address global challenges. They will discuss their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's war, including our efforts to make the greatest use of the immobilized Russian sovereign assets. President Biden will also recognize Belgium's contributions to transatlantic security and Ukraine's defense." 3 main topics will be discussed during this visit: · Ukraine For context, President Zelensky visited Belgium on Tuesday, May 28. President Zelensky and Primer Minister De Croo signed a bilateral long time security agreement, worth €977 million ($1.06 billion) Belgium committed to give 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028. The first ones will be sent this year. Belgium's decision to supply F-16 fighter jets has drawn an hostile reaction from Russia. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, announced Russia's intention to destroy the fighter jets on Ukrainian territory. A Belgium official says that it's important to have the United States as a partner on the matter. The frozen Russian sovereign assets will be an important part of the discussion. The G7 froze around $300 billion worth of Russian financial assets shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since, EU and G7 countries have been debating the possibility of using the funds and the benefits to help Ukraine. The Brussels-based bank Euroclear holds the bulk of Russia's assets in Europe (between 60% to 70% according to a Belgian official) The profits generated by investing Russia's assets immobilized in Belgium are worth around €3 billion per year. Until recently, Belgium was taking tax revenues and sending the money to Ukraine. At the beginning of the month, the EU approved a plan to use the profits generated by investing frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for Ukraine. This initiative is separate from another debate the G7 leaders are having (pushed by the US) to confiscate the frozen assets to support Ukraine. According to AP, a final decision on how the assets will be used will be taken by the G7 leaders next month at the annual summit in Fasano, in Italy. The Belgium government position so far is to first use the profits from the frozen assets before using the frozen assets directly. Also, for context, De Croo is regularly pleading for Europe to boost its defense industry. He said that doing so would make Europe a "solid military bloc" and a strong part of NATO alongside the United States. "We cannot make ourselves dependent on who would be the next occupant of the White House." · Situation in the Middle-East According to a Belgian official, Belgium is eager to hear from the US on this matter, since the US is talking directly with some of its partners in the region. The Belgians are willing to have a global view of where the negotiations stand to find a solution for peace. De Croo told RTL (belgium media) today "I will discuss with President Biden to see how can we stop this conflict and freed the hostages" Belgium's Prime Minister De Croo, along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, is among Europe's most outspoken supporters of the Palestinian cause. He went to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing in November, along Spain's Prime Minister. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is pushing his European Union allies to ban imports on products from territories occupied by Israel. De Croo specifically mentioned in interviews dates, wine and olive oil as products whose import could be banned (belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws and VRT) He told Het Laatste Nieuws "Since then, 35,000 people have died, including 10,000 children. That's not the only reason, but we Europeans will have to bear the consequences" · Trade Trade relations between the EU and the US will also be part of the discussions. According to Prime Minister De Croo, this visit is also an opportunity to support European industry and Belgian companies. "The US is Belgium's main export destination outside the European Union and Belgium is the third largest US export location within the EU" "The US-Belgium relationship is more important than ever. Our country is a bridge to the EU," He added "This meeting confirms Belgium's status as a strategic partner to the US" The visit is also an opportunity for the Belgians to find support for the European industry and Belgian businesses. There are around 900 US businesses in Belgium. The Belgians, as most EU countries, are worried that the Inflation Reduction Act would hollow their economy. De Croo, told the Financial Times that the EU has too many burdensome regulations in place. "The US is good at the carrots...What we do is, we're good at the sticks," he said. "Regulation isn't always bad, but we need some more carrots." Bio De Croo: Alexander De Croo was born on 3 November 1975 in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. He is the prime minister of Belgium since October 2020. He studied business engineering in Brussels before doing an MBA at Northwestern University in the USA. Also a businessman, he worked for Boston Consulting Group before staring his own company, Darts-ip, in 2006. He started politics in 2009, standing for the 2009 European elections. In October, he became a candidate for the presidency of his political party Open VLD (Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats) and was elected president in December, second round. It was pretty astonishing since he had very little political experience. Belgium is headed for a triple election on June 9, voters will vote to elect a new federal parliament, regional parliaments, and members of the European Parliament all on the same day. Belgians calls it the "mother of all elections." In the Dutch-speaking northern half of the country, Flanders, far-right and right-wing Flemish nationalists are predicted to win. In the French-speaking southern half, Wallonia, social democrats and the far left have dominated the campaign. De Croo made it pretty clear that he would like to stay on as prime minister but he admitted that it will be difficult for him to become Prime Minister again. His party is currently polling just 10 percent of Flemish votes, which would make it one of the smallest parties in terms of seats in the federal parliament. Maybe he is aiming for one of the EU's top jobs? |
| May 31, 2024 13:15 |
Foreign Pool Report #2 Agenda for the visit of Prime Minister De Croo The meeting with President Biden is planned at 2.30 pm. It is a closed door visit. The Prime Minister De Croo will speak at 3.30pm at Lafayette Square. If anything changes, I will let you know. The Prime Minister arrived last night, he visited this morning the Arlington Cemetery and paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in WWII. He had a meeting with Janet Yellen at 11am and then a lunch at the Belgian residence. He will depart for the airport at 4.15pm |
| May 31, 2024 14:27 |
Foreign Pool Report #3 update visite timing 3pm The Belgian Prime Minister will now arrive at the White House at 3pm. The presser in front of the Lafayette Park will follow, the Belgian delegation tells me the presser wont be at the WH because some of the Belgian journalists are not accredited. They also tell me the priority for questions will be for Belgian media (sorry!). |
| May 31, 2024 14:49 |
Foreign Pool Report #4 quotes De Croo At the Belgium residency during lunch time, the Prime Minister De Croo told Belgian journalists he wants to show President Biden that Belgium is a « viable partner » (« partenaire fiable ») on Ukraine. He added « While Putin is more and more threatening towards Ukraine and its European allies, its extremely important to show that the United States and Europe are united and that we will do all what is necessary to defend ourselves and to help Ukraine » He also said that Belgium will not allowed Ukraine to use its military equipement outside of Ukraine. Reminder: President Zelensky visited Belgium on May 28 and Belgium committed to give 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028. He told RTBF radio this morning : Belgium has been invited to the WH because of the important role Belgium played on many matters. The US are the first investors in Belgium. more than 100 000 jobs in Belgium depends of American investors. « it's more important than ever to explain to the United State what we are doing in Ukraine. We are now the biggest suppliers of F16 for Ukraine. We want to explain what are our expectations toward the United States to guarantee our security in Europe. » |
| May 31, 2024 15:00 |
Foreign Pool Report #5 arrival Prime Minister De Croo The Prime Minister arrived at the White House at 2.54pm He was not welcomed at the door by President Biden. He waved at the press, smiling, and entered the White House with the Belgian delegation. |
| May 31, 2024 | [APP Note: Report #6 does not exist or was not received by the APP.] |
| May 31, 2024 | [APP Note: Report #7 does not exist or was not received by the APP.] |
| May 31, 2024 16:52 |
Foreign pool report #8 De Croo left for the airport - quotes to follow The Prime Minister ended his presser outside the White House Gate at Lafayette Square at 4.28pm. He is now going to the airport. He spoke to the press in French, Dutch and English (to AFP.) I will send some quotes. In the meantime, here is a photography and transcription of the message he wrote to President Biden " History has taught Belgium how important the fight for freedom and democracy is. Twice in the last century we were rescued from tiranny by the United States. Difficult times call for courageous leadership. I recognize this in the 46th US President and am grateful to be his guest today."
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| May 31, 2024 17:35 |
Foreign pool report #9 exchange of Gifts De Croo/Biden According to the Belgian delegation, the Prime Minister offered a small locomotiv to President Biden, partly fabricated with General Motors pieces. (https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Série_54_SNCB) He knew "Amtrak Joe" would appreciate. President Biden offered Ray-Ban sunglasses to Prime Minister De Croo. |
Related Images
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of May 31, 2024 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/372502