Pool Reports by Lauren Egan, POLITICO
| Sent: | Reports: |
| November 17, 2024 08:18 PET |
Travel pool report #1: rolling to airport Good morning! I will be your travel pooler today for the president's trip from Lima to Manaus, ending in Rio later tonight. Motorcade is rolling from the RON to Jorge Chavez International Airport as of 8:15am. Please note, we’ve been advised that there is limited cell service on the ground in Manaus, so pool reports could be delayed. Traveling with the President via motorcade en route to Jorge Chavez International Airport: Secretary Antony Blinken, Department of State |
| November 17, 2024 08:51 PET |
Travel pool report #2: wheels up shortly Motorcade pulled into the airport at 8:42. Biden chatted briefly with greeters before boarding the plane at 8:45. He did not respond to a shouted question about his legacy on the world stage. As the motorcade made its way through the city, more than 100 people wearing red hats with the Chinese and Peruvian flags on the front lined the street. Some were waving the Chinese flag. They were spread out across the city and present throughout the motorcade route. There were also several people waving Peruvian flags. There were two planes with "Air China" on the side taxied close to AF1. We will be wheels up shortly for Manaus, Brazil. Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route to Manaus-Eduardo Gomez International Airport: Secretary Antony Blinken, Department of State |
| November 17, 2024 12:49 AMT |
Travel pool report #3: wheels down in Manaus AF1 landed at 12:28 local. (We changed time zones and are now one hour ahead of D.C.) POTUS exited AF1 at 12:42 dressed in blue pants, a blue shirt and boots. His daughter Ashley and granddaughter Natalie, along with Secretary Blinken, joined him in shaking hands with airport greeters. The group chatted for a few minutes on the tarmac before POTUS walked a few yards away to Marine One. It's hot and very humid here. POTUS walked up M1 steps at 12:47. Pool is now loading into Blackhawks for the aerial tour. Greeting the President on arrival to Manaus-Eduardo Gomez International Airport: Ms. Maria Deize Camilo Jorge, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Representation Office in Northern Region President Biden is the first sitting U.S. President to visit the Amazon rainforest. |
| November 17, 2024 13:58 AMT |
Travel pool report #4: aerial tour over/rolling from airport M1 landed back at the airport around 1:44pm. POTUS exited at 1:48 and walked directly to the motorcade. Motorcade is rolling from the airport as of 1:52pm. Some color from the aerial tour: We were in the air shortly after 1pm for the tour. We first made our way over the Rio Negro, with the city of Manaus in the backdrop to one side of the bank and lush greenery on the other. (Manaus sits at confluence of Rio Negro and the Amazon River. The Rio Negro is a major tributary of the Amazon River.) Once we reached the Amazon River, the water was a murkier brown color. We could clearly see the meeting of rivers, given that the Rio Negro is much darker water. We flew over some of the outskirts of Manaus, but for the most part, leafy green treetops and vegetation spanned as far as the eye could see. The White House shared a map of the aerial tour route, indicating that we flew over a wildlife refuge, shore erosion, fire damage and grounded ships — although it was hard to distinguish these sites from the air. Joining the President aboard Marine One for an aerial tour of the Amazon: John Podesta, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy Dr. Nobre is a renowned Brazilian scientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on how climate change is impacting the Amazon. He was part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change team awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Price. |
| November 17, 2024 14:23 AMT |
Travel pool report #5: MUSA arrival Motorcade arrived at Museu da Amazônia (MUSA) at 2:20pm. People stood along the motorcade route snapping pictures and waving. A larger group of a few dozen people congregated nearby the museum entrance to take photos and videos as we pulled in. POTUS will participate in a tour here before delivering a statement. |
| November 17, 2024 15:03 AMT |
Travel pool report #6: nature tour Biden — joined by his daughter Ashley and granddaughter Natalie — entered the nature reserve at 2:33, walking along a dirt path surrounded by tall tree cover. Macaws were squawking overhead. He was received at his first tour stop by women, some dressed in traditional clothing, performing a welcome song with maracas. Biden chatted with the group, but we were too far away to hear. Pool was then ushered down a dirt path a few minutes later to hold at the next location, near a Lilly pond. Biden arrived at the second stop at 2:53. He, Natalie and Ashley shook hands with the guides at this stop and chatted, standing next to the pond. Pool was positioned on the opposite side of the pond and could not hear their conversation. We were moved to a holding spot a few minutes after. It is very humid, hot and buggy. Background info from the WH: The President is participating in a tour of Museu da Amazônia to see a portion of the Amazon rainforest and engage with local indigenous leaders, environmental defenders, conservationists, and entrepreneurs. The Museum sits on a small portion of the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, which many consider to be the starting point of the Amazon River proper and the gateway to the Amazon. The Reserve is one of the most important research sites in the Amazon. It has research partnerships with U.S. partners such as the Smithsonian Institute and Louisiana State University, and has been supported by the Amazon Fund, which President Biden announced $50 million in additional funding for today. After the tour, the President will deliver brief remarks and sign a proclamation designating November 17 as International Conservation Day. Tour Guide Tour Stop 1 Briefers Vitorias-Amazonicas Briefers Greeting the President on arrival to Museu da Amazônia: Dr. Henrique Pereira, Director of the National Institute for Research in the Amazon |
| November 17, 2024 15:25 AMT |
Travel pool report #7: proclamation signing Pool was repositioned back by the first tour stop, near the entrance to the nature reserve. Biden was seated at a small wood desk when we arrived, surrounded by trees. The tour guides were standing behind him, plus additional attendees. He gave very brief remarks before singing the proclamation designating Nov. 17 as International Conservation Day. We were far away and it was hard to hear his remarks. He said he was "proud" to sign the proclamation. Pool will effort more quotes later. We are now positioned to a new location in the nature reserve for his statement to the press. The President is signing a proclamation designating November 17 as International Conservation Day. Attendees: Dr. Henrique Pereira, Director of the National Institute for Research in the Amazon |
| November 17, 2024 15:51 AMT |
Travel pool report #8: POTUS remarks Biden took the podium at 3:38. He spoke about deforestation efforts and said climate change was an "existential threat" that faced all nations. He ticked through some of the climate efforts that the White House announced earlier today. He did not mention Trump by name, but he alluded to the incoming administration. Some quotes. Please check quotes against tape: "I'm proud to be here. The first sitting US president to visit the Amazon." "The most powerful solutions to fight climate change is all around us — the worlds' forests." "There's much more we can do and must do at home and abroad." "The fight against climate change has been a defining cause of my presidency." "You don't have to choose between the environment and the economy." "it's no secret that I'm leaving office in January," he said, adding that he left a strong foundation for his successor to build on if he chooses to do so. Biden's podium was set up on the dirt path in the nature reserve. The thick tree cover helped break the heat. About 15 people were seated in front of the podium in rows of four (the pathway is narrow), including the tour guides, John Podesta, Ali Zaidi, Ashley and Natalie. |
| November 17, 2024 16:02 AMT |
Travel pool report #9: motorcade rolling back to airport Motorcade is on the move back to the airport as of 4:01pm. One additional note on POTUS remarks: he did not engage with a shouted question about Ukraine at the conclusion of his remarks. However, two senior administration officials stayed behind to briefly gaggle with us on the administration's climate initiatives. Pool will send some background quotes shortly. |
| November 17, 2024 16:20 AMT |
Travel pool report #10: SAO gaggle Here are some quotes from our post-remarks gaggle, attributable to a senior administration official: (Thanks to co-pooler Matt Viser for transcription assistance) "When you go up and tour as we did with the president, you see the fingerprints of climate change all over this magnificent landscape, whether it's the drought or the scaring from the wildfires. But what you also see - and we saw this on the ground - is the incredible playbook we have to try to seize the opportunity that nature provides us to combat climate change." Question about what can get done in 60 days and how much will just be undone by Trump? "One of the pieces of legislation the president talked about was bipartisan," the official said, adding that they'll pursue deals leveraging debt to accelerate investment. "You'll see us continue to finalize those deals in the months ahead." The $50 million announced by Biden today is already authorized, they said. On Biden's aerial tour: Biden was "really seeing and witnessing the effects of the drought." The president was told that "96 percent of the fires in the Amazon are caused by people; they set fires. Whereas 96 percent of the fires in the American west are done by lightning strikes, by extreme weather, downing power lines, etc. So these are intentional acts and they're criminal activity. The president got very engaged with him on that point." Only $100 million out of $500 million promised for Amazon Fund? He promised $500 million over five years. He's done $100 million in the first year. "It's on track." So does Trump do the other $400 million? "Who knows? Maybe he'll come down here and see the forest and see the damage being done from drought and other things and change his mind about climate change." |
| November 17, 2024 16:40 AMT |
Travel pool report #11: wheels up shortly Motorcade arrived back at the Manaus airport at 4:28pm. POTUS exited the motorcade at 4:33 and ignored another shouted question on Ukraine. Despite pleas from the pool to come talk to us, he did not. He walked up the AF1 stairs at 4:35pm. We will be wheels up momentarily for Rio. Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route to Galeao International Airport: Secretary Antony Blinken, Department of State |
| November 17, 2024 21:23 BRT |
Travel pool report #12: wheels down in Rio/ motorcade rolling AF1 landed at 9:02pm local time (we've changed time zones again and are now two hours ahead of D.C.). The flight was uneventful. POTUS exited AF1 at 9:13pm. He was greeted by an honor guard and a bugler played. He went right to the motorcade and did not engage with shouted questions on why he changed his mind on long range missiles for Ukraine and why he was hiding from the press (although it was unclear if he could hear). Motorcade is rolling from the airport at 9:19pm. Greeting the President on arrival to Galeao International Airport: T.H. Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, Ambassador of the United States to the Federative Republic of Brazil |
| November 17, 2024 21:57 BRT |
Travel pool report #13: lid Motorcade arrived at the RON at 9:48pm. Your pooler did not see POTUS exit the motorcade. A lid was called at 9:54pm. Have a goodnight! |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of November 17, 2024 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/375221