Pool Reports of October 30, 2024

In-town pool report 1: Gather for Oval

Good morning!

Pool has been summoned to gather for the Oval Office boost with POTUS and the President of Cyprus.

We are a few minutes behind schedule.

11:30 AM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus
Oval Office

In-House Pool Spray (Gather 11:15 AM – Brady Press Briefing Room)

In-town pool report 2: Oval / Bilat

Pool was ushered in at roughly 12:05.

POTUS spoke very softly. He recalled that he visited Cyprus 10 years ago as Vice President and said there was "no limit" to what the US and Cyprus can achieve when both countries work together.

He also said the two countries have "stood together against Russian aggression in Ukraine" and "surged humanitarian aid to Gaza" to the tune of "8,000 metric tons."

"Mr President, Cyprus made all this possible," said Biden, who thanked the Cypriot president for his leadership and recalled that this year is the 50th anniversary of the island's division.

Biden said he remains "optimistic" about the possibility of a "reunited Cyprus" in the future.

President Christodoulides spoke next, thanking Biden for the invitation to the White House and said the US and Cyprus "have built a truly strategic partnership" including bilateral cooperation "on defense and security of energy, law enforcement, technology innovation."

He also said Cyprus is "a predictable and reliable partner of the United States in a region of great geopolitical importance."

"We have excellent relations with all of our neighbors, and we're working closely with the United States and other partners to face the current challenges, to send much needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, to evacuate third country nationals from the region. With regards to Ukraine, Cyprus stands on the right side of history," he added.

Pool was ushered out at approximately 1205.

Please check quotes against transcript.

From press office:

The President is hosting a bilateral meeting with PresidentNikos Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus.

U.S. Delegation
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Julie Fisher, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Cyprus
T.H. Curtis Ried, Deputy Assistant to the President & Chief of Staff & Counselor of the National Security Council
T.H. Michael Carpenter, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Europe
Ms. Brigid Ryan, Director for Southern Europe and the South Caucasus

Cyprus Delegation
H.E. Constandinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs
Mr. Konstantinos Letympiotis, Government Spokesman
H.E. Evangelos Savva, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States of America
Ms. Thessalia Shambos, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Doros Venezis, Director of the President's Diplomatic Office

In-town pool report 3: Lunch Lid / Hispanic-Serving Institutions meeting

We have a lunch lid until 1315.

From the White House press office:

Earlier, the President held a meeting on the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Attendees
Secretary Miguel Cardona, Department of Education
Jules Buenabenta, Chair, President's Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Melody Gonzales, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
Chancellor Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago
Eloy Ortiz Oakley, President and CEO of the College Futures Foundation
Alexa Carranco, University of Texas El Paso Student
Chancellor Steven Gonzales, Maricopa Community Colleges
Dr. Nivine Megahed, National Louis University
Mildred Garcia, Chancellor of California State University
Havidan Rodriguez, White House Hispanic Initiative Higher Education Chair & President of University at Albany, SUNY
Deborah Santiago, Excelencia in Education
Antonio Flores, President of Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities
Dr. Lena Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities
Mike Flores, Chairman of Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities Board & Chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District
Dr. Luis Ferrao Delgado, Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico
Khalianne Roman Rentas, Business Student at Montgomery College
Janet Murguia, UnidosUS
Dr. Fernando Delgado, City University of New York, Lehman College
Marco Davis, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Cristobal Rodriguez, White House Initiative on Higher Education Committee Member & President, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education

In-town pool report 4: Correction

In report #2 I said pool was ushered out at 1205. That should have said at 1210.

Your pooler regrets the error.

In-town pool report 5: Briefing guest!

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be joined by Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein for today's press briefing, which as of now is still scheduled for 1330.

In-town pool report 5: 2 minute warning

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report. It also was sent as the second "Report 5".]

In-town pool report 6: Briefing starts

Karine Jean-Pierre and Jared Bernstein entered the briefing room at 1338.

The briefing is being live-streamed and is ongoing.

In-town pool report 7: Briefing wraps

The briefing ended at 1436.

In-town pool report 8: Dinner lid

The press office has called a dinner lid until 1700.

In-town pool report 9: gather for Halloween

Pool has been summoned for the Halloween event. We are being escorted to the South Lawn.

There is a live stream available so I won't send anything on any remarks but will report anything noteworthy and send some color.

In-town pool report 10: Halloween color

The South Lawn is set up with a bunch of pumpkins, corn, hay bales and other fall-themed decorations as well as large games (bowling, connect four, etc).

The staircases leading to the South Portico are also decorated with various pumpkins and similar paraphernalia, along with two large jack-o-lanterns and what appears to be a trellis made of books (in keeping with the "Hallo-Read" theme announced by the First Lady's office earlier today).

There's also a large orange moon with flying books hanging below the Truman Balcony.

A number of costumed characters are wandering about, including Darth Vader (with two Stormtroopers who are missing their sidearms) as well as Disney's Lilo and Stitch.

I will post photos to x.com/AndrewFeinberg but will advise you to check the wires as professional photographers do far better work than your pooler with an iPhone.

Your pooler has also been informed that the International Fresh Produce Association has donated the following for the displays and snacks this evening:

450 mums

7392 apples [3360 lbs]

7000 baby carrot snack packs [18,200 oz or 1,137.5 pounds]

More than 8400 pumpkins, of which 240 are edible for a total of 4,800 pounds of pumpkins that will eventually be donated to DC Central Kitchen.

In-town pool report 11: More color

POTUS and FLOTUS emerged at 1825 to "Monster Mash" played by an Air Force string ensemble standing on the steps to the South Portico.

FLOTUS is dressed as a panda.

From the press office:

The President and First Lady are hosting a Halloween event that will welcome local students and military-connected children to the White House for trick-or-treating. A teacher for 40 years, including years spent as a reading specialist, First Lady Jill Biden created this year's theme, "Hallo-READ!," with the White House's festive décor featuring famous literary tales and spooky story time. Dr. Biden's theme encourages families and children to once again grab a flashlight, pick out their favorite Halloween book, and relish in the spooktacular thrill of reading together.

The President and First Lady will be handing out chocolate and candy treats, and a copy of the book 10 Spooky Pumpkins. Earlier in the day, Dr. Biden read 10 Spooky Pumpkins to children gathered in the spooky story-time corner on the South Lawn.

Additional details on "Hallo-READ!" can be found via the press release here.

In-town pool report 12: Candy line has ended

POTUS and FLOTUS (sans Panda head) went back into the White House at 1937 after approximately an hour of handing out candy to costumed visitors.

In-town pool report 13: Lid!

Press Office called a travel/photo lid as of 1941.

Good night.

Foreign Pool Report: Visit of President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus

Dear colleagues,

President Nikos Christodoulides is the first President of Cyprus to pay an official visit to the White House in 28 years.

The last official visit was in June 1996, when President Glafcos Clerides met with President Bill Clinton. This marks the third official visit by a Cypriot president to Washington; the first was in 1962 when Archbishop Makarios met with President John F. Kennedy.

Questions were raised about the timing of the visit, given the proximity of U.S. elections. However, prior to the visit, President Christodoulides' government described the invitation as a "matter of recognition," citing Cyprus's position within the West and its dismissal of Russian influence.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos noted that the bilateral meeting, announced just three days beforehand, aligned with the "strengthening of our country's regional and international footprint."

The Cyprus Mail reported that "Biden had invited Christodoulides to gain the backing of the Greek lobby for the Democratic candidate."

President Biden welcomed President Christodoulides in the Oval Office, recalling his own visit to Cyprus ten years ago. President Biden emphasized that both nations are collaborating to counter Russia's actions in Ukraine.

"We launched a dialogue to increase cooperation across a range of issues," he added, outlining topics such as:

• Energy security
• Artificial intelligence
• Humanitarian aid to Gaza (8,000 metric tons)

"Cyprus has made all this possible."

During their brief conversation, President Christodoulides affirmed, "Cyprus is a predictable and reliable partner of the United States in a region of great geopolitical importance."

"We have excellent relations with all of our neighbors, and we are working closely with the United States and other partners to face current challenges, deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and evacuate third-country nationals from the region. Regarding Ukraine, Cyprus stands on the right side of history."

U.S. Delegation:

• The Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
• The Honorable Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
• The Honorable Julie Fisher, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Cyprus
• The Honorable Curtis Ried, Deputy Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff, and Counselor of the National Security Council
• The Honorable Michael Carpenter, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe
• Ms. Brigid Ryan, Director for Southern Europe and the South Caucasus

Cyprus Delegation:

• His Excellency Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Ms. Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs
• Mr. Konstantinos Letympiotis, Government Spokesman
• His Excellency Evangelos Savva, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States
• Ms. Thessalia Shambos, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Following the bilateral meeting, President Christodoulides addressed the press, expressing optimism about a ceasefire in Lebanon within the next two weeks.

"The situation changes every day, but you ask me today, and I'm quite optimistic that we can reach a ceasefire in the next one to two weeks."

Additional remarks from President Christodoulides included:

• "The only permanent solution to the conflict in our region and to the Palestinian issue is a two-state solution based on the UN Security Council Resolution. It is the only way to achieve peace in our region."

• "Cyprus is the closest EU member state to the region. We have excellent relations with all neighboring countries: Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt. With U.S. support, we are delivering much-needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza."

• "Cyprus stands ready to evacuate third-country nationals from the region if necessary. We support the efforts of the international community, especially the United States, to find a solution to this crisis."

• "The top priority of the international community now is to achieve a ceasefire in the region. We are working closely with and are informed of U.S. efforts toward this goal, and we hope to soon be in a position to discuss a ceasefire."

• "On our part, particularly within the European Union, we are working together with the United States. We are in discussions with the Israeli prime minister, the president of Lebanon, His Majesty of Jordan, and the president of Egypt. We are coordinating efforts, though it is a difficult situation, to achieve a ceasefire."