Pool Reports of September 19, 2020

In-town pool report #1

Good afternoon.

It's a beautiful day at the White House where POTUS is scheduled to depart at 4:35 p.m. for a "Great American Comeback Event" in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In-town and out-of-town poolers were tested for the coronavirus. He doesn't have any in-town events scheduled at this time, but I'll let you know if there are any last-minute changes.

Feel free to ping me directly if you have any questions.

In-town pool report #2 | Departure

??Marine One touched down at 4:44 p.m., and POTUS emerged from the South Portico at 5:07 p.m. He walked over to the gathered pool and took questions for 12 minutes on TikTok and his plans for filling the now-vacant SCOTUS seat.

Will send fuller quotes shortly.

On potential TikTok deal with Oracle and Walmart:

"I have given the deal my blessing, if they get it done that's great, if they don't that's fine too."

Says it will be located "most likely in Texas."

On SCOTUS:

"We want to respect the process. I think it's going to go very quickly, actually."

Says he expects nominee to be announced "next week" and it will "most likely" be a woman.

On Sen. Collins statement:

"I totally disagree with her. We won."

Says he Has a shortlist.

"From a constitutional standpoint, I think it's the greatest list ever assembled."

"I think we'll have a very popular choice whoever that may be."

On 2016 blocking of Garland nomination:

"That's the consequence of losing an election."

The weather in Washington is a sunny 65 degrees.

Marine One was wheels up for JBA at 5:20 p.m.

In-town pool report #3 | Fuller quotes from departure

On TikTok:

"TikTok is moving along. We're dealing with Oracle, which you know of ... as a combination with Walmart, a great American company. The security will be 100%. They'll be using separate clouds and a lot of very, very powerful security."
"They'll be making about a $5 billion contribution toward education. We're going to be setting up a very large fund for the education of American youths, and that will be great, that's their contribution that I've been asking for."
"We'll see whether or not it all happens, but conceptually, I think it's a great deal for America. They'll be hiring at least 25,000 people. It will most likely be incorporated in Texas. It'll be a brand new company. It will have nothing to do with any outside land, any outside country. It will have nothing to do with China. It will be totally secure."
"I think it's going to be a fantastic deal. The technology is superior to anything in the world, and we like that. Again, a lot of jobs, a lot of money for our country. Billions of dollars of taxes will be paid every year. Hundreds of millions of users, and they'll be happy. Everybody will be happy."
Said TikTok will keep its name.
"I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done, that's great, if they don't, that's okay too. It's a great deal for America."
"They'll report the full scope of the deal very soon, but it will be totally controlled by Oracle and Walmart."

On SCOTUS:
"We want to respect the process, and I think it's going to move very quickly. I agree with the statement put out by Mitch McConell. I agree with it 100%. I put out a very similar statement, you saw. I think we're going to start the process extremely soon and we'll have a nominee very soon."

Responding to Sen. Collins statement:
"I totally disagree with her. We have an obligation. We won. And we have an obligation as the winners to pick who we want. That's not the next president — hopefully I'll be the next president. We're here now, right now we're here. We have an obligation to the voters, all of the people, the millions of people that put us here in the form of a victory. We have an obligation to them, to all of those voters, and it's a very simple thing."

But added that he read Collins' statement "differently."
"I read it differently"

Shortlist:
I've gotten to know many of them. From a legal standpoint, from a sophisticated understanding of the law, from a constitutional standpoint I think it's the greatest list ever assembled. I think that the other side should show their radical left list and you'll be surprised.
On Amy Coney Barrett:
"She's very highly respected, I can say that."

On pick being a woman:
"I could see most likely it would be a woman ... If somebody were to ask me now, I would say that a woman would be in first place."

On Barbara Lagoa:
"She's an extraordinary person. I've heard at length about her. She's Hispanic and highly respected -- Miami. Highly respected."

Asked if it's fair for his pick to be considered when Merrick Garland was not:
"That's called the consequences of losing an election. He lost the election, he didn't have the votes. When you lose elections, sometimes things don't work out well."
"Judge Garland is highly respected. I have a lot of respect for him, I do, I have a lot of respect for him, but that's the consequences of losing an election."

Timetable:
"I think the process can go very, very fast. I'll be making my choice soon, and when my choice is made I'll be sending it over to Mitch and the Senate, and they will do what they have to do. I think we'll have a very popular choice, whoever it may be.

"I think the choice will be next week."

[APP Note: Report #1 does not exist or was not received by the APP.]

Pool report 2 — landed & a meadows gaggle

We landed at Fayetteville at 6:49 and disembarked the plane. Macho Man is playing.

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows came back for a short gaggle near the end of the flight. Much of the chat was off the record but he agreed to allow a few things on the record.

Meadows declined to comment on a reported call between McConnell and the president — or on specific reported finalists or discussions about the court with senators.

Meadows said he had multiple conversations with the leader or the leader's staff.

"The discussion was more directed at process."

"It changes the focus to be more of a Supreme Court related focus for both sides."

"It does change the focus, without a doubt."

He offered a lot of aw-shucks laughs. Staff could be seen up in the cabin watching Fox and dining.

The president or no other staff came back to the cabin.

We will be rallying soon.

The president took stage at 7:03 to "Proud to be an American."

The event is open press but I will endeavor to send highlights/SCOTUS news if we get any.

Travel pool 4: Nominee next week -- POTUS says. Says it will be a woman. More TK.

POTUS says he will announce a SCOTUS nominee next week and "it will be a woman."

More TK.

travel pool 5 -- more on SCOTUS

?Trump just took two "very scientific" polls, as he described them jokingly, of the audience on whether he should pick a woman or man to the SCOTUS after saying he was going to pick a woman. "Thom Tillis said yes," he said, of picking a woman.

Picking a woman got far, far more chants than picking a man, at least according to this pooler's ears. POTUS agreed. "That's a very accurate poll because that's the way I feel," he said. He added again that his pick will be a woman and says he has not made a choice.

"I actually like women much more than I like men. I have to say."

The president seemed to like the repeated chants of "FILL THAT SEAT" that broke out here in the rally, which he says is a "peaceful protest against stupidity."

"This is a new one: FILL THAT SEAT," Trump said, praising the crowd. He later added: "Let's make a t-shirt. Fill the seat. That's a good idea."

"That's what we are going to do. We're going to fill that seat," Trump said.

"29 times a vacancy opened during an election year or prior to an inauguration," the president said. "Every single time, the sitting president made a nomination."

The president said filling the SCOTUS job was a "moral duty" to the voters. "We have plenty of time," Trump said. "There's a lot of time. You're talking about January 20th, right?"

POTUS said the Supreme Court was a key issue in 2016 and in the 2018 midterms, though he reminded the crowd extensively he was not on the ballot in 2018.

"We have some senators -- you know, oh forget it," he said, complaining about senators saying they will not vote for a nominee this year. "Think of it."

"I won't say it Susan. I won't say it Susan," he said, alluding to Sen. Collins, who said she would not want to vote for a SCOTUS nominee this year.

The president praised Ginsburg and said she was an "inspiration to a tremendous number of people."

Trump is now attacking Joe Biden for not issuing a SCOTUS list of his own.

Travel pool report 6 -- wrapping up

Trump is wrapping up here in Fayetteville after a long rally, and your pool is being moved back to AF1.

Among the topics: His relationship with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and NATO's Stoltenberg, the journalist Bob Woodward, his Nobel Peace Prize nominations and them not being covered on TV, Lester Holt's ratings, Hunter Biden and his foreign entanglements, forest management, Fox News hosts that he likes, the virtue of Mark Meadows, OANN, Biden's tendency to stay in Delaware, Middle East wars, the embassy in Jerusalem and the type of stone that built it, Space Force, polls in South Carolina, Maine and other states, U.S. ventilator production, whether or not the fake news media accurately reports his mood when he wakes up in the morning, New York real estate, "leakers," expensive aircraft carriers with electric catapults that are overpriced, elevators that are operated by magnets that don't work, the price of Air Force One, Rush Limbaugh and his radio show and Medal of Honor and far more. "Maybe I'll sign an executive order, you can't have him as your president," Trump joked of Biden. "Peopleare going to vote for him because they feel sorry for him."

He bragged about his speech being off teleprompter and seemed to be telling the truth. "I could tell you so much it's crazy," he said, around minute 100.

The crowd seemed to lose some interest as the night went on, beginning to file out around 815.

We are heading back to Washington soon.

Pool 7 - back at Andrews

We landed around 955, and POTUS boarded Marine one at 10.

No visitors in the cabin during the flight back — senior staff appeared to be watching Judge Jeanine Pirro from a large screen in their cabin.

Others on Air Force One not mentioned earlier: deputy campaign manager Justin Clark and Debbie Meadows, the wife of the chief of staff. She boarded with her husband in Fayetteville. Marine One was moving at 1003.

Good night and good luck.

In-town pool report #4 South Lawn Return

Marine One touched down on the South Lawn at 10.13pm.

POTUS emerged at 10.16pm.

On a chilly evening he walked past the pool and straight into the residence, giving several waist-height waves and a thumbs up.

He was followed by Kayleigh McEnany.

A lid has been called.