Pool Reports of September 6, 2020

In-town pool report #1 | Moving

Happy Labor Day Weekend, everyone! I'm your pooler for the day. We're decamping to an undisclosed location at 9:15 on a bright 68-degree-day in Washington. Your pooler was tested for covid this morning, along with the other in-house press.

I'll keep you up to date with any developments.

In-town pool report #2 | Arrival

The caravan pulled into Trump National in Sterling, Virginia, at 9:55. I didn't get a view of POTUS, but passed a sprinkling (about 20) of protesters and supporters at the entrance. Some waving MAGA flags; others with signs for Biden and banners numbering those lost to the coronavirus.

Camping out at Lucia's for the time being.

In-town pool report #3 | Returning

The motorcade is heading back to D.C. at 2:15.

Upon waiting, we encountered a larger mix of protesters and supporters – flying flags, cheering "four more years," (at times "12 more years"), and cheering a small caravan of jeeps, labeled "Trump National Rapid Response Team," driving laps outside the entrance. There's also a tractor trailer involved, with flags in place of cargo.

Separated on opposite sides of the street, the crowd is now about 50-large. Whitney Houston's version of the National Anthem plays every so often from one of the cars. A man with a Trump flag is chanting about "America First" being "unstoppable." Few are wearing masks.

The president's protesters stand mostly silent with signs about coronavirus death counts and The Atlantic article, alleging the president referred to fallen soldiers as "suckers" and "losers." Another couple is holding an American flag with a picture of Biden in aviators and haloed by a rainbow. Not sure what that references.

In-town pool report #4 | Returned

The motorcade returned to the White House at 3:00.

In-town pool report #5 | Lid

The White House called a travel/photo lid at 4:04 p.m. today.

Enjoy the long weekend if you get one!

In-House Report #6 | POTUS Phone Convo

White House just sent this release on a POTUS call today:

"Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. President Trump praised Saudi Arabia's G20 Presidency and welcomed the opening of Saudi air space to flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, beginning with last week's historic commercial flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi. President Trump highlighted the significance of the Abraham Accords and discussed ways to enhance regional security and prosperity. President Trump also urged Saudi Arabia to negotiate with other Gulf countries to resolve the rift. President Trump emphasized the strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and thanked King Salman for his leadership"