Pool Reports of September 7 & 8, 2023

In-town pool report #1 - lunch lid

Good morning from your in-town pooler.

We have a lunch lid until 3 p.m.

As a reminder, POTUS is scheduled to leave the White House at 4:45 p.m. for his trip to India.

Karine Jean-Pierre and Jake Sullivan will gaggle on the leg of the flight to Germany, where Air Force 1 will refuel.

In-town pool report #2 -- Hurricane Lee preparations

From the White House:

As part of the President's regular briefings today, he was also provided with the latest trajectory of Hurricane Lee and the preparations underway by FEMA, which has pre-deployed assets to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and is coordinating with local officials.

In-town pool report # 3 - Biden tests negative for COVID

Per the WH:

The President tested negative for COVID.

In-town pool report #4 -- bad weather call

We have a bad weather call for POTUS' departure. In-town pool will now be taking the motorcade to JBA.

In-town pool report #5 – gathering

Pool is gathering for the president's departure by motorcade to JBA.

In-town pool report #6 - motorcade departure from WH

POTUS' motorcade departed the White House for JBA at 4:47 p.m.

In-town pool report #7 - travelers with POTUS

Per the White House:

Traveling with the President via motorcade en route to Joint Base Andrews:

Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Jon Finer, Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy National Security Advisor

In-town pool report #8 - JBA arrival

Motorcade pulled through the gate at JBA at 5:10 p.m.

Handing off to travel pool.

Travel Pool Report No. 1 - departure

Good afternoon from Joint Base Andrews! I'll be your print pooler for the first leg of President Biden's trip to India for the G20 and then on to Vietnam.

It's a steamy 94 degrees and the president motorcaded as we're under a severe thunderstorm watch. There are gathering clouds on the horizon.

POTUS' motorcade pulled up to Air Force One at 5:14 p.m.

He's using the shorter set of steps today to board the plane.

The president got out of his SUV at 5:15 p.m. He saluted at the greeter. He's wearing a blue suit and light blue shirt. He boarded AF1 at 5:16, saluting as he walked up the steps.

He didn't look toward the pool.

Pool is being told that the gaggle is expected to be at the front end of this first flight, but exact timing is TBD. The flight to our refueling stop in Germany is seven hours and five minutes.

From the WH press office -

Greeting the President upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews:

Colonel Angela Ochoa, 89th Air Wing, Joint Base Andrews

Travel Pool Report No. 2 - Travelers

From the WH press office:

Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route to Ramstein Air Base:

Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Jon Finer, Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy National Security Advisor
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Vinay Reddy, Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting
Ben LaBolt, Assistant to the President & Director of Communications
Ryan Montoya, Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance
Ethan Rosenzweig, Acting Chief of Protocol
Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President and NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific
John Kirby, Deputy Assistant to the President & NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communication
Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment
Herbie Ziskend, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Communications
Eileen Laubacher, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council
Charlie Fromstein, Director for Visits and Diplomatic Affairs, National Security Council
Ariana Berengaut, Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor

Travel Pool Report No. 3 - refueling stop

Air Force One took off from JBA at 5:27 p.m.

The gaggle with Jake Sullivan and Karine Jean-Pierre kicked off at 7:05 p.m. and concluded at 7:54 p.m. EST.

It should have played out on the White House's streaming site, but please let your pooler know if parts were inaudible.

No other visitors to the cabin.

The AF1 TVs were playing MSNBC and later the NFL season opener and the U.S. Open. A snack of chicken wings was served during the second half of the football game.

We were treated to a pink and purple sunrise as we descended into Germany.

We were wheels down Ramstein for our refueling stop at 6:27 a.m. local time.

More TK

Travel Pool Report No. 4 - departing Germany

There was no POTUS sighting during the refueling stop in Germany.

Pooler did spot Jake Sullivan and John Kirby out enjoying the crisp morning air. It was 55 degrees when we landed.

We're now taxiing down the runway as of 7:53 a.m.

The second leg to New Delhi is approximately 7 hours and 45 minutes.

Travel Pool Report No. 5 - wheels down New Delhi

Air Force One was wheels up from Ramstein at 7:58 a.m.

We touched down at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 6:46 p.m.

The second half of the trip was uneventful.

John Kirby briefly stopped by the press cabin for an OTR chat.

The sun was setting as we started our descent into New Delhi.

More TK as we disembark the plane.

Travel Pool Report No. 6 - welcome ceremony

As we arrived, a group of gentlemen in blue vests wheeled out a red carpet in preparation for POTUS to descend the longer stairs and get into the Beast.

There's loud Indian pop music playing as greeters, including dancers, stand on two small stages set up in front of the airport terminal. The song playing is Shahrukh Khan's song Chak De India.

Eric Garcetti et. al. lined up alongside the red carpet. Other greeters are listed below. Garcetti brought his daughter Maya.

POTUS stepped off AF1 at 7:08 p.m. He waved halfway down the stairs. Loud music started immediately blaring as he started his greetings. He spent some time leaning down chatting with Maya.

Meanwhile the dancers started their performance. POTUS walked in front of the beast to take some of it in, smiling and clapping at the display. He got into the Beast at 7:11 p.m. One of the songs played was Shape of You by Ed Sheeran.

We're rolling as of 7:15 p.m.

From the WH:

Greeting the President upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India:

Eric Garcetti, Ambassador of the United State to the Republic of India
Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways & Minister of State for Civil Aviation
Vani Sarraju Rao, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
Air Commodore AS Parandekar, Commanding Air Officer

Travel Pool Report No. 7 - arrival at Modi's residence

The motorcade route was closed to traffic, including pedestrians, and lined with billboards including a video one that showed footage of the Modi and Biden hugging at the White House state dinner. Many showed pictures of PM Modi. One was a giant sign that said "Namaste."

Motorcade pulled into Modi's residence at 7:32 p.m.

As a reminder - which was much discussed during the AF1 gaggle - the pool will remain in the vans (including no bathrooms!) for the duration of the bilat.

We are not in view to see POTUS enter the residence.

More TK

Travel Pool Report No. 8 - residence/meeting details

Your pooler's press van was briefly moved to the front of the residence in what appeared to be a mistake. No sightings of POTUS or Modi, but we spotted the Beast. The residence is an ornate white building with decorative windows and strings of yellow lights highlighting the arches in the roof.

It's called a Lutyens-style bungalow, co-pooler Nandita Bose says.

There's an ornate entryway that has red carpeted stairs and polished black and white tiled flooring. Press van No. 2 was held in a parking lot in front of the building for about 10 minutes before we were moved back to the rest of the motorcade.

A programming note - Pool is getting a briefing from Eileen Laubacher and Kurt Campbell after the meeting concludes and a joint statement will be coming.

And then the details from the White House –

Traveling with the President via motorcade en route to the Prime Minister's Residence:

Eric Garcetti, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of India
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Ryan Montoya, Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance
Ethan Rosenzweig, Acting Chief of Protocol
Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President and NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific
Herbie Ziskend, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Communications
Eileen Laubacher, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council

----

Greeting the President upon arrival at the Prime Minister's Residence:

H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India

The President is participating in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India:

U.S. Manifest
The President
T.H. Eric Garcetti, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of India
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury
T.H. Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
T.H. Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, National Security Council
T.H. Eileen Laubacher, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council

India Manifest
H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India
H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs
H.E. Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor
H.E. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary
H.E. Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary
Mr. Deepak Mittal, Joint Secretary
Dr. Hiren Joshi, OSD (Communications & Information Technology)

Travel Pool Report No. 9 - rolling to RON

Motorcade was rolling at 8:48 p.m.

Also - travelers will receive a Zoom link so they can tune in live to our post-bilat briefing with White House officials, pooler was told.

From the White House -

The President entered the Prime Minister's Residence at 7:31pm. The President's bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India began at 7:45pm and ended at 8:37pm.

Travel Pool Report No. 10 - RON/lid

The motorcade pulled into the RON at 8:58 p.m.

We didn't have eyes on POTUS entering the hotel.

The White House called a lid at 8:59 p.m.

Motorcade ride was uneventful. We passed a lot more Modi billboards.

Briefing still TK

Travel Pool Report No. 11 - 2 minutes on briefing

The briefing with Eileen Laubacher and Kurt Campbell will begin in two minutes. They'll be discussed POTUS' bilateral meeting with PM Modi that was closed to press.

A reminder, a Zoom link to listen live has been sent out to traveling press on this trip.

I will also send out an Otter link when the briefing concludes.

Travel Pool Report No. 12 - Biden/Modi bilat briefing

The briefing with Eileen Laubacher and Kurt Campbell lasted 27 minutes.

A couple key quotes - please check against transcript:

Campbell said the relationship between Biden and Modi was one of "undeniable warmth and confidence."

"I think it is a disappointment for India that Russia and China aren't here," Campbell said.

Campbell also added: "The president is very clear about the importance of the health of democracy. He doesn't do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges, and we think it's important that we're constantly asking the hard questions about our democracy and he made very clear again in the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, that this is important issue in our bilateral relationship."

On any improvements on democratic freedoms:

"I don't think many of you believe that there would be a press conference in Washington, D.C. and there was. We have insisted on a number of things and I think we've seen evidence of that. There are a number of things in India that that we believe are quite strong and healthy. And there are other issues that frankly, we continue to have dialogue over. I think this is India continues to be a work in progress," Campbell said

Campbell also noted: "And I think the key here is for us to maintain a respectful dialogue, and to approach some of the challenges with the degree of humility given some of the challenges that we face, in our own country as well."

Laubacher spoke to some of the high tech topics discussed during the meeting including space, microchips, and the Cancer Moonshot.

That's it from me - thanks to my wonderful co-poolers, especially Nandita Bose for her ability to ID some of the music played at the welcome ceremony. Have a great night/day!

Otter link here:

https://otter.ai/u/5W_HOirg5A1qN8vu7VxRyLN8Uys