Vice Presidential Pool Reports of August 28, 2024

VP Pool Report #1

Hello from a hot day at Joint Base Andrews!

Vice President Harris stepped out of Marine Two at 1:49. She's wearing a black jacket, black pants, white blouse, and black converse sneakers. She chatted with a greeter while walking to the plane, and boarded Air Force Two at 1:50.

She waved at the pool but didn't answer a shouted question, not clear if she heard.

We are wheels up shortly from JBA headed to Georgia.

VP Pool Report #2 – landed in Georgia

Air Force Two took off from JBA at 2:10pm and was wheels down at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 3:30.

VP Harris deplaned at 3:48, joined by Gov. Walz and greeted by several people including Nikema Williams, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, Van Johnson (mayor of Savannah) and Chester Ellis, chair of the Chatham County board of commissioners. As they came down the stairs, a group of about 15 college studentsby the bus cheered and Harris waved.

Walz is wearing brown shoes, grey pants, and a blue jacket.

Harris and Walz spoke for a couple minutes with Williams, Johnson, and Ellis. Then they walked to the bus and shook hands with the students. Harris spoke for a minute, and the students cheered and then laughed, though pool couldn't hear what she said. Harris kept speaking to the group, joined now by the greeters, and together they all formed a semi circle. Pool wasn't able to hear what she said at any point. Harris and Walz then posed for a photo with the group. Harris posed for some selfies as well.

They got onto a Harris Walz bus at 3:56. It's mostly blue with a red stripe and two stars on the side. Near the door it says "a new way forward."

Before AF2 took off from JBA, VP Harris came back to the press cabin for an OTR and answered questions for around 6 minutes.

From the White House:

Upon arrival in Savannah, GA, the Vice President was greeted by Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Mayor Van Johnson.

VP Pool Report #3 – motorcade rolling

The motorcade is rolling from SAV at 4:02pm. The students Harris spoke with were from Savannah State University.

VP Pool Report #4 – heading to first stop

The motorcade is headed to Liberty County Highschool, per the WH. We are about 25 minutes away now.

Along the way, there are occasionally people gathered on the sides of the road, waving and filming. Two men at one point held up their middle fingers as the motorcade passed.

From the WH:

On behalf of the Harris-Walz Campaign

Vice President Harris and Governor Walz greeted students from Savannah State University, the oldest public HBCU in Georgia, at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport before boarding the Harris-Walz campaign bus. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson was also in attendance.

VP Pool Report #5 – Liberty County High School

The motorcade stopped in front of Liberty County High School in Hinesville at 5:05 pm. There was a group of people across the street from the entrance to the campus, waving. One woman was wearing a shirt with an American flag on it, holding a baby. Pool didn't see Harris exit the bus and is holding in a room marked "Band Room" at 5:09.

The last half of the drive was on a highway with woods and wetlands on either side — not many houses or other buildings in sight.

Along the way, after the motorcade got off the highway, more people stood along the road at points, watching the bus pass. One yard had a Trump yard sign.

A group of kids stood outside a school, wearing bathing suits and wrapped in towels, waving. At the next corner, a handful of people stood together, two of them waving Trump flags.

Another group had a Harris Walz sign, and two people held up a large American flag that had pink and green stripes. On the bottom it said something like "vote, it's a serious matter."

VP Pool Report #6 – Band Room

VP Harris and Gov. Walz entered the room at 5:15, and the students played the school song.

Someone — pool believes it was the school principal — introduced Walz as "coach" and "future vice president. Quotes below, check against transcript:

"Education is the key to the middle class… we shouldn't be burdening you with debt"

"I'm just grateful that you'd have us here… I'm grateful to be part of a team with a really great head coach" (gesturing to Harris)

Harris began speaking at 5:19:

"We wanted to come by just to let you know that our country is counting on you. All of you. You are leaders, by the very fact that you are here in this room"

"We're so proud of you…. Your generation, all that you guys stand for… is what is going to propel our country into the next era of what we can do and what we can be"

"We wanted to come by to remind you that our nation is counting on you"

Says she was in band when she was in high school — "all that practice makes for beautiful music … and that is a metaphor for everything that you will do in your lives"

VP Harris spoke fairly softly — and the room was really quiet. It was at times difficult to hear from the back of the room. After a few minutes she began speaking more loudly. She stopped speaking at 5:22.

Harris and Walz posed for a photo as press was ushered out at 5:23 pm.

The room has two cabinets with trophies on top of them. A cheer team and football players are standing at the back, behind students sitting in chairs and holding instruments.

The school has a pretty large campus, and what looks like a fairly new football stadium.

Video on Twitter, and otter link here: https://otter.ai/u/bUe9hBH1IfcpAB2nQhxy918dQCo

VP Pool Report #7 – rolling and note from WH

The motorcade is rolling at 5:29 pm. Pool didn't see VP Harris or Gov. Walz enter the bus.

From the WH:

On behalf of the Harris-Walz Campaign

Vice President Harris and Governor Walz stopped by Liberty County High School where they were greeted by the school's principal and superintendent, before listening in on the school marching band's rehearsal and delivering brief remarks to students and faculty. Rep. Nikema Williams and State Rep. Al Williams were also in attendance.

VP Pool Report #8 – rolling, eta in 25 minutes

From the White House: We are 25 minutes from our final stop of the day.

—
The motorcade is still rolling, now on the highway.

At one point on the drive a man was standing, wearing a trump shirt, filming the motorcade. In the next immediate stretch of road there were 4 people waving Trump flags. There were a couple Trump and Trump Vance signs along the route.

For the first part of the drive, the motorcade passed a number of churches, some buildings that looking to be empty and abandoned, and mostly one-story houses on the way. Many of the trees are draped with Spanish moss.

It's sunny, with a few clouds, and about 90° here.

VP Pool Report #9 – Sandfly Bar-B-Q

The motorcade stopped outside Sandfly Bar-B-Q restaurant in Savannah at 6:22 after driving a couple of minutes through a neighborhood of small, one story houses and then past a strip mall. Some people stood outside in the parking lot filming. The restaurant is in a smaller strip mall, where there's a crowd of people, including some people holding a Trump Vance sign and waving a Trump flag.

Pool is heading inside and has not seen Harris yet at 6:24.

VP Pool Report #10 – inside the restaurant

The crowd outside started cheering at 6:28 as VP Harris and Gov. Walz walked by.

VP Harris and Gov. Walz entered the restaurant at 6:29 and shook hands with a man in a blue tshirt with the Sandfly logo and a baseball hat. (Will confirm in next pool report whether he was the owner).

"We just stopped at a high school and watched the marching band," said Walz to someone at a table

Harris spoke with diners at a different table, posing for a selfie, then laughing as she talked to a man. Harris and Walz went further into the restaurant, past where pool could see them except for occasional glimpses.

Walz posed for a photo with a man with a dark blue hat and blue checked shirt.

There's a sign on the wall that's a drawing of clasped hands, and the words "Pray for Sav" underneath.

"Can we do a teacher one?" One woman said, before posing for a photo with Walz with a few other women. One called "yeah, teachers!" and they laughed and clapped.

Walz shook hands with a woman behind the counter, and then spoke with her and the man who first greeted Harris (wearing a Sandfly shirt). Pool couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but Walz mentioned his kids several times, and pool heard fragments about "farm country" and "prices."

Harris walked back to the counter at 6:39. "How're you doing?" she said to the woman behind the counter. Pool was ushered out at 6:39.

The restaurant is small, with menus on one wall and license plates covering the wall over the counter. Pool is on one side of the restaurant, and on the other side of the counter there's a wall. On the other side of the wall there are some tables with people eating.

Will try to post photo of the flags on X.

Pool is holding in the vans at 6:44.

From the WH.

On behalf of the Harris-Walz Campaign

Vice President Harris and Governor Walz stopped by Sandfly BBQ in Savannah where they greeted the restaurant's owner, employees, and local patrons. Rep. Nikema Williams was also in attendance.

VP Pool Report #11 – rolling

Pool could hear people cheering outside the restaurant at 6:52, but couldn't see the crowd or VP Harris. The motorcade is rolling again at 6:56.

(Note: the man in the baseball hat and blue Sandfly tee was the owner of the restaurant).

VP Pool Report #12 – quotes and color from restaurant

On the corner outside the restaurant there was a yard sign with a message about safe firearm storage. There was another crowd of people, including a few with Trump shirts, signs, and a flag that read "Trump 2024 Take America Back." There were others cheering as the motorcade passed.

Some quotes from the restaurant — courtesy of radio pool:

Walz immediately found a group of teachers to talk to "it's noble work." He told them about their stop to see the high school marching band.

Walz talked about the importance of optimism.

"Our politics can be hopeful."

"You can do whatever you want as a kindergarten teacher. You're already in heaven," Walz said.

"We're all in it together," Harris told someone out of view.

"You have to stay in it," she said talking to someone about the upcoming election.

Motorcade is still rolling.

VP Pool Report #13 – motorcade pauses after single motorcycle accident

Along the way, the motorcade slowed and went around a police motorcycle that had crashed. One person was on the pavement, and there was blood around. At least one other person was tending to the person on the ground. There were two motorcycles stopped and one on the ground. It looked like the single motorcycle had lost control, not collided with something else. Pool hasn't heard whether everyone is ok.

Shortly afterward, at 7:20 the motorcade stopped on the highway. The door of the second bus opened, but that's all pool could see. The vehicles closer to the buses crowded closer. The motorcade started rolling again at 7:23, passing a large white bus that had been part of the motorcade but is now parked on the side of the highway.

VP Pool Report #14 – RON arrival

The motorcade stopped at the VP's hotel at 7:34pm. VP Harris and Gov. Walz stepped off the bus at 7:40, near the loading dock for the hotel. Harris said "good night everyone," pursing her lips in kind of a somber expression, and walked inside, followed by Walz.

Near the road to the hotel some women were wearing Harris shirts and filming. One woman was wearing a "cat ladies for Harris" shirt.

VP Pool Report #15 –Lid

We have a lid at 8:13 pm.

Good night.