Vice Presidential Pool Reports of January 15, 2024

VP Supplemental Pool #1- JBA Departure

Good morning from JBA where, amid some light flurrying, AF2 is preparing to take off to South Carolina where Vice President Kamala Harris will commemorate MLK Day.

I will be your print pooler for today's trip.

The VP's motorcade arrived at JBA at 9:16 a.m.

She walked onto AF2 after a brief wave to your pool 9:18 a.m.

The VP came back to the press cabin briefly before take-off to say good morning to the press.

We are taxiing, and will be wheels up momentarily.

Here are some highlights of today's events, per the daily guidance from the VP's office:

At 11:50 am ET, the Vice President will deliver the keynote address at the NAACP South Carolina State Conference "King Day at the Dome" event. In her remarks, Vice President Harris will honor Dr. King's fight for justice, and encourage attendees and all Americans to use their voices to continue fighting for justice and against attacks on fundamental freedoms. These remarks at the South Carolina State House will be pooled press, open to pre-credentialed media, and livestreamed at WhiteHouse.Gov/Live.

At 1:10 pm ET, the Vice President will deliver remarks at a campaign event. These remarks in Columbia, SC will be pooled press and open to pre-credentialed media.

VP Supplemental Pool #2- Arrival in SC

After a one hour, 10 minute flight, Air Force 2 was wheels down at Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 10:42 a.m.

VP Harris deplaned under sunny skies at 10:59 am.

As she climbed into her vehicle, she stopped to respond to a shouted question of what her message to South Caroline was.

"It's good to be back," she shouted back.

We are rolling to the South Carolina State House, where the VP is scheduled to deliver her keynote address at the NAACP "King Day at the Dome."

She is scheduled to speak at 11:50 a.m. and her remarks will be livestreamed at WhiteHouse.Gov/Live.

Passing along additional background from the VP's office:

In her remarks in Columbia, Vice President Harris will honor Dr. King's legacy, draw parallels between his fight for justice and the need to fight to protect fundamental freedoms today, and will call on attendees and all Americans to continue to stand in defense of our most sacred principles. The Vice President will once again speak forcefully about the attacks taking place on hard-fought, hard-won fundamental freedoms. This includes attacks on the freedom for women to make decisions about their own bodies, the freedom to live safe from gun violence, the freedom to vote, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to love who you love, and the freedom to learn America's full history.

This is the Vice President's 8th trip to the Palmetto State since becoming Vice President, and will follow her trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, on January 6th where she delivered the keynote address at the 7th Episcopal District AME Church Women's Missionary Society annual retreat.

VP Supplemental Pool #3-- VP delivers keynote

The VP's motorcade arrived at the South Carolina State House at 11:16 a.m.

The NAACP program was underway when we arrived. There were at least 200 attendees in the crowd, gathered at the bottom of the state house stairs and on the lawn.

While awaiting the VP's speech, which was a bit delayed, your pool observed people waving "Biden-Harris" campaign signs in the audience.

Also spotted several of VP Harris' sorority sisters, of Alpha Kappa Alpha, clad in pink and green.

We ( thanks to Erin Logan of the LAT for help with the scene details), could see a small crowd of protestors near the entrance of the event. People held Palestinian flags, & signs about Gaza. One sign said "Stop the genocide."

At one point, chants of "Ceasefire Now" were louder than the program's speaker. We also heard "From the river to the sea," via bullhorn.

They had been pushed back from the entrance, and largely out of view and earshot, by the time the VP took the stage.

The VP was introduced by South Carolina State Senator Tameika Isaac Devine.

She began delivering her address from the statehouse stairs, at 12:25 p.m.

The VP's lines on reproductive rights solicited the strongest reactions (clapping, cheers) from the crowd, as did the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

She wrapped her remarks at 12:39 p.m. and we are holding, waiting to move to the next location, which is a campaign event.

As noted, the remarks were live-streamed, but here are some excerpts, which were sent by the VP's office earlier:

Quotes from the Vice President's remarks as prepared for delivery:
· "As Dr. King wrote in the Letter from Birmingham Jail: 'The goal of America is freedom.' And so, as we gather to honor his legacy, I pose a question I believe Dr. King would today ask: In 2024, where exactly is America in our fight for freedom? ...As Vice President of the United States, I'd say: At this moment, in America, freedom is under profound threat."

· "Every person in our nation should have the freedom to learn and acknowledge our country's true and full history. And yet, today, extremists pass book bans. Book bans in this Year of our Lord, 2024. And they even try to erase, overlook, and rewrite the ugly parts of our past. For example, the Civil War. Which must I really have to say was about slavery? All while they tell our children that enslaved people "benefitted" from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us—an attempt to divide and distract our nation with unnecessary debates."

· "For our young leaders, the assault on freedoms is not hypothetical. It is lived experience... This generation has witnessed the highest court in our land, the court of Thurgood, take a Constitutional right from the people of America, from the women of America. This generation now has fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. It is not hypothetical that from kindergarten to 12th grade, this generation has had to endure active shooter drills. Our children, who should be in a classroom fulfilling their God-given potential and exploring their wonder for the beauty of the world, instead have to worry that someone might burst through their classroom door with a gun. It is not hypothetical. When students go to vote, they often have to wait in line for hours because of laws that intentionally make it more difficult for them to cast a ballot."

· "...were he here, Dr. King would be the first to say: though we have come far, we still have far to go. In this moment, it is up to us to fight..."

· "The great Coretta Scott King once said: 'Freedom is never truly won. You earn it and win it in every generation.' At this moment in history... I say: Let us not throw up our hands. Instead, let us roll up our sleeves. We were born for a time such as this."

VP Supplemental Pool #4-- Campaign Event

The motorcade left the state house shortly after 1 p.m., and after about a 25- min drive, pulled up to Big T's Bar-B-Que, a small, locally run restaurant where a few dozen supporters were gathered.

The VP was introduced by SC State Senator Darrell Jackson. "When she decided to support Joe Biden, so did we," he said, going on to cite the administration's accomplishments like the infrastructure bill. He said they needed to "show up and show out" as the first primary state.

The VP came out at 1:40 p.m. to chants of "Four more years" and started addressing supporters.

Among those spotted in the crowd: Jaime Harrison, head of the DNC; Christale Spain, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party; and Steven Benjamin, former mayor of Columbia, who joined the administration as a senior advisor.

VP said that she was back in South Carolina, in part, to thank the leaders who mobilized voters during the height of the pandemic when there was an extraordinary loss of life, and normalcy.

"In the midst of all of that....the leaders in this room had the optimism and the faith to believe in the power of the people," she said

"South Carolina set the path for Joe Biden to be the president of the United States and me to be the first Black woman Vice President," she said.

Harris said it was South Carolina leaders who helped to educate her on issues facing rural America, such as kids lacking high-speed internet, the impact of lead pipes on families' ability to have clean drinking water. She said these issues have been prioritized in the administration, along with others like insulin prices, that South Carolinans helped to highlight in their families and communities.

She discussed a "full on, intentional attack against hard-fought and hard-won freedoms." She specially cited voting rights and reproductive rights.

On laws "to deny women the ability to make decisions about their own body," she said..."One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do," she said, to loud applause from the crowd.

She went on to discuss how Gen Z's lived experiences —climate crisis, watching George Floyd murdered, active shooter drills, the Supreme Court overturning Roe— shows what's at stake in next election. A fewsupporters of the Gen Z age group screamed they loved her.

The VP wrapped her remarks at around 1:55 p.m., and we were rolling shortly after 2 p.m.

VP Supplemental Report #5--Basketball team visits

The VP’s motorcade arrived at the Colonial Life Arena at 2:32 p.m., where she made a previously unannounced visit with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball team.

She visited with them for about 20 minutes and congratulated them on their season (undefeated) and wished them luck against Kentucky tonight.

The VP then made her way down the hall, and visited with Kentucky Women’s Basketball team to wish them well.

Your pool held for about 40 minutes while she did an interview with ABC News.

The motorcade is rolling back to the airport at 3:50 p.m.

VP Supplemental #6--Wheels up from SC

The VP's motorcade arrived at Columbia Metropolitan at 4:04 p.m.

The VP participated in a quick photo, and ascended the stairs to AF2 t 4:07 p.m. She waved at the pool before boarding.

We are wheels up at 4:22 p. m.

VP Supplemental Pool # 7 --Wheels down at JBA

Air Force 2 landed back at a snowy, slushy JBA at 5:14 p.m. The VP descended the stairs at 5:29 p.m. and entered her vehicle.

The motorcade was rolling at 5:30 p.m.

That’s a wrap for me today!