Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 1, 2024

VP travel pool 1: North Carolilna

Good morning from Andrews.

I will be pooling Vice President Harris for her 10th visit to North Carolina since becoming VP.

Her helicopter landed at 10:42 and she boarded AF2 at 10:47.

Schedule is below and I will advise any changes and try to flag any news.

Wheels up shortly.
H

At 10:45 am ET, the Vice President will depart Washington, DC en route to Durham, NC. This departure from Joint Base Andrews will be pooled press.

At 11:45 am ET, the Vice President will arrive at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. This arrival in Durham, NC will be pooled press and open to pre-credentialed media.

At 12:40 pm ET, the Vice President will make an announcement on the Biden-Harris Administration's historic investments in strengthening entrepreneurship, increasing access to capital, and supporting small businesses throughout the country including in underserved communities. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper will also participate. These remarks will be pooled press, open to pre-credentialed media, and livestreamed at WhiteHouse.Gov/Live.

At 4:20 pm ET, the Vice President will depart Durham, NC en route to Washington, DC. This departure from Raleigh-Durham International Airport will be pooled press.

At 5:20 pm ET, the Vice President will arrive at Joint Base Andrews. This arrival in Washington, DC will be pooled press.

VP travel pool 2: greeters at Andrews.

From the VP's office:

The Vice President was greeted by Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, U.S. Department of the Treasury and Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04)

VP travel pool 3: Landed

AF2 landed at Raleigh-Durham International at 11:49.

The Vice President was greeted by Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) and Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, City of Raleigh, NC at 12:01.

Before the motorcade was moving, Gov. Cooper poked his head in the press van to offer a brief "hi guys."

We are rolling to first site at 12:05.

VP travel pool 4: remarks about to begin

Stop at Ella West gallery in Durham, arriving around 12:30.

Before her remarks, VP received a tour of a local art gallery, which is hosting an exhibition by Stephen Hayes, a Duke professor and artist whose work can be found here:
https://www.stephenhayescreations.com/

Harris was greeted by gallery owner Ella West. Snippets of the conversation could be heard, discussing and praising the art.

Harris: "Thank you I'm so happy to be with you and I've been reading about all your work"

West: "This exhibition is Steven Hayes. He's a professor. He's a genius…"

Harris' Remarks will be at Durham's historic "Black Wall Street" — a vibrant center for Black entrepreneurship in the early 1900's — beginning shortly and will be streamed live.

VP will speak before a lectern, and be framed by two blue "Investing in America" posters. Off her left shoulder is a US flag approximately 10x16 feet. (Holler if my ratios are off.)

VP travel pool 5: Remarks wrapped 1:07

The pool has now moved to the next event -- an OTR at the NC Mutual Tower, which includes a shared worked-space. The Vice President is expected to deliver brief remarks to guests of NC Invest, a venture capital program for small businesses. Pool arrived at approximately 1:20.

At the previous event, Gov. Cooper made introductory remarks, followed by Adeyemo, who spoke without notes.

Harris made a impassionsed case for the Biden-Harris efforts to support more Black business, and emphasized their commitment to increasing federal contracting for minority-owned businesses.

The announcement, and purpose of the trip, per Harris, is "a new investment of $92 million primarily for early stage startups here in North Carolina."

"We're very excited about it because this is just further testament to the capacity that is here," she said,

Stray quotes from otter:
"Our pledge to increase by 50% of federal contracts going to minority owned businesses is an acknowledgement of the fact that we must be thinking about where are the greatest returns on investment and ultimately, yes, this is about the right thing to do. It is a good thing to do. But ultimately, it makes economic and financial sense for us to do this. Because the bottom line and yes, the bottom line, I speak in economic terms is that this produces an extraordinary return on investment."

VP travel pool 6: Harris remarks at Provident 1898

The Vice President addressed an audience of roughly 100 attendees at the Provident 1898 shared work space around 1:50 PM.

While technically an OTR, this appeared to be a well-staged, pre-planned event. Harris took the stage after Gov. Cooper and gave remarks similar to the ones she delivered at Black Wall Street.

She spoke of the "the extraordinary capacity within our communities -- the innovation, the ambition that exists in our communities"

When investors and entrepreneurs have access to capital, "extraordinary things happen," she said.

"I believe in the role and the responsibility of government to invest its time and priorities and resources in the talent and in the capacity of our communities," Harris said. "I also recognize that government alone cannot do the work that is necessary to help grow our communities and strengthen our economies."

The event is being hosted by NC Rural Center and OHUB at the Provident 1898, a coworking community that provides resources to small businesses and focuses on an equitable economy, according to a spokesperson from Provident 1898.

They are gathered to learn more about the announcement from the Biden Harris administration about the ten venture capital capital firms that will invest over $90 million.

The pool is now holding and awaiting our next movement.
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Unknown 0:55
And in moments of change, and in particular, when we think about change, be it because we realize that we got to deal with the climate crisis with a sense of urgency and let's be innovative and thoughtful about how we can do that. Whether it is changed in terms of the rapidly evolving technology that so many of us rely on and can anticipate in terms of where it might go. In the midst of all of these things happening. opportunities exist. If we see these moments for what they are the the opportunity for really good ideas from people who are not burdened with things as they've been but have the ability to see things as they can be.

Unknown 1:41
And that's the work that everyone here is doing together. You know, I am among many things a devout public servant, I must confess.

Unknown 1:50
I believe in the role and the responsibility of government to invest its time and priorities and resources in the talent and in the capacity of our communities. I also recognize that government alone cannot do the work that is necessary to help grow our communities and strengthen our economies. And so when we partner government with the private sector, and by that I mean we have here people who represent nonprofits, people who represent technology, people who represent private banking, will link buying our resources and our skill, understanding that in particular, and the way the President and I think about it, we have as government we have the capacity to scale at great measure. But so many of you who we are partnering with have the skill and the depth of skill that we don't always bring to the table. And so when we combine those resources and those skills and a common desire to strengthen our communities, and to strengthen our economy, when we combine that with a specific intent to have a broad based economy and broad based growth within our economy, well then great things happen.

Unknown 3:20
Great things happen and that's what we're seeing right here in Durham. I want to thank whereas Constance is she wearing she? She has been extraordinary. She has been traveling with me today and the work that she does, I see her in the United States Congress and the kind of leadership that she provides there with her long standing work and knowledge of this community, thinking about how at every level the Governor Roy Cooper has been with me today when I think about the role that state leaders can play all of this together, all of us coming together.

Unknown 3:59
And so I'm here today and I'm proud to share with those who may not know this is my 10th Visit back to North Carolina. is vice president.

Unknown 4:11
And today's visit is to highlight all of this particular work, the work that is about investing in our small businesses, in our entrepreneurs in startup businesses, innovation, and doing the work together. That is also about creating a model for other places around our country.

Unknown 4:33
Because truly among the leaders who are here and in particular the business leaders who are here.

Unknown 4:40
I know who you are. Yes, you are leaders in business, but you are also civic leaders. You are community leaders, you are opinion leaders. You are invested and you are trusted.

Unknown 4:56
And so when we are able to partner together with a policy that is about a vision for the future, within the current commitment to plant the seeds toward that future. Well, again, I'll say great things.

Unknown 5:13
So thank you all for your work. Thank you for the partnership. Let's keep the golden let's tell people what we can do when we work together. Thank you all very

VP travel pool 8: local radio interview

At the Provident 1898 event, Harris taped an interview with v101.9 in Charlotte, which will be airing later this afternoon.

VP travel pool 9: NEWS -- Statement from the Vice President on pharmacies and mifepristone

At the end of her campaign event in Durham, the VP gave a statement to the pool, calling on all pharmacies to make mifepristone available.

"I want to acknowledge the decision today to allow two major pharmacies to make available mifepristone, which is medication abortion, in some states and I would urge and challenge other pharmacies to do the same," she said.

Later, she took a shot at former President Trump, though she didn't mention him by name.
"Let's remember that the architect of where we are now in the taking of these freedoms was the former president of the United States, who has boasted about the fact that he essentially handpick three members of the United States court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v Wade."

As Harris was walking away, she was asked by a member of the pool about young voters and the issue of calling for a ceasefire. It was unclear if Harris heard the totality of the question, but she responded: "I am really excited about these young voters and what they are doing to step up and organize."

Full transcript via otter:

"I want to acknowledge the decision today to allow two major pharmacies to make available mifepristone -- medication abortion in some states and I would urge and challenge other pharmacies to do the same.

The reality of this moment and therefore the significance of this progress is that over a year ago, the United States Supreme Court took a class situational right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America and thereafter laws of his past and propose states throughout our country that will further restrict the rights of women to make decisions about their own body to plan their own futures and not have their government tell them what they're supposed to do. And so this action that we are announcing today is addressing some of the harm that has resulted from the Supreme Court's decision and let's remember that the architect of where we are now in the taking of these freedoms was the former president of the United States, who has boasted about the fact that he essentially handpick three members of the United States court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v Wade. And some work that we have to do at this point is about restoring these fundamental rights and freedoms for the people of our country. And one way to do that is to ensure that we have a Congress that will put back in place the protections that the Supreme Court took from the people of America and I look forward to work over the next few months to ensure that we will be just that place because Joe Biden has been clear when Congress put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade, Joe Biden was signed into law. Thank you."

The statement was given at approximately 3:17 after she visited a campaign event with young people. We are rolling to the airport.

VP travel pool 10 ReCity for a campaign stop

Harris dropped by a shared workspace where approximately 80 young Democrats were receiving campaign training. No real news; lots of enthusiasm.

The crowd was warmed up by the chair of the North Carolina state party, Anderson Clayton, who is the youngest state party chair in the country. She brought the pep. Crowd was primed to hear the veep. Harris started at 2:47 and ended around 2:55.

"Oh my goodness. You all are ready to work. Yeah. First of all, first and only I believe Gen Z chair of a state Democratic party."

There was a brief moment where some paper covering, that was blacking out a high window, fell down. Harris made a joke about it and moved on quickly.

Will provide a fuller transcript after I listen to tape on the plane, but we are now loading.

VP travel pool 11: AF2 wheels down at 4:47

No news on flight.

Press office indicates that a full transcript of the campaign speech will be available shortly, so I will beg off transcribing my echoey audio.

VP travel pool 12: VP deplaned at 4:57

After retuning the airmen's salute, she shook hands with the lead officer and gamely waved to the pool.

Boarded her helicopter and was skids up at 5:02.

Thanks for following along.