Vice Presidential Pool Reports of September 16, 2022

VP Supplemental Pool #1: Bilat w/ South African President

Good morning — I am your pooler for Vice President Harris’ bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The VP is hosting a breakfast with President Ramaphosa at her residence at Naval Observatory.

Pool has been swept and is awaiting the arrival of the two leaders at the front entrance of the VP’s home. Should be any minute.

VP Supplemental Pool #2

Vice President Harris walked out at 9:24am as President Ramaphosa's motorcade arrived at the front entrance of Naval Observatory. VP greeted Ramaphosa as he walked out of his vehicle and walked up the stairs and to the front door.

She welcomed Ramaphosa and thanked him for his leadership and said the US relationship with SA is very important. She highlighted the importance of addressing security and climate change.

Ramaphosa said he would like to see the relationship between the two countries "strengthened." He said he would like to also talk about infrastructure and women's empowerment — to the delight of the VP who smiled.

The two leaders walked inside at 9:28am along with the invited guests.

VP Supplemental Pool #3

That’s a wrap for the pool. We began walking off the property at 9:32am. Here is a photo of the two leaders during their remarks.

[APP Note: The photo mentioned in this report was not included in the report received by the APP.]

Out-of-town VP Pool #1

Good afternoon from sunny Chicago. (It’s 81 degrees.)

Air Force Two landed at Midway International Airport at 12:06 p.m. VP Kamala Harris was greeted on the tarmac by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. VP deplaned at 12:16 p.m.

Motorcade will be taking a short (15 minutes or so) ride to the University of Illinois at Chicago for a round table discussion about reproductive rights - with elected officials, students and advocates.

This is the vice president’s fourth trip to Illinois since taking office.

Out-of-town VP pool #2

VP spoke with the tarmac greeters for several minutes. She got into her motorcade vehicle at 12:19 p.m. We are on the move at 12:22 p.m.

Out-of-town VP pool #3

Motorcade arrived at UIC at 12:37 p.m. Pool is holding before the round table event.

Out-of-town VP pool #4

VP has been out of sight since getting out of the motorcade and heading into a UIC forum building. Pool (and other local reporters) taken into the round table event at 1:08 p.m.

Speaking Participants:

• Governor J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois
• Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-Chicago)
• Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL-07)
• Melanie Fontes, Director of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Megan Jeyifo, Executive Director, Chicago Abortion Fund
• Allison Cowett, Medical Director, Family Planning Associates
• Myra Bajwa, Student Organizer, Project Reproductive Freedom
• Diana Parker Kafka, Executive Director, Midwest Access Coalition
• Jennifer Welch, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Planned Parenthood Illinois

Out-of-town VP pool #5

Here are some quick quotes from VP from the round table.

"We are here because as we all know, the Dobbs decision, the United States Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, took a constitutional right from the people of America, from the women of America. And we are in the wake of that decision facing a health care crisis in America that requires us all to speak up and do everything we can to ensure that we will fight to protect a woman's right to make decisions about her own body."

"We must agree that the women of America have the ability to exercise their own judgment in making decisions about their own body, and the government should not be making that decision for her."

On Illinois being a safe haven for abortion rights: "I look at what's happening in Illinois, governor and you are all without any question being stretched thin in terms of your health care resources going directly to your constituents, but to neighboring states as well."

"Frankly, Justice Clarence Thomas said the quiet part out loud, which is with the Dobbs decision, we are also looking at a very high likelihood of a risk to the right to contraception, same sex marriage."

"Elections matter. We have a midterm coming up in 53 days. Who your governor is matters. Whether they're going to protect these rights, and support these rights, to freedom and liberty, it matters. Who's your attorney general matters, whether they are going to protect and defend the principles ingrained in the Constitution of the United States. That matters. Who your local prosecutor is matters if you are in a place that has as many are attempting to do criminalized healthcare providers and are attempting to punish women."

Out-of-town VP pool #6

Pool led out of the round table at 1:36 p.m. to head to the rally.

Some more quotes.

VP called Gov. Pritzker "a national leader" on abortion rights. She also thanked Mayor Lightfoot for her leadership on the issue.

Pritzker on Indiana abortion ban: "It's despicable. It's misogynistic, and it's deadly. There's no doubt that our nation is headed down a dangerous spiral, one where a radical few dictate who does and doesn't deserve rights."

Mayor Lightfoot to VP: "We admire your leadership and really I think you're already uniquely positioned to be championing this issue at the federal level. And I appreciate everything you've done. "

Allison Cowett, medical director for Family Planning Associates on the West Side of Chicago says "the number of second trimester abortions we perform has increased by 95%" since the Dobbs decision.

Out-of-town VP pool #7

Pool was led into the rally location, another room at UIC, at 1:38 p.m. and has been holding in a media area since then. The VP is tentatively scheduled to speak at 4:05 p.m. in a rally that has been organized by Gov. J.B. Pritzker's campaign. The earlier round table discussion was staffed by Pritzker's official side.

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis briefly took pictures with very patient people in the crowd, in a room that is slowly filling up.

Pritzker's campaign says that in addition to Pritzker supporters, the DNC helped round up attendees, texting Democrats within 25 miles of Chicago to attend.

Out-of-town VP pool #8

Here is the speaker lineup for the Chicago rally (which hasn't started yet), from the VP's office:

- Lisa Hernandez, Chair, Democratic Party of Illinois

- Kwame Raoul, Attorney General, State of Illinois
- Alexi Giannoulias, Democratic Secretary of State Candidate
- Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner
- Fredrique Desrosiers, Policy Associate, Chicago Votes
- Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton (D-IL)
- Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL)
- Vice President Kamala Harris

Out-of-town VP pool #9

The rally began at 4:08 p.m. No view of VP; her office said she was off-stage. No information provided about any private meetings she held in between the round table event and the rally. And an addendum to the speaker list: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and rapper and actor Common, who ended his speech with a rap about Chicago (including references to Pritzker, Lightfoot and the VP) — and ending with, "I'm telling everybody to go vote November 8th, ya'll."

VP took the stage at 5:08 p.m. and spoke until 5:32 p.m. Gov. J.B. Pritzker introduced her as a "trailblazer, history maker and champion for working families."

VP says Republicans are "already moving the goalposts," in introducing a national abortion ban...."See it clearly. We've got to hold onto our numbers in the House and Senate because without a Democratic majority in Congress, the writing on the wall seems to be pretty clear about what other rights they'll also come after."

VP says if Democrats expand their majority, "we can fight for a ban on assault weapons," codify the protections of Roe v. Wade and the voting rights act.

"I cannot wait to cast the deciding vote to break the filibuster on voting rights," VP said. "Help me do that."

On November: "We need to and we will hold onto the United States House of Representatives and expand our majority."

VP: "This is the home of Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. This is the home of Harold Washington and Barack Obama. This is the home of hope and change. And so we need you to get the vote out this November because truly, truly this election I do believe will determine the future of not only your home state but our home country."

VP says over the past 20 months, "we as Democrats have proven that when people put Democrats in charge, we know how to deliver results for the people," citing pandemic relief, the Inflation Reduction Act, canceling student debt, making investments to combat climate crisis and ensuring that the judiciary looks like America, having confirmed more women to federal courts than ever before.

VP notes the Biden-Harris administration hasn't raised taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 and reduced the national deficit: "Democratic leaders know how to be fiscally responsible."

VP on Illinois as a safe haven, and Pritzker's leadership: "What you all are doing in Illinois really is providing a model for the rest of the country, about giving voice to the people, putting the power in the people, and then as a governor, doing the work of leading in a way that is defined by strength and compassion," VP says of Pritzker. "And I'll say about your governor, he's the same person whether the cameras are off."

Other speakers:

Pritzker: "We're here to welcome a history maker who is helping us keep abortion safe and legal in Illinois and across the entire United States. Welcome back to Illinois, Madam Vice President. Thank you for being a fierce fighter against the tyranny of the MAGA Republicans who stand with that racist, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobe Donald Trump."

Pritzker: "No, Donald Trump. No, Darren Bailey, we will not go back. Not here, not in Illinois. To all the right wing office holders who have been cheering on the January 6 insurrectionists, making it harder to vote, lauding the Supreme Court for taking away reproductive rights and rallying behind the national abortion ban, we're coming for you. Anti-choice MAGA Republicans, you will lose in November."

Lightfoot: "We have a mission in 53 days. We need to send a strong message to the country that Illinois and Chicago support a woman's right to choose."

Lightfoot on Pritzker's Republican opponent, the Trump endorsed downstate farmer and state senator, Darren Bailey: "Make no mistake, Trump is on the ballot. His name is Darren Bailey, and we need to send him back to the farm."

Out-of-town VP pool #10

Motorcade is on the move at 5:48, heading back to Midway International Airport.

Out-of-town VP pool #11

Motorcade arrived at Midway at 6:02 p.m.

VP boarded AF2 at 6:05 p.m. She stopped to take a picture with staffers but did not take questions.

Wheels up at 6:19 p.m.

That’s it for me! Have a great weekend.