Pool Reports of September 14, 2020

Travel pool no. 1 — Leaving Vegas

Good morning from Las Vegas.Pool was administered Covid tests at 7am and loaded into the press vans shortly thereafter. At 8 a.m. local, we arrived at Trump International where POTUS is staying.We are rolling to the airport at 9:21 a.m. for a quick trip to Sacramento. Once there, POTUS will receive a briefing from local and federal leaders at McClellan Park, a former Air Force Base that's now home to the state's Office of Emergency Services. He will also participate in a ceremony recognizing the California National Guard.

Travel pool no. 2 — Takeoff

Motorcade arrived at McCarran Airport at 9:42 a.m. POTUS boarded the plane ahead of the pool.We are taxiing at 9:55 a.m. Flight time is around one hour 15 minutes.

Travel pool no. 3 — Landed in CA

AF1 landed in Sacramento at 10:54 a.m. local. It is hazy and quite windy here. The smell of smoke hit the moment we exited the plane.>From the air, it looked as though a cloud of fog was hovering over the neighborhoods and farmland beneath us. The mountains we saw as the plane descended are no longer visible from the ground.Pool is waiting for POTUS to deplane.

Travel pool no. 4 — POTUS speaks

POTUS exited the plane at 11:10 a.m. and spoke with the pool for 3 minutes. He took one question. Rough quotes below.He then went over to the local press corps gathered on the tarmac and spoke with them briefly."Thank you for being here. We have meetings with FEMA and with a lot of people. They're doing an incredible job. This is by far the highest burns we've ever seen. There has to be good strong forest management. So hopefully they'll start doing that.On Gov. Gavin Newsom: "We've worked very well together. I approved his emergency declaration as you know."Q: What would you like to see done on forest management?"Well, I think a lot of things are possible. When trees fall down after a short period of time they become very dry — really like a matchstick... and they can explode. Also leaves. When you have dried leaves on the ground it's just fuel for the fires.""You go to many different countries. I was talking to the head of a foreign country and they said, ‘We consider ourselves a forest nation. We have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California and we don't have that problem."Q: Newsom said this is a climate crisis."He does agree with me on forest management.. It's a very important subject. You drop a cigarette on it, you come back an hour later and you have a forest fire.""They have to be able to do that. Every year it's the same thing and this is a very big one."Q: Why did you wait three weeks to visit?"That's a nasty question. I got a call from your governor immediately. On that call, I declared it a national emergency. That's a nasty question."Q: What is your relationship like with Gavin Newsom?"We have a good relationship."Q: Is there a climate change issue in CA?"You'll have to answer your governor that question. I don't want to step on this toes."Motorcade is rolling at 11:20 a.m.

Travel pool — Disregard last pool note

Your pooler clicked "send" prematurely and regrets the error. We are still awaiting POTUS remarks.

Travel pool no. 5 - Meeting attendees

Motorcade arrived at a different part of the airport at 11:27 a.m. Pool is holding outside the building and did not see POTUS enter

The White House passed along the following about those participating in the 11 a.m. briefing:

Today, President Donald J. Trump will travel to McClellan Park, California to meet with local and federal fire and emergency officials to receive a briefing on the wildfires. The President will also deliver remarks and participate in a ceremony recognizing the California National Guard.

The following individuals are expected to attend:

The White House
President Donald J. TrumpTrump Administration
Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Peter Gaynor, Acting Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

State and Local Officials
Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
Doug LaMalfa, United States Representative from California's 1st Congressional District
Tom McClintock, United States Representative from California's 4th Congressional District
Greg Walden¸ United States Representative from Oregon's 2nd Congressional District
Mark Ghilarducci, Director, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency
Margaret Mims, Sheriff of Fresno County, California
Thom Porter, Director, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
Ray Haupt, Supervisor, Siskiyou County, California

California Army National Guard
Sergeant George Esquivel
Sergeant Cameron Powell
Chief Warrant Officer Five Joseph Rosamond
Chief Warrant Officer Five Kipp Goding
Chief Warrant Officer Two Irvin Hernandez
Chief Warrant Officer Two Brady Hlebain
Chief Warrant Officer One Ge Xiong

Travel pool no. 6 - POTUS/Newsom exchange

POTUS began speaking at 11:30. Photos of the fires are on display behind him, Gov. Newsom and others gathered around the horseshoe table.

First, an exchange on climate change between Newsom and POTUS. Please check quotes against transcript.

NEWSOM: "We've known each other too long and the working relationship I value. We feel very strongly the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting dryer. Something has happened to the plumbing of the world and we come from a perspective, humbly, that we assert the science that climate change is real. Please respect the difference of opinion out here with respect to the fundamental issue of climate change."

POTUS: "Absolutely."

After another speaker also cited climate change as the primary cause behind the fires, POTUS interjected to say "It will start getting cooler."

"Just watch. I don't think science knows actually."

Newsom also noted that 56% of the land in California is federally owned, so the federal government has a major responsibility in improved forest management as well as the state.

More quotes from POTUS below.

"It's a big problem and it will get solved. We say God bless you to those who were killed in this serious fire. We are showing and give support to the people of California.

"I want to thank all of the FEMA people for doing a great job. And thank you to Gavin Newsom, acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and all of the people joining us today."

On Newsom: "I know we come from different sides of the planet; but we actually have a good relationship. Good man."

More quotes from Newsom:

"It's good to have you back in the state. We've got fires all the way at the border of Oregon all the way down to the border with Mexico. 2.8 million acres just in the last 30 days have burned — 3.2 million over the course of this calendar year."

"We've made great progress over the last few weeks, though tragically we've lost 24 lives so far. We can agree to disagree on the politics of this, but let me just acknowledge two things briefly: There's no question... that we have not done justice on our forest management. I want to thank you for supporting that effort.

Travel pool no. 7 — More from briefing

POTUS interjected at several points to ask questions throughout the briefing.

He asked where the California Redwoods are concentrated in the state, how many individual fires are burning at the moment and whether the heat has ever been this bad in the state.

"I think the environmentalists have come a long way," POTUS said at one point.

He also said Newsom is making lots of money because of all the trees California has had to shut down.

"I think we're totally in sync," POTUS said as pool as escorted out of the room at 11:56 a.m.

NOTE: The list of participants passed along from the White House contained an error that FEMA flagged for your pooler. FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor is Senate confirmed, not acting.

Travel pool no. 8 — National Guard event

POTUS exited the briefing area at 12:05 p.m. and followed the other participants into another room away from the pool's view.

White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien could be seen chatting with Stephen Miller backstage while the briefing was ongoing. This was the first time your pooler has spotted O'Brien on this trip.

We are waiting POTUS' return for the ceremony honoring the California National guard. The event will be carried live here: https://youtu.be/C2Lvbk9k2BY

Travel pool no. 9 — Leaving CA

POTUS spoke for XXX minutes about the California National Guard, including the seven guardsmen who received medals here today.

At XXX, the motorcade is rolling along the tarmac back to the plane. Our next stop is Mesa, Ariz., where the president will participate in a roundtable with some of his Latino supporters.

Travel pool no. 10 — Departure

Motorcade is rolling back to AF1 at 12:44 p.m. We will be wheels up shortly for Arizona with a 1 hour and 50-minute flight time.

Travel pool no. 11 — AZ Arrival/Trump comments

AF1 touched down in Phoenix at 2:28 p.m. after an uneventful flight. POTUS disembarked at 2:36 p.m. and spoke briefly with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who greeted him on the tarmac.

He commented on the ruling out of Pennsylvania over Covid-19 restrictions and answered one question about Hispanic voters.

"I don't know if you heard but we had a big victory just now in Pennsylvania. They were ordered to open it up and let the people get back to work.

"We working with your governor and we're doing a really good job for Hispanics and Latinos and I think it really is represented well in the polling numbers were seeing."

Motorcade is rolling to the site of his roundtable.

Travel pool no. 12 – Roundtable

Motorcade pulled into the Arizona Grand Resort at 2:55 p.m. local after a brief drive from the airport. Several dozen Trump supporters lined the sidewalk outside the entrance to the resort, as did a small group of counter-protesters with Biden-Harris signs.

Although this event was billed as a roundtable on the president's public schedule, it is the size of a small campaign rally. There are far more than 100 people – many maskless – gathered inside this hotel ballroom.

Travel pool no. 13 – Headed to airport

POTUS took the stage here at 3:20 p.m. He said of the event, "I know this was supposed to be, you know the fake news, they said that this is supposed to be a roundtable, but it looks like a rally. But it is a rally because we love each other." He then added that "It is a roundtable."

The president talked about Hispanic unemployment in the pre-coronavirus economy, blamed Democrats for provoking "anti-police rhetoric" and criticized his 2020 opponent as "not a strong person." He then asked each of the roundtable participants to share their stories with the audience. Your pooler has asked the Trump campaign for a list of participants.

The event ended at 4:40 p.m. Motorcade is rolling back to the airport at 4:42 p.m.

Attached is a photo of the sign that was placed in the lobby of the venue for today's roundtable and a picture of the audience captured by your pooler.

Travel pool no. 14 — Back to DC

Motorcade arrived back at the airport at 4:55 p.m. POTUS was nearly boarded as the press vans pulled onto the tarmac.

We are taxiing for takeoff at 5:00 p.m. local with an estimated arrival back in DC close to midnight.

Travel pool no. 15 — JBA

AF1 landed at Andrews at 11:30 p.m. after an uneventful flight back from Arizona.

POTUS disembarked at 11:42 with a quick wave to the press as he came down the stairs and a thumbs up at the bottom. Marine One was airborne at 11:44 p.m.

I'll let the in-town pooler take it from here. Thanks to co-pooler Jerome Cartillier for his help this weekend. Have a good night everyone.

WH pool report 1 – Marine 1 arrival

Marine 1 flew in from the south on a cool evening that promises to become the chilliest overnight in Washington D.C. since the spring.

The helicopter settled on the newly resodded South Lawn – wrecked by the Republican National Convention staged upon it three weeks ago – at 2354 EDT.

The president emerged a few minutes later, waved at the assembled late night in-town pool gathered for his arrival, but walked past without stopping into the White House residence at 2357.

WH pool report 2 – lid

The WH press office declared a travel/photo lid at 0000.

If you are in DC, enjoy the early morning chill today. If you are not, well, whatever.

Bonne nuit.