Pool Reports by Todd J. Gillman, The Dallas Morning News
| Sent: | Reports: |
| October 26, 2021 09:17 |
pool report #1/ASEAN virtual summit The virtual ASEAN summit was underway when pool entered the South Court Auditorium, and President Biden was already seated at a small desk on the stage, facing a screen showing the other summit participants. He then called on POTUS. Biden praised Brunei's leadership of the group, and emphasized the US commitment, calling ASEAN "essential... to the regional architecture of the Indo-Pacific" and a "lynchpin" to security in "our shared region." "I want you all to hear directly from me the importance the United States places on its relationship with ASEAN…. You can expect to see me showing up and reaching out to you." Pool was in and out in under five minutes. Indonesia was speaking as we were escorted out. |
| October 26, 2021 09:21 |
pool report #2/ASEAN participants FWIW, Susan Rice and Jake Sullivan walked out of EEOB toward the White House, a few minutes apart, passing the pool and expanded press contingent before we entered South Court Auditorium. Speaking program for the ASEAN virtual summit, per the White House: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei In attendance for the U.S.-ASEAN Virtual Summit: The President |
| October 26, 2021 12:19 |
pool report #3/lunch lid Lunch lid until 1:45pm The next event on the president's public calendar is not until this evening: 7:50 PM THE PRESIDENT campaigns with former Governor Terry McAuliffe |
| October 26, 2021 13:22 |
Pool report #4/BBB meetings Onpassing This afternoon, the chairs and a number of members of the Tri Caucuses, Women's Caucus, and Equality Caucus are coming to the White House for meetings with senior staff on BBB. |
| October 26, 2021 14:41 |
pool report #5/POTUS meeting with members of Congress has ended Lawmakers are heading to the stakeout location. |
| October 26, 2021 17:05 |
pool report #6/dinner lid Dinner lid until 6:30. Pool will load soon afterward for the rally in Arlington: 7:50 PM THE PRESIDENT campaigns with former Governor Terry McAuliffe |
| October 26, 2021 19:25 |
Pool report #7/pool in vans but Unusual route from Palm Room doors, exiting to the driveway through the ornate Diplomatic Reception Room and under the awning where presidents come and go. This made it impossible to see who, if anyone, might be in the Oval Office at the moment. Hmm. Awaiting motorcade to Arlington park near Pentagon City for McAuliffe rally. |
| October 26, 2021 19:32 |
Pool report #8/rolling for McAuliffe rally The presidential motorcade pulled away at 7:29 pm. Heading across the river to Arlington, Va. There are people in the Oval. Some seated. At least one standing. Couldn't say for sure who any of them are. |
| October 26, 2021 19:52 |
Pool report #9/McAuliffe rally Motorcade pulled in to the park at 7:42 pm. It's 55 degrees. Open press rally. Slightly muddy. Dorothy McAuliffe warmed up the crowd. McAuliffe took the stage at 7:51 and is speaking now. |
| October 26, 2021 20:07 |
pool report #10/McAuliffe rally pt 2 Per White House, the crowd is about 2,500. Terry McAuliffe is talking a lot about Glen Youngkin, his Republican rival for governor. He hits Youngkin for vowing to ban books by Toni Morrison, "one of America's most famous authors, the winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the winner of the Nobel Prize." "Glenn Youngkin is promoting banning books by one of America's most prominent black authors. Just the fact that he is even discussing this brings shame here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.... This is his closing message." "He campaigns on radio shows with supporters of neo-Nazi groups." The choice, he said, is between "a path that promotes conspiracies, hate and division or a path focused on lifting up every single Virginian." "The other day, he denied that humans contribute to climate change... I will work with anyone at any time, including reasonable Republicans. But make no mistake: Glenn Youngkin is not a reasonable Republican. and it's not just banning books and election conspiracy theories." And on abortion: "women will die from unsafe illegal abortions here in Virginia" if Youngkin wins. McAuliffe ends and calls President Biden to the stage at 8:05pm. "Bring me a higher love" plays briefly. They shake hands. McAuliffe sits on stool... More tk |
| October 26, 2021 20:23 |
pool report #11/Biden speaks at McAuliffe rally Again, this is open press but some highlights Biden started speaking around 8:07pm. A handful of hecklers began shouting "Stop Line 3" and waving signs with the same message-- it's a tar sand pipeline. At least one really ardent anti-Line 3 popped up again later. "This isn't a Trump rally," Biden said, urging the crowd to let them vent, and then inviting them to stay afterward and talk with him about their beef. Mostly he tried to tie Youngkin to his own nemesis, Donald Trump, taunting Youngkin for privately pledging loyalty to Trump but publicly keeping him at arm's length. "What's he trying to hide? ... Is he embarrassed?" "I ran against Donald Trump, and Terry is running against an acolyte of Donald Trump…. He [Youngkin] doesn't like to talk about it very much now, but to win the Republican nomination, he embraced Donald Trump," Biden said, followed by a brief staccato of dismissive laughs like heh-heh-heh. "Talk about an oxymoron – Donald Trump and election integrity? I can't believe he puts the words Donald Trump and integrity in the same sentence," Biden said. Biden invoked the Jan. 6 mob attack, a "breach of the Capit "To Donald Trump, the insurrection isn't a violent assault that took place on Jan. 6. To Trump, the insurrection was the Nov. 3 election, when more American voted than in all of our history." Biden said. And by associating himself with Trump, Youngkin has disqualified himself from high office – quoting a Washington Post editorial. Biden warns of threat to abortion rights. "A woman's right to choose is very much at risk because of what's happening in Texas," Biden said, referring to Senate Bill 8, which SCOTUS will hear arguments on next Monday. "If you want to protect your right to choose in Virginia, you need a governor actually committed to protecting that right." The crowd booed when the president referred, not by name, to Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida. "The Republican Party nationally stands for nothing. Not a joke. Nothing. Just look around. Just look around, what's happening with the governor of Texas and Florida." Biden ended at 8:23pm with "vote vote vote vote vote," thumping the lectern with each repetition. |
| October 26, 2021 20:45 |
Pool report #12/rolling from McAuliffe rally The motorcade pulled away from Virginia Highlands Park in Arlington at 8:44 pm. Unclear what POTUS has been up to the last 10 minutes or so. Pool exited the rally and walked across a tennis court to the vans with Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" blaring. |
| October 26, 2021 21:00 |
Pool report #13/ back at the White House Back at 8:54pm. Uneventful motorcade. We have a lid. Pool walked past the Rose Garden this time. Oval Office is now dark. And some detail on the last bit from the McAuliffe rally. POTUS did a photo line. Participating in a photoline with the President: |
Pool Reports below by Kethevane Gorjestani, France 24
| Sent: | Reports: |
| October 26, 2021 08:49 |
Foreign pool #1 ?Hello all, I'll be your foreign pooler for the US-ASEAN summit. At 9am, POTUS will participate virtually in the summit. The last time a US president participated was Donald Trump in 2017 in Manila. Biden is set to announce plans to provide up to $102M to expand the U.S. partnership with the ASEAN block, including $40M to help deal with COVID 19 & prevent/respond to future outbreaks. A little background on ASEAN Myanmar's top general, who seized power in February, has not been allowed to attend. ASEAN decided to exclude Min Aung Hlaing on Oct. 15. An unprecedented move in a group that is known for its principle of a non-interference. For this opening day of the ASEAN summit, ASEAN leaders also had meetings planned with representatives of China and South Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also set to participate in this year's edition which is hosted by Brunei. Reminder of ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. |
| October 26, 2021 09:14 |
Foreign pool #2 Pool was brought into the South Court Auditorium as the meeting was already underway. Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was making his opening remarks and introduced Joe Biden. POTUS made brief opening remarks after which we were ushered out. The meeting is now underway. The President was facing a screen that displayed video feeds of the representatives of the member countries (Myanmar's square was grey since the country's military leader was banned from attending) |
| October 26, 2021 09:17 |
Foreign pool #3 - participants Per WH Speaking program: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei In attendance for the U.S.-ASEAN Virtual Summit: |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of October 26, 2021 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/353094