Pool Reports of February 5, 2024

WH in-town pool report #1 – Call time pushed back

Good morning. The White House has pushed the call time for your pool back to 7 pm ET.

WH in-town pool report #2 – Call time pushed up

The call time for your pool has changed again, moving up to 6:10 pm ET.

WH in-town pool report #3 – Call time moved again

Now 7:30 pm ET.

WH in-town pool report #4 – POTUS return and lid

Marine One landed at 8:02 pm EST and POTUS emerged moments later. He entered the residence at 8:05 pm EST without taking questions from your pool.

A lid was called at 8:06 pm EST. Have a good evening.

WH in-town pool report #5 – POTUS calls on California storms

The White House passes along the following readout:

This evening, the President spoke by phone with California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass about the intense storms in California and needs on the ground. The President emphasized his commitment to providing impacted communities with any and all federal support requested. He noted FEMA Administrator Criswell has pre-staged resources and personnel in the state to ensure that emergency support is in place.

Travel pool report #1 - departing the RON

The motorcade departed the RON in Las Vegas at 11:00 am (local time).

The pool caught a glimpse of POTUS in the back of the Beast as he drove by while we were holding.

We are rolling to an unannounced location.

Travel pool report #2 — arrival at next location

The motorcade pulled up to a location in Las Vegas at 11:03 am.

More to come.

Travel pool report #3 — event at Vdara Hotel

POTUS walked into an event at an employee cafeteria in the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas at 11:12 am.

The audience appeared to be members of the Culinary Union.

Travel pool report #4 — POTUS comments

POTUS spoke briefly with the pool as he met with culinary union workers at the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas.

Asked about what's next for the border bill he said: "Hopefully passage in the Senate."

Asked how that would happen, his answer was inaudible.

Pool also asked about King Charles's cancer diagnosis

"I'm concerned about him. Just heard about his diagnosis"

POTUS says he hopes to speak soon with the king "god willing"

More to come.

Travel pool report #5 — guidance from the campaign

On Behalf of the Biden-Harris Campaign:

The President is stopping by Vdara Hotel to meet with Local 226 Culinary hospitality workers to congratulate them on their successful contract negotiations. He is also greeting MGM Resorts Management.

Greeting the President upon arrival:

Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Workers, Union Local 226
Diana Valles, President of the Culinary Workers, Union Local 226

Travel pool report #6 — traveling with the president

Per the WH. (A description of his meeting with culinary workers to follow shortly.)

Traveling with the President via motorcade:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President & Homeland Security Advisor
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Vinay Reddy, Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting
Ben LaBolt, Assistant to the President & Director of Communications
Ryan Montoya, Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance

Travel pool report #7— speech to culinary workers

President Biden met with culinary union workers in an employee cafeteria at the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas this morning. POTUS worked the room as the workers were seated at tables, shaking hands with them, laughing and taking photos.

At one point, he appeared to FaceTime with someone on an employee's phone. He also gripped the forearms of one male employee as they spoke, seeming to make a point.

Pool could not hear much of his conversations with workers. At one point, he pointed to the pool, smiled and said "Don't feed those guys."

He then addressed the audience, highlighting what he described as the economic achievements of his administration and praising unions. Some quotes below.

"Wall Street did not build America. The middle class built America. Unions built the middle class. There would be no middle class without the unions."

"So I came to say thank you. Not just to say thank you for the support that you've given me last time out but to thank you for having the faith in the union."

"We've got the best economy in the world. Inflation is coming down. Still too much expense. And a little bit of corporate greed going on too."

"Snickers bars, you know that candy? Well, they haven't raised the price of a snickers bar. They just took 10 percent of it out. No, no, it's much smaller. So that's how they make more money."

The pool left the cafeteria with POTUS still in the room at about 11:29 am.

Motorcade started rolling to an unannounced location at 11:46 am.

Thanks to Emily Goodin for help transcribing quotes.

Travel pool report #8 — arrival at location

The motorcade arrived at our next location in Las Vegas at 11:53 am.

More to come.

Travel pool report #9 — arrival at Chinatown Mall

POTUS arrived at the Chinatown Mall in Las Vegas at 12:00 pm.

He was heading to No. 1 Boba Tea, a shop inside the mall.

The store's tagline: "using fresh fruits is our tradition since 1998."

Other nearby stores include Great Wall Books, Zen deCore and Yummy Box Cafe.

He did not answer questions from the pool about the border bill or his message to Speaker Johnson.

More to come.

Travel pool report #10 — POTUS comments on debating Trump and border

POTUS spoke with the pool after leaving the boba shop about Trump and the border deal.

Asked about Trump wanting to debate him, POTUS said: "If I were him I would want to debate me too. He's got nothing else to do."

He was also asked about his message to Speaker Johnson: "My message to Speaker Johnson is pay attention to what the Senate is doing. We got a bipartisan deal so you're gonna see the detail of it this week, it's going to be introduced on Wednesday."

"The border - I've been asking since the first thing. The first bill introduced was on the border. We don't have enough agents. We don't have enough folks. We don't have enough judges. You don't have enough folks here. We need help. Why won't they give me the help?"

He also said he was disappointed there was nothing about DREAMERS in the bill.

he was asked how does the bill get through the Senate? "With 60 votes, and you're gonna watch."

More color to come about his visit to the shop.

Motorcade started rolling to unannounced location at 12:25 pm.

Thanks again to Emily Goodin for quotes.

Travel pool report #11 — visit to boba tea shop in Las Vegas

POTUS ordered a "original boba milk tea" at the shop, paying cash and chatting animatedly with the cashier.

He was accompanied by Rep. Dina Titus and others, with whom he spoke inside and posed for photos.

Pool was stationed outside the shop in the mall corridor and could not hear the conversations.

POTUS could be seen sipping his pink colored drink through a white straw. The cashier had demonstrated to POTUS with hand gestures how to puncture the cup's plastic top cover with the straw.

POTUS called in Bruce Reed, his deputy chief of staff, into the store at one point to talk with the cashier.

POTUS left the shop at 12:17 p.m. and gaggled with reporters, see previous pool report for detail.

An Addendum to a previous pool report about meeting with culinary workers: TV mics picked up POTUS's answer to question about how border deal would pass in the senate that print pool could not hear:

https://x.com/djjudd/status/1754589593394196657?s=46&t=uqG6xaNIokw8kZeJwMCmZQ

Travel pool report #12 — POTUS aboard AF1

POTUS boarded AF1 before the pool could hustle under the wing.

We are wheels up shortly, heading back to JBA.

On Behalf of the Biden-Harris Campaign:

The President is dropping by No. 1 Boba Tea at Chinatown Plaza, an AANHPI-owned small business.

—- Per the WH

Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews:

Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01)
Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03)

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President & Homeland Security Advisor
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Vinay Reddy, Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting
Ben LaBolt, Assistant to the President & Director of Communications
Ryan Montoya, Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance

Travel pool report #13 — arrival at JBA

POTUS got off AF1 at 7:46 pm wearing a dark baseball cap on a chilly night.

He did not come over to talk with the pool.

M1 took off from JBA with POTUS aboard at 7:53 pm.

Thanks to all for following along this weekend. The in-town pool is now taking over.

Per the WH:

Greeting the President upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews:

Colonel Angela Ochoa, 89th Air Wing, Joint Base Andrews

Traveling with the President aboard Marine One en route to the White House:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations