Vice Presidential Pool Reports of October 20, 2024

VP Pool Report #1: ATL Ron departure, rolling to church

Happy Sunday friends.

I'm your print pooler today! Vice President Harris' motorcade is rolling from the Atlanta RON at 9:37 this morning, about 17 minute behind schedule. Pool did not see the VP get into her vehicle.

We are heading to a church service, which is a 30ish minute drive (probably shorter in the motorcade). There she will give remarks.

Including the FPPO provided by the VPs office. Shout if you need anything.

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY

9:20 Drive en route to church service (40 min drive)
10:00 Arrive at New Birth Baptist Church
10:20 Remarks at church service (pooled)
11:45 Drive en route to early vote event (50 min)
12:35 Arrive at Divine Faith Ministries International
12:50 Remarks at early vote event (pooled)
1:45 Interview with Rev. Al Sharpton (closed)
2:35 Drive en route to the airport (20 min)
2:55 Arrive at Hartsfield Jackson Airport
3:10 Wheels up en route to Philadelphia, PA (1 hr. 50 min flight)
5:00 Wheels down at Philadelphia International Airport
5:15 Drive en route to the hotel (20 min)
5:35 Arrive at the hotel

VP Pool Report #2: arrived at church

The motorcade pulled into the huge mega church campus in Stonecrest at 10:09am. Pool did not see the VP enter.

On behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign:

Vice President Harris is attending church service at New Birth Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, where she will deliver remarks during service. For some context, this church is HUGE. The parking lot had hundreds if not thousands of cars. The pastor is Jamal Bryant (shout out all my RHOP fans)

We're entering as the service is already ongoing

VP Pool Report #3: Harris enters the sanctuary

The VP entered the sanctuary at 10:38. She's wearing a black suit jacket, skirt, pink shirt and what looks like to be a breast cancer awareness pin but I don't have my glasses on so don't quote me.

She came in as the women's choir was getting down. Harris walked in, ahead of a group of people and hugged a few women in the first pew donning sparkly pink church hats.

Women dressed in different hues of pink to bring awareness to breast cancer, the pastor said.

"Black people are getting ready to elect the next President of the United States," he said before she came in. While the choir was playing, Harris clapped along. She's seated in the middle section front row, third seat in.

The pastor said there are over 56 elected officials in the building.

Opal Lee, the mother of Juneteenth from Tulsa is here ask well.

People in the crowd who got a shout out: Atlanta Mayor Andre Higgins. Congresswoman Nikema Williams. Former Rep Cedric Richmond

It's unclear whether Harris is speaking imminently but it seems like it.

VP Pool Report #4: Harris speaking

Apologies— last note should have been 3

Harris was introduced by the pastor, to a roaring applause from the church

She took the stage at 10:45a, after he called her "the voice of the future."

"Good morning church," she started. One person screamed "Happy birthday"

She began speaking and then the crowd interrupted her to sing happy birthday
She's speaking now

VP Pool Report #5: Harris finished speaking, protester removed

Harris completed her remarks at 11:06 am and now she's seated back in the sanctuary sitting for service.

(Please check quotes)

The vice president began her remarks by thanking church leadership including Jamal Bryant and then turned to briefly address the dock collapse on Sapelo Island.

"While we are still gathering information we know that lives were lost," she said. My heart goes out to those who were impacted." Harris said the administration has been in touch with local officials and she thanked the first responders.

"We pray for all of those who were affected."

Turning to the meat of her remarks, Harris said, "In times like this we are reminded of the ties that bind us together and the importance of community/

Harris noted that it's Pink Sunday, and spoke of her mothers role as a breast cancer researcher and said this was a personal day for her. And she offered words of comfort to anyone suffering with the illness.

"I am holding you close in my heart and in my prayers."

Getting into the scripture, Harris said she would be speaking about the Gospel of Luke Someone in the crowd shouted "preach!" setting off crowd chatter that sounded like approval.

She went through the story of the Good Samaritan. (Jasmine note— I've been to likely a dozen+ church visits with the VP since 2019, and she VERY frequently talks about the Good Samaritan)

"Teaches us to love thy neighbor as thyself," she said of the scripture.

"One must ask, are all people of faith living those words," she said "do we have leaders in place that understand that in the face of a stranger, one should see a neighbor," she said to applause.

Harris then began to speak about her personal ties to the church and her faith.

"A loving God," she said about the teachings she had at her childhood church.

"Church is a place of growth, of belonging and community," she said. "It is our faith that guides us forward. Faith in what we often cannot see but know to be true. I say that because in this moment across our nation, what we do see is some who try to deepen division among us."

She continued to talk about leaders who beat people down instead of lifting them up.

"As the Good Samaritan reminds us, it is not enough to preach the values of respect," she said. "Faith is a verb," she added to a chorus of 'yes' from the churchgoers.

Speaking of the neighbor to neighbor response to Hurricane Helene in GA, she tied it to her speech, saying they've seen the Good Samaritan walking among the people.

"Let us not be weary," she said, adding that we had a duty to help one another.

Harris recited a story about her final year in law school where she was an intern at a DA's office where she worked on a case of a drug bust and the mother was in custody.

The VP said she went to the judge to plead that her case could be heard that day instead of sitting in jail over the weekend.

"Remember I was not vice president, I was an intern, so yes I pleaded."

"We face this question, what kind of country do we want to live in," she said, leaving her plea for people to vote until the end of her remarks.

" Chaos, fear and hate or compassion and justice," she said. "We the people have the power to answer that question," as a democracy she said. And people should do it, "with our votes,"

Getting the loudest applause, she ended her remarks by saying "Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning."

Around 5 minutes after she finished speaking, a protester attempted to interrupt the service and was shouted down by churchgoers. It was unclear what she was saying/is protesting, as the music was playing when she started to interrupt. And she was removed after a few minutes. If I get more clarity I will let you know.

Pool will remain here for a while through the service.

VP Pool Report #6: rolling to 2nd stop

Harris' motorcade was rolling at 11:55AM Pool did not see her enter the vehicle or exit the car. And its another half hour drive. As we were driving out, people in pink lined the driveway to wave goodbye to Harris,

Inside before we left, the VP sat for a pointed and political sermon from Jamal Bryant, where he praised her and also pushed Black men and Black women to vote for her.

"It takes a real man to support a woman, who are not intimidated by an educated woman," he said.
He said of Harris, that she was, "born for a time such as this," and "Born to change the trajectory of democracy."

Harris stood up and clapped multiple times during the sermon.

During his calls for people to vote, Bryant said "This is not the time for y'all to be bougie an stuck up."
Harris stood up clapping when he began speaking about Black women, "you were born to make a difference."

"You can't spend all your time scrolling through instagram," he said, and Harris nodded her head hard and clapped.

Bryant asked the congregation to move their right hand toward Harris and pray over her as she enters the final two weeks.

"Defy the odds in front of the entire world," he said. "Those of you who believe Kamala Harris was born for this moment, would you give God the glory."

She walked out of the sanctuary soon after, shoulder to shoulder with her close senior advisor Jalisa Washignton-Price.

VP Pool Report #7: arrived at 2nd church

Motorcade arrived at 1230, we did not see the VP exit

On behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign:

Vice President Harris is attending an event at Divine Faith Ministries in Jonesboro, Georgia, where she will deliver brief remarks. Stevie Wonder is also in attendance and provided remarks and a performance prior to the Vice President's arrival

VP Pool Report #8: Harris enters sanctuary, Stevie singing

VP entered the sanctuary at 1:24PM

She entered along sie the Pastor and Stevie Wonder. He is now singing her happy birthday.

"Don't boo, vote," Wonder said. "You can boo after we win." And then he mistakenly called her Madam President

In the southern suburbs of the Atlanta metro area, Divine Faith Ministries International is a smaller church than New Birth. The local reporters traveling told me it has multiple services a day and are joining the 12 o'clock-- but this is also the "Souls to the Polls" event.

I asked one member of the church if this was packed for the church ad they said it's less full but the 10 o'clock service ended not so long ago and some people left.

When the pool entered the sanctuary, LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter took the stage to encourage voting.

The Atlanta mayor entered to lots of applause as did Rev. Warnock.

"Are you ready to win this election," he said to applause and welcomed the vice president. "This race is going to be tight, so the way to respond to that is to show up."

"This talk about Black men voting for the other… you know what I'm talking about," Warnock said. "I don't believe it." He said the real threat is not Trump, but not showing up.

Warnock had the men stand up, and chant "real men vote."

VP Pool Report #9: Harris speaking

She started at 1:46PM-- And it's a mixture of her stump and the grand samaritan parable. Will send longer notes.

VP Pool Report #10: Harris done, pool waiting

Harris ended her remarks 1:55P and received a hero's goodbye, being applauded out of the sanctuary. Pool is headed to a hold.

When Harris took the mic, multiple people in the crowd shouted out "we are not going back," which Harris repeated.

"This is an afternoon about faith in action," she said, talking about Souls to the Polls.

Her remarks were a more political, a mix of police with the Good Samaritan.

"Ours is a country that is about doing things that are focused on the best interest of our children, our families, giving people the resources they need around assistance, helping people pull out of poverty. Those who want to work hard are working hard, but deserve to be seen and uplifted. And these are the issues in this election," she said.

Her plans on taking care of senior received loud applause. On voting, she made direct pleas for people to head to the ballot box.

"For sure if you don't vote, nothing will happen," she said. "Recently I was reminded that Jimmy Carter voted on his 100th birthday," adding that if he can vote, anybody can.

Harris spoke about people checking things off their bucket list, and said hers was done after Stevie Wonder sang her happy birthday. "I am truly blessed."

Wonder stood up and started singing "Higher Ground," impromptu. Harris ad-libbed in the mic and clapped along, clearly not prepared to start signing in it lol.

"KAMALA" chants started from the congregation.

Before she spoke, After finishing his own rendition of "Happy Birthday," Harris embraced him and said something in his ear.

Wonder said he had prepared some notes and wanted to say a few words, as he got situated the mic began giving backfeed back which he responded to in son "fix the miiiccc feeeeeddddbaccck."

And the Bishop Donald handed him a new mic and joked, "I'm handing a mic to Stevie."

Giving a brief speech, he warned of the perils of what the GOP would do if they won.

"They have plans for you and they're lying if they say they don't," Wonder said, talking about Project 2025.

After his short remarks, calling on people to be the united people of the United States. Wonder sang Bob Marley's "Redemption Song."

Caught by sharp ear Andrea from RT, Wonder changed the lyrics to say "we need a landslide to unite the world and this nation. So handle your business," at the end.

Harris and along while standing by his side, at times putting her hand up in praise.

Donald then began his remarks, saying they won't go back.

"God has raised up for such a time as this," he said of Harris. "So I'm letting you know everything is going to be alright."

Donald added, "whenever you need something, the Bible says there arose a mother. But I said there arose a woman of God, and she is going to take us to that next level."

VP Pool Report #11: Rev Sharpton intv happening

On behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign

Vice President Harris is recording an interview in Atlanta, Georgia with Reverend Al Sharpton that will air this evening on MSNBC.

VP Pool Report #12: motorcade rolling

At 2:39P ET Harris' motorcade began rolling to the ATL airport. It's about a 20 min ride

Pool did not see the vice president exit the church.

VP Pool Report #13: arrived at airport, Harris bday surprise (not covered by print)

Motorcade arrived at 2:55PM

She exited her vehicle at 3:00, waving to pool, saluting the service member and then heading up the stairs. She waved at the top and mouthed thank you to someone on the tarmac.

On AF2, up in the first cabin, your pooler can see white and gold decorations for the vice presidents birthday. Lorraine Voles, Harris' chief of staff, is wearing a gold party hat.

The AP photographer who is technically pool was invited up to take a photo of it— the print pool was not.

From Jacquelyn Martin: The staff surprised the VP with birthday decorations that the VP said "oh it's a German chocolate cake," and then thanked the staff for being the "gifts that they are," and welcomed them to enjoy the cake with her.

The decorative banner said "For the People."

We are taxing at 3:12P

VP Pool Report #14 wheels down + rolling

AF2 was wheels down at the Philadelphia airport at 4:48, after an uneventful ride except for some rich individual chocolate and red velvet cakes that were passed out for the VPs bday and the press were able to enjoy.

Will alert when we're rolling (or if she stops to chat under the wing.)

Harris deplaned AF2 at 5:07 and greeted Philly Mayor Parker as well as other PA electeds for several minutes. I believe Houlahan passed a small gift bag to one of Harris' aides, but you should check the video:

And Parker and Harris exchanged a colorful greeting that ended in laughter and a picture. Maxwell brought a baby with him and Harris gave him considerable attention.

She ignored a question from your pooler on her reaction to Trump at McDonald's instead just turning and waving before hoping in her vehicle.

Motorcade rolling at 5:12P

Greeters:

- U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan

- Mayor Cherelle Parker

- Chair Josh Maxwell, Chester County Board of Commissioners

VP Pool Report #15: arrived at RON + lid

The motorcade arrived at the RON at 5:29p ET and the VPs office issued a LID at 5:41P

That's all from me folks. Glad to be of service!