First Lady Pool Reports of October 28, 2024

October 28, 2024
17:47 EDT

Original sent
at 16:34 EDT

UPDATED FLOTUS PRINT POOL #1 -- TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN

First Lady Jill Biden and Gwen Walz, wife of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, made their first joint campaign stop in Traverse City, Michigan, on Monday afternoon, Oct. 28. The visit was part of a whirlwind tour Michigan and Wisconsin cities in the final week before the Nov. 5 general election.

FLOTUS arrived at Cherry Capital Airport at 1:05 p.m. and proceeded to the Grand Traverse Commons, one of the largest historic renovation projects in the nation. Originally used as the Northern Michigan Asylum, the sprawling campus is now a multi-use development with more than 30 structures, many of them gems of Victorian architecture.

Dr. Biden and Mrs. Walz arrived separately at the local Democratic Party field office at about 1:27 p.m., under mostly sunny skies and with temperatures in the low 60s. They were welcomed by local party luminaries including Chasten Buttigieg, spouse of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe.

The audience of about 75 adults cheered loudly when they approached the podium at 1:32 p.m. Another 25 people waited outside due to space limitations.

Mrs. Walz spoke first, wearing a blue blazer over a white campaign T-shirt. After receiving a gift of local ginger snaps, she immediately began her address:

"Everywhere I go, people are fed up with Donald Trump, but more than that, they are fired up for a new way forward. For nine long years now, we've been suffering through the Trump show. Sowing chaos and division, lying right to our faces, and always, always, always making everything about himself. And doesn't it get exhausting? And it's abundantly clear: Trump, Vance and the MAGA Republicans are not fighting for us, they're fighting for themselves."

In contrast, Walz said, the Democrats are working to help ordinary American families: "When we say 'everyone,' we don't mean 'some of us,' or we'd say 'some of us.' We mean 'everyone,' and we don't even mean only those who vote for us."

As a battleground state, Mrs. Walz added, "Here in Michigan, you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, but we are here today to let you know that Kamala, and Doug, and Tim, and the President, and the First Lady, and me too, we are right here with you. All of us. And so many Americans all across this country are with you Michigan too, because we are all in this together, and that's how we do this, together." She then urged attendees to knock on doors and call friends to get out every available vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

At 1:40 p.m, she introduced Dr. Biden, 73, who had been standing quietly at her side since arriving.

FLOTUS, dressed in a navy blue jacket and light blue silk blouse, was greeted by rounds of loud applause inside the historic brick building. She made a special point to thank the teachers in the audience, many of them retired from the profession.

"We have so much in common," she said with a wide smile. "Let's forget the speech and get together for some coffee. I'm sure we could share some interesting stories!"

FLOTUS taught in public high school for 13 years. She also was an instructor at Delaware Technical & Community College, where she taught English composition and remedial writing. In January 2007, she received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in educational leadership from the University of Delaware.

During her 12-minute speech, Dr. Biden talked about Kamala Harris' upbringing and the powerful influence her mother had on the future vice president.

"Her mother was pretty tough, and she had high expectations," FLOTUS said. "And that was the biggest lesson that Kamala's mother taught her, within Kamala was the power to create change."

When Harris is elected president, FLOTUS added, she will make life easier for families, lowering costs on things like housing, groceries and prescription medicines, while strengthening Medicare and Social Security, and also protecting reproductive freedom.

"No one has to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government shouldn't be telling women what to do."

After praising Tim Walz and his small-town upbringing, Dr. Biden asked the audience to look forward in time to cherry season 2025. (Traverse City is the nation's tart cherry capital.) With Harris as president, she said, Americans will see a bi-partisan deal to lower prescription drug costs.

"Democrats and Republicans can come together to get reasonable things done for the American people," FLOTUS added. "You're finally planning a vacation because the economy continues to grow. Roe once again is the law of the land. You get a text with a photo from your daughter who is proud that she bought her first house."

Near the end of her speech, FLOTUS reminded the Democratic Party loyalists in the audience about the disappointment they felt with Trump won the 2016 election.

"We can't let that happen again," she said. "If you have an absentee ballot, return it today –don't let it sit on your kitchen counter for one more second. And convince 10 more people to do the same."

"We have to work harder than ever as if democracy is on the line – because it is," she added. "We will elect a new generation of leaders."

FLOTUS concluded her speech at 1:57 p.m. and then spent several minutes shaking hands with audience members before her motorcade returned to the Cherry Capital Airport. Her plane departed at 2:17 p.m. for the next campaign stop in Bay City, Michigan, followed by a trip to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, for an early evening event with Mrs. Walz.

FLOTUS Pool Report #2 - Remarks in Bay City, MI

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Gwen Walz, the first lady of Minnesota, gave remarks at the MI Table restaurant in Bay City, Michigan on Monday, making points about abortion access, costs and "MAGA extremism."

"Abortion bans are in effect in more than 20 states across the country. No one has to abandon their faith or their deeply held beliefs to agree that the government shouldn't be telling women what to do," Dr. Biden said, dressed in a blazer and light blue shirt.

This afternoon's venue was reportedly filled with 115 people, where the two made the case for the Harris-Walz campaign. Once she approached the microphone, Dr. Biden asked four children to join her on stage. A young girl waved a sign shaped like a church fan, displaying Vice President Kamala Harris' photograph.

Dr. Biden asked attendees to imagine a future a few months from today, where they drink their morning coffee and read news articles about bipartisan legislation lowering prescription drug costs. When they watch the morning television news, they see stories of a growing economy and that Roe v. Wade has become the law of the land.

She described former President Donald Trump's "MAGA extremism" consisting of "hate, vulgarity and chaos."

Walz – the wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz – said Michigan women could "very well make the difference" this election cycle. She called Trump and his running mate JD Vance "bullies," wanting to tell people when and how to begin their families.

She said her and the Minnesota governor were only able to start their family due to access to fertility treatments, which Democrats argue has become vulnerable to future restrictions in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade's being overturned in June 2021.

Other speakers today included state Sen. Kristin McDonald Rivet, a Bay City Democrat, who's currently running in the 8th Congressional district covering Bay County. Simon Morton, a Democratic campaign organizer originally from Switzerland, introduced Dr. Biden and Walz to the stage.

He became a naturalized citizen in the United States during the Biden-Harris White House. He highlighted that "you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect," no matter where someone comes from.

In attendance was 68 year-old Barbara Handley-Miller, the vice chair of the Bay County Democratic Party. She explained that Bay County is heavily Catholic, and earning a Right to Life endorsement once was crucial for campaigns.

"Things have changed, and that is one thing that really has changed in Bay County," Handley-Miller said. "I know that there is also a good silent percentage of people like me that don't want to leave the church they love, but are incredibly dissenting to the official church teachings on that, precisely because women are caught in very difficult health situations."

Handley-Miller attends a church that is about a five-minute drive away from today's venue.

She explained that national coverage of women with pregnancy complications, "literally bleeding out" in their cars in abortion-ban states, is traumatizing to watch for Michigan women who also experienced difficult pregnancies.

FLOTUS Pool report #3 - La Crosse, Wis.

Local educators wearing royal blue shirts and other local supporters filled the La Crosse Civic Center in La Crosse, Wis. Monday evening, in anticipation of the arrival of First Lady of the U.S. (FLOTUS) Jill Biden and the First Lady of Minnesota (FLOM) Gwen Walz.

The event began at approximately 5:30 p.m. with a speech from La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds, discussing the importance of "not going back." The mayor said that Donald Trump will abolish the Department of Education and eliminate Title I funding, which will "have a devastating impact on school budgets." He further encouraged attendees to make sure to vote on election day.

Following the mayor, local field organizer Patrick Snead began his speech by asking the audience if they were "Ready to welcome the First Lady and future Second Lady?" and highlighted the dangers of Project 2025.

Before the First Ladies arrived, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and President of the National Education Association Rebecca Pringle gave remarks, rallying for Harris and Walz.

The crowd erupted during Weingarten's speech, praising her efforts to "create more opportunities and cut costs" and that Vice President Kamala Harris supports public schools and colleges, social security, worker's right to unionize, and she will bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., claiming that Donald Trump will try to ship them overseas.

"Who better to rally a group of educators than two women who have been in our classrooms, walked the hallways of our schools and dedicated their careers to America's students long before she was First Lady of the United States of America," said Pringle. "You already know that Vice President Harris stood up for us and our students. … As Vice President, she was the deciding vote that gave us the largest increase in public education funding."

She exited the stage, chanting "we will not go back," as the crowd roared.

Local education leaders spoke, with La Crosse Education Association President, Jesse Martinez, thanking Vice President Harris, Mrs. Walz, and Dr. Biden.

"I am so proud of my job, and I am so grateful to Vice President Harris and leaders like Mrs. Walz and Dr. Biden, who are fighting out there every single day for public school teachers like us," Martinez said.

FLOTUS and FLOM appeared on stage at the La Crosse Civic Center at approximately 6:17 p.m., to deliver speeches at the Educators for Harris-Walz event.

Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz first took the stage, discussing her education experience and the importance of continued investment in today's youth. "Tim and I are both teachers, and we both often say, teaching is not just what we do, it is who we are," said Gwen Walz. "We cannot help but see the potential in everyone, and we want everyone to have a chance to reach it."

Gwen Walz also spoke about her and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's experience with fertility treatments to start a family of her own, saying that Donald Trump is threatening access to reproductive freedom.

Stressing the urgency and tight race ahead, Gwen Walz said: "We have just 8 days until the most important election of our lifetimes. … This election is the ultimate group project, and it's due in eight days. And guess what? It's pass-fail."

FLOTUS, who Gwen Walz referred to as "America's teacher," began speaking at 6:30 p.m.

"It's so nice to be here with family," said Jill Biden, referring to the hundreds of teachers standing in front of her. Jill Biden emphasized the urgency of the election, claiming that it will have a profound effect on women, and their ability to make healthcare decisions, to buy homes and put food on the tables, and to live in a country that celebrates our differences.

She praised Kamala Harris, calling her the "leader we need right now," and describing how she will make life easier for Americans across the country, by lowering costs, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and protecting American freedoms. She also praised Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, touting his military background, and history as a public school teacher and high school football coach. "He knows our country is at its best when we take care of each other," she said.

Before concluding, she painted the audience a picture, which seemed to hit home for many voters in the room, of what could be with Vice President Kamala Harris versus what could be again with former president Donald Trump.

Remarks concluded at approximately 6:39 p.m.

List of speakers:
Jill Biden, FLOTUS
Gwen Walz, Minnesota First Lady
Rebecca Pringle, NEA President
Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers President
Jesse Martinez, La Crosse Education Association President
Mitch Reynolds, Mayor of La Crosse, Wis.
Lisa Storms, Chippewa Valley Technical College employee
Patrick Snead, Field organizer