Day by day White House press pool account of POTUS’ 17-day vacation. This day-by-day report will be regularly updated and posted in its integral version through the day. Refresh the page for the most recent updates.
Day 4 August 7, 2017; Bridgewater, N.J.
Pool Report #1
Good afternoon from the Marriott Hotel in Bridgewater, N.J.
The pool will be moving at 1:30 p.m. at the clubhouse at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J where the President will give a statement before a meeting on the opioid crisis, per deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters.
Attendees of the meeting will include: First lady Melania Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, General Kelly, Jared Kushner, Kirstjen Nielsen, Andrew Bremberg, Kellyanne Conway, Reed Cordish, Robert Porter, Acting Director of ONDCP Richard Baum, HHS’s Nina Schaefer
There will be a pool spray at the top of the meeting when the President will give an update on a White House review of the opioid crisis.
Following the meeting, Secretary Price and Conway will travel back to the Marriott Bridgewater to give a readout of the meeting to reporters on camera. They are expected to arrive at 5 p.m. The pool will be given a 30-minute notice before they leave the property.
Walters added that Trump had his daily intelligence briefing this morning, but did not include details on attendees.
President Trump speaking at a roundtable in a side-room in his Bedminster, N.J. golf club about the opioid epidemic:
“It’s a tremendous problem in our country, and I hope we get it taken care of as well as it can be taken care of. Hopefully better than any other country that also has these same problems. Nobody is safe from this epidemic that threatens all — young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural communities. Everybody is threatened. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.
“Opioid overdose deaths have nearly quadrupled since 1999. It’s a problem, the likes of which we have never seen. Meanwhile, the overall drug prosecutions have gone down in recent years.
“Today I’m pleased to receive a briefing from our team on ways we can help our communities combat this absolutely terrible epidemic and keep youth from going down this deadly path. The best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place. If they don’t start, they won’t have a problem. If they do start, it’s awfully tough to get off. So if we can keep them from going on and maybe by talking to youth and telling them: No good, really bad for you in every way. But if they don’t start, it will never be a problem.
“We’re also working with law enforcement officers to protect innocent citizens from drug dealers that poison our communities — strong law enforcement is absolutely vital to having a drug-free society. I have had the opportunity to hear from many on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, and I’m confidant that by working with our healthcare and law enforcement experts we will fight this deadly epidemic and the United States will win. We’re also very, very tough on the southern border where much of this comes in, and we’re talking to China, where certain forms of man-made drug comes in and it is bad. We are speaking to other countries, and we’re getting cooperation. But we’re being very, very strong on our southern border — and I would say the likes of which this country certainly has never seen that kind of strength.
“So, we’re going to do our job, we’re going to get it going. We’re going to have a tremendous team of experts and people that want to beat this horrible situation that has happened in our country — and we will. We will win. We have no alternative. We have to win for our youth. We have to win for our young people — and, frankly, we have to win for a lot of other people, not necessarily young that are totally addicted and have serious, serious problems. So, we thank you all for being here. And we’re going to get on with out meeting. Thank you very much. Thank you all. Thank you.
Day 3 August 7, 2017, Bridgewater, N.J.
Travel Pool Report #1
On this rainy day, a lunch lid has been called until 6 p.m.
Lindsay Walters told the pool that a series of senior policy advisers and cabinet secretaries will come up in the days to come to discuss health care, tax reform, and other issues. Vice President Pence will come up for a day.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have been here all weekend and are still here. John Kelly has been here all weekend and will be here during the week. Rick Waddell, the deputy national security adviser, is here. Kellyanne Conway will be coming.
Elaborating on the presidential tweet from earlier this morning, Walters says Potus will spend part of the first half of next week in New York. Details to come.
Pool Report #2; 10:08:05 AM EDT
Lindsay Walters updates on Potus activities so far today: “This morning the president received his intel briefing. He also had an hour long call with the Secretary of State Tillerson and Chief of Staff General Kelly to discuss North Korea and receive an update on Secretary Tillerson’s trip.
Pool Report #3; 5:37:21 PM EDT
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Day 2 August 6, 2017, Bridgewater, N.J.
Travel Pool Report #3 — final
The White House called a travel/photo lid at 5:43 p.m.
“The President of South Korea has requested a call with President Trump this evening,” a White House official wrote in an email to the pool. “We will provide a readout following the call.”
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Day 1, August 5, 2017
Travel pool report #1 ; 10:53:38 AM EDT
Good morning from the Marriott in Bridgewater, N.J., where the pool is holding roughly 12 miles southeast of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
Travel pool report #2
The White House has called a travel/photo lid.
Your pooler did not see POTUS today and the pool was never brought onto the grounds at Trump National Golf Club. White House has not provided any updates on POTUS’ activities today.
Have put in a request for White House reaction to the UN Security Council vote on new DPRK sanctions. Will pass along if and when the pool receives it.
One update on aides traveling with POTUS this weekend: In addition to Kelly, Kushner, Ivanka Trump and others, Rick Waddell is here in New Jersey as the National Security Council representative and Rob Porter, the WH staff secretary, is also here.
With that, hope you all enjoy your Saturday evening.