Travel pool 8: POTUS speaking

The president's dozens-strong energy council was brought onstage at 3:25pm, including cabinet members Lee Zeldin and Doug Burgum, and sat in two U-shaped rows around the stage. Sen. McCormick was introduced at 330. Also spotted in the crowd: Former Sen. Rob Portman.

After the Beach Boys' "I Get Around" faded out, "Hail to the Chief" came on and POTUS entered at 3:33pm.

Sen. McCormick said that he was with POTUS in Butler, PA roughly a year ago, where he survived an assassination attempt, and " I witnessed your strength, your courage on that day and beyond."

He shouted out Trump's America-first energy policy, telling him "You're making our country energy dominant, supporting workers at every level.

POTUS began speaking at 3:38pm. "I went to school here, to college here, and got to know it very well."

POTUS said that at that rally, right before he was shot at, he'd called McCormick to the stage, before changing his mind and telling him to hold on.

"If you would have come up I don't know what the hell would have happened, right?" POTUS said.

On energy:

"We have the hottest country, and we're going to keep it that way."

Shouts out Secs. Scott Bessent, HowardLutnick, Doug Burgum, Chris Wright, Lee Zeldin—"the most important man on the dais today is Lee Zeldin, because he's going to be the one who will get you the permit."

--

Cameron Joseph

Senior Washington Reporter

The Christian Science Monitor

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