Final out of town note #12 - color from gaggle

Your pool was promised a POTUS gaggle earlier in the flight, and we staged expectantly for at least 15 minutes, cameras on, microphones running, crowded and jostling in the turbulence. Eventually we were told it might happen and we retook seats.

We were well into our descent when a WH staffer burst into the press cabin to tell us POTUS was about to enter. Karoline Leavitt came from a side door, then POTUS opened a separate door at the front of the cabin.

"That's a lot of people," he said with half a smile on his face.

The plane was very close to landing by the time POTUS finished gaggling after 10 minutes. AF1 may have circled to accommodate his conversation with us, a wrangler said. POTUS walked forward into AF1 and the plane landed a minute or two thereafter.

POTUS also has some questions about the Washington Post.

"You've lost a lot of credibility," POTUS said, after asking your pooler’s outlet. Pooler asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was disrespecting him by attacking Ukraine while POTUS attempts to bring peace to the country. POTUS did not answer the question.

(POTUS did later answer one of your pooler’s questions, indicating, perhaps, that the Washington Post can live to fight another day.)

This concludes your out-of-town print pool for the weekend. Thank you for tolerating this first pooling foray. Over to the in-town pool, and until next time.

Michael Birnbaum

White House Reporter

The Washington Post

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