From: "Parti, Tarini"
Date: October 6, 2022 at 8:16:24 PM EDT
To: Wranglers
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Travel Pool #15 (correct #) Remarks/Putin quote
(Previous report should have been #14 sorry!)
POTUS started speaking at 7:33 pm. He spoke for about 22 mins. Remarks were similar to previous fundraiser but spoke a lot more about foreign policy and he did bring up Putin. Those Putin quotes in bold below. Please check against transcript. (Thanks to AFPs Aurelia End for help)
Biden opened with This is not your fathers Republican Party.
Theres an assault on all these institutions, named the Supreme Court, White House.
Spoke of the challenges with governing with an evenly divided Senate.
I feel pretty good where we are as it relates to the senate but its premature he said
Repeated the line from previous fundraiser that House was a different story because of gerrymandering.
Moved on to Dobbs, a lot of things are in play, bringing up contraception. Then moved to climate change. The Colorado River is a bit of a canal now.
Touted passage of IRA, spoke of the insulin provision. Criticized Sens. Rick Scott and Ron Johnson again.
So theres a lot at stake.
He said a lot was at stake in foreign policy too. Said he would continue to support Ukraine, spoke of the nuclear threat.
First time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have the threat of a nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going.
We are trying to figure out what is Putins off ramp? Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself where he does not only lose face but significant power?
He said hes spent a lot of time trying to hold NATO together. Theres a lot of changes going on.
Spoke of the CHIPS Act and his visit to IBM this morning.
Went back to Putin:
We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis.
Weve got a guy I know fairly well, he said of Putin. Hes not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons because his military is you might say significantly underperforming.
I don't think there's any such thing as the ability to easily (use) a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.
I didnt realize how much serious damage the previous administration did to our foreign policy.
Pool listened to the remarks from a staircase next to the room where the event was taking place and could not see much. Looked like there were large art pieces on every wall around the room. We were ushered out at 7:53 as Sen. Peters took the mic.
We came in as James Murdoch was introducing the president. There was a lectern set up but the President moved to the middle of the room.
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Tarini Parti
WHITE HOUSE reporter, WASHINGTON BUREAU
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