What it’s like to bop around the country with POTUS? An NPR pool reporter filled us in

President Biden is in Seattle tonight and tomorrow on a campaign fundraising stint. Elena Moore is an NPR political reporter covering the 2024 election. She’s traveling with the president’s press pool. Moore talked to KUOW’s Kim Malcolm about Biden’s Seattle visit, and what it’s like to travel with him.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Kim Malcolm: President Biden is coming into pretty friendly territory here in this mostly blue state. What's on his agenda?

Elena Moore: The president will fly to Seattle for a campaign reception. Biden is obviously no stranger to coming to the West Coast to bring home some cash. As for Seattle, it's been a while since the President visited, but First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Harris have been here more recently to raise money.

President Biden is doing pretty well when it comes to fundraising in this campaign. How important is this blue coast stop for him right now, at this point in the campaign?

The campaign has been spending a lot on ads, and they've been beefing up their campaign team. That all costs a pretty penny. Just days ago, they announced a new $14 million ad campaign focused on reaching Black, Latino, and Asian American voters. They also plan to increase their campaign staff to 500 by the end of the month, as well as open 200 offices in battleground states, places like Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. And that all costs a lot of money.

Is the president going to be doing any official business while he's in Seattle?

There's no official business announced so far on the schedule. But that said, it isn't uncommon for the president to make unannounced trips while he's traveling, possibly to a local restaurant or a coffee shop, or if the weather's nice enough, probably ice cream. So, that's always a possibility.

As for what goes on at these fundraisers, typically, as reporters, we get to hear the president's remarks and take notes, but that's kind of it. There are no cameras and we're kind of ushered out right when he starts taking questions from attendees there. He usually delivers a relatively similar message. He typically touts his big policy wins over his first term, gives an update on how the campaign is going, and takes aim at his competitor, former President Donald Trump.

You’re in an interesting job. What about it might surprise people?

I do a lot of reporting on the campaign. It's fun to get to travel with the president and cover him at the White House. But when I'm out covering him on the campaign trail, sometimes I get to actually talk to voters about how they're feeling. I just got back from a trip bopping around different college campuses in Wisconsin, one of the battleground states. It could theoretically decide the election.

I talked specifically to young voters there, a key group that the Biden campaign is hoping to win. They overwhelmingly supported him four years ago, and a lot of them aren't excited about his candidacy. They think he's too old, or they don't agree on his response to the Israel-Hamas war. Many want a permanent ceasefire. Talking with students and young people in one of these battleground states, I think, is a really crucial perspective here.

You're traveling with the president, doing your job. Can you pull back the curtain a little bit? What is that like?

It's hard not to think of how historic it is to be on a plane like Air Force One. There are moments where you remember, “Oh, my gosh, I'm on Air Force One.” But traveling with President Biden is always really interesting, whether it's an official stop touting one of his policy wins, or watching him at a fundraiser or big campaign rally. So, never a dull moment. And I always try to remember, this is something not everybody does every day.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.