This Sunday historic agreement, Israel and Hamas agree to a temporary ceasefire and hostage deal just days before Donald Trump returns to the White House. I've worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced. Who deserves the credit for securing the deal?
And will the truce hold? Plus day one, Donald Trump's wide ranging plans for his first day in office, including saving TikTok partners for January 6th defendants and mass deportations. One day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history. Will he follow through on his promises and Biden's warning?
As he exits the Oval Office, President Biden warns of unchecked power from billionaire technology executives. An oligarchy is taking shape in America, extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy. My exclusive guest this morning, speaker the House Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Plus, a dreamer's legacy or Meet the Moment conversation with Martin Luther King III on the deep divisions in our politics.
What do you think your father would make of this moment? He'd be quite disappointed. Joining me for insight and analysis are NBC News chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander, Ama Nawaz, co anchor of PBS NewsHour, Mike Nebke, former Trump White House communications director and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Welcome to Sunday.
It's Meet the Press from NBC News in Washington, the longest running show in television history. This is Meet the PRESS with Kristen Welker. Good Sunday morning. Tomorrow, a new chapter in our nation's history gets underway.
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, making him the second president ever to serve non consecutive terms. President Electron telling me in an exclusive phone interview on Saturday he is ready for that moment, including his decision to move the inauguration indoors. He said while it was a hard decision, it was the right one, adding, I think it would have been dangerous for a lot of people. He will take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address from the Capitol rotunda, which last happened for Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985.
We stand again at the steps of the symbol of our democracy or we would have been standing at the steps that hadn't gotten so cold. Press elect Trump also told me in that call the theme of his inaugural address will be unity, strength and what he calls fairness, saying, quote, we went through hell for four years with these people. And so, you know, something has to be done about it. Former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton will be at the ceremony, but will not attend Mr.
Trump's traditional inaugural lunch. Among those not attending tomorrow, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Ahead of the inauguration of a raid of Trump. Cabinet picks is making the rounds on Capitol Hill as the President Elect prepares to sign what he told me will be a record setting number of executive actions.
On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history. You promise to end birthright citizenship on day one. Is that still your plan? Yeah, absolutely.
Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again. I'm going to be packing very quickly. Within your first 100 days. First day.
First day. First day. I'm looking. These people have been.
Hello. For three or four years. The Trump administration was expected to begin large scale deportations as early as Tuesday with an immigration rate planned in Chicago. But Mr.
Trump's borders are said on Saturday. The administration hasn't made a decision yet after early details leaked out in press reports. The world is also responding to Washington's power shift with a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas setting up a possible reprieve in the 15 month war. Both President Biden and president like Trump trying to take Credit.
Thank you, Mr. President. You or Trump? That's a joke.
If we weren't involved in this deal, the deal would have never happened. And it was so ungracious to Biden to say, oh, he did it, he didn't do anything. If I didn't do this, if we didn't get involved, the hostages would never be out. And joining me now is the Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
Speaker Johnson, welcome back to Meet the Press. Glad to be with you. And it's a great morning to watch it. Well, it is an honor to have you here.
We really appreciate it. I do want to start in the Middle east with that ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas now in effect. President elect Donald Trump told me in that phone interview yesterday that this deal, quote, better hold. Mr.
Speaker, are you confident that this cease fire agreement will in fact hold? We're very hopeful about that. I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I believe on Thursday, this past week, they're cautiously optimistic. Hamas is a terrorist organization.
They're not known to keep their word. But we need these hostages released and we hope they're released in safety. We hope that there is peace in Israel. But I will say this.
If Hamas breaks the ceasefire, they need to know the United States will stand with our ally, Israel, and Israel will have to eradicate that threat. It's very important for this to look at the region. By all accounts, the first round of hostages that is said to be released are not Americans. Are you confident that the American hostages will be released in the coming days, if not weeks?
We certainly pray that that is true. We've met constantly with the hostage families. They've been in Washington advocating for their family members. It's such a tragic situation and so unnecessary.
But again, it highlights the necessity of Israel taking decisive action. You cannot Hamas, which of course is the proxy of Iran, to be situated as they were to have another October 7th. We just can't. Israelis can't live under those conditions.
And everyone around the world needs to know, as President Trump has made clear, that we stand with Israel and there will be hell to pay for Hamas if they violate these terms. What is hell they mean? We'll have to find out. I'm not going to forecast that action, but I'll tell you, President Trump is coming back to restore peace through strength.
And that's what American people voted for. That's what our allies around the world are counting on. Let me ask you about the big news overnight. TikTok going dark for millions of users ahead of this nationwide ban going into effect.
Both President Biden and President Elect Trump are signaling that they want to delay the ban. By the way, they both one time supported the ban. But you were a very strong supporter of this ban, Mr. Speaker.
You said that, quote, beijing is our number one foreign threat. You have called TikTok a quote, serious and direct threat. Are you concerned by not enforcing this law, the US Is sending a message of weakness to China? No, I think we will enforce the law.
And when President Trump issued the truth post and said save TikTok, the way we read that is that he's going to try to force along a true divestiture. Changing of hands, ownership. It's not the platform that members of Congress are concerned about. It's the Chinese Communist Party and their manipulation of the algorithms.
They have been flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages glorifying violence and anti Semitism and even suicide and eating disorders. I mean, crazy kind of stuff. And they're mining the data of American citizens. It's a very dangerous thing.
The Chinese Communist Party is not our friend, and we have to make sure this changes hands. I'm really heartened to see that Google and Apple and Microsoft have taken the steps to comply with the law. There needs to be a sale of full divestiture from the Chinese Communist Party, and I think President Trump is going to make that deal happen. So we're excited about it.
As you say he did post just this morning, safe TikTok. When I spoke with him in that phone interview on Saturday, he said to me that he has a likely going to impose a 90 day extension to give TikTok that extra time to divest from the Chinese owned company ByteDance. But Mr. Speaker, they have had months to sell their ownership.
Why are they going to do it now if they haven't done it so far? Why should America's confidence? That's the question. We don't have any confidence in finance.
They have 270 days to be exact. The law is very precise and the only way to extend that is if there is an actual deal in the works. Now, Kevin o', Leary, I think maybe even Elon and others have talked about buying it. I think Kevin o' Leary has an offer on the table.
I think President Trump is probably intrigued by all this and he likes to make deals, as you know. So we're very hopeful that that can happen and that 270 million American people who enjoy the platform can enjoy it, but enjoy it safely and not have their data being mined by our nation. Let me ask you about the big news that you made this week, Mr. Speaker.
You replaced Congressman Mike Turner as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman Turner has said publicly that you told him there were a range of reasons, including, quote, concerns from Mar A Lago. Did President Trump ask you to dismiss Mike Turner? Of course not.
No. The idea, the notion that this was directed by income administration is just simply false. There's a range of decisions that are made when you're determining chairmanships. I have nothing but praise from my colleague Mike Turner, good friend.
He's a great leader in Congress, did a good job under grateful circumstances in the last Congress. But the whole intelligence community suffered a lack of trust, I think over the last few years because of abuses. Not on the part of anyone in the House. But the intelligence community is the oversight mechanism that we have over that.
And it just seemed like a good time to have a new change. So that's all it was. Mr. Speaker, I don't have to tell you this.
You have an historically razor thin majority. You can only afford to lose two votes. Did you just risk alienating a critical moderate vote that you are going to need to get the Trump agenda pass? No.
As I said, Mike Turner and I are good friends, trusted friends and colleagues. He will still be one of the top leaders in the House. In fact, I reappointed him as Mr. Began.
He graciously agreed. He is the face of the House with NATO. Do you think he can count on his vote, Mr. Speaker?
Oh, sure. Look, Mike is a team player. He's going to help us enact America's first agenda. No question about that.
But he will be the leader of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly, America's leader. In fact, he's the chair of that whole organization that we hosted in his district in Dayton, Ohio. All NATO leaders, our colleagues coming in for that. He's a strong voice in terms of national affairs and intelligence.
And let's talk broadly about the Trump agenda. Obviously, at the top of the list, his plans for mass deportation. He told me in a previous phone call there is no price tag for his mass deportation plan. And yet by some estimates, it will cost as much as $88 billion per year just to deport a million people.
Are you, is Congress prepared to support and pay for President Elect Trump's mass deportation plan no matter what the cost, no matter how expensive? Kristen, I cannot think of a better dollar for dollar investment than to restore the security and the safety of the country. We've had a wide open border for four years and millions upon millions of illegal persons. We have dangerous illegals in the country, criminals who already commit crimes here, violent crimes against American citizens.
The best thing we can do is return those people from where they came. And I think the American people understand that. I saw a New York Times poll. I think it was just two days ago, 87% of the American people agree that we should deport dangerous, illegal criminal aliens.
And that's what I do. And yet the cost is staggering. And you said just last summer, quote, our biggest national security challenge is our national debt. Does that mean that you are committed to making sure that his mass deportation plan is PA offsets?
Oh, sure. Listen, the number one job of the federal government is protecting the citizenry. When you have a wide open border, you don't have safety, security, or even sovereignty for that matter. President Trump is going to follow through on his campaign promises and promises that we all make on the campaign trail.
It costs money to do that. But that is a small investment in terms of what it cost us. This staggering cost, the lack of resources in our local communities has been pulled to handle this, the Century Cities nonsense that these Democrat cities brought about and all their policies, and then the crime wave that is brought upon the country, the untold humanitarian cost in terms of trafficking and fentanyl deaths, the leading cause of death Americans in 1849 for the last few years. We have to get on top of this.
And so getting rid of that criminal element, the dangerous element, something the American people want us to do. Just bottom line, you are willing to spend trillions of dollars if that's what it costs to get this plan passed. Look, it won't cost trillions of dollars. I think we don't yet know the dollar figure.
But I will tell you that the American people, that effort, and we're going to begin with the most dangerous elements, and you're going to see a dramatic change in the country because of it. President Elect Trump has also said he was elected, reelected for two issues, the border and grocery prices. Can you guarantee that under President Elect Trump, under this Republican Congress, that grocery prices will, in fact come down? Oh, I don't think there's any question about that, because we're going to return to fiscal sanity, as President Trump says, common sense.
And that is we're going to make sure we don't have the largest tax increase in U.S. history at the end of this year, when the Trump tax cuts would expire. And then we're going to turn the economic engines back on. We know how to do this.
We did it in the first Trump administration, if you remember, right before COVID after Trump took office, we had the greatest economy in the history of the world. I mean, incomes are rising, labor participation rates were up. Every demographic in the country was doing better. And then Covid hit, and everything happened after that.
But the way we did that is we reduced the tax burden on the American people, but even more importantly, the regulatory burden. That's going to be a major theme of the upcoming administration in this Congress, because if you, if you release the red tape, you unleash the free market again. And that's good. Very well.
But is there, bottom line, one piece of legislation targeted at bringing down grocery prices for the American consumer? Well, it's a complex collection of legislation because we got to unwind and fix everything. I was on the campaign trail all last year, traveling around the country, logged in the miles to circle globe five and a half times. We kept the House majority, we won the Senate majority for Republican Party, we won the White House, and we told the American people that we would do well by them.
And when I said on the campaign trail was to summarize, we could be the most consequential Congress in the modern era because we had to fix everything. I mean, everything's a mess. So it's not just one switch that you flip back on, it's a number of them. And we have to make it all work together.
And we will. All right, let's talk about disaster relief for California. I want to tell you something the California governor, Gavin Newsom wrote recently. He said, quote, there must be no conditions, no strings attached to disaster aid.
And yet we know that there's a big conversation happening right now on Capitol H about linking disaster aid for California to an increase in the debt limit, which has been a traditionally really thorny issue. Are you and can you commit that California disaster relief won't have strings attached? No, I won't commit that. Because we have a serious problem in California.
Listen, there are natural disasters. I'm from Louisiana. We're prone to that. We understand how these things work.
But then there's also human error. And when the state and local officials make foolish policy decisions that make the disaster exponentially worse, we need to factor that in. And I think that's a common sense notion. Listen, in California, over the last couple years, they cut $100 million from forestry management, they cut almost $18 million from LA's fire department, putting them into their other crazy priorities.
And you had 117 million gallon reservoir that was left empty for a year outside Pacific Palisades. Those were decisions they made based on whatever, whatever their ideas were, but it made worse and everyone knew it would and the risk was there. So it could be linked to the development to increase the potentially. That's what we're talking about.
Okay, Let me ask you about the pardons Mr. Trump has promised for January 6th defendants. When I interviewed him last month, he would not rule out pardoning those, even those who plead guilty to violent crimes. Mr.
Speaker, do you believe that someone who assaulted a law enforcement officer on January 6th deserves a pardon? No, I think what the President said and Vice President Electa said is that peaceful protesters should be pardoned, but violent criminals should not. That's, that's a simple determination. It's up to the President on that.
But there's been a lot of talk about what happens. President Elect Trump, just to be clear, has said he's going to look at everyone. When I interviewed him, he said he's not ruling out anyone. So my question for you, Would you oppose a pardon for someone who has pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer?
Look, every case needs to be evaluated. As he said, what President Trump is getting at is the lack of faith that people have right now. Our system of justice, it was abused for the last few years. From the last four years on, the Biden administration, the Department of Justice itself was weapon.
When the people lose their faith in our system of justice, that is what leads to all these other concerns and President Trump's gotta restore that. We have new leadership very quickly. We're almost out of time. What will you be listening for?
What do you want to hear tomorrow in President Elect Trump's inaugural address? Well, this is. We're going to usher in a new golden age for America. He's excited.
We're all excited. Everyone. You walk around the city, there's this sense of anticipation because we know that something big is happening here. I feel like it is the comparison to Reagan this morning.
I'm moving inside. I think it's apt because it was morning in America under Reagan. Now we're going to have new golden agent and hear that hopeful tone. I think President Trump speech and a unified speech.
I think that's really important for the country. House Speaker Mike Johnson, thank you very much for being here. We hope you'll come back again soon. We'll do it.
Thanks for having me. Thanks so much. And when we come back, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins me next. Welcome back.
And joining me now is House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, welcome back to MEET the press. Good morning. Great to be with you.
Well, it's an honor to have you here on a very big Sunday. I do want to start in the Middle east. And that ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, as you know, in this extraordinary move, the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump administration did work together to try to secure the ceasefire agreement. Since then, we have seen both Mr.
Biden and Mr. Trump try to take some credit for this deal. Let me ask you, Leader Jeffries, do you believe that President elect Donald Trump deserves some credit for this ceasefire agreement? What's most important is that it was an act of diplomacy that was accomplished first, put into the public domain, of course, by President Biden in May of last year, having secured the support of the then Israeli war cabinet and the UN Security Council.
We're thankful that Israeli hostages and American hostages are on the way home. Humanitarian assistance will be surged into Gaza to provide relief to Palestinian civilians and that the foundation will be laid for a path to a just and lasting peace with a safe and secure Israel. Just to the bottom line point, though, Leader Jeffries, do you believe that President elect Trump also deserves some of the credit for getting this deal over the finish line? How do you see it?
I think that'll be a question that historians will have to answer moving forward. Right now, we should be focused on making sure that phase one of this plan is fully implemented and that we can move to Phase two and phase three as it relates to the reconstruction of Gaza, making sure that Hamas is completely and totally eradicated and that there's a path toward a just and lasting peace. All right, let's talk about the Trump agenda. President Elect Trump's mass deportation operation is set to begin as early as Tuesday, obviously the details still being hammered out.
He told me he plans to start by focusing on undocumented immigrants with criminal histories. Do you support the raids that are expected to take place this week in major cities? We have a broken immigration system and we certainly need to fix it and fix it in a comprehensive and bipartisan manner. That should begin by making sure we secure the border.
And House Democrats have made clear that we are ready, willing and able to work with the incoming administration to get that done in a bipartisan manner with respect to undocumented immigrants. What America needs is for the incoming administration to focus on violent felons, not breaking up families. So you would support removing violent felons first in these raids that are expected in major cities across the country? I support the current administration and the incoming administration doing what's necessary to ensure the safety and security of communities throughout the United States of America.
And that obviously entails focusing on the removal of violent felons who threaten the well being of the American people. You heard me just talk with House Speaker Mike Johnson about the price tag that is anticipated to be associated with this mass deportation plan. Leader Jeffries, are you prepared to vote yes to support this plan to pay for this mass deportation effort? What we're prepared to do is to focus on the issues that matter.
And first and foremost, that means driving down the high cost of living in the United States of America. Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high. Insurance costs are too high.
Utility costs are too high. Child care costs are too high. America is too expensive. And what we need to do is to drive down the high cost of living and build an affordable economy for hardworking American taxpayers.
We haven't seen any ideas, any plans, any bills put forward by Republican colleagues in the House to get that done. We're anxiously awaiting something to show that they're serious about that effort. And no decision yet on whether you'll support that mass deportation plan with respect to deportation activities. As I've indicated, the administration needs to focus on the removal of violent felons who threaten the well being of the American people.
Let me get your take on disaster aid leader Jeffers. You just heard Speaker Johnson very clearly say that, yes, there may be strings attached, that, yes, it's possible that they will move to try to link it to an increase in the debt limit. Would you vote yes if that were to come before you, if that were the only way you believe to get disaster relief to Californians? California delegation in the House has been very clear that they do not support conditioning disaster assistance to the American people whose lives have been overturned as a result of historic wildfires in California.
In the history of this country, we have never conditioned disaster assistance to Americans who are hurting. Why would we do it right now? Here's the answer in terms of why House Republicans are proposing to do just that. House Republicans want to pass massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations to benefit the wealthy, the well off and the well connected and to stick the bill with working class Americans and those in the middle class who they claim to want to support.
That is not an effort. That is not a scheme that Democrats will support. Let me ask you, you said in your floor speech, the 119th Congress, quote, in a democracy there's a time to campaign and a time to govern. Is there one issue, your definition you can identify today where you think you can find common ground with Republicans, where you're prepared to work with Republicans?
The American dream has been broken for decades in this country. There are far too many Americans who are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, can't get ahead, can barely get by. And we need to step in not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, as public servants to do something about it, to make sure that people can actually pursue the American dream of homeownership, educate their children, have access to health care, and one day retire with race and dignity. That's the American dream that has been broken for decades.
We need to work together to fix it. There's a lot of question about Democrats role. Speaking of 20 the Democrats played in allowing President Biden to stay in the race as long as he did. I want to play you something that you said back in February of 2024.
Take a look. Do you think that it's time to pass the baton to a new generation of leadership or do you think Joe Biden is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump? Well, Joe Biden is definitely the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump. What do you say to Americans who believe you and other top Democrats misled them?
Well, Joe Biden was the incumbent president at the time. He was the candidate at the time and I supported him at the time. And that was the right thing to do based on the incumbent president making the decision that he was going to run. Obviously, things change in late June and early July.
But I think what's most important at this moment is not for us to look backwards, but to look forward, solve problems for hard working American taxpayers and get things done. That's what the American people want to happen. That's the message that I interpret from the November election and that's the work that House Democrats are prepared to do to make sure we're improving the quality of life for working class Americans, not the wealthy, the well off or the well connected. Leader Jeffries, I guess just bottom line, do you believe you had a responsibility to be more forthcoming about what you had seen behind closed doors as it relates to President Biden?
What I saw behind closed doors was a president who was working hard to get things done to deliver for the American people. On infrastructure, on driving down the high price of life saving prescription drugs, on bringing domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America. It's important to understand that President Biden inherited three different catastrophes on day one. A democracy, catastroph, public health catastrophe and economic catastrophe all at the same time.
And work hard to put America in the strongest possible position moving forward. Leader Jeffries, very quickly, with President Biden sets to leave the White House on Monday, who do you think is the leader of the Democratic Party right now? We're going to work hard as House Democrats to get things done for the American people. We'll have a DNC chair election at the end of this month.
We look forward to, of course, working with our colleagues in the Senate and Democratic governors across the country in order to present a vision that is inclusive, that is decisive and that is anchored in making life better for everyday Americans moving forward. And then we'll put it in the hands of the American people in two years. All right, Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate having you on this very significant Sunday.
Thank you. And when we come back, a new Trump era begins and President Biden exits the stage. The panel is next. Get the best of NBC News with a subscription viewer ads, deeper access and exclusive content.
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Price is subject to change. Visit NBC news.com xfinity for full off returns and details. Hey guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I sit down with one of the biggest bands in the world, Mumpert and Son, as we get the boys together to talk about their new number one album, Prize Fighter, and the evolution of that irresistible foot stomping sound.
You can get our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts. Welcome back. The panel is here, NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander, Amina Vaz, co anchor of PBS NewsHour, former Trump White House communications director Mike Dubke and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Thank you to all of you for being here on the Sunday before the inauguration.
Peter, let's start with you. We know that President elect Trump has said he's gonna sign a record number of executive actions flurry of activity tomorrow, but also over this next 100 days. What are you gonna be watching for? Yeah, we talked about executive actions.
He's touting what, dozens or perhaps a hundred. We have looked back, but in 2017, on day one, there was just one. So this is the president has a much better understanding of the way this job works, the rhythms of the job. He recognizes the window of time he really control of all things in Washington.
He has to get to work right away. I do think we'll hear him use the megaphone of the office to sort of say that he has a broad mandate going forward right now. Recognize this is a president who has now spent more time as a former president of the United States than he ever spent as a candidate before the first go. So he had a lot of folks around him.
Some will say Project 2025 gave us a preview, but a lot more time to sort of prep whatever they wanted to do this go around as they do. I think the expectations that were very high from his supporters as he comes in this time, the campaign posture was he can make a lot of promises. Now you have to start delivering on those things. And oh, by the way, I know we're some football fans at the table.
You're much like you can screw up the first 10 places game. There's always a crisis that comes in and changes up what your plans may have been. We saw what happened within the last weeks. The players in California, that can always happen right away as well.
Yeah, it's a really great point. And Anna, you heard the urgency in Speaker Johnson and also some of the challenges as Peter points to, the expectations are sky high for President elect Trump. He has laid out this ambitious agenda and yet Speaker Johnson's dealing with this nar majority in the House this is going to be an uphill battle. Yeah, that's a good.
The expectations are high because that is where President elect Trump has said that he now has to see through it. Look, he's trying to push through party line votes on a bill that could include everything from border security, manufacturing and tax provisions, essentially lifting the debt ceiling with a historically razor thin majority. That is a very, very tall order. And you have to remember there were a few members of his House caucus who basically said, we're not sure about you.
When that first round of votes, they wanted to send a message. They did get on board very, very quickly. How important are they going to be when you see provisions that could be adding to the debt limit? They could.
They don't necessarily want to raise the debt ceiling as well. The reality here is that Speaker Johnson needs President Trump. Right? He in some ways, he owes him his gavel.
They have two years to try to get through as much as they possibly can. But did you see Senator saying he wants to put this into two bills, Prioritize border security first, then deal with the tax provisions. I think the overarching reality right now, though, is that there's not really a Republican lawmaker will to say no to Mr. Trump.
You have former rivals lining up to be in his Cabinet. Liz, Cheney is gone. There's no reason to expect they won't try to push through what he wants. You take me to my next point beautifully, Mike, which is that what a different world President Trump enters than in 2017, which Peter was touching on as well.
He's got this Republican controlled Congress, okay. He also had that in 2016, but he's been here before and he's surrounding himself by loyalists. I mean, is there anyone in this mix who can stand up to him and say no? Oh, I think so.
And look, every administration walks in with a level of euphoria and I think they're Speaker Johnson talking about the excitement that's in Washington right now. And I think we're see that on the first few days. To your point, President Trump has raised the stakes, so to speak. But the early days of the last administration, there were a lot of unknowns on how to get things done.
This group coming in has been there and done that. And so we will see more than one EO come out during the first day. But what I'm really expecting to see is more of the shock and awe of an ICE immigration policy happening in Chicago or elsewhere. I think a lot of this is gonna be less on the eos and more in the optics of what's happening.
There's gonna be a lot of action coming out of the gates. Yeah, I think so, Jed. It was notable to hear from Leader Jeffries. I mean, clearly he's opposed to some of what President Elect Trump is proposing.
So you heard him continue to go back to this idea. Look, we're trying to find common ground as it relates to the economy, lowering prices for the American public. Watching that, I was thinking he is trying to send the message to Democrats and Congress and people at home, do not take the bait on every issue. We have to chase our battles.
They don't control anything. There is a narrow margin in the margin in the House. So, yes, Mike Johnson needs Trump, but he also needs Jeffries and he also needs Democrats to get things done. Jeffries knows that.
And they also have to see what happens. Now, Republicans control the House, the Senate, the White House, arguably the Supreme Court. So bad things that happen in. It's hard to pin on Democrats.
They have to figure out what they're going to fight. But he was, he clearly came in with a no card of the message he wanted to send, and he was set to, which I think is actually a very smart strategy for Democrats. It's a fascinating point, Jen. And speaking of Democratic messaging, President Biden's been very focused on his own messaging.
He's dealing with some real headwinds. Let's look at some of the headlines just from this week. How Biden destroyed his legacy. One of the great tragedies of American politics.
Biden ends five decades in public life. Biden's presidential legacy, an era of change forever marked by Trump here. Alexander, how is he trying to write the first draft of his legacy, reporting on what we might see from him in the next 40 years? Well, of course, he came off of the first go round as the president who defeated Donald Trump in the eyes of any of his supporters.
Protected democracy. Now he departs in the fatal law, perhaps is that he has paved the way for Donald Trump's return to power. The thinking was he would be this transformational figure early on in some of these big legislative achievements that he celebrated. He would be a transaction, a transitional figure as well.
But of course, now the transition back in the hands of Republicans, I think that's going to tarnish his legacy certainly in the near term right now by choosing to run again and waiting too long to decide to drop out in terms of how he can still impact his legacy in these waiting hours. Even as we were speaking, I was waiting for this conversation and had been told by White House officials yesterday. There would be more pardons and commutations coming out today as clockwork. That came out this morning.
So he has a record of pardons and commutations with the ones who wait on her still. The preemptive pardons will be sung for those that many in his circle, he included things could be targeted of those Chaney, the Adam shifts, the others. And I told that the President is, quote, considering this very seriously, even at this hour, that if they happen to likely happen tomorrow morning, just before he leaves officer with the meetings within the last several days, even with senior staff, boy, that would be significant. Anna, what are you going to be watching for and what are the takeaways from what we heard from President Biden this week in that farewell address where he wore an oligarch, he was taking root.
I think it's very in line for the President. I just look ahead to the next thing. I think the warning of what's to come was sort of in line with what we've seen from him in 50 years of public service. Back to this idea of paraphrasing all women.
The presidencies are like people, they contain multitudes. It's very complicated. They can get shinier the more time goes on. So all of these things Peter mentioned, he came in at a time of chaos, led us through a pandemic, pursued historic investments, the fruits of which I think will be seen in the future as well, pushed through this ceasefire deal.
Oh, that's part of his legacy. So too is this idea that, you know, 46,000 deaths of Palestinians are also part of his legacy. This idea that he questions whether he should run or not are also part of his legacy. It is very, very complicated.
But I will say, if you can say anything about Joe Biden and tomorrow we're going to mark the birthday off to Martin Luther King Jr. This idea of never losing intimate hope, 50 years of public service. The legacy will be written over time. Watching that speech on Thursday night, it was not all what I expected.
I thought the first part of it was going to be largely talking about his legacy of legislative achievements and lists. That's often what you hear in his speech speeches and what it marked to me, what the message sent to me is. He was saying to people at home, he really speaks directly to the public. That speech was voiced to the public.
He was saying, I am no longer here. I can't protect. No one is protecting you American people. The Supreme Court is not protecting you.
Congress is not protecting you. The person sitting at this desk is not protecting you. There's an oligarchy of rich people who are close to the guy who's going to sit here. It's up to you.
You are the keepers of that. That is not a Joe Biden message, which I think was that was what was frightening me about this. Happen a lot Sooner right now. 15 seconds.
Joe Biden was a tragedy in three parts from his young years to the middle in the vice presidency at the end. And he left the the stage too late. At the end of the day. That's what the Democrats are going to have to struggle with and deal with.
That's what history will be looking at for years and decades and centuries to come. Thank you for a fantastic conversation. When we come back, the powerful message from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our Meet the PRESS minute is next. Welcome back. Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a time to reflect on the life and legacy of one of the civil rights movement's most influential leaders.
As the nation considers how close it is to achieving Dr. King's dream, let's turn back to 1967, when he shared his hopes for solving the racial divide right here on Meet the Press. Dr. King, do you believe that the American racial problem can be solved?
Yes, I do. I refuse to give up. I refuse to despair in this moment. I refuse to allow myself to fall into the dark chambers of pessimism because I think in any social revolution, the one thing that keeps it going is hope.
And when hope dies, somehow the revolution degenerates into a kind of nihilistic philosophy which says you must engage in disruption for disruption's sake. I refuse to believe that, however difficult it is, I believe that the forces of goodwill, white and black in this country, can work together to bring about a resolution of this problem. When we come back, our Meet the MOMENT conversation with the son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To learn more about the books featured on Meet the Press, go to nbcnews.com books. You'll also find new releases on history, biography and more. NBC News receives a commission for sales made through our website. Welcome back.
As the nation prepares to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. On the same day as the inauguration, I spoke with his son, Martin Luther King III. He's the C.O. author of a new book, what Is My Legacy?
Exploring the weight of his family name and the ongoing fight to fulfill his father's dream. We sat down for a very special MEET the MOMENT conversation. Martin LUTHER King, iii, welcome back to MEET THE press. Thank you.
Honored to have the opportunity. We are honored to have you here. I Rarely do this. But I have to say, on a personal note, I probably wouldn't be sitting in this chair if it weren't for.
For not only the work of your father, but your father's legacy. Every Martin Luther King Jr. Day, my mother would take me to an event honoring him, would use it as an opportunity to teach me about my history. It was a day of service, a day of reflection.
And so I thank you, I thank your family. And with that, I ask you, what do you think the day in which we mark your father's legacy means to little boys and little girls all across this country today? Well, I hope that young people and people in general see it as a day. My mother used to say, a day on, not a day off.
So that, you know, generally holidays, we relax and chill. This is not about that. This is about working to realize the dream that he had of freedom and justice and equality for all humankind. So we come to the table every year and people ask me, well, did we realize the dream last year?
Maybe we've realized elements over the years, but anywhere near the fulfillment of the dream? Absolutely not. On that point, as we sit here today, we are a nation that is divided, fractured, struggling to communicate. What do you think your father would make of this moment in which we find ourselves?
He'd be quite disappointed, quite frankly, that we are where we are. Probably wouldn't be surprised, but he certainly would be disappointed because he always infused energy that was positive, bringing out the best of who we as Americans are. And quite frankly, unfortunately, in great tragedy, we see the best of who Americans are. But when it's over, we go back to our corners and live in bubbles and separate.
We need to exhibit the behavior that we exhibit in tragedy, universally, all the time. Well, you write in your new book, what Is My Legacy? Which I love this section because you talk very candidly about how you're grappling with your legacy, your work here. You say, if dad had been a physician and owned a medical clinic, I could have built on his work by opening a chain of clinics.
But my dad's name is known throughout the world and honored with a national holiday. I can't better that. So I've recalibrated my expectations of myself. I hope I can be known for my own body of work instead of the son of.
I hope to be known as Martin Luther King iii, who has happens to be the son of Martin Luther King Jr. How do you come to terms with those complex feelings? I'm grateful, so grateful for my mother who liberated me when I was, I don't know, 12, 14 years old. She said, you don't have to go to Morales College.
You don't have to be a minister. You don't have to be a civil human rights leader. Just be your best self, whatever that is, we will support. So I did end up going to Morehouse.
I did end up becoming a civil human rights leader, but I did not go into ministry. Not because that's not something I considered. It's just because I feel that's a very special, unique calling. This year marks 60 years of Bloody Sunday.
60 years of the passage of the Voting Rights Act. How do you see the road ahead? There have been enormous advances in progress made and also some setbacks. My father used to say that whenever there is a perception, any reality of progress, there are always inevitable setbacks.
1963, when he was delivering the I have a Dream speech, the nation was very excited and everything felt really great. But less than three weeks after the march, the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. You know, when George Floyd tragically was killed. For about a year we were doing all kind of incredible things to create opportunities for people who've been excluded historically.
After about a year, the pushback came and now we started banning books. We are starting to dismantle, excuse me, dismantle dei this year, the day that we remember and mark your father's legacy falls on the same day of the inauguration of president like Donald Trump. What will you be listening for? In his speech, you said you'd be paying.
Yeah. He has said that he wants to create some semblance of unity. Now, what that means is you got to be in dialogue with everybody if you really want to bring the nation together so that it is the manifestation of what we call ourselves, the United States of America. We're not reflective of the United States of America right this moment, in my judgment.
We've talked so much about your father's dream for this country. What is your dream for this country? Well, in a similar way, my dream is, is in alignment with my mom and father because I wish that, that we were at a different place in the work had been done. So I believe there is a consciousness that's coming, not here yet, but coming.
And so I want to be a part of helping, whatever I can do to make us this truly amazing nation, the nation that it ought to be. And you can watch my full Meet the Moment conversation with Martin Luther King III. Meetthepress.com that is all for today. Thank you so much for watching.
We'll be back next week because if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press. I'm Craig. No. Cheers.
Cheers. Cheers. I've always been a glass half full kind of guy, and now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too. It's a really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges.
Their stories are fun and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. Who knows, you might just come away with your own Glass apple. Search Glass Apple with Craig Mel today onto the podcast.