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"A reminder of dignity, excellence and hope"
00:42:26
Former President Barack Obama, Former First Lady Michelle Obama and all living former Presidents -- with one notable exception -- gathered to honor the opening of The Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago.
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- [00:00]
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- [00:29]
Nicole Wallace
21 Ms. Now presents the chart topping original podcast the Best People With Nicole Wallace. This week, journalist and former CNN News anchor Don Lemon the pendulum swings.
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Narrator/Voiceover
Look at what came out of the civil rights movement.
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Look at what came out of the women's movement. Look at what came out of the gay movement.
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Narrator/Voiceover
Something good is going to happen. The best people with Nicole Wallace.
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Nicole Wallace
Listen now. For early access and free listening and bonus content, subscribe to Ms. Now premium on Apple Podcasts.
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Hi there everyone. It's four o' clock in the East. Today was a good day. A time capsule, if you will. A reminder of the kind of dignity and excellence and most of all, hope that the American presidency and the American President used to embody to the country and frankly, the rest of the world as former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama. All living former presidents, with one notable exception, and too many celebrities to count. It look like the Oscars gathered to honor the opening of the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago. The center will act now as a museum, an education and community center. It's a reflection of former President Obama's start as a community organizer, which, as one speaker said, is intended to serve as a, quote, hotbed of hope. The event featured musical performances from Jennifer Hudson and Bono and Bruce Springsteen and the Roots and Eddie Vedder and John Legend and Common. Legend and Common performed the song glory from the 2014 movie Selma. A reference, of course, to President Obama's now legendary speech, the one he delivered on the 50th anniversary of the March on Selma, and a nod to the civil rights heroes who paved the way for the first black president in our country. It's a milestone that former First Lady Michelle Obama referenced in her very powerful, touching tribute to her husband. Watch some of that to do it
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Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
all as a first and the higher standard that comes with all that. The claims that a U.S. senator and constitutional law expert wasn't qualified for the job. The lies about your birthright, your faith, your patriotism, the outrage when you stated the biological fact that if you'd had a son that he too would would be black. Yet you were unflappable at every turn. Always focused, always calm, always looking at the long view. How absurd it is to even imagine that you might have buckled under the pressure even once, lashed out in frustration, lost your temper. How absurd it is to imagine that you might have done anything but make our family and this entire country proud. No, you were too busy. I'm not done. Y' all not done so much to
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Alex Wagner
say
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Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
you are doing the people's work, rescuing our economy, expanding healthcare, ending a war, ordering the bin Laden raid, saving an auto industry, winning a peace prize, Keeping us safe from Ebola, regulating the banks, standing up for marriage equality, listening to science and comforting an entire nation in the face of unspeakable tragedies. And you did it all with such grace and class and cool that you made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful park.
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Michelle Obama also reminded us that during this era where the people in power are trying to take us backwards, despair is not an option.
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Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
Hope is the essential spark that lights the fire of change. But hope is a choice. Voting is a choice. Being a decent human being is a choice. Believing that we still hold the power to build a country that reflects us all is a choice. The Obama Presidential center is a living testament to the power of choice, y'.
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Melissa Murray
All.
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Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
The historic example that millions of you gave the world about what this imperfect democracy has strived for and achieved, and an urgent call to go out there and do it again.
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Now, that was a point echoed by her husband, the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, as he paid tribute to what makes us all Americans.
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Narrator/Voiceover
The shared values that make democracy possible. A belief in the intrinsic dignity and worth of all people and that no one is above the law or beneath its protection. A belief in checks and balances in our government and an accountability that comes with an independent judiciary and a robust free press. A belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president or political party, but to the people and our Constitution. A belief in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections. These are the values and traditions I believe in. And they are not Republican or Democratic values. They are American values we can all share, regardless of party values. Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did. It is our greatest inheritance, the story of America at its best, because it reflects a basic faith in the decency of our fellow citizens.
- [07:46]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
That message of hope and dedication to democracy during what feels like one of America's darkest chapters is where we begin today with some of our favorite experts and friends. Executive director of Protect Democracy, Ian Bassin is here. He served as associate White House counsel during the first three years of the Obama administration. Also joining us from Chicago today at the Obama Presidential center, former Senator Claire McCaskill is here. And senior political analyst, host of the Runaway country podcast, author of the Substack. How the hell with Alex Wagner. Alex Wagner is here with us. Claire, you're there. How was
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Claire McCaskill
was emotional and the emotions ran the gamut. Nicole. It went at moments I was, you know, I was move into the music with LL Cool J, who was sitting right across the aisle from me. And then another moment I was reflecting, how in the world does our country elect these two men, the same country? It was so stark and depressing in that way that this man and woman and their family led our country in a way that I certainly was proud of and I think many Americans were proud of. There was no scandal. There was no lying. There was no grab for money. So that contrast, and by the way, Michelle Obama's speech, I have never seen anyone give a speech that without saying his name, shamed the current occupant of the Oval Office just by talking about how absurd it would be for Barack Obama to behave in the way that I think she was referring to Donald Trump.
- [09:34]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Yeah, I think that people will study both these speeches for a long time. And that's why I kind of described it as a time capsule of this moment. I mean, the Obamas are always acutely aware of the moment in which they speak and how interpreted every utterance and every look will be. And she seemed to make some very careful and intentional contrast. Let me play a little bit more of Michelle Obama. This is number three.
- [10:03]
Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
These folks, these folks aren't Americans, too. They are America. They are the beating heart of this country. They are us and we are them. And to ignore the simple truth, to refuse to respect the contributions and experiences of people who aren't exactly like us, y' all put puts us all at risk. Failing to see the humanity in all people puts us all on a slippery slope. And once that slide starts, there's no telling where it stops. A dangerous precedent that flies in the very face of our faith and of the founding promise of this democracy, that all of us, all of us are created equal, that each of us is a child of God with inerrant value. And no one, and I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who's American enough.
- [11:18]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Ian Bassin, I Had a lot of thoughts about both these speeches, but, man, Michelle Obama is, I think, speaking for millions of Americans in everything she said today.
- [11:32]
Nicole Wallace
Yeah, you know, I was in Iowa during the caucuses in 2008. I was there working on the campaign, and a family in Indianola, Iowa, put me up in their basement. I slept on a couch there beneath a banner that said Bush, Cheney 04. It was a sign of the times when we weren't as riveted division by party, but we were united by what President Obama was calling us to, which is what we had in common. And in that moment, one of the most overwhelmingly white states in the nation voted to nominate a man that they were judging not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. And after I. Wow. I was sent by the campaign to South Carolina, one of the more heavily black electorates in the primary season, where I was organizing people who lived on the barrier islands off the coast of the Low country that had been centers of enslaved peoples prior to the Civil War. And I had volunteers coming into my office carrying with them the deed that their great grandparents had received from the Union army when they liberated those lands and showing it proudly to us in the office because they had been denied real opportunity even in the modern era, to have a say in elections for who might represent them. And now we're coming out to vote for Barack Obama. And in the final days of that primary, an unfortunate suggestion was made that it wouldn't actually count that much because it was just going to be, quote, unquote, the black vote that voted for Obama. And I can't tell you the degree to which that deflated the hopes of the volunteers who had worked for so long on it. And when Obama won that night, not just with the black vote, but with the white vote and the Asian vote and an overwhelming vote, I was in a little crab shack on St. Helen island and with volunteers who'd come in from all over the country, and the coming together of people from different backgrounds and different parties in a belief about the best of what America could be was a pinnacle of my experience as an American in my lifetime. And I think it is telling that that feeling, that sense of hope, that sense of unity, that sense of optimism, that sense of the best we could be is something that has been so sorely lacking for the last decade. And there's something incredible about the timing of this event today because it's coming at a moment when the country finally seems ready and hungry to turn the corner from the ugliness and divisiveness of the last decade. And how fitting that these two figures can come in at this moment and help us turn the corner back to what? To the light that I think they pointed us towards 10 years ago that I think we can reclaim and keep marching towards again.
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Alex, you've covered President Obama as long as anyone. You've interviewed him a bunch of times just to tell me your impressions and what leapt out at you today.
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Alex Wagner
I think the whole thing right now, all the people that I work with at Crooked Media are at the Obama Presidential Library opening. There's a lot of Obama in my life. And this sort of central tension is about how much Obama represents an anomaly and how much he is the truth of who we are in this country. And he addressed that last night. He said, you know, he said on stage, people are always coming up to me and asking, was it all a mir.
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Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
Was.
- [14:47]
Alex Wagner
Was your time in office real? Was that really who we are as a country? And he remains steadfast in his belief that we are still the country that elected him president. And he refuses to give up on the notion of goodness and cohesion and equanimity and inclusion that his presidency very much represented. And I think that's kind of the.
- [15:08]
Claire McCaskill
The sort of.
- [15:09]
Alex Wagner
The tension we see right now is that debate over what kind of country we are and what kind of country we want be. We want to be. And I gotta say, Nicole, like watching that CR on simulcast and seeing being reminded of the legacy of the country at the same time that it's like this Nick's Parade in New York City and you're reminded that the country is a sprawling, multi ethnic, multiracial, multi faith experiment, and that there is, you know, we make missteps, we make choices out of the worst impulses. But I think at the end of the day, we know the answer of who we are and the. Our strength is our diversity. And I think Obama knows that, and I actually think Trump knows it, and he's terrified of it. And I think his people know it and they are so intimidated by it, which is what makes moments like this, which are a reaffirmation of our principles and our identity as a country, so utterly intimidating for the Trump administration, but also incredibly heartening for the country on whole.
- [16:13]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Well, and president. I want to play that some of what I think you're talking about, because President Obama does go right at that, at who we all are. I mean, they both make it about the country so that everyone sees themselves in every word that is uttered. It's just Not. I mean, Trump is literally building physical monuments to himself. This is a center, and they refuse to make it about themselves, about either of them. So I want to play some more of President Obama. This is number one.
- [16:51]
Narrator/Voiceover
I am not immune to anger or doubt. But I do know this. When we lose faith in each other, when we stop believing that voting matters, that citizenship matters, that our collective voices matter, that how we treat each other no longer matters, then we give away our power to decide our own futures. We open the door to the most ruthless or the most careless or the most fearful among us, who see some groups and some people as more equal than others and see government as nothing more than a way to divvy up the spoils and punish enemies and keep those who are different in their place. I do not believe that is the story of America that prevails in the end. I don't believe it. Because for us to give up, for us to give in now, after all this country has been through, to cynicism and division, would be a betrayal of our founding ideals, a betrayal of our faith. And I remain convinced that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same way, that as unsettled as we are, people aren't looking for perpetual anger and division. They are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect. That deep in our gut, we want to find a way to turn towards each other again, not further away.
- [18:52]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Ian Bassin, There was an echo of what he says there in his convention speech where he talks about loneliness and what people do in loneliness. And I actually thought that this was the first chapter of the next presidential election that I went from thinking this country was divided into Democrats and Republicans. And in the last few years, I've thought it was divided between forces of autocracy and democracy. I now think it's this divide that President Obama talks about there, that we're either going to be pulled toward perpetual anger and division or fairness, common sense, and mutual respect. I think he's, as he did with that line years ago, we're not red states and blue states where he's talking about how we really aren't as divided as people would have you believe. I think he's casting the frame around our politics as sort of a call for people to find each other again. And I thought this. I thought her speech was absolutely show stopping. You couldn't breathe or move or talk while she was talking. But as is often the case, I think he sort of moved the marker to a place where the vast majority of Americans want to go, where they're not pissed all the time at each other and the other side, but connecting to each other again.
- [20:06]
Nicole Wallace
Yeah. I mean, I think the uncomfortable truth that is the through line through what the senator was talking about and what Alex was talking about is that we are actually both nations. We have always been both nations. We have been the nation of the soaring aspiration of President Obama. And we have unfortunately also been the nation of the hatred and the division and the corruption of the current president. And I think what the first lady was getting at was that at every moment we have a choice of which of those shoulders we are going to turn toward, the angels on one shoulder or the devils on the other. And throughout our history, we've made that choice and pointed in different directions at different moments. And I think democracy at the end of the day is about having that choice, being able to make that choice. Authoritarianism is about not having that choice. And the key for us is to constantly make the choice that preserves our ability to choose into the future. And I think you are right. My point earlier about this timing being kind of almost poetic, these speeches, this moment, this opening of the library, the return to sort of this Obama idea that we are stronger together, that we want to come together, that we have more in common, that divides us, that we can disagree without being disagreeable. That is the choice that is open to us. And I think because of the ugliness of the last 10 years, it is also the choice most Americans want to right now want to make.
- [21:26]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
It also felt very post partisan. You had George W. Bush right there in the center with the now rather famous friendship with the Obamas. We have to sneak in a break. There's so much more to show anyone who happened to miss our coverage of this live opening today. Also ahead, the events happening in Chicago. Obviously a reminder of what we've all been missing from the current occupant of the White House. The Obamas have clearly chosen to stay high while MAGA lives down low. We'll talk about the near zero pushback to that gross and offensive remark at the White House on Sunday about Michelle Obama, which continues to speak volumes about corporate America and Donald Trump's corporate enablers. Plus, what is getting pushback on the right today is Donald Trump's massive capitulation to Iran. From extreme, extreme loyalists in politics and the media to traditional conservatives as well as traditional right wing media allies, the collective right is really mad about the path Donald Trump is taking the country on when it comes to Iran. We'll get to all that and much more when deadline White House continues after a quick break. Don't go anywhere today.
- [22:51]
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Melissa Murray
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Alex Wagner
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Melissa Murray
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Alex Wagner
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Nicole Wallace
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- [24:46]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
We're back with Ian, Claire and Alex. Claire, I'm struck by how many of these lines in normal times, if we had a president who was, you know, a Democrat or Republican, but more normal that there wouldn't even be applause lines, right? Like people seem to go wild at whenever anyone said peaceful transfer of power or no kings. And it just seemed to underscore how far from anything normal we are right now.
- [25:14]
Claire McCaskill
No question about it. And you felt it in the crowd. It was a very interesting group of people because you had a lot of celebrities there. But you also had a lot of people who worked very hard on President Obama's first campaign. You had his cabinet was all there. You had elected officials. So it was quite a mix. But the audience was strangely united around a couple of things. And one was whenever there was a reference to our values and we can do better. You know, this is a president who's not going to get off the hope change message ever. His discipline is Amazing. He's been doing this for a long time. Hope and change. The other thing I think I should point out is how much they're emphasizing community. And that kind of ties into what you're talking to about loneliness. This center is not just a monument to the Obamas. It is a basketball court and it is a community gathering place. And it is a park. And it is. And they're saying to the community over and over again, they said, both of them, we want you to come here. We want you to be part of this. This is about you, not about us. And Michelle kept mentioning things like church basements and volunteering to coach the T ball team. I think they know that the way we get out of this divisiveness is if we start having more of a sense of community, regardless of which political party we claim
- [26:40]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
to that point. Alex Wagner, President Obama posted this picture a couple minutes ago since we've been on the air of all the former living presidents except the current occupant of the White House. It's the Bidens, the Bushes, the Obamas and the Clintons. It's reminiscent of other gatherings. The funeral of Mrs. Barbara Bush was a similar group. I think former President Bush may have invited Melania, but Donald Trump wasn't there. I mean, he's such a, an outlier to the reverence for the office. Like, it seems like more than his crude conduct and more than the grifting and more than the corruption, it's also just the debasement of the office of the presidency and the damage he does to the American brand around the world that puts him on the outside of this circle.
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- [27:38]
Alex Wagner
And I think it was a really specific choice not to invite him. Right. That's not protocol. And for the Obamas to sort of spend their time at the post podium, I think Michelle was giving, she was giving voice to the rage and the sort of emotional center of this moment. And he was appealing to the country's better angels, which are often the roles you see them occupy. But as far as the exclusion of Donald Trump, you can imagine that was a joint call on the part of the Obamas. And you can also probably hope that that's the way it is moving forward, that when we gather our leaders from this country, former and present, he's excluded because he is an anomaly, because he has forsaken the principles of democracy, because he has shred Constitution, because it's for him, not a presidency, but a monarchy. And, you know, I would imagine, Nicole, the president who's been raging in despair, largely because he's effectively surrendered to Iran and got nothing that he bargained for. Is incensed by his exclusion from a moment like today, where it's such.
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Like.
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Alex Wagner
It's such a moment of statecraft and stagecraft. It's such a statement of principles on the part of not just one president, but several presidents, the living presidents. And this is the kind of stuff that drives him insane. It's why he hates the JCPOA coming into conversation when he talks about his Iran deal. He hates the comparison between him and Obama. He hates the idea that a black man held the office and exited it with higher esteem than he has ever had. All of it serves as, I don't want to say a troll, because it's much more significant than that, but this is a repudiation of Trump, Trumpism and the Trump administration on the biggest stage imaginable.
- [29:28]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
The other piece of it is this is a favor that presidents pay one another. They go to pay their respects. And I was at the opening of George W. Bush's center in 2013, and President Obama gave a beautiful, beautiful speech. And he talked about the letter. He said this. The first thing I found in the desk, the Resolute desk, the day I took office was a letter from George, and one that demonstrated his compassion and generosity. For he knew that I would come to learn what he had learned, that being president, above all, is a humbling job. The idea that the most powerful person in the world is humble has also been lost. I think it's one of the greatest tragedies of this era. And I. I'm making my way as quickly as I can through Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's new book. And there's not an iota, there's not a sweat beadlet, there's not a drop of humility in anything Donald Trump does. And that, to me, was the other piece of this feeling of all that we've lost, not just from normal times, but from the Obama era. Ian.
- [30:39]
Nicole Wallace
I mean, I'm gonna try to see it a little bit as a feature here, that it's taking a moment like, and all the harm that's been done and all of the breaches of the social contract by Donald Trump to remind us, to force us to remember the things that have always lifted this country up and that will continue to lift it up. So this notion, as you were saying, Nicole, that in any normal moment or presidency, some of the lines being uttered today would be unremarkable, but they're remarkable today, celebrating the peaceful transfer of power precisely because we have been reminded how fragile they are are and how important they are. And so let's look at this as much you know, Jefferson said that, you know, every 20 years the the tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of patriots. Now, thankfully, thankfully, hopefully we will be able to re water that tree of liberty not with blood, but just the reminder and the tragedy of this moment and be called to do what we have always needed to do. And, and maybe it just took this moment, this tragic moment with a lot of suffering as a reminder of what we need to do.
- [31:43]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Ian Bassin, Claire McCaskill, no one I'd rather talk to than the two of you. Thank you for starting us off today. Alex sticks around a little bit longer. After the break, we'll have more to say about this. We'll bring Melissa Murray into the conversation. Don't go anywhere.
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Nicole Wallace
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- [33:01]
Nicole Wallace
of this place has always been about
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
the people, not about the politics.
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Nicole Wallace
From the field to the studio, Jacob is finding the part of the story. Connect with Jacob soboroff weekends at 10:00am Eastern on Ms. Now,
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Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
From Chicago's own
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Narrator/Voiceover
Donny Hathaway,
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Nicole Wallace
hang on to the world as it's been around.
- [33:42]
Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
During these anxious and divisive times. It is so important that we remember that those values are not unique to my husband. They are the same ones that your husbands and wives, your parents and children, your friends and neighbors exhibit and pass on every Single day, millions of people in this country wake up doing their very best to live decent and purposeful lives. Yet we're all tested in one way or another. And there are plenty of times we all fall short. But deep down in our hearts and souls, we all know right from wrong. We know selflessness from greed, righteousness from injustice. We understand that we all rise and fall together, that every last one of us is an invaluable contributor to the greatness of America.
- [34:49]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
I want to bring into our coverage NYU law professor legal analyst Melissa Murray. Alex Wagner, still with us, Melissa, this felt, I think this gave everyone the feels. It gave everyone nostalgia. But the Obamas made sure it was not just about looking forward, it was about digging deep and using that to push forward. What did you, what is sort of echoing in your ears after taking this in today?
- [35:16]
Melissa Murray
Well, the fact that this came on the heels of that incredible slur that was uttered on the White House lawn, it makes the this even more gracious. I think this was a first lady who has said before that when they go low, we go high. I think over the last couple of days, I've imagined that when they go low, we go to hell. Because people were really angry over all of this, and rightly so. But she really showed today that there is a gracefulness about her, a sense of purpose, a sense of the moment, a sense of legacy that transcends even these vile babes. Attempts at humor, frankly, that are offered by those who are as mediocre as they come.
- [36:04]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
She seemed to have that, if not front of mind, at least some awareness of that. Melissa, in an interview she did with my colleague Michelle Norris. Let me play some of that for you.
- [36:25]
Michelle Obama (speech excerpts)
Not just me and Barack, the stories of our upbringing. But, you know, that's, I think that's what resonates, and what will resonate for people of all backgrounds is they will see themselves in these floors. America will see itself. And I'm saying all of America, regardless of political party, regardless of whether you voted for us or like us or have nasty things to say about us or not or love us, you will walk through these halls and you will feel seen here.
- [37:04]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
I mean, it is to me, Melissa, like she's gone beyond the high road. Right? I mean, this is, this is, this is about something bigger than them. I think it always was. But even in this moment where the most powerful corporations in America are standing silent after this smear about Michelle Obama was uttered, and let me just list them. It's Budweiser, Ram Trucks, Dodge, Meta. That's the Facebook company Polymarkets, Crypto.com, monster Energy, Starlink and World Liberty Financial. That's Steve Witkoff's firm. Steve Witkoff is representing America on the global stage right now. Those are all the corporate sponsors of the fight where the winner slurred, smeared, slandered Michelle Obama. And what she has to say in an interview taped this week, whether you voted for us or like us or have nasty things to say about us, you walk through these halls and you'll feel seen here. What do you think of that?
- [38:04]
Melissa Murray
Well, it reminds me of when President Obama was elected for the first time in 2008. This is a campaign that I know you knew very well. One of the things he said initially in the wake of that victory was that he was intent on governing for everyone, not simply those who had voted for him, but every American. And, you know, I think that throughout his presidency, that was something he strove for. Like this was about trying to make the country better, moving the country forward. And obviously not everything was a success. Not everything went exactly as he wished it would. But I think he made that point. I think what she's doing here is incredibly strategic, reminding the country that, you know, we have better natures. There are things that appeal to all of us, even as we are so divided right now. And I think she's also making a more subtle point that the other side, whatever that side is, doesn't have a lock on patriotism. Like you can be a patriot and still not find any of this funny, still object to what is happening in this country right now, that that is a species of patriotism too, to call it out.
- [39:14]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
I want to bring Alex in on this. I have to sneak in a break before I do that. And before we go to break, we want to remind you that if you can't get to Chicago, we'll take you inside the Presidential center with a speech here. Tomorrow night at 9pm our friend a special tomorrow night at 9pm our friend Michelle Norris hosts a special behind the scenes look at the center featuring exclusive interviews with the former president, the first lady. That's what that clip is from. And members of their innermost circle.
- [39:45]
Narrator/Voiceover
At our best, the United States has been an undeniable force for good in the world. And what I heard on every continent as president is that when America, when American foreign policy lives up to our highest ideals, when we champion human rights and democracy and the sound stewardship of our planet, when we take the lead in eradicating disease and feeding the hungry and educating children, when we encourage cooperation between nations instead of trying to dominate and bully and squeeze every advantage just because we can. And most of all, when we show through our example here at home that even a country as big and diverse as ours can make democracy work, it turns out all nations, including ours, become more prosperous and secure and the world gets a little bit brighter.
- [40:55]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
We're back with Melissa Murray and Alex Wagner. Alex Wagner, it's a long way there from I'm going to destroy your entire civilization and bomb you back to the Stone Age age. But I was also thinking about the traditions of former President Carter's administration. Pepfar for former President George W. Bush, which was what President Obama talked about when he came to the bush center in 2013. I mean, it is so un American to use Doge to destroy USAID. Like, it's not a right or a left idea. It's just batshit crazy and un American to destroy the program that helped the world, world's poorest and most vulnerable. And that to me, was in contrast today.
- [41:37]
Alex Wagner
Oh, yeah. I mean, it's terrible foreign policy to be pulling out of who when you have the it's we're living through the age of pandemics. It's a terrible idea to be pulling out of the Paris climate accords when the earth is heating up beyond potentially repair. It's a terrible idea to shred the JCPOA for an agreement that is, if not worse than status quo, but took thousands of lives and gave control of the Strait of Hormuz back to our. I mean, this administration is just full of terrible, terrible ideas that have pulled America from a leadership position on the globe and made the globe less safe in the process. I think it's really important for Americans to hear what Barack Obama was saying, but I also think it's really essential for the global community to hear what he was saying as a reminder that we haven't all lost our minds over here in these United States, that we were capable once of electing someone tethered to reality and very much interested in, in moving the ball forward and that maybe we can do so again. I mean, I think we have a massive trust deficit in terms of our international partners. I'm not sure it can be made up given the whiplash of the last 15 years, 10 years. But it is essential, as Donald Trump is at the G7 making a mockery of international action and a mockery of the principles of the United States of America, to hear from another wise America, a different American, a former president, but nonetheless the person that I think the majority of this country thinks as the most important living president we have, it's important for us to hear from him and to hear words of wisdom about our principles and our priorities and where we know we should be. So, yeah, like, bring it on, Barack Obama. Speak loudly and drown out the nonsense that is emanating from the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
- [43:26]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Melissa, I just wish that this could be like a weekly thing,
- [43:31]
Melissa Murray
like Barack Obama or us here talking about how we are wistful for Barack Obama.
- [43:36]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Well, both of you, every day, that would be a daily thing. But the Obamas and everybody talking about what we all are capable of, it's so much better and different than this.
- [43:50]
Melissa Murray
No, I mean, it's a remarkable speech. He's a remarkable orator. But, I mean, I think Alex is exactly right. We've lost something over the course of the last two years, maybe even the course of the last 10 years. We've lost standing in the global community. We've lost trust amongst ourselves. And in that moment, I mean, I still remember when Barack Obama gave that speech at the Democratic National Convention and called on us. We weren't blue states, we weren't red states. We were the United States then. We could be unified. We could be on message. We could be united for a single purpose. And here we are.
- [44:27]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
Here we are. At least we have each other. Melissa Murray, thank you for joining us. Alex, thank you for spending the hour with me. When we come back, another moment of joy to show you. We've got so much. We're going to cram it all into one hour. This time, it was here in New York where the Knicks were welcomed home after their big win. Don't go anywhere. We'll show you that on the other side side. Nearly 800 miles from Chicago, there was another spot of joy in another American city to tell you about today, as New York City celebrated again for our NBA champions, the New York Knicks. Fans lined the streets to watch as players, coaches and their families passed on floats in downtown Manhattan on their way to City Hall. At City hall, the team was honored with keys to the city. Listen to what New York City mayor, Mayor Mondami said about what their win has meant for our city.
- [45:24]
Nicole Wallace
Over these past weeks, as the Knicks kept winning, our city has come together as one. Neighbors invited neighbors over.
- [45:33]
Narrator/Voiceover
Strangers high fived one another in the street. Subway conductors sang their announcements and bus
- [45:39]
Nicole Wallace
drivers dance behind the wheel. So often when this city comes together, it is because we are forced to by a moment of tragedy or adversity. What a gift. It is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy.
- [45:58]
Host/Interviewer (Nicole Wallace)
After the break, from that unfiltered joy to the anger and the criticism and the losing what many on the right are saying about doctors Trump's deal with Iran. The next hour of deadline White House starts after a quick break. Don't go anywhere. You know what's worse than a long wait? Flipping through old magazines in a waiting room. Instead, I power up Champa Casino slots, blackjack, solitaire, roulette, bingo and more. Boredom doesn't stand a chance. Take a few virtual laps with me. Let's Chumba play now@chumbacasino.com no purchase necessary.
- [46:33]
Nicole Wallace
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