
Listen as Donald Trump is sworn in at the 47th President of the United States. Plus: commentary from Rachel Maddow and the MSNBC team.
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Joe Biden
Welcome to the 60th presidential inauguration. Today, President Elect Trump and Vice President Elect Vance will take their oath of office and we will witness the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy. For the past year, I've chaired the Inaugural Ceremony Committee, which includes the leadership of Congress from both parties. We thank the committee and Capitol staff and law enforcement who worked so hard over the last year and especially the last three days. You've done a beautiful job and you have shown grace for under pressure. Our theme this year is our Enduring Democracy. The presence of so many Presidents and Vice Presidents here today is truly a testament to that endurance. We welcome President Biden and Dr. Biden. We welcome Vice President Harris and Doug Emhoff, President Obama, President Clinton and Secretary Clinton, President Bush and Laura Bush, Vice President Pence, Vice President Quayle and Marilyn Quayle. The Justices of the United States Supreme Court are with us. All nine of them, I counted, and of course, the Trump and Vance families. This ceremony marks what will soon be 250 years of our democracy. It is the moment when leaders elevated by the will of the people promise to be faithful to our Constitution, to cherish and defend it. It is the moment when they become, as we all should be, the guardians of our country through war and peace, through adversity and prosperity. We hold this inauguration every four years, and today it falls on Martin Luther King Day, a further reminder that we must strive to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution, the freedoms, the liberties, and, as is inscribed on the entrance of the United States Supreme Court, equal justice under law. But what makes this moment more than a passing ceremony is all who are watching it across the country, the people of this nation, the ordinary people doing extraordinary things. President Kennedy, who at one point worked as a senator in this building and would often walk through this very rotunda, once said, in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of interest in politics, holds office. Every one of us is in a position of responsibility. With that responsibility of citizenship comes an obligation not to seek out malice, as President Lincoln once reminded us, but to view others with a generosity of spirit, despite our differences. With that responsibility of leadership comes an obligation to stand our ground when we must and find common ground when we can. With everything swirling around us, the hot mess of division. It is on all of us to. To quote an incredible songwriter who just happened to be born in my state, to ensure that our nation's democracy is our shelter from the storm. There's a reason this ceremony takes place at the Capitol. In other countries, it might be in a presidential palace or a gilded executive office building. Here, it is traditionally held at the Capitol, the People's House. It is a fitting reminder of the system of checks and balances that is the very foundation of our government. Three equal branches of government. That is how for nearly 250 years, our great American experiment, grounded in the rule of law, has endured. So as we inaugurate a new president and vice president, let us remember that the power of those in this room comes from the people. The construction workers who build our country, the teachers and health care workers who nurture us. The troops defending our freedoms. And, yes, the firefighters in Los Angeles putting themselves on the line for us. Our democracy's strength and grit must match theirs. May God bless our nation. Thank you.
Rachel Maddow
Good afternoon.
Joe Biden
Endurance through the years is the ultimate test. To persevere through time is the truest measure of an idea, an institution, and a nation. Our founders wrote the Constitution so that America could withstand all the twists and turns of time. They wrote it to guide us and.
Rachel Maddow
To preserve forever our right of life.
Joe Biden
Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as much as the truths and principles enshrined in our Constitution remain the same, our democracy promises the American people the power to change, to chart their own destiny. That's the beauty that is the importance of democracy. It allows the endurance, the permanence, of a nation through change. It allows nations to like our United States, both to avoid the obstacles and to seize the opportunities God has placed before us all. While staying true to our founding principles. Today is our country's 60th inauguration ceremony. Like all the others before it, it is a celebration of our right to set our uniquely American course. The past several years have been trying at times for many, many Americans, and also for the nations of the free world that we humbly strive to lead. In November, Americans chose again to steer this nation towards greatness, the secure, safe and prosperous future that our founders envisioned.
Rachel Maddow
For all of us.
Joe Biden
And today, we celebrate not only their decision to do so, but also the simple right and wisdom of a free people to make their own choice so that their nation might endure. And now allow me to welcome Archbishop Timothy Dolan. And Reverend Franklin Graham, who will deliver our invocation.
Rachel Maddow
Please rise, be still and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme on the earth. Let us pray. Remembering General George Washington on his knees at Valley Forge, Recalling Abraham Lincoln at his second inaugural. With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right. Remembering General George Patton's instructions to his soldiers as they began the Battle of the Bulge eight decades ago. Pray. Pray when fighting, pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night, pray by day. Observing the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King, who warned, without God, our efforts turn to ashes. We blessed citizens of this one nation under God, humbled by our claim that in God we trust, gather indeed this inauguration day to pray for our president, Donald J. Trump, his family, his advisors, his Cabinet, his aspirations, his vice president. For the Lord's blessings upon Joseph Biden, for our men and women in uniform, for each other whose hopes are stoked this new year, this inauguration day. We cannot err in relying upon that.
Joe Biden
Prayer from the Bible upon which our.
Rachel Maddow
President will soon place his hand in oath as we make our own. The supplications of King Solomon for wisdom as he began his God of our fathers. In your wisdom you set man to govern your creatures, to govern in holiness and justice, to render justice with integrity. Give our leader wisdom, for he is your servant, aware of his own weakness and brevity of life. If wisdom which comes not from you, be not with him, he shall be held in no esteem. Send wisdom from heaven that she may be with him, that he may know your designs. Please, God bless America. Please mend her every flaw. You are the God in whom we trust, who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Joe Biden
Amen.
Rachel Maddow
Mr. President, the last four years, there are times I'm sure you thought it was pretty dark, but look what God has done. We praise him and give him glory. Let us pray. Our Father and our God, thou hast said, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. As the prophet Daniel prayed. Blessed be the name of God forever and ever. For wisdom and might are his. He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, he raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. Our Father. Today, as President Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again, we come to say thank you, O Lord, our God. Father. When Donald Trump's enemies thought he was down and out, you and you alone saved his life and raised him up with strength and power. By your mighty hand, we pray for President Trump that you'll watch over, protect, guide, direct him. Give him your wisdom from your throne on high. We ask that you would bless him and that our nation would be blessed through him. We also ask that you would bless and protect Melania as First Lady. We thank you for the beauty, the warmth and grace that she shows not only to this nation, but to the whole world. We thank you for Vice President elect J.D. vance and his wife Usha and their young family. May he be a strength to President Trump to stand beside him, to hold up his arms like Aaron held up the arms of Moses in the midst of battle. The prophet Samuel reminded the people it was you that brought them up from the land of Egypt. And he said, now stand still that I may reason with you before the Lord. So, Father, we take this moment to stand still, to remember the great things that you have done for this nation. Thank you for the protection, the bounty, the freedoms that we so enjoy. We remember to keep our eyes fixed on you and may our hearts be inclined to your voice. We know that America can never be great again if we turn our backs on you. We ask for your help and we pray all of this in the name of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, your son, my Savior and our redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Joe Biden
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Associate Justice Kavanaugh to administer the vice presidential oath of office.
Rachel Maddow
Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, James David Vance, do solemnly swear.
Joe Biden
I, James David Vance, do solemnly swear That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Rachel Maddow
That I will bear true faith.
Joe Biden
That I will bear true faith. And allegiance to the same. And allegiance to the same.
Rachel Maddow
That I take this obligation freely.
Joe Biden
That I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation.
Rachel Maddow
Without any mental reservation.
Joe Biden
Or purpose of evasion. Or purpose of evasion. And that I will well and faithfully discharge. And that I will well and faithfully.
Rachel Maddow
Discharge the duties of the office.
Joe Biden
The duties of the office on which I am about to enter. On which I am about to enter.
Rachel Maddow
So help me God.
Joe Biden
So help me God.
Rachel Maddow
Congratulations, Mr. Vice President. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Chief Justice.
Joe Biden
Roberts to administer the presidential oath of office. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear.
Rachel Maddow
I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear.
Joe Biden
That I will faithfully execute.
Rachel Maddow
That I will faithfully execute.
Joe Biden
The office of President of the United States.
Rachel Maddow
The office of President of the United States. And will, to the best of My ability and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend, Preserve.
Joe Biden
Protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Rachel Maddow
The Constitution of the United States. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations, Mr. Cuthbert.
Joe Biden
It.
Rachel Maddow
He is trampling out the vintage where the graves of wrath are.
Joe Biden
Sh he hath used the faithful mighty.
Rachel Maddow
Of his very boasted sword is to his mighty one sa in the mucy of the days Christ was born across the sea with our glory, you and.
Joe Biden
Me as we die to make men.
Rachel Maddow
Holy, let us try to make men free While God is watching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Joe Biden
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and pleasure to introduce to you the 45th and the 47th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump.
Rachel Maddow
Thank you very much, everybody. Well, thank you very, very much. Vice President Vance, Speaker Johnson, Senator Thune, Chief Justice Roberts, Justices of the United States Supreme Court, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and my fellow citizens. The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first. Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end. And our top priority will will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free. America will soon be greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before. I return to the Presidency Conference confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before. But first, we must be honest about the challenges we face. While they are plentiful, they will be annihilated by this great momentum that the world is now witnessing. In the United States of America. As we gather today, our government confronts a crisis of trust. For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair. We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad. It fails to protect our magnificent, law abiding American citizens, but provide sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world. We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders, but refuses to defend American borders or more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina, been treated so badly. And other states who are still selling suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago, or more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense. They're raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don't have a home any longer. That's interesting, but we can't let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That's going to change. We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world. And we have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves, in many cases to hate our country, despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them. All of this will change starting today. And it will change very quickly. My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America's decline is over. Our liberties and our nation's glorious destiny will no longer be denied, and we will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America's government. Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250 year history. And I've learned a lot along the way. The journey to reclaim our Republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life. Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin's bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again. Thank you very much. That is why each day under our administration of American patriots, we will be working to meet every crisis with dignity and power and strength. We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed. For American citizens, January 20, 2025 is Liberation Day. It is my hope that our recent Presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country. As our victory showed, the entire nation is rapidly unifying behind our agenda with dramatic increases in support from virtually every element of our society. Young and old, men and women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, urban, suburban, rural, and very importantly, we had a powerful win in all seven in swing states. And the popular vote, we won by millions of people. To the black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote. We set records and I will not forget it. I've heard your voices in the campaign and I look forward to working with you in the years to come. Today is Martin Luther King Day and his honor. This will be a great honor. But in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true. Thank you.
Joe Biden
Thank you.
Rachel Maddow
National unity is now returning to America, and confidence and pride is soaring like never before in everything we do. My administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence and unrelenting success. We will not forget our country. We will not forget our Constitution, and we will not forget our God. Can't do that. Today I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It's all about common sense. First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted. And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release. And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country. Under the orders of I signed today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And by invoking the Alien enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks, bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities. As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions. And that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody's ever seen before. Next, I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis. This crisis was caused by massive Overspending and escalating energy prices. And that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby. Dr. America will be a manufacturing nation once again. And we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have. The largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth. And we are going to use it. Let me use it. We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again, right to the top. And export American energy all over the world. We will be a rich nation again. And it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it. With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers. In other words, you'll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago. And thank you to the autoworkers of our nation for your inspiring vote of confidence. We did tremendously with their vote. I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens. For this purpose, we are establishing the External Revenue Service to collect all tariffs, duties and revenues. It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our treasury coming from foreign sources. The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before. To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government. Government, my administration will establish the brand new Department of Government Efficiency. After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression. I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America. Never again will will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents. Something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law. And we are going to bring bring law and order back to our cities. This week I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit based. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. This week I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate. With full back pain. And I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It's going to end immediately. Our armed forces will be free to focus on their sole mission, defeating America's enemies. Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but but also by the wars that we end. And perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy was will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier. I'm pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle east are coming back home to their families. Thank you. America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world. A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Gulf of America. And we will restore the name of a Great President William McKinley, to Mount McKinley. Where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through tax talent. He was a natural businessman and gave Teddy Roosevelt the money for many of the great things he did, including the Panama Canal, which has foolishly been given to the country of Panama after the United States. The United States, I mean, think of this. Spent more money than ever spent on a project before and lost 38,000 lives in the building of the Panama Canal. Now we have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made. And Panama's promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form. And that includes the United States. Navigation, Maybe. And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back. Above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor, and the vitality of history's greatest civilization. So as we liberate our nation, we will lead it to new heights of victory and success. We will not be deterred. Together, we will end the chronic disease epidemic and keep our children safe, healthy, and disease free. The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations, and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons. And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars. Launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars. Ambition is the lifeblood of a great nation. And right now, our nation is more ambitious than any other. There's no nation like our nation. Nation Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls. Our American ancestors turned a small group of colonies on the edge of a vast continent into a mighty republic of the most extraordinary citizens on Earth. No one comes close. Americans pushed thousands of miles through a rugged land of untamed wilderness. They crossed deserts, scaled mountains, braved untold dangers, won the Wild west, ended slavery, rescued millions from tyranny, lifted billions from poverty, harnessed electricity, split the atom, launched mankind into the heavens. And put the universe of human knowledge into the palm of the human hand. If we work together, there is nothing we cannot do. And no dream we cannot achieve. Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback. But as you see today. Here I am. The American people have spoken. I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do in America. The impossible is what we do best. From New York to Los Angeles, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, from Chicago to Miami, from Houston to right here in Washington, D.C. our country was forged and built by the generations of patriots who gave everything they had for our rights and for our freedom. They were farmers and soldiers, cowboys and factory workers, steel workers and coal miners, miners, police officers and pioneers who pushed onward, marched forward, and let no obstacle defeat their spirit or their pride. Together, they laid down the railroads, raised up the skyscrapers, built great highways, won two world wars, defeated fascism and communism in triumph over every single challenge that they faced. After all we have been through together, we stand on the verge of the four greatest years in American history. With your help, we will restore America's promise and we will rebuild the nation that we love. And we love it so much. We are one people, one family. And one glorious nation under God. So to every parent who dreams for their child and every child who dreams for their future future. I am with you. I will fight for you. And I will win for you. We are going to win like never before. Thank you. In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly. But we are going to bring it back and make it great again. Greater than ever before. We will be a nation like no other, full of compassion, courage and exceptionalism. Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable. America will be respected again and admired again, including by people of religion, faith and goodwill. We will be prosperous. We will be proud. We will be strong. And we will win like never before. We will not be conquered. We will not be intimidated. We will not be broken. And we will not fail. From this day on, the United States of America. America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation. We will stand bravely. We will live proudly. We will dream boldly. And nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans. The future is ours. And our golden age has just begun. Thank you. God bless America. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
Joe Biden
Ladies and gentlemen, performing America the Beautiful, please welcome the Armed Forces Chorus and Carrie Underwood.
Rachel Maddow
MSNBC presents Main justice each week on their podcast, veteran lawyers Andrew Weissman and Mary McCord break down down the latest developments inside the Trump administration's Department of Justice. The administration doesn't necessarily want to be questioned on any of its policy.
Joe Biden
I think what we are seeing is Project 2025 in action. This is it coming to fruition.
Rachel Maddow
Main Justice. Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for ad free listening and bonus content. Get the All New CNBC Sport Newsletter. Alex Sherman brings you exclusive interviews and the biggest news impacting the world of sports, business and media, all straight to your inbox. Sign up for free@cnbc.com sportnewsletter get all of Rachel Maddow's original chart topping podcast series in One Place with Rachel Maddow Presents Binge the Entire Bagman Series, seasons one and two of Ultra and every episode of Deja Muse, along with all of Rachel Maddow's new podcasts to come. These are untold told stories of our country's past that could help us understand the state of our country today. Search for Rachel Maddow Presents and follow to listen now. For ad free listening, subscribe to MSNBC.
Joe Biden
Premium on Apple Podcasts. We are awaiting America the Beautiful to be sung by Carrie Underwood. It appears they're having some audio problems in the rotunda, which we are discerning both from the fact that we can't hear anything and that everybody in the room looks confused. Presumably that will be fixed shortly and we will go right to it. President Trump is now officially 47th President of the United States. That happened at noon on the dot. He then took the oath of office very shortly thereafter after but he was president as of noon, per The Constitution. Regardless of the exact timing of the oath, his second inaugural address, being delivered indoors in the Capitol Rotunda because of the cold weather, gave it more of a vibe of a State of the Union Address than an inaugural. Oh, beautiful for spacious skies for an amber waves of grain for purple mountain majesties above the fruity plain America, America, America God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Fisher will now introduce the benediction clergy. I now call on Rabbi Ari Berman, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, and Reverend Frank Mund to provide prayers of Benedict. Let us pray.
Rachel Maddow
Almighty God, your prophet Jeremiah walked the streets of Jerusalem and blessed its inhabitants with the Hebrew words Baruch hagever, Eshayuftach b'hashem.
Joe Biden
Blessed is the one who trusts in God. Thousands of years later, this great nation, which adopted these words as its motto.
Rachel Maddow
In God we Trust, stands at a moment of historic opportunity.
Joe Biden
Americans are searching for meaning.
Rachel Maddow
Our Merciful Father, help us rise to meet this moment. Bless President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. vance with the strength and courage to.
Joe Biden
Choose the right and the good. Unite us around our foundational biblical values of life and liberty, of service and sacrifice, and especially of faith and morality, which George Washington called the indispensable supports of American prosperity. Guide our schools and college campuses, which have been experiencing such unrest, to inspire.
Rachel Maddow
The next generation to pair progress with purpose, knowledge with wisdom, and truth with virtue.
Joe Biden
Hear the cry of the hostages, both American and Israeli, whose pain our President so acutely feels.
Rachel Maddow
We are so thankful for the three young women who yesterday returned home and pray that the next four years brings peace to Israel and throughout the Middle East. Almighty God, grant all Americans the opportunity to realize our shared dream of a.
Joe Biden
Life filled with peace and plenty, health.
Rachel Maddow
And happiness, compassion and contribution.
Joe Biden
Stir within us the confidence to rise to this moment.
Rachel Maddow
For while we trust in God, God's trust is in us, the American people.
Joe Biden
America is called to greatness to be.
Rachel Maddow
A beacon of light and a mover of history. May our nation merit the fulfillment of Jeremiah's blessing that like a tree planted.
Joe Biden
By water, we shall not cease to bear fruit.
Rachel Maddow
May all of humanity experience your love and your blessing. May it be thy will. And let us say Amen. Let us pray for our 47th president. Heavenly Father, we're so grateful that you gave our 45th and now our 47th president, a millimeter miracle.
Joe Biden
We are grateful that you are the.
Rachel Maddow
One that have called him for such a time as this that America would begin to dream again. We pray that we would fulfill the.
Joe Biden
True meaning of our creed, that we.
Rachel Maddow
Hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.
Joe Biden
We pray that you use our President.
Rachel Maddow
That we will live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin skin, but by the content of our character. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we are so grateful today that you will use our 47th president so we would sing with new meaning.
Joe Biden
My country tis of thee, Sweet land.
Rachel Maddow
Of liberty of thee I sing Land where my fathers died Land of the pilgrim's proud pride. From every mountainside let freedom ring. And because America is called to be a great nation, we believe that you will make this come true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening alleghetties of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous hilltops of California. But God, we're asking you not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill in Mississippi. From every state, state, every city, every village and every hamlet. And when we let freedom ring, we.
Joe Biden
Will be able to speed up that.
Rachel Maddow
Day where all of your children, black men and white men, Protestant and Catholic, Jew and Gentile, will be able to sing in the meaning of that old Negro spiritual, Free at last, Free at last. Thank you, God Almighty. We are free at last. If you believe what the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Come on, put your hands together and give your great God, great glory.
Joe Biden
Almighty and eternal God, we gather here today in reverence, joined in our shared hopes and dreams for our beloved nation.
Rachel Maddow
In this sacred moment of the inauguration.
Joe Biden
Of President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. vance, we turn our hearts to you seeking your divine assistance and abundant blessings upon this pivotal moment in history. We come before you with profound gratitude for the many gifts you have bestowed upon our land. Thank you for the freedoms we cherish, for the strength of our communities and for the resilience of our spirit. As our President and Vice President embrace their newly appointed role roles, we humbly implore that your everlasting love and wisdom will envelop them. Grant them the clarity of mind to navigate the challenges that lie ahead and the compassion to serve all citizens with fairness and integrity. May their hearts be filled with a giving spirit and sincere understanding for those whom they represent present. May they be beacons of hope in times of uncertainty and prophetic voices in defending the dignity of all created life. We pray for a spirit of collaboration to flourish in our government and across our nation, fostering an environment where dialogue and heartfelt listening will prevail over division or discord. May each decision made by our President and Vice President reflect the values of justice and peace. As we embark on this new chapter, we also seek your comfort, O God, for those who feel lost or disheartened in this time of transition. May your light shine upon them, reaffirming their belief in a brighter tomorrow. May we all strive to lift one another, supporting our fellow citizens with kindness and empathy, recognizing that together we can overcome any adversity. Grant us the strength to endure, the courage to face our fears and the clarity to see the light that remains even when clouds of uncertainty uncertainty may gather. Inspire our new leaders to be champions for the vulnerable and advocates for those whose voices are often silenced. May they pursue policies that promote the well being of all, seeking to build bridges that will foster unity and belonging. As we stand witness to this inauguration, we hold fast to the faith, to our faith in the goodness of each of us and the possibility of change. We trust that with your guidance, O God, our nation can move forward to a future filled with promise, prosperity and understanding. And finally, we lift our hearts in gratitude for the beloved, beloved parents of President Trump. Without Mary and Fred Trump, this day would never be the miracle that has just begun. From their place in heaven, may they shield their son from all harm by their loving protection and give him the strength to guide our nation along the path that will make America great again. Let us go forth now with these words of President Trump's emblazoned on our.
Rachel Maddow
As long as we have pride in.
Joe Biden
Our beliefs, courage in our convictions and faith in our God, then we will not fail. We stand tall, we stand proud, because we are Americans and Americans kneel to God and to God alone. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for our national anthem.
Rachel Maddow
O slave, can you say O the.
Joe Biden
Dawn'S early light what sort we have at the twilight's blaspheming earth.
Rachel Maddow
People to.
Joe Biden
The light sat Please be seated, ladies and gentlemen. Please remain at your seats while the President and official party depart the platform.
Rachel Maddow
Sa.
Joe Biden
We see the new President and First lady and now the new Vice President and Second lady leaving the dais as the official parties will now depart. At this inauguration ceremony for the 47th President of the United States. We just had a very energetic rendition of the national anthem there followed by that followed tripartite benediction from a number of different clergy. You see now former President Biden and former first lady Jill Biden departing, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, the second gentleman, Douglas Emhoff. We're now seeing members of the inaugural committee leave as well. The second inaugural address did, in my take on it, was that it had more of a vibe of a State of the Union address than an inaugural address, I think in part because it was indoors. And that made it sort of feel like he was addressing a joint session of Congress, even though he wasn't. Even though this was an inaugural address, President Trump spoke in his sort of trademark low monotone, gave his list of grievances. Among his grievances this time was an assertion that there was not even a token effort made to fight the Los Angeles fires, which was a very unusual assertion. If this inaugural address is remembered, I think as signal of what's to come, it may be the part where he said, we're taking it back. When talking about the Panama Canal, he pledged to be a president of peace and to not start any new wars, but did also pledge to forcibly take another country's territory. While President Trump was speaking, a relatively large group of Proud Boys, the pro Trump armed paramilitary group, marched in full colors and their trademark black and gold in downtown Washington to the Capitol One arena just before the inaugural address. Just before the swearing in, outgoing President Biden issued pardons to members of his family, noting that while they had done nothing wrong, he believed the threats and promises of politicized persecution of people who the new president has decided are his enemies warranted what President Biden would have otherwise neverwise considered doing. Nicole, let me do three things. I mean, we lost Cecile Richards today. She lost her battle with an aggressive form of cancer. And this statement came out as I was starting to sort of take notes on the speech. Her family quoted her and said it's not. If you'd like to celebrate, Cecile, today we invite you to put on some New Orleans jazz, gather with friends and family over a good meal and remember something she said a lot over the last year. It's not hard to imagine future generations one day asking, quote, when there was so much at stake for our country, what did you do? The only acceptable answer is everything we could. If that moves you in any way, we now know where help might be needed. Trump had the most detailed policy announcements on the border. I'm actually going to quote one more person here. Katie Rogers of the New York Times tweeted this. As that second ticked through, quote. As Trump disparages migrants as criminals and outlines his plans. They're not just million. There are not millions and millions of criminal aliens as he claims. Today, a largely white crowd is applauding in the rotunda. So these are the specifics and the atmospherics as outlined by the New York Times in the room. Trump's actions today include declaring a national emergency at the southern border. As far as we know, the latest reporting is that there isn't one at the southern border. Some of the crossings are at the lowest they've been in two administrations. He announced that troops will be sent to the southern border and a designation of cartels as, quote, foreign terrorists. He often also invoked the Alien Enemies act, that said it'll be used to target gangs. The sword, the swirl of activity today is the point. The specific policies that we can focus on and drill down on. Again, one way to respond to what was really an earth to address. Describe the country as a catastrophic disaster, a hellscape. There is an audience for that. There are people that believe that. But again, we do have now some more information on where the earliest policy directions will have the federal government point. Jen, I know we're not living in normal times as we've been discussing for three hours, but I think it's important to remind everybody that in normal times, the inaugural address is actually not political at all. I mean, it is a political, the result of a political outcome of an election, but it is typically a president of either party discussing where the country is now and where it needs to go moving forward. It doesn't mean you're not discussing challenges. That's a part. Part of it. You're discussing opportunities. But what struck me about this address was it was not just politicized, it was very personal. And there were a couple of things that I highlighted for myself. I mean, when he said, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250 year history. And I've learned a lot along the way. I think we would all disagree with that characterization. With this worth discussing, I was saved by God to make America great again. Never again will immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents. Something I know something about. Typically, a president is not discussing themselves, even though they won the country elected them. They are discussing the country they are about to govern. And that struck me. The last thing I would say, just to build off of what Nicole said is, of course, there are always crises going on in the country. The border is broken. It has been broken for some time. But border apprehensions are. He talked about crime. Crime in major cities is down. He also talked about oil production. The climate is in crisis. Meanwhile, the country, the United States, produced the largest amount of crude oil than any other country in the world last year. So that also struck me as him projecting upon us crises that are maybe not the right definition of the crises we're actually facing. It is remarkable that he said in his inaugural address, as part of what appeared to be his prepared remarks, that I was saved by God. Not talking about personal redemption in terms of his religious experience as a private individual, but rather saying that God saved him in order to make him president again. And you heard the whoops of response in the room, which gives a sort of imperative. To claim that God sent you is something that we don't expect in political life. We expect it in other parts of life, maybe. But it's going to give an unusual imperative to some of the most extreme things that he wants to do if past campaign promises and the like or anything to go by. Chris? Yeah, the point that Jim was just making there, I mean, I remember being in that, on that stage right next to President Barack Obama during that very, very cold morning. And the two inaugurations of Barack Obama.
Rachel Maddow
And Joe Biden happened at moments of.
Joe Biden
Palpable, ubiquitous and severe crisis. The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the worst pandemic in 100 years. I mean, thousands of Americans dying by the day, America not knowing whether the entire economic system and foundation was going to erode beneath them. Compare that to the two times Donald Trump has been inaugurated in which those crises were not there. There was not the same acute sense of crisis. And yet the theme in both of them, and the obsession of Trump's rhetoric, is always a theme of national decline and national humiliation. And there's something strange about hearing it the second time. Of course, the first one was the American carnage. It's a little like a cult leader who keeps predicting different days for the end of the world, because it's kind of like, okay, the first time you did this, we've had all these corrupt, terrible elites, and they've taken I'm here as your retribution. I'm going to make America great again. And then it's like, well, you did try that once. I mean, the degree to which the first term has been just completely taken away from everyone's memory, how he kind of ran as a person who'd never actually held office before in this campaign. And to hear a very similar thematic speech that promises just around the corner on the other side, that's when the next end of the world comes. That's when the next time we are bathed in holy light. That's the next time when everything turns around permanently for the United States. When we heard exactly that on January 2017 and he had a run at it, there is something very strange about hearing that kind of vision and prediction a second time. Like the cult leader taking them all again and telling you paradise is around the corner again. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer winning the Headwear Fashion Alert prize thus far of the day in his Smurf cap. Lawrence so in Donald Trump's lifetime, the.
Rachel Maddow
Inaugural address has gone from the president asking, saying, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you.
Joe Biden
Can do for your country to drill, baby, drill. And it was Donald Trump who supplied the second one.
Rachel Maddow
I want to do two quick fact checks on this. And then to a larger point, well, one thing, we will send astronauts to Mars.
Joe Biden
That's not going to happen during Donald Trump's lifetime, so don't expect it. During his four years, he said, we will tariff and tax other countries. If any country in the world could tax another country, that country would do it.
Rachel Maddow
And the people living in that country.
Joe Biden
Country would pay no taxes. There is no such thing as taxing other countries. He will use tariffs, but and tariffs.
Rachel Maddow
Do equate to taxes.
Joe Biden
And that tax will be paid only by us, by Americans.
Rachel Maddow
And then on the LA fires, he.
Joe Biden
Referred to his billionaire friends in the.
Rachel Maddow
Room and said, you know, some of them with Los Angeles homes, he said, they don't have a home any longer. That is a lie.
Joe Biden
And it is not common for presidents to tell lies in inaugural address. In fact, I've never heard one other than in a Trump inaugural address. Jeff Bezos house in Los Angeles was never threatened for a single moment by that fire. The most important thing, though, was at the very beginning of his speech, because the substance of a Trump speech is always the same. This was a rally. And he began the speech the way.
Rachel Maddow
The these speeches always begin, by addressing.
Joe Biden
Directly the former presidents in the room. He said, President Bush, President Clinton, President Obama, President Biden. Donald Trump is the only former president who has never attended that moment so.
Rachel Maddow
That he could have been addressed four.
Joe Biden
Years ago as a former president. And so we have returned to normalcy in that recitation. And the normalcy was presented by Donald Trump, who was in the process highlighting his own violation of that protocol, that responsibility and that duty as an outgoing president to welcome in the incoming president. Just noting what we're looking at Here we're seeing some what appear to be heartfelt felt goodbyes and some greetings here. We are expecting now former Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff to depart here by motorcade. They'll get into a car and drive away. That's what we're seeing here now as they move to leave the White House the end of her term as vice president. As soon as they have left in this motorcade, we expect that now former President Joe Biden and his wife, the First Lady Jill Biden, will depart by helicopter. Let's just watch this moment here. The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most.
Rachel Maddow
Is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options. Which is why with USAA auto insurance.
Joe Biden
You'Ll get great service that is easy.
Rachel Maddow
And reliable, all at the touch of a button. Get a quote today, restrictions apply. MSNBC presents Main justice each week on their podcast, veteran lawyers Andrew Weissman and Mary McCord break down the latest developments inside the Trump administration's Department of Justice. The administration doesn't necessarily want to be questioned on any of its policy.
Joe Biden
I think what we are seeing is Project 2025 in action. This is it coming to fruition.
Rachel Maddow
Main Justice. Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple podcasts for ad free listening and bonus content. This week on Meet the Press as President Trump focuses on his global agenda and questions grow about Elon Musk's role in reshaping the federal government. Kristen Welker sits down with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Senator Andy Kim only on Meet the Press. Listen to the full episode now. Wherever you get your podcasts.
Joe Biden
See there. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance saying goodbye to President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. And now we will watch as the helicopter takes off. We think of it as Marine One, seeing a president get on board. Technically it is no longer Marine One. That is no longer the designation that it has once once it is a former president on board rather than than the president himself. We'll be watching today over the course of the day to see what substantive executive actions and orders the new president signs. His team has made much of the fact that they're going to do a lot on day one. We've already seen some surprise departures. The acting director of the FBI, who has been in his job since yesterday, unexpectedly resigned today. So it's not at all clear who is running the FBI at this moment. There isn't. There was no clear acting secretary of defense until a few Moments ago, when a low level defense official, who nobody's, is not somebody who's, who's well known, a man named Robert Salaza, was named as acting Defense Secretary. That was a surprise. And there was some period of time when the Pentagon did not know who the acting acting Secretary of Defense was. Not clear to me at this moment who the acting attorney General is. It may be Emile Bove, who was one of President Trump's defense attorneys he's installed, or he is in the process of installing four of them at the top of the U.S. justice Department. But of course, regardless of what happens with executive actions and with people stepping in to assume control of government departments, this inaugural address goes down in history now as the second inaugural of Donald Trump. Joy, you were watching that along along with us, wanted to get your take on both what we are seeing here now as, as President Biden takes off to become former President Biden and as, as we absorb that address. Well, I think to echo Lawrence, you know what, one of the things that is remarkable is that this is the thing that didn't happen when President Biden was inaugurated. Donald Trump essentially boycotted the inaugural and treated it as essentially an insult to him because he was still claiming that he had won the election. The last time we saw Donald Trump give an inaugural address, it was American carnage. And you know, I think to Chris's point, he did return to the notion that only his presence makes America great. What makes America great is that he is running it. He's in charge of it. A few of the things that I will notice. But before I note that, I do have to note just based on my text messages, Lorenzo Sewell, the Detroit pastor, his speech was quite over the top, quite performative. He is for those who are asking, including those who are texting me and asking who he is, he is the Detroit area pastor who held a rally, an event for Donald Trump during the campaign at which it was reported as a black church and many of the members are African American. But that day, the audience inside of the church were white MAGA supporters who had been in a rally nearby. But the last thing I'll say is it was a speech that was quite over the top. And I'm not sure what the point was other than he is becoming quite famous in MAGA world. Donald Trump, in this entire dress, declared himself to be a peacemaker and a unifier not long after declaring that he would end diversity, equity and inclusion in all of government, rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and slight indigenous Americans by returning Mount Denali, which is the indigenous name, to again be called Mount McKinley. McKinley being someone who believed in something that Donald Trump repurposed for himself, Manifest destiny, which is one of the most racist concepts in the history of America. It was the empire and colonization principle that America had a right and in fact a duty to colonize and take over non white places in the world and own them. And he made that direction direct threat against the nation of Panama which owns the Panama Canal. And he made sure that he included a slight to the late Jimmy Carter for having made the deal to return the canal to the government who owns it, Panama. So not sure that peacemaker and unifier was much evidenced in the words that he said. He's president again. There you go. Former President Biden and and former First Lady Jill Biden. That is technically called HMX1 rather than Marine1 once it is a former president on board. They are going to Joint Base Andrews. That's going to be about a 45 minute excuse me, that's a quick flight to Joint Base Andrews and then they're expecting to have sort of a short farewell with their nearest and dearest staff before they are back to Delaware. Former Vice President see their strike. Very helpful with the map. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff will be flying to California to Los Angeles this afternoon. That C17 will be operated by an all female US Air Force crew. It's the first time an all female crew has operated a C17 for the US Air Force. When they land in Los Angeles, they'll visit a local fire station to thank firefighters who've been on the front line actually fighting the LA fires, even though weirdly Trump said during his inaugural that those fires were not fought. They'll also be distributing food to people who have been affected by the fires with the help of World Central Kitchen. What we're looking at here is Emancipation Hall. President Trump is expected to make some unscripted remarks to the crowd, sort of the overflow crowd from the rotunda who was not in the room to see him sworn in. But here at Emancipation hall we think that we will be getting unscripted remarks from him as we're waiting for that. Andrea, I believe you're on site there. Emancipation Hall. Can you just tell us what you're seeing? Yes, we understand that he is in the hall. There were some cheers a little while ago. The photographers came in. So he's about to enter and go up the stage, but he is in the room. There are about 1800 people in all 1,300 in this room, room 500 more in an overflow room. But you can see that he's about to come and be announced. That was certainly an extraordinary speech, but it was cheered here in the hall, especially the Panama Canal. Comments, the comments about gender, dei, all of the things that are cultural issues. Standing ovations frequently from people here. Many are the spouses of members of Congress, other invited friends. This is unusual, of course, because this is an endorsed ceremony. But this has a lot of less pomp and circumstance than the rotunda. Obviously, this is usually used for tourists and for other events. Up here is the visitor center. It was built only within the last decade, really, underneath the Capitol. So you can hear the cheers now. And as he is visible to people here and is about to be announced.
Rachel Maddow
To the White House right now, already.
Joe Biden
This morning, you can feel it around the country.
Rachel Maddow
We certainly felt it here in the city. America is coming together and roaring back again. And it begins today, as the President just told us.
Joe Biden
I know we'd all rather be gathered together on the National Mall with hundreds.
Rachel Maddow
Of thousands of our closest friends, but our disappointment is well overcome with our.
Joe Biden
Excitement for the future that we feel today.
Rachel Maddow
We have the chance to make the next four years the most consequential period in our nation's history.
Joe Biden
And as speaker of the House, it.
Rachel Maddow
Is my great pleasure, my great honor, to introduce to you the man who will lead us to this new golden.
Joe Biden
Age, the decisive winner of the Electoral.
Rachel Maddow
College and the popular vote, the 45th and the 47th, and the greatest president of our lifetimes, Donald J. Trump.
Joe Biden
Well, thank you all so much for being here. And was that a hell of a speech or what? That was, man. That was a good way to start it off. You know, I didn't know exactly what the President would put in that speech, and I hoped to myself that he wasn't going to hold back. And, sir, you didn't hold back. That was a hell of a way to start the next four years. But I just want to say from.
Rachel Maddow
The bottom of my heart, and I.
Joe Biden
Know I speak for the President and for all of us, thank you, thank you. Thank you for making this possible. We love you.
Rachel Maddow
We wouldn't be here without you. And we're going to make America great again together for the next four years.
Joe Biden
And the last thing I'll say is, you know, having stood outside for about five minutes to wave goodbye to the Bidens, thank God we moved that thing indoors because it was a beautiful ceremony and it was cold as hell outside. So, sir, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
Rachel Maddow
No, he's right. I looked. I said, oh, look at this beautiful sunny day. Day. We blew it. We blew it. And then I went outside and we were freezing. You would have been very unhappy. The sun was very deceptive. I will tell you. It is cold out, and I'm sort of saying, you know, that was so beautiful today. Maybe they should do it there every four years. Does that make sense? I don't know, because, you know, the outdoor thing is really good, but it gets a little cold around this time of the year, as some people have noticed, and a lot of times they suffer through. There was no suffering in that room. It was 72 degrees. It was perfect, with the best. The best acoustics I think I've ever heard in a room. This is not so bad either. But I just want to say you're a younger, far more beautiful audience that I just spoke to, and I want to keep it off the record. I want to keep that off the record because I don't want to have all those big shots up there. I don't want anything. You're more powerful than them, you look better than them, and I love you now. We just had a great time. We just had a great day. This was amazing. You know, when you think we took a journey, I mentioned in the speech, a lot of people said that was not a journey that was possible, and it was indeed possible. I didn't realize, really know too much about what they were saying when they say that, but a lot of people felt it. And we hooked up with JD Very early. I watched JD Over a period of time. I endorsed him in Ohio. He was a great. A great senator and very, very smart. The only one smarter than him was his wife. That was. I would have chosen her, but somehow the line of. The line of succession didn't work that way, Right? But now she's great and he's great. This is a great, beautiful couple and unbelievable career. I just said to him, you are very upwardly mobile, because he hasn't been doing it that long. But he picked it up so quickly. Remember, the first week was a little bit like the fake news was hitting him really hard. And I said, oh, this may be tough. But after that, it was smooth sailing for him. He took on everybody. He took on. On the meanest. I don't want to use the word corrupt because we're into a new system, so let's wait till the corruption begins, because it will. But he took on some pretty mean People, and he handled it well. I want to also congratulate Mike Johnson for the job that he's doing. Steve. We gave him a majority of almost nothing thing. And then I said, to make it tougher on him, let me take two or three of the people, right? I said, he'll only have to suffer with that for about three months. How are they doing, by the way? Are they. Is that moving along, totally unified? I said, do you mind if I take this one, that one and a couple of others? He didn't mind. He can handle it. No, he's a man that's liked by everybody. I've never met a man like this. You've got two. How many. Is it 219 or 220 or something? 220. 220. And of the 220, 219 really like him. I noticed he got one negative vote once about two weeks ago, but I think even 220 like him, if you want to know the truth. And that's very unusual. I know a lot of nice guys in Congress and they have 35 people that hate them. So if you have 35 people that hate you and you only have one or two or three votes, you'll have five, I think. But that's. That's going to be like, you know, the good news is when we get to that five number, it's going to feel like a massive majority. We. You could be really nasty to a couple of them at least, you know, so it's going to feel like hitting your head on the wall and stopping. It feels so good to stop. But he's done a fantastic job. And Steve Scalise is. He's our hero because, you know, I was with him. You talk about being shot. I was. Was with him. He got some bad ones and his incredible wife, and she really loves him, you know, you never know about that. I've been with other people. They were doing poorly and the wife is, like, looking at her watch, she can't get out of the hospital fast enough. How's he doing? I don't know. He's all right. That woman was a mess. She was crying and crying. No, they're going to take him. They're going to take. Take him. I told Steve when he finally woke up, it was a while, too. The doctor told me it was the most blood they've ever transfused in any patient. They've never done anything like it. And here he is, the picture of strength, right? And he's been a great friend of mine, right? With a family. Because of a family. And what a job you did. It worked out pretty much. Pretty much better than we even thought. Right. And I did have a couple of things, you know, to say that were extremely controversial and between JD and Melania and anybody else that heard. Please, sir, it's such a beautiful unifying speech. Please, sir, don't say these things. I said, I'm telling you, it's going to play great. They say you're right for this group of people, it's going to play great. You're the only ones I heard by not. But we had some beauties, didn't we, Melania? She said sir calls me sir when she's angry. No, no, I'm only kidding. I better say I'm only kidding or the press is going to pick that one up loud and clear. No, but she said, no, I think it's. It would be terrible. It's such a nice speech. I think it's, you know, it all depends on your delivery. How was the delivery? Was it good? But she said, it's such a beautiful, such a beautiful speech. You can't put things in there that you are going to put in. And I was going to talk about the J6 hostages, but you'll be happy because, you know, it's action, not words that count. And you're going to see a lot of action on the J6 hostages. And I was going to talk about the things that Joe did today with the pardons of people that were very, very guilty of very bad crimes, like the Unselect Committee of political thugs, where they literally. I mean, what they did is they destroyed and deleted all of the information, all of the hearings, practically not a thing left. They deleted all the information on Nancy Pelosi having turned down the offer of 10,000 soldiers. You wouldn't have needed 10,000. You could have had 500 and it would have stopped because we may have a million people that day, the people that were there. You don't see any photographs, but we have a lot of great photos. But you don't see those photographs. They don't put them in. They show the people at the Capitol. But I was talking about that. I was going to talk about that. They said, please don't bring that up right now. You can bring it up tomorrow. I said, how about now? In front of the very. I'll bring it up right now. You know, this little time delay is good because we're getting great reviews on the speech. Now watch. They'll take the speech and say, I didn't like it, because he left there and he's talked to people. But we're giving you a little more information that we gave upstairs. But no, they pardoned a lot of people they pardoned before we even get to today. They pardoned, what is it, 33 murderers, absolute murderers. The worst murderers. You know, when you get the death sentence in the United States, you have to be bad because they don't give it much. And he pardoned almost everybody having a death sentence. And if you went through the crimes that were committed, you wouldn't even believe them. The level, level of violence, the people that were killed, the innocence of people that were killed and children killed by these people. And he pardoned them for whatever reason. He spared them, but they didn't spare the people that they killed. And, you know, who knows what happens in the future. It's one of the worst because a lot of times they let them out early after that, you know, they say, you're going to be in for life, but then all of a sudden they get let out for good behavior, and then they go on a rampage. It's one of those little things, right? But I was going to talk about that, but I was really going to talk about the, the level of, you know, what's going on. Why are we doing this? Why are we trying to help a guy like Milley? Why are we doing. Millie, he was pardoned. What he said. Terrible. What he said. Why are we helping some of the people? Why are we helping Liz Cheney? I mean, Liz Cheney is a disaster. She's a crying lunatic and crying. Crying. Adam Kinzinger, he's a super. Crying. I never saw the guy not crying. He's always crying. I looked at him. I remember years ago, he was actually on my side. And then one day, you know, when you don't want to kill people in wars, they turn against you. Liz Cheney hated the concept of not going to war with everybody. Let's kill everybody. Let's spend a lot of money on military equipment. You know, where her father worked, right? And. But what she did was incredible. Think of it. They destroyed and deleted all of that information that went on for almost two years against Trump. And the reason they did, because it was all false. Like the person that said, I tried to strangle a Secret Service agent. That's one of the toughest human beings I think I've ever seen. I actually had a friend say, please don't change that, sir. You are the coolest sucker in history. Remember, she said, I put my hands around his neck because he wouldn't go to the Capitol. Made up fiction. And I was rebuffed. And the guy on the right is a massive weightlifter, probably stronger than me. Do you think he's stronger than me? Honey, you know who I'm talking. Possibly stronger than me, slightly younger than me. Like, I won't say how many years because I don't want to talk about that, but a lot of years. But I had a friend that said, why are you disputing that story? That's the coolest story I've ever heard. That I would attack a karate champion, get slightly rebuffed, and then throw my arms around a guy with a neck about this big, even though there are bars. You know, there are bars. You can't really do that anyway, so. So I wanted to talk about that, but all of that stuff got deleted. And the reason it got deleted is they were all caught in lies. You know, Secret Service testified and they said it didn't happen. Actually, the two guys were very embarrassed. They're suffering because their friends are saying, did Trump really do that to you? But they gained a whole new respect for me. But it was just make believe stuff. And there were a lot of make believe stories made up. So rather than suffer the wrath like the story with Nancy Pelosi, I offer.
Joe Biden
To 10,000 soldiers, Donald Trump is giving unscripted remarks in Emancipation hall after his inaugural address. Sort of giving a sort of fantasy riff about strangling people. On the right side of your screen, President, former President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are addressing their family and staff and friends at a hangar at Joint Base Andrews. Let's, let's dip in there for a moment.
Rachel Maddow
As you heard me say before, no president gets to choose the moment day in our history, but they get to choose the team they ended history with. And we chose the best damn team in the world. You are now. It's because of you, I mean this and from the bottom of my heart, because of you, we got so much done for all Americans. I was down there in my Secretary of State Tony Blinken, exceeded only by his wife, who worked in reverse. Look, I only hope to look, look back on these years. I hope you look back on them the same pride I have of all you've done. You know, I'm proud, I'm proud of, is that you did it upholding the core values of honesty, decency and integrity. I mean, no scandal. I mean, it's incredible of what you did. And you represent the best of who we are as Americans. That's not a Joke. That's real. I've already relied on your ideas and resolve on council. We also also relied on your families. To all your families, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for the sacrifices you made. I mean it. For being part of this journey every day. I deeply moved by all we all did for this country. I really mean it. History's going to mark down just what you did, you know. But the point I want to make today is it made clear. My farewell address, as we all do, have more to. We have a lot more to do. If you heard the inaugural address today, you know, we got a lot more to do. I. Look, look, I know from many years of experience there are up and down, but we have to stay with it. My dad taught me the measure of person heard me say before, is how quickly they get back up when they get knocked down. That's what we have to do right now. We've always done our best as Americans. We never, never, never give up. Ever. We're leaving office. We're not. Not leaving the fight. You're smart, you're skilled, you're passionate. The country needs you again. So all you can stay engaged in all the ways you can, whether it's in public service, the private sector, philanthropy, academia, running for office, yourself, or anything else you choose to do. I give you my word. We believe in you. We, Jill and I, our family, believe in you.
Joe Biden
You.
Rachel Maddow
Just as I've said how the laws we enacted, our seasons are going to grow and bloom for decades to come. I say that to you as well. I have no doubt, no doubt you'll make this experience and take in the friendships you made. You made to continue to do amazing things in decades to come. That's why I see a future all. All of it, leading the way by you all, you know? So take some time, decompress, reconnect with your friends. Spend more time with your family. But most of all, take care of yourselves and each other. I mean it. Let me close where I began with my sincere gratitude. And I really mean it in the bottom of my heart. I've been doing this for 50 years to the best group of people. Hard to say. It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. And I tell you what a greater honor is being able to serve with all of you. You're incredible. You really are. You really are. Mark my words. History's gonna judge what you've done as one of the most significant contributions that's been made by all of America. Look, folks, you know, let me close that poem you heard me quote before. Seamus Haney wrote once in a lifetime the long for tidal wave of justice will rise up and hope when mystery rhyme. You made it rhyme louder than it's rhyme in a long time. I really mean it. We're on the cusp of real change so let's make hope in history run. I love you all. I keeping you too long but thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you bottom of my heart. Thank you, thank you. Would I go off this way.
Joe Biden
A chance of thank you Joe. Thank you, Joe. Staff and friends and family of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. If we know anything about Joe Biden, I think we can expect even though it's very cold in that open airplane hangar, that he's probably going to spend quite some time personally greeting people and saying his goodbyes before he and his wife travel on to Delaware. See caring Jean Pierre there in the foreground greeting her boss, White House Communications Director Antony Blinken. Outgoing Secretary of State Jen Psaki. I just have to ask you, having been through these moments, that goodbye to family and friends, that that part of the transition is a very informal but potent thing. It's, it's exactly that. And I'm just going to note, there's also Steve Richetti. I see Mike Donilon, Ben LaBolt, he's basically surrounded Evan Ryan, who's the wife of Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who he referenced in his speech. So these are some of the people who have been surrounding Joe Biden not just for the last four years, but for some of them, for 20 years, for 30 years. And there is so what you can't exactly see in this picture, and I was here when President Obama left, I was there is you have a bunch of people who were just a couple of hours ago in charge of essentially the free world in a variety of ways at different levels. And they're all there, many of them wearing jeans and sweatshirts. And they're there because of their gratitude for their time and service, but also to the person who brought them there. And I think what we just saw was quite a split screen. I'm just going to have to say, going from Trump to Biden there president not perfect. I don't even think he would say that as a president or as a person. But he has a deep love for the country, for public service, something he's been in for 50 years. This is the end of it for him as well. So I think for a lot of people there, this who knows when they will see him next, they may not see him next. And it is a release of time, energy, love, passion and running at 100 miles an hour hour. And that's what you're seeing. The scene when I went to President Obama's goodbye, I'm not a day napper. I don't know if you all were. I wish I was. I completely passed out in the car on the way home because you just have given everything you can through the field here. But yes, I would guess he's going to stay there. He's going to honor the people that served for him, thank them. And that tells, tells you a lot about who he is as a person. Yeah. This is the personal side of that. Running through the tape moment of the end of an administration, we're joined by Ari Melbourne and Stephanie Ruhl as well, our friends who have been watching all these proceedings along with us this morning. Stephanie, as you've been watching this, we saw events at the Rotunda. We saw the second inaugural address of Donald J. Trump. We then saw the off the cuff remarks that he gave in Emancipation hall where he was fantasizing or talking about how cool it would be to strangle somebody and was complaining about the January 6th committee. Really back to very vintage Trump. We now see President Biden saying goodbye. What have you been thinking watching all this unfold during that second speech?
Rachel Maddow
I just kept thinking all of those tech billionaires, those tech magnates that were right behind him during the inauguration, closer.
Joe Biden
Than his incoming potential cabinet secretaries.
Rachel Maddow
I wonder what they're thinking now.
Joe Biden
Right. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, who was never a supporter of Donald Trump before. Who, who, who was there. Right. Even Bill Gates, who wasn't there but in the last week said he met.
Rachel Maddow
With Donald Trump and was so impressed. I'm wondering what those people were thinking.
Joe Biden
About that second speech that Donald Trump gave.
Rachel Maddow
Of course they weren't there.
Joe Biden
You know, he was flanked by Steve Scalise and Mike Johnson, who are of.
Rachel Maddow
Course going to applaud him. But, but those CEOs who are not just the richest people in the world.
Joe Biden
They'Re not just typical CEOs. They're not running, you know, Halliburton or Exxon or even Walmart. These are the people that run the.
Rachel Maddow
Biggest communications outlets in the world.
Joe Biden
And that who, that is who Donald Trump is choosing to have closest to him. So what I'm thinking is what are we actually going to see?
Rachel Maddow
What are we going to hear in the next four years given their amount.
Joe Biden
Of control and how much they are now? I'm not going to say in his.
Rachel Maddow
Pocket, but very close to this.
Joe Biden
And what's, what's David, dangerous or bad about that in terms of the rest of the country and our democracy? Just pick one thing. Artificial intelligence is going to change almost every element of our daily lives in.
Rachel Maddow
The next five to 10 years.
Joe Biden
Donald Trump has never had a position.
Rachel Maddow
On something like this.
Joe Biden
And now these people who have huge interest rates, Sam Altman was there, obviously, Elon Musk was there, Jeff Bezos, they.
Rachel Maddow
Are going to have a direct line into this president. And so Remember, tomorrow marks 15 years since the Citizens United decision. What we need to pay attention to.
Joe Biden
In the next four years, whose interests.
Rachel Maddow
Is this administration working for? Is it the American people?
Joe Biden
Remember, Donald Trump wants to take control of the Panama Canal because of China control, yet he's WELCOMING the TikTok CEO.
Rachel Maddow
And that company back.
Joe Biden
TikTok, a Chinese owned company. Ari.
Rachel Maddow
Well, on days like today, we think of what is and not what might be. There'll be many days to talk about what might be. I think what is, what we just witnessed is the return of Donald Trump as much more of the establishment. When he came in in 2016, he was the disruptor. He came in with fewer votes and a Republican Party that was still trying to figure this out. And today the speech we witnessed, the people attending, Stephanie was just educating us about tech and business leaders. This is a swing at the establishment. And so he, he returns in, in certain forms as, yes, someone who has been convicted, someone who has been documented for certain activities and, and malfeasance in our system that's part of our government system. But he also returns having won more votes and with those business leaders and others. So it doesn't sound like an aberration in the hall where he gave the speech. I do think over time people will have to assess the campaign promises, the agenda that is for the public versus himself. And so ultimately, if this was an election about the price of eggs and post Covid adjustments and concerns about your life and what you get in return is, is we're renaming the Gulf of Mexico or we're personally profiting off cryptocurrency at the elite level, then the public.
Joe Biden
And what I'm calling what might be.
Rachel Maddow
Will play out over time. But I was really struck by in the visual that actually matched where the political economy and business class is, was him returning not as an aberration.
Joe Biden
Yeah. Let's go to Claire McCaskill, former United, United States Senator Claire McCaskill, who has not only been watching these proceedings unfold along with US today. She's been in touch with some of her former colleagues and friends who are who were there at the proceedings, including in the rotunda. Claire, what have you been seeing and what have you been hearing? Well, I think really an important point to make and underline it and put an exclamation point behind it is that in Washington, most of my former colleagues know full well this had nothing to do with the weather. You know, yeah, it was in the 20s, but it's been in the 20s before. I, along with others who've talked about it, set out in a very cold inaugural in January of 2009. This really was about Trump wanting to control the image, maybe worried about his hair, but really worried about crowd size and whether or not the crowd saw would be big enough with the cold weather to support the ego that he has behind that particular metric. So what everyone was talking about. One text I got from a senator said, unifying my bleep. And I'm not saying the word. Another one said, same song, different verse. Another one said, low energy and 100% political. But the overriding theme from every everybody I talked to is how he disrespected the MAGA crowd. The MAGA crowd is stuck over in an arena, and there's only 20,000 people that could even fit in there. And the rest of them came to town and spent a lot of money. And frankly, he didn't really care about them. He put the billionaires before his cabinet on the dais, and that's what everybody was astounded by, that there seemed to be. And even in the second rambling speech he gave down in the visitor center, those people in that room weren't the MAGA faithful. They were donors. They were wives of congressmen. They were spouses of congresswomen. They were not what you'd see at a rally. I think the reporters that are on site would confirm that. So he never really thought about the people who put him there. He thought about, what can you do for me? Now, the MAGA faithful got him there, but now the people who could do something for him are those folks that were sitting right behind his family on the dais. And that's the people that control the algorithms and social media around the globe. Clara, I have to tell you, the speech in Emancipation hall is still going. He went up. It's getting to be Castro Y in here. He started off with Talking about the January 6 committee, a string of falsehoods about the committee having deleted evidence, which didn't happen. He said that had there been 500 troops at the Capitol, which Nancy Pelosi made sure didn't happen. Then January 6th would have never happened. And by the way, it was a million people. And he has great pictures of it. I mean, just a string of falsehoods. And now he's been rambling about the border for a long time. We've seen Mike Johnson and J.D. vance standing just behind him in matching Trump outfits who keep laughing, appearing to try to create the impression that all of these things that he's saying that are sort of nonsensical are a joke. So we are getting a visual of what it means to be sort of a Trump supplicant even among the people who are at the highest, highest levels of the Republican power structure around him. I feel like it's not on the Republican side. It's easier to be cheering for a guy at a rally than it is to be standing there while the guy's giving however long a speech, rambling about stuff that's not true. And you have to pretend the whole thing's funny. Yeah. And you notice that Melania was smart enough to get a chair. I think she kind of knew this was going to be a venting session a lot of his. But I got to say, I will say this about my former colleagues in the Senate. They are hyper focused about not getting distracted about what he says, but rather every day, I think hopefully being disciplined about what he does in terms of this landmine of broken promises that's going to occur. And also the other thing is that he's not going to be helping those folks that got him there. And I think hopefully they've learned that we need to ignore a lot of the stuff he says and pay much more attention to the stuff he does. That's exactly right. And, and, and we will not take our, in terms of the one thing that he said that I'm definitely going to stick with, it was his line at the rally, the pre inaugural rally last night where he said to the crowd, quote, I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every single cross crisis facing our country. That's one thing that he said that I'm definitely going to do a lot of reminding about as we head into the, into the real world and the start of this administration. Claire, thank you. I know we will be back with you. Joining us now is Michelle Norris, senior contributing editor here at MSNBC who has been watching these proceedings along with us. Michelle, I'm curious to hear what has been on your mind and what observations you've been able to make while we've been watching everything that happened this morning, the information inaugural itself and now since, well, we were told that this was going to be a speech that was about unity, we should just say clearly that it was not. It was very polarizing in the things that he laid out. And that was made even more clear when he went downstairs to the visitor center. Rachel, it feels almost like he is presenting himself as both the arsonist and the fireman, painting this picture of a marriage, America in decline, and presenting this picture as if he is the only person that we are all in a house that is burning in some way and he is the only person that can put the fire out and making a lot of promises, as you noted in the rally last night and then again today. And some of this is going to be very hard for him to carry out. You know, it's not easy for him to create a department without the help of members of Congress and the Senate. And it's not sure, it's not clear that they are on board for a Department of External Revenue, for example. But I'm also thinking about the coincidence on the calendar, I guess we could say the collision on the calendar of his inauguration happening on the same day that we as a nation commemorate a civil rights icon, Martin Luther King. You know, to hear someone in that overly performative resuscitation of Dr. King's speech almost felt like trolling when he, when Donald Trump said that he is going to try to create an America that will live up to Dr. King's dream. And at the same time talking about changing the name of Mount Denali, at the same time talking about removing diversity efforts, at the same time presenting a cabinet that is probably has the most questionable qualifications and is the least diverse that we've seen in some time. And, you know, Dr. King said in his last book was based on a question, where do we go from here? And I think that that's the question that we face as a country. In Dr. King's case, the second part of that title was Chaos or community. I'd like to think that we'll reach for community, but we're going to see a whole lot of chaos. And that's going to happen right away. Donald Trump is going to go and before he even gets back to the White House, it's purported that he's going to sit at a desk at the convention center and start signing these executive orders. Lawyers are already rolling up their sleeves because there will be significant legal challenges. When he talks about removing birthright citizenship, that's not something that he can just easily do. It's in the fortunes of protection provided by the 14th amendment. So I, I think that we're going to have to figure out as a country how to take a deep breath and as individuals and as communities figure out what kind of country that we want to live in. And we're probably going to have to dig deep and figure out how to fight for the things that you believe in. And given what he spelled out today, it probably is going to be a significant fight for the sake of America. To that point, Michel, as we have been talking even before his second speech started, which is still ongoing right now, he's still talking in Emancipation hall downstairs at the visitor center at the Capitol. Public Citizen and a number of other groups have already filed the first legal challenge to one of the announced actions that he talked about in his inaugural to the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency. They've already sued him as of essentially immediately upon him becoming president, challenging his ability to do that. So, yeah, the chaos and community and that, that bifurcated reality ahead of us, we're already seeing it play out. Michel Norris, thank you. I know we will be back with you. Joining us now from the U. S. Mexico border in Ote Mesa, California, is our own Jacob Soboroff. Jacob, there as the new President, as the 47th President announces a state of America emergency is officially now in effect on the border. Does it feel like an emergency where you are standing feels no different than 20 minutes ago or 30 minutes ago or an hour ago when we got here early this morning. Rachel, the one practical change that we do know that has gone into effect here is that that CBP1 app that was put into place by the Biden administration, part of their effort, stated effort, effort to have a more fair, safe, humane, orderly process at the border has been discontinued by the Trump administration and President Trump. I have to say I've reported from this spot over the course of four different presidential administrations for NBC News and MSNBC and the Obama administration, they told us that they manage with what they have according to Border Patrol agents on the ground about the wall and about the resources here. Nevertheless, the Trump administration the first time around replaced that wall with what you see behind me, two fences, a primary and a secondary one, and all of the immigration policies that you know well, the Biden administration kept some of those policies in place despite the fact that they had promised a fair, safe, humane, orderly system, resulting in the numbers today, Rachel, being as low as they were when Donald Trump was leaving office and during similar times during, during his presidency. And now here we are again at the same spot along the border where you heard President Trump mention ending catch and release. That was a euphemism for the family separation policy. And here in Otay Mesa, this is the location of where the namesake of that lawsuit that stopped the policy, Ms. L. Was separated at the port of entry here. And that was a policy. This location is effectively ground zero for what the Republican appointed judge who stopped it called one of the most shameful chapters in the history of the United States of America. 5,500 children deliberately taken from their mothers and fathers for no other reason than to harm them. And the facts, as journalists we can report today, bear all of that out. And while the president, President Trump, is not promising family separation at the border, he is and did today promise the largest mass deportation effort in the history of the country. And that includes not taking children from their parents at the border, but taken parents from their children in the interior, including potentially in cities all across the country. I was in Los Angeles covering the wildfires just days ago with many undocumented immigrants who were participating in the cleanup effort, in the recovery effort. Where is this all going to play out? How is it going to play out? He has said he's going to deploy the military to the border and enact federal task forces to go into the interior to work with local law enforcement to deport more people than Dwight D. Eisenhower, an operation that deported over a million Mexicans and some Mexican Americans with a name so racist that I'm not going to say it right now on television. That is the stated goal of this incoming administration. You heard it there in the capitol in Washington, D.C. and we are watching for the effects of it down here on the border right now. Rachel Jacob, let me just underscore one news point that you just made there, which is about the disappearance, the cancer of the CBP1 app, Customs and Border Protection app. The purpose of that, if I'm correct, and correct me if I'm wrong, was just to give people a way to make appointments with Customs and Border Protection, essentially to try to rationalize and just make slightly more orderly our famously very disorderly immigration system. That is the app that has been canceled that has disappeared as of today. And is it also true that all appointments that were made through that app that were still pending appointments, they have all been canceled? Correct? Cancelled. And reportedly about hundreds of thousands actually of scheduled appointments have been canceled. And to basically outline what it did, what that app did decades ago, you might see thousands of people at any given time, crossing at this spot behind me. That app was essentially put into place to mitigate those types of crossings along the border, to give people an opportunity to, to have an asylum hearing, to have an interview with officials at the border. The San Ysidro port of entry behind me is one of the largest land border crossings in the world. It was one of the eight ports of entry that people who made an appointment on that app could show up to and have an appointment so that they didn't have to run across the border. That app and those appointments are now gone. Jacob Sovera for us in Otay Mesa in California at the border where again, an emergency has just been declared during the second inaugural address of Donald Trump. Alex, you know, it is an extraordinary moment here and the things that Donald Trump has been saying, I think we should, it's, there's a lot happening in the remarks that he gave formally. There were a number of things that maybe people missed but are worth, I think, redoubling our focus on number one. The invocation of the Alien and Enemies act that was meant to be a wartime measure was used most notably during World War II to justify courtesy of President Roosevelt, the detention and observation of foreign nationals, including Japanese, German and Italian Americans. It was in many ways seen as one of the darker chapters of American.
Rachel Maddow
History, and Donald Trump is ready to revisit it once again.
Joe Biden
He also said today that he would expand his travel ban to deny entry to the United States to all communists and Marxists. No further details were given on that, though that is certainly, certainly a fairly blanket designation and open, I'm sure, to a lot of interpretation. Donald Trump also promised to relocate thousands of troops presently stationed overseas to the U. S Mexico border, a movement that would require a great number of resources. There's questions about whether that's even lawful. And then we have in the last 15 minutes some new reporting from NBC.
Rachel Maddow
News that Trump and his administration have.
Joe Biden
Prepared a list of pardons for individuals convicted for rioting at the Capitol on January 6th. So a lot to keep track of, a lot happening this Inauguration Day.
Rachel Maddow
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Joe Biden
Original series Ultra Bagman and Deja News.
Rachel Maddow
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Joe Biden
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Rachel Maddow
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Podcast Summary: The Blueprint with Jen Psaki – MSNBC Coverage of Donald Trump’s 2025 Inauguration
Host/Author: MSNBC
Release Date: January 20, 2025
Episode Title: MSNBC Coverage of Donald Trump’s 2025 Inauguration
On January 20, 2025, amidst a politically charged atmosphere, MSNBC's The Blueprint with Jen Psaki provided comprehensive coverage of the 60th presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance. This episode delved into the ceremony's proceedings, Trump's inaugural address, and subsequent analyses from prominent MSNBC commentators.
A. Opening Speeches
The inauguration commenced with speeches from notable political figures. Joe Biden, chairing the Inaugural Ceremony Committee, underscored the theme of "Enduring Democracy," highlighting the resilience of American democratic institutions.
Biden emphasized unity, respect for the Constitution, and the historical significance of inaugurations coinciding with Martin Luther King Day.
B. Invocation and Prayer Sessions
Religious leaders delivered invocations and prayers, invoking blessings for President Trump and Vice President Vance, and seeking divine guidance for the new administration.
A. Vice Presidential Oath
Associate Justice Kavanaugh administered the oath to Vice President J.D. Vance, ensuring a smooth transition of power.
B. Presidential Oath
Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath of office to President Donald J. Trump in an indoor setting, blending the solemnity of a State of the Union address with traditional inaugural elements.
President Trump's speech was a cornerstone of the episode, packed with extensive policy announcements and assertive rhetoric aimed at redefining America's trajectory.
A. National Sovereignty and Border Security
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, pledging immediate actions to halt illegal entries and deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
He reinstated the "Remain in Mexico" policy, ended "catch and release," and designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
B. Economic Revitalization and Energy Independence
Trump announced the creation of the Department of External Revenue to collect tariffs and taxes from foreign nations, aiming to bolster the U.S. economy.
He declared an end to the Green New Deal, revoked electric vehicle mandates, and promised to revitalize the American auto industry.
C. Social and Cultural Policies
Trump outlined a conservative social agenda, asserting a colorblind and merit-based society while defining only two genders.
D. Military and Foreign Policy
He pledged to build the strongest military, repurpose the Panama Canal, and ensure peace by avoiding new wars.
E. Vision for the Future
Trump envisioned a "golden age of America," emphasizing ambition, innovation, and manifest destiny, including aspirations to send astronauts to Mars.
Following Trump's address, MSNBC hosts and commentators analyzed the implications and veracity of his promises.
A. Fact-Checking and Critiques
Rachel Maddow and other analysts questioned the feasibility and truthfulness of Trump's claims, such as the assertion of millions of "criminal aliens" and the practicality of declaring multiple national emergencies.
B. Comparative Analysis
Analysts compared this inauguration to Biden’s, noting Trump's aggressive policy declarations versus Biden’s focus on enduring democratic principles amidst ongoing crises.
C. Policy Implications
Discussions highlighted potential legal challenges to Trump's executive orders, including the establishment of new government departments and redefinition of immigration policies.
The episode concluded with a sobering outlook on the impending administration. Hosts emphasized the polarization brought forth by Trump's address and the challenges ahead in implementing his ambitious policies.
A. Anticipated Challenges
B. Call to Action
Jen Psaki and her team urged listeners to stay informed and engaged, anticipating a tumultuous yet pivotal four-year term for the incoming administration.
Joe Biden’s Welcome Speech:
“This ceremony marks what will soon be 250 years of our democracy...” [00:23]
Vice President J.D. Vance’s Oath:
“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” [15:26]
President Trump’s Oath:
“I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States... So help me God.” [17:15]
Trump on National Sovereignty:
“Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored.” [25:05]
Trump on Gender Policy:
“There are only two genders, male and female.” [34:37]
Analysis by Rachel Maddow:
“...'I was saved by God to make America great again.' This is something that we don't expect in political life.” [81:08]
Future Projections:
“We have the chance to make the next four years the most consequential period in our nation's history.” [95:24]
MSNBC's coverage of Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration provided an in-depth look at the ceremony, the incoming administration’s immediate policy directions, and critical analyses from seasoned commentators. The episode highlighted the stark contrasts between Trump’s ambitious agenda and the concerns surrounding its implementation and impact on American democracy.