Republican party. President biden delivers his state of the Union Address this thursday. Also ahead, congressman Eric Swalwell on the danger of donald trump escaping accountability in our nations courts. Illinois governor j. B. Pritzker joins us at the table days after his fate became the latest to kick donald trump off the president ial ballot. Grab your coffee and settle in. Welcome to the week again. As we come on the air, Criminal Defendant donald trump heads into the week with a dominant hold on the Republican Party in the president ial primary. Last night, trump won caucuses in idaho and missouri. He also swept the Republican Convention caucuses in michigan. Today, voters in our Nations Capital are voting in the d. C. Republican president ial primary. It might be nikki haleys first shot to pick up a win even as trump gets closer to clinching the nomination. In two days, voters in 16 states and one territory will cast their ballots on super tuesday. On thursday, President Biden will deliver the state of the Union Address. By friday, Congress Must reach a deal to avoid a partial Government Shutdown. Its a week for the history books, so who better to join us now than nbc news president ial historian michael beschloss. Good morning. Im happy to see you. Im a little disoriented without your fireplace behind you. [laughter] i know, right . Carrying it around in the background. Just bring the fire. We can do something about that. Exactly. Michael beschloss, this moment that we are currently living through, how will history view this moment . Put it in context. You have turmoil. You have what one could call an unprecedented situation happening within the Republican Party apparatus. The polling numbers, it is what it is. You have the court cases, all of this rolling into a consequential week on top of the state of the Union Address. This is the year, i can say it very simply, symone, when america either became a dictatorship or will remain a democracy. That question will be known within what, eight months, november . This week will have a lot to do with it. You have President Biden giving a State Of The Union which is probably going to be one of his biggest audiences this year and his best chance to tell people what he wants to do, the same way that bill clinton in 1996 said the era of Big Government is over, causing a lot of people to look at him other than something that was liberal and had lost the 1994 congressional elections. One of the things to talk about history in the context of the moment for me, it is really compelling in that you have President Biden who, as you know, just four of laying out, okay, this is the road we have traveled so far. This is the road ahead. At the same time, you are viktor orban, the hungarian prime minister, traveling to maralago unbelievable. To visit with the president. I dont even know what the question is here because it is so frustrating that you have one guy who was embracing authoritarian tracked and trying to grind it out of america to force us into this space in our face with it and tell us that what we are seeing and what we feel in reaction to that is not real. Is there any other moment in history, particularly if you look back at the 1930s and the elements of fascism that try to rise up at that time, how do you contextualize this moment in the context of what we know historically and how we dealt with that and how, in my view, we are not dealing with it today . Perfect comparison. 1940, 1941, just as you said, we were dealing with the threat of fascism at home from people and groups that would beat up jewish people and black people outside of rallies. At the same time, a broad, the danger of hitler and mussolini and fascism Around The World, so into that moment came Franklin Roosevelt with his state of the Union Address january of 1941. He said america stands for four freedoms, both at home and Around The World. Religion, freedom from want, freedom from fear, Freedom Of Speech and religion. That goes for the world and at home. What i am saying is that we are like that in 2024 because we are not only facing, as you said, a domestic authoritarian threat from donald trump and people who want to see a dictatorship next year, but at the same time he is connecting with dictators abroad late viktor orban and putin and perhaps the leader of turkey, possibly elements in china and elsewhere. These people are going to lock arms and im only responsible for the past, not a future, but given all of this, if these hostile governments would like to see a trump elected, take a look at october 2024. The chances that they are not going to make a big effort to make trouble and chaos to make joe biden look bad, i think those chances are very large. He tried to overturn a fair and free election. We look at the company that he is keeping, those who are visiting him at maralago. You had this just yesterday from one of his rallies in greensboro, north carolina. Hes actually trying to flip the script and say that its President Biden who is a threat to democracy. Let me read you this from the Washington Post. Donald trump made a renewed attend to send criticism that hes a threat to democracy on its head, accusing President Biden, without evidence, of conspiring against the United States with his policies at the southern border. I wonder in what ways you expect the state of the Union Address that we are going to hear from a Biden On Thursday yes, he will take credit for the things that his administration has done but to what extent will he also be creating a contrast with donald trump . He has to. That is what roosevelt did in 1941. He said that this is not a normal year. Americans have to make a choice. We have to essentially issues between freedom and democracy for a worldwide slavery and dictatorship. Any other year, that would be an overstatement of people running for office in this country for president , the most important American Election in history. Its usually not. Its over tax cuts or something. This year, it could have to do with whether people literally end up going to prison by the threat of donald trump who has threatened to use our police and our Military Forces to go after his political enemies. Hes being very clear about what he wants to do. Thats the thing. Its frustrating hes telling you and everyones like, okay, whatever. Even the way that the right up in the Washington Post about his comments last night, it is as though he accused without evidence. Its also not true. Its also not true. Michael, its this an anomaly and have we ever had this level of lying and appear attempts of gaslighting from a candidate who once was, who was also a former president looking to be the president again . Ive seen a lot of lying throughout american history. This is stratospheric. This goes way beyond the level of anything that you have seen before. The other thing is that people should recognize that never, ever have weve seen a Major Party Nominee or ex president say, elected me and my promise is that i will be a dictator and i will tell you what to do and send some of you to prison. I may even start wars to help myself politically and strengthen myself in the way that dictators do, so all im saying is for anyone who is anxious about this choice this fall, america has a very stark decision to make, and that is he has told you what this is going to look like in a year. Anyone who votes for him or decides not to vote will allow him to become president. They have made a very big statement. You know, you are a historian and not a psychologist or psychiatrist. Thank god for everyone. As we may need from time to time. Right. Michael, if you can, what is it about people in their move towards this type of a leader . See, i put it in terms of, are you really that desperate that you are going to sacrifice your own personal freedoms thinking that this guy whos telling you hes going to be a dictator for a day no dictator is ever a Dictator Test for a day. Weve seen that a lot in history. Have it back in 24 hours. Why are people susceptible to believing that and moving into that space so readily without critically stepping back and going, i am looking around me and looking Around The World and seeing where this type of behavior has not led to good things. It has not elevated peoples freedoms but has taken those freedoms away. Okay, lets do that. You have some understanding of i think it begins with the schools dont teach civics anymore and have cut out a lot of history and social studies. A lot of very smart people around the country with very good intentions no longer really know the difference between dictatorship and democracy. Plus, if we get to this fall and theres chaos in the world and it makes joe biden look like some elements of jimmy carter in october 1980, i think a lot of people will he has lost control but we think he is a good person. Lets say there is domestic unrest in american cities. Im afraid you are going to see, to put it very specifically, independent women in the suburbs of philadelphia saying trump makes my skin crawl and i hate what he is going to do but biden has lost control and we have to do something. God help us if we come to that. It may happen. Michael, you know that donald trump is out on the Stump Bragging about overturning roe v. Wade. They are trying to figure out what to do in light of this ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court on ivf, which is incredibly politically unpopular. I want you to listen to what jill biden had to say about trump on friday in atlanta. All hes doing is talking about himself. Donald trump is dangerous. Yes to women and to our families. Yes we simply cannot let him win. We cant Wake Up On November 6th like we did in 2016 terrified of the future ahead of us, thinking, oh my god, what just happened. Right. What are we going to do it now . Yeah. We must reelect joe biden and Kamala Harris. [applause] michael, when the Supreme Court decided to take up from senior the claim, it fell to a lot of folks who were eager to see accountability, it tilted on its axis a little bit and, yes, this was always going to be about voters and was always going to be about a plea for democracy. That is now even more in focus for voters as the final line, as the people who are going to hold a line on our democracy. Its my sense that that is the message we are going to hear from now to november. I think it is. I think its a fair one. That is what is at issue this year. Take a look. Come back to the 1940 parallel that Michael Steele raised, which is absolutely right. Franklin roosevelt, in his state of the Union Address, he did not put it this way, but what he was conveying was, you may have problems with some of my policies. You may not like me. And the only person who is standing between you americans and the world and dictators like hitler and mussolini and the imperial japanese. Its not overstatement. If joe Biden On Thursday night can make this essentially one sentence that everyone remembers along the lines of something as simple as the era of Big Government is over, he will have used his opportunity. Just well quick on that point, symone, and get the republicans and the house to boo democracy. That is essentially what thats going to be the contract. You know, its interesting. We talk about democracy. We are sitting here. This sunday, today, if the commemoration of the 59th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday where folks like protesters in selma marched across that bridge. Today, Vice President harris is going to join others, reverend sharpton, civil rights leaders, marching across that bridge. March 7th is the actual anniversary of Bloody Sunday, also the State Of The Union. Yes. What what the anniversary of cellmate tells me is, lyndon johnson, as a result of what happened in selma, came out a week later for Voting Rights bills that were passed in december of 1965. He would not have done it unless there were people demonstrating at selma and everyone else. Thats right. Any of you who think that you can just wait on some leader to save you, you can do it. People have to be involved in this system. If you like democracy, as i dearly beg you to do, please defended this year because it needs it. Michael beschloss, thank you. I love being with you always. Thank you. Ahead, folks, congress is already staring down another Government Shutdown deadline. This comes days after passing a short term funding bill. California congressman Eric Swalwell is standing by to join us next. You are watching the weekend on msnbc. On msnbc. Heres to Getting Better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need. Without the stuff you dont. So, heres to now. Boost. With nurtec odt, i can treat a migraine when it strikes and prevent migraine attacks, all in one. Dont take if allergic to nurtec. Allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. Most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. Ask about nurtec odt. Its hard to explain what this feels like. Moving piles of earth, just by moving a lever. Towing up to 4,000 lbs with a machine that weighs less than half that. Cutting grass, clearing the way, and perfecting every inch of your land. We could keep trying to put it into words. But nothing compares to experiencing it for yourself. You just have to get in the seat. Learn more at johndeere. Com getintheseat start your day with nature made. The 1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. An alternative to pills, voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medicine directly at the source. Voltaren, the joy of movement. This is a movement. To have an incumbent like donald trump not getting 40 in the early states, to have an incumbent like donald trump where he has campaigned in michigan for eight years and i got 30 after campaigning in two days, there is a movement here. This is not an angry crowd. This is a patriotic crowd. This is a crowd that wants and america their kids can be proud of. Nikki haley, she is there pushing back against the notion that the Republican Party is 100 maga ahead of super tuesday. She is also warning that donald trump cannot count on all republicans to back him in the general election. Lets discuss. Joining us now is democratic congressman Eric Swalwell of california. Good morning, congressman. Its good to have you at the table with us. Nice to see you. Before we get into the politics of the parties, of what to look broadly at some polling that talks about the economy. Asking the question, thinking about the nations economy, how would you rate Economic Conditions today . You have excellent, good, 26 americans, fair to poor 70 of americans. How are democrats getting this messaging on the economy so wrong for voters that they think with low unemployment, low inflation, job creation, growing expanding economy, the 401 k s are better than they were a year ago, but six months ago. What is wrong here . What is the disconnect that people think that joe biden is presiding over the worst economy in a decade . Our economy is a Comeback Story that we have to start telling, michael. When it comes to messaging, we are at our worst when we try to speak to the head and we try to get all cerebral and we talk about the numbers, the Unemployment Numbers and gdp growth. That doesnt mean anything, especially to wage workers who may not have seen that 24 growth last year in the stock market. They want you to talk to the heart and the gut and they are looking at a phrase that i hear all the time from friends and family, which is Breathing Room. They want Breathing Room in their finances. They want to know that they are going to be able to save a little bit in case they get a blown tire or the Washing Machine goes out. Maybe they want to take the kids to disneyland. They want to know that they are going to have a Breathing Room in their finances. I think we need to speak a little more plainly about it. We need to connect how our policies at the top line of low unemployment, of seeing inflation flattening out, how that connects to Breathing Room in your finances. The president frankly needs to be out there more across america. Hes at his best when he is with bluecollar, regular americans talking about how his policies connect. I mean, there was a little sil