I would say yes to that. Perfectly done. Has anyone else been more aware of the clothing theyre wearing on Live Television. For help in this conversation with thanks to the rev, lets bring in kasie hunt. Im guessing that the deeper meaning and impact of bidens speech made its way to you on the lawn. As i am also guessing Amanda Gormans presence at the age of 22 made its way to you as we watched the obamas leave just behind where you are. Reporter it really did. Let me first say to pick up on the previous conversation, i would need two marines to help me walk around like that. I think its joy to walk around like that. In all seriousness though, being out here and getting a chance to listen to this, what really struck me is that after four years of having a president who made everything about lims and everything about his own political future, that this speech that we heard from joe biden it was not campaign speech. It was not a politics first speech. It was an american speech. It was a patriotic speech and it was aimed at not just all the people here but people across the country who, frankly, have been hurting in all kinds of ways from the coronavirus pandemic, losing their own family members, economic hardships and what we have all gone through as a country the last two weeks as we watched this temple to democracy get overrun by a violent mob. You are also talking a little bit about accountability earlier and i was watching all of those, our public figures, the former president s, former first ladies milling about in first floor of the capitol and i have been in there in past years covid has changed the rules and we have security this year thats a little bit different but many the past, reporters like me, who have a normal pass for this building have been able to mingle in that crowd. Its a really remarkable, one of the only times in our National Life where this happens. Politicians of both parties from different walks of life get to actually chat with each other. We short hand this sometimes as having a beer together, et cetera. Its a time when every one is actually joined together in this enterprise of celebrating democracy. They all manage to find something personal in common. They have private conversations. Its a fascinating place to be a fly on the wall. One of the things that will be different about this administration and this Congress Going forward that will help answer sochl these accountability questions is those are the people mingling who have power in our country. The faces of the people that have power in our country are changing. Kamala harris, the first woman to ever hold a job of Vice President. Also a black woman. Also a south asian descent. You have new members of congress of color. They are younger. The kind of people and the backgrounds of the people who hold power is changing in this country. Its part of why we have had such a struggle for unity. What joe biden did was open the door to say both to those people who many of whom are in his Political Party but also to republicans on the other side of the aisle, lets take a stab at fixing this. Lets try. Lets try to figure out how to make this new mix, this changing face of power in america work in a way where we can all feel like we are part of the same big project. Well see how republicans receive that. Theyre going to have a chance to hold donald trump accountable for inciting that riot. They its going to happen here in a couple of days in the form of an impeachment trial. They will have in the senate, any way, a chance to shut the door on the di device ifr donal trump ir era to bar him from holding off. That doesnt mean it will be easy. Joe biden acknowledged that. Now President Biden acknowledged that throughout his speech. He talked about how this has been the hardest thing we have grappled with as a country. Its been imperfect and long been this tension. Ive been texting with members who have been listening to a speech on both sides of the aisle. I think the reaction was really a sigh of relief as we try to move into an era that has a distinctly different tone and feel or goal, i guess is the best way to put it. Joe biden wants us to be different than we have been the last four years. I think theres a lot of people on both sides of the political aisle who feel the same way and willing to give it a chance. It may be imperfect with a chance to turn the page. Kasie hunt indeed to all of that. Lets not forget something about this picture. It is heartbreaking that razor wire has to share the picture with the u. S. Army band. Heartbreaking. It is sadly because of our fellow citizens who stormed the capitol. It was because of the fear of further violence to mar this day. To underscore what kasie hunt just said as we see an armored humvee there in the picture. More of the razor wire encircling our capitol. It interrupted a string of i august ral addresses. Mostly about american exceptionalism and while there was that, it also forthrightly noted were in a bad spot right now. We go forward with a new president from this day. Rachel. Right now what we think is happening, logistically is rather than going up to the capitol for the big congressional lunch which is typical for inaugurals, we think the families are having a private lunch right now. The next thing that will happen is that President Biden will sign some documents. Hes going to go do whats called the president s room at the capitol. Hell sign an Inauguration Day proclamation and nominations to cabinet positions and nominations to sub cabinet positions that require confirmation. We have seen with past president s some cabinet secretaries have been confirmed and sworn into office on Inauguration Day. There was a late start with republicans in the senate right not getting a move on. One of the unusual things about him taking office is he will be taking office with zero of his cabinet confirmed. Thats unprecedented. Theres lots of excuses but the fact remains the republican led senate was on recess until yesterday. They didnt bother to get the work done to get these nominees confirmed. Thats part of the background of whats going on today. As far as we can tell, the last act as president by donald trump before President Biden became so at noon, we believe the last official act that donald trump took as president was to issue one last late pardon for the husband of judge pirro who is a fox news personality. The president issued a pardon for her husband. We believe that may have been the last thing that donald trump did as president before President Biden succeeded him. Lets not forget as we talk about the republican senate, josh insurrection hawley of missouri, just yesterday, blocked rapid confirmation of the incoming secretary designate of Homeland Security. Not that we need a vital department of Homeland Security, which lets not forget was created in the aftermath of 9 11, an external attack to protect the homeland. These days we are talking about these fortifications because of internal threats. Senator hawley remaining on brand, whatever new brand he has decided to be. He stepped forward and objected of all 100 senators. Otherwise we would have seen a swearing in today for badly needed secretary of Homeland Security. Lets go back to nbc news president ial historian. I think we had a bit of an issue with your audio. Im assured now it is fixed. Thanks for being with us. My pleasure. I wanted to ask you now that the inaugural ceremony at the capitol. The part we were all so stressed about. Can you reflect on what was different in that ceremony to not have the outgoing president there. The outgoing Vice President was there and took up some of that space. How will this go down in history with that factor in mind . With that major difference . It looks slightly bizarre. If this looked like a normal inauguration, i think we would wonder what was going wrong. If a martian came to earth and heard joe bidens inaugural speech and did not know what had happened during the last four years, that martian would say what on earth happened here. Why is he talking about democracy as if it was something that almost ended . Was there a catastrophic war that struck the United States . Given that i think it would be false and counterfeit to simulate an inauguration that might take place if there was not a pandemic that required people to wear masks and socially distance and caused over 400,000 americans to needlessly lose their lives. If there were a ceremony that ignored the fact we lost our democracy two weeks ago and we could be living in a martial law police, the ceremony has to track to some extent with reality and thats why i think this one succeeded because it did. One of the things ive been watching today and it feels a bit weird to be spending any Mental Energy on this but we have to now. That underlying the attack on the capitol was the president and many republicans lie about the Election Results claiming that joe biden didnt really win the election and there was some parallel universe in which there was massive fraud and thats why President Trump should stay president. There was also a rabid and insane but widespread on the right now, Conspiracy Theory, this qanon Conspiracy Theory that drove a lot of the most rabid and fervent Trump Supporters that took part in the attack. What they believed is this moment would never happen. There was all some sort of plan. A storm coming or whatever else coded words they used. They fervently believed in the qanon universe that donald trump would stay as president and joe biden would never be inaugurated. There was some secret plan that would be revealed to the nation and they would be revealed as the Truth Tellers and we would be shamed. Were seeing the people come crashing into reality to reality their fantasy and this Conspiracy Theory that drove them into insane acts really was made up. I dont know, we have talked about the no nothings. We talked about other conspiratorial movements in u. S. History that have dove tailed with u. S. Politics. Do we have any lessons from history in terms of bringing people back to reality. People who have been driven to political radicalism by a fantasy. One big help is if youve got a president of the United States that wants to tell the truth and bring people back the facts, we have not had that for four years. As you remember, in 2004, how Many Americans thought that sudan hussein was behind 9 11 and how much americans thought that barack obama was born in kenya or lying about his religion. He doesnt doing any of those things. In those cases you didnt have a president of the United States putting this stuff out on twitter as donald trump did for four years and in other venues. Now youve got a president , joe biden, who thinks that its so important to come back to the world of reality that he mentioned it in his inaugural address. Thats something we never heard before. Thats right. The repeated references in the inaugural address to the truth. Right. Normally that would not be controversial. It is foundational matter today. Those of us worried about the right drifting off, quite some distance from a factual basis in which we can ul agree to disagree even though the facts remain the same among us. Worried about those disconnected from reality and living in the world that donald trump promoted. The reality of todays inauguration grounds any of those folks, i guess it remains to be seen. Would be nice to think it does and january 6th wads a one time event will not come again. Im not so sure. Thank you. Were told in terms of whats happening now that President Biden is being briefed on the documents that hes about to sign in the president s room at the capitol. Capitol is big enough and complex enough there are rooms for very specific purposes that there rooms that dont get used at any other times. This is one of those times. Rachel, im going to bring into our conversation, donna edwards, former congresswoman from maryland. I want to pick up on the conversation rachel and michael having with parts of the speech where President Biden, thats the first time ive said that on live tv. President biden came back to the topic of truth and shared truths, multiple points in the speech but he talked about the common objects that we as americans love and that define us. He said this, quote, i think we know what they are. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and, yes, the truth. Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There are truth and lies. Lies told for power and for profit. One of the places that has allowed those lies to be repeated to massive, massive audiences is over on fox news and im watching some of the twitter traffic. Chris wallace over there has taken a stand today on the side of truth. He pointed out some of the same lines of the Biden Inaugural address that we have and called the inaugural address the best inaugural address hes listened to. My question, donna, do you think biden, by changing the question instead of trying to come up to an answer no one else has been able to come up with. How do you beat trumpism . Do you think biden by widening the field, changing the conversation, wanting to be a president for all americans, wanting to cure coronavirus and heal every one regardless of who they voted for, is the right strategy . Well, i think its a strategy that only joe biden, President Biden can embark on. One thing he said that really stuck with me is that he would defend the truth and defeat the lies. I think that is the standing whether its at the podium in a press briefing or him in the bully pull bit always defending the truth and defeating the lies because we know that throughout trumps presidency, he relied on the repetition of those lies in order for them to take hold. I think its really important that joe biden began his speech, talking about democracy prevailing. He ended saying that democracy didnt die on a watch and all in between he stressed the definition and the importance of defending the truth. Donna, we are expecting President Biden and Vice President harris to go into work today. We have talked all day long about contrast but just seeing this as a busy bustling workplace where people are focused on the nations business may seem like a simple and obvious contrast but i think people will be surprised by what this place looks like when it is a bustling place of work. We havent seen a legitimate press briefing in weeks and maybe months. I cant even remember now going into the oval office President Biden today will be signing a number of executive orders rolling back some of the most egregious acts of the Trump Presidency from day one. I think these are important. Modes of operation that convince americans, maybe one by one or thousands by thousands that government is back to work and its back to competence and to getting things done for the American People and so its not just showing that it works but its like actually doing it. I think today not letting this just be a day of celebration which it is because i know that i and all of us are embracing this move toward unity and plooefing that joe biden can achieve it but doing that by doing the work of the American People. I think hes off to a good start today making it a workday. Congresswoman, while you were talking, we saw the new president and Vice President walk down the hallway like that was a normal thing. I want to bring in Kristen Welker who has been at her post at the capitol the underscore some of the reporting we have been passing along on the plans for the new administration starting day one. Thats right. Just listening to you all talk about the fact theres going be a press briefing and what that means. The fact that is to some extent a sign there will be some normalcy return to govrping there. I was there when sean spicer came out to the Briefing Room and talked about the crowds and tried to make the case he had the largest crowds ever. Period. It was so strike l. That really set the tone for the rest of the Trump Administration. What we would see from those press briefings which is that you would ask questions and you wouldnt necessarily get spin. You would get answers that didnt square with the truth. What we are seeing now is, i think, the incoming administration, the new president and the new Vice President having a reset as it relates to that. Brian, to your point, they are getting to work today. They are going to sign 15 executive actions. President biden will that will relate to the myriad of challenges that hes facfacing. The myriad of crisis hes facing. Getting more testing for covid, rolling back some of President Trumps most controversial policies including the ban on travel for muslim majority countries and passing a number of executive actions that deal with racial inequality in this country. Of course, President Biden speaking to that point at the top of his inaugural address. Talk about White Supremacy and the need to deal with it head on. There will be more executive actions in the coming days and the difficulty comes when it comes to trying to get his legislation passed. The 1. 9 trillion relief package. Lit be hard to get republicans on board with this. This speaks to the question that you all were just talking about. Is this th