be getting done. yes? >> definitely. he's been very gracious just as george w. bush was gracious to him. >> gentlemen, thanks for sharing the historical facts with us and the perspective. great to talk where you. >> we have much more of our inaugural coverage starting right now. >> we're goirj to have four incredible years. it's going to be something special. >> the truth is one minute after 12:00 he's going to be president. >> that was some victory. i think i outworked anybody whoever ran for office. >> or job is to be ready on day o one. >> the cabinet members are doing fantastic. i'm very proud of my picks. >> you'll know almost immediately there's a new sheriff in town. >> we're going to unify our country and make america great again.

>> this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> wow, look how beautiful our capitol looks on this historic morning. welcome. this is your "knew day." 8:00 here in washington, it's inauguration day in america, just four hours away from history. that's when our constitution says donald john trump gets sworn in as the 45th president of the united states and executes the office. what an improbable journey has gotten us to this point. >> the eyes of the world are on the pageantry of this day which dates back 228 years to our nation's first president, george washington. the peaceful transfer of power is steeped in tradition. it is, of course, a pillar of our democracy. what will the president-elect say when he's president in his inaugural address? how will the weather impact the

ceremony? we have it all covered for you. let's begin with cnn's sunlen serfaty live on the west front of the u.s. capitol. what's happening there, sunlen? >> reporter: alisyn, this is where that historic moment will take place. i can tell you it is already a hotbed of activity, a feeling of energy certainly in the air. i want to show you what's going on on the stage behind me. they are certainly making a flurry of last-minute preparations, putting all the finishing touches on things that add to the grandeur of this sort of event. we saw them earlier drilling in the presidential seal. as you see there, they put plastic coating over the lectern for today where president trump will give his inaugural address after being sworn in. we are getting our first raindrops out here so that may come into play later in the morning. this is the stage where president trump will be sworn in. he'll be using two bibles, one

will be president lincoln's bible, which was also used by president obama when he was inaugurated in 2009, but his personal bible, one given to him when he was only 9 years old after completing sunday school. he goes on to give the biggest speech of his political life, his inaugural address, one we're told he has written largely on his own. it will not be an agenda focus, but more a personal address of what it means to be an american. this is something we saw hints of last night at the lincoln memorial. here is what he had to say. >> we're going to unify or country, and our phrase, you all know it, half of you are wearing the hat, make america great again. we're going to make america great for all of our people, everybody. >> reporter: trump woke up this

morning at blair house where he slept with his family overnight. we know he's up and tweetings overnight. he'll later to go to church at st. john's and later meet with the obamas over sea. >> sunlen, thank you. a couple hours in now president-elect donald trump will meet with president obama at the white house before both men travel to the u.s. capitol together for mr. trump's swearing in. the outgoing 45th president penning a good-bye letter to the american people. cnn's michelle kosinski is live at the white house with more. what a tradition, michelle, what we'll see play out this morning. >> reporter: it's something we've seen before. we've seen this peaceful transition of power, and president obama has absolutely tried to abide by that. in the lead-up to this, there have been ugly words exchanged on both sides. president obama has made an effort and tried to remind others that this is supposed to be smooth, supposed to be orderly and it's supposed to be a part of our democracy itself.

he's also talked about how gracious his predecessor was in writing a letter to him. president obama is now writing a letter to donald trump that he'll leave for him. he also wrote a letter to the american people yesterday. and it said, in part, remember america is not the project of any one person. the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word we, we the people, we shall over come, yes, we can. but the president also plays a big role in this. the historical guidance that is there for an outgoing president is that it's not supposed to be such a big deal. it's not supposed to be a huge process for the outgoing president to lead, but he's a part of it. we're going to get a picture of president obama today leaving the oval office for the last time. just looking at his schedule, he will meet with president-elect trump and melania trump at the white house, they will have a

tea, a traditional tea in the blue room. it's in the past been described as a bit stiff or awkward. remember, president obama and president-elect trump have had a number of long, candid conversations on the phone prior to this. so they've gotten to know each other at least a little bit. back to you guys. >> michelle, thank you very much. we know members of congress are beginning to arrive at the u.s. capitol for today's historic inauguration. republicans will be in control of the white house and both houses of congress in just four hours. cnn's manu raju is live in the capitol rotunda. >> reporter: hey, chris. in about two hours we'll start seeing senators gather just down the hall from where i'm standing. they're expected to walk through here and eventually out into the front steps of the capitol and watch the speech and the festivities unfold. on the house side, members attending as well. as we know, a number of house democrats deciding not to attend

this inauguration because of their frustration with the election, concerns about donald trump. roughly a third of house democrats actually not attending the proceedings. on the senate side, democrats are planning on attending, by and large. you're not seeing that boycott happening over there. today, also an important day in the senate because some of donald trump's nominees will get confirmed later today, two of his national security nominees, that is general james mattis to head the defense department and general john kelly to head homeland security. other nominees, however, are still waiting including the cia director nominee mike pompeo. a big push for republicans to try to get him confirmed. that could delay until monday, ahead of what donald trump wanted to do tomorrow which is going to the cia tomorrow. nomination fights just beginning here, chris and alisyn. >> indeed, manu. thank you very much for that. so much to discuss on this historic day. let's bring in cnn political

analyst and white house correspondent pour "the new york times," maggie haberman, cnn political analyst david gregory, senior congressional current for "the washington examiner" david trucker and co-author of the book "trump revealed," michael cranish. david gregory, i can't help but continue to be struck by what's going to happen this morning between president obama, president-elect donald trump. there's been so much acrimony. if there can be a peaceful transition of power and they're riding together in the car to the capitol and have a conversation together, our democracy is strong. >> it is strong and our country is strong, and i think these symbols of the transfer of power that america does, unlike any other country, are just an amazing testament to the strength of the republic. even at a divided time. you have trump coming in with historically low numbers coming

into the presidency and historic numbers of approval for president obama as he exits. yet, his successor is ran against everything obama stood for in terms of his policies and placement of america in the rest of the world. these traditions are amazingly strong. they go back to andrew jackson and martin van buren riding to the capitol together. i can remember outgoing president clinton meeting in these moments with george w. bush, the incoming bush. george w. bush made a big point of talking about the campaign how the shadow of clinton would come into the campaign and hurt al gore. they had a laugh about that. they said, how did you like the shadow returning. they had a chuckle about that. this is a moment to enjoy the moment and be part of the celebration. >> mr. kranish, one of the big questions today will be what will the moment mean to and for

donald trump. the tone is set by the president. do you think there's a chance when he puts his hand on the same bible that lincoln used, that he will understand better why that man used the phrase our better angels and trying to teach people they cannot be enemies if they want progress in america. >> throughout his life, from the time he was a child to the candidate we saw, he was a fighter, he was pushing back. there's this phrase he used recently where he quoted the philosophy of boxer mike tyson. tyson says everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. that's been his philosophy. he's used that throughout his life. this is the moment, to use the title of your show, a new day. for a lot of people, this is a new introduction to donald trump. this is the time when presidents who are inaugurated are saying they're reaching out, want to bring the countrying trog.

barack obama tried it when he was first elected and then passed health care without a single republican vote. it's a very important moment for him. he's probably going to get the largest audience perhaps of his presidency today, and he can send a new message. that message could be one, continues to punch back or could be ooh more conciliatory tone which you would expect. >> maggie, you've been following the thumb team for at least 18 months. >> i'm curious to see what he listens, curious how much off script he goes. his aides have said he wrote this himself. i think we'll know when we hear it. i'm wondering how he deals with her presence, wondering what he says to her. this was not a, remember that time when russia was accused of

hacking our election and wasn't it funny situation. i think that is going to be a potentially tense and fraught moment. how he addresses her is i think going to matter for democrats going forward. obviously there are a lot of democrats who don't like hillary clinton. but they also don't necessarily like donald trump. we need to see how that goes forward. i do think he's going to talk about america first and this term that he first i believe heard from my colleague david sanger, and he sort of made it his own. it obviously has a historical context that is not positive. he's used it as his slogan. i think he's going to -- his advisers have said it's going to be a philosophical speech and not political. trump's philosophy is about brawling and punching people in the face. i don't think that's the philosophy he's going to espouse. there's a lot of questions as we approach this speech. >> david trucker, trucker, the

moment. president after president says, boy, when you put your hand on the bible and take the oath, you realize this position is something, this is the biggest moment of donald trump's life. you think that should be factored in when people are looking at what he's been every moment before this because everything will be different after this. >> i'm very curious to see if the weight of the job really is something he internalizes, and if it changes him a little bit. we know presidents change over time. we joke about the cliche leader of the free world. but you really are. what barack obama is handing over are the keys to the most potent nuclear arsenal, most potent military ever created. you can do a lot with that. we'll see how donald trump reacts to that. >> panel, thoouch for all of those insights.

we'll rely on you all day long. we also want to know what the weather is going to be. chris needs to know how unsightly a rain cap i'll be wearing during our parade coverage. we'll check with chad myers when we come back. if you've been diagnosed with cancer, searching for answers like where to treat, can feel overwhelming. so start your search with a specialist at cancer treatment centers of america. start with teams of cancer treatment experts under one roof focused on the delivery of precision cancer treatment. start at one of the cancer treatment centers of america hospitals near you. the evolution of cancer care is here. learn more at cancercenter.com/experts appointments available now.

more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper

president-elect donald trump is about to depart for church services steps from the white house. the president-elect will be

joined by his wife, the vice president and some of his cabinet picks at st. john's episcopal church. cnn national correspondent phil mattingly is live there. tell us what you're seeing. >> reporter: what we're seeing is a number of vips, top trump officials, some have already filed into the church. what we'll see is a continuation of tradition, something that's happened since 1933 pretty much consistently with the exception of one president, a worship service before the inauguration. as you noted, about a block away from the blair house, they'll hop into a motorcade in about 15 minutes, head over here for that service, expected to last around an hour. who you'll see here besides trump's future staff is a lot of evangelical supporters so crucial to his campaign. also, the person who is going to deliver the sermon, robert jeffers who runs a mega church in dallas, a very important,

crucial figure in the southern baptist movement. he's a controversial figure for some of the comments he's made about other religions and the lbgt community. he's been extraordinarily supportive of mr. trump and the campaign. a crucial, not adviser, but at least somebody who on the faith side of things has been helpful. this is why he has this role. the name of the sermon, according to the pastor will be how god chose a leader. it will be something to keep a close eye on. a lot of support in the faith community over the course of the last 18 months and all of it represented here. chris? >> phil, the word inauguration comes from the word to consecrate. it does seem our next president is trying to draw as much divine energy as he can and will set a record with six different prayers before the ceremonies begin. thousands of americans are making their way to washington, d.c. hoping to get a good spot

from the innaug ral celebration. many of them waking up very early to get through very tight security. cnn's brian todd is just outside the national mall. so tight, brian, even alisyn camerota had to wait. >> reporter: you guys are vips. if you can't get in, it will be tough for anybody. it has started to smooth out a little bit. the crowd coming in now, this checkpoint and the one down the street there opened a little over an hour ago. so people are being let in. this one, move over here for a second, this one just closed temporarily, a minor security snaf few, they're going to check something out. but they assure it's likely a temporary closing of these gates. then they're going to start letting people through. energy and enthusiasm really are the order of the morning here. we've talked to people from tennessee, north and south carolina. we've talked to people from seattle. one young man and his mother drove here from seattle, four

and a half days it took them to get here to take in the spectacle. that's what it's about. people wanting to get as close as they can to the podium. they've asked us for directions on how to get to the best places and where to go. it's fun to talk to people about that. they're so enthusiastic about being here that the energy is infectious. part of the day are these pop-up protests. here is one over here. they have tried to block people from getting in. people have been able to nudge their way through the protesters. nobody is getting too heated. the protesters are having their voices heard, but not a huge factor in the equation as faz as getting the crowds through. now you see these people are moving again. the gates are opening up again. we did have issues earlier because a couple of the checkpoints had staffing problems, had equipment problems and were not able to let people in on time. they have started to do that now and people are moving through, very enthusiastic to get to the mall or as close to it as they

can to hear president trump in his speech, in his oath taking. they're not daunted by the weather. the rain has not started here yet. it's going too soon, but getting a break in the temperature. only in the low 50s. when it does rain, it won't be a driving rain. people very enthusiastic about coming out here. >> i'm getting a lot of suggestions for headgear. i'm going to have it festuned with something. how much rain will fall? cnn's chad myers has the forecast. >> probably less than .25 inch but likely over .10 inch. what i'm worried about on the radar, at least the future radar projections are some of the yellow spots i'm about to show you. we're going to get rain into d.c., baltimore in the next hour or two. what we don't want would be thunder and lightning with all those people outside. just like brian said, this is not a severe thunderstorm type of event, but there are these convective little cells here

that each one of them could have a thunder or lightning strike, hopefully cloud to cloud, not cloud to ground. but the likelihood of rain is 100%. the tliekly hood of thunder is still there. it's not a probability, but a possibility. you have all those people outside with thunder and lightning. where do they go? >> rain or shine, the democracy will move. thank you, chad. cnn's special coverage of the 58th inauguration, donald john trump will become the 45th president. our coverage begins right after this break. hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer and i finally found our big idaho potato truck. it's been touring the country telling folks about our heart healthy idaho potatoes, america's favorite potatoes,

and donating to local charities along the way. but now it's finally back home where it belongs. aw man. hey, wait up. where you goin'? here we go again.

ugh. heartburn. sorry ma'am. no burning here. try alka-seltzer heartburn relief gummies. they don't taste chalky and work fast. mmmm. incredible. can i try? she doesn't have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn relief gummies. enjoy the relief.

♪ >> we're live at the u.s. capitol for the inauguration of the 45th president of the united states. donald trump and the seismic shift in power here in washington. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. we're about to see the president-elect for the first time on this historic day. moment ts from now donald and melania trump will leave the president guest quarters at blair house. you're looking at live pictures. they spent the night there, the official guest house of the white house along with their children and grandchildren, as

is customary on this very important day, the trumps will take a short drive around the corner to st. john's episcopal church to attend a private service. it's one of many inauguration traditions being honored by the president-elect. in about an hour, the trumps will head over to the white house for a truly iconic moment. they'll be greeted by president and mrs. obama before they all go inside for some tea and coffee. we'll carry all the big inauguration events live throughout the day. we have a team of correspondents in place. they're spread out across the nation's capital including over at blair house and over at st. john's church. they're awaiting the president-elect of the united states, donald trump, just hours before he takes charge at the white house. extensive live coverage coming up. jake, this is going to be an historic moment because we will see the full magistery, but it begins with a church service.

>> it does, it begins with a church service. the person delivering the sermon dr. robert jeffers said the topic of his sermon that will be delivered at st. john's is when god chooses a leader from nah maya. that's the sermon that will greet the day. this is going to be a fascinating date. president-elect trump, i think it's fair to say in any objective term, is the most non-traditional president-elect we have ever had. he is the first one in the history of this country never to have before held elected office or military service, the first one ever who has never been in the military nor the government in some capacity. he's very much a man of his particular time, somebody who uses twitter to communicate, somebody who comes from reality television in addition to his successful business career. and yet the day is very

traditional. it is full of customs that have been going on for decades, and in some cases hundreds of years having to do with the peaceful transfer of power, the traditions of going to st. john's church, the traditions of having tea and coffee with the outgoing president and that mayor mo ceremony bids ado on marine one where the income iing wave good-bye. it will take place shortly before noon right behind us here on capitol hill. >> dana, you're here with us as well. almost every minute of this important daye is scripted out. >> a big challenge for a man who is notoriously unscripted. he's most comfortable when he's off-the-cuff. at the end of his campaign, he was much more disciplined and staying on his teleprompter than in the past. this will be the ultimate test

of his ability to be disciplined. his aides say he'll be reading from his script, reading his inaugural address. it is going to be the first test of the whether or not what he promised during the campaign will be true which is, can he be presidential? he promised, you know, now i'm just me, i'm just donald trump the businessman, donald trump the candidate, but when i become president, i'm going to be presidential. we haven't entirely seen it yet, but maybe we will. the other thing i want to say is when we see him put his hand in the air, it will be, to your point jake, the very first time that donald trump will ever take an oath to this country because he has never served in the military or any elected office, whether it is city council, up to senator or governor. >> as we celebrate, john king, all the pomp and circumstance of this historic day, the country still is pretty divided.

>> the country is very divided. the world watches the united states on this day. as jake notes, you have all these traditions and a candidate about to be president who doesn't like candidates, who doesn't like a script. the american experiment is 240 years old. we're saying farewell to our first african-american president, a man who disrupted his own party, leap frogd the clintons eight years ago. a young man who surprised to change everybody. he didn't succeed in changing washington. now you have a man who launched a hostile takeover of the republican party who is not bound by republican ideology, about to become a disruptive force in american politics at the white house, disrurpted the campaign, has had a disruptive -- some of that annoyed people, some encouraged people, they want a change in washington. such a turning of the page in history. president obama leaves very popular. how he talks, what he stands for, what he wants to do is

different than our president. >> john, we see people beginning to emerge from blair house. there's the president-elect of the unit states, wearing his red tie and melania trump, the entire family, they spent the night at blair house, spent the entire night at blair house. first time we're seeing melania trump on this date, and i'm sure a lot of people, dana, will be talking about what she's wearing on this day. donald trump obviously very, very traditional look. but they're going to drive over only about a block from blair house over to st. john's episcopal church for this prayer service. >> the first thing that comes to my mind, the minute i saw melania is jackie onassis or jackie kennedy at the time. different color, but boy is that a jackie kennedy style she's got there, very classic, very elegant, very refined. >> they're going to get in a little motorcade, a short drive from blair house over to st.

john's episcopal church. the service will be very significant for this president-elect. >> it will. it's not somebody who has a long tradition in the church, not somebody known for having a particular spiritual theology, but he is somebody who was embraced by the conservative evangelical community during the primaries, won their votes considerably, was very, very strongly supported by the christian conservative community here in washington, d.c. and has talked repeatedly about how honored he has been to have enjoyed their support, even though he comes from, i think it's fair to say, a very different kind of background. >> yeah, he does. he will have his family bible later behind us when he is sworn in as president of the united states. also will have a lincoln bible as well. so it's a moment that he will certainly cherish as he begins, john king, this four-year

adventure. >> today we will focus on the ceremony, the transfer of power, the peaceful transition of power that makes america the beacon around the world. one of the big questions for this president is the speech he will deliver right there behind us, can he take -- he can't unify the country today, the country is still very divided, but can he take an important first step and lay the foundation for bringing together -- he lost the popular vote, won the electoral college. there are a good number of democrats boycotting this inaugurati inauguration. one who say he's illegitimate, others who have differences with this president and don't want to be here. a huge challenge going forward, that will come later today. we expect congress is about the business of reversing obamacare and things like that. today is more about the transfer of power but the message he sends in that first speech is very important to see if he can take that important first step to bridge what is a huge gap. >> what's interesting is one of his dear friends and the chairman of the presidential

innaug ral committee said yesterday that the theme of the speech we'll hear and the theme of this entire weekend is unity and bringing the country together, honoring the traditions of this nation, the peaceful transfer of power, more than 220 years of that tradition, not something seen in every country around the world, especially after such a bitter and divisive election. and the notes we have heard so far have -- some have been in that direction, some have been in the opposite direction. tom barrack saying the time to unite the country is now. there's a lot of talk about the campaign still. >> including last night. >> and a lot of attacks on opponents of president-elect trump. it is a moment for him to put that aside and call for unity. look, we're not going to dwell on this today, but he is entering the presidency the least popular president-elect in modern american history. i think he's going to find that

popularity will help him do what he wants to do. >> when it comes to personnel, it's not that big. people close to him even say the reason why he needed to get out of trump tower and here, he needs to grasp the notion of the fact that this is a sprawling organization. he's not going to just be with the small band of aides with him right now. it's going to be different. >> beginning to rain a little bit in the nation's capital. huge crowds already gathering. i want to go to blair house, michelle kosinski, our white house correspondent is on scene. we saw the president-elect and incoming first lady. they walk down the stairs from blair house. now in their vehicles, getting

ready for the brief drive from where you are, michelle, over to st. john's episcopal church. >> that's the picture everyone is waiting for. people are assembled out here since before dawn. most of those around us are police. security is already in place, and volunteers. they're going to be working this event. they, themselves, wanted to get that first view of the family, the soon-to-be first family as they begin this incredible day for them. they also spent the night in blair house. this is four buildings put together. they have plenty of room in there. it's this beautiful old building, traditional for the president-elect to spend the night there. he just had his entire family with him. his daughter ivanka, her husband and their three children. his sons and their wives and their children as well as testify any trump all spent the night together there. earlier this morning, i guess it would be about half an hour, 45 minutes ago we saw kellyanne

conway arrive. they've exited the building, gotten into their respective cars and now they'll make this procession starting to move now to st. john's episcopal church which is just across lafayette park, about a block and a half away. now people are starting to wave out here, some clapping, to see them off as they start this traditional service before the inauguration itself. >> right across the street as you well know from the white house, pennsylvania avenue, one-block, short drive. we saw the motorcade leave. they'll be heading to st. john's episcopal church this morning. it will set the scene. after the service the trumps will head back over to the white house for tea, coffee with the president and the first lady, michelle obama, before they head up to where we are right now up on capitol hill. you're looking at live pictures over there. this is right near -- this

motorcade is heading over to the church, on the right you see the hotel right across the street from st. john's episcopal church. it's a slight drizzle, jake, as we await the president-elect. we'll see them get out of the vehicles right now and head into the church. >> everything about this day is choreographing, meticulous, keeping with the long traditions of this country. this day is very untrumpy, in the sense that he has been somebody who has been more of an add-libber, done things his own way and won the nomination and the election. >> he's getting out of the vehicle now. let's listen for a second.

>> we saw the rector of st. john's greet the president-elect. you see ivanka trump, the daughter, and jared kushner, the son-in-law. jared kushner is going to play a very significant role in this new administration. >> that's right. president-elect trump was very impressed with jared kushner's guidance during the campaign, and he's bringing him to the

white house. there his two grown sons, don junior and eric and their wives and children. >> all the grandchildren are there for this historic occasion, a day they will, for sure, always remember. there's tiffany trump who recently graduated from the university of pennsylvania. >> that's right. tiffany trump -- >> the sons, eric and don junior, they will be in charge of the business. they're not coming to washington. >> they're not coming to washington. there remain a lot of questions about the ability of president-elect trump to keep his businesses separated from his job now as president of the united states in a few hours. with his sons running it, those questions will no doubt continue to dog his presidency. tiffany trump, the daughter of president-elect trump and marla maples from his second marriage. >> the family is inside right now. phil mattingly is over at the

church himself. phil, walk us through who is inside, who will be at the service and what we'll be hearing. >> we obviously just saw the president-elect and the future first lady walk in. over the course of the last 45 minutes, wolf, we've seen every close confidant, cabinet member, incoming senior level white house staffer also make their way into st. john's episcopal church, about 300 individuals expected to attend this service. as jake pointed out earlier, when you look back over the course of the campaign, one of the more surprising elements was the really intense evangelical support that now president-elect trump got. that will be represented heavily at this service. gerri fallwell, junior, james dobson, a lot of individuals that made concrete decisions to back the president-elect when maybe it wasn't the most popular or even kind of sensical idea at the time as far as they were talking are here. they've been close confidants throughout the campaign and remain so now.

as the service itself occurs, the president-elect and the first lady-to-be will be in the front row. the service expected to last about an hour long, perhaps a little longer. one of the more interesting elements of the service will be who will be delivering the sermon. it will be reverend robert jeffress, a southern baptist from down in dallas, texas, but also one who has made a lot of inflammatory and controversial remarks about other religions, about the lbgt community over the course of the last couple years. that said, they say, look, his message will be one of unification, one backing the trump family from the very beginning, one is very respected and thought very highly of inside the trump operation. that's why he's here today. as for the sermon, it will be titled "when got chooses a leader." at the construction of it, the story of nehemiah who built a

wall around jerusalem to help protect the city. that will be at the center of the sermon. should be about an hour long before they head back over to the white house for that tea with the obamas. but everybody that you would expect to be here is here, and this is kind of a tradition that we've seen pretty much consistently since 1933. president-elect trump continuing that today. >> the reverend indeed very controversial, runs a 12,000-member mega church in dallas. we should point out, he has said islam and mormonism are heresies from the pit of hell, suggested the catholic church was led astray by satan and on and on. >> that's one of the challenges for the president-elect, projecting a message of unity but surrounding himself with allies of the campaign. if you're left of center, you look at this and say how can you deliver a message of unity when you allow the lead sermon, when you go to the president's church, as st. john's is called,

to be somebody with the representation of the political activity of dr. jeffress. that's what this president-elect faces in keeping the loyalty and rewarding the loyalty of those who stood by him in the campaign. >> one thing i want to point out as we're watching the shots of the first family going into that service, we didn't see one of donald trump's children, his youngest son baron. he wasn't there last night. >> ten years old. >> ten years old. >> we're not sure where he is or why he's not here. wanted to note that we did see his adult children, a couple of his adult children's children. i think the two oldest kids of don junior. it's not always easy when you're a young kid, i think, to deal with this. certainly noteworthy he wasn't there. maybe we'll see him later. >> all those grown children and grandchildren underscore something that i think many of us have forgotten because donald

trump has traditionally projected such an energetic and robust image. obviously a lot of his supporters think he's an alpha male and very strong. he will be the oldest person in the history of this country ever inaugurated. he is 70 years old. i believe ronald reagan was 69 for the first inauguration. he'll be the oldest president ever inaugurated for the first time in this country. again, a man of his times, a man who has been married more than once. americans live much longer today than they did several years ago. but just another historic moment. >> one of the big contrasts. three consecutive two-term presidents, young men, bill clinton, george w. bush and barack obama. it's one of the many contrasts you get with this new administration. >> in some ways going back a little bit. obama is pretty much a generation younger than donald trump, almost, maybe a little short of it.

even though obama is retiring from the white house, he is retiring and giving over the job to somebody who is more than 15 years his senior. >> it's interesting because when ronald reagan was running, there are all those questions from his opponents and from the media about his age. there really weren't many about donald trump and his age. >> this is inauguration day in the united states, only just beginning, donald trump is at st. john's episcopal church right now. he'll be heading over to the white house to sit down with president obama. that's shortly after the church service. we're standing by for their meeting. their drive to the capitol and all the big moments on this inauguration day. stay with us. where should you start when you're told

you have cancer? start with a specialist. start where you'll find advavanced technology, precision treatment options and truly compassionate care. start here with a team of experts who treat only cancer. every stage. every day. it's not one thing we do. it's the only thing we do. start at cancer treatment centers of america. the evolution of cancer care is here. learn more at cancercenter.com/experts appointments available now.

ththen out of nowhere...crying. third time that day. i wasn't even sad. first the stroke, now this. so we asked my doctor. he told us about pseudobulbar affect, or pba. it's frequent, uncontrollable crying or laughing that doesn't match how you feel. it can happen with certain neurologic conditions like stroke, dementia, or ms. he prescribed nuedexta, the only fda-approved treatment for pba. tell your doctor about medicines you take. some can't be taken with nuedexta. nuedexta is not for people with certain heart conditions. serious side effects may occur. life-threatening allergic reactions to quinidine can happen. tell your doctor right away if you have bleeding or bruising. stop nuedexta if muscle twitching, confusion, fever, or shivering occurs with antidepressants.

side effects may include diarrhea, dizziness, cough, vomiting, weakness, or ankle swelling. nuedexta made a difference by reducing my pba episodes. ask about nuedexta and go to nuedexta.com and they're absolutely right. they say that it's hot... when really, it's scorching. and while some may say the desert is desolate... we prefer secluded. what is the desert? it's absolutely what you need right now. absolutely scottsdale.

welcome back to our continuing coverage of the inauguration of donald trump, a day of history. right now the president-elect is inside st. john's church here in washington attending a private

service. it is a moment for prayer, for reflection before he assumes the awesome responsibility of leading this nation. soon he'll head to his new home and office. the white house will see the obamas welcome the trumps at the white house. we'll see all of that live. then they'll head inside for tea, coffee and conversation before the official handover of power. good morning, i'm anderson cooper overlooking the national mall here in washington, d.c. what a view it is. all morning long we have seen thousands and thousands of people lining up through security in order to get a great spot so they can witness this historic day. i'm here with the panel, michael smerconish, malik anderson, kate anderson bauer, dougly brinkley, all joining me. david axelrod, you know what it's like to be a president o n this day where their whole life changes. eric trump was asked what is the biggest fear for his dad.

he said i think having a lot of new people around him. we've always been a little understand lar. that is the new reality for donald trump. >> that is. the most important thing, and president obama said this the other day, you can't do this alone. you to be reliant onners. that's not the way donald trump has structured his life to date. this is a huge challenge for him to put trust in others, to operate on a much larger scale than he has before and do it in a way that gives people confidence, not just in the operations of government, but that everyone is being accounted for in it and by it. >> gloria, as much as donald trump has talked about the tens of thousands of employees he's had over the years, but the trump organization itself, pretty insul ar. relatively small. >> used to be an autonomous leader of a private empire run

largely with his children. now he's got to confront the reality of a congress that wants the answers to everything, bring in new people. what he values the most is loyalty. loyalty comes, he believes, from family and from know iing someo for decades. he is used to living and working in the same place, because at trump tower he, of course, lives up on the top of trump tower and he works down on a lower level there. but this is going to be a very, very different environment for him because he's going to have to broaden, and he won't always get what he wants. >> kate, for the family, too. much of the family, ivanka moving down here with jared kushner who will have a senior adviser role in the white house, the grown trump boys, eric and don junior staying in new york running the business. for the family this is completely true. for melania trump, this will be

a completely new life. >> it is completely new. we've seen this with other first ladies, but nothing quite as stark as this, someone who seems reluctant to be in the middle of the fray. melan yeah is the first foreign-born first lady since louisa adams. i think she feels very vulnerable right now, following on the heels of one of the most popular first ladies in history, and she wants to find a cause. >> which often takes months. it took michelle obama months to meet with people and figure out what she wanted to do. >> right. they don't have a social secretary yet or chief of staff for her that the obamas had in place by this time in 2009. i think they're taking their time to set up the east wing at least. by staying in new york, she is sending the message that she's not going to be a traditional first lady like we've seen before, and ivanka might fill some of that void.

>> although douglas brinkley, ivanka trump bristled at the suggestion that she would be playing the role of the first lady in a recent interview. we should point out melania trump will be staying in new york while their son baern completes this year of school. the role of first lady is different with every first lady. every first laid lady has to decide that. >> all first ladies are different. eleanor roosevelt would disappear for her husband, not see him for months at a time, had her own set of friends, seldom did they ever interact for months at a time.melania, she does remind one of jacqueline kennedy, at least in the fashion sense. the sense of glamour, we have to remember melania was a model,

grew up in the world of fashion, lives in new york city. when away from d.c., she'll be around trump tower with all the media surrounding her in new york. i think she'll be fairly visible, maybe not as much so in washington, d.c., at least for this first season. >> donald trump during the campaign talked about what he's going to do on day one. once he's sworn in as president, it begins. you get the nuclear codes, the responsibility, the weight is taken on right then. >> it is. as he's there, as you said, he will have the nuclear codes. we've had mixed signals in his team. he would start on day one on monday. and there are some notions that he would start as early as friday. they seem to sort of want credit for this idea that he's going to hit the ground running. guess what? that's the nature of the job. you have to hit the ground running right away. it will be interesting to see

what notes of unity and inclusion and his speech and whether what he does after that undermines what his messages are. >> michael smerconish, your thoughts this morning? >> we've sat here and wondered if this where we're going the see the pivot. we've never seen the pivot. through all the primaries and caucuses, the debates and conventions, through the whole process. perhaps today in the speech at noon the pivot will come. he was running the campaign all the way through last evening which surprised me, calling out different events that had transpired and making refers to things that had happened. is this the new beginning? i hope so. >> jeffrey lord. >> one o of the things i've seen in the press is the speeches

he's looked at inauguration-wise are john f. kennedy and ronald reagan. growing up as a jfk fan, i memorized jfk's inaugural address. ronald reagan's was memorable as well. what they had in common was summoning the country to a challenge and also appealing to american greatness and what the country meant as a whole. that was their sort of historic themes that two of those people shared. it went over very well in a day for each of them. i think he's going to follow somewhat in that path. i think this is going to be more my guess here, more philosophical than agenda driven. >> ba cory sellers, a number of democrats not attending, but history goes on. >> it does. i think the right to protest is as american as apple pie. the fact they're not here is their right. today it's not about the man, but about what of