response will look like in early days of their administration. >> all right. so many days and months ahead for them as they get ready. arlette saenz covering that transition in wilmington. we couldn't see a bigger contrast between 45 and 46 than in who they've chosen for cabinets. joe biden is picking people with long-standing careers. trump refled in the deep state. i want to discuss with david chalian. trump rald against the deep state which is just a lot of folks with institutional knowledge about difficulties of running government. biden is turning to policy veterans. what is your interpretation of how we're seeing this change. >> i definitely think as arlette was saying, biden is putting on display with the picks and

investing in people that worked in the trenches to develop expertise in the areas they have risen to the top of the departments. not to say who president trump appointed didn't have experience, had actually may have had outside experience. look at some of the comparisons in key positions. if you look at who president trump had in his secretary of state slot over the course of four years, first it was rex tillerson, complete outsider from the world of business that donald trump wanted to come in and shake things up. then he turned to his former cia director and former member of the house, mike pompeo, elected official, somebody that was very much of washington at that moment to continue. he actually changed course from tillerson. with tony blinken, you're getting someone that's been a biden adviser for decades, was deputy secretary of state, knows

state department. it is a different kind of appeal. donald trump actually relied if you look at some of the positions, whether dan coats for dni, nikki haley at the u.s. ambassador to united nations, relied on elected officials, people who had experience in politics and then he loved his generals. as you know, whether it was mike flynn initially, national security adviser, then mcmaster. john kelly initially, department of homeland security, and onto become chief of staff. that is not something again that we are seeing yet, not reliance on generals for the national security team, not reliance on current or former elected officials, john kerry an exception there, of course. but you'll see a team steeped in these areas of expertise from as you noted working the government, doing the very work of government in these areas and now joe biden is elevating them. >> very much so.

david, thank you so much. very helpful comparison. we're awaiting president-elect biden to introduce his cabinet picks. cnn learned that a staunch trump loyalist connected to efforts to spread conspiracy theories about joe biden is put in charge of the pentagon transition effort with the biden harris administration. i want more on the development with barbara starr, live from the pentagon. tell us what we know about patel, why this is significant that he is the point person for the transition in this key post. >> well, patel, cnn reported in the past, was widely connected to conspiracy theories about biden dating back when he worked with then congressman devon nunez, then went to national security council. patel well known in trump loyalist circles. he came to the pentagon days ago as chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense, chris

miller, and he was clearly by all accounts put in here as a trump loyalist after defense secretary mark esper got fired by the president. so he's chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense at the pentagon. that's a very important job. a lot about controlling the paper flow, what goes into the secretary's office, what gets looped out, what decisions are made, what comes out of the secretary's office. chief of staff position in the past has been very involved in transition. that may not be unusual. but because of patel's background, we're already hearing from some people the real question about whether he will be devoted to carrying out the transition to the letter of the law, making everything available to the biden harris transition team as they come to the pentagon and try to get up to speed. there's another person who is also heading up some of the more

administrative facilitating parts, things like office space, communications, all of that. but make no mistake. the critical question at the pentagon is will the transition team get access to information, everything from how covid is going to the latest intelligence about adversaries, allies, iran, russia, china, north korea, all these critical questions about whether the trump loyalists will make that information available to the biden transition team. brianna? >> thank you so much. i want to head to wilmington now. let's listen in. >> hi, everybody. okay. good afternoon, everyone. today i am pleased to announce nominations and staff for critical foreign policy, national security positions in my administration. it is a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure. it is a team that reflects the

fact that america is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it. once again, sit at the head of the table. ready to confront our adversaries, not reject our allies. ready to stand up for our values. in fact, in calls from world leaders that i've had about 18 or 20 so far, not sure of the exact number in weeks since we won the election, i have been struck by how much they're looking forward to the united states reasserting historic role as a global leader, both in the pacific as well as the atlantic, all across the world. the team meets this moment, this team behind me. they embody my core beliefs that america is strongest when it works with its allies. collectively, this team has secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory, made possible through decades of experience working with our partners.

that's how we truly keep america safe, without engaging in needless military conflicts and our adversaries in check and terrorists at bay. that's how we counterterrorism and extremism. control the pandemic and future ones. deal with climate crisis, nuclear proliferation, cyber threats, emerging technologies, spread of foreign terrorism and so much more. and while this team has unmatched experience and accomplishments, they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet these challenges with old thinking and unchanged habits. for example, we're going to have the first woman lead the intelligence community, first latino, immigrant, to lead department of homeland security, and groundbreaking diplomat at the united nations. we're going to have a principal on the national security council whose job is to fight climate change for the first time ever

that will occur. and my national security team will be coordinated by one of the youngest national security advisers in decades. experience in leadership, fresh thinking, perspective. unrelenting belief in the promise of america. i have long said america leads not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example. i am proud to put forward this incredible team that will lead by example. as secretary of state i nominate to tony blinken. one of the better prepared. no one is better prepared in my view. he will be the secretary of state that previously served in top roles on capitol hill, in the white house, and in the state department. he delivered for the american people in each place. for example, leading diplomatic efforts in the fight against isis. strengthening america's alliance and position in the asian

pacific. guiding our responses to global refugee crisis with compassion and determination. and he will rebuild morale and trust in the state department where his career in government began. and he starts off with the kind of relationships around the world that many of his predecessors had to build over the years. i know. i have seen him in action. tony has been one of my closest, most trusted advisers. i know him and his family, immigrants and refugees, holocaust survivor who taught him to never take for granted the very idea of america as a place of possibilities, possibilities. tony is ready on day one. secretary of homeland security, i nominate alejandro mayorkas. this is one of the hardest jobs in government, gigantic agency. dhs secretary needs to keep us

safe from threats at home and from abroad and it is the job that plays a critical role fixing our broken immigration system. after years of chaos, dysfunction, absolute cruelty at dhs, i am proud to nominate an experienced leader who has been hailed by both democrats and republicans. ali as he goes by is a former u.s. attorney, former director of u.s. citizenship and immigration services, former dhs deputy secretary. helped implement daca, prevented attacks on the home land, enhanced cyber security, helped communities recover from natural disaster, combatted ebola and zika. given his critical role in immigration matters, i am proud first time ever the department will be led by an immigrant, latino, that knows that we are a nation of laws and values. one more thing.

today is his birthday. happy birthday, man. happy birthday. he is 21. as director of national intelligence, i nominate avril haines, first woman ever to hold this post, to lead our intelligence community, i didn't pick a politician or political figure, i picked a professional. she's eminently qualified. former director of the cia, former national security adviser to president obama, and fierce advocate for telling the truth and leveling her decisions with the decision makers straight up. nothing unnecessary. i know because i worked with her over a decade. brilliant, humble, can talk literature and theoretical physics, fixing cars, flying planes, running a bookstore cafe, in a single conversation, because she has done all that. above all, she gets word, if she

gets word of threat coming to our shores like another pandemic or foreign interference in our elections, she will not stop raising alarms until the right people take action. people will be able to take her word because she always calls it as she sees it. i believe we are safer with avril on the watch. she will make a great contribution. as united states ambassador to united nations, i nominate linda thomas greenfield, a seasoned, distinguished diplomat, 35 years in foreign service, who never forgot where she came from, growing up in segregated louisiana. eldest of eight, her dad couldn't read or write. she says he was the smartest person she knew. first in her family to graduate high school, then college. the whole world literally ahead of her as dad and mom taught her

to believe. post in switzerland, pakistan, nigeria, jamaica, liberia, where she was known as the people's ambassador. willing to meet with anyone, an ambassador, a student, working people struggling to get by, always treating them with the same level of dignity and respect. she was our top state department official in charge of african policy during the ebola crisis. got overwhelming support from fellow career foreign service officers and should be a cabinet status because i want to hear her voice on all the major foreign policy discussions we have. my national security adviser, i choose jake sullivan. he is once in a generation, intellect with experience and temperament for one of the toughest jobs in the world. when i was vice president, he served as my national security adviser. he was a top adviser to secretary of state clinton. he helped lead early negotiations that led to the

iran nuclear deal. he helped broker the gaza cease-fire in 2012. played a key role in asia pacific rebalance in our administration. and he served as one of the most trusted advisers on foreign and domestic policy, including helping me develop a covid-19 strategy. jake understands my vision that economic security is national security. and will help steer what i call foreign policy for the middle class, for families like his growing up in minnesota where he was raised by parents that were educators, taught him values of hard work, december ncy, servic respect. what that means is to win competition for the future, we need to keep us safe and secure and build back better than ever. we need to invest in our people, sharpen our innovative edge, unite economic might of our

democracy around the world to grow the middle class and reduce inequity, do things like counter predatory trade practices of competitors and adversaries. before i talk about the final person, let me talk about the new position. for the first time ever, the united states will have a full time climate leader to participate in ministerial level meetings, a fancy way of saying we'll have a seat at every table around the world. for the first time ever, there will be a principal on the national security council who can make sure climate change is on the agenda in the situation room. first time ever, we'll have a presidential envoy on climate. he will be matched with high level white house coordinator and policy making structure to be announced in december. lead efforts in the united states to combat climate crisis,

mobilize action to meet the existential threat we face. let me be clear. i don't for a minute underestimate difficulties of meeting my bold commitments to fighting climate change, but at the same time no one should underestimate for a minute my determination to do just that. as for the man himself, if i had a former secretary of state that helped negotiate paris climate accord, former presidential nominee, former leading senator or head of major climate organization for the job, i would show my commitment to the united states and the whole world. the fact that i picked the one person who is all these things speaks unambiguously to my commitment. the world will know that with one of my closest friends, john kerry, he is speaking for america on one of the most pressing threats of our time. no one i trust more.

to this team, i thank them for accepting this call to service. and for their families, i thank you all for your sacrifice. you know, we cannot do this without you in my view. together, these public servants will restore america globally, global leadership and its moral leadership. will ensure our service members, diplomats, intelligence professionals can do their job free of politics. not only repair but also reimagine american foreign policy and national security for the next generation. and they'll tell me what i need to know, not what i want to know, what i need to know. to the american people, this team will make us proud to be americans. and as more states certify results of the election, there's progress to wrap up our victory. you know, i am pleased to have

received the ascertainment from gsa to carry out a smooth and peaceful transition of power, so our teams can prepare to meet challenges at hand, to control the pandemic, to build back better, and protect safety and security of the american people. and to the united states senate, i hope these outstanding nominees received a prompt hearing and that we can work across the aisle in good faith to move forward for the country. let's begin that work to heal and unite, to heal and unite america as well as the world. i want to thank you all. may god bless you, may god protect our troops. i turn this over, this new team, starting with the next secretary of state, tony blinken. get my mask, tony, so i don't get in trouble. clean off the podium.

>> good afternoon. mr. president-elect, vice president elect harris, thank you for your trust and your confidence. if confirmed by the united states senate, i will do everything i can to earn it. mr. president elect, working for you, having you as a mentor and friend has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. so many people have brought me to this day, from college classmates to band mates, my colleagues in clinton and obama administration, in the senate, and at the state department. i thank them all and i ask forgiveness for my insatiable appetite for bad puns. mostly, i would like to thank my

family, sisters and sisters in law, brothers in law, nieces and nephews, wonderful in-laws, the ryans, and especially my wife, evan ryan and our children, john and lila. they are truly my greatest blessings. for my family, as for so many generations of americans, america has literally been the last best hope on earth. my grandfather, maurice blinken fled russia and made a new life in america. his son, my father, donald blinken served in the united states air force in world war ii and then as a united states ambassador. he is my role model and my hero. his wife, vera blinken, fled communist hungary, helped future refugees come to america.

my mother builds privileges between america and the world through arts and culture. she is my greatest champion. my late stepfather, he was one of 900 children in his school in poland, but the only one to survive the holocaust after four years in concentration camps chlts at the end of the war, he made a break from a death march into the woods in bavaria. from his hiding place, he heard a deep rumbling sound. it was a tank. but instead of the iron cross, he saw painted on its side a five pointed white star. he ran to the tank. the hatch opened. an african-american gi looked down at him. he got down on his knees and said the only three words he knew in english his mother taught him before the war. god bless america. that's who we are. that's what america represents

to the world, however imperfectly. now we have to proceed with equal measures of humility and confidence. humility because as the president-elect said we can't solve all of the world's problems alone. we need to be working with other countries, we need their cooperation. we need their partnership. also confidence. because america at its best still has greater ability than any other country on earth to bring others together to meet challenges of our time. that's where men and women of the state department, foreign service officers, civil servants, that's where they come in. i witnessed their passion, their energy, their courage up close. i have seen what they do to keep us safe, to make us more prosperous. i see them add luster to a world that deserves respect. diplomacy. if confirmed, it will be the honor of my life to help guide

them. so thank you all. may god bless america. >> good afternoon. mr. president elect, madam vice president elect, thank you for placing your trust in me to lead department of homeland security. thank you for the privilege of returning with a consent of the senate to government service as a member of your administration. it is the honor of a lifetime. the department of homeland security has a noble mission, to help keep us safe and to advance our proud history as a country of welcome. there are more than 240,000 career employees who selflessly dedicate their talent and energy

to this mission. many risk their lives in doing so. i would be honored to return to the department and support these dedicated public servants in fulfilling their responsibilities and realizing our country's greatest hopes, all in partnership with the communities we serve. for 12 years, i had the privilege to stand in a federal courtroom and announce alejandro mayorkas on behalf of the united states of america. the words on behalf of the united states of america meant everything to me and to my parents whom i think of today and every day. my father and mother brought me to this country to escape communism. they cherished our democracy and were intensely proud to become united states citizens.

i have carried that pride throughout my nearly 20 years of government service and throughout my life. my parents are not here to see this day. mr. president elect, madam vice president elect, please know i will workday and night in the service of our nation to ably lead men and women of the united states department of homeland security. and to bring honor to my parents and of the trust you placed in me to carry vision for our country forward. thank you.

>> mr. president-elect, madam vice president-elect, i am grateful and humbled by the trust you placed in me for this role. i am especially honored to be standing not only by your side but also alongside some of the most inspired and talented public servants this country has ever seen. i know mr. president-elect and madam vice president-elect, you selected us not to serve you but to serve on behalf of the american people, to help advance our security, prosperity, values. that the call to service in this role is what makes this nomination such a tremendous honor. if afforded the opportunities to do so, i will forget my role on this team is unique. better than that of a policy adviser, i will represent to you, congress, and the american

public, the patriots that comprise our intelligence community. mr. president-elect, you know that i have never shied away from speaking truth to power and that will be my charge as director of national intelligence. i worked for you for a long time and i accept this nomination knowing that you would never want me to do otherwise and that you value the perspective of the intelligence community and that you will do so even when what i have to say may be inconvenient or difficult, and i assure you, there will be those times. and finally, to our intelligence professionals, the work you do often times under the most austere conditions imaginable is just indispensable. it will become even more complex. you will be critical to helping this administration position itself not only against threats such as cyber attacks or terrorism or prolive ladies and

gentlemen -- proliferation of weapons, but also climate change to pandemics and corruption. it would be the honor of a lifetime to work alongside you again to take these challenges on together. thank you so much. >> good afternoon. mr. president-elect, madam vice president-elect, i am humbled and honored by the trust that you have placed in me to become a member of your cabinet as ambassador to the united nations. in the years that i worked in government, i am always struck by how only in america would we

be where we are today, where life can be hard and cruel, but there's hope in the struggle. there's promise in our dreams, where you learn to believe in yourself and that anything is possible. like both of you, i learned from my family. mr. president-elect, thank you for the generous words that you said about me. my parents had very little back in louisiana where i grew up, but they gave me and my siblings everything they had, and i know how proud they would be of this day. on this day, i'm also missing my mentor, ambassador ed perkins, who served as u.s. ambassador to united nations under president george h.w. bush and president clinton and who was also from louisiana. he told me constantly linda, don't undersell yourself.

and he would always do everything possible to lift me up. he passed away last week, but i know he's here with us today. and on this day, i'm thinking about the american people, my fellow career diplomats, public servants around the world. i want to say to you, america is back. multi lateralism is back. diplomacy is back. mr. president-elect, i often heard you say how all politics is personal and that's how you build relationships of trust and bridge disagreements and find common ground, and in my 35 years in foreign service across four continents i put a cajun spin on it. i called it gumbo diplomacy. wherever i was posted around the world, i would invite people of different backgrounds and beliefs to help me make a rue, chop onions for the holy

trinity, make homemade gumbo. it was my way of breaking down barriers, connecting with people, and starting to see each other on a human level. that's the charge in front of us today. the challenges we face, a global pandemic, global economy, global climate change crisis. mass migration, extreme poverty, social justice are unrelenting and interconnected, but they're not unresolvable if america is leading the way. thank you.

>> mr. president-elect, madam vice president-elect, thank you. mr. president-elect, i am honored and humbled by the immense responsibility that you placed in me of being your national security adviser. i pledge to you and to the american people that i will work relentlessly in service of the mission you have given us, to keep our country and our people safe, to advance our national interests, and to defend our values. i pledge to the exception on the team behind me, the brilliant, diverse career professionals across the country that i will manage humane and rigorous decision-making process that honors their work. and i pledge to my parents who taught my brothers, my sister and me to work hard, tell the truth, and serve others, that i will do my utmost to make you proud. sir, we will be vigilant in the face of enduring threats, from

nuclear weapons to terrorism. but you have also tasked us with reimagining our national security for the unprecedented combination of crises we face at home and abroad, the pandemic, the economic crisis, the climate crisis, technological disruption, threats to democracy, racial injustice, and inequality in all forms. the work of the team behind me today will contribute to progress across all these fronts. you have also tasked us with putting people at the center of our foreign policy. you told us that the alliances we rebuild, the institutions we lead, the agreements we sign, all of them should be judged by a basic question. will this make life better, easier, safer for families across this country. our foreign policy has to deliver for these families. perhaps most importantly, you tasked us with helping unite america as you said in your remarks through our work to pull

people together to tackle big challenges. my wife maggie, the love of my life and my partner in all things served as senior adviser to senator john mccain. she and i shared commitment to common ground deep in our bones. to the american people, i have the honor of serving as joe biden's national security adviser when he was vice president. i learned a lot about a lot, about diplomacy, about strategy, about policy. most importantly about human nature. i watched him pair strength and resolve with humanity and empathy. that is the person america elected. that's also america at its best. so mr. president-elect, thank you for giving this kid from the heartland extraordinary opportunity to serve the country i love.

>> mr. president-elect, vice president-elect harris, thank you, mr. president-elect for your generous words and most of all thank you for the trust and responsibility of this appointment. i will do all in my power to live up to your expectations and toll th to this moment for the country and the world. i begin my thanking my family for empowering me, encouraging me to take this task on. secretary designate blinken, we worked together many years, it

will be a huge pleasure to partner with you again. you will be a terrific secretary. mr. president-elect, you put forward a bold transformative climate plan but you've also underscored that no country alone can solve this challenge. even the united states for all of our industrial strength is responsible for only 13% of global emissions. to end this crisis, the whole world must come together. you're right to rejoin paris on day one, and you're right to recognize that will paris alone is not enough. at the global meeting in glasgow one year from now, all nations must raise ambition together or we will all fail together. and failure is not an option.

succeeding together means tapping into the best of american ingenuity, creativity, diplomacy, from brain power to alternative energy power, using every tool we have to get where we have to go. no one should doubt the determination of this president and vice president, shouldn't doubt the determination of the country that went to the moon, cured supposedly incurable diseases, and beat back global tyranny to win world war ii. this kind of crisis demands that kind of leadership again and president biden will provide it. the road ahead is exciting actually. it means creating millions of middle class jobs, it means less pollution in our air and ocean, means making life healthier for

citizens across the world. and it means we will strengthen the security of every nation in the world in addressing the climate crisis, president-elect joe biden is determined to seize the future now and leave a healing planet to future generations. 57 years ago this week joe biden and i were college kids when we lost the president who inspired both of us to try to make a difference. a president who reminded us that here on earth god's work must truly be our own. president joe biden will trust in god and he will also trust in science to guide our work on earth to protect god's creation. mr. president-elect, vice president-elect harris, i look

forward to getting to work. thank you. >> thank you, secretary kerry. and congratulations, mr. president-elect on bringing together this extraordinary team. i have always believed in the nobility of public service and these americans embody it. their lives and careers are a testament to the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to civic responsibility that have strengthened our democracy and kept america's promise alive for more than 200 years. president-elect biden and i have long known that when we were

elected we would inherit a series of unprecedented challenges upon walking into the white house. addressing these challenges starts with getting this pandemic under control, opening our economy responsibly, and making sure it works for working people. and we also know that our challenges will require us here at home to overcome those issues that block our ability to proceed. our challenge here is a necessary foundation for restoring and advancing our leadership around the world and we are ready for that work. we will need to re-assemble and renew america's alliances, rebuild and strengthen the national security and foreign policy institutions that keep us safe and advance our nation's interests, and confront and combat the existential threat of climate change that endangers us all.

i take these issues very seriously. my whole career has been about keeping people safe from serving as district attorney to california's attorney general to the united states senate where i have served on the intelligence and homeland security committees. i have come to know firsthand the gravity of challenges and threats facing the united states. and over the past few months, i have also come to know the sound judgment, expertise, and character of the people on this stage. i can say with confidence that they are to a person the right women and men for these critical positions. and i look forward to working alongside them on behalf of the american people and on behalf of a president who will ask tough questions, demand that we be guided by facts, and expect our

team to speak the truth. no matter what a president who will be focused on one thing and one thing only, doing what is best for the people of the united states of america. when joe asked me to be his running mate, he told me about his commitment to making sure we selected a cabinet that looks like america, that reflects the best of our nation, and that's what we have done. today's nominees and appointees come from different places, they bring a range of different life and professional experiences and perspectives. and they also share something else in common, an unwavering belief in america's ideals and unshakeable commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

and they understand the indispensable role of america's leadership in the world. these women and men are patriots and public servants to their core and they are leaders, the leaders we need to meet the challenges of this moment and those that lie ahead. thank you. >> thanks to all of you for accepting. all right. thank you, folks. all right. you have president-elect joe biden announcing his first cabinet selections, focusing very much on foreign policy and national security obviously, and talking about the importance of america working with its allies.

it is very clearest going in a different direction than president trump. his selections here, things he said, even in a veiled way, repudiation of president trump's foreign policy. i want to bring in our experts to talk about this. we have national political reporter for politico, laura bar own lopez, and david chalian, as well as global affairs analyst susan glasser. couple of things on housekeeping to get out of the way, he did mention he was pleased to receive that ascertainment from gsa which will allow biden administration to proceed as it should have been able to weeks ago, and as more states certify vote in their states, that's progress to his wrapping up of his victory. david, to you first. when we are looking here, there was a lot of emphasis on personal stories of these picks from joe biden, but these are also serious qualified

individuals that even a republican controlled senate should have some difficulty dismissing or blocking. >> yeah. i'm sure we'll have the political skirmishes around some appointments, that's par for the course in washington, brianna, but you're right to note both on style and substance, joe biden was drawing a real distinction with his predecessor, donald trump, in his approach. your ears picked up on what my ears picked up on on the substance piece, the idea of america first is gone. everything joe biden led this unveiling of national security and foreign policy team with was all about america at its strongest working with its allies around the world, that that is what makes america stronger. fundamentally a different approach substantively from what the trump administration put forth in its foreign policy. then on style.

you know, the words that were used, vice president-elect harris at the end used a lot of these words, so did joe biden, so did a lot of the nominees when they spoke, truth, facts, science. the president-elect talked about i am going to demand these folks tell me what i need to hear, not what i want to hear. vice president-elect harris said joe biden will ask very tough questions of these people. those are all stylistic queues, about joe biden's belief in god and also belief in science to protect god's work here on earth. all of that was designed stylistically to contrast with what you're seeing day-in and day-out in the trump administration. >> yeah, there was an emphasis on truth, emphasis on science as well. but this was time and again, look, joe biden just tweeted

america is back. his campaign transition tweeted that. they're signaling in a way the trump years were departure for america and that now they're course correcting to kind of get back on track. what do you think? >> brianna, that is exactly the reason that joe biden ran for president and now that he is president-elect, he is signaling he is going to fulfill that. i heard him before he announced campaign for president standing alongside future secretary of state nominee tony blinken at the munich security conference. joe biden said there hold on, world, we'll be back. and it is striking that's the same language that we're using today. i do agree. donald trump's name was never used by a single person today, yet of course it is him and his legacy and appointees that hung over this event. implicit rebukes for what would have been a cliché to say the head of intelligence will give

the president of the united states open and candid advice. in the past, that was never controversial. today, it sounds like a rebuke of the president who has so politicized intelligence. i heard several nominees talk about the fact that this was not about politics, that they would offer a kind of expertise, a return to working together, and just as david said on a stylistic note, i haven't heard the word service used as in public service so much in the last four years as i did in a few minutes on the stage today. really was a remarkable change in tone and a message to the world i think that we're not going to be treating allies as adversaries any more certainly. >> and certainly joe biden brings his perspective, and his experience and ideology to this. one of the things i notice that seemed to be different from what we would see with president trump, which was emphasis on

president trump's centric policies, that those around him in a lot of cases more often than we're certainly seeing in the joe biden administration being generals, here you had emphasis on personal stories of a lot of these folks and they all have very different experiences that they're bringing. the secretary of state nominee bringing experience as the stepson of a holocaust survivor. you have someone touting midwestern roots, someone touting louisiana roots, the first female odni. there are folks coming, you also have an establishment pick, john kerry with so much experience, he is put in a role as climate envoy, trying to elevate that issue which is so key to people, especially in the left side of the democratic party. they're sort of telling a story about the people that joe biden is picking. >> that's right, brianna. with these picks, biden isn't just as david and susan were

saying trying to show a contrast with the trump administration, but biden is trying to show that these are people that he thinks will change the way the country does business, will bring fresh, new perspectives to the different positions, and the first woman to head, be director of national intelligence. one thing she really focused in on her comments was she knows that biden selected her and the others because they aren't just going to serve the president alone, biden alone, but they're going to serve americans and the public. that's a contrast with what we've heard so much from the trump administration and trump himself who very much has tried to seek loyalty in his appointments and when cabinet members have decided to provide a check against him, then he's ultimately pushed them out.

another big contrast, but focusing in on their personal stories, it's definitely something that we didn't see as much under the trump administration that biden is trying to highlight in terms of the experience, lived as well as the work experience that they bring to the position. >> i do want to bring in jeff zeleny into this conversation. actually in that event. what did you think watching that event? what stood out to you? >> the striking thing, how joe biden has a personal connection with every single nominee and appointee onstage. that is different certainly from four years ago when president-elect trump was building his administration even when senator obama, president-elect obama was building his administration. these are people who worked alongside joe biden really for so long. they are his proteges, he is their mentor. struck sitting just 20 feet or so away on the stage that he was crossing his arms, the president-elect, and watching as

tony blinken spoke. watching as jake sullivan was speaking. watching as his old frond john kerry was speaking. a camaraderie. for better or worse, this is what this government now is going to be. there is certainly an array of new faces given the trump administration, but a refreshment of old faces who have been around a very long time and, of course that will be the challenge. having new ideas, but this certainly is a break from what we've seen in the trump administration and that was clear through every single speech and remarks given. also struck as laura just said in biography in tone, peaople pledging loyalty to the country. despite love and loyalty to joe biden that's not what we heard necessarily. thanking himself, of course, but talking so much bigger. watching this, sitting back and seen a few transitions to power here. so struck by the symbolism in

every single position in biography and the choices made to head these agencies. certainly something this rollout has been planned a long time. wondering why they're happening so quickly. certainly faceted under the trump transition and certainly faster than the obama transition ball all have been ready. the transition team worked throughout the summer to create this government in waiting, which is how this is supposed to go. the point of the transition project. even with the gsa asser tae eas they know the offices in which they're walking, brianna. >> and back to you, david. tell us what this all means for the frsirst 100 dawes. what's goi days how much is unpivoting the trump administration has done and how much pushing forward

with a biden agenda? >> i think this is the team, president-elect, in january, the president, restore the world. we have covid and an economy to deal with in the immediate term which is going to consume most of president biden's instant attention, although notice how that was woven in to the foreign policy and national security team being unveiled as well. he talked about economic security being national security. he talked about how jake sullivan, his national security adviser designee is somebody working on both foreign and domestic policy during the campaign for him and advising him on covid. taking what are the immediate challenges, as soon as he takes his hand off the bible january 20th, he'll have to get to work on, and bringing that into this team but also put together this team of experts that he knows has these relationships, has the

ability and experience to get started right away in that mission of working with our allies, because joe biden is likely going to be looking a little more inward initially with the vaccine distribution, getting his arms around the covid management and dealing with the economic recovery out of the gate. >> thank august ll of you for t conversation. appreciate it. moments from now president trump is scheduled to appear live for the annual thanksgiving tradition of pardoning a turkey. so what, though, what about the president's own pardon power? what will he do with it during his final days besides pardoning a turkey? plus, the dow crossing 30,000 first time ever as the transition officially begins. which led to a bizarre moment in the briefing room. a very brief moment with president trump. and just in the white house coronavirus task force sounding the alarm on the pandemic calming for americans to change their behavior quickly. this is cnn special live coverage. i got uh sausage -

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welcome back. i'm brianna keilar. in a few minutes we expect to see president donald trump lish live at the white house second time today. far and few from the president, appearances since he lost the election. instead twitter tirades and golf outings. today we saw a very short statement from him in the briefing room as the dow cracked the 30,000 mark for the first time and we will get to see the president in the rose garden taking part in a historically light-hearted tradition, the turkey pardon. this year, corn and cob, the turkeys, overshadowed by the president's accesses as he refuses to accept another tradition. the smooth transition of power