presidential administrations, with historians and authors, and through the c-span archives. we learn about accomplish ams and setbacks and how events impacted presidential terms and the nation, up to present day. saturday, the first 100 days of gerald ford's presidency. he took office after the resignation of president richard nixon during the watergate investigation. president ford declared our long national nightmare is over and later made the controversial decision to pardon richard nixon. in the first few months of his term, president ford also tried to tackle high inflation in the country, energy issues, and the treatment of vietnam war draft evaders. watch our american h series first 100 days, saturday at 7:00 p.m. eastern on american history tv, on c-span2. >> democracy is always an unfinished increase. >> democracy is worth dying for. >> democracy belongs to us all.

>> we are here in the sanctuary of democracy. >> great responsibilities fall once again to the great democracies. >> american democracy is bigger than any one person. >> freedom and democracy must be constantly guarded and protected. >> we are still at our core a democracy. >> this is also a massive victory for democracy and for freedom. dedicated to the president's joint address to congress last night. we will show you portions of that during our time together. we will hear from you and get information from last night speech, as well. joining us with the responsibility is john mcardle. guest: i would like to go back to some of the disruptions in the chamber last night, the disruptions are starting to become as common as these early presidential addresses. here's the headline from axios,

trump speech repeatedly rocked by democratic disruptions. al green was the poster child for that, the democrat from texas being escorted out, questions today about whether he will be censured by the house of representatives. there is also this chart from usa today, and it looks at lawmakers objecting, obstructing during the state of the union. it was pretty rare the past couple of decades, once in the 1970's back in 1975, once in the 1990's, couple of times in the 2000's, and then 2010's and 2020's, these disruptions are becoming more and more common. it happened last night before president trump began speaking as he made that usual walk down the aisle and was being greeted by members of congress. c-span viewers and those who watch the procession saw valenti

stansberry holding that sign saying -- melanie stansberry holding that sign saying "this is not normal." the democrat from new mexico was on his left, a member of the doge subcommittee in the house, and she was holding that sign. xes then goes through what happens next as she was holding that sign, it was congressman lance goodman, the republican from texas, who reached across the aisle, grabbed her sign, yanked it out of her hand and threw it up into the air. and melanie stansbury took to twitter, and when he got a lot of attention, said hi, that's me. we will not be silent. join me in the fight, with a link to her fundraising page for her congressional campaign. the republican who yanked the sign out of her hand also was tweeting last night about the

incident -- putting the american people first is normal. no one will disrespect president in front of me. he went on to tweet, it's not normal for men to play in women's sports, it's not normal for children to have gender surgery. it is not normal for tax dollars to fund trans mice. what today's democratic party stands for is not normal, speaking directly to the congresswoman melanie stansbury. host: one of those democrats also responding to the president's speech last night chosen by the democratic party to give the official response, democratic senator from michigan elissa slotkin giving the democratic response. michigan advance the publication highlights it this way, u.s. senator elissa slotkin engages in -- urges engagement, not doom scrolling. you can see the full speech from the senator on our various platforms. here is a portion from yesterday. [video clip] sen. scott: can our aspiration

has been the very aspiration of the world. right now it's at risk. when the president decides which rules you can pick and choose to follow. when he ignores court orders and the constitution itself or when elected leaders stand by and just let it happen. but it is also at risk when the president puts americans against each other, when he demonizes those who are different and tells certain people they shouldn't be included. because america is not just a patch of land between two oceans. we are more than that. generations have fought and died to secure the fundamental rights that define us. those rights and the fight for them make us who we are.. we are a nation of strivers, risktakers, innovators, and we are never satisfied. that is america's superpower. and look, i have lived and worked in many countries. i have seen democracies flicker out. i have seen what life is like

when a government is rigged. you cannot open a business without paying off a corrupt official, cannot criticize the guys in charge without getting a knock at the door in the middle of the night. as much as we need to make our government responsive to our needs today, don't for one moment fool yourself that democracy isn't precious and worth saving. but how to we actually do that? i know a lot of you have been asking that question. first, don't tune out. it's easy to be exhausted but american needs you now more than ever. if previous generations have not fought for this democracy, where would we be today? second, hold your elected officials, including me, accountable. watch how they are voting. go to town halls and demand they take action. that is as american as apple pie. third, organize. one issue you are passionate about and engage. doom scrolling does not count. join a group that cares about your issue and act. if you cannot find one, start

one. some of the most important movements in our history have come from the bottom up. in closing, we all know that our country is going through something right now. we are not sure what the next day will hold alone the next decade. host: starting off our second hour of cause, helen in north carolina. democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning. i didn't hear president trump speak about medicaid, medicare, food security, affordable housing, social security. in other words, what is really best for the american people. elon musk and president trump, they are criminals destroying america. host: this is mary in indianapolis on our independent line. caller: good morning. thank you for having me on this morning. i sat here for the last two

hours listening to everyone's opinions which i value, but three things came out that speech last night that i would like to voice my opinion on. one, just the beginning, president trump coming in and seeing both sides acting not very engaged for the u.s. citizen. that is one. two, i am a mother, and i am appalled when he said that a human being was taken, they life was taken, not one democrat stood up to that mother as she was grieving for her daughter. that is a disgrace. two, when our prisoner is brought home, not one democrat stood up and applauded for that man being brought back to the homeland. three, again, appalled. a little boy with brain cancer. he is acknowledged, and not one

democrat stood up to acknowledge that young man. i don't know what the democrat'' policies are anymore, i don't know what they are fighting anymore, but between the speech and these people are supposed to represent us in the united states, they all need to go. host: that is mary in indianapolis. ray in tennessee. republican line. caller: good morning. yes, i have one major thing to get to the american people. those democrats that sat on their hands and didn't engage our marxist -- are marxist. they have been in this country since the early 1900s, they have been in our higher education. they have tried to brainwash our young people, and that is an

example of it right there. now, the reason i can say that is because i have seen it creeps in and they want one world government, and we are the united states of america. and they talk about the social security and medicare, medicaid. i don't understand. if people are in that and taking money that is not theirs, belongs to the system, how in the world can you be against that? then when you can sit on your hands when people's rights, life is at risk by people coming into

this country and taking over, something is wrong with you people. host: renee is next. pennsylvania. democrats line. caller: yes, hi. it bothers me, all of these people, american people. i am a democrat but i don't hate republicans. i disagree at times. all these people losing their jobs, republicans feel good about that, they feel that is fine? no one took time to really go through these departments and find out what is what and what can be eliminated. the way that it is being done is disgusting. host: how does that relate to the speech last night specifically since we are talking about that today? caller: i am just saying there were people there who lost their jobs, sitting there along with the democrats.

but i'm going to speak about one thing that he did speak about last night. social security. yes, there may be some people that are over the age of whatever, 100, a couple of them that i know. for me to believe that you can have millions of people that are 150, 120 -- my great grandparents, that is their age group. if they were alive, they were born in the early 1870's, and the family members that cared for them are long gone. i was a small child when they passed. one was 99, 1 was 97. the people that cared for them

that had the paperwork, long gone. some of these people never received or applied for social security. i don't even know when social security began, which exact year, but it cannot be millions of people between 100 and 200 or whatever our own social security. unless they are people outside the country, hacking in and setting it up. host: rhonda in california, independent line. hi. caller: good morning, pedro, john. this is rhonda in california. yes, i watched the speech, the whole speech. it made me proud to be an independent for many years. i grew up in a democratic household. every member of my family is a democrat, but yesterday, it made me proud watching the speech to be an independent. the democrats, i'm so ashamed of that side of the aisle, like

everyone else who voice to the part they couldn't stand up for the people there who were getting recognition for their dead children, that gentleman who came back after being imprisoned in another country. pedro, john, also, you know that leaders of the world watched the speech last night and they saw the dissension between the democrats and republicans, and that doesn't make us look good. my last point that i want to make to both of you is this. i wanted to hear more about the domestic problems we are having. $11 for a carton of eggs when i went to walmart yesterday. i want to hear how come i'm paying now seven dollars to fill up my car. i want to know law here in california we have thousands and thousands of homeless still living under the freeways. the one thing that from made me proud of, when he said this, he mentioned us law enforcement people.

i'm a retired probation officer. i am 65 years old, i collect social security, but i was happy when i heard him talk about us because we need help. the crime in california, pedro, john, is horrible. host: that is rhonda in sacramento, california. the editors at the modesto bee in california have this reaction from the speech. you can find it online. mr. trump and his team aren't real risk of a pattern that the fill president biden, paying too much attention to the niche political issues that his most fervent, most online base cares about and not the big picture concerns of the vast majority of voters who don't live full time on social media. for the former president, it looked like administration with its head in the sand on inflation led by an increasingly feeble, aging chick executive devoted to unpopular language wars and race and gender. potentially reckless action by elon musk and doge, conspiracy

theories about jeffrey epstein and overhauling the fbi, not concrete steps to reduce prices or help americans find annable -- affordable house to buy. that is the modesto bee. the pages of the new york post, their editorial on last night speech in part reads, new presidents to such joint addresses in an official state of the union speech but this is none of the try list taking off trivia affairs even though the president didn't shy from telling details to make a point. elicit promises made and promises kept with more promise keeping well in a motion. he joked and inspired and baited the opposition and spoke to the country and owned the room. it was one speech on one night still early in his term but donald trump did his cause and the nation as much as good, insuring america that for all the sound and fury, for many, the confusion of the early going he is in total command and has americans dreaming. you can find both of those

online if you want to read more for yourself. john in ohio. democrats line. you are next we go ahead. caller: good morning, pedro. i'm a lifelong democrat. i could not be more ashamed of my party than i was last night. it is something, just something that they would act that way. the great martin luther king and john fitzgerald kennedy must be rolling in their graves at this time. i think my party has turned treasonous against this country. and they threw women clear under the bus three days ago i think it was, voting against women in sports, that they have to compete with men, whether they are faking it or real, i think is atrocious. the disrespect of my party. i am saddened.

i think we are heading for an absolute revolution in this country to save this country. host: rhonda in georgia, independent line. caller: hello. host: you are on, go ahead. caller: how are you? good morning, pedro. blessings to you, blessings to the nation and the whole world. i am calling in because there are some things i wanted to say. i'm a first time caller. there are some things i wanted to say, addressing. i wanted to let everyone know that this is a platform for everyone, everyone to call in and address your opinions, because it is needed. i have appreciated the bad and good from whatever you

represent. now, when it is based on what the president addressed the other day, i will say this. i am not going to give a strong opinion on that. i am going to let it play out, give it to god, let god work it out. what i will say to you all, nothing is a fact until we prove it. if you cannot prove what you are saying, it is not so much addressing about how you say what you know, but how you prove, and you can look it up. host: that is rhonda in georgia. thank you for calling in. participating in this platform where you can give your opinions, particularly today when it comes to the president's address last night. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001,

independent, (202) 748-8002. john mcardle. guest: on hot microphones, this is the headline from the examiner. mike johnson caught on a hot mic with jd vance ripping president biden ahead of the trump speech. it was after jd vance entered the chamber when that hot mic moment happened. the moment happening, jd vance saying i think the speech will be great but i don't know how you do this for 90 minutes, to which house speaker and mike johnson said the hardest thing was doing it in front of biden when the speech was a stupid campaign speech. that was caught before mike johnson then folded the microphone down, returned to the conversation. a couple callers have brought this up already, social security fraud. i just want to point to fact-check.org, who took up the

topic last night in the wake of donald trump mentioning it in the speech. they noted that donald trump talked about money being paid to many of those who are over 100 still alive. they say and we have written internal audits by the office of audit in the social security administration's office of the inspector general have identify that millions of deceased individuals were still listed as living in the social security database. however, the number of debt recipients still being sent the benefits is likely in the millions. in total, the social security administration distributed payments to 89,000 individuals aged 89 and older in december of 2024. july 2023 report published by the office of audit found there were 18.9 million people with social security numbers born in 1920 or earlier with no record of their debt. the vast majority of their records are clearly outdated. the pew research service

estimated that there were only about 101,000 americans who were 100 and older in 2024. one of the fact-checks from factcheck.org if you want to follow up on that. host: let's go to steve in new york, republican line. go ahead. caller: good morning, pedro. give me a minute. i want to talk about the speech last night. it was full of lies. i'm a republican but i'm anti-maga. the democrats are playing p ong, while the republicans are playing 2k. they have an ambassador pushing pure lies. there are not people on social security 300 years old. if fraud is a crime and doge has found fraud, how come no one has been arrested, no one has been called on, who is under

investigation for committing crimes? also, since 2003, elon musk has received $38 billion of american taxpayer money. host: how does that all relate to last night? caller: last night was a speech that was full of lies. how can you say you are here to protect americans, save them money, when elon musk, you cannot name an american who has personally received more money from the american taxpayer. if you want to save money, start cutting their. if fraud is a crime, wouldn't pam bondi be out investigating? there are no names, just numbers being thrown out. there is no truth being thrown out. once again, republicans have a brand ambassador, donald trump. anybody from new york city remembers crazy eddie, practically giving it all away. host: christine in pennsylvania.

democrats line. caller: hello, this is christine adams. i am calling because i was lied to and i've been stolen from. americans are deeply hurt. the lies, they have been fact checking with the lies. i appreciate the gentleman before me who is a true republican. our social security information has been stolen. we are told, don't expect to get your social security on time now, that is what i read. host: and how does it relate to last night? caller: i waited for the clips. i was on the internet. host: what was your impression about how you gathered information about the speech? caller: i was disappointed. i did turn it on to see the democratic speech. she did a lovely job, good job

of pointing out the issues, the fact that our democracy is on the line. this is fascism. what would putin do? that's what i've been saying for nine years now. this fiasco in the oval office, oh my gosh. host: that is christine in pennsylvania. britain and alexandria, virginia on last night speech. independent line. go ahead. caller: thank you for having me. i just want to echo what steve from new york said. i'm an independent come originally from jersey. we have known that trump is a liar and grifter for a long time. he is right about doge, and that is what i wanted to call about, trump and his speech identified elon musk as running doge. i know a lot of the lawsuits have been recently updated to reflect that.

elon musk has not been elected, not confirmed by congress. the website on doge are making false statements about savings. i encourage everyone to look at the website, look at it one day and then the next day when they have taken down the falsehoods and not said anything. there are people who are paying into social security that will never see benefits. those are the immigrants being rounded up. where is that money going? with concerns about things like laken riley, democrats not standing, democrats not cheering for a person being returned. i am sure they are happy about it, but giving an audience to a tyrant who identified himself as king above the law is not something i want to see from democrats. i'm happy they are trying to hold a lot about the illegal behavior. once the illegal behavior of musk and truck stops, that we can talk about solving the american people's issues. right now there is fascism, as the color before said.

as steve from new york said, these are lies. i am against maga republicanism. i would love small r to come back. i look forward to the fact checking. host: republican line in kentucky. this is bill. bill in kentucky, hello, good morning. go ahead, please. caller: what i would like to say about last night, i am 73 years old. he is the best president i can remember in my lifetime. and i have people that is democrats, and they are asleep like a lot of those people that i saw last night sitting in that middle row, asleep. they don't even know what is going on. i can understand why a man would vote for policies and uphold gayism and all of that stuff. my bible doesn't teach me all of that stuff. a bunch of people's tails will be busted wide open. host: democrats line.

pamela in maryland. you are next. caller: hi, pedro. republicans have very short memories. they never stood up for president obama or president biden when they spoke. now, all of a sudden, it is disgraceful. it is kind of funny how hypocritical that is. just wanted to say that. host: sean up next in baltimore. independent line. caller: good day to you. i enjoy the speech last night. i don't agree with everything he said last night but i think trump is on point with a lot of stuff. in my opinion, all these people interrupting on both sides, it needs to stop. overall, i appreciate what trump did. all of these people calling him a fascist, i don't know what dimension they are from. biden and obama, the stuff they

did, it was just unreal, communism, socialism. al green, that clownish behavior, that was unheard of. i tell you what. these democrats better get it together because the stuff they are doing, the way they acted last night, it is going to allow the republicans to run washington for the next 20 years. they are going to vote against the bill to keep biological men out of women's sports. unbelievable. all the other stuff they are doing. what doge is doing, getting rid of all of this waste. the last few, talking about unelected officials. did they forget about fauci?

>> the assocte brett is reporting the veterans affairs temperature is planng to cut over 80,000 jobs that provide healthcare for retir members. the article notes the.a.'s chief of staff told top-level officials at the agency that the goal was to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000. that would require terminating te of thousands of employees after the v.a. expanded ring the biden administration, as well as to coveveterans impacted by burn pits unr the 2022 pact act. house veterans affrs committee ranking member was asked about this after president trump's address to a joint session of congress. here's what he had to say. >> what i'm hearing tonight, about 83,000 employees at the v.a., they're slated for a reduction in force. and i can only take that to mean that they want to undermine the law that we passed on a bipartisan basis, which was the

honor the pact act. we had to ramp up 80,000 employees to make sure that the claims processing went smoothly. since the summer of 2022, over two million claims have been processed. 1.5 million claims have actually been approved. and it took 80,000 employees on boarded to be able to make that happen, and to also facilitate the healthcare that these veterans are now eligible for. this president wants to cut 83,000 jobs there. >> out of how many? >> out of about 400,000-some. the rule this president has is that this 80,000 more jobs at the v.a. that existed now than existed when he left office.

in 2020. but the i just gave you the explanation for why there's more employees. we passed the largest expansion of veterans benefits sips the vietnam war. huge accomplishment in the biden administration. you know, they're really not about -- so if you're thinking from the point of view of what helps the veteran, about getting your claims processed in a timely manner so that you can get that 100% or 80% disability rating, so you get your disability pension check, you get the eligibility for your healthcare done, that your family is taken care of, this is all going to take personnel to make sure all that happens. >> if you ever miss any of c-span's coverage, you can find it any time online at c-span.org. videos of key hearings, debates, and other events feature markers that guide you to interesting anne