have high income, don't have those benefits who voted for donald trump because they want change aren't going to get those changes. people are anxious. they are nervous. we'll see if he's going to deliver. >> stephanie i'll see new couple of hours there. thank you for watching this hour of msnbc live. i'm headed to washington right now. let's turn it over to hallee jackson. she is picking up the msnbc coverage with andrea mitchell reports. >> i'm hallee jackson in for andrea mitchell. right now on a special edition of andrea mitchell reports live from capitol hill n the red. the man donald trump wants to run the u.s. treasury now defending his record when it comes to the subprime mortgage market. there is the texas two step, president-elect's pick to head the department of energy rick perry who once forget he wanted to eliminate that same department. well he has a much different take today. >> my past statements made over five years ago with abolishing

the department of energy do not reflect my current thinking. in fact, after being briefed on so many of the vital functions in the department of energy i regret recommending its elimination. >>. and then one day out president-elect donald trump on his way to washington. he is in the air right now landing at any moment here in d.c. just 24 hours before he gets sworn in by the way. it's not just the president-elect but the next vice president of the united states, too. mike pence looking ahead to tomorrow. >> our job is to be ready on day one. the american people can be confident that we will be. so let me say to all of you we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. ♪ hey everybody i'm halle jackson in for andrea mitchell with the latest on all of the big stories happening today in

washington. the first two are here on capitol hill. senate democrats blitzing mnuchin and perry in a last gasp push in trying to derail any of president-elect trump's cabinet pics picks. later this hour the president-elect will have lunch in washington before the biggest moment of his political career, his inauguralle address as our 45th president. watching it owl our team of correspondents. casey hunt and kelly o'donnell on the hill. and peter alexander outside trump tower. casey let's start with you. you have been watching this hearing for steve mnuchin. his business background under the microscope. there is a lot of talk there would be fireworks. are you seeing them develop? >> halle we are seeing that senators are on edge going into this. there is a lot of tension in the room and it bubbled over pretty quickly, before steve mnuchin even had a chance to start talking when senator pat roberts

and senator ron wyden, a democrat went back and forth over valium. take a look. >> senator widen i've got a valium pill here that you might want to take before the second round. just a suggestion, sir. >> mr. chairman, i hope that that comment about valium doesn't set the tone for 2017 in this committee. i just -- i like senator roberts but i just can't quite believe that he would say that to a distinguished senator from oregon. >> i said that to the president of the united states at one time. >> perhaps you did. >> yeah. >> but i would hope that that doesn't set the tone for the session. okay. >> mr. chairman --? all right. all right. order. >> smart carter. the relationship we are building is so different from them -- >> i have the time, please. >> this is just outrageous. >> listen -- >> i don't know about outrageous but i think a pinprick of humor might help this committee from

time to time. >> reporter: clearly senator widen and democrats including the one from ohio not taking that as humor which senator roberts says he meant it in. but of course roberts was talking about how widen opened up this hearing. and the reality is there are a lot of very serious issues that have democrats more concerned about steve mnuchin than perhaps any other of donald trump's cabinet nominees, which is saying considering how aggressively they opposed people like tom price for health and human services secretary. there are issues about mnuchin's running banc one west which held a lot of the mortgages that went underwater during the financial crisis, particularly reverse mortgages allowing elderly people to live in their house while having more cash to live on. in the end the bank owns the home. but there have been elderly peep

who said they were treated unfairly by one west forced out of their homes us behalf them. lot of them are here at this hearing. clear, mnuchin and the team know this is a potential question. he said under questioning i earnestly feel bad for anyone foreclosed against inappropriately. obviously the consequences for a lot of these people were extraordinarily high, halle. >> we are looking at joint base an dprus. that is the plane, the military plane on which president-elect is arriving in washington touching down live on our air. at any moment we expect to see the president-elect, his wife, members of their emif a, done junior, erik and tiffany are on that plane as wohl as donald trump gets set to begin his inauguration celebration. he is heading to lunch with lawmakers. he will be doing that later this

hour. obviously time is fluid given that he is just landing. then of course there is the celebration happening over at the lincoln memorial tonight. lots of action starting early tomorrow morning at 8:30 with a prayer service at st. john's. the president-elect's plane, not yet air force one. that won't happen until tomorrow when he officially takes office but the plane on which the president-elect is traveling touching down in d.c. peter alexander was there as the motorcade left new york two hours ago before donald trump landed here in d.c. peter talk to us about the events that should unfold later on today. we know this is the start of kind of a sprint now to inauguration for donald trump, right? >> i think you are right. the evidence of the perks of the presidency, the fact that donald trump left here less than an hour and a half ago whips to la guardia, jumps on a plane, and in less than 24 hours he is going to be the 45th president of the united states. a big crowd gawking and taking

photos in front of trump tower. of course his new home now becomes the white house officially tomorrow evening. he will be spending this evening in washington, d.c. there is a wreath laying to take place this afternoon in arlington national cemetery. there is the first event, a kickoff event at the lincoln memorial arc make america great celebration that will include musical acts, toby keith, lee greenwood. donald trump is expected to make remark there is. his vice president, vice president-elect mike pence said this is a momentous day before a historic day. and he said the cooperation between vice president biden and president obama between president-elect donald trump and vice president-elect penguins has been impressive. shawn spicer has said there has been heavy partisan division

especially when it regards senate democrats relating to delay tactics with regard to nomination of some of the nominees. >> there is no excuse for the delay tactics and the partisanship exhibited by the democrats. the questions being asked in these confirmation hearings. it's not about substance or policy. it's not about the issues in front of that deputy. it's about partisan hacks -- i mean partisan attacks and ethical questions. that's not -- these people have their paperwork. their quality and caliber and integrity is unquestionable. >> reporter: chuck schumer indicated that beginning this friday as soons president-elect donald trump becomes president trump there could be confirmation of three individuals, pompa, mattis and -- the comments from spicer was targeted at others who they

say are not on the hit list, elaine chao, and ben carson. >> kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill as we watch the plane, donald trump, his wife and his family all landsing in d.c. kelly, you were just at an event with top senate democrat chuck schumer in which he responded to the comments from shawn spicer. what did he say? >> reporter: senator schumer sort of laid the ground work with what he said will not be a delay tactic but a desire by democrats to slow things down. in the schumer era he was accompanied by posters of some of the trump cabinet nominees with the # swamp cabinet labeling the choices of donald trump in some of these instances as part of the swamp, of course playing off the drain the swamp idea that donald trump talked about during the campaign. schumer is saying they want more time for more questions. they will not go quickly to nominate -- to confirm the

nominatio nominations. as much as barack obama was able to receive in 2009 where sevened were passed through on inauguration day. we are expectingcaly and mattis to be confirmed today. we are watching the plane slow down. chuck schumer says democrats have some power and they intend to use it and they want to hold up some of the nominees they don't feel live up to ethical standards. >> any moment we expect the door to open, the stairs will be pulled up and donald trump will step down into washington really for the last time as president-elect. less than 24 hours now from delivering his inaugural speech on the west front of the capitol behind me. i want to bring in former cia director leon panetta. thank you for joining us. as we talk with you by the way we are keeping up a split screen to watch donald trump now step out of his plane and head to

d.c. i want to talk to you first about this comment that shawn spicer made, the incoming press secretary. he was asked whether they needed to to be fence mending today between president-elect frump and members of the intelligence community. you know this intelligence community, secretary. spicer blew of or sort of dismissed the need for any fence mending. but does donald trump need to do some of that? >> i don't think there is any question but that the president of the united states, this new president is going to have to develop a trusting relationship with his intelligence agencies. the president's first duty is to protect the country. he can't protect the country without good intelligence and without having a good relationship with the intelligence agencies. so the hope is that once he gets his people in place mike pompeo and others that have responsibility in those airs

that he can hopefully build a more trusting relationship than would whatever eseen in the last few weeks. >> is that realistic? a possibility? >> in some ways it has to happen. i don't know how a president can face a very dangerous world and all the threats that this country is facing throughout the world and not have intelligence about what our adversaries are up to. so i think it's got to happen. and hopefully trusting in the people that he's putting in these positions, they will be able to build that relationship. >> so today a lot of folks are arriving in washington for the inauguration tomorrow. there are also dozens of lawmakers who are not be at the inauguration, who are boycotting it. i want to play to you what steve cohen one of those boycotters said to tamron? >> i think it serves a large role. i think he is needy. he has been needy since they dropped him off at the military school when he was 13 years old.

he has been needy all his life. he wants the i go aboutst hugest crowd in history. if 65 democrats boycott, he will get the idea he is not bigly, he is not loved, we don't think he is making america great again. he is making america dark again. >> strong language from cohen there. you served in the house. what do you make of this? what would you do in you were in this position? >> well, i have a tremendous respect for the office of the presidency no matter who becomes president of the united states. and i think for that reason i think it's important to be at the inaugural, to witness the inauguration of our 45th president of the united states. members on both sides can agr disagree with the president and wt a president says. but when it comes to this country, having one president and inaugurating one president, i think for at least that first

day we all need to be unified and we all need to join in a prayer that whoever that president is will be successful in the future. >> so safe to say, secretary, that if this were you, if you were in this position, you would attend tomorrow? >> i would. i've -- in my time in congress regardless of who was president, a democrat or republican, i usually attended the inauguration, attended some of the festivities. with the hope and with the prayer that ultimately that president would be successful for our country. >> i have got ask you about john brennan and his public comments to the "wall street journal" about this feud we have been talking about between donald trump and the intelligence community. john brennan is not a guy that comes out and sort of publicly delivers some of that fiery language we heard from him after that reference donald trump made to intelligence analysts using what he called naziesque tactic. what do you make of brennan's

public comments? and where does it go from here? >> well, you know, i know john brennan, and he is -- he's very dedicated to the work of the cia and our intelligence agencies. he spent his career in intelligence. and i'm sure he was deeply offended by some of the comments that were made. >> were you personally offended? >> as to -- well, there is no question that some of the language that was used, in particular trying to compare our intelligence community to nazis, i just think was over the top. and it's just not necessary. it's not necessary to use that kind of language when -- when you are dealing with people who are very dedicated, patriotic, want to do the right thing in terms of gathering intelligence for the president and for this country. so i just -- think we -- everybody got off on the wrong foot. i hope once he is inaugurated, once the people are put in place, that we can again put

that relationship back writ belongs. >> secretary panetta we are watching now ump from's family leaving the plane on which they flew in from new york. you saw going down the stairs, barren, judged jr. and his company, jared kushner, ivanka. jared and ivanka too moving to washington. that two of them got a house in kalorama, a neighbor here in washington not far from where president obama will move after he gets back from his palm springs vacation as his daughter finishes out school. the next people we expect to satisfy of course donald trump and melania trump, the president-elect and the next first lady of the united states here just 24 hours before the inauguration to begin all of the activities that are going to happen in the next several days. it is going to be a whirlwind. secretary, when we look at some of executive orders that we expect to see donald trump either roll back or put in place i want to talk to you about the

ones related to for example, national security, the fight against isis. you heard that reference from the incompress secretary this morning. what are you most concerned about? the actions that donald trump could take on day one day two or day three? what are you watching and bracing yourself for here? >> well, you know, every president who comes into office at least in recent history has issued executive orders to kind of define the path that that president is going the take. and i suspect that president trump is going to do exactly the same thing. >> and he is in fact, secretary -- sorry to sbroup you. just to let your folks know watching at home. you mentioned donald trump. he is walking down the stairs with my wellania. they are in d.c. after a 40 minute flight in from la guardia airport. his motor kate left trump tower at 11:00 this morning. now he has landed in d.c. he is headed to his hotel for a

luncheon with lawmakers. after that, there will be a wreath laying at arlington national cemetery. and then of course the party, the concert at the lincoln memorial, expected to be a big crowd. and we do expect to see not just president-elect donald trump and his family but the vice president-elect as well. secretary panetta, sorry for cutting you off. i just wanted to let noeks know what they were seeing. you mentioned some of the concerns that you had. i want to talk about what critics said they have concerns about. donald trump's twitter habit. he him this week he doesn't necessarily like twitter, that said he feels he needs to use it to get past the dishonest media. when it come to the safety and security of that account are there concerns about foeshs hacking and the message that that could send if in fact the president-elect's twitter account does get hacked by some sort of foreign body? does that concern you at all or

is that more of a sidebar? >> halle i am a former chief of staff to a president. and i find it very difficult to figure out how you could serve a president who decides to go on twitter on his own. because you know, normally, when a president speaks, your hope is that the president takes the time to talk to his key advisors, talk to his cabinet, understand the consequences of the words that a president uses. and if suddenly you wake up in the morning and the president has tweeted some kind of comment about world affairs or about anything, it creates tremendous chaos in the white house in terms of how you respond to what the president is doing. so i just think in order to be more organized and approach the seriousness of issues that the president is going to have to assume -- president walks into the oval office, the first thing

that strikes anyone who walks into the oval office is the awesome responsibility of being president of the united states. this is a serious and very important responsibility that that individual is assuming. so i think the individual has to approach that job with a tremendous amount of care and thought in terms of what -- what he is going to say and what he is going do on behalf of the country. >> before i let you go i want to get your take on something that president obama said at his final press conference this week with reporters. sometimes i get mad at frustrated like everybody else. but at my core i think it's going to be okay. that was his message to the country. to you is that a fitting coda to the obama administration? >> i agree with president obama. you know, this country has been through an awful lot through your history and we've taken on a lot of challenges, from wars to recessions to depressions to all kinds of challenges from

natural disasters. and somehow our leadership has always risen to the occasion. you know, the thing that i think saves our democracy is that our forefathers had the foresight to establish a system of checks and balances. they did not want to put power in a king or in a king parliament or in a star chamber court. that's why they established this remarkable system of kmaks and llances. i think having that system in place always assures us that hopefully no matter what a president does or doesn't do or what a congress does or doesn't do there are always checks and balances in the system that make sure that hopefully we head in the right direction. >> secretary, where will you be watching the inauguration from tomorrow? what are you doing? >> i'll be home in monterey, california, watching it from our home here. >> and your attitude towards it? are you feeling comfortable with it? are you ready?

> >> well, i think like lot of americans we are all nervous as hell what this new era is going to provide for the country and for the world. you know, deep down we all have to have a prayer that ultimately the person who becomes president of the united states will do the right thing for the country. >> former cia director and secretary of defense under president obama leon panetta thank you so much for being here with us on andrea mitchell reports. we are looking live at donald trump, melania trump and his family now at a motorcade here in washington heading not to capitol hill where we are but to a luncheon with lawmakers at the trump international hotel, donald trump's newest property just steps from the white house. my colleague chris jansing is in dc. she has been keeping an eye on inauguration preparations. there is so much security that guess into place. so many things that need to be ducks in a row. chris, do we expect the president-elect on this motorcade to come past where you

are. talk to me about what you are seeing just 24 hours before the inauguration. >> reporter: he is actually going to enhis day here. i'm just down the street on pennsylvania avenue from blair house. traditionally that's where the incoming presidents stay. there was some question will he stay at trump hotel? his aides say no. he was always going to honor that tradition. and just moments ago along here the secretary of homeland security jeh johnson went by. he said i'm doing my final checks making sure everything is in place. a wild juxtaposition to see him surrounded by all these security guys and then the reality of the fun that's going to happen tomorrow. 8 n.o.w. people in this parade along this route on pennsylvania avenue. the ban by the way starts playing here, in case they were worried about that. they render honored here. and then this might be my favorite sign, up there, where it says eyes left. so you are walking this way, you want to look this way. and that's the reason why. because that is the official

presidential viewing stand. moments ago all those security officials who were with jeh johnson were up there. it's a lib different this year. the parade itself is going to be similar. you are going to have representatives from the factions of the military. you are going to have marching band. of course it will be led by the new president and vice president, who will get into a motorcade, something they are going to get very used to, these motorcades coming from capitol hill here. as you know, there is the threat of rain. what everybody wants to know is will they get out and walk? traditionally they walk at least this last section of pennsylvania avenue, which is now blocked off. so anybody who comes here, you don't usually see cars at all. this is right across the street from the white house, where he will start to live. so this viewing stand blocks 1600 pennsylvania avenue, which will be his new residence. and one more final note. they have been very quietly,

inside the white house, i can till, spit polishing everything, getting everything looking nice. but the craziness starts tomorrow morning at 10:30. in five hours, they have to pack everything that is obama, unpack everything that is trump, and do it because they never want the sitting president to feel like we are shooing you out the door. even though it looks quiet in the and everything looks like business as normal. of course nothing is business as usual. all those viewing stands show you what we're going to see tomorrow, packed with people who are here by the time the parade comes here. there will be a new president of the united states. halle. >> chris jansing you will be there too with your rain boots on and umbrella at hand i'm sure of it. >> you can't bring an umbrella. >> i hear they might be lifting that restriction. we will see. let's hope. chris, thank you very much. we have been watching on the split screen by the way donald trump's motorcade leaving joint

base andrews. he is headed here to dc, downtown dc. we are obviously not far from the capitol. we are on the other side of it where we are. the president-elect will be heading further downtown for the luncheon and a flurry of activities. he ends as chris said you see him moments ago with his wife leaving the military plane on which he flew here. he will end his day at blair house and wake up tomorrow morning getting ready to be sworn in as the 45th president of the united states. when that happens he will be being sworn in with historically low favoritible ratings. 44% in our wrurnl an approval rating that the president-elect has brushed off on a tweet. the world anticipating a dramatically new era. i'm joined by -- what are you expecting to see tomorrow from donald trump andy? what do you think his message needs to be and then will be?

will those things match? >> i have no clue what he wrote. and i understand he wrote his own inaugural address. >> yes. >> i hope he had somebody else edit it. >> input from rhys aides, kellyanne conway. >> i expect it to lift everyone up, call attention to in need for a change. donald trump was elected because he recognized something that was not different in washington, d.c. i think he has to respond, there is going to be a change in washington and how washington does its business. i think he will have a focus on making america great again. i know he has copyrighted that term and it's his term. i think he will focus on that and his agenda is focused on it. i think he will be speaking less to washington and more to everybody else in america. >> talk about tomorrow, a little bit of what chris was referencing, this turnover, the turnover from the old administration to the new administration -- the look on your face says it all.

>> it's dramatic. it's unbelievably important that these transfers of power in our great democracy be seen by the world as celebration. we celebrate yesterday. and we celebrate what tomorrow will bring. and today is where yesterday and tomorrow meet. and so all of the nations around the world that see us as a great democracy marvel at the way we can transfer a power even when it happened during contention election cycles. so it's very important for the world the see an orldly transfer of power, one where the baton is passed, not dropped. that the same values of america are the values that will be stood for and the same beacon of light and democracy and hope and freedom will shine from this country. >> in your perspective, is donald trump ready for day one from a logistical and staffing perspective? there were a lot of questions about for example, his nsc team, whether they are in place and the beachhead teams going in.

shawn spicer has been slapping those down. take us through that. >> he is in better shape an any other president-elect. he named all of his cabinet. they haven't been confirmed. he named most of the senior white house position. i know they brought inertise on the junior white house staff that iave confidence in. they have been through the battles before,hey understand what's going on. i think they will actually do a better job than i thought they would do two weeks ago. so i think that he has an infrastructure in place. yes, there is going to be a sleep learning curve not just for the president as he takes the mantle of responsibility but also for members of his cabinet who don't really have a long tradition of understanding what it means to govern. there is a difference between leading in a corporate environment and governing in a political environment. >> i want to stop you hear. my producer is giving me information about a family that you know well, the bushes. as you know, former president

george h.w. bush has been in the hop in the icu. we are getting an update on his condition. he is still in stable condition but he is expected to be discharged from the intensive care unit in a few days. and a spokesman for the family says that he feels a thousand percent better after what they are calling a good night's rest. auto i i'm reading the statement we just got from the family spokesman. he said they received an uplifting visit from their friends jim and susan baker and they are beeply appreciative for the care they are receiving. remember that mrs. bush, his wife was also in the hospital as well. she feels one thousand percent better this morning. antibiotics and good rest seemed to have restored her to better health. this is from the family spokesman. >> great news. i have been in touch with the chief of staff to president bush number 44:1. i know he was rallying and doing well. he is also celebrating this transition of power.

it's wonderful to watch the former presidents recognize how important it is that all go well. we all pray for the success of the new president. no one should pray for his failure. we all pray for his success. >> what we've seen today is the new administration praying or bush 41. praying for him in houston. mike pence was talking about this today. it must have been disturbing for you to hear the news i'm sure. >> i love the bushes. probably the two most influential people are named bush, george herbert walker bush and barbara bush. everybody assumed it's george w. bush. but his parents are special. i respect them an awful lot. >> what were you learned from his folks? >> that he has rallied, doing much better. he expects to out of the icu and go back into the regular hospital for a while and get his balance and get back on the road. >> we are monitoring now for more updates potentially from the hospital in houston where he

is. i want to talk about george w. bush. >> yes. >> it was interesting. we heard from president obama this week that he wanted to be quiet for a little while, he said i'm paraphrasing but speak out when he felt the need to. we really haven't seen much from former president bush. is it appropriate for a former president to inject themselves into political conversation if they think they need to? >> some former presidents have done that. jimmy carter frequently would opine. i know it frustrated the sitting presidents when he did that. george w. made the decision when he was president that when he was no longer president he wasn't going to opine because a sitting president always knows more than a former president. so president bush respects the office of the presidency, and he respects the burdens that a president carries. donald trump will understand the beardens that he carries when he gets that briefing on the football, the codes to our nuclear weapons. and the tremendous responsibility that the president has to ask people to help him keep his oath of office. and the people that help keep

the oath of office are the people wearing uniforms. and they take an oath to follow the command of the commander in chief. that puts a burden on the commander in chief. sometimes he will call on those people to make sacrifices that he would never invite on anyone but the president will own the sacrifice. >> andy, have there been moments in in transition where you have wished that president bush used haddis voice and spoke up. >> no. i respect how president bush respected the office of presidency zhao even when there was a lot of unrest. >> even then. he has been a healing voice for the world. when he opined he opined positively about things happening in america. and he has done tremendous things in africa. >> to be a healing voice you have got to use your voice. >> he uses his voice. he doesn't use it in a way that others could use it, to drive a wedge. i respect that. and laura bush has also been very active? we are looking now at live

picture of where we expect president-elect donald trump to be pulling up. the old post office of course in washington the site of his newest hotel where he will be holding a luncheon with lawmakers today. you heard shawn spicer say that the press has been ban trd the hotel over the inaugural weekend. we have breaking news as we speak to andy car the former chief of chaf for george w. bush. his father, bush 41, president george h.w. bush is going to be discharged from icu in a couple of days so he will end up in a different section of the hospital in a couple of days and he is in stable condition. his wife barbara bush also thousand percent better. good news for those who have been praying for the president and his wife. we are hearing now sirens in

downtown washington. i on the would be surprised if that was the motorcade and the security detail flchlt andy i know you don't know what is in the speech tomorrow. but you know what it's like to go through a transition. at what moment do you think donald trump might have that moment where he looks around and goes oh, man this is really happening? >> there will be two. one is very private. and that's when he gets the briefing on the codes to the military weapons that america has. >> when does that happen timing wise? >> it either happens tonight or early tomorrow morning. >> okay. >> and it is a sobering experience to go through. because you realize that people will carry out your command, and they will execute. they will do what they are asked to . so that is sobering. and that is kind of a, wow, this is very serious. the next time is when they are walking down the stairs at the inauguration. and they see thousands of people in front of them who are there to support the transition of

power from one president to another president. and the reality that you are hosted by article one in the constitution, the congress, you are hosted by congress to take that oath of office. and the people are before you. and it's -- it's mind blowing to have that experience of seeing all of these people that you have the responsibility to protect. >> you talk about all the people who will be there. one of the folks who will be, your former boss, of course, former president bush and his wife laura. by the way we are learning that in the last 20 minutes they are confirming they will still attend even with george h.w. bush in the hospital. but there are 60 democrats not attendsing. >> i love how people are making a lot of people making a big degree. a lot haven't gone to the inauguration. >> not to this degree. >> you don't know how many. because in the past it wasn't --

>> this is overblown. >> i think it's rude a little bit. >> for them to boycott? >> yeah, i do. they all took an oath to protect the constitution of the united states. this transition part of the constitution of the united states. >> many are citing the russian interference in the u.s. election. >> all right. in theory that would have interfered with their re-election. if they interfered in the election it -- are they protesting their own election. >> they are protesting that donald trump was helped by the russian. >> there is no doubt that donald trump under the constitution won the electoral college. he is the reflect and he will be the president at noontime tomorrow. i think we should be celebrating our constitutional provision for transferring power from one to another. i actually -- i -- it's a little sad. i don't think they should make a big deal out of protesting. protest policy, don't protest the transfer of power.

it happened legitimately under our institution. >> leon panetta told us earlier this hour he will be watching from his home in california and he is going to be quote nervous as hell that he is going to si some prayers. what's your -- >> i'm going to say prayers. i didn't support donald trump. i didn't support hillary clinton. i wanted jeb bush to be president. but i want donald trump to succeed. i wanted barack obama to succeed. i celebrate the responsibilities that a president have. i want them to meet the greatest responsibility, which is in their oath. their oath doesn't say anything about most of the that we argue about. the oath is very short, preserve, protect, and defend. that's the job. and that's what i want the president to live up to the responsibilities to meet. because it's an awesome responsibility. when i whispered in george w. bush's ear in that classroom on september 11th, 2001, that's the day i think he recognized the

bra urden of being president. he couldn't keep his 100 day plan, couldn't keep his schedule. couldn't keep his priorities. he had to meet the priorities of the constitution and he did it well. >> important moment. andy carr joining us on set as we look at the split screen on our set with the motorcade pulling up to the old post office, donald trump's newest hotel. he is now in washington, d.c. making that final flight as president-elect from new york to dc his new home. he will be staying overnight at the blair house. andy and i can hear the sirens. we expect the president-elect to be pulling up with his family. all of his adult children, eye can have a trump and jared kushner. donald jr. and his family. >> and barren was here. >> barren and all of their kids, too. and barren's cousins, melania trump in attendance as well. agy as we sort of talk here and wait for the president-elect to

arrive i have got to ask you how do you grade his transition? give us the transition report card as we enter the last hours of it. >> i think he gets excellent marks for having picked his cabinet faster than most president-elects have done. and he did it so that most of them could have their hearings scheduled. the only one that's not scheduled is secretary of agriculture. i think he has done a good job of getting his cabinet in place. i think he is a little bit behind on getting some of the assistant secretaries and the deputy assistant secretaries in place. and i think he will find that that is a challenge because it's hard to run the bureaucracies if they don't have the leadership that represents the president. so he should work very hard over the next ten days to get people nominated thob in the working positions of cabinet agencies. he doesn't always taste his words before he spits them out and he doesn't taste his tweets before he tweets them out. i would like him to have a little more control of the emotion that he must have as he approaches the job.

bu i think come to recognize that that's a burden that he will have to carry when he gets into office. and he will never have the luxury of making an easy decision now that he is going to be president. only make tough decisions. >> you mention the cabinet confirmation hearings. we look at the small box on your screen, it's steven mnuchin donald trump's pick fortressry secretary holing his confirming ahearing at the building behind us in congress. rick perry, his selection for the energy department is also having his hearing today. we have been dipping in and out of those, we're monitoring and i'll bring you the latest when we get them. one thing you touched on was the president-elect's twitter habit. tomorrow the real donald trump twitter accounts gets transferred over to potus and they get archived. when you look at the challenge for reince priebus and some of the folks in the west wing, how do you make sure -- here's the thing. donald trump is not going to

stop tweeting. he says he doesn't like it but says wants to use it as an outlet. >> i respect that i think that's kind the reality. after all, fdr when he did the fireside chats all the media got upset about that. >> you are saying donald trump's twitter habit is the new fireside chat? >> i think it is a reality and you are not going to put that jeanne back in the bottle. >> right. >> i think he will continue to twitter. i hope that his tweets are more measured and that they don't respond to emotion with emotion. they should appreciate emotion and have empathy for but but use wisdom and judgment before you set a policy. >> why would it be dangerous if that were to happen? >> because the words of a president mean an awful not. >> on twitter? >> whether to the american people or to the world. you should be very careful with your words. i came to that working for three presidents, president reagan, president bush and president

bush. the words that a president uses should be crafted in such a way that they represent empathy, judgment, wisdom, and inspiration. >> do you think his tweets to this point have represented empathy, wisdom and judgment? >> i think they represented empathy. i'm not sure they reflected as much judgment. and i'm troubled that it causes -- it does cause a lot of people to change the way they d their busiss. now donald trump will become the president of the united states where he is governing bureaucracies as well as leading america and the world. and he is going to be the voice for freedom around the world. he is going to be the voice for democracy. he is going to be the voice for inspiration. and he is going to be the motivating voice to lead a bureaucracy that has to help him. every bureaucrat is now going to be on the trump team. he's going to treat them as if they are on the trump teeth. >> andy carr you are joining me

here at our set north of the capitol building as we are watching pens pen getting shut down as we expect the motor said indicated carrying the trump family, the next first faed family. they will make their way down pennsylvania avenue any minute. they are heading to a trump hotel for a luncheon. then he heads to arlington for wreath laying ceremony. i don't know if you can hear it but the choppers are flying overhead so the president-elect is getting close. late tonight he has a party at the lincoln memorial before he heads to the blair house before tomorrow, an incredibly busy day. also happening on capitol hill the cabinet nomination hearings. any you said you were pleased to see he is ahead of the curve in picking his cabinet. do you like his picks. >> i am a fan of some of them. >> like. >> rex tillerson.

for secretary of state i am excited about that. secretary elaine chao, transportation, an agency that i ran. i think she is a good steady leader. i don't know a lot of the other people. i want them to recognize that being a cabinet member means you have to lead a department, you have to advise and counsel the president and motivate the department to do what the president wants. so it's not like running a company. it's not like being a legislator. it's a different challenge. and you have to respond not only to the president. you actually have to respond to congress because every member of the cabinet is obligated to go and testify before congress quite regularly, and they don't like doing it. that means you have to respect article one's position in our government where they are a partner in almost everything that is either domestic or economic. >> when you talk about the cabinet positions some of the

folks that you like for folks that you have concerns about, i want to get your take on diversity. you heard shawn spicer defending the elect's picks, but we know that for the first time in a generation there won't be a member of the opposing party in a cabinet. there won't be a latino american as part of the cabinet. is that concerning for you? >> it does a little bit to he moochlt i had an expectation there would be more diversity in the cabinet. i think there is probably one or two people in the cabinet that had been registered democrats but i don't know that they would call themselves democrats. >> incoming secretary of veterans affairs who worked under president obama, sure. >> i'm not going to say this is only the republicans. it's not. but norm mannetta served as secretary of transportation for george w. bush. he had been a member of the cabinet and two positions for president clinton. so i would like to see a prominent democrat representing a team of rivals if you will in

offering counsel but the greatest opportunity for a cabinet member to make a difference is speak candidly to the president. understand your role. i saw some cabinet members think they could solve everybody else's problem. but stay in your lane. >> we are watching the motorcade arriving to the hotel. here's why we are watching it. it's possible donald trump bay get out and perhaps make some comments to the micro phones that have obviously been placed all around that facility with reporters and ems in of the media following trump's moves here in dc. if that happens we will take it live for you here on msnbc. but this is a significant moment. this is the president-elect now beginning the 24/48/72 hours of his inauguration essentially. his administration, his transition team advisors have said it is going to be a very busy day one, day two, very busy

first week as we look at thes on raj that donald trump will be traveling with for the next four years and beyond. what's the emotion. you were there with president bush when he was going through this before the inauguration. is it i think a excite, excitement, terror, all of the above? >> it's tremendously exciting. >> yeah. >> you come to recognize the burden as the day approaches. the burden gets heavier and heavier. then at noontime on january 20th it's heaviest. because then you have to perform and there is no one else to blame. it is tremendously exciting. it's like moving into a new home if you are working a the white house and you don't know where everybody is. it will be fun to watch the staff look, here's the bathroom, look at the phones. the out kpoo remembers old. i thought they would be new and fancy. whatever it is.

it's the excitement of changing the venue where you work. >> people -- this is steefl central, everyone is. >>ing ache taking pictures watching donald trump arriving. many folks coming in from around the country to be here on inauguration day a lot of people excited to see this. there are some with concerns. you see the press corps. we expect we may get some visuals from the inside of this luncheon. we may not. down the road at the white house we are getting reports that the president and the first family are still busy packing up all their personal items. they by the way are going to be having a lunch, vice presidented bien and president obama on their last day in white house together. he is expected to have, the president that is, a handful of phone conversations with foreign leaders. remember that the president is expected to issue more commutations and pardons. he did that earlier in the week. we did not think that was the last round. we anticipate perhaps more to

come. then from the white house briefing areas, pictures off the walls. just like when you move into your new house, pictures taken to have walls, including iconic photographs of president obama taken to every the years. a lot of people passing in and out and asking what is next for you as the new administration gets ready to take office, donald trump here in dc today. antee, they are letting folks cross the street, go now. it is a spectacle. i mean this is something that happens once every four years. >> every four years. >> especially when it is a new administration when it's not the continuation of an administration. there is a level of excitement. you know dc well, do you feel it here or is it different. there are mixed reports on this? >> i would say it's different than other transitions that i've been through. >> why? >> it's probably the divisive nature of the political climate today. part of it may be the new reality of how we communicate. we communicate digitally. we don't talk. we -- so donald trump is truly a

president who has a phenomenal following of people who feel connected to him because of his twitter handle. and they are engaged. so i have run into more people in places that i didn't expect them to say, no, i am a friend of donald trump's. you are? yes. >> is that some of that the political game playing that happens in this town though, now they are friends. >> no, this is much bigger than anything i've ever seen. i don't think there is another political figure that has had 30 million followers on a twitter account. >> we wants to use that account to speak directly to the people and his administration and his aides support him on that. >> i will support him in that. i just want the words to use to be presidential rather than i'm going to say a emotional response to a headline. >> we are keeping an eye on the live pictures from the trump international hotel. the president-elect is there for the luncheon.

we understand that the president-elect has entered the building. we saw the press corps enter behind him. in the small of your screen that's steven mnuchin going through his confirmation hearing on capitol hill. it was expected to be colorful. in the first few minutes it didn't disappoint with the mocking valium offer, if you will. the key lining questioning is of course his ownership of one west, his leadership of that thugh the 2008 housing crisis. whenou of with a, i want to get your reaction first o all to mnuchin. andy, was there anybody during your as chief of staff that you got worried about during the confirmation hearings. of all reports, he is the more concerning of all the nominees. >> any cabinet planned by a president has hit bumps in the road. every one of them over history.

george h.w. bush didn't get his secretary of defense. dick cheney came in as secretary of defense but wasn't the secretary first nominated. george h.w. bush nominated a woman to be secretary of labor but she was not nominated. i think the president did he evers the benefit of the doubt on the people that will serve in his cabinet. hold the president accountable for the performance of those people in addition to those people. i expect the senate to confirm these nominees also there is something gross that is a game change he i don't think there will be game changers. >> for any of them. my question would be democrats are hoping to sink the nomination perhaps of at least one person. >> just so they can have a trophy on the wall? >> questions about conflicts, ethics concerns. >> hold them accountable to those things. but ethics concerns don't show up until you do the job. then go after them if they violate the ethics. le' saying give the president

the benefit of the doubt. he wants these people. he deserves a team that he can trust. i know that most of these people because i've checked with them have the courage to speak truth to power and that's what i want to happen in a cabinet. >> any thank you so much for sitting here on set with us. tame leitner is with us to play with us a little bit. she is in raleigh north carolina at a historic diner she is near a location where a big women's march is planned. these are part of the protests we expect to see on inauguration day and the day after. walk us through that. >> reporter: let me give you a quick background here. this diner has been around since 1930. it is a political hot spot. that's actually why we are meeting with some of the organizers here. these are three organizers who are going to be involved in the march on saturday. they are expecting about 6,000 people. and selma, tell me where you think in your words it's so important for men and women to

show up. >> 2016 was the first time we saw a woman leading the ticket of a major party. she g over 2 million more votes than the president-elect and tenant win the presidency. we are a group of women interested in protecting our democracy. we know republicans across the country are engaging in racist voter suppression and redrawing districts across party lines. we are known as the noisy majority. we are here to take back our state. >> you talk about the stater hao. north carolina has been in the headlines a lot. talk to me why it's so historic to come out and march with what's going on here in north carolina. >> north carolina is my home. as you said it has become the center of headline news because the legislative coup.

now is the time for action, for women to get involved. >> sara, quickly, tell me on a personal level why you are involved with this. >> for me when i get frustrated or disappointed with the electoral appointment the way i pick myself up is getting involved. i'm hooking into organizations doing the work, get connected and taking the next step in the activist journey. >> thanks ladies. halle, you heard had it. they are expecting 6,000 people in raleigh here on saturday. this is a sisr march, just one of the many that are going to be taking place across the united states just like the big one in d.c. back to you. >> tammy lightner thank you so much. there for us in raleigh, north carolina. much appreciated. ron mott comes to us from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. ron i know the question of whether donald trump could connect with african-american voters was big during his campaign. what are you hearing from folks

there as we turn now into the inauguration itself. >> we are at a diner in the historic black neighborhood called the hill district. donald trump in frank terms has work to do with black people. talking to hem here this morning and this afternoon, they don't necessarily trust that he's going to deliver on the promises he made throughout the campaign about how he's going to be a good president for black people across the country. we spoke to some older folks and younger folks. the older folks he has more work to do. we spoke to the son of the owner of this diner who has a little more room for donald trump to impress him. he said he will give him a choice. he has no choice. he will become our president. he said he will give him a chance to see what he will do. he invited him here to pittsburgh to come and hear face to face what donald trump planned to revitalize african-american communities around the country. he got just 1 out of every 12 african-american votes this election cycle.

maybe the trump folks are happy with that but he has some work to do this in community. >> ron mott for us in pittsburgh. ron thank you so much. i appreciate it. thank you for being with us at this hour. this hour full of activity in washington. unsurprising it has been so kds pa. less than 24 hours now until donald trump delivers his inauguration speech. we want to take a moment before we turn it over to say we are sending thoughts and prayers to andrea mitchell. she lost her father. he died at the age of 102. andrea is with her family at this difficult time. we love you andrea, we miss you, and we are sending you so many thoughts and prayers. that's it for us at this hour. i turn it over to my colleague. >> he was a remarkable man. good afternoon to you hallee. craig melvin from washington, d.c. this time tomorrow, donald j. trump will be the 45th presint of these united states of america.

right now he is spending his last day as presint-ect here in d.c. got to his hotel just a few minutes ago. this afternoon he and vice president elect mike pence will head over to arlington national cemetery. they will be laying a wreath to honor this country's veterans. 45 minutes ago this was the scene. he and his wife melania making their way down the steps of air force one. a little bit later after arlington national cemetery he will head to the lincoln memorial for a concert officially kicking to have inauguration festivities. toby keith, 3 doors down will be among the headliners. meanwhile just blocks from where i'm sitting right now two more of his cabinet nominees in the hot seat. confirmation hearings are underway for steven mnuchin, for rick perry, the president-elect's picks to head up the treasury and energy departments respectively. and as americans from coast to coast get ready for the start of a new administration, we've got our reporters fanned out across the country.

we are going state to state getting the pulse of the people just one day before donald trump's inauguration. we start -- we start with the trump team's two hearings. and the unofficial first white house news conference for the incoming press secretary as well. would i've got kelly o'donnell and casey hunt covering the confirmation hearings for secretary of treasury and energy. halle jackson stuck around for us. she is covering the trump team. first a taste from inside the rooms of all three big events today starting with the most tense, that confirmation hearing fortressry second, steven mnuchin. >> since i was first nominated to serve as treasury secretary, i have been maligned as taking advantage i've hardship in order to earn a buck. nothing could be further than the truth. >> under mr. mnuchin, one west churned out