we're live in the nation's capital where the stage is set and where the next first family arrived at high noon, marking 24 hours until trump takes the reins. the president-elect was at his new d.c. hotel, and spoke briefly, thanking everyone for their support. a number of key roles remain unfilled. from the executive action he promised on the trail to the nuclear football that will soon trail him, mounting questions about this administration's readiness to lead. also concerns the incoming white house press secretary tried to calm this morning in his first face-to-face with the press. >> there is an attack or some kind of weather incident that occurs where each of our departments have to be called into action to support the american people, we're ready to go. make no mistake, we're ready to go on day one. another piece of this puzzle, the cabinet, none of trump's picks will be confirmed

and seated when he takes the oath as two of his nominees take the hot seat on the hill today. our correspondents are fanned out across the capital and across the country, covering all of the angles. let's begin this hour with senior white house correspondent chris jansing. she's been tracking trump's moves for us across washington, d.c. today. she joins me here from washington as well. chris, tell me about what donald trump is doing today. he began at his d.c. hotel, right? >> reporter: he did. and this has been already a very busy day for him. you mentioned the luncheon. i think the two key events that are coming up are going to be happening first at -- in arlington, virginia, at arlington national cemetery, where he will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. in is something all presidents do, the ceremonial kinds of things that have become so important symbolically. this will be his first taste of being that person in the eyes of the country and even the eyes of the world are on him. and then toby keith is going to be headlining a big

pre-inaugural party, which is going to be taking place at the lincoln memorial. this is the first time we will hear him speak as president-elect in washington, at least that's the way that they're selling it, that he's going to have things to say to rev up the crowd here. i'm standing, by the way, outside the national building museum where tomorrow this is going to be the site of one of three of the balls. but, you know, this is sort of all the pomp and circumstance. you mentioned, you know, behind the scenes, there is some angst that is going on within the halls of power that's here now. are enough people in place? are enough people ready to go into the various agencies and even in the white house to get the ball rolling? one of the things they have said repeatedly, the people planning the inaugural, that their marg orders from president-elect trump have been, we need to be ready to go on day one, first minute. we're going to be heading into the white house after that parade. we're going to get the job done

for the american people. they're saying the parade is going to be shorter than usual. so, today i guess in many respects it's very ceremonial for him. he'll be spending the night at blair house, which is traditional, right across the street from the white house. tomorrow more ceremony, but then he gets down to business, katy. >> chris jansing, thank you so much for giving us a rundown of donald trump's busy day. joining me right here from washington, d.c., and seated next to me, actually, is josh bolton, the former chief of staff for george w. bush. you were there for 41 leaving office. you were there for 43 taking office and leaving office. it's a privileged perspective to have, to see this transition of power up close and personal. talk to me about the differences -- orsame similarities f there are any, between donald trump taking over and when george w. bush took over? >> i bet there's a lot more similarity than people think. it's a remarkable moment in our

civic history when we have this transition -- peaceful transition of power. it's a very abrupt event. the west wing is -- the day before the 20th is filled with the former president's people doing their jobs and everything. >> and their stuff. >> and their stuff. and they clear out at the end of business on the 19th, a little more business to finish on the 2 20th, but the carpet layers are there making the white house look like what the incoming president wants to be. it's very abrupt. all those people are out and the new team is in. in that respect, i think all presidential transitions are similar. >> but donald trump won't have his cabinet in place, hardly at all, when he takes office. how difficult does that make it for the transition of power? there are concerns about his national security team and his

national security council. do you have concern he's going to be ready to govern on day one and protect americans? >> well, i would hope the senate is going to be able to confirm as many of his national security appointees as possible. remember, katy, that all of the people in the white house can take their jobs right at noon on january 20th because they don't need to be confirmed. so the government isn't without leaders. it's just missing some of the leaders of the's. it's always a moment of vuler inability -- vulnerability for the country. it's enhanced if the cabinet officers aren't in place we've gotten through it before. weet get through it again. >> sean spicer, donald trump's incoming white house press sect, spoke to the press earlier today. a number of the questions were surrounding how ready donald trump was going to be to lead, specifically when it came to his national security council, but

he also speak about how the inaugural speech will be m philosophical than agenda-driven. he talked about not having a latino in his cabinet wasn't necessarily a big thing because they have enough diversity. remember, he started this campaign by especially going after mexican immigrants. he also talked about how it's okay for him to hold events at his d.c. hotel, how that wasn't a big deal. there are so many questions surrounding conflicts of interest and whether donald trump will be able to unify this party. do you have a sense that he is going to be able to take office and quickly or even at any point ameliorate those concerns that a good portion of the country still has about how he'll lead? >> well, look, i -- my experience goes to the moment when george w. bush took office. >> contentious. >> contentious after the contentious, contested election result in florida, ultimately decided by the supreme court.

a substantial portion of the country thought that george w. bush was not legitimately elected president. you have a similar kind of situation here for donald trump. i think george w. bush did a fantastic job of assuring the country he would be the president of the whole country. trump has said the same. let's give him a chance to prove it. >> there's a lot of talk about the nuclear codes and there was a lot of talk during the campaign about the nuclear codes. a lot of accusations that donald trump should not have those in his hand, he's not fit to have them, too erratic, too unpredictable, doesn't have the temperament somebody given that grave responsibility will need. talk to me about the changes that happen when somebody is handed over the nuclear football. does that affect a person in a way that maybe they don't even expect? >> oh, it has to. even somebody like george w. bush, who had the benefit of

watching his dad's presidency, was deeply affected the moment that he received his briefing on his most terrifying and awesome responsibility, and that is the authority to order a nuclear strike. that usually happens the morning of the inauguration where the president-elect learns the nuts and bolts of what to do, how to do it, if and when he's called on to make that terrible decision. it has to affect everybody. but, you kn, our history of presidents is, everybody steps into office and they have to grow as a human being and as a leader. again, i think we need to give donald trump the chance to be that leader. >> we should remind our audience that donald trump is spending the day here in the area surrounding the nation's capital as well. he's going to be visiting -- or is visiting arlington national ceremony. can you see the ceremony that is about to take place there. donald trump should be there at any moment if he's not there

already. josh, tell me, there's a lot of pump and circumstance surrounding this day in washington. certainly a lot of pomp and circumstance tomorrow. donald trump is 70 years old. he didn't have any civil service experience, he doesn't have any military experience. do you think he understands the enormity of what this office means and the history of this office, the tradition of it? >> you know, i sure hope so. it's an extraordinary position he's about to enter into. >> isn't it unusual that we even have to ask that question before an inauguration? >> you should ask that question about every incoming president because nobody is fully prepared to be president when they step into office. and i think when president-elect trump comes to washington, he's here now, when he sees some of the grand traditions that have marked our democracy for years,

when he has coffee with the obamas tomorrow morning in the house that will soon be his, when he gets his briefing on the nuclear codes. that has to change a person and we have to hope that whoever the person is coming into office they can inhabit the huge role of president. >> what advice would you give him? >> i would say to -- to president-elect, as i would say to every president and every incoming white house staffer, be humble about what you don't know. respect this house. respect the people who have been around this house and have experience in it. be humble about what you know and be prepared for the unexpected because the unexpected will happen. >> really quickly, what would you tell reince priebus in order for him to know how to get donald trump's ear? what is a trick you learned in the white house?

>> you know, i've had a chance to talk with reince several times. he's a wonderful guy. in a really difficult position. chief of staff is a tough job. being chief of staff to donald trump is a doubly tough job. but he has maybe the most important thing going in, which is he has donald trump's ear. now, the challenge -- >> so does steve bannon, so does jared kushner, his son-in-law. there's a bit of divide of power in there and there's competing power structures. >> yeah, but look, i served as chief of staff in a white house that had karl rove in it, it had -- >> good point. >> -- dan bartlett, dan gillespie. he needs to have the president's confidence and respect. i think reince goes in having that. his challenge is to try to take somebody who is not accustomed to the disciplines of government decision-making and put him into that structure so that there is a coherent decision-making

process every day. we have to wish him the best of that because he's dealing with a very unusual character in donald trump. >> talk about the cabinet confirmations going on o the hill right now. there's a lot of contentio moments. steve mnuchin is getting grilled over his, you know, financial record and his record on foreclosures specifically. do you think there is somebody that potentially is not going to make it through these cabinet confirmations? >> you know, there's often somebody who turns out to be the weak animal in the herd and and, you know, they get split off from the herd and attacked. the democrats are looking for that weak animal right now. so far it's not clear to me who that is. as of today, barring some new information, it looks to me like all the cabinet officers will make it through. they probably should. the president ought to be able

to pick folks he wants to put into his cabinet. >> i want to tell our viewers what we're looking at right now. this is a shot of donald trump's motorcade leaving his washington, d.c., hotel and heading to arlington national cemetery where he will take part in this ceremony that you are seeing right now. you know, what donald trump didn't do that so many past presidents have done is appointment somebody from the opposition to his cabinet. george w. bush did that, bill clinton did that, president obama did that. there's no democrat in donald trump's cabinet. do you think that sends a signal to those that did not vote for him that maybe there's no room in donald trump's decision-making for opposition voices? >> no, i don't think so. look, he has democrats in his family. he's got democrats in the white house. >> why not appoint one? why not do what so many past presidents have done? why not follow that precedent at least, considering how contentious this election was? he didn't win the popular vote.

>> and neither have several previous presidents, including abraham lincoln, so -- >> but by a few million people. it was a pretty wide margin. >> yeah, but, you know, we -- i think everybody has to accept trump as legitimate president and support him, whether you support him in the campaign or not. my advice to the trump transition would have been, yeah, sure, find a democrat you want to put into the cabinet, but that shouldn't be the overwhelming factor. it should be the quality of the people. most americans probably didn't know that there was a democrat in george w. bush's cabinet. mineta was secretary of transportation. wonderful man butho heard of norm mineta? i don't think it's a big signal-sending moments. they will come when the president has to deal with the congress, has to address controversial issues. that will show whether he's prepared to be president. >> talk about the big

signal-sending moments he's had so far. listen, there's been a lot of concern, even from the republican party b donald trump. it took a long time for him to get the republican party on board. was there a moment in this past transition where you said, you know what, i think donald trump could have some success or here's where i think he will have success? >> you know, in the selection of some of his cabinet officers -- >> like who? >> like general mattis for defense, like rex tillerson to go to state. his signaling was, we're -- you know, we're going to reach outside the usual suspects. make no mistake, you know, this is a republican victory. it's a republican house, senate -- >> absolutely. >> -- and presidency, but make no mistake about this campaign. it was a hostile takeover of the republican party. >> indeed. >> and the signal-sending that donald trump continues to do is, it's going to be -- it's not going to be business as usual. it's going to be different. i think a lot of americans are going to find that refreshing. i think maybe even washington

will find that refreshing. >> josh bolton, thank you for that extended interview and lending your insights to us on this oh-so important day and what will be an even more important day tomorrow. thank you for being here. >> thank you. in just 22 hours, donald trump will have the codes to launch america's nuclear weapons. we were just talking about that. a look at the sobering responsibility of handling what's known as the nuclear football. health update on former president goench h.w. bush and bash ba bush and george w. bush's plans to attend the inauguration. it's beautiful. was it a hard place to get to? (laughs) it wasn't too bad. with the chase mobile app, jimmy chin can master depositing his hard earned checks in a snap.

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a live picture from arlington national cemetery in virginia. you'll see that picture any moment right now. i guess not. where we're going to see donald

trump in the next hour. he's going to be laying a wreath. the president-elect is at blair house, where traditionally the president-elect spends his last night before assuming office. meanwhile, it's been a rocky week for trump's cabinet picks. several of the new administration's nominees face ethics allegations while others were forced to defend their qualifications. rick perry and their team are pushing back on reports that perry had no idea that as energy secretary he'd have to supervise america's nuclear arsenal. remember those comments he made five years ago about abolishing the energy department? perry used his opening statement today to express regret for those remarks while admitting he didn't know the full scope of the agency. >> my past statements, made over five years ago about abolishing the department of energy do not reflect my current thinking. in fact, after being briefed on so many of th vital functions

of the department of energy, i regret recommending its will he name nation. >> as steve mnuchin made his way to the hill today, protesters made their way to goldman sachs in new york city. groups protested the treasury nominee's ties to wall street while mnuchin was grilled about them on capitol hill. >> i did not use a cayman island entity in any way to avoid taxes for myself. i paid u.s. taxes on all that income. >> so, you helped others avoid paying taxes? >> again, i'm not going to make a comment -- again, they didn't devoid. they followed the law. >> that a tense moment, but by far the most testy moment of today didn't come from the nominees but the senators tasked with questioning them. >> senator, i have a valium pill here you might want to take before the second round. just a suggestion, sir. >> just another suggestion. we've got a lot of colleagues waiting, if you could be brief, it would be helpful.

>> senator not enjoying that joke. then trump's education secretary pick, michigan millionaire betty devos when asked to eliminate gun-free zones in school she mentioned a school in montana with grizzly protection. let's go to kelly o'donnell. who is likely to be confirmed by tomorrow? is there anybody that could be confirmed by tomorrow? secondly, is there somebody that could not make the cut? >> reporter: well, we're now getting along to the point where we talk about the tradition of actually confirming some nominees on inauguration day. in 2009, when barack obama took office, seven of his cabinet picks were confirmed on the day he took the oath. and it's expected tomorrow there will be a couple of the trump names that will move forward in the senate. chuck schumer, the democrat, in charge of his group, says they want to take their time and not

move as many as quickly. mitch mcconnell wants to get more through. they will agree to move forward on some of the national security picks. so, that would mean the secretary of defense, james mattis, and homeland security secretary designee. those two are expected to be confirmed as early as tomorrow. there may be more as senators in both parties negotiate that. in terms of who might be in trouble, there has been cricism, of course, of betsy devos and mnuchin, who is still going through his hearing. that will be a drag on their candidacy. when you have democrats led by chuck schumer saying in certain instances they want more time, more questions, more scrutiny of some of the kinds of issues that in administrations past would sometimes derail a nomination. for example, the pick for the office of management and budget has just paid back taxes on a household employee. a generation ago, that would be the end of a nominee's

candidacy. so, times have changed, perhaps. democrats don't have the same power that they had in the last congress, so we'll see how this goes. but, to give you a flavor of how things can change for the nominees themselves, rick perry, former governor of texas, was today asked about critical views. he fell on the sword about saying the department should be abolished, changed his mind there, and then had an answer knowing there were members on the committee who wanted to talk about climate change. here's how he responded. >> i believe the climate is changing. i believe some of it is naturally occurring but some is caused by man-made activity. the question is, how we address it in a thoughtful way. >> how much climate change do you think is -- the science shows is due to human activity? >> senator, far for me to be sitting before you today and claiming to be a climate scientist. i will not do that.

>> to your broader question, democrats say they are not going to drag out the process of confirming picks just for the sake of slowing it down, but they will use their power under the rules. there are many points where an individual senator can put the brakes on something. many points you have to have an agreement between the two parties. those are the ways that could gum this up and extend the process for the trump administration. in, effect, delaying new leaders at the top of these agencies. this will be something that will be a work in progress as they negotiate and will be learning more probably on a daily basis about the timeline for getting some of these picks in. we also expect the cia director designate mike pompeo would be next in line for consideration based on what we were hearing from sources today. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell with a moment ago perhaps the biggest understatement of the day, that times have changed. i'm just ribbing you. thank you. now to our microsoft pulse

question of the day. we're asking you, should rick perry run the federal agency he once pledged to abolish when he was running for president? as we just mentioned, he took back those words earlier today, but share your thoughts and tell us what you think. we'll share your responses later on in the hour. up next, what's known as the nuclear football, the codes that will be in donald trump's hands within the next 24 hours. that and more coverage when our live coverage from washington continues after the break. will your business be ready when growth presents itself?

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we prefer secluded. what is the desert? it's absolutely what you need right now. absolutely scottsdale. here's a live look on your screen of arlington national cemetery. that's where we're waiting for donald trump to arrive in the next hour or so to lay a wreath. some time in the next 24 hours, though, before he takes the oath of office, trump will be briefed on the nuclear codes for the first time. the codes follow the president 24/7 in a 45-pound nondescript black satchel known as the

nuclear football. trump's briefing will include the step-by-step procedure for using those codes and ordering a nuclear attack. here was former white house chief of staff andy card talking about that briefing earlier today on msnbc. >> it is a sober experience to go through, because you realize that people will carry out your command. and they will execute. they will do what they're asked to do. so, that is sobering. >> joini me now, boot, also author of "invisible armies." max, talk to me about what this means to get these nuclear codes up. just heard andy card say it was sobering, josh bolton said pretty much the same thing to me a moment ago. how enormous is it to be handed

over basically the keys to destruction of civilization? >> well, obviously, i mean, when you put it that way, it's a pretty enormous responsibility. i mean, the president of the united states is the most powerful person on the face of the world, capable of destroying hundreds of millions of lives with a few words and the push of a few buttons. that's a sobering and awesome responsibility that i hope and trust that donald trump will take as seriously as all of his predecessors have since the dawn of the nuclear age. >> there was a lot of concern whether he would take it seriously. a letter signed by ten former nuclear launch officers saying the person that holds them needs to have judgment, constraints and diplomat skill. there were certainly questions about donald trump having any of those things. do you believe he's proved himself more in the lead-up to the inauguration? >> i don't think he's proved much in the lead-up to the inauguration. i think it premains to be seen. it's not just a test for him but a test for his team. remember who actually gets, for example, the 3:00 a.m. phone

call when a crisis emerges or occurred during the carter administration, when there was a launch warning at norad suggesting a soviet nuclear strike was inbound. the person won't up immediately was the president's national security adviser, band he had t decide whether to tell president carter to launch american nuclear weapons and start world war iii. now, he understood this was a training exercise, no one at norad understood that. had he made that decision, the results would have been incalculable. now it remains with flynn, and questions remain about his judgment and temperament. it's not just a question of president trump but who he surrounds himself with.

right now there are questions on our front, not just who they are but how many there are? most of the top national security posts remain unfilled even today, even though we're a less than a day away from the inauguration. >> sean spicer said they'll make sure those posts are filled as soon as possible. if a foreign leader wants to call somebody in the military or talk about a potential threat, who are they going to call between friday and potentially monday or whenever the national security council is fully assembled? >> well, the trump team announced that they're going to let some of the senior political appointees from the obama administration stay on board, including deputy secretary of defense bob orack and understate for political affairs at the state department, some people on the job now can be caretakers, but they won't be able to exercise the authority they need

to. even when they get the cabinet officers like secretary of defense, jim mattis and others in place, they still need a team in order to implement policy. that team does not exist right now. i'm kind of befuddled by the fact that today the trump administration is announcing that woody johnson, the owner of the new york jets, is about to be appointed ambassador to the that's nice for woody johnson but ambassador to court of st. james is not a pivotal policy post in government. i'm befuddled and concerned they're appointing ambassadors without appointing people to whom the ambassadors are supposed to report on a daily basis because there is still no deputy secretary of state, we also don't have deputy secretary of defense, the undersecretaries, the assistant secretaries. this is the machinery of government which is basically going to remain in kind of limbo until some of these officials are actually appointed. >> just one of the many open questions. max boot, senior fellow for council or foreign relations. thank you for joining us and adding your insight. after the swearing-in

ceremony and the parade comes the glitz and glamour of the inaugural balls. trump will attend three official ones. his first dance with his wife, melania, will reportedly be to the sinatra classic "my way," fitting for a man, naturally, who did things his way. chris jansing joins me again from washington with an inside look at what these big, glitzy events will be like. chris, you're playing double duty for us today. talk to us about the inaugural balls. >> reporter: exclusive behind-the-scenes access. maybe this doesn't look like much, a random coat check sign, but look at this building. unbelievable. what a stately place to hold one of these three inaugural balls. you can see all the finishing touches are being put on the stage, some floor coverings coming . sara armstrong, ceo of the inaugural committee, is here. good to see you. >> thank you. >> reporter: how are you feeling about everything? >> i'm excited. it's almost here. i'm a little nervous, too, but

it's going great. >> reporter: everything's in place? >> everything's in place. we're in last-minute adjustments. >> reporter: what were your marching orders from president-elect? >> he wanted to make it about the american people. focus on we make sure we bring our country together, unity, but to celebrate traditions of inauguration and make sure the american people get to experience it. so, he has a lot of traditions that are taking place, but a little bit, you know, that's about him that is unique in terms of making it special for the audiences. >> reporter: in every place i'm told he's going to speak. we see the podium there. there will be a dance. what has surprised you about putting all this together? >> the magnitude of it and doing it in ten weeks. >> just a party for 800,000, 900,000 people. >> it's not just one party, it's multiple events. we have a great team. building the team was the important part of making sure this goes off well. we've had a great experience working with the military and our partners with the senate in terms of planning the events at the capitol, so, you have really great partnerships that make it

go well. >> reporter: what keeps you up at night? >> right now it's the weather. we're looking for a little rain tomorrow so i'm a little worried about that but it's going to be a great day and people will go out and enjoy it regardless. >> reporter: this isn't the only place. the very first ball -- actually, two balls at the convention center. >> that's correct. two over there andhis will be the third ball. >> reporter: this is unique, though. us to be called the commander in chief ball. >> it did. we wanted to make sure it focused on the armed services. we changed the name of it. president-elect trump wanted to focus on the military so we changed it to salute to our armed services and it's very fitting. >> reporter: is the president-elect nervous? >> i think he's very confident about tomorrow. he's important to get to work, a very important speech and a very important job ahead. that's what he's excited about, getting to work. >> reporter: i'm sure you haven't been getting any sleep. thank you, sara armstrong, we appreciate you taking the time. they already have events today. just about an hour from now, he's going to be laying a wreath

at arlington national cemetery. then he has the big party over at the lincoln. then he'll be staying tonight at blair house, which is traditional. the president-elect can see out of his window over to 1600 pennsylvania avenue where he will live starting tomorrow. katy? >> chris, thank you so much for that inside look. nbc's chris jansing. turning to our microsoft pulse question. it's about rick perry who testified on the earlier. we're asking, should rick perry run the federal agency he once pledged to abolish when he was running for president? he does say he regrets those words, but are you convinced? well, only 6% of you are. 94% say, no, he should not be running that agency. keep weighing in and we'll check back later in the hour. still a lot of questions about what will happen to undocumented immigrants and dreamers in this country. we take you live to the border where time is of the essence for folks looking to make america their home. as we head to break, a look

back at a moment that truly put the power of barack obama's presidency into focus. at least for one little boy. >> jacob, what did you say that made the president do that and let you reach over and touch his hair? >> i asked -- i asked him if i could touch his hair. >> and why did you ask him that? why did you want to do that? >> because i was wondering if we had the same haircut and it was in common. >> and what did it feel like when you put your hand over there? >> it felt the same.

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on the other side, trump's pick to lead the treasury, steve mnuchin in the hot seat on capitol hill facing tough questions from a senate committee. meanwhile, undocumented immigrants and dreamers living in the u.s. face an uncertain future under president trump. for those across the border, time is rung out. one of trump's first moves is an executive order to start building the wall. you're seeing dozens of migrants trying to cross into the u.s. before trump's inauguration and before he makes any major changes with immigration policies. gadi schwartz joins us from m matamoros, mexico, across the border from brownsville. tell us who you've met? >> reporter: emotional meeting a lot of immigrants. they say they're fleeing the violence. this is the rio graende, it's

what separates mexico from the united states. these are the bridges where a lot of deportees are sent back into mexico. once they get back here. they can go back to their cities or they can go down the road a little bit and talk to some of those human smugglers who work for the cartels. then they will be taken about 20, 30 miles down where the border is a little bit less protected. that's where we were yesterday with border patrol agents who were watching rafts come over filled with wom and children. those women and children, as soon as they came into the united states, many of them were detained. we're talking about dozens and dozens just from the one border patrol agent we were with, here's a little about about what those detainees had to say to us. >> i asked her if she thought people may be crossing before donald trump took office and she says, yeah. [ speaking spanish ] >> she says she thinks it's going to get harder once donald trump is president. why did you come? [ speaking spanish ]

>> she says she came because she was threatened by the gaj gangs, they were threatening to kill her and she's pregnant and they were scared for their lives so they came. >> reporter: as she came from el salvador, she was separated from her husband shortly after that interview so they could be transported to immigrations and customs. they are now being processed. every single immigrant we talked to yesterday about donald trump talked to us about the wall. they said they did not believe the wall was going to be built. if it was built, they would continue to try to come into this country because they were fleeing their countries fearing for their lives. back to you. >> gadi , thank you. joining me is jose antonio vargas as co-founder and ceo of define american and emerging

usa. jose, we were just watching that. donald trump started this run for office and ultimately gained the presidency by saying mexicans crossing the border were rapists and criminals but some were good people. >> yeah. >> do you feel like there has been a caricature of the mexican immigrant coming over and do you think that's something that can change? >> by the way, i'm a journalist while i worked at "the washington post" for five years so i'm not just an immigration activist. as a journalist, i actually have a request to everybody in the media, msnbc, cnn, "the washington post," "the new york times," which is we don't play into what we just saw, by the way. immigration is not only a mexican issue. i would actually argue donald trump is about to be sworn in tomorrow because we in the media, for t most part, has largely failed in really context actualizing this issue and

thinking about it beyond mexico. i saw what -- i'm really glad the way that reporter humanized that, but could we go to canada, by the way? are there reporters in canada trying to figure out how many white canadians are trying to come this way? >> donald trump focused on mexican immigrants and muslim immigrants. those are the two areas. >> i think we owe the mexican people in this country an apology. most mexicans in this country are u.s.-born citizens. fastest growing undocumented population are asian immigrants. i'm filipino. what have we done? we show usually "b" roll of people on a boat trying to get here. the reality is illegal border crossings are the lowest several since the 1970s. so, it's really -- >> not only that but the people that are coming over the border commit less crime than those who were born here. >> the great majority of us have been here for more than 20 years. i've been here since i was 12. today i actually got an e-mail from bank of america, who's been my bank since i was a teenager, asking me if i wanted to buy a

home. >> and you're not documented. >> i'm not a u.s. citizen. >> you come from the philippines. you have an incredible story you documented yourself in, i believe, "the washington post," right? >> in a documentary for cnn. >> in a documentary. you talk about how your mother, when you were 12 put you on a plane with an uncle you had never met and you never knew about this until you went to the dmv with what turned out to be a fake green card. the person at the dmv said, please don't come back here, and let you go. are you worried about your status? clearly you've grown up, you've contributed to society here in a really major way. do you have any idea what's going to happen to you? >> my personally, i don't. i have no idea. i've been here for 23 years. i have paid thousands of taxes. very proud to pay the taxes. very proud to pay thousands of dollars in social security, even though i can't get any of that back, right? i'm older than the dreamers you're talking about. right now there are about

800,000 young people in this country, who have grown up here, working, pay taxes, buying cars, buying homes, and president trump with the stroke of a pen can take away their immigration status. >> that could happen as early as this weekend. >> donald trump has been on the cover of "forbes," they say the estimated $200 billion loss in economic impact. $60 billion loss in tax revenue if he repeals this deferred action program. >> they're talking differing the immigration policy for those just coming to visit the u.s. from europe. it's a wide-sweeping thing. it's not just mexican immigrants, even though he campaigned on that. >> i'm so glad, by the way, you mentioned that woman at the dmv. i never knew her name. she just said to me -- she looked at my green card. she said, this is fake. don't come back here again. i was 16. and i think about how many people like that at dmvs, teachers, employers -- you all

know employers, by the way. look at texas, 1.8 million undocumented in the state of texas. texas' economy would collapse without us. so the question is what are these allies, employerses, teachers, classmates, friends, what are they going to do when donald trump starts deporting us? we have a website called toimmigrantswithlove.com. if you're a teacher, coworker, employer, this is a good time to send a message to immigrant's neighbors if you're there to watch. not just watch but speak up as a cizen of this country. >> thank you for being on and lending your insight and broadening the scope of our coverage. appreciate it. friends and foes of donald trump are making their way to washington to witness the inauguration of the next american president. we'll check in with our teams. we're road tripping to the nation's capital next. as we head to break, we take a look at what donald trump is doing to fill the seats at his inauguration. here's an undate from "the

verge". >> day as way from being sworn in as 45th president and donald trump is once again turned to social media. this time the president-elect has reportedly been using targeted facebook ads to deliver the quote, unbelievable, inauguration he promised in the "new york times" earlier this month. the ads hit certain age groups promising keepsake commemorative tickets if he showed up. trump used facebook during his campaign to rally his base and dismay the opposition. that's the update. point decisively with the arm of your glasses. abracadabra. the stage is yours. step two: choose la quinta. the only hotel where you can redeem loyalty points for a free night-instantly and win at business.

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a live picture from arlington national cemetery in virginia, where donald trump will lay a wreath. he's expected to get there in about the next ten minutes with the vice president-elect as well. meanwhile, an estimated 80 0,000 people are headed to d.c., many supporters going to see their guy get inaugurated, but hundreds of thousands of others aren't so excited.

protesters coming to tell trump they don't approve of his policies and his behavior during the last year and a half. our team of correspondents is following both grubz. jacob rascon starts us off in illinois. >> reporter: hi, katy, we're halfway there, driving from colorado to washington, d.c. we're here with shandra, melissa, lila, and each have their own reason for going. for you, why is it so important to be there? >> it's really important for me to show my daughters that there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people like them, that have the same concerns as them and will stand up for them. >> reporter: what does this have to do with donald trump? >> we i think it's important to show that young people like my sister and i weren't allowed to vote but we have opinions and rights. >> i totally agree. he's planning on defunding planned parenthood. that affects people not just of voting age. >> and it's going to be groovy.

>> reporter: there are 2,000 people from colorado alone who signed up to go to this women's march on washington. many others probably didn't sign up but are still planning to go. now, over to my colleague, migu miguel. >> reporter: we're also in a car headed to washington, d.c. we're with trump supporters who could not be more excited about trump's big inauguration. we're here with theresa. talk to me about the excitement you have as we get closer to washington, d.c. >> miguel, i'm so excited. i've actually got the destination on my map. i keep looking down to see if we're there yet. >> reporter: this is your second inauguration. what make this i one special for you? >> this one is special to me because i'm going to be able to eny it with my son and some close friends and my husband. but also because mr. trump was a different kind of candidate, and his election was just unexpected

and so being his supporter, i was thrilled when he actually won on election night. >> you told me, you're not just excited to see mr. trump, but other presidents as well. >> oh, yes. i'm excited to see president obama. he has such a beautiful family. president carter, president george w. bush, and, of course, president clinton and secretary clinton. it will be so exciting. >> reporter: you're also taking friends and family along the way. tell me who you're with. >> yes. in the back we have my husband, jim. and kay is beside me. she's a very good friend of mine. and her husband, john, is our driver. >> reporter: there you have it, giving us access taking us to washington, d.c. we're getting closer to the national mall, where jolene kent is. how are you doing out there? >> reporter: this is where it's

all going to happen, the mall here in washington. you can see the capitol right behind me. they covered the mall with this white plastic flooring to protect it. thousands of people are going to be coming here. we are expecting some rain, a lot of security. as we've been preparing for inauguration, we've been meeting people from all across the country. one person i met on election weekend, and now again is mark williams, u.s. steel worker. he is coming here. a former democrat. personally invited by donald trump to attend inauguration. >> i strongly feel he's going to do what he said he's going to do. >> reporter: what's that? what's the number one priority for you? >> bring back manufacturing jobs to the united states. bring back good paying jobs to the united states so that the american worker request feel proud. to be in the working field again. >> reporter: he will be sitting right up there on the dioc in the seats facing donald trump as he takes the oath of office in

just less than 24 hours. katy? >> all of them making their way here to d.c. can't wait to see you guys. now for a quick update on the former president, george h.w. bush and barbara bush. th remain in stable condition at houston methodist hospital. . bush suffering from pneumonia. the 92-year-old is in icu, relying on a ventilator to breathe. the condition of mrs. bush greatly improved and she continues to undergo conditions for bronchitis. george bush and laura bush are still planning to attend the inauguration. before we let you go, a reminder that msnbc is your place for nonstop coverage of donald trump's inauguration. our all-day coverage kicks off tomorrow morning with "morning joe" at 6:00 a.m. we'll be there live, talking to you all day long. that does it this hour for me, i'm katy tur. kate snow picks it up for us

right now. >> where are you going to be tomorrow? >> i'll be at the capitol and then in front of the white house and then at a ball and i'll never sleep again -- >> you are never going to sleep. katy tur, great to see you. i am kate snow. we are clearly in washington, d.c., where tomorrow history will be made. donald trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the united states. the president-elect has already arrived here in washington. we're expecting trump and vice president-elect mike pence, as katy was saying, to lay a wreath at arlington national cemetery. that should happen very soon. we were told to expect it this hour. we'll bring it to you live. later this afternoon, trump heads over to lincoln memorial for a concert being headlined by toby keith and band three doors down. we're following two more confirmation hearings for two of president-elect's cabinet nominations. later in the show, i'll be talking to long-time inaugural parade announcer, charlie brotman, who has been