good day. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city and we have a huge hour coming up. just minutes from now, barack and michelle obama will return to the white house for the unveiling of their official portraits. that didn't happen when it typically would during the trump administration. they will reunite with president biden and jill biden for the event but also, for a photo op potentially giving democrats a shot in the arm. valerie jared, former senior advisor to president obama is at the white house for the ceremony but first, she'll join me live to talk about the obama biden legacy and the path ahead for her party. plus, for the first time ever on msnbc reports, the director of the cdc rachial

walensky will join me. our conversation on the brand-new covid boosters. the potential for a once a year covid shot and the pandemic that's still killing nearly 500 americans every day. but first, it's decision time for the justice department. faced with the hugely consequential choice of whether to appeal a florida judge's decision to appoint a special master in the case of those classified documents seized from mar-a-lago. that ruling is now the subject of a ton of push back, even from conservatives including former attorney general bill barr. >> the opinion i think was wrong and i think the government should appeal it. it's deeply flawed in a number of ways. i don't think the appointment of a special master is going to hold up but even if it does, i don't see it fundamentally changing the trajectory. >> when you think the stakes can't be any higher, "the washington post" is revealing

one of the documents taken last month revealed details about another country's nuclear capabilities. it was among the trove of documents that included information so sensitive it was off limits for all but just a few dozen of highest ranking officials in the country. it's unclear if the nuclear document itself had any classified markings. the post source multiple people familiar with the matter but nbc news is still working to confirm the details. i want to bring in carol lamb, former prosecutor and msnbc analyst and former national senior director under president trump and served with the fbi and department of homeland security. great to have both of you. i want to play part of alex wagner's conversation last night with carol the co-author on this article and hear how she framed the post reporting. >> we publish what we can establish with great certainty among the records seized there were details so classified, so

concerning that it was covered by this classification material that relates to a foreign government's nuclear capacity. >> as someone who spent more than 20 years in national security and intelligence, how big a deal is this in terms of the risk to national security and security of our allies? >> chris, thanks for having me. really important question. i gave a quote to the washington post. this story was breaking in the early days in august and the quote i gave them without the understanding that we have now was that this was mind boggling. i'll stand behind that same characterization if the post reporting is accurate and they seem to be confident in that that the fact that a document apparently containing details on an issue that is so sensitive and that should be so restricted and a document like that should only be contain in a secure

compartment known as a skiff, this was in president trump's possession is just again, it's hard to really wrap your brain around it because of the gravity of what the details in that document and what it potentially reveals about u.s. intelligence capabilities or the capabilities of whatever country was depicted. >> carol, i want to play part of what former secretary of defense william cowen said about it on "morning joe". >> the fact he had those documents in his possession is offense enough subject to criminal prosecution. if i had had those in my house after leaving office, i would in handcuffs by this time. i think the justice department has gone out of its way to show to the former president no president in the history would have behaved in this fashion or had behaved in this fashion. i think the justice department is going about it very

methodically. i think that time has come to an end. >> that's pretty startling to hear him say, carol, i would be in handcuffs. if this reporting is accurate. nbc has not independently confirmed it, does it raise pressure on the doj to file charges? >> with the caveat you just mentioned and that's an important caveat because we don't know what the classification of that document was but we know there were many top secret documents in the president's possession, former president's possession at the time of the search warrant execution. so let's assume for purposes of our event, there is a serious breach of classification protocol going on here. what does that mean for the justice department? on the one hand, of course, you want to take into consideration the seriousness of the offense, the potential consequences, you want to have a detour rent value to the prosecution and the more serious the breach, the more that weighs in favor of bringing a criminal prosecution. i do want to point out a twist

here, if that actually is across kerr current to that, the serious classification breach, the more secret the document is. the more it opens the door to a potential gray mail defense by the defense and what gray mail is, it is when a defense says hey, i have a constitutional right to defend myself at trial and i believe that i need to show the public these documents so that they understand the full context here and so you have a choice department of justice. you can either indict me and take the chance a judge is going to rule that you -- that i can make these very secret documents public or forgo prosecution. the department of justice in the past had to forgo prosecutions if for that very reason buzz they could not take the risk these highly classified secret documents would become public.

i mention this so people understand the full spectrum of factors that the department of justice has to consider in bringing an indictment like this. >> yeah, it's complicated as it is their decision on whether or not they're going to fight over this special master, which involves of course, whether some of these documents could be covered by executive privilege or attorney client privilege. if that, i guess, does that apply, carol, if you're talking about nuclear secrets? >> well, the special -- the problem with the special master decision in my view is not so much the legal ruling about it, it's how the judge was not specific enough about giving instruction to the department of justice about what has to be reviewed and in what fashion. for example, are the classified documents that the office of national intelligence is currently looking at, that the judge said they should continue their damage review are those supposed to be subject to review

by the special master? the opinion implies that but it's not specific and if you really think about it, there is no reason for a special master to look at those documents because they're not communications between the president and his staff or the former president and his attorneys. there is nothing that could be privileged there and there is certainly not his personal documents. so my objection to this ruling about the special master is it just doesn't give enough guidance to the department of justice and i think clarification is in store here. >> so what are you going to be looking for next? we talked about the fact there are complicated issues legally but also complicated in terms of national security. what are you watching for? >> so it will be really interesting to see if any more reporting comes out about the sort of what was in the four corners of at least this one document that seems to have the most sort of sensitive markings about it or sensitive intelligence and i suspect we probably publicly won't see much

more of that and then another key component will be what is that damage assessment going on right now within the office of the director of national intelligence? and whatever findings they come up with, based on the entirety of the documents president trump had beyond apparently this one document, how will that be revealed and communicated publicly or from a legal perspective that carol talked about? these are really important considerations that have to be thought through going forward, sort of the national security dimension versus the public facing side of this and then the legal side of this. there is a lot of tension between those two different spectrums. >> thank you very much. carol, you'll be back later this hour. one thing we haven't mentioned is the political aspect. this does raise questions about the impact on the midterms what what the messaging by democrats should be, is it democracy is under threat? is it an improving economy?

right now, we're watching for the democrats two most influential messengers to come together when president biden and the first lady welcome the obamas back to the white house for their official portrait unveiling. it's the obama's first time back together since 2017 when they moved out. a number of former obama officials are attending as well including my next guest. he's been kind enough to slip on the north lawn while we wait for the ceremony to begin. valerie was senior advisor to president obama and ceo of the obama foundation. great to see you, valley. >> thank you. >> how does it feel to be back? >> glorious day. >> is it? >> what better opportunity to come back and have the privilege of being the guest of president biden, dr. biden, be here with the obamas also coming back together for the first time today to celebrate this historic portrait unveiling. i couldn't be happier. >> how do you think -- or maybe

you talked to them. how do they feel about coming back and about the portraits? we do know and michael beschloss was talking about this in the last hour, there were presidents not so happy when they saw the unveiling. >> both of them are very pleased with the portraits and i think mostly they're enthusiastic knowing now on when guests coal through the white house, they'll see the incredible portraits and making this the people's house, incredible eight years of service to our country and the story that tells how it reflects so well on our country. proud moment for them. i'm honored to be here. i've just left so many of our alumni with which i had the prif -- privilege for eight years. >> let me ask you about another side of this. there were reports as extensive story "the washington post" about tensions among members of the two administrations. and i want to read part of it.

it says quote, some biden loyalists are resentful that obama didn't throw his weight behind biden's presidential aspirations claiming now obama's team does not fully respect biden. obama loyalists are frustrated biden's aides regularly boast they avoid the mistakes of the obama white house like failing to sufficiently tote. president's accomplishment. is that not the case? tell me the truth here, valerie. >> hogwash. many of the people that served in the obama biden white house are not serving in the biden white house. my former chief of staff is chief of staff to the national security counsel just appointed ambassador. we have so many over lapse and the enthusiasm and excitement in the room that you will feel will erase all of the non-sense that i think you're going to hear. this is why i don't live in washington anymore. this is why i'm outside of this

chamber and back around the american people who celebrate what president and mrs. obama did who recognize that part of his legacy is the important work that president biden is doing now and who want to come back together and have a wonderful celebration together and that is what is most important. >> let me ask you to put on your former hat and talk politics because we know the former president remains probably the most popular democrat in the country. he's going back of the campaign trail. i think at least three fundraisers have been scheduled this month. what's the calculations in deciding where he's campaigning and what capacity? talk about the role he wants to play and that you think he'll play going forward. >> the good news is this, chris. i'm the ceo of the obama foundation, i'm out of politics so you have to ask pundits about that. he's the most popular party outside itself and i'm sure he'll be welcomed on the

campaign trail but comments on politics is not my job anymore. >> let me ask you this, i know there isn't a democrat who has not talked about what they see as a threat to democracy. we heard president biden's big speech in philadelphia about the fight for the soul of america. so there is a question out there should that be the message for the democrats? should it be about economic progress that has been made? many of the programs that happened during the obama administration and are happening during the biden administration kind of over lap. do you agree with the assessment that the democrats' biggest failing may be they have not been able to be clear on the single message? >> let me come at your question a different way. i'm really staying out of the politics. i think the strength of our democracy should be a non-partisan issue. i think every american regardless of political ideology should care that the united states remains the beacon of hope, the symbol of a strong and healthy democracy where

institutions matter and where the american people's voices matter so i don't understand why this is being described in partisan terms. our country should come together. at the obama foundation one of the things president obama is focussing on is how do we strengthen our democracy? what's the role of government? what's the role of business? what's the role of individual citizens? how do we get the truth out? how do we make sure we're communicating directly with the people counting on government to work for them? so i look at it through a non-partisan lens. >> and from a non-partisan lens, let me ask you finally about the importance of tradition because some people may watch this and say well, it's another ceremony, doesn't mean much, it's a photo op for obama and biden but there is a tradition, he will be the first black man to have his portrait hung as president of the united states. what does today mean really? >> i think traditions are really important. i think the institutions are important. i think that social norms are

important. and i think that when visitors come through the white house and see the first black president and first black first lady who raised their remarkable daughters in this house behind me and the way they comported themselves while he was in office, they're focused first on the american people and what to do to make our country more fair and more just for everyone. the way they really tried to unify our country with headwinds coming from all kinds of directions. their true north is what was right for our country and that's what guided him. not politics but what was his job on behalf of the american people and how could the first lady help him do that job effectively? that story is an important story to tell and i want all the folks watching to take a moment and just celebrate that. that is something that should be a celebration for our entire country. again, this shouldn't be partisan. we have both democratic and republican portraits hung up in the gallery and tells the story of the american people, the

story of our government, of our highest office, really important story to tell and celebrate. >> you're very kind to take time away from your old friends and colleagues and i'll let you get back to valerie, thank you for coming on the program. >> take care. >> in case you're wondering, the portraits are about to unveil are not the iconic paintings in 2018. so what will the new white house portraits look like? stay with us for the live unveiling starting at 1:30. plus, a new vaccine with a new approach. the nation rolling out updated booster shots aimed at tackling the omicron subvariants but what makes them different? and do people know they're available? i asked rachial walensky. we have that next. hial walensky. we have that next.

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the country is entering a new phase in the battle against covid-19. that's how president biden is painting the rollout of the updated booster shots targeting omicron subvariants calling it a new vaccine with a new approach. that means one covid-19 shot once a year each fall. if it sounds familiar, it's because it is. the white house has become pairing it to the annual flu shot. more than 200 million people are eligible to get a booster from pfizer and moderna but questions

remain over how many actually will get it. so how are the cdc and white house going to shake up their strategy for this latest dose? earlier i spoke with cdc director dr. walensky. what makes this booster shot round difference? does it supply significantly more protection? >> yeah, this is a really important question. for the first time now, we have a shot that actually targets exactly the variants that we have circulating right now. so about 88% of our variants are ba.5, about 11% ba.4 and right now this updated shot is half the original strain and half that ba.4, ba.5 strain. what's targeted to that ba.4, ba .5 strain. this updated vaccine will perform better against the circulating strains we have now it will perform better against other circulating variants that may come, and that it won't sacrifice anything in terms of

protection of the original strain. we're in a much better place with this updated booster now. >> an infectious disease expert at the children's hospital of philadelphia also a member of the fda advisory committee has been critical of this updated booster. he says that a healthy young person really is unlikely to even benefit from a booster dose. it should be targeted more specifically to those who really are most likely to benefit, and i wonder if you agree with that assessment and whether just even saying that adds to what has been, as you know, an ongoing criticism of cdc messaging that covid vaccines, covid itself, the messaging is confusing. >> so first, deep respect to the doctor. here is what i'll say about the updated vaccine. we're simplifying our message. our message is you need to get your fall booster vaccine. so go ahead and get it. if you're over the age of 12, if you've received your primary series, if you're more than two months out of the last shot, you

can get an updated vaccine. we've intentionally simplified the message so it's very, very clear. it's clear those over the age of 50, over the age of 60 or 70 are more at risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death and those of high risk of severe disease get that updated vaccine. >> it's being branded as an annual booster shot but is there evidence doctor the shot will provide protection that last as full year with mnra vaccines where we see a loss of protection after three or four months. >> what we have seen these boosters tend to have protection for up to three, four, five, six months and even longer against severe disease, hospitalization and death. so as we're rolling out these new updated vaccine, we will continue to follow the data on vaccine effectiveness against infections, against severe disease, hospitalization and death. what i will say is that we do

know that the fall season, the winter season tends to be one in which respiratory viruses thrive, which is why right now is the time that we're rolling out these vaccines and we're really encouraging people to get them. >> are you saying people that have gotten lax or just decided they no longer need masks maybe want to reconsider for the winter months? >> well, certainly since february we've been updating our covid-19 community levels. those levels look not just at how much infection is out there but how much severe disease, hospitalization or hospital capacity. we still have 19% of the population that are living in counties with high covid-19 community levels, counties in orange and we do encourage policies for masking in those counties and if those policies don't exist, we encourage individuals to go ahead and put their mask on. >> i don't need to tell you it one thing to get the new mos boosters out there but it's another to get people to put them in their arms and the latest numbers i saw a 67.5% of

the population have two shots and even fewer,less than 50% have one booster. why do you think the response has not been better and does your agency need a new game plan to get more people to get shots in the arms? >> yeah, so we're doing a lot of that hard work right now. that work is allowing trusted messengers to continue to send our message. here is what we do know. the data have shown time and time again data demonstrate fd you received your vaccines, you're 14 times less likely to die of covid. if you receive that second shot, you're four times less likely to die of covid-19 compared to one that just received a single booster. so our data have been really crystal clear about the importance of getting vaccinations and we will continue to send that message. we'll continue to put vaccine in places that people can access it right now vaccines are rolling out across this country. we'll have 10 million vaccines

in over 15,000 pharmacies in in country by the end of the week. 90% of the population will live within five miles of access to a vaccine. we're continuing that message and as you say, this is going to be not just us at cdc, not just our public health partners, physicians, community based organizations sending the message. >> in addition to covid i want to ask about the flu. the flu season this year is projected to be brutal and the american academy of pediatrics urged parents yesterday kids may need one more one flu shot. do you agree with that assessment? is your advice to parents of kids 9 and younger? >> certainly, no way to know how bad is flu season is going to be but we are hearing potential for it to be a severe season and we would encourage vaccines. so if you're over the age of 65, you want to go ahead and get your high dose vaccine. we have flu vaccines for those over the age of 6 months old.

we are encouraging people to go ahead and get their flu vaccine and importantly, what i'll say is that you can get your flu vaccine and your covid vaccine at the same time. we have nearly half a people from studies last year that demonstrated if you get them at the same time, you sacrifice nothing in terms of either safety or effectiveness. >> dr. walensky, appreciate your time today. >> thanks for having me. and the big moment is just minutes away at the white house. the unveiling of the obama official white house portrait as the former first couple returns to their old digs. we'll take you there when it starts. first, more legal challenges for former president trump's inner circle as steve bannon faces a state criminal indictment in new york. those details are next. you're watching "chris jansing reports" only on msnbc. "chris jg reports" only on msnbc so i go triple... with trelegy.

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bannon, trump's former white house strategists will turn himself in tomorrow facing a new criminal indictment on fraud charges in new york. it's tied to his alleged role in a fundraising scheme to build trump's border wall two years after trump pardoned him before a similar federal case could be tried. in a statement to nbc newson cas phony and a political weapon of the criminal justice system. for more, we're joined by ken, carol lamb is back with us, as well. ken, what more can you tell us about this new indictment? >> chris, we haven't seen the new indictment but believed it will parallel the federal prosecution between bannon and three other men. they were accused in that case of misappropriating some of the $25 million they raised for this we build the wall so that's the

federal case. we'll have to see the state case. >> three men have been tried in the federal prosecution of this case, the one bannon got pardoned for. third case ended in a mistrial. what will the d.a. need to show here to get a conviction? >> you know, chris, it's almost a relief now given the things we've been talking about to just have a garden variety fraud. that's when this is. you say one thing to people to get them to give you money and then you do something else with the money and in steve bannon's case, he took more than a million dollars and used them to pay personal expenses. that's not a very complicated set of facts and i guess i have wondered given that the other two defendants, co-defendants that pled guilty to the federal charges, their sentencing was supposed to be yesterday and got put off until december raises the question whether they'll

cooperate. by pleading guilty, they've taken away steve bannon's ability to call them as witnesses, witnesses in any way. this is just as i put it, this say type of fraud case that gets tried every day by prosecutors. so not very complicated in my view. >> yeah, just not usually by a former senior advisor to the president of the united states. and i also want to ask you about paul manafort because before leaving office, trump also pardoned another advisor, manafort after his conviction on federal tax and bank fraud charges. new york quickly pursued him but that case was later thrown out due to double jeopardy. so is there a risk that the same thing could happen in the bannon case. >> not very much risk and here is why. there is tension in the area of law about when a state can do a subsequent prosecution that the feds have already done or vice versa does that implement the double jeopardy clause?

that's an area of legal research. but in this case, as opposed to the manafort case, in this case bannon was pardoned by president trump after indictment by the federal government but before trial. so there was never any judgment of conviction or any judgment of acquittal where as they say double jeopardy would attach. so this is a very different situation from the manafort situation when he went to trial and he was convicted and then he was pardoned. so in this case, i see virtually no risk of a -- of this case getting thrown out for that reason. >> carol lamb, ken thanks for being with me. new signs for republicans in a closely watched race. the latest from georgia where herschel walker is kicking off a bus tour today. you're watching "chris jansing

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we got a live picture from the white house. a crowd of who is who of both the biden and the obama administration. we saw john pedesta was a counselor to obama and now a climate advisor to biden and former hhs secretary there. you see valerie garrett, one of the closest friends of the obamas and senior advisor for eight years they were in the white house a couple former prez secretary, josh earnest press secretary. so we are waiting for that poor tret unveiling and to see the obamas themselves back at 1600 pennsylvania avenue for the first time together since they left at the end of his second material. we're keeping our eye on that. just hours ago, democratic senator raphael warnock saying he will debate former nfl star herschel walker in georgia with

conditions. a major move when that race is tightening fast. real clear politics considered a tossup. walker had barely been seen on the trail recently but today gaining ground in spite of a series of controversies in gas and launching a statewide bus tour. for the latest on the race, let's bring in alison barber in emmerson, georgia. two days left in the campaign. maybe movement in that debate over whether there will be a debate. what's the latest? >> reporter: yeah, i mean, we are debating debates at this point in georgia. essentially what you've had happen here is remember if you go back to the republican primary, you had a situation where herschel walker did not participate in any primary debates. he said when i asked him about this when i interacted with him around primary election day, he said i'm far ahead of my candidates why would i have done that and asked whether he'd participate in debates he said yes, of course i would. different months in months that

followed, weeks and months that followed that he would be willing to participate in a debate wherever, whenever senator warnock wanted to debate. senator warnock said i agreed to participate in three different debates one in atlanta, one in savannah, georgia you had herschel walker on sean hannity agreeing one evening to participate in a different debate in savannah. there is this back and forth over two candidates have agreed to take part in separate debates, now this morning you have senator raphael warnock saying okay, i will debate in that debate that herschel walker has already agreed to in savannah, georgia but there are conditions. they want a guarantee no topics will be given to either candidate ahead of time and want herschel walker to agree to at least one of the other two debates senator warnock agreed to. senator warnock is out with an ad attacking herschel walker over this very issue.

listen. >> he says he's only will be to debate once and to do so, he needs to be given the topics ahead of time. that's right, herschel walker refuses to debate unless he already knows the topics. quit the games. agree to debates. >> reporter: so when it comes to this issue of topics being given before hand, the debate in savannah herschel walker agreed to is hosted by next star in their invitation they sent to both candidates they said they would give the topics to both candidates before hand. warnock saying that should not happen in a debate. we want you to say that will not happen here. herschel walker tweeting in response quote i don't need debate topics adding i accepted the savannah debate without conditions. he goes on to say let's do this debate for the people, ball is in his court. so now the question seems to be whether or not herschel walker will agree to one of the other debates that senator raphael warnock has agreed to.

both candidates still on the trail trying to get their message out to voters. but at this point, a lot of focus seems to be on will they or won't they as they go back and forth on whether or not they're going to even debate. chris? >> one debate could be critically important in a race that's too close to call. always good to see you my friend. thank you. >> in the meantime, ukraine is considering shutting down europe's largest nuclear power plant as shelling continues nearby. ukrainian officials now backing up what we heard very bluntly from the head of the international atomic energy agency. quote. we are playing with fire. warning a security protection zone is urgently needed at that plant. it was disconnected from the power grid two days ago and running on backup generators. the history making moment about to begin at the white house when the obamas' portraits will be unveiled. will they love them or like lyndon johnson and ronald reagan say maybe not so much?

valerie jared indicates they're happy with them. we'll see the reaction. warnings from the federal government about cyber attacks could affect the children's return to the classroom. you're watching "chris jansing reports" on msnbc. reports" on msnbc. my name is wendy, i'm 51 years old, and i'm a hospital administrator. when i talk to patients you can just see from here up when you're wearing a mask. and i have noticed those lines beginning to really become not so much moderate but more severe.

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the official ceremony is just getting underway. michelle and barack obama back at the white house for the first time since they left 1600 pennsylvania avenue. cheers from a very friendly crowd as they are awaiting the unveiling of the official portraits. here you see the current and former president all smiles from both of them and behind them the first lady and former first lady. let's take a listen and watch very closely as they greet many of the people that served in one or both of these administrations. let's take a listen. ♪ ♪ [ applause ] [ applause ]

[ cheers ] [ applause ] >> mr. president, dr. biden, president obama, mrs. obama, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this ceremony. i'm john rogers the chairman of the white house historical association and on behalf of the women and men of the association, i'm thrilled to celebrate with all of you the presentation of twoportraits to

honor and commemorate the legacy of our 44th president and first lady. mrs. obama, president obama, it's a privilege to be able to carry forward this time honor tradition of unveiling the official portraits anda, it is time for the unveiling and welcome to the white house to forever be accessible and viewed by the public on these historic walls. since the founding in 1961, the white house historical association has been of service and it's been a privilege to be able to acquire official portraits of those who previously were missing from the white house collection and to commission all of the portraits on record of each president and first lady since their founding. surviving the modern era of photography and film and technology, few mediums can

transport us with such immediacy and intimacy than the portrait. the portraits of our first families stand apart, each the painstaking declaration of a particular person, otherwise fulfilling the responsibilities of their oath. its emblamatic gestures bridge one presidency to the next, the way we do one generation to the next as we look to the future. as we become more culturally

diversion, with our work to ensure the promise of what president obama once called the unlikely story that is america has never been more intertwined with preserving what has been symbolically and foundationally at the heart of our storied resilience as a nation. and in this way today is a reminder that america is governed not by a disconnected series of presidents but rather by the enduring presidency and within the greater story that's told by the 43 other portraits we boldly celebrate their contrast and their confluence, certainly artistically but also as distinguished chapters in the american narrative. and notably today as the first black first family at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. [ applause ]

>> and when whom we shared the joy of watching their wonderful daughters grow up here and come of age. mrs. obama, we thank you for your advocacy on behalf of this house and for making it possible for visitors to take pictures of these magnificent portraits among the other historic artifacts throughout the white house. i had the personal privilege of being with you and your mom when we inducted your inaugural gown into the smithsonian collection. and may i say the beauty of that white schiffon gown is only succeeded by the woman who wore it -- [ cheers and applause ]

and whose spirit is captured in this portrait. the tradition of service continues for dr. biden. we are honored that you are with us when we celebrated our 60th anniversary and we look forward to our continued work with you on the educational mission of our association. and we are ever thankful to and, mr. president, for hosting this wonderful ceremony today. to our artist, robert mcgirty and cheryl strum, we are grateful to your artistship and dedication to your own craft and it is a test a minute to what is possible when we serve one another in an effort to give voice to one another. i suspect beginning tomorrow

these two portraits will be the most photographed. it's now my pleasure to introduce the president of the united states of america. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. [ cheers and applause ] thank you all very much. please. thank you, thank you, thank you. please. thank you, john rogers, and the

white house historical society. barack obama and michelle, welcome home. welcome home. jill and i and kamala and doug are honored to host you and so many friends who have been part of this incredible journey, including members of your cabinet staff, some of whom were foolish enough to come with with me. and there's someone else i would like to acknowledge today. mrs. robinson. this is your house as well. it's good to see you again, mom. it really is. it's also good to his miss wilson, who is known affectionately at mama k. one of your best friends malia

and sasha's god mother. as they say, you done good, kid. every president must endure the gap between what he would like and what is possible. he was right. the history books are full of stories about presidents trying to bridge that gap, stories that include the burdens of the office, the difficult decisions, how the work is always serious and often solemn. and all of that's true. but so is this -- with barack obama as our president, we got up and went to work of day full of hope and excited about the day ahead of us. there are few people i've ever never with more integrity, decency and moral courage than barack obama. [ applause ]

mr. president, nothing could have prepared me better or more to become president of the united states than be at your side for eight years and i mean that from the bottom of my heart. you know, no matter what the issue was, no matter how difficult, no matter what it was about, doing it, you never did it just the easy way, took the easy way out. it was never about doing that. it was always about do what was right, literally. he never gave up that health care was a right for all americans, when so many were telling him, including me at one point, take the compromise, take the compromise. we weren't sure we could get anything done on the aca. think about the compromise. you refused. you went big. and now the affordable care act is there permanently and it's

even being improved on. [ applause ] i remember what you told me. how can i look those people in the eye and leave anybody behind? you weren't about to do that. you know, his recovery brought america back from the great recession, the automakers, the iconic history that was the soul of the country. people said we should let it go. i remember our conversations. you bet on the american worker, believed in the american worker. even though you knew it would be controversial, you stood up for hundreds of thousands of dreamers, dreamers who have only known america as a home.

it boggles my mind that is 3-year-old kid is going to say, no, mom, leave me on the side of the rio grande, you go ahead and go. i'm serious. so they could stay and contribute their talent and it's a great generation. i can go on and defend all that you've done, expanding civil rights, issuing the clairian call in a climate crisis, helped us find that amazing grace, that amazing grace, even in darkness. countless hours over countless meetings under intense pressure, we always knew barack obama, we always knew what you'd do, what you thought was right, even if it was going to cost you politically. you know, we trusted him, all of you in this room, we believed in him, we counted on him. and i still do. and i still do. [ applause ]