i might have said those exact words to myself. it all started in a club with an innocent conversation. was it all worth it, falling in love with sam? i would never change having met sam. was he the one? he was the one, without a doubt. he still is the one. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thanks for watching. ♪♪ this sunday, rising threats. the country is on edge after a deadly new year's day terror attack that investigators say was inspired by isis.

>> this was an act of terrorism. it was premeditated and an evil act. plus, the new majority as republicans in congress prepare to advance donald trump's legislative priorities, i'll talk to the new senate majority leader, republican john thune of south dakota. how would you describe your relationship with president-elect trump right now? >> well, you know what? we are -- it's evolving. and minority report. >> we are here ready to fight for the american people. >> how will democrats navigate their new role in the minority? i'll speak to chuck schumer of new york and california senator adam schiff, joining me for insight and analysis are nbc news managing and washington editor carol lee, jonathan martin of politico, symone sanders townsend, former chief spokesman for vice president kamala harris. and marc short, former chief of staff to vice president mike pence. welcome to sunday.

it's "meet the press." >> from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in television history, this is "meet the press" with kristen welker. >> good sunday morning. on this first weekend of 2025, the nation is on edge after deadly new year's attacks in new orleans and las vegas. federal officials are on high alert about potential security threats as washington prepares for a series of key public events, the certification of the 2024 election on monday, president jimmy carter's state funeral on thursday at the national cathedral, and in just 15 day, president-elect trump's inauguration. president biden with an emotional message to the victims' families of that tragedy in louisiana. >> to all the families of those that were killed, to all those who are injured, to all the people of new orleans who are

grieving today, i want you to know i grieve with you. our nation grieves with you. we're going to stand with you as you mourn and as you heal. >> now according to the fbi, the new orleans attacker, a u.s. citizen and army veteran from texas, who was inspired by isis to kill 14 people had planned to use a transmitter to detonate two explosives he had placed near the site of the bourbon street attack. top law enforcement officials have warned the ongoing war in the middle east has increased the threat of terror attacks inside the united states. >> at a time when the terrorism threat was already elevated, the ongoing war in the middle east has raised the threat of an attack against americans inside the united states to a whole another level. >> we have been warning for quite some time now, both the justice department, the fbi and the intelligence community that we are in a heightened threat

environment from malign foreign actor, including in particular isis. >> all of this comes as the 119th congress convened on friday, narrowly reelecting house speaker mike johnson to lead the razor-thin republican majority after he and president-elect trump persuaded several initial holdouts. i sat down with the first new senate republican leader in 18 years, majority leader john thune. nat majority leader thune, welcome back to "meet the press." >> thanks, kristen. great to be with you. >> it is great to have you. unfortunately, we have to start on this devastating news out of new orleans, this terror attack. you have now been briefed. it claimed 14 lives. what is the latest information you have about the investigation? >> well, horrible news, obviously, and our hearts and prayers go out to all of the victims' families, those who are injured still praying for their recovery.

but what a horrible way to start the new year. and it points to the need to get the answers and to make sure it doesn't happen again. i think as more information comes out and the investigation is more fully completed, i think we'll have more of those answers. but, you know, clearly it's a dangerous world, and i think it's a reminder that we need to be doing everything we can at every level to keep the american people safe. >> you know, you said in your statement after the horrific attack in new orleans that the threat posed by isis, quote, is a clear example of why the senate must get president trump's national security team in place as quickly as possible. as you know, there are senate republicans who say they still have questions about the qualifications about the character of some of president-elect trump's picks from pete hegseth to tulsi gabbard. as we sit here today, are you prepared to vote yes on all of his nominees? >> well, it's a process. and we're going to -- what i promised them is a fair process. so these nominees are going to

go through a committee where they get a lot -- they're going have to answer questions. there will be some hard questions. we're going to do everything we can to ensure he has the people he wants in place. i think you give great deference and latitude to a president to people he wants to put in key positions. national security ones are especially important. the senate has a role, advise and we take that role seriously. we will make sure that these nominees have a process, a fair process in which they have an opportunity to make their cases, not only to the members of the committee and ultimately the full senate, but ultimately the american people. that's under way as we speak. but my hope and expectation is that the president will get the people that he wants in place to implement his agenda. >> and i hear you say there is a process, but you're not prepared to say you're a yes, you're a rub irstamp on all of these nominees at this point? >> well, that's why we have a process. you know, i met with them. there are some of them that i think i've been really, really

impressed by. and i think think there are -- as they go through the process, there will be opportunities throughout that where members, senators will have opportunities to make sure they're getting their questions answered, and we'll see. i think this is a -- again, that's why we have the checks and balances in our system that we have, but my expectation is, and as the leader of the senate, that we're going to get the president his people as quickly as possible in the key positions where he wants them. >> let me ask you about kash patel and his book, which as you know has been reported he has a list of 60 people he calls members of the so-called deep state. are you certain that kash patel's priorities would be fighting crime, protecting national security rather than settling political scores? >> i think that he understands what his mission would be. if he is successful in getting confirmed to that position at the fbi. the fbi is an agency that i think is in need of reform and needs a good makeover, so to

speak, and probably a good amount of house cleaning when it comes to just the perception the american people have of it. and these institutions that the american people need to have confidence and trust in, i think that confidence and trust is largely eroded, and there is an opportunity to fix that. i think that's what -- i sat down and met with him. i think he understands that's the mission. and if he is successful lew the nomination process, i hope he will take very seriously that responsibility and focus on what he can do to make the fbi operate in a way that is protecting the american people and also being accountable to the same. >> would you say you think he does understand the mission, does that mean yes, you think he will put national security ahead of settling political scores? >> you know, in my conversations with im, and i've not talked a lot about the meetings that i had, i felt he fully understood i think is expected and i think what the president wants out of the agency, and i feel -- yeah,

i feel confident that he gets what his job is going to be if he gets over there. and i think as he goes through the process, more members will have an opportunity to ask the questions of him. but i think the at least based on my conversations with him, i felt very good about that. >> are you a yes on kash patel? >> i haven't been advertising or disclosing my positions on individual nominees at this point just yet, but my job is to make sure they get a fair process. so i intend to do that, and i think that's under way. >> let's talk about the republicans' agenda. when i spoke with president-elect donald trump, he said that his mass deportation plan was his top priority. he wants to deport everyone who is here illegally. do you support that plan, to deport everyone here who is illegally? >> well, i think there are certain -- certainly there are categories, people who have committed crimes. there are over a million people that the current administration had targeted for deportation. and so i think that we have to

take seriously the fact that there are a lot of people in this country today, over 10 million, who have come in just in the last four years under this administration's policies, many of whom are not here for good reasons. i mean, we know we've apprehended almost 300 people at the southern border that are on the terrorist watch list. and you have criminals and cartel members and gang members and all of the above. as we think about what those next steps are, the first thing is securing that border and making sure we change the incentives structure so people are incentivized to come here legally, and do everything to ensure that the border personnel, the ice agents and the border agents have the resources they need to do their job. some of that means physical barriers. some means technological barriers, et cetera. and those are all going to require resources and some is going to require deportation of certain people who are here illegally. how that gets translated into

actual policy and action will be a function of the new border czar and homeland security department secretary who will be our governor, kristi noem. >> and of course it's incredibly complicated. you need 24 more times i.c.e. detention capacity just to deport one million people in one year, not to mention more agents, more judges, more planes for dede portation. >> right. >> in 2016, you actually said deporting everyone here illegally wasn't realistic. have you changed your mind about that? do you think it's realistic? >> i think you get -- again, i think you start. this is going to be obviously a process. and it's going to take resources. obviously to get people to leave the country, we're going to have to make sure the administration has the resources they need to enable them to do that. is it realistic to deport everybody? i mean, there is a lot of people in this country who are here legally, but i think we have -- there -- they have identified

already, and i said anybody who has committed a crime in this country clearly out to be on that list. and there a over a million people, currently 1.4 i think that need to be deported. start with that and then we'll go from there and figure it out. i think the administration, when they take office, these are decision obviously they're going to have to make. and we want to work with them to ensure that we have a safe and secure southern border where people don't have the incentive structure they have today, which they essentially come to this country and we will wave you in. people have to understand that we are a nation -- nating on tip and the estimated price for everything he's proposing would exceed some $9 trillion. are you comfortable adding $9 trillion to the national debt?

>> i think you have to, first off, look at what happens if we don't act by the end of the year and that's a with a trillion dollars tax increase on the american people, because that's essentially what you're talking about if we don't extend the current 2017 tax law. the president's had some other suggestions and ideas with respect that he would like to do in the area of tax reform, and we'll take those into consideration. but i think that the -- we intend to ensure that we don't have a $4 trillion tax increase on the american people by december 31 of this year. in order to do that, we've got to act collectively, house, senate and white house to extend the 2017 tax cuts. now in doing that, i believe there will also be a robust conversation about whether we can find offsets and achieve reductions in spending that could help offset some of that. but then also you've got to understand too the tax policy is directly connected to economic growth. and the -- we've been told by

all the experts, the joint committee on taxation, the congress budget office for every person who generates $3 trillion in tax revenue. many laws in existence today will have a positive effect on growth in the economy. i'm somebody who believes with growth. with growth you get better-paying jobs, but you also generate more tax revenue. that isn't something fully considered when people talk about deficit numbers. >> you've said that the size of the national debt is actually a national security threat, that you're talking about the 2017 tax cuts. but when you lump all of these other potential tax cuts on to it, it just balloons the debt. how would you pay for that? i hear you expressing some skepticism that the whole entire package could get done. >> well, i think you start with extending existing tax policy. and that's current -- that is current policy. some people, depending on which score keepers you use will say yes, this is going to contribute

to deficits down the road. but the fact of the matter is this is the law today. we're just essentially extending that. perhaps not all of it. but i'm telling you a combination of growth, a combination of offsets, and an expectation, i think, that if you want to avoid a $4 trillion tax increase, you're going to have to take some steps to extend the current tax policy. when you do that, i think you get outcomes that are good for the economy. and when the economy is growing and expanding and creating better-paying jobs, people are making money, they're taking realizations, paying taxes, tax revenues go up that was demonstrated in 2017 with the tax cuts and jobs act. >> monday marks four years since january 6th, the attack on the capitol. you were there that day. you've been in the building for more than 20 years. in my interview with him, president trump said he plans to pardon those who attacked the capitol on that day, and potentially even some of those who pleaded guilty to assaulting

police officers. do you support that, pardoning people who attack police officers who stormed the capitol that day? >> well, i mean, as we've discovered under the biden administration, the pardon authority is a very broad one. i mean, he has taken it to a whole new level. that's ultimately going to be a decision that president trump is going to have to make. you know, what i'm focused on is the future and not looking in the rear view mirror, but looking at the windshield and what we have to do. i think you learn from the past. you remember the past, but you live in the present and the future. and right now we have an agenda, which consists of a stronger, more robust economy, energy dominance, rebuilding our national security and securing our border. those are things that we want to get done, which i think the american people voted on in november and gave president trump a very decisive victory. and i think the expectation is that we're going to work with him to accomplish that agenda. >> as the majority leader in the senate, though, what message do

you think it would send to give pardons to people guilty of attacking police officers who stormed this building four years ago? >> look, again, ultimately, it's going to be a decision the president of the united states. the pardon authority exists with him. my job right now is to get -- help the president get the people into the positions that he wants to implement his agenda and then work constructively with him with the house of representatives on an agenda that we think is what the american people voted for. and that, you know -- you can't -- you can't be looking in the rear view 34ir roar to do that. that's four years ago. i think the american people are living in the present, and i think they want us -- they want the work that we're doing to be done with an eye toward what we can do to improve their lives today. >> president-elect trump told me he is open to doing a deal with democrats to protect dreamers, those who were brought here illegally as children. do you commit to working with democrats to try to get a deal on the dreamers? >> well, if the president of the united states -- he is obviously

going to lead on a lot of this policy with respect to the border. but that is an issue that i think on which there could be some bipartisan cooperation. in the past, at least, there have been conversations around if you get the right things with respect to border security, that might be part of a conversation where you could get the package. >> final big picture i want to ask you. you endorsed tim scott during the republican primary. you ultimately backed mr. trump. how would you describe your relationship with president-elect trump right now? >> well, you know what? we are -- it's evolving. and we have a relationship i think where we understand what each other wants to accomplish. and what i said before is that we have -- there is a -- an alignment of incentives. we want to get to the same destination. i want to accomplish the same things that he does. and i think that's a powerful combination, and we're going to continue to build on that. >> senate majority leader john thune, thank you so much for

your time. >> thanks, kristen. and when we come back, senate minority leader chuck schumer joins me next.

welcome back. and joining me now is the senate minority leader democratic senator chuck schumer of new york. leader schumer, welcome back to "meet the press." >> kristen, good to be back, and happy new year to you and your family, and to all of america. >> oh, happy new year to you. thank you so much for being here

on this first sunday of the new year. i do want to start off by getting your insights into the attack in new orleans. as you know, a lot of families are sitting at home. they feel afraid. they feel on edge. there are a lot of big events coming up from the inauguration to the super bowl, which is going to be in new orleans. what are the security gaps that you think need to be addressed? >> well, first i want to express my condolences to the families who are in mourning for the loved ones lost in new orleans. we grieve for them. i also -- you know, the former soldier, member of the armed forces who had ptsd and committed suicide in front of the las vegas hotel showed i think that we need to do more for our veterans who have ptsd and other things there. as for security, the bottom line is that i believe the authorities are on full alert in

terms of security. look, terrorism is a greater threat here in america. we have isis. we have other groups. the terrorist who rammed his car and killed so many people was a professed member of isis. now we do not know -- we know he acted alone. we don't know if he -- isis directed him to do it. they're still investigating. but we need to be very, very vigilant. and so i sent a letter yesterday to john thune suggesting we have an all senators briefing this week on the preparations for the big events that are coming up. and for the ability to ask questions of our law enforcement. i believe they are on top of this, but having an senators hearing and giving us a chance to ask questions and them to reply is a good thing. hopefully senator thune and i can work that out and get it done this week. >> all right. i no eyou're going to continue

to watch that closely. i do want to turn to how you see democrats' role in this new congress. your fellow democratic congressman colleague tom swazi says let me read what he had to say. i know my party will be tempted to hold fast against mr. trump at every turn that would be a mistake. only by working together to find compromise on part of the president-elect's agenda could we make progress for americans. do you agree with congressman suozzi americans need a new approach for president trump? >> well, look, i think it's clear whenever we can get things done in a bipartisan way, we try to do it. that's the best way to go. it creates programs that are long-lasting and very popular. so back in tent 21-'22, when we had the most successful session of the senate of the congress in

decades, seven of the eight major bills were done in a bipartisan way. so we always look for bipartisan cooperation and would welcome the ability. on the other hand, when there are things that we can't agree with, for instance, tax breaks for the wealthiest of americans paid for, as many republicans have suggested, by cuts in social security and in medicare and making it harder for new families to buy their first home, they're going to have to go through us. we're going to oppose those kinds of things very, very rigorously. so i think we will be bipartisan when we can, but we also when they're trying to do things, our republican colleagues that are so bad for working people, we'll oppose them. >> leader schumer, i'm curious on where you see those potential areas. in my interview with president-elect trump, he said he is open to potentially getting a deal for dreamers, those who were brought to the country illegally as children to be able to stay here permanently. do you think that that is

feasible? you heard leader thune say yes, he thinks there are some areas of bipartisanship there. do you think a deal on dreamers is possible? >> well, we'd love to do that. our party has been strongly fighting for the dreamers for a decade. we've been blocked by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. if there is going to be a change and we can get some help, look, these are people, they were little tiny children when they were brought over the border. many of them have been here for decades. many have served in the armed forces. many are working productively and have families. and yes, if we can find a solution so the dreamers can stay here, we'd welcome it. >> you know, you heard leader thune in terms of president-elect trump's cabinet that the senate should work as quickly as possible to get his cabinet picks in place, and basically saying that if his national security picks are not in place quickly, that could undermine the nation's national security. do you agree with leader thune there? >> look, we've asked for three things that are reasonable.

first, that there be thorough fbi background s every one of nominees at the cabinet level. second there are hearings where members ask the question ises they want answered. and third will be a vote. that's been the tradition here under republican and democratic presidents. it's been advise and consent. look, any american who applies for a job has to undergo a background check, has to answer questions that the potential employer asks him or her. so of course we should do those things. and i hope we will. the bottom line is these positions are really important, as senator thune said, for our national security, and the american people should have the ability to know who is being nominated and what their criteria are. >> are you a yes right now -- are you a yes right now on any of these picks?

>> no. i'm waiting for this process, this reasonable process that we've asked for to unfold. background checks, thorough background check, hearings and votes. >> all right. let's talk now about the future of the democratic party. democrats have said this is a real reckoning after losing the white house, the senate, not winning back the house. here is what democratic strategist james carville had to say. he wrote, quote, we lost for one very simple reason. it was, it is, and it will always be the economy, stupid. do you agree? what do you think was the root cause of democrats' across-the-board loss? >> well, look, i told my caucus, and i'll say it here too. we should regard this election, certainly it was a loss, but it's also a challenge. and we did some things right against very severe headwinds. we kept four of those seven contested democratic seats. but we did some things wrong, and we have to look in the mirror and see what we did wrong. and then there are some things

we didn't do that we did wrong. we should focus on the working families of america. we passed all kinds of laws that helped them. the infrastructure bill that made the economy stronger and employed people. the chip hubs. we're now having chip hubs in places to do do new manufacturing and research that were left out before, ms. zoul missoula, montana. ten of the most popular prescription drugs will be greatly lowered because we finally aloud under our leadership the drug companies. we forced them to negotiate with medicare. so we did a lot of good things. but all too often, kristen, we talked about the mechanics of the legislation and the details of the legislation, and we really didn't show the kind of empathy and concern to average or show enough of it to average

working families who didn't realize how much we had done and how much we care for them. so what we're going to do is spend a lot of time talking to working families, showing them how much we care about them, and not just talk about legislation, but talk about the conditions that have made so many working families worried about their futures. and that's going to be a significant change. and it will make a difference. >> obviously there has been a lot of focus on president biden's role in this. you are obviously in close contact with president biden well before the public tuned in to that debate that ultimately led to him stepping down. i want to play you a little bit of something you said last year. take a look. >> i talk to president biden, you know, regularly. sometimes several times in a week, usually several times in a week. his mental acute is great. he's fine. it's as good as it's been over

the year. all this right-wing propaganda that his mental acute is declined is wrong. >> leader schumer, what do you say to americans who feel as though you and other top democrats misled them about president biden's mentalacuity? >> look, we didn't. let's look at president biden. he's had an amazing record. the legislation we passed, one of the most significant groups of legislation since the new -- since lyndon johnson's great society, putting in 235 judges, a record. and he is a patriot. he is a great guy. when he stepped down, he did it on his own because he thought it was better not only for the democratic party, for america, we should all salute him. we should all salute him. >> do you feel as we have this conversation today that president biden could serve another four years had he stayed in the race and potentially won? >> well, i'm not going to

speculate. as i said, i think his record is a stellar one, and he'll go down in history as a really outstanding president. >> before i let you go, leader schumer, in two weeks, you will be the highest ranking democrat serving in washington. do you believe you will be the leader of the democratic party? >> look, i think we have a lot of great leaders in our party. we have a great bench of people coming up, and i am really optimistic about the future of the democratic party. in the future. as i said, there are certain adjustments we have to make. we're going to do those. and i think people are going to realize that the democratic party is the party of working families, of working people. we're doing more for them. we're going to show them that some of these republican things like tax cuts for the very wealthy individuals which were -- they did it in 2017, and they lost the election in 2018. they haven't learned. but we're going to hold their feet to the fire when they do

things that hurt working people. we're going to stand with the working families of america, and that's going to bode very well for us. >> all right. senate minority leader chuck schumer, thank you so much. i hope you'll come back again soon. really appreciate talking to you this morning. and when we come back, democratic senator adam schiff of california joins me next.

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welcome back. as we approach monday's anniversary of the january 6th attacks, president biden this past week awarded the country's second highest civilian award, the presidential citizens medal to the leaders of the january 6th committee. former congressman liz cheney and congressman bennie thompson. and democratic senator adam schiff of california, who is another member of that committee joins me now. senator schiff, welcome back to "meet the press." >> great to be with you. >> great to have you here. happy new year. thank you for meeting us here. >> happy new year. >> tomorrow, as we just said, does mark the anniversary of the january 6th attacks. and in my interview with president-elect trump, he said he does plan to pardon those who attack the capitol, potentially

even those who plead guilty to their crimes. you heard senator thune say that's ultimately a decision for the president to make. how do you respond to that? >> first of all that, day when we peacefully transfer power, historically transfer power is a real solemn occasion i think for the whole country. but it has another meaning now, that we had this terrible violent attack four years ago. for those of us that were there in the capitol, i think it's going to be quite an emotional experience to be back in that environment on that day. i invited daniel hodges, one of the metropolitan police officers who was being crushed in that revolving door to remind people what that day was really like given all the revisionist history around it. but if the president goes forward with pardoning vast numbers of people involved in that violence, he will begin his new administration the way he ended his last administration, and that is by celebrating violence against our democracy. i think it would be a terrible

start, send a terrible message about our democracy, about lawlessness, about people who attacked police officers, exactly the wrong message and the way wrong to start out an administration. >> let me ask you about something else the president-elect said to me. he said that he believes everyone who was on the committee should go to jail. that includes you. senator schiff, are you bracing to be targeted by the president-elect, by his incoming administration? >> you know what? i don't think any of us really know what he means by any of that, whether he is serious about it, whether it's kind of trumpian hyperbole or what it is. all of us on the committee i think are very proud of the work we did. we stand behind it. i'm glad to see president biden acknowledge the role of our chairman bennie thompson and liz cheney. adam kinzinger also i think as a republican showed great courage, and the witnesses who came before the committee were so powerful because they were republicans, because they put their country first. so who know what's the president means. i guess we'll find out.

but we stand behindous work. >> there has been a lot of talk about whether president biden should issue preemptive pardons to those who served on the committee. you've been very public about saying you don't want a preemptive pardon. i wonder, senator, have you conveyed that directly to the president himself, to his administration? >> not to the president, but i have conveyed to it the administration. and the concern i have, which is what i conveyed is the precedent that it would set, that you have an outgoing president giving a broad group of pardons to members of his party or others, because i think the precedent could be abused. now people have rightly pointed out donald trump may have abused that precedent regardless. but the idea that each administration here after gives broad pardons to people who worked in the administration or aligned with the administration, i don't think that's a road we want to go down. but the president will do what the president does, and if he

goes forward, i'm sure it will be responding to these baseless arguments of donald trump and the threats to retaliate against people. >> we learned this week that sentencing will be scheduled for president-elect trump in that hush money case. the judge said he is not going to seek jail time. that sentence is going to happen a little later on this week. do you agree with that decision, not to seek jail time? >> what i've always said about what the judge should do vis-a-vis sentencing, and frankly, the whole process of that case, he should treat donald trump as he would any other criminal defendant charged with like offenses. the judge concluded someone else charged with a similar offense of fraudulent business records to conceal a campaign finance violation, and that would lead to no jail time, he should get no jail time. but i particularly concur with his decision to go forward with

the sentencing. the federal justice system really let down the country. the supreme court certainly did. it didn't timely investigate and prosecute the offenses around january 6th. i think new york has demonstrated, frankly, how the justice system ought to operate. no one should be above the law. >> so much of your time in congress was spent basically conducting oversight over then president trump for a range of different reasons -- the russia investigation, ukraine, and then january 6th. given that the two federal cases, as you just referenced, have been dropped for now, how focused as a senator will you be on overseeing oversight of donald trump's actions? >> well, a lot of that will depend on what the president's actions are. does he take a different approach in the second administration? or does he once again try to abuse the powers of his office. >> will you continue to focus on his election interference?

>> well mix, focus is going to be on getting things done for the people of california and the country, and particularly on the economy. i know i'm going to have to face very early on these tax cuts for rich people and for large corporations. what the voters in california elected me to do is to try to bring down the cost of living, the cost of housing, the cost of child care, not to give tax breaks to very wealthy people and corporations. so my focus is on the economy. to your question earlier about james carville, i think james carville was right. i think it is still about the economy. i think we lost the argument on the economy. we need to win that argument. we need to persuade the american people once again that we are focused first and foremost on delivering for them. and that means helping them with their small businesses, helping them pay their rent or their mortgage. that's going to be my first priority. but if the president is trying to take away the rights and freedoms of the american people, or abusing his office, i'm certainly going to stand up and defend our country and our

constitution. >> let's talk quickly about the president-elect's cabinet picks. kash patel for frontal bi direc. that comes against the backdrop of the latest terror attack in new orleans. you of course serve on the judiciary committee. if kash patel is confirmed, will you be able to work with him? you've been quite critical of him. >> first of all, kash patel should not be confirmed. and i think the terrorist attack in new orleans and my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in that attack, just underscores, again, the importance of having someone directing the fbi that has experience, that has judgment, that has character, that will prioritize defending the country against the violence we saw in new orleans or the violence we saw on january 6th, not someone who's top priority is political vendettas, who believes in deep state conspiracy thinking, not one who is as unqualified as kash patel. so kash patel is an easy one. he should not be confirmed.

the others, some, look, marco rubio, well qualified. some of the other nominees, again, we should follow that rigorous process that the majority leader has laid out. but that one should be an easy one. >> all right. senator adam schiff, thank you so much for being here in person. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> all right. look forward to hopefully talking to you again soon. when we come back, as the nation mourns the death of former president jimmy carter, we look back at his message to a divided country. our "meet the press" minute is next. stay with us. kingdom: protecting the wild. and celebrate conservation success stories. stream all episodes on peacock or nbc.com

welcome back. former president jimmy carter, the longest living president in u.s. history, is lying in repose in the carter center in atlanta after he passed away last sunday nearly two years after being admitted into hospice care. jimmy carter joined this broadcast 11 times. in 1976, he talked about wanting to bridge the country's divides, just days before becoming the democratic nominee in his first run for president. >> i think the american people resent being put in box, and i've always avoided them myself. obviously, since the beginning of this calendar year, as the iowa caucus approached, i've been heavily covered by the news media. it's not possible for me to make a different statement in iowa than the one i make in new hampshire or florida. so i think those sharp differences that used to exist

between the liberal and conservative elements of our society have pretty well been removed. so when i say i'm going to management the government in a tough, competent business-like way and deal with sensitive needs of people in human rights, civil rights, environment quality, i don't think there is as much alienation of groups as there was before. >> president carter was 100 years old.

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welcome back. the panel is here. nbc news managing washington editor carol lee. jonathan martin, politics bureau chief and senior political columnist for politico. symone sanders-townsend, former chief spokesperson for vice president harris and co-host of "the weekend." and marc short, former chief of staff to vice president mike pence. thanks to all of you being here on a very busy sunday. carol, let me kick it off with you. you heard senate majority leader john thune say his relationship with president-elect trump is evolving. i thought it was a fascinating answer, and it kind of underscores what i think we're all going to be watching for. how complicated is it for the trump agenda to get passed. >> that's right. he essentially described this as a business relationship, saying that they have shared goals with enit comes to achieving policy

agenda. and that's what's going to bind them. but whether they're going achieve the goals is what matters. trump has set very high expectations with the american people that he is going get a lot done very fast with the republican senate house and white house. thune was a little more measured about what is actually going to be possible. how this relationship evolves is whether in trump's view thune is delivering for him. if he is not, you're going to see the president-elect looking to blame someone, and thune may find himself on the receiving end of that. >> jonathan, talk about high expectations. president trump has conveyed to the new house speaker he wants to get border, taxes, trade done, all in one big bill, and it all comes after house speaker mike johnson barely won the gavel back. >> it's all in day's work, kristen, yeah, exactly. look, donald trump has not been known to accept blame for, well, anything at all.

and the clock is running. i think there is a huge challenge ahead for john thune, but especially mike johnson because of the nature of the house majority and because of the coalition that johnson is trying to juggle in the house. look, donald trump is going to want victories and want victories fast. and to john thune's credit, i think that's why thune wanted to do two big bills. because he wanted to get trump a big victory first on the border and on energy and on defense spending. but i think trump has come up with the conclusion these guys in congress can only do one big bill, and that's what we're going to have to do. but when you do that, you've denied trump a fast, early win, and that sets up difficult spring and summer i think for johnson and thune, johnson especially because trump is going to get really impatient. where is my bill. >> it's a big, big test, mark. you understand legislative affairs better than most. i mean, can this get done, this big massive bill? >> i hate to agree with j. mark, it's going to create an expectation that is difficult. i think there is going to be

pressure to get confirmed. getting two budget reconciliation bills done was always impossible. i think thune was right to encourage the president to go to one bill. that's going to take a long time to put together. this spring you're going have a debt ceiling fight. you're going to have another continuing resolution. they should have passed one continuing resolution for the entire year. pushing it off to march creates an enormous struggle for speaker johnson. and there is going to be a lot of pressure if that bill fails to fund the government, the president is going to blame speaker johnson for that. >> let's talk about the democrats. i thought conversation was schumer was interesting. i asked if he thought president biden could serve another four years. he pivoted, didn't answer that directly. there is obviously a lot of soul-searching going on right now in the democratic party. what did you make of what we heard from leader schumer? >> i was very surprised when you asked the question about mental acuity, he didn't more forcefully push back. the question on the president, is the president all the way

there? and the answer is unequivocally yes. now people can say you feel as though president biden might be a little too old to do the job, but he is doing the job. and his mental acuity is there. i think there is conflation of two things here is his mental capacity and serving another four years as old as he is. but those are two separate things in my opinion. these people have known joe biden their entire political lives. i know joe biden. can you all just please defend me a little more? >> well, it's not worth defending him, though. at every turn in the last year and a half, he has taken the path of the most indulgent turn for himself rather than the good of the party by pardoning his son, by running again, going to rome for one last trip. he is not exiting in a way that i think reflects well on his party. and democrats are deeply, deeply unhappy about it, and they should be, frankly. >> hurt democrats november to try to tell the american people something they could see with their own eyes wasn't true.

>> but it's not true that the president doesn't have the mental acuity. >> of course it is. american people saw that for themselves in the debate. >> he can at least put a sentence together. the president-elect is the one i am concerned about because i recently spoke to the president. let me say this thing about the democrats. with friends like these, okay, the democratic friends that joe biden has had, i do think that he understands the nature of where things are going, which is why he pardoned his son. because the president-elect has been very clear about his ire and what he wants to do to his son. after everything joe biden has done, do you really expect him to go out on the high note for his last surviving son because chuck schumer would like it to be so? >> let's talk about the note he is going to go out. you're reporting, carol, he is going to be giving two major speeches. >> he is. he is not going to be taking questions from the press and the press conference as we know so far, but he is delivering two speeches, the first one on foreign policy which is his wheelhouse. he is going to talk america's

alliances. and the second a farewell address where he'll have an address for the american people for the future. really, it's an opportunity for him to have one final moment on the national stage after he commits after more than 50 years. >> the fact he is not conducting interviews or taking questions. >> it's a big shift. >> it's a huge shift. also after he turned the white house over to donald trump by running again at age 82. and there is no accountability for it of any kind, i think it's remarkable. >> marc, let me shift gears a little bit and talk about the anniversary tomorrow, january 6th. you were in the capitol on that day. obviously i'm sure the day comes with a lot of thoughts and emotions for you. and it does come as we're watching and waiting to see if president-elect 2ru6r7 does decide to move forward that he is going to pardon. in day one he told me in my interview with him. >> i suspect he will. he has been pretty clear about his intention. i think president trump has remarkable ability to kind of tell a narrative and get america

to follow that narrative. i think it's important from the day of january 6th, he was so disturbed by the events that he referred to them as antifa protesters. of course, over the course of history the last few years have now become american patriots. and i think it's important to remember people who are incarcerated for assaulting police were put there by trump-appointed judges who heard the evidence. so i expect that he will go forward the pardons. i think there are some people who got caught up in the capitol and things they shouldn't be caught up in. but to see a republican president pardon people who physically assaulted police officers i think is an enormous departure for republican positions on law and order. >> and a lot of them pleaded guilty as well. it's a really good point. symone, who are you going to be watching for? i talked to senator schiff about oversight. how much is he going to be focused on oversight versus actually trying to govern, potentially work across the aisle. >> look, i think democrats in the senate and the house, they want to find ways to govern because they want wins so they

too can potentially take back power in the midterm election. however, i think the reality of the situation is that some of the things they won't be able to come together on when it comes to the house specifically because of mike johnson's aggressive ways of wanting to take up donald trump's agenda. >> all right, you guys. great conversation. very spirited. thank you so much to kick off the new year that is all for today. thank you for watching. we'll be back next week, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." we'll be back next week, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪♪