peter alexander joining us now from the white house. r, president trump is expected to issue some pardons of his own? >> lester, president trump late tonight signing pardons for what he said was roughly 1500 january 6th capitol rioters. it comes as president biden's last actions in office focused on pardoning several high-profile names. from outgoing president biden what amounts to a protective shield for some of president trump's most prominent adversaries, a series of preemptive pardons to avoid trump's promised prosecution. among the recipients, general mark milley, trump's chosen chief chairman who later became a fierce critic, dr. anthony fauci who helped lead the country's covid response, and all of the members of the bipartisan house committee that invested the january 6th capitol attack, including republican liz cheney. biden writing the pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing. president trump texted nbc news it is disgraceful. >> why are we helping some of the people -- w

let's go to chief white house correspondent peter alexander. peter, describe what it's been like today. well, lester, to be clear, this is 457 days that the white house has been working on this since that awful massacre took place, hamas invading southern israel. the president has said throughout that time that he stands with israel and has focused so much of his energy. this really has been alongside the war in ukraine with what has happened in israel and in gaza. the two biggest foreign policy priororities of s presidency. so, as he said, the day of success has arrived. notably, this day comes just days before his departure from the white house and only a matter of hours before his farewell address from the oval office will take place later this later this evening, we did hear from the president saying he is deeply satisfied by this, but i was struck by some of his last comments. he was asked by a reporter before leaving the cross hall there, right here in the white house residence. he was asked whether he or donald trump deserved credit for t

senior white house correspondent peter alexander is joining us now, and peter, just moments ago you had a chance to press the president about those pardons. >> reporter: lester, that's right. president trump is defending those pardons tonight as you note saying he's still a fierce supporter of police officers. but tonight the criticism about the sweeping papardons growing. tonight the president is facingew backlash for pardoning or commuting the sentences of everyone convicted for their actions on january 6th and those still under investigation. >> these hostages, approximately 1500 for a pardon. full pardon. >> reporter: including those found guilty of assaulting police officers. four years ago, president trump condemned the violence. >> to those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. and to those who broke the law, you will pay. >> reporter: the president's move, someththing his own vice president had recently argued against. >> if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned. >> reporter: former dc police offi

peter alexander is at the white house. >> reporter: they're the haunting images of the armed assault on the capitol four years ago that resulted in more than 1,100 convictions. tonight one of the most prominent, enrique tarrio, head of the far right proud boys, who was found guilty of seditious conspiracy, seen at miami airport after his release under president trump's sweeping pardons. tarrio earlier with this ominous warning. >> i'm happy that the president's focusing not on retribution and focusing on success, but i will tell you that i'm not going to play by those rules. the people who did this, they need to feel the heat. >> reporter: republican lisa murkowski tonight rebuking the decision to pardon violent offenders. >> you just blanket pardon all of them without consequence? i think that that sounds -- sends a horrible message to our law enforcement officers. >> reporter: spotted inside the capitol today, stewart rhodes, head of the far right extremist group the oath keepers, who was just released after serving less than two years of an 18-year sentence for directing his membe

here's peter alexander. >> reporter: after more than 50 years in public life, president biden speakingirectly to the american people one last time. an oval office address punctuating days of final events. >> after eight months of nonstop negotiation my administration -- by my administration, a cease-fire and a hostage deal has been reached by israel and hamas. >> reporter: the president insisting americans are better off than they were four years ago. >> in the past four years our democracy's held strong, and every day i've kept my commitment to be president for all americans. through one of the toughest periods in our nation's history. we need to amend the constitution and make clear that no president, no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office. >> reporter: his focus tonight defining his legacy ahead of donald trump's inauguration next week. with trump already vowing to roll back many of biden's signature initiatives. >> i've been disappointed to see the biden administration's attempt to block the reforms of the american people and that they voted for.

>> peter alexander at the white house. rrested in 2022 in afghanistan has confirmed his release. in a statement, the family thanked both former president biden and president trump. taliban officials say a second american has also been freed, but his identity has not yet been released. the trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. >>> more than 200 million americans are waking up today to brutal cold temperatures from the rockies all the way to the northeast. but the worst of it may be down south where a blizzard warning is now in effect for parts of texas and louisiana. states of emergency are also being declared in arkansas, mississippi. schools and businesses are closed throughout the region. in fact, in houston, all of the major airports have been shut down, so, we'll check back in with al to find out how long all this is going to last. >> the next 24 to 48 hours, guys, houston snowing right now. currently lake charles, the national weather service, the first time they issued a blizzard w

briefly to peter alexander. describe the room, the oval office and this speech. >> reporter: to pull back the curtain, we are told by those in the room, there were a half dozen senior officials who were there with him, including his chief of staff, the first lady who he glanced over at at the end of his remarks, joined by the vice president and second gentleman there in the oval office, describing them he did like family just before the camera clicked on, jill biden said, you look good, joe. >> peter, thanks very much. that concludes this nbc news special report. more ahead in our streaming network nbc news now and online at nbcnews.com. tomorrow morning on "today." wednesday, everyone. the special edition of the 5:00 news starts right now. thanks so much for joining me. i'm janelle wang. as you just saw, president biden spoke to the american public one last time. the president just delivered his farewell address. it's his fifth oval office address since taking office in 2021. the president reflected on his time

let's go right to peter alexander. this just broke tone minutes ago, peter. what do you know? >> president biden even yesterday was seriously considering using this extraordinary presidential power to preemptively pardon some individuals. he has decided to do that to guard against any potential revenge by the incoming president trump. president biden just announcing, as you know, that he is pardoning dr. anthony fauci, retired general mark millie and members of the house committee including liz cheney, adam schiff, adam kinsinger. he writes, they are the life blood of our democracy. yet alarmingly, he adds, public servants have been subjected to i don't know going threats for faithfully discharging their duties. notably, his last comments in this statement adds these pardons should not be mistaken that acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance by them be considered an admission of guilt for any offense. he says our nation owes them a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country. incoming president trump, as you know,

that was nbc's peter alexander with that report. sweeping pardons to january 6th rioters. marc caputo with axios reports that trump vacillated during an internal debate over targeted clemency versus a blanket decision, according to two insiders. but as trump's team wrestled with the issue and planned a shock and awe batch of executive orders day one, trump just said, f it, release them all. an adviser familiar with the discussions said. meanwhile, former proud boys leader enrique tarrio, who was released from prison yesterday after being sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy, sentenced for seditious conspiracy, was interviewed by alex jones on infowars last night. tarrio told jones, quote, we went through hell and i'm going to tell you it was worth it, because what we stood for, what we've been fighting for and what we saw yesterday on the inauguration stage, we need people like pam bondi, kash patel and the rest of trump's cabinet to right all these wrongs. the people who did this, they need to feel the heat. they need to

. >> joining me for insight and analysis are nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexanderna nawaz, co anchor of news hour. former white house trump communications director and former white house jen psaki. if it's sunday it's "meet the press". >> the longest running show in television history, this is "meet the press" with kristen welker. >> good sunday morning. tomorrow, a new chapter in our nation's history gets under way. donald trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the united states making him the second president ever to serve non-consecutive terms. president-elect trump telling me in an exclusive phone interview on saturday he is ready for that moment including his decision to move the inauguration indoors. he said while it was a hard decision it was the right one, adding i think it would have been dangerous for a lot of people. he will take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address from the capital rotunda which last happened for ronald reagan's second inauguration in 1985. >> we stand again at the steps of this symbol of our democracy or we wou

nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander has the latest for us. s history. and for more than 60 years, there have been unanswered questions. >> about them. >> just take jfk's assassination. >> did lee harvey oswald act alone? was there another shooter on that grassy knoll? >> now. >> with the swipe of a pen, president trump is ordering everything the government knows be made public. >> they are among the most sensational american murders of the 20th century. the assassinations of president john f kennedy, his younger brother robert f kennedy, and the civil rights leader, doctor. martin luther king jr. now, president trump is ordering. >> the full public. release of. >> classified files related to their killings, saying it will end the mysteries surrounding them. >> that's a big one. a lot of people are waiting for this for so long. for years. >> on jfk's 1963. >> death, the warren commission report concluded lee harvey oswald. >> acted alone, but questions and conspiracy theories have lingered for decades, fueling an industry of books and films lik

. >> nbc's peter alexander is following the growing fallout from these pardons. >> reporter: they're the haunting images of the armed assault on the capitol four than 1100 convictions.d in more one of the most prominent, enrique tarrio, one of the proud boys found guilty of seditious conspiracy seen at the miami airport, with this ominous warning. >> i'm happy that the president's focussing not on retribution and focussing on success, but i will tell you that i, i, i'm not going to play by those rules. the people who did this, they need to feel the heat. >> reporter: republican murkowski. >> you blanket pardon them without consequence? that sends a horrible message t years of a 18-year sentence for directing his members during the riot. the federal judge at his sentencing warning, the moment you are released whenever that may be, you'll be ready to take up arms against your government. >> reporter: this retired officer was one of the officers injured, telling nbc news it's a betrayal. they were lf. that's the only reason he pardoned them. president trump telling us he strongly backs

i want to bring in nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander, also with us, sky news pauldavos. so what did we hear from the president? peter? >> well. >> chris. >> as you sort of noted, this is president. >> trump's first virtual. >> trip around the. >> world since becoming. president. again here in the united states. >> one of. >> his key messages has been focus on. the american economy and bringing. >> money back home. the construction. >> the. >> production of products here. and he. >> said, in. >> part, that he would be calling for tariffs if products are not. >> made here in the u.s. here's part. >> of what he said. >> my message to every business in the world is very simple. come make your product in america and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth. we're bringing them down very substantially, even from the original trump tax cuts. but if you don't make your product in america, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff, differing amounts, but a tariff which will direct hundreds of billions of dollars and even

peter. >> alexander repeatedly. >> pressed the president on exactly. >> that issue. >> you would. agree that it's never. >> acceptable to assault a police officer? >> sure. so then, if. >> i can. >> among those you pardoned jay rodriguez. he drove. >> a stun gun into. >> the neck of the d.c. police. >> officer who was. >> abducted by the mob that day. he later confessed on video. >> to the fbi and pleaded. >> guilty for. >> his crimes. >> why does. >> he deserve. >> a pardon? >> well, i don't know. is it a pardon? because we're looking at commutes and we're looking at pardons. >> okay. >> well, we'll take a look at everything, but. >> i can say this. >> murderers today are not even charged. you have murderers that aren't charged. >> all over. >> you take a look at what's going on in philadelphia, take a look at what's going on in la, where people murder people and they don't get charged. these people have already. >> served years in prison. >> and they've served them viciously. it's a disgusting prison. it's been horrible. it's inhumane. it's been. >> a. >> terrible, terrible thin

thank you so much, peter alexander, for bringing us the very latest from washington. joel, when a major deal like this is struck and it's involving an active battlefield, what is the hardest part about this very last stage, when it could all fall apart based on just one miscommunication, one mistake? >> well, you know, ana, there can be disruptions from any different corner. >> and that's clearly what we're seeing right now in the israeli political process. but of course, hamas also and some of the affiliated groups are allied groups of hamas, like the palestinian islamic jihad, could decide they don't want to want to play either and then potentially be spoilers as well. one thing that's very important to think about, though, and this is really an internal dialog, is that this now exposes the ongoing tensions that prime minister netanyahu has within his coalition, where his far right members have really opposed any agreement at all whatsoever. and it's a moment. it's a test for the prime minister. will he stand with the broader israeli public, the hostage families, bo

peter alexander at the white house for us. so, erin, you just heard john kirby say he is confident that this deal will indeed be in place, that things will start moving on sunday. are you confident? >> i am, i think that it's an extraordinary accomplishment whether you actually get to phase two and in the war in gaza and see all the hostages returned according to this schedule. the 4242 weeks, 342 week periods is unclear right now. but the picture you showed chris of this little boy literally clawing his way out of the rubble on one hand, and the fate, the dire fate of hostages. and remember, for the israelis, this will be a time not just of celebration for those hostage families who will be getting live hostages back, but there will be hostages, the bodies of hostages who are no longer alive return. it will be a time of mourning as well, but it really does. the boy in gaza, the hostage situation reflects the essential human human aspect of this conflict. and there's a long way to go. but i and i'm usually not terribly upbeat

at the white house tuesday, chief white house correspondent peter alexander asking the president about one of those defendants, d.o.j. rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to violently assaulting d.c. police officer michael fanone with a stun gun. >> why does he deserve a pardon? >> well, i don't know. was it a pardon? because we're looking at commutes and we're looking at pardons. okay, well, we'll take a look at everything. these people have already served a long period of time, and i made a decision to give a pardon. >> rodriguez had served about 18 months of a 12.5 year sentence. fanone is now seeking protective orders against the five people who assaulted him. today on morning joe, he described the threats that he, his family, even his mother have faced for the past four years. >> i didn't even make it through my. >> testimony before i received. >> the first threatening phone call. my mother. >> has been the. >> victim of swatting incidents. she has had bricks thrown at her home in the middle of the night, and recently, while she was raking the leaves in her front yard, she had an indivi

riley, peter alexander, guys, thank you so much. now, among those freed guy reffitt, he's a militia member from texas who was the first of the january 6th defendants to be convicted. take a look. you see him in the black jacket, wearing body armor and a helmet in a standoff with officers on the steps of the capitol. reffitt was carrying a loaded handgun, and he told people he wanted to physically drag nancy pelosi from the building. when he went home, he threatened his own children not to turn him in. but his son jackson did anyway. and now he faces the reality that his father is free. jackson reffitt joins me now. jackson, thank you so much for being here. i know this is not easy for you, and i know you previously said that trump pardoning your dad terrified you. so i wonder what the last day and a half has been like for you. >> well, it's. >> gotten worse. i mean. >> he's physically out. >> now. >> and that is. >> a reality. >> that i haven't really faced yet. i thought i had time. >> to work. >> with it and understand it and work

susan wild so, peter alexander, a busy day for all of our white house teams, all of our teams here in washington. talk about the packed agenda today. >> well, andrea, i think a lot of the president's allies said that there would be shock and awe in the first days. >> perhaps day one of the trump administration. >> and i think to a lot of his critics, certainly they did feel shocked to witness as much as they saw yesterday, recognizing, though, that so many of the things he did yesterday, frankly, were things he committed to doing throughout the course of the campaign, not the least of which was those pardons to the nearly 1600 individuals, many of whom were convicted, some pleading guilty for their crimes on that day, january 6th. let's walk you through what we expect to see from the president today. still attending that faith service at the national cathedral. a little bit later this afternoon at 2:00, he will be hosting a meeting with the top republicans in both the house and senate. of course, john thune, now the leading republican, the majority leader there, mike johnson, the hous

nbc's peter alexander has the details. >> reporter they are among the most sensational american murdersntury. the assassinations of president john f kennedy, his younger brother robert f kennedy, and the civil rights leader. >> martin luther. >> king jr. now, president trump is. >> ordering the full public. release of. >> classified files related to their killings, saying it will end the mysteries surrounding them. >> that's a big one. a lot of people are waiting for this for a long. for years. >> on jfk's 1963. >> death, the. warren commission report. concluded lee harvey oswald. >> acted alone, but questions and conspiracy theories have lingered for decades, fueling an industry of books and films like oliver stone's 1991 hit movie jfk. >> people got. >> to know why. >> he. >> was killed. >> kennedy's nephew, robert f kennedy jr, trump's nominee to lead the health and human services department, has long insisted the cia played a role in his uncle's murder, an allegation the cia has denied. president trump mentioning kennedy when he signed the order. >> give that to rfk jr. >> rfk jr, p

peter alexander asked president trump about his decision to pardon more than 400 people who assaulted police officers. >> they've served years in jail, and murderers don't even go to jail in this country. and we had 1500, we have 16 under review, as you know. we commuted about 16 of them. because it looks like they could have done things that were not acceptable for a full pardon. >> reporter: senator lisa murkowski is among the republicans criticizing the pardons. she says she fears what message this is sending to the men and women who protected the lawmakers. form d.c. police officer, michael fanone went to court yesterday to seek protective orders against five men who pleaded guilty to assaulting him. he says he feels betrayed by his country. >>> president trump continuing his broad actions on immigration. the department of homeland security announcing the end to the policy that restricted i.c.e. agents' ability to arrest undocumented immigrants at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and houses of worship. but backlash to his sweeping proposal is growing. the episcopal bish

here's peter alexander. >> eporter: the president's facing new backlash for pardoning or commuting the sentences of everyone convicted for their actions on january 6th and those still under investigation. >> these are the hostages. approximately 1500 for a pardon. full pardon. >> reporter: including those found guilty of assaulting police officers. four years ago, president trump condemned the violence. >> to those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. and, to those who broke the law, you will pay. >> reporter: the president's move something his own vice president had recently argued against. >> if you committed violence on that day, obviously, you shouldn't be pardoned. >> reporter: former d.c. police officer, michael fanone was assaulted during the riot and today sought protective orders against those who attacked him. >> the american people elected donald trump knowing f full we that he would pardon my attackers. and soso it the ultimate betrayal. >> reporter: we pressed the president. you would agree that it's never acceptable to ass

peter alexander. >> reporter: after more than 50 years in public life, president biden speaking directlythe american people one last time. an oval office address punctuating days of final events. [ cheers and applause ] receiving this extended ovation yesterday from allies and staff. his goodbye begins with a letter to the country, insisting americans were better off than four years ago in the grichz a pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the great depression, writing we emerged more secure and calling on americans to build on the progress he said he made. history is in your hands, the power is in your hands, the idea of america lies in your hands. his focus is defining his legacy ahead of trump's inauguration, with trump vowing to roll back many of biden's signature initiatives. >> been disappointed to see the biden administration's attempts to block the reforms the americans voted for in a landslide election. >> reporter: still president biden is not leaving the way he wanted. his last primetime address six months ago announcing amid pressure from his party he was dropping out

nbc's peter alexander pressed the president today about the vice president, j.d. vance. he said, if this is a week ago, he said, ifou committed violence on january 6th, obviously you should not be pardoned. why is your vice president wrong? well, only for one reason. they served years in jail. political analyst larry gerston saying this is something of a payback to the president's supporters. what's remarkable is that the president, the day after january 6th, 2021, said, these are terrible people. they should be punished for what they did. those those were his words. and four years later, like a lot of things with donald trump, right. all you know is what you see that day. four years later, it's another story. audrey asistio nbc, bay area news. audrey. thank you. we want to get back to some breaking news now in southern california. a new fire in riverside county has prompted evacuation warnings. cal fire says this broke out around 5 p.m. near the santa ana river, about three miles from the riverside municipal airport. it's burned so far, about 40 acres, and is currently

peter alexander at the white house, one of the most memorable moments today was the hearse, the motorcadet between the viewing stands where jimmy carter had served for four years. peter? >> reporter: that's exactly right. jimmy carter was a bit of an outsider during his years in washington, d.c. he spent so much of his time absent at the georgia governor's manchin and the white house . as we watch the procession out of the national cathedral, that will be his next stop. his remains alongside his loved ones and family members will head to joint base andrews and plains, georgia appeared the ceremony taking place there at the baptist church. more to come. he was such a man of faith, taught sunday school as you know for several decades. i was reading some of the notes shared -- let's listen. >> peter, let's pause for a moment and listen to the chief. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ all. >> and as we >> and as we see the casket placed into the hearse for jimmy carter's final departure from washington, d.c., joining us now, washington post columnist who has written about carter's life and lega

the president asked by nbc's peter alexander about one defendant dj rodriguez who pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. >> why does he deserve a pardon? >> well, i don't know. was it a pardon? we're looking at commutes and pardons. >> pardons. >> we'll look at everything. >> reporter: on "morning joe," fanone running through a list of those guilty of attacking him as he seeks protective orders. >> daniel rodriguez, sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after he pled guilty and admitted to using a taser device, applying it to the base of my skull. >> reporter: as republicans on capitol hill were questioned about the move. >> the president's own decision. >> reporter: some expressing hesitation on the inclusion of violent offenders. >> to me, i just can't agree. it was surprising to me it was a blanket pardon. >> reporter: the bureau of prisons releasing 211 individuals in approximately 12 hours. among those pardoned, oath keepers leader stewart rhodes, and former proud boys head, tarrio, both were serving lengthy sentences for seditious conspiracy. joe biden preempti

peter alexander. [laughter] likes moving on. beatty is a job is to really seek the truth.fitness were brought up? >> this version of biden intellectually, analytically is the best biden ever. >> he is as sharp as a tack. >> anybody, any aide who engages with him or reporters we can see this, the gears of his mind are working. >> joe scarborough tried to clean up his part in all of it. >> i spent as i said before 2 and half or 3 hours with joe biden in the white house all over the white house talking at length, at length and in depth about foreign policy matters. he was as sharp, as anyone else i've spoken to. spoke actually like a man who has been doing this since he was 29 years old. a new world leaders was he slow or physically? yes. did he occasionally jumble a few words or names? yes. he corrected those as well. so after 2, 2 and half or 3 hours with him in the white house going all over the white house, i did not see that. >> he never saw it. if this is how that liberal media covered biden we can only wonder how they will cover a second trump presidency. remember the

. >> peter alexander learning a really important lesson.we've got news conferences with the last administration. i guess he had forgotten what that's like. you let the person finish. >> i will make a prediction: in the first 30 days of terms presidency -- and i feel confident about this -- he is going to spend more time with the media and answer more questions than the entire four years of joe biden's words combined in minutes. he's all about transparency. i also think he understands the power of going to the american people. it worked on the campaign trail. he's not afraid of them. he wants to tell you what he's doing. i also think now it's different because he is paying off on what he said he was going to do each and every day, so when you walk out there now, if you use it with a purpose which is "i said i was going to do it and i just paid off," and then "by the way, i am paying off on that one too." this is how you gain popularity and momentum on capitol hill with a slim majority in the house. it's also giving them coverage to do the ri

you'll hear the voice of our peter alexander. president trump, did president biden leave you a letter? he may have? don't they leave it in the desk? i don't know. oh, what's in there? thank you. peter, it could have been years before we found out. wow. thank you. katie, what did we say on the outside? maybe we should all read it together. let's read it. well, maybe i'll read it first and then make that determination. that's great. peter, thank you very much. i may not have seen this for months. happy to help with the passing of the torch i did. i left him one in the desk just like this. and video from last night. the president and first lady appeared at several inaugural balls. this is the liberty ball. the vice president and his wife were there as well. by the way, as we start a new four years of our checks and balalances segment, we have a nw graphic. and this is the picture the president wants used as his official picture. president trump says he'll speak about infrastructure later today. an interesting choice as people often t

. >> nbc's peter alexander is reporting from the white house. nbc's andrea mitchell is at the national cathedral, as she has been all day. also joining us, eugene robinson, political analyst. and greg bluesteen is msnbc political contributor. andrew, it's hard to pick out a moment, i think that was as spectacularly moving, honest, moving service. but what stood out to youa someone who covered jimmy carter, and not just the end of his presidency, but for so many years after? >> i was so struck by jason, of course, carter's grandson, one of his grandsons, telling the stories, and just talking about the story of his grandfather when he first got a cell fon. and jason's phone rang and he said, hi, papa. and the president said, who is this? and he said, it's jason. and he said, i didn't call you, i'm taking a picture. so that was just so classic. and jason paused and said, and he was a nuclear engineer. he just captured jimmy carter, who as he described it, was the same inside and outside the white house, as president and as grandpop, and person who

one last note, peter alexander said, as they're setting up the oval office, they laid out the regan rug that nancy made for her husband. it's the sun beam pattern rug, same one i first walked on when i briefed him for a covid briefing. i think he's laying that out as a symbol. he's got more to do. he had four years. these are the four years that he wanted and now he has at the behest of the american people. >> martha: trey goudy, i thought it was interesting, we haven't talked about the moment when many people thought this was impossible, that i would be able to make this astounding comeback. as you can see, here i am. the people have spoken. the reason that he is back in office is because the people wanted him to stay. and wanted him to have this comeback. he couldn't engineer it by himself. it was with really great support across this country. >> i mean, who's the last president to win the electoral college and the popular vote? it's been quite a while. republicans have given up on the popular vote. i was struck with the contrast. when he came in in 2017, he was under a cloud. his ent

who was that peter alexander for nbc who had no questions about the mental fitness of the president. white house press corps. you see the president every day shuffling around in bed by 4:00 p.m. and you had no questions from him or the cabinet about the 25th amendment? and then you have so much anger on day one? let it ride a little bit. >> steve: yeah, they are lucky they have a chief executive who is actually answering their questions. you know, donald trump is donald trump's best messenger. we have talked about that in the past. he is a genius when it comes to marketing set. marketing what he is doing. look at all this stuff i did on day one. kjp not a good spokesperson for the then president of the united states. there is a -- you know, we have seen shock and yo awe over the t 36 hours since he became 39 of the united states. the lead story in the "wall street journal" is fascinating how america's ceos have launched war rooms and hotlines to cope with the, you know, this blitz of orders to figure out how is it going to effect america's taxes for corporations, immigration and trad

peter alexander of nbc tried to push trump on these outrageous pardons of violent criminals and insurrectionists out of here. >> you can't. >> do that to one of ours. >> boy. >> did they go after biden when he objected to something. we are in a. >> deep. >> deep hole. and i wish i could say that the enemy of the people, as trump called them, would be stepping up to the plate. and i don't. >> see it. >> norm ornstein and john harwood, thank you both very much for joining our discussion tonight. thank you. lawrence, tonight. thank you. lawrence, we'll be right when i was diagnosed with h-i-v, i didn't know who i would be. but here i am... ...being me. keep being you... ...and ask your healthcare provider about the number one prescribed h-i-v treatment, biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in many people—whether you're 18 or 80. with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to undetectable—and stay there whether you're just starting or replacing your current treatment. research shows that taking h-i-v treatment as prescribed and getting to and

he backs the blue and he starts distracting and diverting his attention from the question that peter alexander asked and decided that he was going to talk about some phantom murderers who aren't charged, what the american people need to understand is you cannot believe what donald trump says. you must pay attention to his actions because he will say anything. but he does the opposite. and that was true in his inaugural speech yesterday. he, of course, doesn't mention tax cuts for the billionaires. that's all the republicans are working on right now. but he doesn't mention that because he wants to talk about middle class lowering costs. none of his executive orders did that either. so this is really important for the american people to understand. he cannot be trusted. he cannot be believed. and you must pay attention to his actions. and his actions show that he doesn't believe in law and order. he just believes in his own supporters. >> congressman goldman, appreciate your time. thank you. coming up next, more on the political impact. whether all this is overshadowing the administration's init

and last night, inside of the white house, our own peter alexander pressed the president on that decision to do and take these actions. and the president's response was that these people love their country, and those who have served their prison time have served enough time in prison that warranted their release. >> peter, we actually have. >> that sound. >> from the president yesterday as he defended these pardons. let's listen to it in his own words. >> i am the friend of police. more than any president that's ever been in this office. >> i want. >> to ask you about the vice president, jd vance. he said. if this is a week. >> ago. >> he said if you committed violence on january 6th, obviously you should. >> not be pardoned. why is your vice president wrong? >> well, only for one reason. they they've served years in jail. they should not have served. excuse me. and they've served years in jail. and murderers don't even go to jail in this country. >> so he. >> said he was going to. >> do. >> this during. >> the campaign, even his own vice president questioned whether the. >> violent offen

my colleague peter alexander has those details. >> tonight, the president is facing new backlash for pardoning or commuting the sentences of everyone convicted for their actions on january 6th and those still under investigation. >> these are the hostages. approximately 1500 for a pardon? >> yes. full pardon. >> including those found guilty of assaulting police officers. four years ago. president trump condemned the violence. >> to those. >> who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction. you do not represent. >> our country. >> and to those who broke the. >> law, you will pay. >> the president's move, something his own vice president had recently argued against. >> if you committed. violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't. >> be pardoned. >> capitol police officer michael fanone was assaulted during the riot and spent today getting protective orders against those who attacked him. >> the american people elected donald trump, knowing full well that he would pardon my attackers. and so it is the ultimate betrayal. >> we pressed the president today. you would agree that it's

my colleague peter alexander asked the president about some of those cases yesterday. >> among thoseho pardoned. >> d.o.j. rodriguez, he drove a stun gun into the neck of a dc police officer who was abducted by the mob that day. he later confessed on video to the fbi and pleaded guilty for his crimes. why does he deserve a pardon? >> well, i don't know. was it a pardon? because we're looking at commutes and we're looking at pardons. okay, well, we'll take a look at everything, but i can say this. murderers today are not even charged. so these people have already served a long period of time. and i made a decision to give a pardon. >> joining us now, nbc's gary grumbach and former governor john kasich is back with us. so, gary, you're outside the d.c. jail where some of those convicted in the riots are being released. what are you hearing? >> hey there. jose. yeah. over the past 48 hours, we've seen a slow trickle of january 6th defendants being released from the d.c. jail behind me. we just got new numbers in from the d.c. jail. we now know that there are 13 folks who are charged wit

i mean, peter alexander over at nbc sharply said, you know, put these things at odds, right? you. he says to president trump, would you dispute you are a law and order president, that you support police officers and then he knows what's an example where clearly there was a police officer that was, you know, violently hurt by someone who was held accountable. and president trump said, i'm not going to hold that person accountable anymore. are voters going to going to react to this at all? so i think vice. >> president vance had a better sense of the politics of this when a week and a half ago, he said, you know, i imagine it would be for the nonviolent folks that there are some folks who were convicted of things that were far less than sticking a stun gun into someone's neck, and that there might be a distinction in the mind of many voters that someone who gets caught up in a crowd that's entering the building unlawfully should not be treated the same as somebody who did something horrible. with that said, now a lot of these republicans are in a tough position that was easier for t