Trump 2.0: A Cabinet Full of Surprises and an Awkward Visit With Joe Biden

from The New York Times I'm Michael. babbaro this is the. [Music]. daily. today in his first week as. president-elect we begin tonight with. breaking news and a lot of it the. appointments are coming pretty fast and. pretty Furious Donald Trump moved at. break neck speed to fill out his cabinet. with a set of loyalists who were both. conventional we have just learned that. the president-elect Donald Trump is. officially naming now Florida Senator.

Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state. and deeply unconventional Matt Gates as. attorney general well that'll knock you. right off your feet the United States. Senate chose a leader who could. complicate Trump's agenda we have a new. leader in the United States Senate it is. John th the Republican from South Dakota. there was some acrimony between Trump. and th over the years the hatchet was. buried and President Biden welcomed. Trump back to the White House the reason. that this scene is so striking is.

because there is no actual warmth. between those two men I gathered three. of my colleagues to make sense of it all. Julie Davis Peter Baker and Maggie. [Music]. Haberman it's Thursday November. [Music]. 14th friends welcome to the first.

postelection daily round table which we. are taping at around 2:45 p.m. on. Wednesday we always disclose that in. case something happens during or after. our taping that's significant that we. don't cover here it turns out there is. enough News Post campaign to Merit a. return to this glorious format in fact. there's so much news happening that we. did this very last minute which explains. why none of us are in the same room. which is the idea of a round table and. you're all spread out across uh I. believe the city of Washington DC in.

different tiny rooms with phones held up. to your face Maggie Julie Peter thank. you for making time for us thank thanks. for having us thanks for having us I. think we have to start with the blizzard. of appointments that President elect. Trump has made over the past few days. seemingly an appointment every hour and. just to begin with the pace of it. correct me if I'm wrong is unusually. fast I went back and checked the clips. many you wrote the stories from four.

years ago Biden was elected and it took. him about a week or so to make his first. appointment Chief of Staff it feels like. Trump has filled half his cabinet in. that same weeklong period is that right. I don't know about half but he's he's. filled certainly the a number of the top. roles and it's not just faster than what. Biden did it's faster than what Trump. did the first go around Trump announced. his chief of staff along with uh his. chief strategist Steve Bannon on. November 13th which was 5 days after.

election day this was 2 days after. election day that he announced his chief. of staff he has announced picks for. Secretary of Defense for DHS the list. goes on and on but that's a a huge. number of major appointments filled very. fast what's the rush Peter well clearly. he doesn't want to uh sit on his Laurels. here he has he's eager to get going he. knows what he's doing this time in a way. he didn't know eight years ago right. he's thought a lot about who around him. he trusts last time he had to be. introduced to a lot of Republicans he. didn't know and then think about how.

they fit into a government which he had. never served in so he has the advantage. in effect of of doing this from scratch. in a way that frankly no second-term. president ever done most second-term. presidents are already in the office. they're not having you know a whole new. government started from scratch in. effect after an election the way this. one has but he has the advantage of the. having had four years of experience in. that way all right well we can't cover. all these appointments there are simply. too many of them so we're going to focus. on just a few that really begin to tell. us about Trump's priorities in the. second presidency and his approach to. governing so I want to begin with two.

people whose portfolio will be heavily. focused on immigration step Miller and. Tom hman Julie you know a lot about step. Miller because you covered immigration. heavily during the first round. presidency right and Stephen Miller was. really sort of the architect of a lot of. the immigration policies and really the. whole sort of language and vision for. immigration that Trump brought not only. during the campaign but in the very.

beginning of his first term of his. presidency when you know Miller led a. very sort of aggressive all-encompassing. effort to try to get a bunch of. executive orders and a bunch of policy. on the track before Trump came into. office we all remember the Muslim ban. there were executive orders that had to. do with Sanctuary cities and cracking. down in various ways and then of course. starting the initial stages of this. build the wall plan that never.

reached fruition but he really made it. his business to figure out ways to pull. the levers that Trump would need to pull. in order to massively change the way. immigration happens in this country and. what we saw at the beginning of his. first term was he ran into a lot of. obstacles um it was very clear very. quickly that some of the stuff just. couldn't happen in the way that Miller. was trying to make it happen and that. Trump wanted to see um but he has all of. that experience under his belt from the. first term and I think we could expect. that to be you know very much his.

portfolio again he learned a lot of. lessons about how governments and how. you would go about implementing those. things Peter Miller's job in the first. term was senior adviser to the president. now he's got a big promotion right. Deputy white house chief of staff so. given what Julie just said should we. expect that everything she just said is. going to basically be on steroids well. yeah I mean again what they can do first. of all is is click back on a lot of the. things that Joe Biden clicked off right. they they went through four years worth.

of crafting orders and crafting policies. that took him time to figure out took. him time to loyer took him time to you. know understand how the bureaucracy. worked and of course Joe Biden comes in. he didn't change all of them but he did. change a lot of them and they have the. advantage now on January 20th of being. much more ready to do what they want to. do the the Muslim ban that Julie just. referenced was such a disaster the first. time around because they had no clue. what they were doing lawyers were. talking to each other but they weren't. talking to the justice department which. nor.

vets these kinds of things they suddenly. announce they're going to do it at the. Pentagon because he like the symbolism. of it but they were literally still. crafting and editing this order as they. were driving in the mcade over to the. Pentagon at the last second you know one. of his AIDS actually is handwriting. adjustments to the order he's going to. sign by Penn on the order before he puts. his his signature on it so it's not. going to hopefully or for their point of. view hopefully it's not going to be as. chaotic as that they have a better sense. of how to do it this time uh but we'll. see obviously you know chaos does tend.

to follow Trump wherever he goes but. they have the advantage of that four. years experience now let's talk about. Tom homman and I think the best way to. introduce our listeners to him uh he's. going to be Trump's borders are is to. play a piece of tape from an appearance. he made last year at the conservative. political action committee's annual. meeting just outside Washington where he. talked about his Zero Tolerance policy. which he created with Steven Miller in. the first Trump presidency and in. particular.

he had just been asked about child. separation which was a component of the. zero to policy this is what he said I. wake up every day pissed off because. this Administration destroyed a most. secure Border in a lifetime and and I'm. sick and tired hearing about the family. separation and know I'm still being sued. over that so come get me I don't give a. right bottom line. is we enforce the law Magie what do we. make of this kind of rhetoric that was. during a campaign where he wanted Trump. to become presid president and he's.

critiquing Biden's policies that. rhetoric is now the man who's overseeing. the border and defending child. separation which a federal judge struck. down during Trump's presidency as. illegal he's saying I have no problems. with it Julie's point about Steven. Miller's role I think is the right one. Michael he he is running all of this he. will work very closely with Tom homman. homman is a hardliner he is very clear. about this he was very Pro family. separation as a policy he pushed it for.

years before Donald Trump was in office. and then once he was in office saw it as. a very effective deterrent Donald Trump. moved off of that after negative press. and frankly negative press coverage may. still be one of the few guard rails that. Donald Trump is responsive to I think. that that could stay the same in this. white house but Homan is moving very. quickly he talked about this on Fox news. earlier this week that they are going to. go after Sanctuary cities to try to have. an impact there such as New York which. has faced a big influx of migrants and. which mayor Eric Adams has been very. vocal about and much more on the side of.

Donald Trump than President Biden um. right surprisingly so for a Democrat. correct but I think that you will see. there are a number of Democrats uh who. in in major cities in blue States who. are concerned about this and so I think. that you are going to see H and maybe he. won't be quite so colorful as he was in. that speech but I think that you are. going to see him lean in to what he. plans to do because the feeling in the. incoming Trump Administration is unlike. 2016 where he certainly campaigned on a. ban Muslims entering the country but.

Mass deportations came pretty late as a. concept in that campaign he talked about. a border wall mostly this campaign he. has been talking about the largest mass. deportation operation in US history for. over a year and he won the popular vote. and he won the Electoral College and so. they believe that they are going in with. a majority of people voting for this. Vision that Trump has articulated and. Homan is going to talk about that and. try to implement it as aggressively as. possible but I also think it's really.

important to point out that a lot of. this Trump understood this uh very well. in his first term Miller certainly does. Homan is a perfect example of it a lot. of this is about messaging and Homan is. a former cop he is a person who likes to. talk about enforcement and getting tough. and he looks tough and he talks really. tough as as your clip just demonstrated. and I think one of the reasons you're. seeing Trump name him and Miller early. on is because he wants to send the. message that going be a different.

approach this is going to be aggressive. and a Crackdown and they want to lean. really far into that because the. implementation is probably going to be. very difficult and there are probably. going to be a lot of obstacles they run. into but Trump is very focused on. sending this message right off the bat. that this is what he's doing and he's. not shy about it the two appointments. we're talking about here were expected. more or less one of the next. appointments I want to focus on really. caught a lot of people offg guard. everyone perhaps except you Maggie you. always seem to know what's happening.

inside Trump World and that was Trump's. choice to lead the Department of Defense. this one Maggie you wrote in the pages. of the times was quite outside the norm. so Pete hegf the expected nominee for. Secretary of Defense is a Donald Trump. favorite he is a fox and friends figure. he is a Fox News personality he is also. somebody who has served in war and that. is part of his appeal to Trump it's. worth noting two things about Pete hex.

he is somebody who Trump wanted to. appoint for Veterans Affairs in 2018 and. there was a lot of blowback to that and. it didn't end up happening because Trump. was following a more conventional. approach to some of his nominations in. his first term even though some of them. were obviously pretty controversial Pete. heg Seth is something that I think would. be hard to imagine for Secretary of. Defense back then now it's it's in. keeping with a lot of what Trump has. done and talked about heg Seth is most. notable for advocating on behalf of. Eddie Gallagher a Navy SEAL who was.

accused of war crimes and was convicted. of posing with the corpse of a suspected. Isis fighter and Gallagher in Pete. hexa's argument should not lose any. military status and Trump sided with. Heth and sided with Gallagher and did. not think he should lose any military. status right we actually did several. episodes about this Trump ultimately. intervened on Gallagher's behalf despite. what the military saw as gager abhorent.

conduct correct and Trump's intervention. was very upsetting to military. leadership but Trump likes people who he. sees as tough and he sees as willing to. be tough in their defense of the United. States and I am not saying that you know. that's a good thing or a bad thing I am. saying that is how Donald Trump views. the world and that is a lot of what. appeals to him about Pete Heth but Peter. I've always understood the secretary. defense role as being drawn from current. or former senior military leadership.

folks who've made a career out of rising. through the ranks and ending up with. stars on their shoulders in the highest. ranks of one of the branches and in. choosing a Fox News personality who's. outside the military and who was never. in those highly senior ranks of the. military in his career I think we have. to assume Trump is deliberately. disrupting that model bucking it. consciously and saying something what is. he saying exactly yeah I mean look I. mean most SE defense actually have been. civilians but when they have have been. drawn from the uniform ranks they were.

of course as you say highly ranked. people like Jim Mattis or Lloyd Austin. people who' been four-star generals and. the civilians that have been the. Secretary of Defense over the last uh 70. years since or so since the you know the. position was created after War II were. highly thought of Defense thinkers orl. or political leaders senators and so. forth people who had you know pretty. substantial experience in government or. the national security area clearly this. is a break from that and clearly you. know as Maggie said it goes to Trump's.

fixation on television personalities he. likes people who defend him on. television he likes people who uh Buck. the conventional wisdom as he did with. the Eddie gallager case but it's really. important because you've also heard the. former president the president-elect. talk during the campaign about using the. military in ways that traditionally the. military has not been used before which. is to say as more of a political tool. right he wanted to send the military. into the streets during the George Floyd. protest to stop violent riots and his. military leadership and civilian defense. leadership at the time resisted and said.

no that's not appropriate he doesn't. want those kind of people around next. time remember in the days after the 2020. election he had Michael Flynn in the. Oval Office saying maybe think about. some version of Martial law in which you. send the military to seize election. machines and rerun elections in States. you lost until you win also something. that the current and past military. leadership would have resisted so in. picking Pete heg I think the worry for a. lot of people is he's picking somebody. who's pliant and will do things that.

traditionally have been way outside the. boundaries of a nonpartisan apolitical. military Maggie is heg Seth a yesman who. happens to oversee two million soldiers. I think that Donald Trump is absolutely. picking heg Seth along with most of the. people that he is picking for defense or. national security roles on the. Assumption and belief that heg is going. to do what he wants and that hegi views. align with his what that means Michael. we don't know does that mean that he is. going to align with Trump priorities. Visa troops US troops in Europe uh or is.

this going to be about using the. military for domestic law enforcement. purposes and I think we are going to. know in in due time what that looks like. okay and we're going to get to the. senate in the second half of this. conversation but is this appointment. going to be the one that a United States. Senate might look a scance at and say. this is a bridge too far the military. needs to be run by somebody who sees. their Fidelity is less bound up in the.

president I think it's notable that. people haven't been putting out. statements saying this is a great pick. let's go ahead and confirm this person. as soon as possible obviously very early. in the process they may snap to and. embrace him but if there's one person. who's been announced so far who could be. a problem it's certainly him to wrap up. the conversation about Trump's. appointments I want to talk about his. foreign policy appointments we. understand Trump might make Senator mker. Rubio his secretary of state but that's. not.

official it has become official since we. started this conversation get out of. here get out of town it's the truth. break literally since we started this. conversation two things have happened. since we started this conversation Marco. Rubio have you been multitasking I never. Marco Rubio became official and tulsey. gabard the uh former democratic. congresswoman was named for the office. of Director of National Intelligence. this is the sound of me tossing out a. digital script um but but let so let's. talk about Rubio I I had thought that we. could talk about Rubio because he wasn't. official if he's official let's talk.

about the fact that Senator Marco Rubio. from Florida a once forceful opponent of. Donald Trump who has turned himself into. an ally uh might be the leading Diplomat. in a second Trump presidency Peter Rubio. once stood for a. robust American foreign policy I covered. him I was on the campaign trail with him. in 2016 when he articulated that Vision. it is not America first when he. articulated it wasn't nationalist he's. somebody who has spoken out for in favor. of American military aid to Ukraine if.

he become Donald Trump Secretary of. State those will not be his positions he. will have to contort them significantly. to Trump or will he not yeah the Marco. Rubio you covered in 2016 is not the. Marco Rubio who's just gotten this. nomination he's a very different. character at this point he has over the. last eight years adjusted his positions. on foreign policy to move away from the. sort of more neoconservative or John. McCain part of the Republican party to. the Trump part and he's now he voted. against Ukraine a last time around he.

has in fact expressed more support for. the idea of an America First look at. things now he's a Hardline voice on like. say Iran which is in keeping with. President elect Trump and on China which. again I think is at least in keeping. with a lot of people around. president-elect Trump so Marco Rubio. will not be as much of an outlier as we. would have thought right when he was an. independent candidate running against. Trump but he also passes for what you. know he is what passes these days for. establishment Republican inside this. cabinet for a lot of mainstream.

traditional Republicans they're kind of. glad to see Marco Rubio and they're not. because they think he agrees with them. anymore necessarily but because at least. he at one time agreed with them and. maybe a a more conventional Republican. Viewpoint than SE Pete Heth right so I. think that uh there is some relief in. that part of the party that's probably. why they were some of the Maga world was. resisting Rubio appointment in the first. place so everything is has changed since. 2016 in a way that is not in comparable. really okay a final question on these.

appointments before we go to break what. unites all of them in your minds because. they're actually somewhat diverse in. their own way well Fidelity to Donald. Trump yeah I mean I think loyalty that's. it especially if you compare it to the. 2017 cabinet right that that the. original cabinet he put in include a lot. of people who didn't know a lot of. people who were going into government. not necessarily because they thought. Trump was great but because they were. actually hoping to protect you know the. United States the government policy what.

have you from a trump president that. they didn't necessarily trust you're not. seeing that this. [Music]. time okay we'll be right. back now we're back um I want to turn. Maggie Peter Julie to what we expect.

Trump's relationship to be like with a. republican controlled Congress we're. still waiting on a call unless Maggie. the news broke during this conversation. as well of who controls the House of. Representatives I think we don't know. that just yet it's quite likely to be. Republicans up on the hill today just a. few hours ago Trump threw his weight. behind the current house Speaker Mike. Johnson the very conservative Republican. Mike Johnson to be reelected speaker but. the real battle was over in the Senate. where there was a fight over who would.

lead that chamber and how loyal they. would be to Trump which of course will. have a huge bearing on his ability to. get things done in that chamber Julie. tell us a little bit about that battle. who prevailed and if they are in fact a. trump loyalist so Senator John th of. South Dakota won that race to succeed. Mitch McConnell who has been the longest. serving Senate leader of either party. and that was the first time that. Republicans had chosen a new leader in. 17 years so um big moment for them um.

but it wasn't really much of a turning. of the page he was McConnell's or he is. McConnell's number two right now he is. an establishment Republican he has. clashed with Trump in the past Trump was. very angry that he did not support the. effort in 2021 to overturn the 2020. election results he was one of a handful. of Republican holdouts for that effort. and Trump did not appreciate that he. only narrowly beat out John Corin. another establishment Republican senator. from Texas he's been in the Senate long. time as well Trump also didn't think.

much of John Corin initially because. again he's an institutionalist he's not. seen as a Maga person he didn't see him. as particularly loyal the third. candidate was Rick Scott Republican. senator from Florida he's in his first. term the least experienced of the lot. and he really styled himself in this. race as the Trump candidate Elon Musk. came out very supportive of him said he. was the person to vote for if you were. for Trump there was a big Grassroots. effort on the hard right to try to get. Republican Senators to drop their.

commitments to Thun and Corin and to go. with Scott instead because he was the. Maga guy Scott ended up with 13 votes. and um he not a lot it was not a lot but. the really important thing to keep in. mind about this election is that it was. by secret ballot so if we think that. this is people were allowed to oppose. the MAA candidate because it was a. closed door meeting in the old Senate. chamber by a secret ballot the. oldfashioned way you could go up against. the Maga candidate and vote against him. without repercussion so while it's.

notable and I think important to. understand that this is who we have in. the Senate Republican conference a bunch. of people who would rather have the more. experienced seasoned establishment guy. at the helm it's also important not to. overread it because this is not going to. be a group of Republicans who are going. to be in the mood to put their thumbs in. Trump's eye when it comes to public. questions of policy or Personnel so we. should not perhaps Peter see this as. evidence that the Senate leadership will.

be a check on Trump because it certainly. looks like th just by his history and. his politics could put up a fight to. Trump on some of the perhaps more out of. the norm nominees or pieces of. legislation that are very very hard. right something like Mass deportation. legislation yeah I think chul's right. about this I mean these guys are willing. to be courageous when their names aren't. public about it right and they're not. necessarily going to be standing up to. him when it would be known now it does.

suggest that 3/4 of that Senate. Republican caucus is not naturally. aligned with Trump on all things right. you know unlike the House Republicans. which have become increasingly trumpy. the Senate Republicans has always been. more independent and mind you a lot of. these people won't be running again. until after Trump is out of office. assuming he steps down in four years and. they see a future Beyond him because. they have six-year terms and so you know. they may be looking at waiting him out. but they're not necessarily going to. take him on either but the real question.

is do they protect their prerogatives as. the Senate As Trump talks about having. recess appointments that's the kind of. thing a a senate normally regardless of. party wouldn't stand up for because they. are a co-equal branch of government what. he's telling them is you need to be much. more subservient to my wishes at this. point can you just explain that and. Julie I want you to weigh in on this. Trump has asked the senate for what. Peter just described as recess. appointments those are basically. appointments that would occur outside of. the normal Senate being in session. basically it's asking the Senate to.

abdicate its role in the Constitution as. the place that confirms presidential. nominations I was looking at social. media before this began and John th the. new Republican majority leader was asked. about recess appointments and he said he. was open to them which suggests that. he's bending to the president's will. pretty much within the first hour of his. time as Majority Leader well he said. that also in the days before the. election all three candidates very. quickly in using various words.

essentially said listen we're going to. get his people confirmed as quickly as. possible and Thun in his statement said. and that includes being open to recess. appointments I think it's important to. note that the emphasis was we're going. to get his Personnel confirmed not on. we'll go on recess anytime the president. asks us to whereas Scott was much more. willingly ready to say yes we're on. board with that we'll do what he wants. but it is you know in a lot of ways it. is the fundamental role of the Senate. and if it does come to a situation where.

there are a bunch of nominees that can't. get confirmed and it's become clear that. they can't get confirmed if the Senate. is in and Thun takes the chamber out of. session for a prolonged period of time. to allow Trump to essentially go around. them that would be extraordinary and. while he certainly hasn't ruled it out I. wouldn't read what he said today as. saying he's ready to do that tomorrow. Maggie does the president-elect see the. Senate as pliant and is he planning. accordingly the president-elect sees the.

Senate as better for him than it was the. last time that he was in office the last. time he was in office Mitch McConnell. was the majority leader and Mitch. McConnell had an enormous amount of sway. over the Senate Republicans and Mitch. McConnell and Donald Trump were not. friends and they were not like minds and. I do think that you are certainly going. to see a majority leader who is more. favorable to Trump and more willing to. do things that Trump demands to corly. but that does not mean that there are.

not going to be some Senators who break. away for their own purposes on. specifically on certain appointments and. we'll see what this looks like so. finally Trump himself returned to. Washington and most specifically to the. White House today. triumphantly and he ends up in a meeting. in the white house I think we should. just pause to reflect on how absolutely. strange that encounter must have have. been given what happened four years ago.

right Peter yeah yeah look first of all. I mean historically these meetings of an. outgoing president and an incoming. president often quite Frosty because. they're often from people from different. parties who've just campaigned either. against each other directly or against. their party I you know you can go back. and find Hoover and FDR or Eisenhower. and Truman so forth but this is. radically different I think because in. this case Trump did not extend Biden the. same courtesy four years ago back quite. the opposite was insisting he was still.

going to be the president into the new. term and didn't even show up for the. inauguration Biden is trying to say well. I'm going to follow the protocols I'm. going to follow tradition I'm going to. show the way it's supposed to be done. even if it kills me if you watch the. tape of them having this meeting today. it looked like it was about to kill him. I mean he was certainly not I think. happy to have Donald Trump there but he. was polite and Trump was polite back. neither of them said anything nice about. each other but they were certainly you. know civil can Peter can we play that. Audio for the moment cuz I think it's. worth bringing it to life it's only.

about 43. seconds well Mr President elect and. former president Donald congratulations. thank you much and uh looking forward to. having a like we said smooth transition. do everything we can to make sure you're. accommodated what you need and we're. going to get a chance to talk about some. of that today welcome thank you very. much and thank you very much and uh. politics is tough. and it's uh many cases not a very nice.

world but it is a nice world today and I. appreciate it very much and a transition. that's so smooth it'll be as smooth as. it can get and uh I very much appreciate. that Jim you're welcome does anyone care. to. translate what's actually being said. here because through the polyes there's. a lot going. on. Maggie um I I do want to interrupt. Michael just for one second because we. have more breaking news which is that oh.

president-elect Trump just announced. that um Congressman Matt gates from. Florida is going to be uh his nominee. for attorney general wow this is getting. a bit precarious for them they are only. on track to hold the house by about four. or five seats maybe at the most should. we point out that Matt Gates has some. serious. ethical Accu I investigated by the. department they're about to put him. under charge he's been accused of sexual. misconduct so the president who. nominated him.

um he has he has denied allegations. against him just to be clear but yes he. has faced some challenges in terms of. some accusations I don't quite know what. this looks like in terms of a. confirmation hearing but this will be. potentially another test I don't I mean. I wish we could go back in time and make. that news happen earlier in our. conversation because I so sorry I I know. you can't change. time One Direction the arrow goes that. is that is I think going to become its. own uh separate conversation its own. separate episode attorney general Matt.

Gates if it happens but just to conclude. this remarkable exchange between Biden. and Trump I heard Trump doing something. I don't normally identify with him Peter. please tell me if you think I'm wrong. here when he said thank you very much. politics is tough it's not nice but it's. a nice world today is that the closest. thing to an olive branch that he may. ever extend to Joe Biden yeah I mean. exactly I think what these two men said.

about each other right uh Biden said for. years that Trump was not fit to be. president that he was a threat to. democracy that he was dangerous he said. many other things of course Trump of. course has said many of the same things. about Biden and by the way promised to. appoint a special counsel to investigate. Biden and the whole quote Biden crime. family including his son once he gets in. office whether he follows through or not. we don't know but certainly 's no love. loss between these two and it goes. beyond just normal political.

disagreement this isn't Obama Romney. this isn't even Bush Gore which was. probably pretty pretense as well but. this is something very visceral so yeah. Trump there is trying to say hey it's. not so nice I'm you know I had to be not. nice because that's the way it is but. today it's nice and we'll see how long. nice lasts I was in the oval in 2016. when he went to meet with Obama after. that Victory which was quite obviously. very different circumstances unexpected. and all the rest but I wasn't in the.

room today it seemed like a similar Vibe. because he was sitting next to Obama who. he had accused of not being eligible to. be president after you know all of the. things that he had said about him during. that campaign and it was this very. fleeting moment of we can all sit down. together and be civil which we all know. what that was followed by so um right I. just as a final note and perhaps I'm. overanalyzing all of this which I tended. to do in my role as a political.

journalist but in Biden's conduct I. think we also saw something really. interesting which was a man kind of. willing the last ounces of normaly that. he promised he was going to bring to the. presidency out of the presidency in its. waning days he clearly doesn't owe Trump. this Trump never gave it to him Trump. denied the legitimacy of his term but he. was sitting there almost kind of forcing. normaly back into the system oh I think. that's exactly right I think that's a. very good way to put it he is detered. DET not to let Trump change him that is.

Biden and change the presidency outside. of his own term and office you know just. because Trump did it this way doesn't. mean I'm going to follow suit that. tradition and protocol and Civility and. decency still matter and he's going to. follow those guidelines again no matter. how much it may pain him I don't think. either one of them walked away from that. meeting I'm guessing saying gosh I. really like the other guy more than I. thought I would but they went through. that that show that and I think it's you. know traditionally done in America as an.

important statement of unity following a. divisive. campaign the question here of course is. whether or not Trump then follows suit. at the same time you know I think that. he's got so many things on his plate. policy-wise You could argue and I think. some of the people around him are. arguing him that let's not spend our. time on the retribution you promis let's. let's focus on the deportations and and. the uh tariffs and all the other really. important and difficult policy.

initiatives he's outlined whe we'll see. where that goes but I think history has. given us a pretty good map I don't I. don't think that anyone would be. surprised to know that Donald Trump. generally views the world sort of in. Walking Casino terms which is heads he. wins and taals you lose and so if Joe. Biden is adhering to Norms because Joe. Biden believes in those norms and Trump. believes in these things if they work. for him and if they don't work for him. then he's going to Buck against them and. as have seen our country discovered.

after the 2016 election how much of our. system is based on Norms and not laws. and that is going to be shown again in. the coming. [Music]. months well I want to end this. conversation now so that there are no. more pieces of news no more. announcements that occurred during this. conversation Peter Julie Maggie thank. you all for sticking with us literally. through a storm a blizzard of news we. really appreciate it thanks Michel thank. you Michael thanks Michael there'll be. more there'll be.

[Music]. more after our conversation several. Republican Senators expressed alarm at. Trump's choice of Representative Matt. gates for attorney general asked about. the appointment Senator Lisa marowski of. Alaska said quote I don't think it's a. serious nomination for the Attorney. General her Republican colleague from. Main Senator Susan Collins said she was.

shocked by the choice and would have. quote many questions for Gates during. his. [Music]. confirmation we'll be right back.

here's what else you need to know today. on Wednesday an Israeli Court rejected a. request by prime minister benjam. Netanyahu to delay testifying at his. corruption trial next month as a result. Netanyahu must take the stand even as. this country is at war in both Gaza and. Lebanon Netanyahu is battling charges of.

bribery fraud and breach of trust in. three separate but interrelated. cases and in a landmark decision for. renters New York City has passed a bill. that would end broker's fees as they. currently exist across the city under. the law the burden of paying broker's. fees which can reach thousands of. dollars would in most cases be. transferred from renters to landlords.

the city's mayor Eric Adams is expected. to allow the bill to become. law today's episode was produced by. Stella tan and Jessica Chung it was. edited by Rachel quer and Liz o Balin. contains original music by Pat mccusker. and Diane Wong and was engineered by. Chris Wood our theme music is by Jim run. and Ben lurk of.

[Music]. wonderl that's it for the daily I'm. Michael babbaro see you tomorrow. [Music].