THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE WAS
FRONT AND CENTER DURING
PRESIDENT BIDEN'S STATE OF THE
UNION ADDRESS LAST NIGHT IN
WASHINGTON. THAT STARTED
FOCUSED ON THE CRISIS. AND
THEN THE PRESIDENT TURNED TO
THE FUTURE OF HIS DOMESTIC
AGENDA. JOINING US NOW TO
BREAK DOWN THE STATE OF THE
UNION IS NBC NEWS CHIEF WHITE
HOUSE CORRESPONDENT PETER
ALEXANDER, NBC NEWS CAPITOL
HILL CORRESPONDENT ALI, THAT.
ALI, GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF
YOU. PETER, LET'S START WITH
YOU. PRESIDENT BIDEN ACCUSE
PUTIN OF UNLEASHING VIOLENCE
AND CHAOS IN UKRAINE. WHAT
MORE DID THE PRESIDENT SAY
ABOUT HIS PLAN TO ADDRESS THE
CRISIS. AND WHAT ABOUT IT WAS
NEW.
>> WELL, THE PRESIDENT I THINK
FOCUSED EMPHASIZED THAT THE
U.S. IS NOW CLOSER ALONGSIDE
ITS NATO ALLIES AND IT HAS
BEEN. IN IN DECADES. HE SAYS
THAT THE CRIPPLING ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS ARE A BAD PICTURE
FROM MOSCOW FOR VLADIMIR
PUTIN, PUTTING HIM FURTHER
INTO A QUARTER AND MAKING THE
ECONOMIC SITUATION GET WORSE
AS DAYS PASS. AS FOR WHAT HE
SAID. THERE WAS NEW HERE, THE
FOCUS ON A COUPLE THINGS,
INCLUDING A NEW RESTRICTION
FOR ALL RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT THAT
TRAVEL INTO US AIRSPACE AND
ANOTHER PLAN GOING FORWARD.
HERE'S PART OF WHAT THE
PRESIDENT SAID LAST NIGHT.
♪
>> JUST THE DEDICATED TASK
FORCE TO GO AFTER THE CRIMES
OF THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS.
WE'RE JOINING WITH EUROPEAN
ALLIES TO FIND AND SEIZE THEIR
YACHTS LUXURY APARTMENTS.
THEIR PRIVATE JET. HE'LL BE
GOTTEN GAINS AND TONIGHT I'M
ANNOUNCING THAT WE WILL JOIN
OUR ALLIES IN CLOSING OFF
AMERICAN AIRSPACE TO ALL
RUSSIAN FLIGHTS.
>> THE PRESIDENT FORCEFULLY
CONDEMNED VLADIMIR PUTIN SAY
THAT SAYING THIS IS PUTIN'S
WAR SAYING IT IS PREMEDITATED,
TOTALLY UNPROVOKED AND THE
MISTAKE OF HISTORIC
PROPORTIONS. HE SAID THAT
EFFECTIVELY HAD MISCALCULATED
HERE. I THINK, THOUGH, FOR
SOME OF THE PRESIDENT'S
CRITICS, THOSE WHO WANTED A
BIT MORE ON THIS ISSUE. THE
SPEECH WAS AS MUCH A STATE OF
UKRAINE AS IT WAS A STATE OF
THE UNION. HE DIDN'T REALLY
EXPLAIN WHY AMERICANS SHOULD
CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN THE
DETAILS THAT SOME MAY HAVE
WANTED. NONETHELESS, HE DID A
FEW. THIS IS THE MOST UNIFYING
A MESSAGE NOT JUST FOR THE
COUNTRY BUT FOR THE WORLD
RIGHT NOW, ONE THAT HE WANTED
TO HEAD HOME.
>> AND PETER, SUCH A GOOD
POINT THERE ABOUT NOT
EXPLAINING IT BECAUSE OF THE
REPERCUSSIONS THAT WE FEEL AT
HOME AND MAKING PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO GO THROUGH THAT IN ORDER TO
HELP THIS COUNTRY AND AND WHY
WE'RE IN THIS FIGHT AND WHAT
IT MEANS TO US. JUST TOUCH ON
THIS WITH YOU TO ALI. LET'S
BRING YOU IN HERE AND TALK A
LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT
PRESIDENT BIDEN DID HAVE TO
SAY SPECIFICALLY ABOUT
PRESIDENT PUTIN.
>> EFFECTIVELY SAYING
MISCALCULATED HE EXPECTED THE
U.S. AND ITS WESTERN ALLIES TO
NOT BE ALIGNED AGAINST HIM.
LISTEN TO HOW PUT IT LAST
NIGHT. THE CHAMBER.
>> WHOSE LATEST ATTACK ON
UKRAINE WAS PREMEDITATED AND
TOTALLY UNPROVOKED. HE
REJECTED REPEATED EFFORTS AT
DIPLOMACY. HE THOUGHT THE WEST
AND NATO WOULDN'T RESPOND. HE
THOUGHT HE COULD DIVIDE US AND
HOME IN THIS CHAMBER IN THIS
NATION. HE THOUGHT HE COULD
DIVIDE US AND EUROPE AS WELL.
BUT PUTIN WAS WRONG.
>> LOOK, CALLING WRONG THERE
IN THE SAME ROOM WITH
UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE
UNITED STATES WAS A GUEST OF
THE FIRST LADY. JILL BIDEN
STANDING IN THAT CHAMBER. WE
SAW HER AS ONE OF THE CENTRAL
FIGURES THERE LAST NIGHT THAT
THERE ARE 2 PIECES TO THIS TO
YOU GUYS ARE TALKING, I THINK
RIGHTLY SO ABOUT HOW HE WASN'T
SELLING THIS CONFLICT TO
AMERICANS IN TERMS OF WHY THEY
SHOULD CARE ABOUT WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN UKRAINE. BUT WHAT
HE I QUITE DILIGENTLY WAS MADE
CLEAR THAT U.S. FORCES WERE
NOT GOING TO BE FIGHTING ON
THE GROUND IN UKRAINE. HE
TALKED INSTEAD ABOUT
BOLSTERING IN STANDING WITH
OUR NATO ALLIES. OF COURSE
THAT HAS BEEN THE CENTERPIECE
OF BIDEN IN THE
ADMINISTRATION'S RESPONSE, ONE
THAT MANY LAWMAKERS ON THE
HILL LIKE TOPS THEM IN THE
HALLS OF CONGRESS. THAT'S A
RESPONSE AND A STRATEGY THAT
PRAISE REPEATEDLY FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE. I DO THINK THE
OTHER THING HERE, AS HE LAID
OUT A FEW OF THOSE NEW METRICS
OF WHAT THE UNITED STATES DO
TO FURTHER ISOLATE RUSSIA
THINGS LIKE ANNOUNCING THAT
TASK FORCE TO GO AFTER ALL OF
OURS FOR THE YACHTS AND THE
PAINTINGS. THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM
HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR
ABOUT 2 WEEKS NOW. SO AS
CONGRESS NOW START TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT ITS POTENTIAL ROLE
COULD BE VOTING ON ROUGHLY 6
TO 6 BILLION DOLLARS OF AID
THAT WILL GO TO UKRAINE. BOTH
MILITARY AND HUMANITARIAN IN
NATURE AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL.
THAT'S A PIECE OF IS THAT
THERE ARE ALSO OTHER THINGS
THAT CONGRESS HAS BEEN
RESPONDING TO REPORTS THE LAST
FEW WEEKS.
>> THAT TASK FORCE FOR ALL OF
JUST WANT PETER, THE PRESIDENT
HAD TO MAKE THAT TOUGH TURN.
TALK ABOUT HIS DOMESTIC
AGENDA, TALKING ABOUT
EVERYTHING FROM THE PANDEMIC
TO THE IMPACT INFLATION IS
HAVING ON THE ECONOMY SORT OF
ALWAYS FEELS LIKE A LIST WHEN
THEY'RE DOING THAT. DID HE
HAVE A MAIN MESSAGE HERE. I
THINK THE PRESIDENT WAS TRYING
TO SORT OF USE THE UNITY THAT
HE WAS SEEING IN THE ROOM.
THERE WAS MORE BIPARTISAN
APPLAUSE. AND WE'VE SEEN
PERHAPS AND AGAIN, A COUPLE
FOLLOWING 9.11 THERE LAST
NIGHT TRYING TO BRING THAT
UNITY AND TO HELP.
>> THAT HE CAN TRANSFER IT TO
SOME OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
PRIORITIES TO THE DOMESTIC
AGENDA BACK HOME. YOU KNOW,
THE ONE PHRASE HE DIDN'T HEAR
ALL NIGHT WAS BUILD BACK
BETTER. THAT STALLED AGENDA.
THAT THAT IS BASICALLY RUN
INTO ROADBLOCKS LEFT AND RIGHT
ON CAPITOL HILL, INCLUDING
AMONG DEMOCRATS. THE PRESIDENT
TRY TO REFOCUS ON THOSE
DEMONSTRATE SOME EMPATHY THAT
HE UNDERSTANDS HOW AMERICANS
ARE BEING HIT RIGHT NOW BY
HISTORIC INFLATION WITH GAS
PRICES TO SAY NOTHING ELSE.
ALL THE OTHER PRICES THAT HAVE
GONE UP IN GOODS AND PRODUCTS
THAT AMERICANS ARE BUYING
RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO
REEMPHASIZE WAYS THAT HE COULD
HELP BRING NOT JUST SO MUCH
BRING DOWN THE COST BUT GIVE
PEOPLE A BETTER ABILITY TO
DEAL WITH THE CHILD CARE OR
ELDER CARE AND BEYOND. HERE'S
PART OF WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE
PRESIDENT.
>> IT'S TIME FOR AMERICA TO
GET BACK TO WORK AND FILL OUR
GREAT DOWNTOWN'S AGAIN, PEOPLE
PEOPLE WORKING FROM HOME CAN
FEEL SAFE AND BEGIN TO RETURN
TO THEIR OFFICES.
>> WE'RE DOING OUT HERE IN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE VAST
MAJORITY OF FEDERAL WORKERS
ONCE AGAIN WORKING PERSON, OUR
SCHOOLS ARE OPEN. LET'S KEEP
IT THAT WAY. OUR KIDS NEED
>> SO THE PRESIDENT, THEY'RE
TRYING TO DELIVER A MESSAGE
THAT AMERICANS COULD COULD
REALLY GET AROUND, INCLUDING
ONE THAT WAS AN EFFORT TO
BRING HIS PARTY MORE TOWARD
THE MIDDLE SAYING NO LONGER TO
FUND THE POLICE IS SOME
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS HAVE,
BUT FUND THE POLICE SHOW IT'S
ABOUT HIM. THAT WAS A BIG
MOMENT. ALI, QUICKLY BEFORE WE
LET YOU GO. YOU KNOW, THE
PRESIDENT'S TAKING THIS
MESSAGE ON THE ROAD. TELL US
ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH. AMPLIFICATION SEASON
NOW, NOT JUST FOR THE
PRESIDENT ALSO FOR HIS VICE
PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF HIS
CABINET. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA
HARRIS GOING TO NORTH CAROLINA
TODAY TO A COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE POLICY
PRIORITIES. BIDEN MENTIONED
LAST NIGHT A PERSONAL
PREFERENCE AND FAVORITE OF HIS
WIFE DOCTOR JILL BIDEN
HERSELF. A TEACHER AT A
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND ITSELF
GOING TO SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN.
WE TALKING AT A BRIDGE THERE.
AGAIN, UNDERSCORING
INFRASTRUCTURE, ONE OF THE KEY
PIECES OF LEGISLATION, HIS
ADMINISTRATION THROUGH
CONGRESS WAS ABLE TO PASS EVEN
AS LAST NIGHT WAS SORT OF
BUILD BACK SORT AS THE WERE IN
THE WORDS OF SOME ARE FROM THE
PUNCHBOWL NEWS THIS MORNING.
ALL OF THE POLICY PRIORITIES
THAT WE SEE IT. BUT WE SAW
LAST YEAR KIND OF CRUMBLE.
FINISH LINE IN DECEMBER. THEY
WERE UNDER THE BUILD BACK
BETTER HEADLINE NOW THERE'S A
STAND-ALONE PRIORITIES LIKE
THE CHILD TAX CREDIT, PAID
LEAVE. ALL THE THINGS THAT
JUST MENTIONED MENTIONED IN
THAT SPEECH LAST NIGHT.
>> BUILD BACK THAT'S GOOD. ALL
RIGHT. ALI AND PETER, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH