ON THE EVE OF HIS HISTORIC
INAUGURATION AND HE IS ALREADY
SETTING A VERY DIFFERENT TONE
THAN HIS PREDECESSOR, HOURS
BEFORE BIDEN IS SET TO BE SWORN
IN.
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WILL BE
JOINED AT CHURCH TOMORROW
MORNING BY CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
OF BOTH PARTIES.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI,
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN
McCARTHY, CHUCK SCHUMER AND
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL.
JOINING ME NOW, SHE SERVED AS
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDENS PRESS
SECRETARY FROM 2011 TO 2015.
KENDRA, IT IS GREAT TO HAVE YOU
WITH US.
AS PRESIDENT TRUMP LEAVES
TOMORROW MORNING, THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT WILL BE
ATTENDING A CHURCH SERVICE.
TALK TO US ABOUT THE TONE JOE
BIDEN IS SETTING BY BRINGING
THEM ALONG.
>> HELL BE SETTING A TONE THAT
HE WANTS TO WORK TOGETHER WITH
REPUBLICANS WHICH IS SOMETHING
HE HAS DONE FROM THE START.
FROM THE TIME HE LAUNCHED HIS
CAMPAIGN, HE SAID HE WANTED TO
BE A PRESIDENT FOR ALL
AMERICANS.
NOT JUST SOMEONE FOR THOSE WHO
VOTED FOR HIM BUT FOR EVERY
AMERICAN.
THATS WHAT HES DONE BY
INVITING LEADERS OF BOTH PARTIES
TO ATTEND THE CHURCH SERVICE
WITH HIM.
AND I THINK IT IS SIGNIFICANT
AND IMPORTANT THAT THEY ARE
ATTENDING AS FAR AS IVE SEEN.
IT SHOWS THEY DO WANT TO WORK
TOGETHER WITH HIM AND MOVE THE
COUNTRY FORWARD.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ON A PERSONAL
NOTE, YOU WORKED JOE BIDEN FOR
FOUR YEARS.
TAKE A MOMENT TO TELL US WHAT
THIS MOMENT IS LIKE FOR HIM
TODAY COMING TO WASHINGTON FOR
AN INAUGURATION THAT UNDER
FORTUNATELY, MOST AMERICANS WILL
HAVE TO WATCH VIRTUALLY IN
LIGHTEST PANDEMIC.
WHEN YOU WERE BY HIS SIDE YEARS
AGO, DID HE EVER INDICATE OR
IMAGINE THAT THIS IS WHERE HE
WOULD ONE DAY BE SERVING IN THIS
ROLE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, HES BEEN IN
PUBLIC SERVICE HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
AND I THINK HIM BECOMING
PRESIDENT IS SORT OF
ACCUMULATION OF ALL OF HIS WORK
THAT HE HAS DONE TO WHERE HE IS.
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DIFFERENT
KIND OF INAUGURATION BUT I THINK
THE FLAGS OBVIOUSLY REPRESENT
THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY BUT
IT IS AN IMPORTANT REMINDER OF
THE WORK THAT WE HAVE AHEAD.
AND THE WORK THAT HE HAS AHEAD.
AND I THINK HE HAS THIS ABILITY
TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
YOU SAW IT TODAY WHEN HE WAS
LEAVING DELAWARE.
HE GOT A LITTLE EMOTIONAL, HE
HAD SOME TEARS IN HIS EYES
TALKING ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STATE AND THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS SON BEAU
BIDEN NOT BEING THERE.
>> YOU BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE OF
HOW DIVIDED WE ARE AS A COUNTRY
AND HOW WE HAVE TO HEAL GOING
FORWARD.
BIDEN IS EXPECTED TO ADDRESS A
NATION THAT BY ANY MEASURE IS IN
A CRISIS.
ACCORDING TO AN NBC NEWS POLL,
NEARLY THREE OUT OF FOUR
AMERICANS BELIEVE THE COUNTRY IS
ON THE WRONG TRACK.
IF YOURE ADVISING THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT ON HIS INAUGURAL
SPEECH, WHAT SHOULD HE BE SAYING
BEYOND JUST THE WORDS OF HEALING
AND UNITY?
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO HEAR FROM
HIM TOMORROW?
>> WELL, I THINK YOULL EXPECT
TO HEAR THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF
WHAT WE HEARD FOUR YEARS AGO.
I THINK HE IS GOING TO SHOW THAT
HE HAS EMPATHY TOWARD THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
I THINK HE WILL SHOW THAT HE IS
A UNITER, NOT A DIVIDER.
IT IS SOMETHING HES WORKED HIS
ENTIRE CAREER FOR.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD
TRAGEDY IN HIS LIFE LIKE SO MANY
AMERICANS AND HE IS SOMEONE WHO
CAN EMPATHIZE WITH THEM BECAUSE
HES HAD LOSS BUT HAS MOVED ON
AND HE IS ABLE TO PICK HIMSELF
UP AND MOVE HIMSELF FORWARD.
AND I THINK THATS WHAT YOU WILL
SEE, SYMBOLISM IN HIS SPEECHES
ABOUT MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
AND RESTORING THE SOUL OF
AMERICA.
>> LET ME PLAY FOR YOU ASHLEY
BIDEN SPEAKING WITH HER FATHER
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MY
COLLEAGUE, JENA BUSH ON THE
"TODAY" SHOW.
>> YOUR DAD SUFFERED A TRAGEDY
BEFORE YOU WERE BORN.
LOSING HIS WIFE AND HIS
DAUGHTER.
HOW DO YOU THINK THOSE YEARS
SHAPED WHO HE IS?
>> YOU KNOW, DAD IS SO
EMPATHETIC AND HAS THE ABILITY
TO RECOGNIZE PAIN, TO FEEL
OTHERS PAIN AND TO COMFORT.
>> YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF EMPATHY.
IT WILL BE ON FULL DISPLAY TODAY
WHEN HE STANDS THERE ON THE
STEPS OF THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
AND SPEAKS OUT OVERLOOKING
400,000 AMERICAN FLAGS
REPRESENTING THE HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS LIVES
LOST.
HOW DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO USE HIS
OWN EXPERIENCES TO BRING THIS
COUNTRY TOGETHER?
>> I THINK YOU JUST SAID IT.
EXACTLY RIGHT.
HE HAS HAD LOSS IN HIS LIFE.
HES LOST HIS WIFE, HES LOST
HIS DAUGHTER AND MOST RECENTLY
HE LOST HIS SON BEAU WHO WE ALL
KNOW WAS AN AMAZING HERO, A
NATIONAL GUARDSMAN.
SO I THINK HELL USE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT HOW HE
IS EXPECTED LOSS AND HOW SO MANY
OTHER AMERICANS HAVE EXPERIENCED
LOSS THROUGH THE CORONAVIRUS OF
LATE.
AND HELL PIVOT TOWARD MOVING
AMERICA INTO A BETTER PLACE AND
ONE THAT EVERYBODY CAN COME
TOGETHER SO WE CAN COME BACK.