if people think putin will stop at ukraine, i assure you he

will not. [ applause ] but ukraine -- ukraine can stop putin. ukraine can stop putin if we stand with ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. my predecessor and some of you here seek to pery the truth about january 6th. i will not do that. this is a moment to speak the truth than bury the lies. it's a simple choice. we can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it. i'm ready to fix it. send me the border bill now. here in the chamber tonight are families whose loved ones are still being held by hamas. i pledge to all the families i will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones

home. >> that's just a small sample of president joe biden's wide ranging and at times down right fiery "state of the union" address. we're going to have complete coverage of his speech and the reaction straight ahead. good morning and welcome to "way too early" on this friday, march 8th. it's friday. it's been a long week. we're so glad you spent it with us. i'm jonathan lemire. good morning. and we'll start this morning with president biden's high energy and fiery "state of the union" address last night. speaking for just over an hour, the president made his case for rasecond term, leaning into some of the themes that will play prominently as we head into november like abortion and immigration. biden also hammered away at donald trump and his gop critics over a number of policies, contrasting -- offering a sharp

contrast between his administration's accomplishments and those of his predecessor who he never named. biden opened his speech last night by calling on congress to authorize new foreign aid for ukraine before ripping trump who had recently encouraged russia to attack america's nato allies. >> ukraine can stop putin if we stand with ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. there are no american soldiers at war in ukraine, and i'm determined to keep it that way. but now assistance to ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership. it wasn't long ago when republican president ronald reagan thundered, mr. gorbachev, teardown this wall. [ applause ]

now my predecessor, a former republican president tells putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want. that's a quote. a former president actually said that bowing down to a russian leader. i think it's outrageous, it's dangerous, and it's unacceptable. >> president biden also brought up the january 6th attack on the capitol and slammed republicans for trying to whitewash the violence that took place that day. >> history is watching just like history watched three years ago on january 6th. when insurrectionists stormed this american capitol and placed a dagger to democracy. many of you were here on that darkest of days. we all saw with our own eyes the insurrectionists were not patriots.

they'd come to stop the peaceful transfer of power. january 6th lies about the 2020 election and the plots to steal the election pose a grievous threat to u.s. democracy since the civil war. but they failed. america stood -- america stood strong, and democracy prevailed. and let's be honest, the threat to democracy must be defended. my predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about january 6th. i will not do that. this is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. here's the simple truth. you can't love your country only when you win. >> securing the southern border was another major issue in last

night's speech with the president calling on republicans to pass the senate's bipartisan bill. but biden was interrupted and heckled by a house republican who kept shouting about a nurse in georgia who was murdered. a venezuelan man who was in the united states illegally is accused of killing him. >> in november my team began serious negotiation with a bipartisan group of senators. the result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we've ever seen. oh, you don't think so? oh, you don't like that bill, huh? that conservatives got together and said was a good bill? i'll be darned. that's amazing. that bipartisan bill would hire 1,500 more securities and officers, 100 more judges to help tackle the back load, 3,000

more asylum officers and new policies so they can revolve cases in six months instead of six years now. what are you against? 100 more hi-tech drug machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop vehicles smuggling fentanyl into america that's killing thousands of children. this bill would save lives and also give me and any new president new emergency authority to temporarily shutdown the border, and remember migrants at the border is overwhelming. the border patrol unit has endorsed this bill. the federal chamber of commerce who say, no, look at the facts. i know you know how to read. i believe that given the

opportunity for a majority in the house and senate would endorse the bill as well. a majority right now. but, unfortunately, politics has derailed this bill so far. i'm told my predecessor called members of congress in the senate to demand they block the bill. he feels it'd be a political win for me and political loser for him. it's not about him, it's not about me. i'd be a winner -- not really. i -- lincoln riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal, that's right. but how many thousands of people have been killed by illegals? to my parents i say my heart goes out to you having lost children myself. i understand.

but, look, if we change the dynamic at the border, people pay people -- people pay these smugglers $8,000 to get across the border because they know if they get by, if they get by and let into the country it's 6 to 8 years before they have a hearing. and it's worth taking the chance of the 8,000. but -- but if it's only six weeks the idea is it's highly unlikely people would pay that money and come all that way knowing they'd be kicked out quickly. folks, i would respectfully suggest to the american people, get this bill done, we need to act now. >> biden's use of the term, an illegal, drew some criticism from the left. but this is another moment he got the best of a spontaneous exchange with his republican hecklers. in that case once more

republican marjorie taylor greene. joining us now laura eegen, coauthor of the play book and working on very little sleep. thank you for joining us this morning. let's start right there. this was an overtly political speech. this felt like the kick off, the unofficial kick off of president biden's re-election effort. what were some of your main take-aways. >> talking with aides to president biden ahead of his speech, they all acknowledged the "state of the union" is typically a really hard speech to write, to deliver. and they didn't down-play how big a moment this was going to be for the president. they were pretty clear-eyed just how much he needed to accomplish in this speech. i think one of the key things they were pretty aware of he needed to do is really asage voter concerns we've been talking about the last few months relating to the president's age.

and based off conversations and text messages we all received last night from white house aides, from democrats close to the white house, they feel like he really did deliver that. those spontaneous moments you just referenced, i think they feel like that's where the president really shines, he can show how quick he is on his feet. and, you know, people pointed out he was one of the last to leave that chamber last night, staying there, talking with members of congress until literally they turned the lights off on him, and that's what they wanted the american people to see last night. >> there's no question that was a vigorous, fiery speech from president biden. certainly aides as you say had hoped there are all these questions about his age, he may have answered some last night. he never mentioned trump's name, but right off the bat the first three issues were ukraine, january 6th and abortion rights, and trump's shadow over all of those. it really felt like those were contours of the campaign ahead. >> yeah, that's right.

prettyin' interesting he never mentioned trump by name, yet he really didn't need to. the former president, his presence was woven into every inch of that speech. and in some ways it really did setup what we're going to see in this presidential election that is going to be one of the longest we've ever seen in history and certainly one of the ugliest most likely. and you saw in that speech the president drawing a contrast on what he thinks the issues he thinks he's strongest on against trump. democracy, abortion rights, really tying that into our overall freedoms. and both the president and the former president are going to be in georgia this weekend. and i expect we're going to continue to see them try and draw that same exact contrast. >> president biden about to barnstorm after the "state of the union" in pennsylvania and then georgia and get some momentum after this speech. white house reporter laura

eegen, thank you so much. still ahead on "way too early" we'll bring you the republican response to the president's address and show you what alabama senator katie brick had to say about the "state of the union." plus we'll be joined by a member of congress in the room last night for the presidential remarks. those stories and a check on weather when we come right back. n weather when we come right back. get tickets! [ screaming ] get tickets! skadoosh. get tickets! here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost.

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the true unvarnished state of our union begins and ends with this. our families are hurting. our country can do better. >> that's alabama freshman senator katie britt who was tasked with delivering the republican rebuttal to president biden's "state of the union" address, and by some accounts it was jarring and oddly delivered. first britt welcomed americans into her kitchen as she slammed the president for a variety of issues including the economy, immigration, and crime.

she also painted a rather bleak picture of the u.s. under biden's leadership calling the american dream a nightmare. some republicans even tried to make sense of her speech last night with a few mocking her for using an over the top dramatic cadence to deliver her critiques of the president. the white house as you might imagine responded to her rebustle writing in part this. last month senator britt sided against president biden, thebirder patrol union, and the chamber of commerce by opposing the toughest bipartisan border deal in modern history, instead voting with fentanyl traffickers. what's more because an extreme supreme court decision overturned owe v. wade and set women back nearly 50 years with senator britp it was support women across alabama were cut off from ivf treatments and the dream of growing families. tonight the american people heard president biden's vision for the future in which our core freedoms were restored, not an

america driven back by extremists whose only economic principle is that everyone else is left behind. senator britt just proved all his points. those rebuttals after the "state of the union" always tough to deliver. last night's a bit of a clunker. as promised former president donald trump also offered reactions. he tried to do it live. he called it fact checking even though of course it wasn't. he doesn't deal with facts very much. he did so on his social media platform through president biden's speech, but truth social seemed to be overwhelmed at times, barely worked for most users. he fired off on the president's claims including he was tough on nato, and the claim republicans are, quote, stronger on ivf than the democrats. none of that true. and as noted trump's social media platform was down quite a few users last night. when the site did come back up, trump made a few policy critiques but then falsely took credit for everything president

biden touted as an accomplishment of his administration. the former president devolved into a series of personal attacks against the former president calling him angry and crazy and even complaining about biden. ahead of the address trump released a rambling prebuttal talking about the border, shrinkflation, and ending with his trademark you're fired. republicans did seem taken aback by just how high energy joe biden was last night. not sleepily joe as they like to call him. still ahead we'll turn to sports and bring you highlights from last night's battle of the nba's two top teams. plus a new worry for the warriors in their second half push to the playoffs. those stories and a check on the weekend forecast when "way too early" returns. d forecast when o early" returns the fuel you need to take flight. cirkul is the energy that gets you to the next level. cirkul is what you hope for when life tosses lemons your way. cirkul, available at walmart and drinkcirkul.com.

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oh! aaron gordon. >> guys from the bench falling over. aaron gordon with a one-handed put back dunk off a missed layup by nikola jokech gave them a 6-point advantage over the celtics. jason tatum had an opportunity to give boston the lead in the closing seconds but was off the mark in a wide open three-pointer as denver with stood a late surge to complete a sweep of its season series with the celtics. yokech led the charge recording his 20th triple-double of the season and his 30th 30-point triple-double of his career to help denver improve to 7-1 since the all-star break. the reigning champs take down the current leaders 115-109. i've got to say the nuggets do seem a little better. to indianapolis now. minnesota edwards with 44 points against the pacers last night with including a tie breaking

three-pointer with a minute remaining. he came up the clutch with a game saving block at the buzzer. as he denied indiana a second, and watch again. and then fell hard but thankfully aokay. team wolves win 113-111. and potential bump for the warriors and their push to it playoffs. steph curry spent the end of last night's 125-121 loss to the chicago bulls with his foot in an ice bath as he rolled his right ankle, ouch, as he drove to the basket late in the fourth quarter. not sure yet of the extent of curry's injury. the back-to-back champions las vegas aces are now the first team in the league's 28-year history to sellout their season tickets. good for the aces. they're set to host 19 of the regular season contests starting the team's opener against the phoenix mercury on may 14th.

fans can still buy single game tickets. they go on sale next month. time now for the weather and let's go to meteorologist angie lassman for the weekend forecast. >> good morning, jonathan. happy friday. we've got rain and unsettled weather to talk about here as we go through not just today but parts of the east. looking busy from parts of the southern plains to the midwest. davenport, st. louis all dealing with rain early this morning. it'll be a wet commute for those regions. also watching for plenty of rain as we go through the next couple of days. 12 million people through saturday night. again, this isn't just today but tomorrow, too. alexandria, jackson, mobile, new orleans all included in that. biggest threat looks like it'll be large hail, but also see potential for strong wind gusts and can't rule out a strong tornado or two. this is the system we're watching. it'll start to work its way through the east.

and then that big batch of moisture works into the midatlantic, the north east. we could see a bit of snow happening on the backside of this. but i think it's mainly a rain event, and it'll be soggy especially for folks across the region. there's that lake effect snow. one note we'll see flooding concerns and flash flooding an issue with some spots picking up 8 inches of rain between now and saturday. and jonathan, we're going to see the potential for severe weather across the region, too. >> we'll keep an eye on that. have a nice weekend. still ahead on "way too early" we'll bring you much, much more from president biden's "state of the union" address including what he had to say about israel and its ongoing war with hamas. we'll be right back with that. gs we'll be right back with that. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday.

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welcome back to "way too early." it is coming up on 5:30 a.m. on the east coast, 2:30 out west on this friday morning. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for being with us. president biden in his "state of the union" address last night spent quite a bit of time on the war in gaza. biden reiterated israel absolutely has a right to defend itself, but he stressed the need to get more aid into the enclave, sending a strong message to israeli leaders. take a listen. >> israel has a added burden because hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards under hospitals, day care centers, and all the like. israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in

gaza. leadership of israel i say this, humanitarian assistance cannot be secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority. as we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution of the economy. >> biden also announced last night he's directing the military to setup a floating pier off the coast of gaza in the mediterranean sea. the president says this emergency mission would allow hundreds of truckloads of additional aid to be delivered. joining us now former spokesperson of the united nations. thank you for being with us this morning. let's start right there. what did you expect from the president last night talking about the situation in gaza, and did he meet those marks? >> well, he did for me because i

didn't expect a significant shift in policy in part presidents don't usually announce significant changes of policy at the "state of the union." but what i expected was a bit more of the same and perhaps an increase in a tougher tone. in part because that is often what you see in the "state of the union" but also because the administration has seen the positive effects of that shift in tone when vice president kamala harris was tough on israel last weekend. and so that's what i expected. and, yes, he did hit all those marks. >> he upped the pressure somewhat on prime minister netanyahu yesterday and made the point the humanitarian aid situation is simply unacceptable. the fact the u.s. has to rely on-air drop shows a sort of weakness there. do you think for those who have been critical of the administration's approach to the innocent palestinians and suffering they're going through, did he do enough? did he promise to do enough? >> he's in between a rock and a hard place. the biden administration is not

going to shift its policy with israel. it's not going to change how we approach israel or the relationship with israel. israel is an ally. we are going to send support to our ally when they've been attacked. and that is fundamental -- that is at the core of this. i know it's tough to understand when you're seeing the approach that doesn't align with our values, the way they -- the high civilian death is unacceptable and unjustifiable. but that said, it's not going to be enough in my opinion for the united states and administration to shift its policy whether it's democrats or republicans, by the way, because as one hand the administration has a significant national security interest in hamas' defeat, and they're not going to want to do anything to allow hamas to walk away with hostages and control of gaza. and that's key here. i don't think they're communicating this enough. i think the u.s. administration needs to be very clear that they want to see hamas' defeat. that's why they're not calling

for a permanent cease-fire, and they're trying to do this temporary cease-fire to then lead into a permanent cease-fire but get an exchange. >> this is the first time in weeks president biden he's spoken directly about the conflict in gaza obviously last night. with the backdrop to the speech, of course, the ongoing cease-fire negotiations would seem to have stalled or broken down depending on who you believe. there's talk of revisiting in the coming days, but ramadan is around the corner and president biden and his staff have said repeatedly they really want to get a cease-fire in place. >> ramadan is a big problem for this issue because the problem you have is when you have ramadan, when you have these holidays, every year for the last couple of years you've had a major uptick in violence within israel. on one hand you don't want to see that violence, and on the other you just don't want to pursue that kind of violence during any holiday, any holiday

important to a certain population. and so for the biden administration it's important, now i don't think they're going to get it by ramadan. ramadan begins this sunday. it's going to be very tenuous. hamas has rejected the last two deals that have been negotiated by u.s., qatar, and egypt and agreed to by israel. hamas has an interest in dragging this on. and netanyahu might as well, by the way. hamas has an interest because the more the suffering, the greater the pressure is on the international community to call for a permanent cease-fire which again is win for hamas because they walk away with hostages and control of gaza. >> israel husband rejected other cease-fires but this one it's hamas saying no. former spokesperson to the united missions to the united nation, we'll talk to you again soon. next up here we'll go live to cnbc for an early look what's driving the markets this morning. plus february layoffs reaching a level not seen since the global financial crisis. we'll discuss the industries hit the hardest and tell you why

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way. cirkul, available at walmart and drinkcirkul.com. some more business news. yesterday linkedin experienced a major outage and went off-line for tens of thousands of people. which explains why this morning the i.t. guy guy at linkedin posted i'm excited to announce i'm looking for a new job. >> time now for business. arabile, all eyes will be on the february jobs report when it's released in a few hours. what should we expect? >> a bit of nervousness in the market ahead of that figure. and really could detail directly the path of interest rate cuts for the united states. we just heard from fed chair jerome powell really speaking around what exactly the estimates are. and he says, well, the u.s. is ready to put in a few cuts but

won't happen just yet because the data still needs to show they are certainly moving towards that 2% figure they've targeted for inflation. so 200,000 is the figure we anticipate out of the nonfarm payrolls today according to the stock exchange group saying 200,000 is the number. remember the average number pre-covid-19 was 200,000 anyway. we're still seeing a hot economy on the basis then where that figure lies. 353,000 was the figure for january. it tells you a significant move we have seen then previously as well when it comes to this data. very significant for the overall inflation print. >> so arabile, this headline caught our eye layoffs surged last month to their highest level since the global financial crisis well more than a decade ago. tell us what this means. is this a sign the labor market could be getting worse amid ongoing inflation and high interest rates or is this something else? >> yeah, so what is actually happening businesses are trying

to embrace technological advances. the impact of a.i. might even be seen in this regard. we've been speaking about it quite considerably, right? could a.i. take away jobs init seems is certainly the case. companies like microsoft, the tech counters led a lot of the movement. tech cuts were equal to 28,218 then through this period as well. but despite that, it's actually lower than you would have expected even from last year. 55% down from a year ago when it comes to these tech layoffs. but the other side you saw financials also cut quite considerably. again from that a.i. perspective a total 84,638 planned cuts showed 3% from january, 9% from a year ago. an increase of series of high profile layoffs you really are seeing in this market. and the estimates are businesses are aggressively slashing costs and embracing technological innovation and actions that are significantly shaping staffing

needs. so that is primarily the reason here. a.i. clearly at play. >> and lastly and briefly, arabile, netflix really trying to make a push in the world of live sporting events. give us the latest. >> yeah, i mean this is a big story, isn't it? just think about it, right? you have this entire scenario where you have the four-month world heavy right boxing champion mike tyson taking on a 27-year-old youtuber now turned fighter in jake paul. net publish trying to say on our entry into the world of live sports is going to be like this, and they're hoping to create a blockbuster event of course that will be held out of the united states. it's an event then that will host quite a significant amount of celebrities, of course. and it's all about the money, i guess. this will definitely have a massive, massive pay-per-view faction. >> tyson may be 57 years old, but i'm still betting on him. cnbc's arabile gumede live from

london, thank you for joining us this morning. next up we'll take another look at president biden's fiery "state of the union" address and his message to republicans who have been trying to strip away the affordable care act. we'll be right back with that. t. we'll be right back with that. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. no, my denture's uncomfortable! dracula, let's fight back against discomfort. with new poligrip power max hold & comfort. it has superior hold plus keeps us comfy all day with it's pressure absording layer. time for a bite! if your mouth could talk it would ask for... poligrip. [dog whimpers]

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ah, you're adorable. huh. oh, whah! folks, the affordable care act and the old obamacare, it's still a very big deal. [ applause ] over 100 million of you can no longer denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. well, my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take prescription drugs away by repealing the affordable care act. i'm not going to let that

happen. we've stopped you 50 times before, we'll stop you again. >> that's president biden addressing republican efforts to strip away affordable health care. joining us now democratic congressman jake acancloss of massachusetts. let's start right there. what did you think of the president's reference to the affordable care act. and any of your other what you thought were highlights from the president last night. >> good morning, jonathan. obamacare certainly a highlight of the speech not only what democrats have done to extend health care to tens of millions of americans and lower prescription drug prices but what it portends about what democrats would do in a second biden administration. and that is to continue to fight the greed of health insurance companies like united health care to lower patient's

out-of-pocket prescription drug prices. democrats have successfully fought health insurance companies on the behalf of the american patient for more than a decade, and we're going to continue to wage that fight to lower people's health care bills. and republicans simply can't make a similar promise, and that was really the theme of the night for the president was sharp contrasts. he came out swinging on ukraine, standing up to putin and republicans couldn't even stand up for that line. he came out swinging on abortion, on ivf, immigration, gun violence. it was a series of contrasts that i think invited the american viewer to consider which vision of an american future did they believe in, one of possibilities and progress, or one of anger and regression? >> it was certainly striking that speaker johnson behind him couldn't stand up or applaud for things that should have been enjoyed bipartisan support like standing up to vladimir putin as you said. congressman, take us inside the room last night.

there were certainly some heckles the president got in back and forth and also what you made of the president's energy level. >> a few things. one, one of the republicans shouted liarat him, which as you remember 15 years ago was considered a scandal. and now the gop has so degraded itself in its sense of decorum, no one batted an eye lash. and that just kind of made me sad as a member of congress the institution has been soiled by frankly the behavior like people like marjorie taylor greene wearing a maga hat at the "state of the union." grow up. but a few things stood out to me. how much energy he brought when he first took took the lectern. i think the oddsiance was electrified. he immediately launched in to how the united states was and the importance of ukraine. and the second thing how he closed. he closed really warmly and directly addressed the question of his age. he invited the american viewer to say my age is not just a

series of headlines. it's a question of my wisdom in steering the ship of state of turbulent waters. i've been in the senate for, you know, decades and i've seen america's trials and tribulations and i know its soul, and i can help us meet our possibilities. >> there's no doubt the president accomplished what he sought out to do last night. congressman, lastly and briefly tell us about the guest you brought to last night's address, the executive director of parents for peace. tell us a little bit more about what they're trying to do. >> she helps de-radicalize youth who have been caught in the cesspool of social media and pull them into a vortex their parents can't pull them out of. f

it is not fair to ask parents to fight zuckerberg. >> congressman auchincloss of massachusetts, thank you, as always. we appreciate it. up next here, as we just mentioned, president biden addressed criticisms about his age during his state of the union speech last night, all while makes his case for re-election. we'll get into that. then, coming up on "morning joe," former house speaker nancy pelosi will join the conversation, as well as senate majority leader chuck shuker and treasury secretary janet yellen. a jam-packed "morning joe" just a few moments away. ned's plaque psoriasis. ned, ned, who are you wearing? he thinks his flaky red patches are all people see otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. ned? otezla can help you get clearer skin,

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in my career, i've been told i was too young. by the way, they didn't let me on the senate elevators to vote sometimes. not a joke. i've been told i am too old. whether young or old, i've always been known -- i've always known what endures. i've known our north star.

the very idea of americans, they were all created equally and deserve to be treated equal throughout our entire lives. we've never lived up to that idea fully, but we have never walked away from it either. i won't walk away now. fellow americans, the issue facing our nation isn't how old we are, it's how old are our ideas? hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas. but you can't lead america with ancient ideas. it'll only take us back. you lead america, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future and what can and should be done. >> that was president biden taking some time toward the end of the speech last night to address concerns surrounding his age. joining us now, author and nbc news presidential historian

michael. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you, jonathan. >> there were more eyes last night on the speech than usual because of what we played. president biden needing to show vigor, pundits believe, to relieve concerns about his age. he did with the performance. what are some things that stuck out to you last night, and how did it stack up to speeches delivered by other incumbents during an election year? >> to really understand it, jonathan, it almost -- the moment it reminded me of was not a state of the union but harry truman, 1948, his acceptance speech at the democratic convention in philadelphia. it was very late. people in that convention hall thought that truman was going to lose. they tried to look for another candidate. sound familiar a little bit? truman came in with total confidence, began by saying, referring to his running mate, senator barkley and i will win

this election and make these republicans like it. well, that would have been too partisan for last night, but that was the spirit of that speech. that was harry truman, feisty, scrapy, happy warrior. also, the thing that really worked perfectly, just as a tactic for public speaking was, you know, biden was unveiling point after point, that a great majority of the american people agree with him and the democrats, disagree with republicans. beginning with supporting ukraine and supporting a strong nato. not only did he get applause for those things, but almost as if it was a setup, you had the house speaker sitting behind him, mike johnson, alternating scowls and smirks, just sort of a continuous advertisement that republicans are not on the side of the majority. >> it felt like the president was playing a little rope-a-dope there and won the exchanges with the republicans. >> right. >> on that, we just had

congressman auchincloss, democrat from massachusetts, on the show a moment ago. he was outraged by the heckling by republicans in the chamber, you know, shouting, "you lie." marjorie taylor greene going on and on. he said they need to grow up. speak to us about this setting. this is the kind of thing that, not that long ago, would have been unthinkable during the state of the union. seems the republicans degraded another public event. >> it was. i hated it, and that's the world we're now living in. you have marjorie taylor greene wearing a trump hat and, you know, a shirt that was in favor of trump, as well, and confronting the president. can you imagine any other president in history having to deal with something like that? but what was important was not that setting, which was inevitable, but the way that the president dealt with it. this was a happy warrior. he gave not only as good as he got, but he gave better. >> biden's reaction to seeing marjorie taylor greene in her

hat is amusing. we played it there. michael, give us your sense, the president's major mission was to draw a contrast between himself and his predecessor. that's what he said, predecessor. he never used trump's name. trump hovered over this entire speech. do you think the president did the job he needed to do? >> sure. first of all, when did you hear a predecessor mentioned so many times in a state of union, especially one who will be an opponent in the fall? that's rare in history in any case. but the other thing is, you know, he made it very clear, this is not a normal election. this is an election that could lead to dictatorship. it could lead, instead, to expanding our rights and more democracy for many so many americans have given their lives over two centuries. i think at the end of that speech, there's a larger chance that, in november, it's going to go in the direction of democracy. >> yeah, and so striking and fitting, the president repeatedly referred to january 6th, the section taking place, in the chamber he spoke last

night. author and nbc news presidential historian michael beschloss, we appreciate you being with us this morning. >> thank you,thank you for gett "way too early" on this friday and all week long. "morning joe" begins now. when you're my age, certain things are clearer than ever. i know the american story. again and again, i've seen the contests between competing forces and the battle for the soul of our nation. between those who want to pull america back to the past and those who want to move america into the future. my lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that have defined america. honesty, decency, dignity, equality, to respect everyone, to give everyone a fair shot, to give hate no safe harbor. other people my age see it differently. the american story of