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  • >> Stephen: HEY, WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.

  • MY GUESTS TONIGHT ARE THE FOUNDERS OF "CROOKED MEDIA" AND

  • CO-HOSTS OF "POD SAVE AMERICA."

  • PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW," JON FAVREAU, JON LOVETT,

  • AND TOMMY VIETOR!

  • FELLAS!

  • GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!

  • >> YOU, TOO.

  • >> YEAH, IT'S A GOOD DAY.

  • >> Stephen: IT IS, WELL, "POD SAVE AMERICA," IS AMERICA SAVED?

  • HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

  • >> I THINK AMERICA IS RELIEVED.

  • BEATING... TOOK A LITTLE LONGER THAN WE HOPED.

  • DONALD TRUMP IS GONE.

  • JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS ARE RUNNING THE SHOW.

  • MITCH McCONNELL IS NO LONGER THE HEAD OF THE SENATE.

  • IT'S A PRETTY GOOD DAY.

  • >> Stephen: IT TRICKLED IN.

  • >> I FEEL LIKE AMERICA SURVIVED A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE, AND WE

  • HAVE, LIKE, GIVEN OURSELVES MAYBE ONE MORE CHANCE.

  • HOPEFULLY MORE, BUT MAYBE ONE MORE CHANCE.

  • AND IT IS ACTUALLY-- IT'S-- IT'S INSPIRING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I

  • WAS WORRIED WHEN TRUMP WON.

  • MY BIGGEST FEAR WAS THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SO CYNICAL AND SO DOWN

  • THA THEY WOULDN'T WANT TOPARTICIPAT

  • AWAY FROM POLITICS, THAT THEY WOULDN'T GET INVOLVED.

  • AND THE FACT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE DID IS THE REASON THAT WE'RE

  • HERE TODAY, IS THE REASON THAT JOE BIDEN IS PRESIDENT RIGHT

  • NOW.

  • >> Stephen: WELL, JON, AS OBAMA'S FORMER HEAD

  • SPEECHWRITER, YOU'RE AN EXPERT AT INAUGURAL ADDRESSES.

  • WHAT STOOD OUT TO YOU TODAY?

  • >> A LOT OF INAUGURALS ARE PRESIDENTS LIKE TRYING TO DO ANâ– 

  • IMPRESSION OF J.F.K.'S ADDRESS, SO THEY END UP BEING, LIKE, A

  • LOT OF FLOWERY RHETORIC, AND THEY DON'T ACTUALLY SAY MUCH.

  • I LOVE JOE BIDEN'S BECAUSE I THINK HE MADE A REAL ARGUMENT

  • ABOUT UNITY.

  • AND, YOU KNOW, HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT

  • TO OVERCOME RACISM AND DIVISION AND NATIVISM.

  • BUT HE SAID AT EVERY BIG MOMENT, ENOUGH OF US-- AND HE REPEATED

  • "ENOUGH OF US--" CAME TOGETHER TO CARRY ALL OF US FORWARD.

  • AND THEN HE OFFERED A REALLY MOVING LESSON FROM HIS OWN

  • EXPERIENCE, I THOUGHT.

  • HE SAID, "HERE'S THE THING ABOUT LIFE.

  • THERE'S NO ACCOUNTING FOR WHAT FATE WILL DEAL YOU.

  • THERE ARE SOME DAYS WHEN WE NEED A HAND.

  • THERE ARE OTHERS WE'RE CALLED TO LEND A HAND.

  • THAT IS HOW WE MUST BE WITH ONE ANOTHER."

  • AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST A REALLY BEAUTIFUL SENTIMENT FROM

  • HIM.

  • >> Stephen: UNITY, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN A THEME LEADING UP TO

  • THE INAUGURATION, AND IT WAS ALL THROUGH THE DAY.

  • LOVETT, WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THOSE CALLS FOR UNITY?

  • DO YOU THINK WE HAVE A CHANCE?

  • HE ACKNOWLEDGED THE DIVISIVENESS IN THE COUNTRY, BUT DO YOU THINK

  • WE HAVE A CHANCE TO BOUNCE BACK FROM THAT NADER THAT WE SAW ON

  • THE CAPITOL STEPS TWO WEEKS AGO?

  • >> I THOUGHT WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE INAUGURAL IS IT WASN'T-- IT

  • WAS HOPEFUL WITHOUT BEING NAIVE.

  • AND IT TALKED ABOUT UNITY IN A WAY THAT I HAVEN'T REALLY HEARD

  • JOE BIDEN TALK ABOUT IT IN THE PAST, WHICH IS THAT IT WASN'T--

  • HE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT AS SOMETHING YOU BEG FOR.

  • HE TALKED ABOUT IT AS SOMETHING YO FIGHT FOR.

  • IF WE WANT TO HAVE SHARED FACTS, IF WE WANT SOTEE SHARED

  • HUMANITY, IF WE WANT A NICE THING, PEOPLE DON'T TRY TO BURN

  • THE CAPITOL DOWN WHEN THEY LOSE AN ELECTION, THEN WE DON'T JUST,

  • LIKE, BEG OUR OPPONENTS TO BE NICE.

  • WE POINT OUT THE FORCES AND MAKE PEOPLE PAY A POLITICAL PRICE FOR

  • EMBOLDENING THE FORCES OF PROPAGANDA, RACISM, BIGOTRY AND

  • LIES WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR FOUR YEARS.

  • AND HE WAS VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT.

  • AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF SOMETHING COMES OUT

  • OF THE LAST FOUR YEARS, FOUR YEARS OF SOMEBODY LYING TO US,

  • IT CAN BE THAT WE ARE FINALLY, COMPLETELY HONEST ABOUT HOW

  • BROKEN THINGS HAVE GOTTEN, HOW DANGEROUS SOME OF THESE FORCES

  • ARE, AND WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO FIX IT.

  • AND THAT, TO ME, WAS VERY HOPEFUL AND EXCITING.

  • THAT WAS WHEN I FELT THE EMOTION OF THE DAY THE MOST, I THINK.

  • >> Stephen: TO ME, IT SEEMED LIKE THE ARGUMENT, ON A CERTAIN

  • LEVEL WAS, LET'S FIND UNITY, IF ONLY ON A UNITY THAT FACTS

  • MATTER, A UNITY THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE AFFORDED DIGNITY.

  • A UNITY THAT OUR INSTITUTIONS THAT SUSTAIN OUR DEMOCRACY ARE

  • WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

  • ANOTHER THING THAT BIDEN HAS A UNIQUE ABILITY TO ADDRESS IS

  • LOSS AND GRIEF.

  • AND, TOMMY, HOW-- WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT--

  • FOR INSTANCE, THAT LAST NIGHT HE WENT TO THE REFLECTING POOL AND

  • TOOK THAT MOMENT OF SILENCE AND REMINDED US THE NECESSITY FOR

  • THAT RECOGNITION?

  • >> YEAH, LOOK, EVERYONE THAT IS-- THAT HAS WORKED FOR JOE

  • BIDEN OR WORKED AROUND HIM HAS A STORY ABOUT A TIME WHEN HE

  • REACHED OUT TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE STRUGGLING OR, LIKE, YOU SAW HIM

  • GIVE HIS CELL PHONE OUT TO A STRANGER HE MET AT AN EVENT WHO

  • EXPERIENCED LOSS AND HE ACTUALLY STAYED IN TOUCH WITH THEM.

  • IT'S THE CORE OF WHO HE IS IS.

  • THE MAN EXPERIENCED THIS UNIMAGINABLE LOSS AND TRAGEDY IN

  • HIS LIFE AND HE CAME AWAY WITH IT WITH THIS BOTTOMLESS WELL OF

  • EMPATHY FOR OTHERS.

  • WHAT I THINK THAT MEANS FOR US AS PRESIDENT NOW IS HE IS GOING

  • TO VIEW COVID AS A HUMAN PROBLEM AND NOT A POLITICAL PROBLEM.

  • TRUMP GAVE UP ON MANAGING COVID.

  • HE DIDN'T WANT NATIONAL TESTING BECAUSE HE THOUGHT MORE CASES

  • MADE HIM LOOK BAD.

  • HE DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE STATES MONEY TO DISTRIBUTE THE

  • VACCINES, BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS

  • LOOK GOOD.

  • IT'S TRULY SHOCKING THAT WE HAVE HAD 400,000 DEATHS.

  • THERE HAS BEEN NO MEMORIAL SERVICE UNTIL TODAY.

  • BUT WHAT I THINK BIDEN SAID THROUGH THE EVENT AND THE COVID

  • PLANT HE ANNOUNCEDDED IS, "I WILL GRIEVE WITH YOU.

  • I WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM, AND I WILL OWN IT,

  • BECAUSE WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER."

  • THAT IS A VERY DIFFERENT VISION OF LEADERSHIP.

  • >> Stephen: YOU GUYS WORKED ON CAMPAIGNS.

  • DO YOU THINK IF THE LAST PRESIDENT HAD JUST TAKEN ONE

  • MOMENT TO ADDRESS THE GRIEF OF THE NATION, OR TO ACKNOWLEDGE

  • THE LOSS, HE MIGHT STILL BE PRESIDENT TODAY?

  • >> YES.

  • I MEAN, UNFORTUNATELY.

  • ( LAUGHS ) BECAUSE I THINK HE SHOULDN'T BE

  • PRESIDENT FOR A NUMBER OF OTHER REASONS.

  • >> Stephen: SURE.

  • >> BUT I THINK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, THERE WAS

  • ABSOLUTELY A MOMENT WHERE THE COUNTRY WAS YEARNING FOR ALEADER

  • NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THAT PERSON, EVEN IF THEY DIDN'T VOTE

  • FOR THAT PERSON.

  • AND HE COULDN'T SHOW EVEN A MODICUM OF EMPATHY FOR OTHERS,

  • BECAUSE HE IS A NARCISSIST, OBSESSED WITH HIMSELF.

  • AND THAT WAS BASICALLY THE DEFINING CHARACTERISTIC OF THE

  • ENTIRE PRESIDENCY, WAS SELFISHNESS.

  • >> Stephen: LET'S GET TO AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT, GAGA, J-LO,■ç

  • GARTH BROOKS.

  • LOVETT, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PERFORMANCE TODAY?

  • WHAT LEFT OUT?

  • >> OBVIOUSLY, AS A GAY AMERICAN, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT I CHOOSE

  • GAGA.

  • ( LAUGHTER ) I MIGHT --

  • >> Stephen: SURE, LEGALLY.

  • >> LEGAL ME SPEAKING.

  • AMAAMANDA GORMAN'S POEM WAS, OBVIOUSLY, BEAUTIFUL.

  • BUT I WOULD-- I WOULD SAY THAT TED CRUZ PRETENDING HE DIDN'T

  • SUBORN A CUE TWO WEEKS AGO WAS EXTRAORDINARY.

  • >> Stephen: OSCARS.

  • OSCARS.

  • >> KEVIN McCARTHY, LIKE GEORGE CASTANZA WANDERING AROUND LIKE

  • HE DIDN'T JUST DECLARE WAR ON THE WHOLE PLACE.

  • HE VOTED AGAINST DEMOCRACY TWO WEEKS AGO!

  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

  • ( LAUGHTER ) WE WERE THERE.

  • WE ALL SAW IT HAPPEN.

  • IT WAS ON TELEVISION.

  • >> Stephen: YES.

  • BUT YOU NOTICE-- >> HE CAME BACK IN AFTER THE CUE

  • ATTEMPT.

  • >> Stephen: THE TELEVISION CAMERAS, THERE'S RIGHT AND

  • THERE'S WRONG-- THE CAMERA CUTS TO TED CRUZ.

  • OR WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN VISITED BY

  • EVIL, IT CUTS TO KEVIN McCARTHY.

  • IT WAS INCREDIBLE, WHOEVER WAS PRODUCING IT, KNEW WHERE PEOPLE

  • WERE SITTING.

  • >> REMEMBER HOW YOU VOTED AGAINST DEMOCRACY, AND THEN YOU

  • HAD TO LEAVE YOUR OFFICE?

  • AND THEN WHEN YOU CAME BACK A BUNCH OF STRANGERS HAD PEED IN

  • VARIOUS STRANGE PLACES?

  • >> Stephen: WE'RE LIVE.

  • WE'RE LIVE.

  • STOP THERE.

  • TOP IS THERE.

  • WE WERE LIVE.

  • YOU GUYS ALL WORKED FOR OBAMA.

  • WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR OLD BOSS AND THE NEW