This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," January 25, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: So earlier today, President Trump, he visited the Department of Homeland Security to announce major executive orders on immigration. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: For too long, your officers and agents haven't been allowed to properly do their jobs. You know that, right? Do you know that? Absolutely. But that's all about to change. And I'm very happy about it. And you're very happy about it.
From here on out, I'm asking all of you to enforce the laws of the United States of America. They will be enforced and enforced strongly.
People are surprised to hear that we do not need new laws. We will work within the existing system and framework. We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Now, President Trump's executive orders, they include building a border wall, expediting the process to remove criminal illegal aliens, creating more detention space for illegal immigrants, ending the catch-and-release policy, prioritizing prosecution and deportation for lawbreakers, sending criminals back to their country of origin, hiring 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents.
Now, President Trump also issued an order to strip federal grant money from sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants, support victims and families of victims of crimes committed by removable aliens, reinstate Secure Communities program to help ICE agents target illegal immigrants for removal and to hire an additional 10,000 ICE officers.
And in President Trump's first interview on ABC News, he specifically talked about the border wall, if Mexico will pay for it, and when the construction will begin. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS: Are you going to direct U.S. funds to pay for this wall? Will American taxpayers pay for the wall?
TRUMP: Ultimately, it'll come out of what's happening with Mexico. We're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico, which I've always said.
MUIR: So they'll pay us back.
TRUMP: Yes, absolutely, 100 percent.
MUIR: So the American taxpayer will pay for the wall at first?
TRUMP: All it is, is we'll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico.
MUIR: Mexico's president said in recent days that Mexico absolutely will not pay, adding that "It goes against our dignity as a country and our dignity as Mexicans." He says quite simply they're not paying.
TRUMP: I think he has to say that. He has to say that. But I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form. And you have to understand what I'm doing is good for the United States. It's also going to be good for Mexico. We're want to have a very stable, very solid Mexico.
MUIR: When does construction begin?
TRUMP: As soon as we can. As soon as we can physically do it, we're...
MUIR: Two months?
TRUMP: I would say in months, yes. I would say in months. Certainly, planning is starting immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And earlier today, I visited the White House to ask new chief of staff Reince Priebus about President Trump's agenda and a lot more. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: All right, joining us now, White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus.
REINCE PRIEBUS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Hey, Sean.
HANNITY: All right, does it feel good to be in the White House again?
PRIEBUS: It feels good. It's a humbling place to be. There's a lot to do, a lot of action. I think there's a lot of great energy here, and it's an honor working for President Trump and getting his agenda filled. I mean, it's only been a few days, and we're checking boxes left and right.
HANNITY: You know, I talked to friends of mine that have been here for many, years, some that work in the press that secretly like me but won't ever admit it publicly.
(LAUGHTER)
PRIEBUS: There are a few of those, right?
HANNITY: There are a couple, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: There are a couple. And a few new people you guys are allowing in, which is nice. And universally, they have said the same thing. They have never seen activity like this in this White House in all the time they've been here.
PRIEBUS: Yes.
HANNITY: A little shock and awe for D.C.?
PRIEBUS: I think so. I mean, we've been doing this, though -- I think if people just kind of think back before Christmas. We've been operating this way ever since the election. We've had people coming in and out, having meetings, picking cabinet secretaries, doing work, and culminating to this first week, which has been -- we've had 12 executive orders, I think, as of now, and hitting the promises that we made -- hiring freeze, regulatory freeze, today with immigration, yesterday with jobs, the day before with trade. These are the things that Donald Trump campaigned on. It's the reason he's president.
And to your point, many of these reporters that have been working here for many years said that Monday and Tuesday so far have been busier than any day that they can remember in the White House since they've worked in the White House.
HANNITY: Amazing. Let me go to the hiring freeze, the regulation freeze, and because -- and the talk of a 20 percent reduction in the workforce in government and a 10 percent reduction in terms of spending.
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: Now, that's something as a conservative Republican I believe in balanced budgets, living within your means, limited government, and also a 75 percent rollback or 75 percent-plus in regulations.
PRIEBUS: Yes.
HANNITY: Are those things that can get done, really saving money, real cuts, not reductions in increases?
PRIEBUS: Well, absolutely. I mean, first of all, one of the things that you have to start with is leading by example. And if we have a hiring freeze at the administration level -- meaning there's enough employees at the administration executive level to get the job done for the American people. There's no reason to add more employees. Outside of public safety and military, but up outside of those areas, there's no reason to keep growing government.
That was one of the first things Ronald Reagan did. It was one of the first thing President Trump did.
On regulatory reform, what we did was we said that if there's any regulations currently en route to being upon completion, that those regulations have to be halted and we have to review them and approve them before they move forward. So there might be some good things out there that we don't want to halt, but for the most part -- we hear from business owners, and I know you've talked about it, and people out there know, that regulation in many cases (INAUDIBLE) far worse than taxes and all the things that we normally talked about. So...
HANNITY: Is that why -- but is the idea of getting rid of all the regulations and -- I know the president would like to get to a 15 percent corporate tax rate.
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: And the repatriation at a low tax of 10 percent, and then "Obama care" being eliminated, and then energy independence -- these are all -- is that what's incentivizing these businesses one after another to announce they're investing billions or millions...
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: ... or hundreds of millions and creating X number of jobs? Is it because of that, do you believe?
PRIEBUS: Yes, I mean, we've had -- we had meetings here, some people, if they were watching TV news, that we had the big car manufacturers. We had some of the biggest companies in America, biggest employers here. We had union leaders here saying the same thing, all on the same page, saying, Look, if we're going to be an administration that cuts regulation, that lowers business taxes so that these companies can expand, that we disincentivize companies from moving overseas into Mexico and China and make doing business in America better for them, well, then the jobs are going to explode!
We're going to have maybe 3, 5, 6, 7 percent growth if these things happen. If Donald Trump becomes the president, which is his goal, of the American worker, of the American manufacturer -- forget about politics because we'll never lose (ph) an election as a party. It's about -- we're -- we're going to have a comeback in this country like we've never seen. And that's why...
HANNITY: Boy, do we need it!
PRIEBUS: ... these companies -- yes, exactly! And that's why the companies are saying, You know what? This may be a better place to do business. And I think people are starting to see that for the first time in (INAUDIBLE)
HANNITY: The president talked about it with the Keystone pipeline and the Dakota pipeline. And then adding the added, I guess, mandate or making it a part of the deal that any steel that's used for pipes has to be made in America, as well, which would help American steelworkers.
PRIEBUS: Let me tell you how that happened. So we were in a meeting yesterday with -- it was with the union leaders and the folks that were talking about...
HANNITY: Wasn't it in this room.
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: It was in this room.
HANNITY: Yes.
PRIEBUS: And President Trump was sitting where you're sitting.
HANNITY: This is the president's seat? OK.
PRIEBUS: And we were talking about Keystone, Dakota, how these projects are just languishing and the fact that they shouldn't be. Especially in the case of Dakota, it's 90 percent done.
HANNITY: Right.
PRIEBUS: They've got the deal, and they can't continue because of a permit. And so the president was talking about these pipelines, talking about the union -- and some of the folks, the workers were here, too, that were actually in the fields. And it was just President Trump saying, Wait a minute. Where is this pipe coming from? He started talking about where the pipe came from.
And at that very moment, like, 48 hours ago, the president said, Well, why aren't we using American steel? Why shouldn't -- shouldn't we be using America pipe? If the American government is involved with making sure that These pipelines continue, then why wouldn't we want to make sure that we're using American pipe and American steel?
So he said, OK, well, let's write an executive order that says wherever you can possibly use American pipe and American steel, we should do it. Someone (INAUDIBLE) Well, maybe there wouldn't be a company that has enough steel. And President Trump said, Don't worry. If we incentivize American companies to build American steel, they're going to do it. And that's how that happened.
HANNITY: Pretty amazing. On the issue of immunity, he's ordering -- directing the Department of Homeland Security to begin the process of building a wall.
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: He doesn't need a bill passed in Congress because we have the 2006 law he can rely on.
PRIEBUS: That's right.
HANNITY: And he wants to increase Border Patrol agents by 5,000. He wants to triple the number of ICE...
PRIEBUS: Add 10,000 more.
HANNITY: 10,000 ICE, executive order that would target sanctuary cities.
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: Meaning? What would that do?
PRIEBUS: What that mean is that so for people out there that may not know this, there's federal grants to cities all over this country, say San Francisco, Los Angeles, others, that say, We're going to take federal money, taxpayer money, for things that we need in our city, but we're going to tell people who are here illegally that even though it's illegal what you're doing, we're not going to force the laws on you that we have in place to remove you if you commit a crime, if you do something (INAUDIBLE) We've got parents that have lost their kids from...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: I did a town hall during the campaign...
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: ... with the president with parents that had lost loved ones.
PRIEBUS: So here's the thing. The question is, should places in this country that ignore the laws of this country, and when it comes to integration, receive federal money into their communities...
HANNITY: Which is no.
PRIEBUS: ... and answer to me is no.
HANNITY: And that's the president.
PRIEBUS: In fact, for people that don't realize it, it's actually been something that's been in the Republican Party platform now for over eight years. So this is not some sort of crazy thinking. The point is, if you defy the laws of this country, you shouldn't receive federal taxpayer dollars from the people of this country.
HANNITY: And if you're offering sanctuary to people that didn't respect American law and sovereignty...
PRIEBUS: That's right.
HANNITY: ... it would happen. OK...
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: ... so in some cases, you have folks that have committing crimes that should otherwise be -- forget about the fact that they're here illegally.
HANNITY: They're harboring criminals!
PRIEBUS: The second thing is they've committed a crime, and in every other jurisdiction (INAUDIBLE) you've committed a crime or a felon (ph), you are -- you now have to leave the country. That's normal, right? I think that's normal. But they're not doing that in (INAUDIBLE)
HANNITY: And that's part of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And coming up, part two of my interview with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus.
And then later tonight...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have outstanding candidates, and we will pick a truly great Supreme Court justice. But I'll be announcing it sometime next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: President Trump has now picked a day to announce his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich -- he'll have a reaction. Plus, Patrick J. Buchanan -- he'll weigh in on President Trump's America first inaugural address promise.
That and more as we continue "Hannity" from our nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HANNITY: And welcome back to "Hannity" as we are broadcasting tonight from our nation's capital. And here is part two of my interview with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: So I know that a lot of people that I've talked to that are conservative, that voted for the president, they -- the main thing that they're looking for -- and we've seen a lot of action in the first five days here -- but the thing that I hear the most is they just want the promises made to be kept -- originalists, they want the vetting of refugees we were talking about, the building of the wall, repealing and replacing "Obama care," the lower tax rates.
How do you get rid of ObamaCare? Because it's a little more complicated...
PRIEBUS: Yes.
HANNITY: ... because of how it was passed? And what will the replacement be?
PRIEBUS: Well, certain parts of it can be repealed by executive order. We also have -- so -- you know, I can't put a percentage on it, but a lot of "Obama care" can be undone through executive order. That's number one.
A lot of it can be done through an action called reconciliation. Now...
HANNITY: Which is how it was passed.
PRIEBUS: Which is how it was passed. Well, right, by they also -- remember, they also had 60 votes in the Senate at the time.
HANNITY: Right.
PRIEBUS: (INAUDIBLE) Christmas Eve or something like that. So they also had the 60 votes. Now, they -- you know, they lost that.
HANNITY: Right.
PRIEBUS: But reconciliation is a tool you can use -- as long as what you're doing is revenue-neutral, isn't policy-driven, you can pass certain things with 50 votes in the Senate. Usually, you need 60. For the special tool, you can use 50 votes in the Senate.
HANNITY: If it's spending-related.
PRIEBUS: That's right. So you can -- you can replace a lot of "Obama care" with the 50-vote rule. You can also use your secretary of Health and Human Services strategically to do things in regard to "Obama care."
HANNITY: Because there's discretion that is written within the bill.
PRIEBUS: That's right.
HANNITY: Yes.
PRIEBUS: And so...
HANNITY: By the way, a lot of people don't know that. That's a big deal.
PRIEBUS: Right. So between executive order, 51 votes reconciliation, Health and Human Services, you can get a lot repealed and replaced and...
HANNITY: So maybe it won't even be a congressional debate over a new bill?
PRIEBUS: Well, I think you'd also then move to that area where you're going to need the 60 votes in the Senate. And so that's -- that's, I think, the formula. The key is, you want to get a much better product using the first three steps. You want to make sure that you've got a better product using the first three steps, and we do.
And so look, ObamaCare is a disaster. We know that. Everybody does. It's one of the reasons why President Trump won the election besides what he brought to the table is also a great issue for him in talking about repealing and replacing "Obama care" with a better product.
HANNITY: Last question. I know a lot of time and attention is being spent to get the economy up and running and building the administration out, not a small undertaking.
But also, there's been some movement on some foreign policy issues. I know you have the prime minister of Great Britain coming in Friday. I know the president has meetings upcoming with the prime minister of Canada, the prime minister of Israel, the president of Mexico, renegotiating trade deals, NAFTA, a bilateral deal perhaps with Great Britain.
What about radical Islamic terrorism, which he mentioned in the State of the -- in his inaugural speech?
PRIEBUS: Well, first of all, I mean, that's a big question. On trade, obviously, we're going to be talking very soon with Senator Hatch and Representative Brady on the Ways and Means, getting noticed in to those committee members so that we can start the process of working on trade deals. So not to bore the listeners with fast track on trade, there's certain little triggers and tripwires that you have to hit in order to do that. And we're going to do all that and we got to wait the 90-day period...
HANNITY: They will all be renegotiated.
PRIEBUS: That's right. And we got to wait the 90-day period and do it, but you got to notify all the particular...
HANNITY: Parties involved.
PRIEBUS: ... (INAUDIBLE) to do it. But certainly...
HANNITY: One question in that. With TPP -- would that mean bilateral...
PRIEBUS: Yes.
HANNITY: ... negotiations with Asian countries.
PRIEBUS: That's right. So you would set up -- you'd have to notify Congress on each of your bilateral deals that you're going to start negotiating with. And once you hit that button, the 90-day waiting period, and then the serious...
HANNITY: Negotiations would begin.
PRIEBUS: ... could (INAUDIBLE) little things here and there, conversations about cars (ph) and -- fine, but serious negotiation can't happen until after the 90-day period.
We're going to have a time of national security coming up on Friday. I expect a series of executive orders to start tackling issues in regard to foreign policy, issues in regard to ISIS and our positioning now through the world, especially through the Middle East.
HANNITY: A big message was sent in the inaugural speech.
PRIEBUS: You bet.
HANNITY: We had a president that wouldn't say "radical Islamic terrorism," and this president will. You liking the job so far? How many hours are you working a day?
PRIEBUS: Probably about 20.
HANNITY: Kind of like during the last two years anyway, right?
PRIEBUS: Yes, right...
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: Going through a 16-way (ph) primary...
HANNITY: No pressure...
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: A lot of the same skills...
HANNITY: ... no conflict, right?
PRIEBUS: A lot of those same skills learned through that process are helpful here. But most importantly, it's an honor working for President Trump. Seriously, this is a person, not (INAUDIBLE) a heart of gold, genuine, sincere, still working 10 feet away from us. I mean, of course, he's -- and when this airs tonight at 10:00 o'clock Eastern...
HANNITY: Oh, he's working.
PRIEBUS: ... he'll be there, still working, working dinner. He doesn't stop. I'm not -- everyone always likes to say that about people, they don't -- he doesn't.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: ... talk to him, right?
PRIEBUS: I wear out 25-year-olds on my staff...
HANNITY: Well, I've known him for a lot of years...
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: He wears out everybody.
HANNITY: The times I would talk to him is 11:00 PM, midnight, 1:00 AM or 5:00 AM.
PRIEBUS: Right.
HANNITY: Those were the...
PRIEBUS: There's nothing unusual about getting a phone call at 11:30 and then 6:15...
HANNITY: Well, I get them at 1:00. I've...
PRIEBUS: Right, there's...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: ... he calls you first because he knows you go to bed earlier!
PRIEBUS: No, actually, I don't, but...
HANNITY: Listen (INAUDIBLE) many phone calls (INAUDIBLE)
PRIEBUS: I'm lucky that I have the same kind of clock as he does.
HANNITY: Good.
PRIEBUS: But here's -- but here's the difference. I'm used to outworking people. So my clock, I can defeat anyone when it comes to work. But not him. So that's -- that's the challenge.
HANNITY: So you don't want to...
PRIEBUS: I've met my match.
HANNITY: You don't like to lose.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: So we have a chief of staff and a president...
PRIEBUS: No, no. I mean as far as...
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: I mean, the guy doesn't stop.
HANNITY: Well, if everyone was working for the country, I think everyone would be better off.
PRIEBUS: Right, but I've always had an advantage on hard work. But he works really, really hard.
HANNITY: Mr. Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus. Thank you so much for being with us.
PRIEBUS: You bet.
HANNITY: Appreciate it.
PRIEBUS: Thanks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And up next tonight right here on "Hannity"...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have outstanding candidates, and we will pick a truly great Supreme Court justice. But I'll be announcing it sometime next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: President Trump has picked the date he will announce his Supreme Court pick. That's coming up next Thursday.
When we come back, former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will weigh in.
And then later tonight...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first! America first!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: President Trump is keeping his promise to always put America first. Patrick J. Buchanan will be here later.
That and more as "Hannity" continues tonight from our nation's capital, sin city, Washington, D.C.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Sometime next week. I will be making my decision this week. We'll be announcing next week. We have outstanding candidates, and we will pick a truly great Supreme Court justice. But I'll be announcing it sometime next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." That was President Donald Trump speaking with reporters yesterday in the Oval Office. Earlier today, the president tweeted that he will announce his pick for the Supreme Court coming up next week on Thursday.
Joining us now with reaction, the author of "Treason," the "New York Times best-seller, former speaker of the House, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich. How are you? Good to...
NEWT GINGRICH, R-FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: I'm doing great.
HANNITY: I love being in your home town.
GINGRICH: Oh, it's great to (INAUDIBLE)
HANNITY: You know, so I said to Reince, you know, this is a shock and awe at the speed of light. Washington's not really used to this pace, is it.
GINGRICH: No. The country's not used to this pace. This is -- you know, every day, he gets up, he throws himself into this stuff, gets four or five hours sleep, jumps back up and does it again. And you see the cumulative effect. You see (INAUDIBLE) the Dow groups past 20,000. People have more confidence, biggest rise in small business confidence in the history of taking it.
HANNITY: And 57 percent job approval.
GINGRICH: So people begin to go, Hey, this guy is real.
HANNITY: You know, but you actually have a word for it. You've been giving a series of speeches. I know it's on your Web site. I link it to my website -- Trumpism.
GINGRICH: Yes, I think -- I think that there is a larger system -- this is not just a personality, but he has a way of thinking that's he's developed over a lifetime of work. It is populist and conservative, but it's also very practical. You know, he says, I want to get X done, he goes out and puts it together. He says, I want to get the best people in the country. Look at the quality of his cabinet. Again and again, I think he focuses in a very practical, very energetic leadership way that's different than anything we've seen.
HANNITY: But if you add up the jobs between Carrier, Ford again, for a second time now has come back and they're going to build another plant...
GINGRICH: Right.
HANNITY: GM's going to invest a billion. Apple is speaking about it, Alibaba, Fiat Chrysler, Foxconn, a $7 billion plant. All these jobs might add up to, by the time it's all said and done, 2 million jobs created, and he just got there. Why is that happening?
GINGRICH: I think it's happening because two things. One, the relief at the end of the Obama-Clinton world, people looked up and suddenly said, Oh, my God, it's not going to be terrible for four more years. Because I think people were gripping (ph), thinking this is going to be horrible.
Two, they're watching a real business person, I mean, a real -- I first encountered this back in the spring, when I would into people who'd say, I don't care what he says, I am for him, he's a businessman, he's's practical. He what we need.
And so you're seeing people watch a guy who's keeping his word -- I just did a talk today at Heritage on this whole idea that if you read the inaugural address and you go back and you look at the Gettysburg speech he made and you look at other speeches...
HANNITY: That as about...
GINGRICH: ... there is a continuity...
HANNITY: ... the voter fraud issue. Yes.
GINGRICH: Well, on the voter fraud issue, he tweets today basically what he talked about yesterday, which he really...
HANNITY: And he said to ABC News. Yes!
GINGRICH: ... talked about in Gettysburg. And there's a continuity building, and people like that in a president. They want a leader who knows where he's going, understands it may be difficult, works his tail off, brings in the best talent he finds. And if he has to, he finds new solutions if the first wave doesn't work.
HANNITY: Keystone pipeline, Dakota pipeline, TPP, immigration, executive orders, Obamacare -- they are moving on that. Every single promise, it seems like there's a list that is being checked off in five days.
GINGRICH: There is a list. Remember, this is all the beginning. There's a lot of stuff to go. He is probably affected one-tenth of one percentage of all federal regulations. His stated goal this week is 75 percent. That is a huge change. I just talked to a whole group of scientists who are very skeptical as you might imagine. And I said to them 11 to 15 percent of your overhead if federal regulations. Why don't you find 75 percent of them to get rid of, then you take that money and put it in your lab instead of having to send it to the federal government?
HANNITY: Is very reminiscent to me, because I lived through it with you in '94, and your governance in '95.
GINGRICH: He has more energy.
HANNITY: That's fine. I know because he doesn't sleep, so maybe that's true. But you had a lot of energy yourself, and you still do. But this is revolutionary, fundamental, transformative.
GINGRICH: Yes, all of those things. This is already a historic presidency changing the direction of the United States.
HANNITY: So you are the last speaker to balance a budget for this country. They're talking about a 10 percent reduction on spending across the board, a 20 percent reduction in the federal labor force. Does that, -- do all of these things, economic growth and energy --
GINGRICH: You grow, that brings more money because people who are able work increases your tax base. You open up energy with people like Governor Perry, you get better trade deals, and you start controlling the government. You do those things and they have a pass to a balanced budget.
HANNITY: How long does it take? It took Reagan two and a half years.
GINGRICH: I think, well, two-and-a-half years to get the economy going. We balanced the budget in about four years.
HANNITY: You told me you spoke to Trump today. Can you tell us about it?
GINGRICH: We talked about a number of things.
HANNITY: President Trump.
GINGRICH: He is so proud. He asked me how it was going, and I said fabulous. And he said he had just been talking about the Ford deal. He's so proud of the specific building blocks he's putting in place. And I think he feels very good about it. You have a great interview with him tomorrow.
HANNITY: Thank you. I'm looking forward to it. All right, Mr. Speaker, good to you see, appreciate it.
GINGRICH: Good to see you again, as well.
HANNITY: When we come back, Patrick J. Buchanan, he'll just us up next in studio. And also later tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders, gets back its borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: President Trump, he says America will start retaking control of its borders. Bill Bennett will join us later to weigh in on that and much more as “Hannity” continues from our nation's capital, straight ahead.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We assembled here today our issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: That was President Trump during his inaugural address, vowing to always put America first. And of course the left, the liberal alt-left radical mainstream media, they are losing their minds over the president's patriotic promise. Patrick J. Buchanan, he is offering up a much different take in an op-ed entitled "Trump, America for the Americans." The author of "The Greatest Comeback" Patrick J. Buchanan in studio. Good to see you my friend.
PATRICK J. BUCHANAN: Good to see you, Sean.
HANNITY: Are you doing OK?
BUCHANAN: I'm doing fine.
HANNITY: There is a lot of conservatism, populism, Buchananism in that America first line, something you've fought for for years.
BUCHANAN: What it is is economic nationalism, economic patriotism, but at the same time I'm still a conservative, Goldwater conservative, if you will, Reagan conservative, Nixon-Agnew conservative. We believe in small government. We believe in cutting spending. We believe in balanced budgets. We believe in Supreme Court justices like Scalia. But I also believe in tariffs. On the border now, I came to that view around 1990, 91, 92. A tariff on manufactured products coming into the products, use all the money to cut taxes or eliminate them on small business.
HANNITY: He pulled out of TPP. He's going to have bilateral negotiations now. Britain has left --
BUCHANAN: Excellent idea. The Brits are good friends. And I've had friends that have argued for an Anglo-sphere, Britain, Canada, the United States. And in those countries, you do different trade deals they may be you do in the entire countries. Globalization is going to have to go out, and you work on the basis of American --
HANNITY: Look at all these companies. Now that there's going to be a 75 percent plus reduction in regulation in our government and a corporate tax rate from the highest in the industrialized world to one of the lowest, these corporations are dying to sign up and brag that they are building their factories here.
BUCHANAN: If you have a 20 percent tariff you had on $500 billion, what is it, $2.5 trillion, you get $500 billion in revenue, you can eliminate the corporate taxes on all small businesses, cut the corporate tax rates in the United States to 10 percent. You'd have companies coming into the United States putting up their factories here and the guys going abroad, they'd be coming back. It's how Hamilton did it.
HANNITY: It's interesting because the media wants to focus on crowd size. The media is focused on the superfluous. And meanwhile, look at these executive orders on TPP, on Obamacare. You at the refugee executive, the hold and the freeze and banning visas from certain countries. Immigration, building that wall, it's finally going to happen. And he doesn't even need the approval of Congress.
BUCHANAN: You know something, Hamilton said I think it was in "Federalist 70" that the defining characteristic of good government is energy in the executive. Whatever you say about Donald Trump this week, there has been energy and fire and decisions and actions. It looks like they prepared these things, they worked on them and then they started them right down the chute as soon as they got into them. It is very heartening. Hope and change is what it's all about.
HANNITY: Is that what it is, Pat?
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: Is that what you're going to call it?
How do you view how this is going? Because I would say there will be a direct correlation, if he continues to keep these promises, we will find out next week his Supreme Court pick. If it's an originalist like Scalia, what are all these never Trump National Review, Weekly Standard, Wall Street Journal guys?
BUCHANAN: This is one of the things, everybody in the Republican Party I think believes Scalia, and every conservative, was a great justice --
HANNITY: But they swore Trump would never do it, and he gave us the list.
BUCHANAN: He's going to surprise them. But I'll tell you where they walk off the reservation. The neocons, of course, they've got a lot of new wars planned that we not be getting into, and the tariffs on the border don't sit well with the Wall Street Journal editorial page, but on other issues, and I do argue this, the conservatives on Capitol Hill, McConnell and the speaker, we ought to work with them and ought to bring them in and have a coalition. They are not going to agree with everything Trump --
HANNITY: Do you think they will try and undermine Donald Trump, because I would argue right here and right now that there are a lot of establishment Republicans, he already has the media establishment against him, the Democratic establishment against him, but they're also a Republican establishment that will fight him tooth and nail. True or false?
BUCHANAN: First, I would work on all the guys on the Hill that want to work with you, and I think we've all got a lot of things in common we want to do. But there's no question about it, Donald Trump starts down in the polls, and a lot of these guys have a real habit of looking for lifeboats, Sean.
HANNITY: They've spent their whole life.
BUCHANAN: They'll sweep in the lifeboats, a lot of them, the really do.
HANNITY: Have you ever seen a president come out of the gate this fast?
BUCHANAN: Not this fast. In St. Louis when Lyndon Johnson came out and passed everything, we couldn't an editorial written before he got it through. But I've never seen anything this first week that's this dramatic and exciting.
HANNITY: Good to see you in Washington.
BUCHANAN: Good to see you, my friend.
HANNITY: And up next tonight right here on “Hannity.”
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders, gets back its borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: President Trump keeping his campaign promises to secure America's borders. Bill Bennett will have a reaction, that and more as “Hannity” continues tonight from our nation's capital.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders, gets back its borders.
Together, we will save thousands and thousands of lives. When it comes to public safety, there is no place for politics. No Republicans, no Democrats, just citizens, and good citizens. We want safe communities, and we demand safe communities for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: That was President Trump earlier today at the Department of Homeland Security. The president is keeping his word, moving quickly to fulfill his promises. This includes ending the violence in America's cities. Last night with shootings and murders in Chicago exploding, the president tweeted, quote, "If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible carnage doing on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings up 24 percent from 2016, I will send in the feds."
Joining us now with reaction, former secretary of education, former drug czar Bill Bennett, and a Fox News contributor. Bill, we lost during Obama's presidency in Chicago 4,000 human lives and many thousands of others injured. And if they are not willing to go in there in fix it and President Obama wasn't willing to pay attention to Chicago as he did Trayvon Martin and Ferguson and Baltimore and the Cambridge police, is this the right thing for the president to do?
BILL BENNETT, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, obviously he needs to be concerned about too much federal incursion. But yes, sure. Look, the first responsibility in the federal government is the safety and security of the people. And when the states and locales can't do it, feds come in.
By the way, they were very eager to send in the feds, Sean, into Missouri and elsewhere to do investigations of local police departments and other things. Here's a good use of federal authority and federal power. Notice the change of tone, Sean, too, in Rahm Emanuel and his reaction, saying he would welcome this kind of help. It's really horrendous what's going on there.
HANNITY: It's horrendous they've ignored it.
BENNETT: In 2016, and now 2017 is starting off even worse.
HANNITY: Crazy. Let's go to the issue of the president keeping his promises, TPP, the Keystone pipeline, Dakota pipeline, of course controlling our borders, beginning the process of building a wall, sanctuary cities and everything that's associated with it, his commitment to vetting refugees from states that either have a proven past of training terrorists or terrorist links, and then of course on health care and regulations -- seems like a pretty long list of promises he is fulfilling in week one. What are your thoughts?
BENNETT: A couple of comments. A couple of comments. My gosh, he is governing. Remember during the campaign, all that stuff about how he's never been elected to everything, how will he govern, he won't know what to do? He is teaching the professional politicians what it means to govern.
You see "Atlantic" magazine, not kind to him particularly, said, you know, like it or not, whether you think he's a good guy or not, he is doing what he said he would do. And this to me is the most important thing. I said way back to you when Reagan did the aircraft controllers, people said, my gosh, he's serious, he really meant it. This guy is serious and really means it.
By the way, this sanctuary cities thing, I'm so glad it's a high priority. And don't forget sanctuary universities. Remember Ohio state and other places, a lot of people are hiding out.
HANNITY: There's some disagreement within conservative ranks as it relates to immigration, I support the building of the wall and his position on it, and immediately criminal aliens will be deported. Where are you on all these border issues and the argument, well, that's going to alienate Hispanic voters?
BENNETT: I don't think it well. First of all, a lot of Hispanic voters, Hispanic voters here legally do not have any particular affection for people who come in illegally. They want this thing done sensibly and rationally. That's a great place to start. I'm with you.
Listen, the schisms in this conservative community still exist. I've thinned out my rolodex, Sean. I don't have that many people who go out to lunch with me anymore in the neocon movement, so stick around.
(LAUGHTER)
BENNETT: It's OK.
HANNITY: If they dislike you, they despise me. I had all these people after me during the election. It is going to be interesting. And pointing to the Supreme Court, which I believe it will be -- we saw the names before the election. These people really have some explaining to do at "National Review," at "The Wall street Journal," Bill Kristol and these other people, because Hillary, we know, would have appointed of radical leftist justice.
BENNETT: I weep because you're talking about my friends, but every sinner has a future. Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future. Let's hope people turn around. But you are absolutely. You're right on target, Sean, because one of the things people said was look, Bill, no matter what you think of Trump, he is not a conservative. But look at these appointments to the cabinet, Sean. Look at that list. You are right. You're right about yourself. You are beyond the pale. But to you, I know it's tough, but you brought yourself up. You are out there.
HANNITY: I think I was more right about Obama and Obama was worse than even I said. All right, good to see you, Bill Bennett, thank you.
And coming up, we have more “Hannity” right after this break. Please stay with us as we continue from our nation's capital.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to “Hannity.” Unfortunately that's all the time we have left this evening. Quick programming note. We hope you'll tune in tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. eastern. My cable exclusive interview with President Donald Trump from the White House, that's tomorrow night, 10:00 eastern.
As always, thanks for being with us, and we'll see you back here tomorrow night. The Super Bowl is coming soon.
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