Kellyanne Conway: Incomplete press coverage harms America

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Kellyanne Conway: Incomplete press coverage harms America

Senior counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway discusses the booming economy and bias within the media.

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," August 3, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JEANINE PIRRO, HOST: Welcome to this special edition of "Hannity," Trump versus the left. I'm Jeanine Pirro in tonight for Sean.

From day one, President Trump has never been afraid to call out biased members of the press when they distort his record or report fake news, and during a rally last night in Pennsylvania, the president once again stood up to those in the media who want nothing more than to see him fail. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I met with NATO. Now it NATO in all fairness, 29 countries including us. NATO has been ripping us, we've been defending Europe and they are not paying their bills. So I went in and I said, folks, you have to pay up, you are delinquent. So I said to my wife, you know, I just raised like a couple hundred billion dollars, and it was so easy. It was so easy. I said honey, wait until you see the press I got on this. It's going to be great.

And here's what the fake news said. They said, Donald Trump, our president, was extremely rude to presidents and prime ministers, and I'm in a couple of cases, dictators. But that's all right. Donald Trump was very new rude. They don't talk about the money I raised. I was rude. And I wasn't.

Actually, I have a better relationship with every one of them than any other president. I was asked to have tea with the Queen, who is incredible, by the way. So, I was about 15 minutes early and I'm waiting with my wife, and that's fine. Hey, it's the queen, we can wait. We then go up and we have tea. I didn't know this, it was supposed to last 15 minutes but it lasted an hour because we got along. We got along.

So here was the story by the fake news. The president was 15 minutes late for the queen. Wrong. And then, here's the rest of the story. No, here's the rest. Here's the rest of the story. So, they said I was late when I was actually early, number one.

Number two, I guess the meeting was scheduled for 15 minutes and it lasted almost an hour. The president overstayed. But they can make anything bad because they are the fake, fake, disgusting news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: As you might imagine the very thin skinned media in this country does not take well to criticism. And over the last 24 hours they lashed out against President Trump and his allies, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC HOST: I know that the dangerous blustering bigot on the stage last night is even more boorish and less connected to reality than he was ten years ago. Donald Trump is not well and everyone close to him says it.

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Your president announced his campaign by talking about building a wall --

JASON MILLER, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: My president? He's our president, Angela. He is the president of the UNITED STATES.

RYE: No, he's not mine. Not mine. I will never claim a bigot, ever. The same bigots who are sending people back away from their children are the ones who brought my ancestors here. Congratulations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That speech the president gave in Pennsylvania, there were children behind him. I saw at least three children, two twin girls, I can get those kids out of my mind and I hope those people do more than just listen to him at a rally because our president stood up there and lied and I can only hope those Americans have access to the truth because that's not what the president gave them at that rally.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC'S "HARDBALL" HOST: President Trump is acting like a ship's captain in a typhoon. There's something nervous in all this, an edge of fear not seen in the American White House since the last dark, dank, dog days of Watergate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: While many in the media push anti-Trump victory all every day, White House Secretary Sarah Sanders was quick to remind them what happens when the language of the left spins out of control. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The media has attacked me personally on a number of occasions including your own network that I should be harassed as a life sentence, that I should be choked. ICE officials are not welcome in their place of worship and personal information is shared on the internet. When I was hosted by the Correspondents Association of which almost all of you are members of, you brought a comedian up to attack my appearance and called me a traitor to my own agenda.

In fact, as far as I know I'm the first press secretary in the history of the United States that has required Secret Service protection. The media continues to ratchet up the verbal assault against the president and everyone in this administration and certainly we have a role to play but the media has a role to play for the discourse in this country as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Naturally those comments from Sanders were met with even more resentment, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because she says she speaks on behalf of the president and he's made comments clear, his comments has been in time again as the press is the enemy of the people. Even in these times an extraordinary moment when the White House Press Secretary will not say that the working press is not the enemy of the people.

JON MEACHAM, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It's pernicious, it's dangerous, and this is not media elite people defending media elite people. It's simply Stalinist phrase for god sake. It comes out of totalitarian regimes to declare that a free press is the enemy of the people

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: And if you think that's bad, it's even worse that some of America's biggest newspapers. May I introduce you to the next editorial board member of "The New York Times," Sarah Jeong. In 2015 she tweeted "I was equating Trump to Hitler before it was cool." She also lashed out against white people, tweeting "hashtag cancel white people." And "Our white people genetically predisposed to burn faster in the sun, thus logically being only being fit to live underground like traveling goblins?" She also tweeted out her hatred for police, writing" [bleep] the police" and, "cops are [bleep]." "The New York Times" just defended hiring that person.

Meanwhile the worst example of media bias this week is something called bias of omission. For example, CNN spent less than a minute covering the ceremony where Vice President Pence received the purported remains of fallen American servicemen who died during the Korean War. MSNBC didn't cover it at all.

The mainstream media is also happy to largely ignore the president's soaring new approval rating. They are also playing down America's a record-setting economy. The unemployment rate is now an incredibly low 3.9%. Joining us now with more as Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway. Good evening, Kellyanne.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: Good evening and thanks for having me. And congratulations on your seller book. Amazing.

PIRRO: Thank you, Kellyanne. Listen, what we heard over the last couple of days was stunning enough but the reaction of the press to Sarah Sanders in the reaction by the press when they are now saying that everyone close to the president knows that he is not well, like Mika Brzezinski, and the claim that the president is not well by Chris Matthews, do we really think that those 10,000 people cheering in Pennsylvania and Wilkes-Barre were stupid and couldn't figure out if this president were smart with the program or not with the program?

CONWAY: Well that's the thing, judge. All across the country, and I traveled frequently out on behalf of the White House, and you see the president out hosting quite a bit now who (INAUDIBLE) Valley this week, tomorrow in Ohio.

PIRRO: Right.

CONWAY: He was in Florida and Pennsylvania already this week, and he does that for a very specific reason. He takes the case directly to the people, cuts out the middleman and let's face it. The middleman doesn't like it. Cut that to middleman when he communicates with all of us as a very same time what's on his mind at any given moment through his vast social media platform. Cuts out the middleman.

And I don't want to lose sight of how much affection and appreciation there is in this country for the president and his policy.

PIRRO: Yes.

CONWAY: People know they feel and they're living exactly what you just said, a booming economy. The predictions were doomed. The reality is boom. And people know it. I went through the crowd last night in Pennsylvania, they are there because they are appreciative of having options in this job market. They are appreciative of having more money in their pockets and their bank account that gives them freedom and confidence and buoyancy. And it won't matter who tells them that that's not the truth. If they see it in their 401(k)s and they see it in their paychecks, they see it in their home values.

The other thing is, I know there's a lot of hand-wringing about or the media bias, and this, that and the other. I mean, is the ocean wet? But the fact is the bias of selectivity is the one that I've been taking about--

PIRRO: Yes.

CONWAY: -- since the campaign sent me through the administration and assist. You can look at biased coverage but I think what's harming America is what I refer to as incomplete coverage, the omission of all the stories that are actually news that you can use. Details and facts and figures that people need to know as Americans, so the administration and the media each vast platform, ours are much bigger frankly which is probably also bothering some of these other folks in their rakings and their revenues.
But we have responsibilities to make sure people get information.

PIRRO: Kellyanne, let me just interrupt you for a second.

CONWAY: They're not just doing that.

PIRRO: They're not doing it but, you know, when you talk about what's going on in this country, I mean forget about the media that, you know, it's just totally focused against Donald Trump. And I want ask you, I want to get on another subject in a minute.

But the animal spirits that are going on, the instincts in this country, with the economy, when the president talked about valley forge on the role of steel in Pennsylvania, I mean is -- he is integrating the two issues. The economy and, you know, a patriotism. And I thought it was brilliant the way he did it.

But I want to go on to this woman with the New York Times is going on the editorial board of the New York Times, Sarah Jeong. You know, most journalists operate under the guidance of the Editorial Board and this woman is anti-cop, she's anti-white, she's anti-men, everything that she said is explosive and her tweets and yet the New York Times is supporting her on their Editorial Board. So has the gray lady flipped her lid, what are they doing?

CONWAY: Well, it's a little shocking that the bias of this particular writer would be so flagrant and blatant. I mean usually they try to hide a little bit better. I'm surprised she still has a job only because, you can stay on the hand one, Jeanine, that this is an opinion, right, she's just expressing her opinion. On the other hand, you and I can sit here with hardly even thinking about it and come up with 10, 15 or 20 instances where people lost their job over, as much as or frankly less than that. Less than that. And everyone knows it.

And I do want to shine a light in case viewers and listeners missed it, Marc Caputo, a writer at Politico who I know years ago, I used to do polling for the Miami Herald and the champion (INAUDIBLE) at the time. I knew him years ago in Florida as reporting, now reports for Politico. He referred to the Trump supporters in Florida, if you put them all together you would have a full set of teeth. He said that. And then when people attacked him and asked him to retract that on social media, he doubled down and said, did I hurt your feelings? He called them garbage, garbage people. He said that I heard the garbage people's feelings? Let me go get a fainting couch. He said right at his job.

This is a level of discourse. And let me tell you something, not everybody in the media is the same, not every day in the industry is the same.

PIRRO: Right.

CONWAY: But there is this growing sameness between what is covered in what is excluded from the coverage that is harming. But it's shocking to me that people still have a job and what is called reporting -- it's not shocking to me that the media has a 17% approval rating, theirs is going down staying the same where the presidents is actually rising as you said. And to not cover the repatriation and the vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, leading our fallen heroes as they the remains came to Hawaii this week from North Korea.

That is (INAUDIBLE) duty for anybody you call themselves a reporter.

(CROSSTALK)

PIRRO: Their mission, Kellyanne. Their mission. It's about trashing the president and trashing the people who elected him president and that's dangerous.

CONWAY: We live through a campaign, it won't work. You know what? We prefer positive candidates in this country since 1960 all the way to 2016 with the exception of 1972, this electorate has always chosen the presidential candidate who they found more positive --

PIRRO: Let me ask you. All right.

CONWAY: And just stunning.

PIRRO: So, knowing what you know --

CONWAY: Goa head.

PIRRO: -- and this (INAUDIBLE) that we have, and the president's first term historically is party loses midterm, what do you think it will happen in 2018? You're the poster here.

CONWAY: Sure. We know the historic number as we know that Obama lost 63 seats, that was a shellacking. Clinton lost 54 seats and control of the House, but they had also taken action around the mainstream. They didn't give historic tax cuts, historic deregulation to try to bring peace and dark corners around the world --

PIRRO: So you see it doing it differently for this president?

CONWAY: Well, I do. I do. And I tell you, I do. The one thing that we're up against that we cannot control our 42 Republican House retirements, that's devastating. But this is a president doesn't follow trends, he makes the trends. He doesn't repeat history, he's made history. And he will be out there doing his level best as well as the vice president--

(CROSSTALK)

PIRRO: So you think is going to make history in the midterms. All right. Kellyanne Conway --

CONWAY: Absolutely. And by the way nobody is predicting 60 seat losses. Have you noticed?

PIRRO: Yes.

CONWAY: They're not doing that. And I think we'll pick in the Senate as well and get direct (INAUDIBLE) on the Supreme Court. Thank you.

PIRRO: All right, Kellyanne, you got it all in. Coming up on this special edition of "Hannity," Trumps legal team will reportedly decide within days whether the president will sit down with an interview with Robert Mueller. Gregg Garrett and Tom Fenton weigh in on that and more. And don't forget be sure to pick up a copy of my new book, "Liars, Leakers and Liberals." They have it backwards. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: Welcome back to the special edition of "Hannity". The left is desperate to draw out Russia collusion hoax as long as I can because it gives them something to talk about. Rudy Giuliani told Politico the president's legal team will decide in the next 10 days with the Trump will sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller. Plus today marks the close of day number four of the Manafort trial. Joining us now live from Washington with the latest on that and more is Ellison Barber fox. Ellison?

Ellison Barber, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: So for months President Trump's legal team has come back and forth on whether or not the president will sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller. One thing at issue for the president's legal team are the questions investigators plan to ask him. The president's personal attorney sent a letter to Mueller asking about the scope and format of an interview. Sources tell Fox News Special Counsel had now responded to that letter and that Mueller agreed to have some questions answered in writing.

There are new reports tonight, the special counsel team spoke with the known as the Manhattan Madam on Wednesday. Her name is Kristin Davis. She run a high-end prostitution ring in New York City. You might know her name because it came up during the Eliot Spitzer scandal to reach out to the special counsel about it. They declined to comment. We're working on trying to figure out more on this in general. But according to reports, investigators are interested in Davis' ties to Trump ally, Roger Stone.

All of this as the president former campaign chairman Paul Manafort finishes his fourth day before a federal judge in Virginia. Manafort's accountant testified with immunity this afternoon and she said she falsified documents to help Manafort secure a loan and also classified income as a load which would lower Manafort's taxes.

Manafort is facing is facing charges related to financial fraud. He denies any wrongdoing. Manafort was of course indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But the things we usually think of when we talk about the special counsel, Russia, and President Trump, those really haven't been topics at the trial but they are certainly, judge, elephants in the room.

PIRRO: Thanks so much. And joining us now with reaction is the author of the New York Times best seller, "The Russia Hoax, The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump", Fox News legal analyst, Gregg Jarrett and Judicial Watch president, Tom Fenton.

OK. You know, we just heard from Ellison Barber, all right, and I will start with you, Tom. Can you please tell me why Robert Mueller and the special counsel is prosecuting a case where an account is talking about falsified records having nothing to do with Donald Trump or Russia?

TOM FENTON, JUDICIAL WATCH PRESIDENT: Well, the special counsel doesn't need to be prosecuting that case. A U.S. Attorney could have --

PIRRO: Then why is he?

FENTON: He's trying to justify his existence so he can continue to be around the operation generally to target President Trump. You know, the question about whether he has interviewed by Robert Mueller is answered by the report that we just heard that he is fishing around with this Madam up in New York. What an outrage. This is not what anyone signed up for. And the idea that he's allowed to do this fishing expedition, to me isn't an egregious abuse of justice and the rule of law. (INAUDIBLE) going to reign more in.

PIRRO: All right. We know that. But Gregg, Rosenstein is the one who expanded the original special counsel order and a few weeks ago I said I', sick of talking about porn starts and hookers. Why are they doing this?

GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: Well it's completely abusive by both. The unscrupulous Robert Mueller and this team of partisans as well as Rod Rosenstein who should have just disqualified himself in a moment he appointed Mueller. And you can't be a witness and a prosecutor simultaneously. But this just underscores that the president should not be interviewed by Robert Mueller.

PIRRO: And that is the question. So you don't think he should?

JARRETT: Yes. No and here's why. Mueller has charged and is prosecuting Michael Flynn for lying even though Flynn told the truth. FBI agents who interviewed Flynn walked out and said he was telling the truth. Mueller doesn't care about the truth, he doesn't care about justice.

PIRRO: But Flynn plead guilty.

JARRETT: So if the president sits down with Mueller and tells the truth, Mueller will file a report with Congress saying the president is lying. It doesn't matter what Trump said.

PIRRO: OK. Tom Fenton, but you can't indict a president, a sitting president. I mean that is -- that is clear under the law, and decisions. So what are we doing here?

FENTON: Well, I don't think the president should cooperate in helping Mueller right has impeachment report, and the Mueller operations Gregg notes it's thoroughly corrupted. The whole superstructure of the Mueller operations has been corrupted by Strzok, by Steele, the Clinton DNC dossier, Comey ceiling records to get Mueller appointed, Mueller's conflicts, the partnership of the prosecutors he has, and for what -- si the president going to be questioned.

The justice department should protect President Trump from this continued harassment and to shut Mueller down.

PIRRO: But they're not going to do it.

FENTON: No other prosecutor would be allowed to harass the president with questions about issues that he can't be indicted on, this is crazy.

PIRRO: All right, Gregg. So, Tom is right, that the DOJ should protect the president and they're obviously not doing that, OK. So, the president should not sit down with Mueller.

JARRETT: Right. There's no legal basis --

PIRRO: What benefit does he get?

JARRETT: Well, I mean from this standpoint, he feels like he is innocent and unfairly persecuted. He would tell you, I don't know any Russians, I didn't talk to anyone, I didn't collude and if anyone in my campaign did, I didn't know about it. You know, when you're -- I represented a few innocent people and they wanted to scream from the rooftops, I'm innocent. And that's how President Trump feels. However as an inferior officer, Mueller has no legal right to question the president about exercising a constitutional authority to fire somebody.

PIRRO: All right. So if the president decides as Rudy has said in the next 10 days and probably nine days, then what happens? Does Mueller subpoena the president then we go right to the mid-terms?

JARRETT: Mueller does not have the appetite the subpoena the president because Mueller knows he'd lose in federal court.

PIRRO: OK. Now, Tom, I'm going to go back to you. Judicial Watch, and you know I'm always complementing you for what you do because you get stuff that Congress can't get which makes me crazy because Congress has oversight but we will save that for another time. Now, new documents, talk to me. What did you find out today and your freedom of information request?

FENTON: Well, the FBI just gave us heavily redacted documents. Two pages were unredacted of 70 about FBI contacts with the Christopher Steele, the dossier operative that worked for Hillary. They were spending money on steel. They met with them 13 times in 2016. Eleven of those visits ended in cash going out to Steele, it looks like.

PIRRO: From the FBI?

FENTON: And then in November they decided they couldn't use them as a source anymore because they broke the rules by disclosing his relationship with the FBI.

PIRRO: OK. All right. Tom stop --

FENTON: And we know that after that, they continued to use them but the documents are pretty devastating in that regard.

PIRRO: OK. So Tom so you are saying the FBI gave Christopher Steele, the guy who got the money indirectly from Hillary Clinton and the DNC, who is a British spy then goes to Russia to have the document made, got cash from the FBI 11 times?

FENTON: Yes. The Obama FBI were cofounders of Christopher Steele's Russia investigation into the Clinton DNC operation.

PIRRO: Your book, the Russia Hoax, my book, "Liars, Leakers and Liberals." if we had had that, we could have done another chapter.

JARRETT: Sure we could. You know, Christopher Steele wrote this totally phony document that the FBI used and was not only on the payroll of Hillary Clinton, he as on the payroll of the FBI investigating seven months before the Trump-Russia collusion case was formally open.

PIRRO: You know, what sad commentary. Anyway, Gregg Jarrett, Tom Fenton, two terrific sources for us.

Coming up, new numbers out today prove the Trump economy is moving, but that isn't stopping the Democrats from trying to downplay the president's successes. Sebastian Gorka and Congressman Ron DeSantis, and Matt Gaetz when we return as this special edition of "Hannity," Trump versus the left, continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our economy is soaring, our jobs are booming, factories are pouring back into our country, they are coming from all over the world.

Remember when they said manufacturing is dead, is it? Well, who's going to make things? I mean, tell me. Manufacturing is dead, they said. We've added 400,000 incredible jobs. African-American, Hispanic, Asian. You have the lowest level of unemployment in the history of our country. How does someone fight that, right?

The women's unemployment rate, I'm sorry women. Damn it! It's the lowest in only 65 years. Not history. Sorry. But is 65 years -- I'm doing my best.

The veteran's unemployment rate has reached the lowest level in 18 years and that's going to go up very well.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: More than 3.5 million Americans have been lifted off of food stamps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST: That was Donald Trump last night in Pennsylvania touting his economic successes. And today, new economic numbers reveal that the economy is booming. Just look at some of these statistics.

One hundred fifty seven thousand jobs were added in July and the unemployment rate is down to 3.9 percent. Hispanic unemployment hit a new record low in July.

Earlier today, President Trump tweeted a about the great economic news, writing, quote, "July is just the ninth month since 1970 that unemployment has fallen below 4 percent. Our economy has added 3.7 million jobs since I won the election, 4.1 GDP, more than four million people have received a pay raise due to tax reform. Four hundred billion dollars brought back from overseas."

Of course, the left is trying to figure out how to spin these great economic numbers for Trump with some Democrats even claiming that workers are, quote, "losing their jobs."

Joining us now is the author of "Why We Fight," Fox News security strategist, Sebastian Gorka, and former Obama economic adviser Austan Goolsbee. Austan, you know, I want to go to you first.

AUSTAN GOOLSBEE, FORMER BARACK OBAMA CHIEF ECONOMIST: OK.

PIRRO: So, OK. So, you remember what he said to the inner-city, to African-Americans what do you have to lose. And now, African-American unemployment the lowest in history. And I'm not going to repeat all the numbers. Please tell me how are you going to say that Donald Trump is not a good president at least for the economy?

GOOLSBEE: Well, I'm kind of surprised that you are choosing today's job number because today's job number was actually a whiff; it was almost 40,000 below what was expected and this by almost 20 percent

(CROSSTALK)

PIRRO: Well, that's expectations, that doesn't mean it's not a plus.

GOOLSBEE: A 157,000 is OK. Now if we had this conversation last Friday I would be totally on board with you, that we had a great GDP job growth number.

(CROSSTALK)

SEBASTIAN GORKA, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST: The economy tank this last month--

(CROSSTALK)

PIRRO: Are we just going to say--

(CROSSTALK)

GOOLSBEE: And the president should be proud of that number.

PIRRO: OK. Austan, I know you have a tough job tonight but we're going to have to go after you. OK. Sebastian, hit it.

GORKA: Can't we just be happy for all Americans, just for once? I mean, really, the New York Times has to hire races for its editorial board, I get it. But let's talk about the economy. Let's get back into the real world.

I've just read your book, you know the president, you've known him a long time. He wants success for all Americans. This is all the left doesn't get it. I worked for him. I took the job with him for one reason because he doesn't care if you voted for him or not.

You could have wanted Bernie to be president or you may have voted for Hillary, but he wants you to succeed. He wants you to be safe and he wants you to prosper. That's the president. And the left will never believe it, judge.

PIRRO: Well, let me ask you this, Austan, when the Democrats start running, and they are running now obviously for 2018 which is why the president has already started this push. I mean, how do they -- do they just ignore the economy, or do they talk about maybe ISIS is coming back? What do they say?

GOOLSBEE: I think what they would say is the numbers you quoted where you said four million people have gotten a raise. There's 150 million workers in the country. If you look at job creation rates or wage growth, both of those have actually slowed down in the 18 months that we've been under Donald Trump.

PIRRO: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

GOOLSBEE: So I think they'll probably highlight those facts.

PIRRO: OK. And do you think that America -- and I'm going to let Sebastian answer that. Do you think America actually agrees with Nancy about, it's just crumbs? It's just crumbs. Would they rather not see extra money in their paychecks?

GORKA: After you, Austan.

PIRRO: Austan?

GOOLSBEE: I thought you said Sebastian.

(CROSSTALK)

PIRRO: No, I said I'll go to Sebastian--

GOOLSBEE: Yes. They would like to see more money in their paychecks. They haven't. Their corporate profits are at record levels as the share of GDP, and the wage share of the economy is the lowest that it's ever been.

(CROSSTALK)

GORKA: OK. Let's get down to brass tacks.

GOOLSBEE: That part is not -- Trump should emphasize that growth is fast and the Democrats will emphasize that wages have not been going up.

PIRRO: Well, they have. Go ahead, Sebastian.

GORKA: So I just want to know what Austan and his cadre, say to the fact that we have the lowest minority unemployment since record-keeping began? You can't spin that. You can't say, well, the growth has decelerated. Who cares, Austan.

(CROSSTALK)

GOOLSBEE: That's great.

GORKA: We have oil companies, thanks to the unleashing of the ANWR. We have oil companies that are giving $25,000 signing bonuses in America. That is -- and that is an economy unleashed. How can you not be happy to see the unemployment figures? How can you -- we have basically functional zero unemployment.

GOOLSBEE: I am.

GORKA: We have more jobs available than people looking for jobs? How do you spin that Austan?

PIRRO: Go ahead, Austan.

GOOLSBEE: We've had 115 months of private sector jobs creation, the longest streak ever. About 18 of those months were under Donald Trump and all the rest were under Barack Obama.

(CROSSTALK)

GORKA: It's Obama, right. It's Obama.

GOOLSBEE: And it's great, I'm totally for it.

GORKA: The man who couldn't get 3 percent GDP growth ever.

PIRRO: Ever. The American have the worse unemployment under an African- American president.

GOOLSBEE: Donald Trump has not had an annual growth rate of 3 percent either.

PIRRO: Say it again, Austan?

GOOLSBEE: Donald Trump.

GORKA: So you are saying we don't have 4.1 percent GDP growth rate?

(CROSSTALK)

GOOLSBEE: Donald Trump has not had an annual growth rate of 3 percent.

GORKA: So what's the latest 4.1 percent figure, that's just fantasy?

GOOLSBEE: That is for one quarter.

GORKA: Yes.

GOOLSBEE: And you know, Sebastian, it happened four different times under Barack Obama.

PIRRO: Yes, but you know what? Here's the problem, Austan. Barack Obama had us convinced that 1 percent GDP was the new normal.

GORKA: Right.

PIRRO: Those bozos actually believed it. Now we're at 4.1 you want to say maybe it won't last but--

(CROSSTALK)

GOOLSBEE: That's completely not correct.

PIRRO: It is correct. Sebastian Gorka and Austan Goolsbee, next Friday. Same time.

GOOLSBEE: The economy to grow, 100 percent for it. If we can have 4 percent growth permanently that will be great.

PIRRO: Thank you both. OK. I'm going to hold you to it.

Joining us now with more reaction, our Florida Republican Congressmen Ron DeSantis and Matt Gaetz. All right. Good evening, gentlemen or congressman. I'll start with you, Ron DeSantis.

All right. So you are running for governor in Florida. All kinds of great things are being -- are happening with economy and Donald Trump. So when you run in Florida, do people in Florida care about?

REP. RON DESANTIS, R-FLORIDA: Absolutely, judge. I mean, we had a good run here in Florida during Rick Scott's tenure, and now with the president is doing, particularly the tax reform. Because, and Jeanine, you probably this. You will know this when you file your taxes in New York by getting rid of the deductions for the high tax states.

That is going to influence a lot of people to pick up and come to Florida. Particularly if you're in industries like financial services where you can be here.

So I think we are primed to really capitalize off of a lot of the good things the presidents has done. I mean, I think Florida has probably never been in a better position as long as we keep good solid low tax fiscally responsible policies.

PIRRO: All right. Congressman Matt Gaetz, you're from Florida also. You just heard Austin Goolsbee talk about the economy. As though, it's not going to -- you know, don't believe your lying eyes. You kind of like Peter Strzok when he testified before you guys in Congress. Don't believe your lying eyes.

What do you say to the Democrats and how is that going to affect the 2018 election? Do you think the Americans are going to believe them?

REP. MATT GAETZ, R-FLORIDA: Well, they should. If the Democrats take over congress the head of the financial services committee will be Maxine Waters. And letting Maxine Waters anywhere near the economy is about as dumb as putting Hillary Clinton in charge of your I.T. department at your small business.

Look, right now we've GDP growth that's doubling. We've got the fastest wage growth in 10 years. We've got home values that are rising at twice that rate and we have had the longest consecutive streak of job growth in American history. Just saying it, judge, it makes me -- it's so exhausting it almost makes me tired of winning.

PIRRO: All right. And Congressman DeSantis, you know, one of the things the president was talking yesterday or last night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he talked about the fact that he got NATO to step up and, you know, he said to Melania as he related to the crowd, you know, he said, Melania, he said tomorrow morning, $200 billion, they're going to love it.

And you know, they responded with, you know, he was rude to our NATO allies. In the end, this midterm election, which way is it going?

DESANTIS: Well look, judge, I think it should go Republicans way. I mean, you know, historically there is a reaction against the party in power, but I think the combination of a strong economy and the fact that the Democratic Party doesn't have any ideas, most of their grassroots seem to be gravitating toward socialism, like you see with the Ocasio-Cortez in New York, that's not a winning strategy for places like Florida and other swing states.

So, as long as we stay on message, as long as we keep articulating an agenda, there're going to be a positive contrast for us with the Democratic Party that's exhausted of ideas.

PIRRO: All right. And Matt, what about socialism and, you know, America was stunned with the woman here, Ocasio-Cortez, a socialist supporting -- and I'm not sure she is willing to fully admit that, but supported by the Democrats' socialist association.

Where -- are the Democrats upset with that sector of the party? Because if you are not as left as they are, then chances are, I would think that a lot of the more moderate Democrats would either not come out or a vote differently. I'm not sure how to look at that.

GAETZ: Well, Jeanine, the dynamic you just described is precisely why there are so many Democrats in the rust belt who are part of Donald Trump's winning coalition.

We welcome Democrats who want more prosperity. If you want Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters in charge, if you want them to rob America of the successes we've enjoyed during Donald Trump's tenure, then I guess, vote Democrat.

But in Florida we share like freedom that's probably why we're going to elect Ron DeSantis, our next governor, and we want to make sure in our state that we're poised to take advantage of this roaring economy that we've created with the lower taxes, deregulation.

And really trusting the American people to drive their own prosperity so that we're not dependent on government for multiple generations. We become excited and really engineered for success in the long term.

PIRRO: OK. Congressman DeSantis, last question. Tom Fitton was just on, they now have evidence that Christopher Steele got paid 11 times in cash by the FBI. What say you?

DESANTIS: Well, look, we suspected he had been paid. They didn't give us straight answers. Then we figured out he definitely was paid and now this, so I think it further undermines the credibility of the explanations we've been giving.

And it shows they knew or should have known that Steele was working on behalf of the Democratic Party, and to pay him like that and then funnel it through from Bruce Ohr, that's a big problem with how this whole thing was done.

PIRRO: Yes. But you know what, it's about time that Rod Rosenstein and his gang and the rest of them are made accountable, but who knows if that will ever happen.

Thank you, congressmen. And coming up, the midterm election is less than 100 days away. Are Democrats going too far to the left to secure votes? Doug Schoen and Deneen Borelli are next. And remember, you can get a copy of my new book, "Liars, Leakers and Liberals," wherever books are sold. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know who the new star, you know who that new leader is? Maxine Waters.

(CROWD BOOING)

TRUMP: Very low I.Q. Low I.Q. No, no, Maxine Waters is like, she's like their new star.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Welcome back to the special edition of Hannity.

That was President Trump last night revealing who he thinks is the new leader of the Democratic Party. It is a far left going too far this midterm season?

Joining us now with reaction, Fox News contributor, Deneen Borelli, Fox News contributor and former Clinton pollster, Doug Schoen. All right, good. I'm going to start with a quick question.

DOUG SCHOEN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.

PIRRO: Is Maxine the new face of the Democratic Party or leader?

SCHOEN: Well, I hope not, I don't think she is. But candidly with her and people like Ocasio-Cortez who is just nominated in a secure Democratic district, we have people who are engaging in just resistance and socialism as prominent, and are hopefully not leaders of the Democratic Party.

PIRRO: OK. What do you think, Deneen, is Maxine Waters the new face of the Democratic Party?

DENEEN BORELLI, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: She definitely is, judge. And congratulations on your new book.

PIRRO: Thank you.

BORELLI: Listen, Max -- yes. Maxine's agenda has nothing to do with Americans working and families being well. Her agenda really is to impeach President Trump. She said that any chance she gets. She calls the tax cuts, tax scams.

PIRRO: OK.

BORELLI: And let me tell you why she is doing all of this. I think the Democrats are very desperate right now, black voters' support for President Trump is on the rise. So I see and expect more of this rhetoric from her.

PIRRO: Al right. Now just so our viewers in case they've been under a rock, I want you to see Maxine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS, D-CALIFORNIA: And with this kind of inspiration, I will go and take Trump out tonight.

Unveil the criminal activity, the unconstitutional activity of this president and his family. So I have dubbed them the criminal clan a long time ago.

I will fight every day until he is impeached. Impeach 45.

This is a bunch of scumbags, that's what they are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those are very strong words, congressman.

WATERS: Who are all organized around making money?

The fact that he has wrapping his arms around Putin, while Putin is continuing to advance into Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: Doug?

SCHOEN: Well, but the only thing that is true there if you read the front page of the Wall Street Journal today, the Russians are doing nothing to restrain North Korea and that's a problem. The rest of what she said is just a load of garbage and I just think as a Democrat I completely distance and disassociate myself from it.

PIRRO: OB. But unfortunately, you've got the likes of Maxine and Nancy. You both seen to be flipping their lids, and then you've got -- and I'll go to you with this, Deneen, and then you've got Ocasio-Cortez. Is the Democratic Party that historically will win the midterms in the first term of any new president, are they so fractured that they are not going to win?

BORELLI: I think they are very fractured. You have the likes of Maxine Waters and then you have those who are the left of the left that are running on a really socialist agenda.

And so when you look at the Trump economy, the roll back in taxes and regulations as a pro-growth economic environment, there are not enough people for jobs. I mean, something is really happening here in America where America's first agenda is working.

PIRRO: All right. So Doug, you are a pollster.

SCHOEN: I am, indeed.

PIRRO: Well, talk to me about this alleged blue wave that is precedent -- precedence, I should say.

SCHOEN: Yes.

PIRRO: And the Dems believe is going to happen.

SCHOEN: Well, I don't see the blue wave, I think the Democrats are ahead the generic voters about six or seven points which would translate into somewhere between 23, 25, or maybe 27 seats. That's no blue wave.

I would make the argument that if the Republicans get sidetracked themselves by talking about shutting down the government and don't run on the economy than they are doing we, Democrats a big favor.

Talking about tax cuts for the rich unilaterally, another big favor. They talk about the economic consequences of this administration, it gets tougher and tougher for we, Democrats.

PIRRO: OK. And Deneen, if the -- if the Maxine's and -- last question -- and the Ocasio-Cortez, what do they say? How does the Democrat run?

BORELLI: Well, if they're going to keep doubling down on the rhetoric, Judge Jeanine.

PIRRO: On what?

BORELLI: And they get -- of anything from the race card to sexism to the child card--

(CROSSTALK)

SCHOEN: How about socialism?

BORELLI: -- anything they could come up with identity and that as well, socialism as well. So we're going to see even more of that because of what the effects of we're seeing, the results from the Trump economy.

PIRRO: OK. OK. Doug, really last question. Do you think the millennials even know what socialism is?

SCHOEN: I think they know that the game is a much tougher one than when you and I were coming up, and they are looking for solutions and blaming somebody else and asking for redistribution, is their answer. And to me, it's a false answer. Capitalism to me is the answer.

PIRRO: Doug, capitalism.

SCHOEN: Absolutely.

PIRRO: Deneen Borelli and Doug Schoen, thank you so much.

SCHOEN: Thank you so much.

PIRRO: Coming up, more of this special edition of Hannity, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PIRRO: Welcome back to the special edition of Hannity. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have left this evening. But be sure to pick up a copy of my number one New York Times best seller, "Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the anti-Trump Conspiracy." And don't forget to in to Justice tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Anthony Scaramucci is going to join me. I hope you'll tune in. Sean is back on Monday. "The Ingraham Angle" is up next. Have a terrific night.

END

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