This is a rush transcript from “Hannity," July 24, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JASON CHAFFETZ, FOX NEWS HOST: Welcome to the special edition of "Hannity": The Road to 2020 -- just 102 days left until election night. I'm Jason Chaffetz, in tonight for Sean.
And for the hour, we'll show how the Democratic Party plans to radically transform this country into a far-left utopia.
We start in Portland, Oregon, where city leaders hate Trump so much that they are willing to let their own city burn in order to prove just how woke they really are. The Portland riots are now on night 58 with no end in sight, but Mayor Ted Wheeler seems to cherish the anarchists who are destroying his city, because, of course, things are going so well, he wants federal law enforcement officers to leave town.
Meanwhile, city officials demanded that the protective fencing around the federal courthouse be taken down.
And Joe Biden is accusing federal officers of using, quote, "egregious tactics", end quote.
Remember, these officers are protecting a federal courthouse that has been firebombed, vandalized, covered in graffiti and broken into on multiple occasions.
As you look at these scenes, ask yourself, do you want to live in Ted Wheeler's America? Do you want to be governed by mob rule? Do you want to bend to the knee of violent extremists? Because that's what you'll get nationwide if Joe Biden is elected.
Well, joining us now with more is civil rights attorney Leo Terrell and FOX News contributor Lawrence Jones.
Lawrence Jones has a special "One Nation", about race relations in America. It airs Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. right here on the Fox News Channel.
Gentlemen, thank you so much.
Nationally syndicated radio host Larry Elder will be joining us -- in momentarily, he's got a radio program and he's jumping upstairs to come join us. So, he'll join us in just a moment.
But, Leo, I want to start with you. This is 58 -- 58 nights of riots. Some people want to call them protests, but I think the riots. And these images are going out to America, I don't get it. Joe Biden says that, hey, these are egregious tactics by the feds, are you kidding me?
LEO TERRELL, CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER: Yes, you know what, I wish every Democratic mayor and Democratic governor take constitutional law class.
Jason, the federal government and President Trump has the absolute right to protect federal property and enforce crimes or to prosecute people who commit federal crimes. Defacing a federal building is a crime and what's amazing is these Democratic cities are being burned. And let's not call these people protesters.
And what is embarrassing, those other two Democratic cable networks, they won't show this. They are trying to hide the chaos and the extreme maker of these groups, they are not protesters, they are criminals. Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself.
He used to get the endorsement of police officers union. But guess what, law and order, police officers unions are backing Donald J. Trump and, that is what American needs to know for the next 100 days. Law and order is in the Republican Party. Chaos and lawlessness, the Democratic Party.
CHAFFETZ: Lawrence, I never thought I'd see the day. I don't know how a national party thinks they can win an election by being so anti-law enforcement. They want to abolish ICE and you look at these scenes right now and the mayor and the Democrats, including Joe Biden himself is saying the feds are using egregious tactics.
I just don't get that.
JONES: Yes. And, you know, as you know Jason, I've been on the ground reporting all these liberal cities for a while. I mean, I spent the better part of last year going to every single city talking about the death, poverty and destruction in these communities. You know, it's not just the anti-law enforcement rhetoric. It's the fact that they're willing to let the city burn.
I mean, average day Americans who don't want to even care about the politics of a Democrat or Republican Party, are fearful right now, because they see what's happening into their city. And the most disgusting part about this is that, this started about -- being about George Floyd and you have a bunch of paid anarchists who are now trying to use George Floyd's death as a shield when this is nothing -- has nothing to do with them.
These people have their own agenda. They're anarchists, they're paid -- they're willing to take over a zone, and the lack of accountability. You know, the people that are elected in office, they have a duty. They can pass all these other laws, but as elected officials, your first duty is to keep your residents safe and they failed on this front.
My only thing is that when it comes to the Republican Party, you know, when you have these Democrats that have failed leadership, it shouldn't be that hard to defeat these guys. I hope that they present an alternative message and give these liberal cities and voters a fighting chance.
CHAFFETZ: No, I think you're -- Lawrence, I think you're absolutely right.
Now, I want to bring Larry into this conversation here, because, Larry, I've got to tell you, the president said he's going to solve this problem, the president has thousands of federal officers that he can come in, but you have a mayor who's saying, don't bring him in here, but a family couldn't go walk around that courthouse, this should be a place of peace and tranquility, and it should be easy for a family to walk down the street. And what business wants to operate in that type of situation?
LARRY ELDER, SALEM RADIO NATIONALLY SYNDICATED HOST: Absolutely, Jason, because you got a lot of left-wing mayors who believe the lie. And the lie is that the police are out killing black people just because they're black.
Even Marc Lamont Hill conceded in an interview with Candace Owens the other day that that was not true. I mean, you have a hard-left guy conceding that the whole reason that people are out in the streets, the notion that people are killing black people just because they're black is false.
And, Jason, just three days before George Floyd died, a black Mississippi cop was choking a black -- young black suspect, it didn't kill him, but my goodness. Had this been a white cop choking a young black suspect, we know both the cop's name, we know the suspect's name, which shows you that the media is selective about the cases that they care about.
The bottom line is, the real problem facing young black men is other young black men. Half of the homicides in this country are black victims and they are almost always killed by another young black man. The cops are not doing this. So, the whole premise is false. You're trashing neighborhoods based on the false premise, devaluating property values and causing job diminution and job creation all based on a false notion that even Marc Lamont Hill say was false.
CHAFFETZ: Now, Leo, I want to transition just slightly. I worry about the puppeteers that are controlling and feeding the information to Joe Biden. Because his quote was that the feds are using the egregious tactics. But I watched that video, I watch what's going on there and that's not what I'm seeing.
Does Joe Biden even have a plan to address this and quell this violence?
TERRELL: Let me think about that, it's a very tough question.
No, not at all. He is being run by extremists.
Listen, let me be very clear. This is why I'm here. This is why I'm on FOX campaigning against Democrats. The Democratic Party has been hijacked by Black Lives Matter.
What Larry said is well-taken. You got Democratic mayors of running these cities and guess what, they yell systematic discrimination. They are minorities running the system and they are punishing their own people. And yet they play the pandering game, they play the race car.
Joe Biden had the audacity to just call Donald Trump a racist. He needs to look at his record. His association with Robert Byrd and his offensive comment, that was the number one reason that drove me to the Republicans.
If you don't vote for me, you ain't black. That is the most racist, offensive statement he's ever made in his life. It's ridiculous.
CHAFFETZ: Lawrence, you made a really good point. Republicans should be able to organize and run successful campaign against mayors like Mayor Wheeler but the President Trump, where he finds himself right now here today. If you were advising the president, what would you say to President Trump? What should he do to quell this violence and to make the case over the next several months?
JONES: I think he should hold the Republican National Committee accountable. They need to go in and give -- these are American citizens. And if you realize that one side of the aisle has filled these citizens, it is our duty to fight for life from the womb to the tomb.
And the only way we can win is changing what's happening in those communities, you can't change it if you're not there. I talked to Chicago, Philly, Baltimore, all these things, and I travel every week talking to people.
Do you think they care about if an R and a D is front of your name? They don't care. They want some (INAUDIBLE) going to stop the bleeding. And that means black America as well.
Do you think that black America wants to defund the police? That's not what they're saying. They want equal justice under the law. They realize that there's bad apples and they want those people taken care of, but by and large, the community is saying, protect us.
When the state abuses this power, they should be prosecuted but when citizens terrorize their own communities, they should be prosecuted as well. And we're going to talk about that in my special "One Nation" on Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
CHAFFETZ: Well, very good.
Larry, I want to give you that same question, what advice would you give to the president to help quell the violence? I love that he's taking a pro-law enforcement stance, but what else can the president do?
ELDER: He should also talk about the Ferguson effect. The Ferguson effect is what happens when cops unfairly -- are maligned as racists. They pulled back and the bad guys know it, and the very people that the Black Lives Matter and these other activists claim they care about are the ones who are hurt.
I would also talk about Joe Biden, how he's consistently lied about his civil rights record. He claims he desegregated restaurants in Wilmington, Delaware, and theaters. No evidence whatsoever, he claims he's got support from the NAACP.
The NAACP is a 501(c)(3) corporation, they can't do it. He lied and said he got arrested, visiting Nelson Mandela, all of which says that Joe Biden thinks of black people as props, as pawns, as too foolish to check out the facts. All you have to do is just tell them a bunch of lies and they pull the lever, 95 percent for people like me.
And I think it's very offensive. Black people are angry at Rachel Dolezal for lying, why aren't you angry at Joe Biden for all of his lies?
CHAFFETZ: Well, I don't think Joe Biden --
(CROSSTALK)
ELDER: I'm angry at Joe Biden. I'm angry. I'm angry. I'm angry at Joe Biden right now, that's why I'm here. Joe Biden is fake and he's the racist.
CHAFFETZ: Well, listen, I don't think he has a plan and he had eight years as the vice president of the United States with Barack Obama, and they didn't seem to get it done.
Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here. Larry, Leo and Lawrence, thank you.
And don't forget to check out Lawrence Jones special, "One Nation", right here on the FOX News Channel, Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't miss it.
All right. Coming up, HUD secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, will join us.
Plus, we'll have the very latest from Chicago where the city's far left mayor is attempting to restore order by tearing down a statue of Christopher Columbus. Don't go away, as this special edition of "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to the special edition of "Hannity."
Now, while far left mayors like Seattle's Jenny Durkan and Chicago's Lori Lightfoot continue to resist federal support even as cities crumble, the police chief in Detroit is welcoming the needed assistance. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN KILMEADE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: But unlike other cities, you welcome the president's help?
JAMES CRAIG, DETROIT POLICE CHIEF: Absolutely. We -- you know, I think there has been a lot of partisan politics involved to the support. What we do have and what we've entered into with this administration is late December, I stood with General Barr and all the heads of the DOJ and we both come (AUDIO GAP) what was called then Relentless Pursuit. So, what's going on now is just enhancement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: And also developing tonight, the Trump administration is taking bold action to stop Democratic plans to destroy American suburbs.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is scrapping the highly controversial Obama era affirmatively furthering Fair Housing Rule, which would effectively end single family zoning, upend American suburbs as we know it, and likely destroy home values in the process.
But guess what? Joe Biden has already promised that he would keep the rule and if elected, it would mean an unprecedented attack on middle-class communities around the country.
So, from abolish ICE, to defund the police, to now even dismantling the suburbs, the Democrats' leftist agenda is as destructive as ever, and it's all part of the vision for America that undermines every value that's made this country great, like the rule of law, economic prosperity and freedom of expression.
Here to react to all of this, HUD secretary, Dr. Ben Carson.
Dr. Carson, thanks so much for being with us. Mr. Secretary, you're one of our favorites here.
This rule -- I don't think anybody knew what this rule was, but it could be devastating and you just repealed this. Tell us about it.
DR. BEN CARSON, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: Well, first of all, I'd like to say and I've had the pleasure of meeting Chief Craig. And it's so refreshing to see someone who really cares about the job, cares about the people who live there. You know, it was 53 years ago yesterday that the Detroit riots started.
And there's -- the scars are still out there, and people should recognize that when you invite anarchists into your neighborhood and you join with them, there's going to be long lasting destruction that you're going to have to deal with. Your children and everybody else is going to have to deal with. So, really stop and think about that.
You know, as far as the AFFH is concerned, it was an extraordinarily complex thing, supposedly to stop segregation. But it went much further than that and really imposed, you know, the federal government on all the municipalities and neighborhoods of the United States. It made us into the watchdog and to the zoning czars.
That's not what was supposed to happen. It was supposed to be federalism. That's one of the principles upon which this country was founded, so that you have local control of what is going on.
And interestingly enough, I've already started to hear people saying, well, the Trump administration is racist and they're backing away from civil rights and fair housing. What a bunch of garbage. The fact of the matter is if you look at the record, you know, we have resolved 22,933 backlog fair housing cases, left over from the previous administration. That requires a lot of work.
And we've been very active, you know, in terms of helping Facebook to realize what they were doing, sort of electronic redlining and some of the other social media platforms have learned from that as well, you know, civil rights in terms of handicapped people in the city of Los Angeles. There are a whole host of things that we are pursuing very actively, so we don't need another bunch of layers of bureaucracy to tell people how they are supposed to live, where they're supposed to live.
And also, the previous rule directed money away from the inner cities and from places where it really is needed the most and sent it off to the wealthy suburbs.
And what we've done instead is, you know, that President Trump has brought us opportunity zones, which encourage unrealized capital gains to be invested into those neglected areas and to try to redevelop them in a holistic way, and concentrate on such things as education, which is the mechanism whereby you get people out of poverty, it doesn't where they come from.
CHAFFETZ: Yes.
CARSON: You get education in this country and they write their own ticket.
CHAFFETZ: Yes. I know Senator Scott from South Carolina did a fabulous job with that.
Mr. Secretary, I want to -- and I appreciate what you said about the police chief in Detroit. And I shudder to think what might have happened once the mayor and the governor hear that he's actually working with the Trump administration, I hope things don't change.
But I want to get your last comment here about what the visuals, the things that we are seeing not only in Seattle but now in Portland, day 58 of what looks like just absolute riots. I don't know how people lived there, I don't know what business would want to relocate there and how would a family walked on the street and that type of situation?
And Joe Biden is blaming Donald Trump. I mean, give me a break.
CARSON: They blame Donald Trump for everything.
I do have to step up and defend the mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan. He probably is not like a lot of those other mayors.
But the fact of the matter is, you know, there is a contract, an unwritten contract between the local government and the people. The local government is supposed to protect the people. They're supposed to protect the businesses and their property. And when they don't do that, they are shirking their duties.
And there should be consequences for that. And some people have started talking about that already. We need to do that.
And I appeal to voters, look at the people that you are putting in office. Evaluate what they are getting done.
Are they accomplishing things or are they not? Do -- are you one of those people who goes and looks at the ballot and say, I recognize that name and vote for that name? It could be Satan. I vote for that name.
No. We have to be much more intelligent than that or we get what we deserve.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, yeah. Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us this evening. We do appreciate it.
CARSON: Thank you, Jason. Always good to be with you.
All right. Up next, why criminals are so upset about President Trump's Operation LeGend. Pam Bondi, Brett Tolman and Gianno Caldwell will tell you, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to the special edition of "Hannity."
Breaking news from Chicago, last night, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the home of Mayor Lori Lightfoot to demand the defunding of the Chicago Police Department. This came hours after she spoke with President Trump about his plans to send federal officers to Chicago amid a surge in violence.
Also new from Chicago, Mayor Lightfoot ordered the Columbus statue in Chicago's Grant Park where rioters and police clashed last Friday to be taken down. City workers arrived in the darkness of night to remove the statue.
Meanwhile, Mayor De Blasio is now threatening President Trump with legal action if he sends federal officers to New York City, to help ease the growing violence in that city, saying, quote, we would immediately take action in court to stop it.
Joining me now with more reaction, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, former United States Attorney Brett Tolman, and FOX News political analyst, Gianno Caldwell.
Thank you so much.
Gianno, whose documentary, the new battle for Chicago, gives an inside look at gang life in his hometown and is available exclusively on Fox Nation.
Thank you all for joining us.
I want to start with you, Brett, being a U.S. attorney, I want to talk about Operation LeGend. The left, the Democrats and mainstream media are claiming the president has no authority to do this and this is unprecedented in its nature. What's a reality?
BRETT TOLMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, the reality is, is like most people in the country, we're a little fed up with what's going on in some of these cities and I can't blame the president. And is he within his right? He is 100 percent within his right and within the law to make sure that he protects the federal buildings in each of these cities.
There are law enforcement officers already in these cities who have agreements with these cities to investigate and to prosecute violent crime and other issues in the cities. So, now, all of a sudden, Jason, it's like, oh, no, they are causing people to disappear and this is the Gestapo and this is, you know, unprecedented. No, it's not. For years, the federal government has been partnering to make sure that the cities are safe and he's doing it now and he's just doing what he's been doing for years and years.
CHAFFETZ: Yeah, it happened in the Obama administration and the Bush administration.
And, Pam, you've been the attorney general of one of our largest states in the nation. You got a Bill de Blasio who's saying if federal agents come to New York, he's going to take them to court. I mean, come on, really, it's - - Bill de Blasio, he's going to prevail on that?
PAM BONDI, FORMER FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Jason, bring it on. Bring it on.
President Trump is a law and order president, and he's going to maintain law and order. He's going to restore law and order to all these cities. And what Brett said is exactly right.
Just think about what this way. Think about what ATF does. All these violent rioters out here with pipe bombs, with guns, with Molotov cocktails, ATF has the full authority to go after all of them. Interference with what police are doing. You got the DEA, Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals.
Get ready because the U.S. -- the federal government, President Trump, our law and order president, will restore safety to all of our cities throughout this country.
CHAFFETZ: Now, Gianno, you grew up in Chicago. It's a big place in your heart. The mayor is taking down a statue in the darkness of night. That's - - I mean, come on.
And, you know, gets these protesters in front of her home for simply speaking with the president of the United States, what is going on there?
GIANNO CALDWELL, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: It's insanity is what it is and I'm pissed off with what we're seeing in our hometown. If you can't go to a funeral and bury your loved one in peace, what the hell can you do?
I talk about it my book, "Taken for Granted", three years ago, Memorial Day weekend, my younger brother was in the car with two of his friends when two men walked up and shot that car 25 times. He lived thankfully but his best friend died in his arms. I am upset -- fed up with what we have seen out of Chicago.
And President Trump did something in 2017. He said in a tweet, he said, if Chicago doesn't fix his carnage, he was going to send the feds.
This is what he's doing. I'm glad to see the mayor of Chicago, and I give her credit for acquiescing, capitulating to President Trump's request and working with the federal government to stop the violence in the city of the Chicago because the mayor has failed. The leadership there has failed.
And you need someone to come in and assist because at this point, no one is safe. If you have a 1-year-old that are being shot, senior citizens are being shot, who -- who can afford to live in a city like that? Fear is running the city and we need to stop right now.
CHAFFETZ: Brett, you are talking about 1,900 shootings in Chicago, you know, over the course of time. You got, you know, 40 to 50 sometimes in a weekend, the feds have every jurisdiction to go in there and the mayor really doesn't have a choice, nor does the governor, right?
TOLMAN: No, they don't. Look, I have prosecuted hundreds of firearm offenses. I was a federal prosecutor. I did it in, you know, the inner-city and it can be done now in Chicago. If the U.S. attorney's office, if the FBI, the ATF, if they decide that they are going to expend resources in this area, they can start to shut down this gun violence because there's not a question that they have legal authority to do it.
CHAFFETZ: Pam, we're real quickly, we're running short on time. But it does strike me that these Democratic mayors, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, I mean, they pretty much given up and given into those that are rioting and these anarchists, and just said, hey, you can do whatever you want in our city.
BONDI: Yeah, Jason, they sure have. They have chosen politics over people, over the citizens of where they live which is outrageous but President Trump does not want to do that. He's going to come in and protect the citizens even if the mayors aren't.
And law enforcement, they want him there. They want the help of our federal government, all working together like we always have. This doesn't happen in Florida because we work together.
CHAFFETZ: Gianno, Chicago, what's your message to the president? What would you like him to continue to do? Real quick.
CALDWELL: I want the president to do exactly what he's doing. He's going in, sending in federal resources. We talk about solutions, I'm been talking about this on my Instagram, @GiannoCaldwell.
We have to have the solutions. It's a multi-prong. It's not just law- enforcement. It's actually a programmatic effort. Education, we got to bring back the family structure, and the president is providing those resources so we can do that.
CHAFFETZ: Gianno, well-said. And you're the best at plugging your own stuff I've ever seen, well done.
(LAUGHTER)
CALDWELL: OK.
CHAFFETZ: All right. Pam, Brett, Gianno, thank you.
Coming up, an update from the anti-Trump media and the cancel culture world. Stay tuned. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to the special edition of "Hannity."
Also breaking tonight, Covington High School graduate Nicholas Sandmann announced he has settled with "The Washington Post" in a defamation suit stemming from their botched coverage of his interaction with the Native American elder last year that falsely portrayed him as a aggressor.
If you recall, media outlets smear the teenager and misreported what actually happened.
Now, following the news, Sandmann tweeted: We have settled with "The Washington Post" and CNN. The fight isn't over. Two down, six to go.
So, ask yourself, how far will the media, Joe Biden supporters and the radical Democrats go to try to smear the president and his allies?
Censorship, cancel culture and intimidation are all now part of the Democratic playbook. Just look at this new poll from the Cato Institute finding that 62 percent of Americans say they have political views they're afraid to share.
Now, yesterday, the president sat down with Barstools Sports' Dave Portnoy and discussed these deeply polarized items. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE PORTNOY, BARSTOOLS SPORTS: Half the country hates the other half, and no matter what you say, you can't get along. So, you are the lightning rod, there's no doubt about that. In my mind, do you agree with that, that you're like the lightning rod?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sometimes for a purpose. I mean, you know --
PORTNOY: How do we bring it together? So the two sides right now that are at head, can be like, you're my guy?
TRUMP: I think it was happening and then we got hit by the China virus. Our country never did better. The highest -- the best employment numbers in the history of our country, best unemployment numbers, African-American, Asian- American, Hispanic American, everybody -- best unemployment numbers in history, best stock market we've ever had. But success does it and we were ready to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Joining me now for reaction, FOX News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett, along with media reporter for "The Hill", Joe Concha, and "Relatable" podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Gregg, I want to start with you because "The Washington Post" really did need to settle this. They overstep their bounds with Nicholas Sandmann. It wasn't a coincidence that on his 18th birthday, he signed this agreement. Boy, I would love to know how much he got.
GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL: Yes, I would imagine tens of millions of dollars.
But it underscores how the liberal mainstream media feels empowered to smear and defame anybody they perceived to be either conservative or pro- Trump and Nicholas Sandmann was the prime target for this. His only crime was wearing a MAGA hat. So, he must be therefore villainized and demonized and that's what they did.
They accused him of racism, provoking a confrontation, when in fact the opposite was true. Videotape evidence showed it. He was the victim of harassment and racial slurs.
But the media doesn't care about facts and truth and evidence. They are willing to abandon all objectivity, suspend their sense of fairness but they were driven by this maniacal hatred of Trump. So anything that might damage him is justified to the mainstream media even if it destroys a young man.
And we certainly saw so much of this narrative driven by the media that was false in the Russian collusion case, in which they persistently for three long years told Americans that Trump was a Russian agent who colluded with Moscow in the bowels of the Kremlin and, of course, they ignored all the compelling evidence to the contrary. So, this is media malpractice on steroids. It will not change, throwing money at a problem is the easy way out, they will never apologize for their wrongful practices and it's no wonder that Americans no longer trust journalism.
CHAFFETZ: No, I think he was right to sue and evidently to settle. And, you know, this is not a one-off situation, it happens regularly.
Now, Allie Beth, I want to talk to you about that Cato Institute poll because that was fascinating, nearly two and three Americans saying that they feel intimidated based on what they would be willing to say because of the political backlash.
ALLIE BETH STUCKEY, "RELATABLE" PODCAST HOST: We have seen people fire that simply forcing that Trump is the president of the United States. There was a baseball coach the other day who got fired literally for tweeting that President Trump is the president of the United States. You got people who have gotten fired for disagreeing with Black Lives Matter.
And so, of course, people are scared to speak up. They are thinking about providing for themselves, providing for their families, their livelihoods, in some cases, their lives. So, they're not going to want to be outspoken about their support for President Trump or for saying that they are conservatives.
Now, the interesting thing is, what does that going to mean for November? So, as we did in 2016, we thought that we saw a lot of anti-Trump energy that would lead to Hillary Clinton winning while there seems to be a lot of energy out in the streets right now against President Trump and against conservatism, against the law and order, that I think some Democrats are thinking that that's going to bode well for Joe Biden.
The fact of the matter is, we just don't know. There are so many people who are intimidated into silence, but it's really hard to tell who really is out there, supporting President Trump implicitly and silently. So, unfortunately, we're unable to boldly come out, and to say our political views and to have the debate and dialogue that would be so productive and so good for this country, and so, some people just kind of -- they feel like they hide away in their homes and not talk about the views for the good of their family.
But we'll see. We'll see what happens in the ballot box in November.
CHAFFETZ: It is a sad day because people should be able to speak their mind and we as a nation should be able to have that discussion. But I found it interesting in that poll, only staunch liberals felt comfortable enough to share their opinions out loud and I think that's going to show up in the polling, or why the polling is going to be off yet again.
Joe, though, I want to go and talk about Joe Biden. He is hiding there in his basement, really taking these softball interviews. The president day by day is taking hard interviews and he's able to sit down with Barstool Sports and talk to a whole audience that normally isn't necessarily watching -- although they should be watching this program, and he's able to do some things that Joe Biden is not able to do.
JOE CONCHA, MEDIA REPORTER FOR THE HILL: Well, for instance, sit down and actually do interviews, right, and Joe Biden hasn't had a press conference, Jason, in over 100 days. And even the press conference that he had about a week or two ago, he took questions from exactly six reporters.
So, look, the president's base is still very much with him. You see approval numbers within the GOP in the 90 percent range. He doesn't have to worry about that too much. But what he has to do is shore up the type of people that voted for him in 2016, because remember, the difference was in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, not so much bringing people from the other side, but people who are actually never voted before.
So, he's now reaching out to people that maybe aren't paying attention to the election, or really aren't involved in politics, going to a place like Barstool, it's a perfect place to do that, Jason, and it's just amazing, it's nearly a hundred days, only a hundred days until the election and you have one candidate who is very active in terms of media appearances and you have another that is sitting in a safe space hoping to run out the clock. And Hillary Clinton tried that in 2016, she didn't have a press conference in nearly 270 days, and we all know how that worked out, Jason.
CHAFFETZ: That's right. And, look, President Trump sat down with Chris Wallace and answered the tough questions for an hour, I dare Joe Biden to try to be able to do the same. I don't think he can get through it. But he should -- he really should, to do the country right, and they ought to have three debates also.
Gentlemen, Gregg and Joe, and Allie Beth, thank you so much for joining us tonight. We really do appreciate it.
STUCKEY: Thank you.
CHAFFETZ: All right. Directly ahead, tensions are rising with China and that's not good news for Joe Biden. Gordon Chang and Tammy Bruce will be her, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to this "Hannity" special.
Tonight, tensions with China are escalating. After the United States demanded the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, China is retaliating by ordering the United States' Chengdu consulate shut.
And on Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a historic speech, laying out what is at stake with America's showdown with China.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: If we don't act now, ultimately, the CCP will erode our freedoms and subvert the rules-based order that our societies have worked so hard to build. If we bend the knee now, our children's children may be at the mercy of the Chinese communist party whose actions are the primary challenge today and the free world
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAFFETZ: Joining us now for reaction is China expert Gordon Chang and FOX News contributor, Tammy Bruce.
Thank you for joining us.
Gordon, give us your analysis because we shudder the Houston consulate, they shut one of ours. Give us your analysis.
GORDON CHANG, CHINA EXPERT: I think that both the shutting of the Houston consulate and that Chengdu one are both wins for the U.S.
Closing Houston has two things. First of all, it can no longer be used as a base for subversion. There are unconfirmed reports that that consulate had links with protest groups in the U.S.
Also, we know that it was used as a base for subversion. They were going especially after energy companies because of the South China Sea connections.
Closing Chengdu was good for us because China has been grabbing Americans as hostages and so the fewer diplomats we have in China, the fewer potential hostages there are. And if we can't support American businesses, they shouldn't be in China for many reasons.
So I have no problems with the closing of both consulates. It's a great day for us.
CHAFFETZ: That's interesting.
Now, Tammy, Joe Biden has downplayed China. He said it's not a threat and yet, the secretary of state and Donald Trump are saying it's our biggest threat. There couldn't be more of a contrast.
I can't think of more times that Joe Biden was right on foreign policy, but give us your thoughts on this.
TAMMY BRUCE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, look, obviously, Joe Biden represents the old guard, the old theory, the old world. I'm sure China is shocked. Donald Trump did his best to create a better dynamic and to negotiate.
But I think the reality crept up on the president and the fact that China - - the Chinese communist party is a cancer and you don't negotiate with cancer. And this is becoming apparent.
So, now, the Chinese are realizing that this is a genuine shift in American foreign policy because it's been the other way where they've been placated, where we've gotten into bed with them, where it was this global world order, and they, you know, had the advantage effectively.
So, Joe Biden in every single way is an example of the old world and those failed policies, and that's why he's in the front. That's why he's this, well, this seat holder, this individual who is going to allow that system to return and I think that that's key when you realize what's at stake here when it comes to foreign policy and China in particular. It's a cold war at this stage.
CHAFFETZ: So, Gordon, do you believe that China is the biggest threat or is it Joe Biden that's not a threat at all?
CHANG: Clearly, China is the biggest threat to the United States. You know, China is challenging the U.S. and international system across the board. China has been involved in the invasion of India, the boat bumping, and the other incidents in the South China Sea, and East China Sea. All of the threats to invade Taiwan, the take over of Hong Kong, the increasing challenge in -- against the U.S. Navy and the global commons.
And China's ruler, Xi Jinping, actually believes that China is the world's only sovereign state. So, clearly, this challenge is existential to the United States. And the secretary of state yesterday was absolutely correct when he talked about the consequences of China's challenge to us.
CHAFFETZ: Thank you both. Tammy, I wish we had more time --
(CROSSTALK)
CHAFFETZ: We have a hard out. I got to go, Tammy. I really do appreciate both of you joining us on this beautiful Friday night.
We will be right back with more of this special edition of "Hannity."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHAFFETZ: Welcome back to this special edition of "Hannity."
If you want to dive deeper into understanding the swamp that is Washington, D.C., I recommend my book "Power Grab." I also wrote one called "The Deep State." I hope you enjoy it. If you can find both of my books, as well as my photography portfolio on my website.
Thanks for joining us on this special edition of "Hannity." Sean will be back in the seat on Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
"The Ingraham Angle" is coming up next. Have a great weekend.
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