Donald Trump Jr. slams critics of the Trump administration's response to coronavirus

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Donald Trump Jr. slams critics of the Trump administration's response to coronavirus

We shouldn't be embarrassed that President Trump put Americans first, says Donald Trump Jr., author of 'Triggered.'

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," March 2, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST:  Welcome to "Hannity."

We start tonight with a Fox News alert. Today, massive and great news. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped a whopping 1,290 points, and as the Dow, the S&P, and the Nasdaq all saw record high, highest single day point gains in American history.

Now, after a week of corona-related panic, lies, propaganda, misinformation, thankfully, the market is roaring back and in a big way. We have a full report coming up on the program tonight.

But, first, in 246 days, it's going to go like that, you are the ultimate jury. You will have a chance to once again shock the world and send President Trump back to the White House for four more years. But it needs to be very clear to every American and we will try to make it clear every night on this program and the Democrats, the media mob, they will stop at nothing. They will do anything. And I mean anything, to stop Donald Trump.

Their rage, hate Trump psychosis is even far worse than I thought, the level of derangement is off the charts and now, tonight, especially, I want you to pay very close attention as we prove our point because they are now using the natural fear of a virus as a political weapon. And we have all the evidence to prove it, a shameful politicizing, weaponizing of, yes, the coronavirus.

Remember, first, Russia, Russia, Russia. Impeach, impeach, impeach. Obstruction, obstruction, whatever. Now, the left, the Democrats, the media mob, they are smearing the president and his administration over the spread of the coronavirus in beyond egregious ways.

The double standard and hypocrisy of the mob and the Democrats has never been worse. So, tonight, we ask you to pay very close attention as we prove this point to you.

Now, the information we are giving you is not information you're going to find anywhere else, and it will expose yet again the absolute corruption, dishonesty, fraud and the political agenda of Democrats and the media mob -
- well, their state run TV.

We start with smear number one. For days, the left has been claiming the president is not prepared to handle the disease effectively. Well, as a matter of fact, Biden, Bloomberg, the entire mob and the media, others said President Trump cut the funding to NIH and CDC.

That is 100 percent false. The exact opposite happened, funding actually went up.

In fact, a recent study from Johns Hopkins University ranked the United States number one -- we're number one -- in the world at pandemic preparedness. And we are by far the most prepared.

The next lie of the media mob and Democrats is the claim the president did not act quickly enough. That is a bald-faced lie.

Let's look at the truth that nobody else will report, and we have an actual timeline and you can follow along at home. It's like follow the bouncing ball.

Now, this officially started believe it or not on December 30th, 2019. Not that long ago. We had a cluster of patients with pneumonia and this unknown province that was observed in Wuhan, China. Now, that was reported to the World Health Organization.

It wasn't until January 7th that the virus, the coronavirus, was actually identified and isolated in these patients.

Then, just three weeks later, on January 31st of this year, the president declared a public health emergency. That meant Americans returning from areas most impacted, they were subject to mandatory quarantine, two weeks of military bases. That's when the travel ban began.

Two days later, temporary travel ban went into effect for all non-U.S. citizens who recently visited China and my sources were actually in the room with the president made this decision on January 31, said, well, there are about 25 people in the room, no one agreed with the president to implement the travel ban, said that there'd be political consequences if he did but he did it anyway.

And he did it in record time. Everyone else said maybe it's too early. He made the call. And my sources confirm to me tonight you can stop right there.

This one early bold decision of this president likely prevented thousands and thousands of Americans from contracting this virus. Has anyone in the media mob told you do that?

And meanwhile, it wasn't until February 11th that the World Health Organization officially named the virus. The president was way ahead of them.

Now, a task force led by Trump's number two, Vice President Pence, is underway. It is filled with America's top scientists.

So far, thankfully, less than ten people in the country have died from this virus.

Now, we need to put that in perspective. Let us compare this to H1N1, swine flu virus, as it's known.

Now, this hit the U.S. in April of 2009. It wasn't until six months later, in October of 2009, after more than 20,000 Americans were hospitalized, more than 1,000 of our fellow citizens died, only then did President Obama and yes, quid pro quo Joe declared a national emergency -- after 20,000 of our fellow citizens hospitalized, more than 1,000 dead Americans.

Now do you remember at that time anybody in the media stirring up the type of hysteria as they are doing now? Do you remember the end of days predictions? Did the stock market take because of all the reckless lying and fearmongering?

That did not happen in 2009. In fact, the market went up, as swine flu cases mounted. Pretty interesting.

A tale of two presidents. On the one side, Obama-Biden, they get the white glove treatment from their willing accomplices and fellow radical stream socialist the Democratic Party.

On the other side, the mob in three weeks bludgeons President Trump, weaponizing this virus, to destroy him politically. One person at Yahoo! News even suggesting this could be Trump's Katrina. The Washington Post also openly wondering if it would become Trumps Katrina.

New York Times hack Paul Krugman actually cheered. How do you cheer when we are losing money when the stock market fell? Twenty-five thousand.

New York Times editorial, New York Times said this is the term virus, writing, if you're feeling awful, you know who to blame. By the way, as President Trump was literally reacting in record time, what were the Democrats doing to repair this country for the pandemic at the end of January and early February? Oh, they couldn't be bothered. Why question right they were consumed with their impeachment conspiracy theories hoax and witch hunt.

Now, the final vote didn't take place on impeachment until February 12th, nearly two weeks after President Trump acted decisively with an aggressive plan frankly unprecedented to stop the spread of the coronavirus when he had his travel ban put in place. He did all this while he was being impeached.

And when the president put in place travel ban, at that time, that guy, quid pro quo Joe called the president's travel ban and quarantine efforts, quote, part of a record of xenophobia and fearmongering.

Oh, so many more thousands of people -- how many more would've contracted the virus? We didn't quarantine people that came in from China, or citizens, for two weeks and we didn't have a travel ban. Sorry. You're part of the world sick. You can't get in.

He did that three weeks. Biden, Obama, they waited six months in 1,000 people died, in 2009 and '10. Fake news CNN, what where they saying at the time with the travel ban? Well, they were promoting the potential stigma and fear that the travel ban would cause.

And fake news CNN would have also been responsible if, in fact, the van wasn't in place and thousands and thousands of our fellow Americans contracted this disease. And they would be critical of Trump for doing that.

And now, the Democrats and the mob, they are just outright lying. You got NBC News, fake news CNN, MSDNC, others, Cher, Hollywood, actually claiming that the president is calling the coronavirus a hoax. No, that's another complete lie. Instead the president called the weaponization and politicizing of the virus a hoax.

And we have the tape to prove it. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:  Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. You know that, right? Coronavirus. They are politicizing it.

We did one of the great jobs. You say how was resident from doing? They go, oh, not good, not good.

One of my people came at me and said, Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn't work out too well. They couldn't do it.

They tried the impeachment hoax. They tried it over and over. They've been doing it since you got in.

It's all turning. They lost. It's all turning.

Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  The president and call the virus a hoax. No, he put in place quarantine and he put in place a travel ban.

But the mob and the media, why would they ever let facts get in the way of good anti-Trump smear which is all they've been doing for three years?

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Just tonight at a rally, he went a step further and called the coronavirus a hoax.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  This is the same president who referred to the coronavirus as a hoax.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  How did they answer that a guy like Senator Sanders is more capable than Donald Trump who has called the coronavirus, by the way, a hoax?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  President Trump laid into the Democrats were raising alarm, calling it a hoax.

JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:  You know, the idea that Donald Trump said just several days ago this was a Democratic hoax, what in God's name is he talking about?

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:  I find it incomprehensible that the president would do something as inane as calling it a hoax which he did last night in South Carolina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  He said that the Democrats making so much if it is as a Democratic hoax, not that the virus was a hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  They are all lying yet again because of a political agenda, a hate Trump agenda. But not a word, not a peep into 2009 end '10, 20,000 of our fellow Americans contracting swine flu, six months, what did Biden- Obama do? Nothing. A thousand dead Americans.

Oh, now, we'll declare a national emergency.

That is how corrupt and morally bankrupt your media mob has become and your Democratic Party is.

Then you've got late night liberal Bill Maher. Well, he might take the cake. Over the weekend, he actually claimed that the president would like to use the virus to declare martial law. This is the same guy by the way that wanted oh, a recession, because it would help the Democrats.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAHER, LATE NIGHT HOST:  Now, since Trump, I think is not going to leave anyway, might as well run Bernie. He's not. He's not. And, by the way, with the virus gets bad he's going to declare martial law. Watch that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Oh my God!

MAHER:  That could happen. That could totally happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  Lies, conspiracy theories, smear, slander, besmirchment from the media unlike anything we've ever experienced. This is a raw, naked political agenda. They hate the president, but they also those of us smelly Walmart Trump supporter, I believe in God, or guns, Bible, you know Constitution.

They are not looking out for your safety, your security or well-being. The one thing they care about and the only thing is placating the psychotic rage, hypocrisy and double standard because they hate Donald Trump. That's why this election means something, more than any other in my lifetime. In 246 days, you cannot reward this. We have a lot more coming up on all of this tonight.

But, first, joining us now with a full report on today's record setting economic numbers, with the Fox Business Channel is our own Melissa Francis.

Melissa, big day for everybody on Wall Street. We always expect Wall Street to be a little jittery. They seem to have recovered.

MELISSA FRANCIS, FOX BUSINESS CHANNEL:  No, absolutely. I mean, the market is the great truth teller because, of course, you do what you really believe with your money. You may say different things about different candidates but when it comes time to put your money on the line, and we saw that, Paul Krugman, you mentioned him. He's the one who said the market was never going to recover on the night that President Trump was elected and lo and behold, much as we predicted overnight, it bounced back right away the next morning. And in fact it is all those records that we had seen since the president has been an office that drove the market lower at least in part last week.

And what I'm saying is I actually talk to traders every day, I actually talked to people who are putting money on the line, unlike all of these other pundits on these other sites that sit there and, oh, the market is crashing. No. This is what traders are actually saying. The market can't go up, up, up. We had run up 17 percent without pulling back.

So we were due for a pullback. They looked at what was going on with China. They didn't know how long those factories were going to be closed. Guess what we learned on Friday and over the weekend. The factories in China are opening back up. People are going back to work.

So, you have a sense of how long a virus is going to cause a supply shock. We also see that stocks weren't massively -- they can only go down for so long before people go to the world is going to recover from this virus in my goodness, I missed the last run up in Apple, I missed the last run of over here. I'm going to get in on it.

There's another important story that hasn't really been covered and that's -- we have this really complicated supply chains where we're dependent on these other countries like China, who's been trying to get us off those complicated supply chains? Who's been trying to wean us from China and has been ridiculed for it through this trade work? President Trump.

Now we see why we may be don't want to be totally dependent on them because a virus that's under control in our country where we only have people dying for now, thank God, who were already vulnerable in their health for one reason or another. You have these other countries where it's running rampant and, you know, more healthy people are actually dying from this. Maybe you don't want to be dependent on the country for your supply chain, or for your medications.

I mean, that's another huge story that the president has been on and that we've been covering. Why is China making our medication? Why aren't we in control of that anymore? These are things to follow up on. What do you think, Sean?

HANNITY:  All right. Melissa, thanks. Well said. Might have a slow down because they talked it down so bad.

We'll have more of the coronavirus in a moment. Thank you.

First, Super Tuesday only hours away. Tomorrow morning, polls will open in 14 states across country. We are looking at what is essentially now a four- person race.

You had a 78-year-old, Soviet style radical socialist who praises every murdering communist dictatorship around the world. And, of course, a line, pandering nanny state mayor who wants to take your guns, fly his plane but lecture us on global warming. Let all people get sick and I'm not give them coverage, and is actually talking about how he put the cops in only minority neighborhoods, only arrested minorities because that's where all the crime is.

Then you've got Pocahontas, Elizabeth Warren. Lied about her heritage, decline the academic letter for decades and get a cushy, high-paying job, then lying about the cost of her radical plan to take away your private health insurance.

And let's be honest. Warren, she's probably done. She has no path denomination. She's hitching a wagon to Bernie and that'll be as clear as ever tomorrow.

So guess what that? Brings us all the way back to sleep, creepy, crazy quid pro quo Joe 30330, who once again tonight is being proclaimed the party's savior to stop Sanders. Now, despite an endless stream of gaffes, blunders, mistakes and outright incoherent ramblings, which is getting worse by the hour, because guess what? Biden isn't even sure what day the election is on. I'm not making this up. This is all new.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN:  Look, tomorrow is Super Thursday -- Tuesday. I want to thank you all. I tell you what? I am rushing ahead, aren't I?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  Ba-ba-bap!

And it gets worse because when Biden appeared on FOX News yesterday, he forgot Chris Wallace's name. Thought he was talking to Chuck. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, ANCHOR, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY":  Thank you. Thanks for your time. Please come back in less than 13 years, sir

BIDEN:  All right, Chuck. Thank you very much.

WALLACE:  All right. It's Chris, but anyway.

BIDEN:  Chris, I just said (ph) Chris. No, no. I just said Chuck.

I tell you what, man. These are back-to-back. Anyway, I don't know how you do it early in the morning, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  That's really insulting to call Chris "Chuck" in my opinion.

Earlier today, Biden try to show of his knowledge of American history by reciting, yes, you know, this document that we all know. We hold these truths to be self-evident. Don't we?

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN:  It's time for Americans to get back up on its feet and once again fight for the proposition that we hold these truths to be self-evident, it sounds corny. It's not a joke. Think about it.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men and women created by -- you know, the thing. You know how we talk about it. We, the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  Ba-ba-bap!

That would be God, Joe.

OK, now the only thing worse than Biden's never-ending campaign of blunders, mental flow flubs all out delusion is his actual record. You keep your doctor, you plan and save money, eight million more American poverty, 13 million more Americans on food stamps, lowest labor participation rate since the `70s, oh, yes, 1,000 dead Americans until he and Obama officially declared a national emergency to respond to the swine flu six months later. Trump, he did it in three weeks.

Here with reaction, Donald Trump Jr.

Imagine that. It took them 20,000 Americans contracting the swine flu virus. Then, of course, 1,000 died. Well, maybe now, we'll call it a national emergency.

Your father did it, Donald Jr., in three weeks. Three weeks and everybody told him not to.

How many thousands of Americans didn't contract this virus?

DONALD TRUMP, JR., THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION:  Well, many. I mean -- and that's the reality. It was great to see them talking about that before.

By having actual control of our borders, by actually trying to bring back American manufacturing and controlling some of our supply lines, it's actually preparedness for the future in dealing with these sorts of things. I mean, this has been Trump's agenda from day one.

So, unfortunately, the left is suffering from Trump derangement syndrome much more than they are from anything else that they can't even get these things out. They don't realize he acted decisively. They actually criticized him for his actions. You saw -- oh, he's being xenophobic.

No, he just didn't want disease coming to America. Not xenophobia. OK? There's a big difference.

But again, the media is so used to having it both ways. They are so used to being able to do whatever they can to bolster the Democrats because they've decided to be the marketing wing of the Democratic Party. And that's a problem, Sean.

HANNITY:  There's never been in modern history a president that would be willing to put in Americans coming back from China, to quarantine them. He did that. And a travel ban within three weeks.

And I honestly -- if he didn't do it and didn't act decisively, there's no way we wouldn't have thousands more people that have contracted this. And the fact that they will talk down the economy, say nothing when 20,000 contracted the disease and 1,000 people died is breathtaking -- and you're right. Xenophobia, that the president is creating a climate of racism, I'm like, are you people kidding me? He is protecting America.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP JR.:  Well, it's sad because -- I said it, they're literally seemingly upset that he was ahead of the curve. I mean, they want any kind of disaster, like you were talking about as it relates to the economy.

You talked about Bill Maher. I mean, there were people, not just Bill Maher, but thousands of other blue check mark elitists saying, oh, you know what, I don't care if someone loses their job. I don't care if they lose their home or can't make their mortgage payments, you know what, if we can get one of our leftist clones to implement free health care for illegals, we're never going to pay for it, you know, that's well worth your suffering.

Well, Donald Trump has put Americans first. He's put America first again. And we shouldn't be embarrassed about that.

He was ahead of this and no matter what his response, there's going to be criticism. Whether he's right -- they will rethink it and, again, when you have everyone in the media that will run with whatever water the Democrat talking points are, they can just pretend and make up facts, as you've seen and as they've done.

HANNITY:  You know it was amazing I heard from somebody in the room that your dad, everybody said no, probably shouldn't do it. Those who weighed in on the political side of it said, no, it's going to backfire. Fake news CNN said stigma and fear that the travel ban would cause.

I think that this shows the difference between your father and, say, Biden- Obama. They waited six months, 1,000 dead Americans, Don Jr. It takes my breath away.

TRUMP JR.:  A hundred percent, and this is why you want Donald Trump as a leader, someone who can actually make a decision -- but not just make a decision and go the PC route, but someone who would actually make the tough decision. That's who I want in a time of crisis.

HANNITY:  Yes.

TRUMP JR.:  And that's what his leadership has exemplified. That's why he's been able to achieve all of the accomplishments both economically and from a foreign policy standpoint that so many said he could never do. That's why he was able to do it despite zero help, despite zero action from the do- nothing Democrats over the last three years who've done nothing but try to impeach him.

He got NAFTA done and renegotiated. He got a trade deal done with China. We got unemployment at the lowest levels in recorded history for literally every demographic in this country. But they want to change that.

We're not dealing with rational people. We're dealing with people who can't reset the Declaration of Independence. We are dealing with a candidate, leader probably Joe Biden who doesn't know what state he's in 50 percent of the time.

Bloomberg spent $600 million trying to buy this election but he found out when he got on the debate stage two weeks ago, you know what? It's not so easy to do what Trump did. And then you've got a communist in Bernie Sanders.

So, the Democrat Party is really at a loss. I don't have anything. They don't have anyone good which is why the two biggest funders of the Democrat Party actually got in the race themselves.

HANNITY:  If the market, you know, takes a while, the economy slows, I blame them for their hysteria.

Don Jr., thank you.

Joining us now is Housing and Urban Development secretary, a member now of the Coronavirus Task Force team, Dr. Ben Carson.

You know, Dr. Carson, we -- we could compare Biden-Obama, 20,000 contracted disease, a thousand died. Now, we'll call it a national emergency. The media's fine.

Donald Trump did it in three weeks.

Your reaction to this?

DR. BEN CARSON, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY:  It's wonderful that we have a leader who's willing to take decisive action to make hard calls. I've seen him many times make a hard call when everybody else said something else and he's been right. He has very, very good judgment.

And, you know, his care in this situation is about the American people, about protecting them and not about political issues. And one of the things that I think is very interesting is that a consortium of drug companies have gotten together -- they're normally competitors -- they are working together to come up with cures and to come up with vaccines.

Why is it that the political class can't recognize that this is something that should rise above that level and that we need to be concerned about the welfare of our nation?

HANNITY:  Do you think there is anything else that we might be missing here that we need to do? I like the idea of the travel ban. I like the idea unfortunately of quarantining, but we're doing it for the safety and security for the rest of us.

Anything else you see? And where do you see this going, this particular virus? From what I understand, corona is just a variation of another coronavirus which we've been studying for some period of time.

CARSON:  Well, we need to recognize that, you know, it is a virus and it needs to be treated like virus and like viral infections. And we need to emphasize to people that you need to do the same things that you would do for any other flu or viral infection.

Keep your hands washed. Be careful about, you know, where you go. And keep yourself healthy in terms of hydration, eating things that are helpful to you. Getting plenty of rest.

These are the kind of things that make a big difference for people.

HANNITY:  All right. I'm putting my Purell on now. I don't want to infect anybody.

But in all seriousness, we pray for our citizens that have been affected and those that lost loved ones. That travel ban worked.

Dr. Carson, thank you as always.

The president held a massive rally tonight in North Carolina. He went after, yes, quid pro quo Joe, his numerous gaffes. We got all the highlights and so much more.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP:  There's not a lot of enthusiasm for Biden. I thought he gave up the presidency of the other day because he said he's running for the Senate. I looked at the first lady. I said, hey, he's running for the Senate. And today he just said super Thursday. He's looking forward to super Thursday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  Yes, super Thursday. What state am I? What day is it? What's going on? Hello.

Earlier tonight, the president in North Carolina slamming quid pro quo Joe for his embarrassing never-ending gaffes, but Joe 30330, these gaps are nothing new.

Long history of fairy bizarre, confusing strange comments. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN:  A hundred and fifty million people have been killed since 2007.

My name is Joe Biden. I'm a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Look me over. If you like what you see, help out.

If you agree with me, go to Joe 30330.

We choose truth over facts.

Play the radio. Make for the television -- excuse me. Make sure you have the record player on that night, the phone. Make sure the kids hear words.

Poor kids are just as bright and as just as talented as white kids.

His mom lived in long island for ten years or so. God rest her soul. And although -- wait, your mom is still. Your mom still alive, because your dad passed. God bless her soul.

Chuck Graham, state senator is here. Stand up, Chuck. Let them see you.

Oh, God love you. What am I talking about?

A man who will be the next president of the United States, Barack America.

In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  Here with reaction, Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, FOX News contributor Lisa Boothe.

Louie, if he ever had a fastball, it's gone. If he ever had a softball, that's gone, too. This guy is -- it's now officially scary, and it's like somebody needs to kind of intervene from my perspective.

But what do I know? I'm not a doctor.

REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, R-TEXAS:  Well, I think if he can get a good turnout on super Thursday, then that'll be awesome.

(LAUGHTER)

GOHMERT:  But my question for you, Sean, is Chuck Wallace, Chris Wallace's brother? Because they look a lot alike, you know?

But, Joe, it's unbelievable and in Texas, I was talking to one of our pollsters there and campaign manager, Keith Norfely (ph), and Mike Vasily (ph). They know Texas.

And, you know, scary but you have a Marxist that is leading the Democrats in Texas. And we don't know the effect of all the Democrats throwing in the towel because half the vote has voted in early voting. So it's going to be interesting to see.

But who would've ever dreamed that a Marxist, a proud communist, basically from his days of visiting the Soviet Union on his honeymoon would be winning in Texas for the Democrats. So, it's an amazing time.

HANNITY:  Lisa, I -- they're all nuts to me. I can go through the chapter and verse on all of them. How do you think this plays out tomorrow?

LISA BOOTHE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR:  Well, look, I think everyone should go out and turn out for Joe Biden on Thursday and definitely not tomorrow.

HANNITY:  Yes.

BOOTHE:  But here's the thing -- there is essentially a coronation from the Democratic establishment for Joe Biden today, for the guy that everyone just looked into, gaffe after gaffe, and not just gaffes but some, you know, comments that you could say or maybe even racist.

So that guy, a guy who was on his third presidential run. He won his first primary state in South Carolina in three runs. He got trounced by Bernie Sanders in the three states prior to that, so that's the guy the Democrats think is their best chance or at least the establishment Democrats think is their best chance for the nomination and potentially the general election which I think sort of tells you something.

HANNITY:  What about this whole issue? You know, 20,000 contracted disease,
1,000 died and then they start taking it seriously in '09 and 2010, Louie, and Donald Trump acted in three weeks.

How do you politicize that and weaponize it?

GOHMERT:  Yes, you have to be -- yes, you have to be dishonest to do that. But if you look at the Democratic playbook, here we had a president that reacted immediately and said we need to restrict people coming in from China, the problem area. And he was called a racist. And, you know, then they turn around and call them other names when he was wanting to make sure our border is secure.

Fortunately, the three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit reversed themselves and said, you know, maybe President Trump did have a good idea down there.

HANNITY:  All right.

GOHMERT:  But the president has been ahead of the game at every turn.

HANNITY:  Predictions, what happens tomorrow? Lisa Boothe?

BOOTHE: Well, I am looking at how much Bernie Sanders runs up the score in California because it could be hard to catch him depending on how many delegates he gets there.

Also, looking at seeing if Elizabeth Warren loses her home state of Massachusetts. I think it's going to be hard for her to justify her presidential run if she loses her own state.

HANNITY:  All right. Good observations, both of you.

When we come back -- all right, so the media mob, Democrats are weaponizing, politicizing the coronavirus outbreak. But will it come back to bite them? We'll explain. We'll check in with our medical experts.

Also, huge news in the quest for equal justice that involves Hillary Clinton.

And Chris Matthews, he's out. No more thrills up anybody's leg that we know of, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY:  All right. 2020 candidates desperately spreading lies and hysteria about the coronavirus and its outbreak. Why? For political advantage, making the outrageous claim that the Trump has not taken the virus seriously when we now know just the opposite is true, because he instituted a travel ban within three weeks of identifying the virus, oh, and quarantined Americans coming back from areas with heavy infection rates.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, I-VT., , PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:  We need scientists running our response to the coronavirus and not a politician like Pence who barely believes in science at all. So, I would hope very much that Trump understands that the coronavirus is a major, major threat to.

BIDEN:  And, look, right now, you have this president, hasn't allowed his scientists to speak, number one. He has the vice president speaking, not the scientist to know what they are talking about, like Fauci.

Number two, they haven't even prepared a test kit to determine if anyone has the virus. They haven't set up a pattern of how to proceed. They don't
-- they cut the funding for the CDC. They've cut the Centers for Disease Control.

I can get that done on health care by building on Obamacare with a Biden Medicare option in it. I can do this in terms of Ebola -- excuse me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  Joining us with reaction, Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, contributor at large, Geraldo Rivera, Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier.

Dr. Safire, let me start with you. The president quarantined Americans within three weeks of actually identifying this as corona. We have identified it on January 7th.

We've only first heard about it December 30th of last year, and within 3 weeks, we had a travel ban. He was criticized. We also put in place the other measures that he did. To me, record reaction.

Do you believe as I do that thousands likely -- that prevented thousands from contracting this?

DR. NICOLE SAPHIER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR:  You know, I do believe, Sean, that the swift efforts by the Trump administration by containing the virus not allowing people coming into the United States is part of the reason why our numbers are so low in the United States as of now. I find it very interesting when I hear Vice President Biden say that you need scientists leading these efforts but less let's also not forget President Obama, his Ebola czar was actually a lawyer.

And Obama also gave the quest to cure cancer to Biden, also both lawyers, not medical doctors. The only person is actually putting physicians and scientists to lead this outbreak is the Trump administration.

They just announced today that they are having an Ambassador Birx joint, who is actually appointed by President Obama because she's an incredible scientist and physician and she's also joining Fauci. She is joining Redfield and now, Seema Verma is on and -- I mean, it's just incredible.

He's put together this A-team. So, he is the one listening to scientists, listening to physicians and it's frustrating when I hear Biden say, you know, that the Trump administration has slashed cuts to the CDC. He did decrease some fundings to the CDC. What he did not decrease funding to was the infectious disease portion of the CDC. He cut administrative and wasteful programs. What he did do was actually increased funding for infectious diseases by 3 percent for 2021. So, all of this -- I think is just --

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY:  Geraldo, I mean, Dr. Saphier lays it all out. I mean -- and yet you have the media mob. Twenty thousand Americans contracted swine flu, 1,000 died before they declared a national emergency by -- six months later in 2009.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE:  You know, Sean, I think that, first of all, this is the time where I am perfectly satisfied with the president's team and his response. Vice President Pence is an inspired choice to lead this effort. But now is the time we got a fight this thing with urgency, with competence. We've got to go full bore and with transparency. We've got to fight this thing. We've got to put aside political differences, put aside ideological differences --

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY:  Geraldo, Geraldo, he did it in three weeks with the travel ban. Three weeks, record time.

RIVERA:  I want to know where were the 17 intelligence agencies that are constantly busting the president's chops when this thing was spreading through Wuhan, China. Where were all our great spooks, our intelligence guys?

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY:  They didn't identify it until December.

RIVERA:  Why didn't they tell the president? Why didn't they tell the rest of us? How did they miss it?

HANNITY:  Well, they didn't even identify it until December 30th of 2019, Dan Bongino.

DAN BONGINO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR:  Yes, I believe they entered the hospital with pneumonia. I mean, this relatively, coronavirus aren't new. It's specific strain that I believe is new. Maybe Dr. Saphier can add to this.

But, Sean, listen, the media and the Democrats' activities over the last few weeks have been absolutely grotesque, disgusting, and horrendous. Just when I thought we reached a new low after impeachment, their activities during the coronavirus, whether it is Michael Bloomberg or Joe Biden, two leading candidates for president, perpetuating myths on national television about CDC funding, perpetuating the myth that President Trump called the virus hoax, in fact a falsehood.

Whether it is political perpetuating that myth, whether it's left-wing media saying Dr. Fauci was in fact muzzled when Dr. Fauci himself got up in a press conference and said this is false --

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA:  This is going to be so irrelevant. This is going to be so irrelevant. Sean --

(CROSSTALK)

BONGINO:  Irrelevant?

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY:  Wait a minute. It's not irrelevant when he put in place a travel ban -- CNN criticized and he saved thousands. That's not irrelevant.

RIVERA:  There are six dead in Washington state right now. You know, in a week there could be 60. Then there's going to be every other state in the Union --

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY:  Geraldo, where was the media? Wait, where was the media, Dan Bongino, when 1,000 Americans died and 20,000 infected before they finally declared this a national emergency, Dan Bongino? Trump did it in three weeks and got crucified for it.

BONGINO:  Your darn right.

And, Geraldo, that's insane when you say -- irrelevant? The media was hyping this thing and probably wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars of wealth all -- by making a big --

(CROSSTALK)

BONGINO:  -- not telling people the truth.

RIVERA:  Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Don't shake hands. Wash your hands. Don't shake hands. It's going to come to a town near you.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY:  Dr. Saphier gets a pay raise for putting up with all this tonight. Doctor, thank you for your expertise.

Geraldo, I -- you may need medical resuscitation after I see you next time. 
Anyway, just kidding. Thank you all.

Federal judge ordered Hillary Clinton for a sworn deposition about the email scandal. Finally maybe justice?

And a big announcement coming up, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY:  Our friends at Judicial Watch earlier today got another huge win after a federal judge granted their request to have Hillary Clinton sit down for a sworn deposition over email scandal, finally.

And, by the way, in the quest to expose Democratic corruption does not stop there. Republican Senator Ron Johnson has now officially notified the Senate Homeland Security Committee of his plans to seek a subpoena against a Hunter Biden-linked public affairs firm, yes, relating to zero experience Hunter making millions, Burisma Holdings.

By the way, there's an official investigation that was announced in Ukraine.

Here with reaction, author of the number one bestseller "Witch Hunt", FOX News legal analyst, Gregg Jarrett, FOX News investigative reporter, Sara Carter, "Wall Street Journal" columnist, investigative reporter, Kimberley Strassel.

Sara, we start with you in the news. This is big, this judge's ruling. It's also big what's happening in Ukraine for I guess the leading candidate of the Democratic Party, Mr. Quid pro quo himself.

SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR:  Well, Senator Ron Johnson and I will start with that has been really aggressively tackling Hunter Biden and his role in Burisma and now it appears, Sean, that they are going to be subpoenaing people in connection with Burisma that they believe leveraged Hunter Biden in an effort to protect Burisma. So, this is huge news.

Secondly, as far as Hillary Clinton is concerned, this is the biggest news we've heard of yet. This is probably the biggest win for Judicial Watch, because Judge Royce Lambert, basically granted Judicial Watch the right to depose Hillary Clinton, Cheryl Mills, or close closest aide, and Paul Combetta. Remember, he was the I.T. specialist who worked on her private server.

So, they're going to have a lot of questions that they will have to answer. 
And Judge Royce Lambert said we are not quite a let it slide by. You're not going to have it in written answer format. It's going to be in person question and answer. He wants all the answers as well.

HANNITY:  From a legal standpoint, Gregg Jarrett, I've always said that if were going to have equal justice and application of our laws and not tread our Constitution, it needs to go back to the espionage act of course the leading and Bleach Bit and hammers and devices. This is a huge step.

And then we got Durham-Barr on top of that.

GREGG JARRETT, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST:  Yes, the challenge is that Hillary Clinton is a master of prevarication. She's elevated lies and deception and evasion to an art form. During the course of her email scandal, she told lie after lie, five in all. Every time she got caught in a lie, she'd invent a brand-new one.

Finally when it came time for FBI interview which was, the outcome was preordained and it was all choreographed and scripting, she said I don't recall 39 times. So, when she sits down for her deposition, Sean, I'm not optimistic she will feign amnesia, she will have a total memory loss akin to acute dementia. And I fear that will all simply be a waste of time.

HANNITY:  Where do you think -- I have confidence in the attorney general, Kimberly. Maybe I shouldn't but unlike the inspector general, Durham and the attorney general, they have the right to convene a grand jury, press charges, where does this all end in your view? Do you believe as I do that I think they're going to get the job done?

KIMBERLEY STRASSEL, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:  Well, look, we have crucial parts of this that have not been answered yet and what was great about the Horowitz report is that it started in July, and went into the FBI investigation.

Well, we don't know things from the beginning, from the time in the spring when you have Fusion GPS already hiring Christopher Steele who was involved with all of that. This is what Durham is going to get into. And it's -- we need the answers to that because we still only have half the story.

HANNITY:  I tell you what? We better get to the bottom of this or else we don't really have a Constitution, especially that those that lied under oath.

Great reporting, all of you. Thank you. We'll stay on it.

By the way, a big fight over FISA coming up later this week.

Apparently, Chris Matthews out at MSDNC. Very few thrills going up his leg I guess for a while.

Anyway, also a big announcement. That's next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY:  Bit news at state news media, MSNBC, Chris Matthews tonight abruptly announcing he was retiring effective immediately. Matthews was big on the exact reason. He did seem to allude to his reported history of inappropriate comments and conduct towards women.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS MATTHEWS, FORMER MSNBC HOST:  After conversation with MSNBC, I decided tonight will be my last "Hardball". So, let me tell you why, the younger generation is out there ready to take the reins. You see them in politics, in the media and fighting for their causes. Their probe in the workplace, were talking about better standards that we grew up with, fair standards.

A lot of it has to do with how we talk to each other, complements on a woman's appearance that some men including me, might have once incorrectly through were OK, were never OK, not then, and certainly not today. And for making such comments in the past, I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY:  I'm sure more to follow.

A big program announcement, I will have a interview with the president this Wednesday night. We'll cover the results from Super Tuesday, the 2020 Democrats, and, of course, the White House's quick, speedy response to coronavirus.

All right. We'll always be fair and balanced. We're not the hate media mob.

Let not your hearts be troubled because Laura Ingraham takes it away.

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