'Hannity' on Biden's press conference

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Hannity: Biden living in an alternate universe

Sean Hannity reacts to President Biden's press conference in the opening monologue of 'Hannity.'

This is a rush transcript of "Hannity" on January 19, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: All right. And thank you, Tucker, and welcome to HANNITY.

And after days and days and days of resting, studying, prepping, Joe Biden finally trotted out to the podium for just the second solo press conference ever as president. And as expected, it did not go well at all. In fact, it was the longest, frankly most painful even embarrassing presser I've ever witnessed. No doubt he still has lucid moments here and there, but more often than not, Joe is clearly lost. He is confused especially off prompter.

Frankly, knowing the world is watching this, to be honest, I felt humiliation for the country. I really did, you know? And that's just the delivery. the substance was an unmitigated disaster that could have ramifications all around the globe. In what was a blatant attempt to look strong and competent, Joe Biden looked deeply unwell.

Now, tonight, coming up, we're going to fact check his many lies. We'll call out his election conspiracy theories. We'll actually answer one of his dumb rhetorical questions, and we'll tell you how his pathetic rhetoric surrounding Russia and NATO could have potentially explosive and very deadly consequences around the entire globe.

Peter Doocy, who just faced off against Biden, will join us again. The great one Mark Levin, we'll get his take, and Greg Gutfeld, moments away. We'll show you President Trump's initial reaction as well.

But we begin with perhaps the biggest lie of the day and that is despite major crises on multiple fronts and an all-time low approval rating at 33 percent, Joe Biden just proudly announced that his administration has exceeded all expectations. Oh, okay, sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Inflation is up. Your signature domestic legislation is stalled in Congress. In a few hours from now, the Senate -- an effort in the Senate to deal with voting rights and voting reform legislation is going to fail. COVID-19 is still taking the lives of 1,500 Americans every day, and the nation's divisions are just as raw as they were a year ago.

Did you overpromise to the American public what you could achieve in your first year in office? And how do you plan to course correct going forward?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Why are you such an optimist?

Look, I didn't overpromise, but I have probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen.

Can you think of any other president's done as much in one year? Name one for me.

REPORTER: I'm asking you.

BIDEN: I'm serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right. Since you asked, Joe, let's take a look at Donald Trump's first year in office, shall we?

In 2017, President Trump, he signed 117 bills into law, that included dozens of major legislative achievements. He repealed the individual mandate and Obamacare. He signed what was the biggest tax cut in American history.

He eliminated more regulations than the last, what, five, eight presidents combined. He opened up oil exploration in ANWR in Alaska. He oversaw massive economic growth. He nominated Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He set a record for first year judicial appointments to federal appellate courts.

He oversaw a historic reduction in illegal immigration. He bombed the living Adam Schiff out of ISIS and destroyed the caliphate. He also forced NATO members to up their contributions to the military alliance.

So what did Joe do over the past year? Okay, Joe, true, you spent so much money on handouts that inflation is now at a record 40-year high while the worker shortage remains dire in the country. The average American family because of your policies is now spending five thousand dollars more this year because of your inflation tax.

Biden shut down the Keystone exile pipeline, but he did green light Putin's pipeline, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe. He blocked oil exploration on federal lands. He ended Trump's energy independence policies.

A year ago, this country was a net exporter of energy and energy independent. And now, he's begging and pleading with OPEC and Russia to produce more energy. That too is a national embarrassment and worst of all, for you the American consumer, all of us are paying -- well, about a buck more a gallon for gasoline. We're going to pay close to a thousand dollars more on average heating our homes this year, and we now pay more for every single product we buy at every store that we go to.

And there's no end in sight as now the price of a barrel of oil worldwide is now headed to a hundred bucks a barrel and maybe higher. That's a huge reason for the 40-year high in inflation and Joe obviously has zero understanding of economics 101 because he never tied those two things together. Instead, he's lashing out, blaming businesses and industries and saying his policies did not cause this.

And remember, he also ended Trump's border policies he stopped construction of the border wall. He also ended the stay in Mexico policy that was working. It caused record levels of illegal immigration we had not seen in what, 20, 25 years.

Now, we can never forget the 13 Americans who were killed because of Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan or the thousands of Americans and green card holders and allies that he abandoned when he said he wouldn't do it. Remember, he also promised to shut down the virus. That never happened either.

Joe was lying the entire time. We not -- not only did he not shut it down, we had more people that died from COVID in 2021 than 2020. He said, I didn't see omicron coming, and in the meantime when we needed most, he ran out of COVID test.

He ran out of monoclonal antibodies. He's done nothing to mass-produce the antivirals that for the first time today even mentioned. We have now more Americans dead under his watch than Donald Trump.

But according to the White House, Biden did build a lot of new windmills and electric charging stations. Okay, that is really helping us all out a lot. But as for the unity that Joe promised, in his inauguration speech -- well, today, Joe couldn't even be honest about that. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: I know that you dispute the characterization that you called folks who would oppose those voting bills as being Bull Connor or George Wallace, but you said that they would be sort of in the same camp.

BIDEN: No, I didn't say that. Look, what I said. Go back and read what I said and tell me if you think I called anyone who voted on the side of the position taken by Bull Connor that they were Bull Connor, and that is an interesting reading of English. You -- I assume you got into in the journalism because you like to write.

So, I ask every elected official in America, how do you want to be remembered? At consequential moments in history, they present a choice. Do you want to be side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be in the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Well, he chose to be beside -- let's see -- the former Klansman Robert Byrd and stop integration of schools because he didn't want public schools to be racial jungles. It was lie after lie after lie in this presser today.

Now, even Joe's old friend Dick Durbin thought that that speech was too divisive. Joe does not seem to grasp reality at this point in time. He just lies and lies over and over again.

Here are a few more examples. Take a look. You decide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

REPORTER: Why are you trying so hard in your first year to pull the country so far to the left?

BIDEN: Well, I'm not.

If you notice, I haven't attacked anybody publicly, any senator, any, any, any, any congressman.

My Build Back Better plan will address the biggest cost of working families face every day, and it will do all this without raising a single penny in taxes on people making under $400,000 a year.

And for the first time in a long time, this country's working people actually got a raise.

We've seen record job creation, record economic growth in the past year.

Anybody who listened to the speech, I did not say that they were going to be George Wallace or Bull Connor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Biden's blatant lies are a culmination of two deeply concerning issues. One, he's always been a kind of slimy, dishonest politician, to be blunt. Two, Joe is now in a very steep, very obvious cognitive decline. It's becoming harder and harder for him to keep his tall tale straight, and as a result you the American people well you don't seem to have much confidence or believe that Joe is competent to serve.

Today, James Rosen asked Biden about this cognitive decline and Joe was not interested in giving an answer. Totally unaware. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: I'd like to -- I'd like to raise a delicate subject but with utmost respect for your life accomplishments and the high office you hold. A poll released this morning by "Politico"/Morning Consult found 49 percent of registered voters disagreeing with the statement Joe Biden is mentally fit. Not even a majority of Democrats who responded strongly affirmed that statement.

BIDEN: I'll let you all make the judgment whether they're correct.

REPORTER: Well, so the question I have for you, sir, if you'd let me finish, is why do you suppose such large segments of the American electorate have come to harbor such profound concerns about your cognitive fitness? Thank you.

BIDEN: I have no idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: No idea, whatsoever.

Well, we must admit we were a little ahead of the curve because we were telling you about this during the campaign. And by the way, he's living in an alternate universe. Remember, how did he not know what "let's go Brandon" meant?

And just today at the presser, well, in between a few lucid moments, Biden -- he struggled mightily. We got the tape to prove it. Again, we'll let you decide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: We passed a lot of things that people don't even understand what's all that's in it understandably.

One of the things that I remember saying and I'll end this.

I think it's extremely realistic to say to people because -- let me back up. So whether or not we can actually get an election -- and by the way, I haven't given up. We haven't finished the vote yet on what's going on -- on voting rights and the John Lewis bill and others. Allison Harris, please?

Very few schools are closing. Over 95 percent are still open.

Has -- it's becoming much more informed on the motives of some of the political players and some of the -- and the political parties.

REPORTER: One more question, Mr. President --

BIDEN: By the way, it's a quarter of guys. So I'm going to do this -- just let's -- if you ask me easy questions, I'll give you quick answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: There's a reason I stopped joking about it a long time ago because it's not funny. Our enemies are watching this. It's scary. It's troubling.

We, the American people, can see what's going on. You're witnessing an obvious cognitive decline. But the saddest part of all this are so are America's enemies.

You know, Vladimir Putin, President Xi, the mullahs in Iran, in fact, Putin is now amassing troops at the border of Ukraine, ready to attack, cause a massive war in Europe. Putin likely thinks Biden is too weak to respond.

And today, Biden essentially -- well, not only confirmed but fast-tracked Putin's plan to invade Ukraine so long as it's -- it's -- well, is it going to be a minor incursion. Wow. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Russia will be held accountable if it invades, and it depends on what it does. It's one thing if it's a minor incursion, and then we end up having to fight about what to do and not do, et cetera.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: You think Putin's going to hold back now, 200,000 troops that he's amassed there. Ukrainian officials are now at this hour freaking out, rightly so, with some expressing complete shock and grief at Biden's comments.

U.S. intel officials, they're now reportedly deeply concerned and troubled. But, by the way, they were at the start of this day. Our NATO allies, frankly, are terrified of what they saw today and what might happen next, because of what Biden said at this press conference.

Now, clearly, war by Putin is imminent and he kind of got a -- the green light from Joe Biden that there's not going to be any real significant consequences. We're going to put sanctions on them. Oh, okay, that's going to work.

You don't know how to put sanctions on them because if you did, you'd have to out produce them as far as energy goes and that would mean you'd be supplying our Western European allies with the lifeblood of the world's economy that we have the ability to provide that you prevent us from providing.

Now, this is why we cannot have a president with -- that's a cognitive mess in our White House. The consequences will be felt all over the world.

And today, former President Trump had this to say about Joe's disastrous day. Listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARK LEVIN, HOST: I imagine you saw most of this press conference and --

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: I did, I did.

LEVIN: And Joe Biden said he's had enormous progress during his presidency. I don't see it that way. Do you?

TRUMP: Well, progress in destroying our country, yes, I think that's been tremendous.

Hey, I'd like him to do well. You want to know the truth? Forget about politics, I'd love them to do well. I'd love them to be representing our country. I think it's the lowest our country's ever been.

You look at the border with millions of people coming in, you look at inflation. You look at no more energy independence. No, it's -- we have a much different country than we had a year ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Now, we have an announcement about President Trump later in the show. We'll have more of this interview. The great one, Mark Levin, will also join us.

But first, I want to take a moment and answer question that Joe Biden asked at today's press conference. Here's the question he asked -- well, numerous times. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Think about this -- what are Republicans for? What are they for? Name me one thing they're for.

(END VIDEO CLPI)

HANNITY: Well, for the record, I'm a registered conservative but I vote Republican because that's pretty much the only party that's even near conservative.

Now, just one, Joe? Because my list is expansive. Let's start with energy independence that you took away from this country. Let's start with the Keystone XL pipeline. Let's get it back online.

Drilling on federal lands, lowering taxes, ending burdensome regulation, open schools, school choice, parents in control of their kids education, law and order, safety, security, so every American can pursue happiness, free and fair trade deals, peace through strength, free market solutions to health care. Yes, that also protect pre-existing conditions. We believe in liberty and freedom and capitalism in our Constitution, and the U.S. Bill of Rights upheld by constitutionalists on the bench.

But Joe isn't particularly familiar with any of those beliefs because Joe doesn't actually talk to any Republicans or conservatives and he doesn't reach across the aisle. Republicans were pushed out of any negotiation with Bill Back Better or build back broke as I call it. They would not at all involve in this power grab that they're trying even at this hour tonight, which we'll talk about in a minute.

Instead, he is hiding away at the White House and spending 25 percent of his time at the beach somewhere in Delaware, all while his socialist handlers are fundamentally trying to transform this country into a new Green Deal socialist utopia with the slimmest of majorities in the House and the Senate. So I guess congratulations, Joey, he might be the worst president in modern American history.

But don't worry, Joey, you know, you will be the last to know it, because it appears your steep cognitive decline is only getting worse.

Here with reaction, our very own Peter Doocy was in the room.

I saw and I did notice -- and I will say I'm a very harsh critic of the media, I felt there were a number of pretty good questions asked today. And now, were they the questions I would have asked? No. But with that said -- and I liked your question today because he is moving hard left and he just didn't want to he just wanted to dismiss it.

What was it like in the room especially you notice that the media kept going back to Putin and Ukraine because it seemed like Joe was giving Putin a green light?

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, to talk about first the president appearing to give Putin a green light, very, very shortly after he said that a minor incursion might be treated differently, Jen Psaki came out with a statement cleaning that up. She said any kind of Russia -- if any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that is a renewed invasion that would trigger the U.S. response.

So that from Jen Psaki a lot harder than what we heard from President Biden. But being in the room, I tell you, I've been with Joe Biden on the beat for more than three years now, and that is the longest I have ever seen him by himself talking. And there were 30 reporters in the room, 24 got questions. There was a lot of Russia.

If I had been given a follow-up, I was going to ask him about crime, especially because he had a new line that I had not heard him use before, he was saying that people in this country just want three squares and to be safe. Well, as we know, a lot of people right now in this country do not feel safe as the murder rate has risen to a near 25-year high and even the new mayor of New York says he doesn't feel safe riding the subway.

But being in the room, everybody that was there, even though it was an hour and 51 minutes, a lot of time to be anywhere. Everybody really seemed to take advantage of the chance to get him for the first time in that format.

HANNITY: Let me ask you one quick question, I don't need a long answer. Look, there are moments where he just is silent and can't put his thoughts together, mumbling, bumbling, stumbling, dazed and confused. Does the rest of the media acknowledge that privately behind the scenes or do many? You don't have to mention names.

DOOCY: No, and I would say being there in the room, it doesn't seem like he's pausing for as long as maybe when you see it on tape. I got a feeling today that as far as these things go agree or disagree with what he was saying that he was actually about as prepared as he gets for these things and --

HANNITY: Where has he been the last five days, Peter? He's been preparing. That's my bet. I would bet everything I had. He's been missing in action. They prepped him to death.

Anyway, Peter, thank you. We always appreciate you being with us.

Here with more reaction, former senior counselor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway, FOX news contributor Joe Concha.

Kellyanne, your reaction?

KELLYANNE CONWAY, FORMER SENIOR COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Now you know why they don't let Biden do these press conferences. He didn't do well. He's arguing with reporters. He's arguing about his polling numbers, which are very clear.

I mean, just today, Sean and Joe, Morning Consult/Politico poll came out with a report card on Joe Biden, but it's not Joe Biden's report card on Joe Biden. It's America's. And 37 percent gave Joe Biden's first year in office an F, combined 31 percent gave him an A or a B.

That's important because it takes an awful lot for Americans to want to fail the president and the presidency. We live during these times. We want -- we want the country to be prosperous and successful and intact and secure, and people just don't feel that.

So, for two hours today, Joe Biden reinforced why he's an unpopular president. Why his polling numbers, according to the Gallup poll, 40 percent approve, 56 disapprove after one year. It's the lowest on record, yes, lower than Donald Trump's, who did not have the mainstream media pushing for him, covering for him and, of course, voting for him.

I would have asked the media a different question which is, do any of you regret voting for him? Do any of you regret covering up stories about his corrupt son? Do any of you regret not pushing him more on the policies and the issues and forcing him out of his Groundhog Day basement when he was campaigning or not campaigning?

Because this is -- this is what we have, and it's a serious point that his numbers have cratered among independents, even CNN had to admit today, Sean, that among independents, Joe Biden at this point a year ago was over 60 percent. He is now at 33 percent approval. Among Democrats, he was at 98 percent one year ago. He is at 82 percent.

So, the attrition is not just right-wingers and conservatives and people who don't like poor Joe Biden. It's all around now. America also -- some of them believe he's incapacitated, but even a higher number believe that he's incompetent.

And I think the incompetence measure is the most durable one because it is a reflection on the entire Democratic Party.

HANNITY: Yeah.

CONWAY: Until we change the policies and until we change the president, this country is not going to get back on the track where they were. They missed the policies, they missed that America first agenda and accomplishments that you ran through, because people felt more secure and more prosperous and that they had more opportunity, they had more faith in the office of the presidency.

HANNITY: Yeah. Joe, on top of the Ukraine disaster and that now is unfolding as a disaster, you know, President Trump said something to Mark Levin who interviewed him right after the press conference and that is I actually prefer he succeed. You know, he's bragging about his economic numbers but the average American household is paying five thousand dollar more -- five thousand dollars more a year because of his inflation that he caused. Unless he reverses course, that's not going to change, is it?

JOE CONCHA, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: And what we saw today from this press conference, Sean, was that he is not going to reverse course. It's like we heard the same song again and again, which he said during the campaign and now as president.

And when you watch any presidential press conference, you look for, what are the big three headlines you could take out of it, right? And here's what I have: headline one, Biden says Republicans will change vote totals if voting legislation doesn't pass.

Wait, I thought that such rhetoric was chilling attacks on democracy. This is a president of the United States sowing doubt in future elections and every political pundit out there who said it was wrong for the 45th president when he did it is awfully silent tonight as far as when Joe Biden does it. And it shows you how phony all the outrage on TV was around that.

Headline two: Biden says he's accomplished more in his first year than any president in history. Given the 40-year inflation that you just mentioned or given record violent crime homicides or more than 2 million people crossing the southern border illegally, that's a fascinating claim to make.

Speaking of crime, despite two hours, dozens of questions, not one -- not one on violent crime impacting so many Americans. I know Peter Doocy had that in question too, but he didn't have the opportunity.

So here's where we are, that was an unmitigated disaster today, Sean, and those praising the president for longevity of this press conference, it's all about quality, not quantity as far as the answers.

HANNITY: Well-said. Great analysis, Kellyanne and Joe.

When we come back, the great one Mark Levin, he spoke with President Trump following Biden's disastrous press conference today. He's next.

We'll get Greg Gutfeld's take. He'll join us and we have an announcement at the end of the show stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: We have breaking news this hour at the Senate floor as Majority Leader Chuckie Schumer is trying to turn this country into a banana republic. Those are his words, as he barrels ahead on his doomed effort to carve out an elimination of the filibuster to try and pass the Democrats' election takeover bill. In other words, their election fraud bill.

Here to explain, our own Chad Pergram. He offers the hitchhiker's guide to all things swamp, sewer, all things in other words D.C.

Sir, how are you?

CHAD PERGRAM, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Sean.

Well, we've just had a vote on the Senate floor. This was a procedural vote to end the filibuster on the voting rights bill. You need 60 votes there. They did not get 60 votes.

So what Chuck Schumer is teeing up here in the next hour or so here is what we call a nuclear option. This is an effort to change the filibuster provisions. And what Chuck Schumer is going to propose on the Senate floor in just a few minutes ago here is a one-time exception to the Senate filibuster exclusively for this bill.

Essentially, what he's going to propose is that senators can talk twice as long, elongating this. Now, Vice President Harris serves as president of the Senate. She was here just a few minutes ago. She has left.

In order to execute this nuclear option, you need 51 votes. Here's the problem, Democrats only have votes on their side. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema will vote no. So even if they were here to vote yes, then you would need Kamala Harris to break the tie. She's not here, which indicates they don't have the votes to make this one-time change to pass the voting rights bill here in the Senate -- Sean.

HANNITY: So, it will fail as we have --

PERGRAM: It will fail.

HANNITY: Thank you for being with us, Chad. Appreciate it.

Now, Joe Biden absolutely humiliated himself and frankly the country today. It's sad, touting an agenda failing.

And here's how former President Trump reacted. He did an interview earlier on the great one Mark Levin's radio show. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LEVIN: I imagine you saw most of this press conference and --

TRUMP: No, I did, I did.

LEVIN: And Joe Biden said he's had enormous progress during his presidency, I don't see it that way. Do you?

TRUMP: Well, progress in destroying our country, yes. I think that's been tremendous.

He also said something that I assume was a mistake but he said he expects Putin to go in. He said, I expect him to go in to go into Ukraine and I thought that was a very unusual answer. I don't know if he knew what he was saying because it was -- he said that as part of another question and he was a little confused.

And the whole thing was just so horrible but you look at the border with billions of people coming in, you look at inflation, you look at no more energy independence, no, it's -- we have a much different country than we had a year ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Here with reaction, author of the best seller -- the best-selling book for all of 2021, "American Marxism". He hosts "Life, Liberty and Levin" right here on the FOX News Channel and I call him the great one, nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin.

All right. Two questions, I want to get your take on Biden's presser and I want to you know give us a preview of what the president said.

LEVIN: My take on it is, Joe Biden said a number of provocative things --

HANNITY: What's with the bobblehead? What's that?

LEVIN: I like the bobblehead. He reminds me of the president. I can't help it and every now and then I talk to him. Anyway --

HANNITY: Does he answer?

LEVIN: -- and he deserves it.

No, I speak for him, you know? People say they've never seen him talk so long. For two hours today --

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: That's true. It was bad.

LEVIN: -- live with him. He probably talks to himself a lot.

But anyway, here's the thing, president's exactly right. What he said about Russia -- you know, Putin might act and so forth, that was an incredibly provocative statement. It was outrageous. Putin's watching this too, and he's just and he says he's made enormous progress more than any president in history this time.

The hell is he talking about? He's the John Tyler of our time, the James Buchanan of our time. More progress? You know what's made the most progress? The regime in Iran, the regime in North Korea, the regime in China, the regime in Russia, they're making a hell of a lot of progress.

You know who's making progress? Illegal aliens are making progress. They're making a lot of progress.

There's like two Americas here. The Democrat Party that lives in this sort of cocoon and the rest of the nation. There's inflation. He says it's no big deal.

We didn't talk about heat (ph) in schools today, crime people have mentioned, that's true. The borders totally out of control, the issues that affect Americans across the board.

He talks about -- well, we voted to spend this, and we voted to spend this, and we passed this law and we did this law, because that's how these clowns in the Democrat Party in Washington, D.C. think. You passed the law so my life is better? No, that's not the way it worked.

And he talked about other things he seemed to suggest if the Democrats lose in the midterm election, then it's not legitimate. He was specifically asked, the upcoming election won't be fair, fairly conducted, quote/unquote, without passing the voting rights bill.

This is not a voting rights bill. Can anybody tell me a single provision that actually protects voting rights?

They keep talking about the Republicans don't want blacks to vote. This is poisonous, cancerous language. Tell me, where all these people that can't vote? Where's the class action lawsuit that's been brought in federal court? Where the lawsuits have been brought under the 1965 Civil Rights Act? For all these people who couldn't vote?

You can vote. I'm going to tell you how to vote. You want me to do a public service announcement, Sean? Get off your ass on election day and go to the precinct and vote. There, I did it.

So every election prior to this one has been illegitimate, you see. So the election of Barack Obama was illegitimate?

And it's amazing thing -- Concha touched on it -- Donald Trump's brings up the election. Some of his supporters bring it up. Some of the Republican legislatures, they have real serious substantive issues. Joe Biden in anticipation of the Democrats losing the House and maybe the Senate has already said effectively this election will be illegitimate.

In 2016, they try to depose an elected -- a legitimately elected president. No commission on that with Russia collusion. The FBI, the intelligence agencies, the Democrat Party, Hillary Clinton, law firms, slip and fall lawyers, all involved in it, 2016. But you can't talk about 2020.

Look, I think the president will be better off and I really do slamming away on Joe Biden and his agenda. Donald Trump had a fantastically successful presidency in four years time. This is one of the things that drives the left in the media nuts, a fantastically successful president. Despite the war against him, despite these Never Trumpers led by McConnell and others trying to undermine him, I don't think we've ever seen anything like that.

In fact, Joe Biden's wrong. He says enormous progress more than any president in history at this time. No, Trump did more than any president in history at this time.

All right. I hear the music. So, Joe and I are going to leave. That's it.

HANNITY: That's it. I'm done.

All right. Great one Mark Levin, don't forget his show on the weekend, it's Sunday nights, 8:00 p.m., right here on the FOX News Channel. Peter Schweizer on his new book this week.

When we come back, Greg Gutfeld, he pointed out earlier today, we touched on it, Biden totally contradicting himself on the need for the election takeover bill. We'll get his take when we come back.

Later, we have a big announcement and more. Thanks for being with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Now amid, Joe Biden's never-ending flubs, failures, far left lunacy that we saw on full display today Joey didn't even seem to realize that he totally contradicted himself on his election takeover bill that was -- will be failing any moment now. And Greg Gutfeld immediately pointed out after the presser that on the one hand, Biden is saying that the bill needs to be passed to prevent voter suppression and then bragging about the historic turnout and historic voting numbers in 2020.

Anyway, here to explain more, co-hosts of "The Five", host of "Gutfeld".

All right. By the way, before we get started, nothing makes me happier --

GREG GUTFELD, HOST, "GUTFELD": Yes.

HANNITY: -- on the face of this Earth than you kicking Jimmy Kimmel and Colbert's ass. Will you please keep doing that? Because that makes me very happy.

GUTFELD: Yeah. The only sad part is it is so easy, Sean. I wish I had to work a little harder. I

HANNITY: You know, it does -- it seems like you are having too much fun doing it all in the process.

GUTFELD: I have to enjoy it. I have to enjoy it.

HANNITY: All right. I'm watching the presser -- you dol. I could tell you do.

Let me ask you. So I'm watching the presser. You come up first, you give commentary and I'm like, you're absolutely right. He's saying we had a historic turnout, then he's saying this voter suppression.

GUTFELD: Yeah, generally, in a debate, you marshal evidence to bolster your position. Miraculously, he did the opposite in record time. He's like saying there's no such thing as a pink unicorn and then he shows you a pink unicorn. In this case, he said voter suppression happens because of Republicans and then he says the 2020 election was an amazing record turnout.

So in just literally like 20 seconds, he contradicted and negated the need for this voting bill. He undermined this whole myth that there's some kind of subversion of our -- of our voting system by Republicans. It's -- it's kind of amazing that he didn't even see it coming in his own head. I admired that.

HANNITY: All right. So, next question. Give me your overall sense -- obviously, I feel how I feel. What was your biggest -- your biggest takeaways from this presser today?

GUTFELD: Well, okay, I love all you can eat restaurants. I love Chinese barbecue but I don't like sushi. So Joe gave us an all-you-can-eat buffet of sushi. No meat, all fish.

If you're going to do more -- if you're going to say more is better, the substance better be desirable. Now we understand why the Democrats hit him in a basement, chased him chained him to a radiator next to an old solo flex, because they knew that more is bad.

The thing is, it's actually -- it's actually -- I feel bad. It's not his fault in a way. To me, he seems wistful and done. So when you talk to him about the big issues that Americans face, crime especially, no mention of crime, the economy, inflation, the cost of food.

He's at a point in his life where you know what, that stuff's going to pass, because his most of his life is behind him, so he's wistful and he's done and he's not bothered by the things that bother most of America because for his -- you know, these are -- these are the twilight years, right? He's going to be in bed. It's all good. That's kind of the sad thing about it.

HANNITY: It is sad. You know, there's truth -- well, all good humor is rooted in truth, right? I mean and you know his staff behind the scenes they're -- well, let me put it a delicate way, they're Adam Schiffing in their pants the whole time because this guy you know stops talking and you never know when he's going to pick it up again. Then he's saying things that don't connect, and then, of course, he's like starting a war with Russia and Ukraine and giving his blessing.

GUTFELD: Well, here's -- the Russia thing's really important because this is the least interesting topic to the American public. The American public want cheap gas, food on their table, they don't want to get stabbed in the subway.

So, instead, the press, the elite press goes -- no, it's all about Russia, it's all about Russia. And what does it do? It screws their main guy.

If they had just stuck to the meat and potatoes issues that Americans care about, he would have done so much better. But they pushed him on Russia and then he goes, yeah, you know what, he'll probably invade.

But you know, you have to know the history. You have to know the history of Russia. You know, Putin's a very serious man. He's been -- you know, he's been hurt by the Berlin wall.

But I don't need this psychoanalysis. I want to know, are we going to stop this crime wave? He didn't touch anything.

His own -- their own intellectualization of these issues (INAUDIBLE)

HANNITY: But here's the question, do you think he really -- I think he's a cognitive mess and they're covering it up. Agree or disagree?

GUTFELD: I think his best years are behind him to put it diplomatically.

HANNITY: Is he a cognitive mess or -- I think, I think it's -- I think this is the reason why we don't see him. That's the reason. It's that --

GUTFELD: Yeah.

HANNITY: It's pretty transparent.

Yeah, it's only going to be a minor incursion into Kiev or into Ukraine, and we'll see.

All right.

GUTFELD: Yeah. You know what, they're probably just going to get some potatoes. That's all it is. A potato stew, that's all they're doing. They're going to get some potatoes then they're going to leave.

HANNITY: And then they're going to leave. Just pick up the potatoes, guys, come right home, that's why we're sending tanks, you know, and 200,000 troops to the border.

All right.

GUTFELD: Yeah, but you know --

HANNITY: I got to -- I'm not cutting you off. Greg Gutfeld, thank you.

When we come back, Alec Baldwin, he is a more legal trouble tonight, now being sued by one of the families of marines killed in Afghanistan. We'll tell you why.

And an announcement coming up at the end of the show.

Stay with us. Glad you're here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: We turn to another development tonight as the family of one of the fallen marines in Afghanistan, Rylee McCollum, is suing actor Alec Baldwin, accusing him of falsely claiming the marine sister, Roice McCollum, was a January 6th rioter, which she says is absolutely not true.

Now, the lawsuit stems from a post that Baldwin shared on Instagram earlier this month. That is after he gave $5,000 to the widow of Rylee to help with their newborn daughter, but after Baldwin discovered that McCollum's sister was pictured at the Washington monument on January the 6th, Baldwin wrote to her, quote, when I sent the money for your late brother, out of real respect for his service to this country, I did not know you were a January 6th rioter.

Roice McCollum then responded, protesting is perfectly legal in the country and I have already had my sit down with the FBI, thanks, have a nice day.

Baldwin then went on to repost her photo and called Roice an insurrectionist, to his 2.4 million Instagram followers, which prompted a wave of hateful and threatening comments. We reached out to Baldwin for comment. Shockingly, aren't surprised we have not heard back.

Here with more is Roice McCollum and her attorney Dennis Postiglione is with us.

Thank you both.

Roice, let's start with you. OK, you were there January 6th. You went to the rally, and you did not go into the Capitol, correct?

ROICE MCCOLLUM, SISTER OF MARINE LANCE CPL RYLEE J. MCCOLLUM: Correct. I went to protest January 6th, I was at the Capitol, but I never went inside. I sat with a police officer most of the night and never had an issue the whole time, came home and had an old coworker reported me to the FBI, so they came about a week later and had a sit down with me. I was not guilty of anything, they never followed up, there was no charges, I was just there protesting.

HANNITY: Okay, so he went to a rally. That is basically it.

Is this, Dennis, from a legal perspective, is this liable, is this slander? And she's not a public figure.

DENNIS POSTIGLIONE, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING THE MCCOLLUM FAMILY: That's correct, Sean, and thanks for having us.

HANNITY: Uh-oh, may be losing our connection. Did we get it back? We are trying to get your attorney -- all right, we will try it one more time.

Dennis, go ahead.

POSTIGLIONE: Yeah, so what I was saying was defamation -- we sued for defamation because these charges are false, number one. Keep in mind also that the widow, Jiji (ph), and also Joice's sister, Cheyenne, joining us in the suit, they were not even present when the protest was going on and they were sucked into this, as well. So we are alleging defamation and negligence, invasion of privacy, and potential infliction of emotional distress.

HANNITY: Okay, now let's talk about the law. For example, I as a public figure, I take a lot of lies, smearing, slandering, besmirching, and there is not much I can do about it because I have to prove the absence malice. So it's a pretty high bar, but it shouldn't be the case with Roice.

So, you take this case, you bring it before a jury. I would assume your odds are pretty good of winning.

POSTIGLIONE: Well, we think so. You are absolutely correct, there is a doctrine with a public figure, even in that case, we allege in the lawsuit that Baldwin, you know, he's got -- he's a serial offender. He's done this over and over again over the course of years, and he knows very well what is going to happen when he sent something to 2.4 million people, which by the way is five times the population of the state where Roice lives.

And so, the reach is incredible and the harm was immediate. Roice will tell you she immediately started getting hateful messages, death threats, the same for her sister and Lance Corporal McCollum's widow.

HANNITY: What did you make of the fact, Roice, he initially I assume was trying to be nice, and that it ends up this way?

MCCOLLUM: When I got his message, originally, we were actually kind of shocked. He asked if he could send Jiji money and I gave an address. It didn't go to her. The check was returned, so he sent it to me and I passed it along to her when we got it. And that was back in September, and then, yeah, I posted a picture, it was a few days before the sixth. I just happened to be going through pictures and saw one and shared the massive crowd that was out front.

And when he commented on it and immediately followed up with the message, which you read, and I replied, and then he followed it up with, not going to get away with it, I don't think so.

HANNITY: Yep.

MCCOLLUM: And then he posted it to his page.

HANNITY: Well, we are going to follow your suit and wish you the best of luck. Thank you. I'm sorry you had to go through that, sorry about your brother.

Major programming announcement, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: All right. Major programming announcement, tomorrow night, you don't want to miss this program. Former President Donald Trump will join us for an exclusive interview. We'll get his thoughts on Biden's disastrous first year in office and disaster of a press conference.

In the meantime, we hope you set your DVR so you never miss an episode.

And let not your heart be troubled, we get Laura Ingraham's take on this press conference today. Did you have fun watching it?

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