00:00Fox News alert. Right now, President Trump in Malaysia for the first part of a week-long high-stakes visit to Asia as his administration announces they've just reached a successful framework for a deal with China ahead of Trump's meeting President Xi this week.
00:17GOP Senator Dave McCormick sits on the Foreign Relations Committee. He joins us now. Senator, thank you for being here.
00:24What's your reaction to the news that there is this framework now reached on the rare earth minerals part of negotiation?
00:33Well, I'm struck by the contrast. You have President Trump on the world stage negotiating and helping to precipitate peace agreements.
00:42You have these trade agreements that are being announced. Looks like a breakthrough with China.
00:47This is peace, leadership, American leadership on the world stage and peace through strength.
00:53And you have the Democrats here in Washington shutting down the government.
00:56Air traffic controllers aren't getting paid because they don't like what was passed in the big, beautiful bill.
01:01And they're trying to essentially hold the government hostage to getting the extension of the Obamacare subsidy.
01:08So the contrast between leadership and the things that are happening here at home are palpable.
01:14And Senator, you just partnered with Democrats, Senator Fetterman, and put this video out where you're asking for the government to reopen.
01:23I talked to Senator Fetterman. He said that, you know, he wishes other Democrats would get on board.
01:29But I do want to know if there will be bipartisan praise for President Trump on this Asia trip.
01:35I mean, we've been making light this morning, Senator, of the video of President Trump arriving in Kuala Lumpur and dancing with the dancers out there.
01:45It's really a symbol of how Trump and how America is being received in that region, which is such a critical part of the world right now,
01:55with China's encroachment on the South China Sea and other areas.
01:59What did you take from that?
02:00Well, I mean, great things are happening.
02:04President Trump's exhibiting leadership, but also optimism in America's greatness.
02:09I think people see that the deal he negotiated in the Middle East with Gaza was kind of remarkable, the return of those hostages.
02:17But across the board, whether it's trade or using American leadership to try to bring an end to conflict around the world,
02:27President Trump's moving forward on his front foot, also making huge changes here at home that are benefiting working families.
02:33And I think what you see with the shutdown is really the frustration that the Democrats are feeling.
02:38They're trying to lash out at President Trump.
02:40They actually said explicitly that they think they have leverage in using the government shutdown to try to get their objectives in place.
02:48But unfortunately, the people that are losing are the American people, people in Pennsylvania, two million recipients of SNAP right here in Pennsylvania.
02:58So this is a problem.
02:59Senator Fetterman has been a great role model on the Democratic side.
03:02He has said he will never vote to shut down the government.
03:04I'm saying as a Republican, regardless of who's in the majority, it never makes sense to shut down the government.
03:10We need to get the government open and we can move forward on discussing anything that anyone wants to discuss,
03:15including the extension of the Obamacare subsidies.
03:17Senator, before we let you go, I want to give you an opportunity to address tomorrow marks seven years since the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting,
03:24the deadliest act of anti-Semitism on American soil.
03:28Your thoughts?
03:30Yeah, it's a tragedy.
03:31I live right around the corner from the tree of life.
03:34Eight people butchered on that.
03:36I'm sorry, 11 people butchered on that day.
03:38Eight people wounded.
03:39It was an absolute horror.
03:42But honestly, what we saw that day is what we've been seeing since October 7th.
03:46On October 7th, there was a surprise attack against Israel.
03:49But we've also seen a second surprise attack where anti-Semitism has bubbled up across our country.
03:54We need to have leadership to stand and say that is completely unacceptable.
04:01That's another area where Senator Fetterman and I have tried to be leading voices.
04:06And it requires leadership across public officials.
04:08Unfortunately, there's too many people in the Democratic Party who have sanctioned that sort of awful behavior.
04:13And this horrible remembrance of the tree of life killing, which is tomorrow, is a reminder that we've got a long way to go.
04:26A long way to go and a hard reminder indeed.
04:28Senator David McCormick, thank you for taking time today.
Be the first to comment