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Jesse Watters Primetime 2/24/26 FULL END SHOW | ᖴO᙭ ᗷᖇEᗩKIᑎG ᑎEᗯS February 24, 2026
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00:00President Trump addressing rising tension with Iran last night ahead of tomorrow's high-stakes
00:05talks in Geneva.
00:06He also spoke to lawmakers about his ongoing push for peace in Ukraine.
00:11Stephanie Bennett joins us now from London with all the details.
00:14Hi, Stephanie.
00:15Good morning.
00:16President Donald Trump says he wants to resolve this standoff with Iran through diplomacy,
00:21but also emphasize that he will never let them have a nuclear weapon.
00:26My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain.
00:32I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to
00:38have a nuclear weapon.
00:39Can't let that happen.
00:54And no nation should ever doubt America's resolve.
00:58We have the most powerful military.
01:03Now, the president said he could take military action if no deal is reached over Iran's nuclear
01:08program.
01:09The U.S. is increasing its military presence around the region, and the U.S. State Department
01:13ordered all nonessential staff to leave its embassy in Beirut, while Iran has warned it
01:18will retaliate if attacked, with U.S. bases in the region seen as potential targets.
01:23Meanwhile, anti-government protests in Tehran continued for the fourth day.
01:27Both sides will hold talks in Geneva tomorrow.
01:31After a midnight hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their
01:38weapons program, and in particular, nuclear weapons.
01:42Yet they continue starting it all over.
01:45We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again, and are at this moment again pursuing
01:50their sinister ambitions.
01:53We are in negotiations with them.
01:55They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words.
01:58We will never have a nuclear weapon.
02:03The president also mentioned the war in Ukraine, which marked four years since Russia's invasion
02:09yesterday.
02:10President Trump told lawmakers they're working to resolve the war, fighting for peace wherever
02:14he can.
02:15Now, reports suggest President Trump wants to reach a peace deal by the 4th of July.
02:19We have heard from the Kremlin, who said they'll keep fighting until its goals are achieved.
02:25Todd, Carly?
02:26Stephanie Bennett, live for us in London.
02:27Stephanie, thank you.
02:28Let's bring in senior fellow at the Independent Women's Forum and member of the Council on Foreign
02:33Relations, Dr.
02:34Kant to Ahmed.
02:35And Dr.
02:35Ahmed, let's start in Iran.
02:36The president, crystal clear, no nuclear weapon.
02:39Did Iran finally, finally get that message, or are they so dug in at this point to their
02:46own destruction?
02:48In President Trump's masterful speech, he was nothing but transparent about the choices
02:55Iran has to make.
02:56And I'd say actions speak louder than words.
02:59We have one third of the U.S. Navy in the region.
03:02We have tremendous air power in the region.
03:05Our allies are all on notice.
03:08I think we're on the threshold of open conflict.
03:12Interesting.
03:13Did you see last night's speech in any way, shape or form having a material impact on
03:19tomorrow's talks in Geneva?
03:20Or quite frankly, Dr.
03:22Ahmed, is tomorrow in Geneva going to be same old, same old, just going around in circles
03:26with ultimately, like you said, conflict being the answer?
03:32I think the United States has been extraordinarily patient with this regime.
03:37But the United States, and you saw all the ordinary Americans that were honored at the
03:41State of the Union, are a nation of decency.
03:44And the atrocious mass murder of 30,000 plus Iranians, the president mentioned, almost 400,000
03:55people maimed, blinded, does not, is not acceptable to us as ordinary Americans.
04:01And so the Iranians are out of time.
04:05What was very significant was Marco Rubio's meeting with leaders in Congress and Senate
04:11closed doors immediately before the State of the Union.
04:15And so the Iranians will probably think that they can talk their way out of this.
04:22But the options for this regime are out, and the United States is poised for what is going
04:29to be a rescue of 93 million Iranians hostage to this tyranny.
04:34I'm really glad you mentioned Marco Rubio's address to Congress before the president's address
04:40to Congress.
04:41He also delayed his meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel until Monday, was supposed to be on
04:48Saturday.
04:48We also moved 12 F-22s to a base in Israel yesterday, and we evacuated non-essential
04:55personnel from Lebanon, from the Lebanon embassy as well.
04:59With that in mind, could we see the United States strike Iran as soon as this weekend?
05:07Well, we have also India's prime minister on a two-day visit now in Israel.
05:12Very important bilateral relationship involving defense and technology between the two nations.
05:17So Prime Minister Modi will be leaving, I think, tomorrow or Friday, and we have an auspicious
05:25anniversary in the Jewish calendar approaching on the 1st or 2nd of March, which commemorates
05:32the survivorship of Jewish people from a Persian genocide in ancient Persia.
05:36So we are absolutely on the threshold.
05:40This president is a president for peace, but there can be no peace while we have a belligerent
05:45Iran that targets its entire region and shows no contrition.
05:50It shows no retreat from its ambitions.
05:54Dr. Kanta Ahmed.
05:55I also want to say that the president has a remarkable legacy we're seeing building now,
06:01but something that also could happen.
06:04And this is an enormously high-stakes decision he's taking.
06:08If it goes well, which I believe it will, we are going to reverse this 25 years of America
06:17being seen as unsuccessful in supporting the rights and future of a peace-loving Middle East.
06:25I think we're about to change that in an extraordinary way.
06:29It would be historic.
06:30Dr. Kanta Ahmed, great insight as always.
06:32Let's go over to Fox Weather meteorologist.
06:34Britta Merwin with our Fox Weather forecast.
06:36People across the Northeast wondering, are their kids going to get yet another delayed opening
06:40or worse?
06:41Yes.
06:41Another canceled day because of this flurry stuff happening.
06:45I think it depends on where you live.
06:47I mean, think about Rhode Island.
06:49We had an all-time state record, almost 38 inches of snow in Providence.
06:53So there's going to be some spots that's a struggle today because, yes, we have more snow on the way.
06:57The good news is this is just a little taste of snow, guys.
07:00We do not have active weather alerts out for the 95 corridor.
07:03We do have a few tucked into the interior of the Northeast as we have a clipper system moving through.
07:08Clippers are fast-moving cold fronts.
07:10They originate from Canada, so they're naturally very moisture-strived.
07:14They don't have a lot to produce.
07:16We're talking about one to two inches of snow at that, but it's just now getting closer to the 95
07:21corridor.
07:21It's snowing in Binghamton.
07:23We're also going to be seeing some snow out across PA.
07:25Here's a look at the snow totals.
07:27Again, we're talking about maybe a dusting of snow here in New York.
07:31New England, possibly one to two inches of snow.
07:34This is really highlighted for the morning commute, and then as we go into the afternoon,
07:38that after-school pickup will be easier.
07:40We do have a second storm on the board.
07:42This is Thursday into Friday.
07:43I have some good news on this one, Todd, because I'm not going to lie.
07:45I was a little nervous to tell you that you were going to have more snow.
07:48The one on Thursday and Friday does look to be more mild, mainly rain for the mid-Atlantic and the
07:52southeast.
07:53Thank goodness.
07:54Yesterday was tough.
07:5640s this weekend, my friend.
07:5740s this weekend.
07:58I appreciate it.
07:58Brenna Merwin, thank you.
07:59Living for Saturday.
08:00Brenna, thank you so much.
08:14All right.
08:15Finally, lead to a much-needed breakthrough in the search.
08:21After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders,
08:27totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far.
08:34In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.
08:40And last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history.
08:46This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded history.
08:50A secure border and plummeting crime.
08:53President Trump leaning into his successes as he aims to tackle what he believes are the Biden era's biggest failures.
08:59National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez attended the State of the Union address and joins me now.
09:05Paul, thank you so much for joining me.
09:06What are your top takeaways after being in that room last night?
09:10It was an amazing experience.
09:11It's, you know, you saw a president who wants to make it a point to ensure that Americans don't become
09:18the minority in America.
09:20He wants to remove everybody that shouldn't be in this country.
09:24And he's doing a good job.
09:26He's allowing us to do the job that he set out in his initial inauguration address.
09:32And from hour one of day one, we've been doing it.
09:36When it comes to the consequences of illegal immigration, Paul,
09:39the president introduced us to a little girl named Delilah Coleman yesterday and her family.
09:45Take a listen to a portion of her story.
09:49Delilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024 when a 18-wheel tractor trailer plowed into her stopped
09:59car traveling at 60 miles an hour or more.
10:03The driver was an illegal alien.
10:05And tonight I'm calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Delilah law,
10:11barring any state from granting commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
10:16Yeah, and Delilah was never expected to walk or talk again.
10:19Look at her right there, beautiful and healthy.
10:21And she and her family are going to be on Fox and Friends later.
10:24But you do go back to that moment where the president asked if Congress's main responsibility
10:28was to protect American citizens over illegal immigrants.
10:32And only Republicans stood during that moment.
10:35So what do you think about that?
10:36It just shows you where their head's at, who their loyalties lie with.
10:41You know, the Republican Party, President Trump,
10:44they've shown that they're on the side of Americans, protecting Americans, keeping Americans safe.
10:50That's what they want to do.
10:52And unfortunately, the Democrats had an opportunity to show where they stand on this matter,
10:57and they refused to do it.
10:58Yeah.
10:58The president has very strong poll numbers when it comes to border security.
11:03But he has lost some ground when it comes to overall his handling of immigration after the operation in Minnesota.
11:09So from what you heard last night, do you believe that he could sway some voters who are skeptical about
11:16what they view as DHS overreach
11:18when it comes to the operation in Minnesota with what he said last night?
11:22Absolutely.
11:23I think what it comes down to is the fact that we have been removing the worst of the worst.
11:29You know, those results matter.
11:31We're trying to make sure that there are no more tragedies, you know, caused by these illegal aliens who came
11:39in by the millions.
11:40You know, so I believe that at the end of the day, it is going to matter to Americans that
11:45we continue doing the job that we swore we're sworn to do.
11:49Well, you were there last night and you're here with us now.
11:50So we thank you very much for your insight and for the quick turnaround.
11:54Paul Perez, we thank you for your time as always.
11:57All right, Todd, over to you.
11:58Carly alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson failing to get the Utah County Prosecutor's Office removed from his case.
12:05Quote, Judge Tony Graff found the choice by the Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray to pursue the death penalty against
12:10Robinson
12:11was not influenced by the daughter of another prosecutor in his office being present at the public assassination.
12:18Criminal Defense Attorney Josh Ritter joins me now.
12:21Josh, this was the expected decision.
12:23So what's the timeline now?
12:25When do we finally see this case picking up steam?
12:30It was the expected decision, but it took us so long to get there.
12:33So to answer your question, I think our timeline is going to be a lot longer than we may have
12:38hoped or expected.
12:39I mean, this this issue before the court on whether or not the prosecutor's office could remain on the case
12:45was fairly straightforward.
12:47Yet it took us three or four different court appearances, several witnesses called and hours and hours of court time.
12:53So if that's any indication of how the rest of the case is going to proceed, we could be looking
12:58at this trial taking place maybe as next year at some point.
13:03It just seems like it's dragging on.
13:05What's clear is that the judge in this case has been extremely cautious in trying to insulate his decisions from
13:11appeal.
13:12But isn't that caution, many would argue, coming at the expense of timely justice for Charlie Kirk's family and followers?
13:22It is.
13:23And Erica Kirk and her attorneys made that very clear.
13:26They sent a letter to the judge essentially evoking their right to a speedy trial as well, which they have
13:32in Utah.
13:33But the judge, you know, I think you're you're you're right in in assessing that the judge views this as
13:39a death penalty case.
13:40He needs to be very careful.
13:41He needs to make sure every decision he makes does not come back on appeal.
13:45But there's a balance there.
13:46There's a way to do that, allow the defense to fully have their arguments heard in court and at the
13:51same time, move this along and realize that the victims and others, all of us watching, have an interest in
13:57this being heard quickly.
13:59And the judge also needs to be very, very mindful of the fact that, yes, defense attorneys need to do
14:03what's in the best interest of their clients from a legal perspective.
14:06But there's a fine line between doing what you need to do legally and delaying for delay's sake.
14:11The judge needs to be mindful of that.
14:13Switching gears, the search for Nancy Guthrie entering day 25 with Savannah Guthrie releasing yet another plea, this time announcing
14:20a one million dollar reward for any information on her missing mother.
14:25We know that millions of you have been praying.
14:30So many people have been praying.
14:31Please keep praying without ceasing.
14:34We still believe we still believe in a miracle.
14:40We still believe that she can come home.
14:42We are offering a family reward of up to one million dollars for any information that leads us to her
14:53recovery.
14:54I mean, your heart continues to break for Savannah and her family.
14:57Such an emotional plea.
14:58But let's focus on the facts.
15:00How should we take that video combined with Fox Digital reporting that digital leads on the DNA front seem to
15:08be cooling?
15:11Well, this investigation isn't stalling for lack of tips.
15:15Last count, I think they had upwards of 40,000 tips.
15:18So this plea by Savannah in this latest video isn't the idea that they need more information there.
15:24The investigators are drinking from a fire hose at this point.
15:27But what they do need is that one person, that one person who does have information, that one person who
15:33knows exactly what took place, and to compel that person to do something that they've been reluctant to do up
15:39until this point.
15:40And now they have a million reasons to do that.
15:42So I'm hoping that will happen.
15:44But here's the problem, is with the DNA issues and the other issues that they've run into, they've run into
15:50dead ends.
15:50And that might be their only best hope at this point, is convincing someone to come forward.
15:56Josh Ritter, thank you for your time and your insight this morning.
15:58We appreciate it.
16:00Now to the controversy surrounding the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team.
16:03They're not backing down from being proud of their country after showing up at the State of the Union despite
16:08backlash from the media.
16:10And who better to weigh in on media backlash than you see him right there, Joe Concha.
16:14He is on deck coming up next.
16:20Awesome moment here.
16:21U.S. men's hockey team.
16:22Golden victory honored by President Trump at last night's State of the Union as they put politics aside with their
16:28patriotism on full display in front of lawmakers.
16:31Here's forward Matthew Kachuk with Sean Hannity following the address.
16:35It was really cool to walk down and hold the gold medal and chant USA and see everybody standing, applauding,
16:42and cheering.
16:43It was a really special moment for myself and my teammates.
16:46And we felt the love and support ever since we've stepped foot back in the U.S.
16:49I guess it was just yesterday, but it's been a crazy two and a half, three days.
16:54The team live in this moment to the fullest as they should.
16:57Joining us now is senior writer for the Washington Examiner and Fox News contributor Joe Concha.
17:02Joe, the hockey team received two minutes of bipartisan standing ovation, and boy, did they deserve it.
17:09Oh, absolutely.
17:11What a great moment.
17:11We've never seen that, I don't think, at a State of the Union before, Carly and Todd.
17:15And this was just what we like to see as Americans, where everybody comes together and we cheer as one,
17:23as Americans.
17:24But within a few days, remember last week, we had two incredible victories for the women's and men's U.S.
17:30Olympic hockey teams.
17:31I mean, the women scored late, remembered to tie Canada, and then won their gold medal in an overtime thriller.
17:36The men holding on against a favored Canadian team and winning gold for the first time in, what, 46 years
17:42with Jack Hughes' golden goal in overtime as well that we've now seen a million times.
17:47One would think we could just enjoy this moment and celebrate as Americans without any negativity.
17:52And instead, the men's team from the left, you know, not everybody, but enough people, especially online and on other
17:59networks,
18:00they're being attacked for speaking to the sitting president of the United States who called them after the game and
18:04invited them to the State of the Union that they showed up to last night.
18:07An invitation they gladly accepted, by the way.
18:09I saw on one network last night, guys, where a former Biden official named Simone Sanders called them political props.
18:17But here's the thing. Hockey players, they're just built differently.
18:20My brother worked for the New Jersey Devils. I got to know many of them.
18:23I got to see them win three Stanley Cups back in the day.
18:25And you could see then and now that they're not going to let these miserable people ruin what was one
18:32of the great moments for the United States in Olympic history.
18:35And good for them and also good for the women's team, by the way, accepting an invitation to visit the
18:39White House.
18:40So there's no controversy there whatsoever as well.
18:42Let's get a little bit more into that, taking the zero percent side on a 100 to zero issue.
18:47Various publications slamming gold medal winners due to that phone call they had with President Trump immediately after they won
18:53over the perceived slight to the women's team.
18:56By the way, they're coming to the White House as well.
18:59Here's some of the headlines.
19:00The ugly underbelly of the U.S. men's hockey victory, the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team won gold and
19:05then lost the room and U.S. hockey team slammed for planned White House visit.
19:11Stupid, self-absorbed and misogynistic.
19:14Why, Joe?
19:15Why are they like this?
19:17Why?
19:18Because I'll go back to that word again.
19:20These are miserable people who just have to take a moment like this and dance all over it.
19:26You even have to wonder, you remember 9-11, after that happened a few weeks later, the World Series was
19:32played in the Bronx in New York, and George W. Bush walked out to the mound, threw a perfect strike,
19:37and the whole stadium as one cheered and chanted USA.
19:41They didn't care it was a Republican president or a Democratic president.
19:44They all came together, and there was no negativity whatsoever because, as Americans, we're happy when Americans come back and
19:50do great things.
19:52So, yeah, those headlines and those stories, they're getting just absolutely ratioed online, and that's a good thing.
19:58But the fact that they're even being written at this point and taking these wonderful athletes, men's hockey and women's
20:05hockey, and turning this into a controversy is just a whole bowl of wrong, guys.
20:08Okay, so from ice to snow, there was a planned snowball fight in New York City after the big snowstorm,
20:15and when police arrived, Joe, things escalated.
20:18They were assaulted, pummeled with snowballs, and were hurt.
20:21Many of them were hurt.
20:23It took a long time for the mayor to respond to this, but when he did, here's what he said.
20:29I've seen videos of kids throwing snowballs at members of the NYPD in Washington Square Park, and first I want
20:36to say that officers have been on the front line of helping our city respond to this blizzard.
20:42They and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect.
20:46From the videos that I've seen, it looks like a snowball fight.
20:49And then the Police Benevolent Association said this was not just a snowball fight.
20:54This was assault by adults throwing chunks of ice and rocks that landed two police officers, Joe, in the hospital
21:00with head and face injuries.
21:04Yeah, these weren't kids.
21:06These were grown adults throwing these snowballs, as you said, putting two in the hospital.
21:12You would think the NYPD would have a mayor that has their back that would say, whoever did this will
21:18be found and will be arrested.
21:20Do not treat our law enforcement this way in any way, shape, or form.
21:24He would show some anger.
21:25He would show some passion.
21:27Instead, he dismisses it as a snowball fight.
21:29New York is so screwed.
21:31I'm sorry.
21:31We're only eight weeks in, and we're already seeing what Zahra Mamdani is doing in New York City and what
21:36he thinks about law enforcement.
21:37If I was an NYPD officer right now, I would be so angry right now that this guy does not
21:42have my back.
21:43And it's just going to lead to a mass exodus, I think, even more, where officers just say, you know
21:48what, I'll take my pension, I'll retire.
21:50Or I'll go to Florida where I'll be accepted.
21:51You may be right about that.
21:52But watching this footage, I'm sure that everybody at home will agree it is absolutely infuriating and not just a
21:58snowball fight.
21:59Joe, got to leave it there.
22:00But thank you so much for joining us this morning.
22:02All right, let's check in with Brian Kilmeade, who has a look at what's coming up on Fox & Friends.
22:05Hey, Brian.
22:05All right, the show's going to come from D.C. and New York today, and it's going to be a
22:09big one.
22:10Attorney General Pam Bonney will be in studio, get her reaction, and what we're going to expect this upcoming year
22:15and things on her docket.
22:17Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is in charge of one of the things, getting rare earth back here and get our
22:21energy rolling.
22:22He's going to talk about what he needs to do to get those data centers fueled without costing taxpayers.
22:28Senator Tim Scott's here.
22:29He's in charge of making sure the Republicans take control of the Senate.
22:32How is he doing, and what is it about the speech?
22:34They're all going to react to the State of the Union address and all the antics that went along with
22:39it.
22:40Plus, did you see this video?
22:41The NYPD officer is injured in a snowball attack.
22:44Two of them go to the hospital.
22:45We're going to tell you how the mayor is calling it just a snowball fight, inexcusable.
22:50And Johnny Goodrow's wife, Meredith, joins us this morning after the Team USA honored their sons,
22:57Johnny, of course, and Matthew, after their historic gold medal victory.
23:01All that and more at the top of the hour.
23:03Don't move.
23:03An historic show coming your way.
23:05And I ask you, the snow has fallen.
23:07Time to get dressed.
23:10A transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages.
23:16It is indeed a turnaround for the ages.
23:19The flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot.
23:26And our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before.
23:34President Trump delivering a message of hope and pride in the American spirit in his first
23:39State of the Union address of his second term.
23:42The president touting his record after a year in office and promising bigger and better things
23:48to come for all Americans.
23:50The president spoke for an hour and 48 minutes, shattering the record for the longest State
23:56of the Union address.
23:57And now Republicans hope this speech will jumpstart their midterm agenda to help them maintain
24:02control of Congress this November.
24:04You're watching Fox and Friends First on a Wednesday morning.
24:07I'm Todd Byron.
24:08And I'm Carly Shimkus.
24:09We start with Lucas Tomlinson in Washington with all of the highlights and inspiring moments
24:14from the president's address.
24:16Lucas, good morning to you.
24:17Well, good early morning, Carly and Todd.
24:19Love that intro music.
24:21It's the longest State of the Union address, as you mentioned, going back 25 years to Bill
24:25Clinton.
24:26President Trump, one more time, speaking for an hour and 48 minutes.
24:29A major theme of the speech right off the top was the economy.
24:34Our nation is back bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.
24:41But in 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in
24:47more than five years.
24:48And in the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7 percent.
24:55Mortgage rates are the lowest in four years and falling fast.
24:58And the annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down almost $5,000 just since I took office.
25:06The president also had a message for big tech.
25:09Build your own power plants.
25:11I'm pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new rate payer protection pledge.
25:17You know what that is.
25:19We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their
25:24own power needs.
25:25They can build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one's prices will
25:30go up.
25:31And in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community and very substantially
25:36down.
25:36Now, one of the most memorable lines of the speech was about who those who stood for it
25:42and those who did not is when President Trump said the following.
25:45If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support.
25:51The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.
26:11Isn't that a shame?
26:13You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up.
26:17A moment that got just about everyone on their feet.
26:19A rare bipartisan moment was when Team USA Hockey entered the press gallery, receiving
26:24some of the loudest applause of the evening, President Trump announcing the highest civilian
26:29award for goaltender Conor Hellebuck, who stopped 41 shots in the gold medal game against
26:34Canada.
26:35Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud.
26:41The men's gold medal Olympic hockey team.
26:46Come on in.
26:46Come on in.
26:48USA!
26:49USA!
26:50USA!
26:52USA!
26:53USA!
26:53USA!
26:54I will soon be presenting Conor with our highest civilian honor, which we will be given and
27:00which has been given to many athletes over the years.
27:04But when I say many, not too many, like 12, it's called the highest civilian honor in our country, the
27:14Presidential Medal of Freedom.
27:23Throughout the speech, Trump honored American heroes, including Coast Guard rescue swimmers, Scott Ruskin, who rescued over 150 little girls
27:31from Camp Mystic during the flood.
27:33He awarded the Medal of Honor to Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover.
27:37The Night Stalker pilot shot four times, who was the flight lead aboard the first Chinook across the beach to
27:42snatch Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their bed in Caracas under the cover of darkness.
27:47The president also awarding Purple Hearts to the two National Guardsmen shot before Thanksgiving in Washington.
27:52I'm going to ask a highly respected General James Seward to present Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and the great family
28:02of Sarah Beckstrom with the award created by our late, great president, George Washington himself.
28:10It's called the Purple Heart.
28:19There is one last living legend to honor before we go.
28:23He is one more heroic American aviator, Navy fighter pilot.
28:30Royce Williams served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, flying more than 220 missions.
28:37Royce, please stand up, and I will ask the First Lady of the United States to present Captain Royce Williams
28:45with his Congressional Medal of Honor.
28:54Captain Royce Williams is a true ace. During the Korean War in 1952, he got into a dogfight with seven
29:00Soviet MiGs all by himself for 35 minutes, the longest dogfight in Navy history.
29:05He shot down four of the MiGs and likely damaged two others.
29:08When he landed back on the boat, he had 263 bullet holes in his jet.
29:12The mission was held top secret for many years, no longer.
29:16Carly, Todd?
29:17Remarkable people highlighted in this speech last night.
29:19Lucas, thank you so much for bringing us the highlights.
29:21Lucas Tomlinson, live for us in Washington.
29:23Lucas, thank you.
29:24All right, let's bring in political commentator Cameron Kinsey.
29:26Cameron, good morning to you.
29:27You know, I thought one of the biggest wow moments for me was when we were introduced to the pilot
29:31who was seriously injured in the mission to capture.
29:34Nicolas Maduro shot in the leg and somehow was able to land the plane, and he was given the Congressional
29:39Medal of Honor.
29:40You could still see him using the walker last night.
29:42So this was no doubt an optimistic speech.
29:45He talked about how our economy is roaring like it's never worked before, and our enemies are scared.
29:50Do you think the president was able to move the needle when it comes to this speech last night?
29:56Yes.
29:57Well, thank you so much, Carly and Todd, for having me this morning.
30:00It's great to be with you.
30:02I mean, I think the State of the Union speech perfectly captured why President Trump won by the popular vote
30:08and why his coalition continues to grow.
30:10It is because President Trump presented a vision rooted in American greatness, protection of citizens, respect for family, opportunity for
30:19the next generation.
30:20I mean, I think this is something that everybody can get behind.
30:23And let's be honest, the contrast could not have been clearer in that room.
30:28We watched the president calling for unity around protecting Americans and putting law-abiding citizens first.
30:35And we witnessed lawmakers who refused to stand for that.
30:38That type of behavior is growing more unpopular by the day for Americans after we've witnessed travesties like the deaths
30:46of Lake and Riley, Jocelyn Nungary, and others.
30:49I think you just nailed it.
30:51Because I think going into the speech, we all thought the overarching theme would be affordability, the economy.
30:56And that was certainly a key part of the speech.
31:00But I would say the overall takeaway was this notion that I hear from people whenever I'm out in public.
31:07Why doesn't the other side get behind these things?
31:10Whether it's the fact that illegal aliens are not the priority.
31:14Whether it's the fact that taxes shouldn't be robbed from you and you should be able to keep more of
31:18your money.
31:19The list goes on and on.
31:20And I felt President Trump really enumerated that throughout the speech, making the case to the American people, his midterm
31:27pitch, Cameron, of these people have no idea what they're doing.
31:32The Republicans do.
31:34Vote for us because we do the things that you want us to do.
31:38Your thoughts?
31:40Well, exactly, Todd.
31:41I mean, I'll tell you, if this momentum holds, Republicans are in a very strong position heading into the midterms.
31:47Because last night, President Trump didn't just outline policy.
31:50He drew a clear moral contrast.
31:53This administration is protecting American citizens, restoring prosperity, investing in the next generation.
32:00I mean, even a CNN poll just came out showing that 64 percent of the people who watched last night
32:06said that Trump's policies will move the country in a better direction.
32:10I mean, meanwhile, Democrats stay seated when asked to support protecting American citizens.
32:17This sent a clear message that partisan politics now outweigh basic compassion and national unity.
32:24So I think Americans watching at home, regardless of the party, find it deeply troubling.
32:30When it comes to Democrat behavior, Al Green was once again escorted out very early on in the speech.
32:35He was holding a sign.
32:36And then there was this back and forth between Ilhan Omar, where she was shouting at the president at one
32:41moment.
32:41But Abigail Spamberger, Governor of Virginia, delivered the Democrat rebuttal.
32:46And here is what she had to say when it comes to the economy and affordability.
32:52Democrats across the country are laser focused on affordability in our nation's capital and in state capitals and communities across
33:00America.
33:01In the most innovative and exceptional nation in the history of the world, Americans deserve to know that their leaders
33:09are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night.
33:14Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?
33:20We all know the answer is no.
33:24And we all know that she was elected as the governor of Virginia under a moderate umbrella.
33:29Do you believe that she delivered a moderate speech last night?
33:33No.
33:34And I want to know where this energy was when and when Joe Biden was president, we had an affordability
33:39crisis.
33:40And every single American felt it, specifically young voters like myself, just entering the workforce, already struggling as it is.
33:47Then on top of that, we are our economy was crumbling.
33:50But what stood out to me wasn't what Democrats said last night.
33:53It's what they refused to stand for.
33:56They remain seated for victims of horrific crimes, for grieving mothers in that room, and for a simple call to
34:04protect American citizens.
34:05That's not just a policy disagreement.
34:08That is a moral disconnect.
34:10And when President Trump asked lawmakers to stand if they believed the government's first duty was to protect its own
34:16people, they all stayed seated.
34:18And that moment defined the night.
34:21That pulled back the curtain, showed Americans exactly where their priorities lie, putting illegal immigrants ahead of the safety and
34:30security of the citizens they were elected to serve.
34:33So I find it very disgraceful, but also very telling, you guys.
34:37Yeah, well, there were so many memorable moments.
34:39We wish we could keep on talking about this with you.
34:42Andrew Wolf being there and seeing him being able to stand and Sarah Beckstrom's parents and Irina Zarutska's mom, who
34:49was sobbing.
34:51And so many moments where you go, oh, my gosh, so much has happened over the past year already.
34:56One person we didn't see during the speech was VA Secretary Doug Collins, because he was the designated survivor yesterday.
35:04So I thought that was pretty interesting as well.
35:05He's going to be on Fox and Friends later.
35:07Cameron Kinsey, thank you very much.
35:08And I think, look, the overall takeaway, like I said it before and I'll say it again, there's just so
35:13many times you can say we're doing what we need to do as Republicans.
35:16At some point, you need to say the other team is failing.
35:19The other team doesn't support any of this stuff.
35:21And I think that was a masterstroke by President Trump.
35:23I must admit, I wasn't expecting that.
35:26I thought it would be economy, economy, economy.
35:28Masterstroke, I think, by President Trump highlighting that contrast, because that contrast sticks in people's minds when they go to
35:34the voting booth.
35:34So we'll see if he spoke to independent voters during the speech last night.
35:37Yeah, great point.
35:37Because those are the people who really matter.
35:39Of course, plenty more coverage of the State of the Union, including what the president had to say on the
35:44deal with Iran.
35:44Also, Zoram Mamdami responded to this shocking video of officers being harassed and pelted with snowballs and didn't seem too
35:53concerned.
35:55I've seen the videos of this snowball fight.
35:57I think that it was a snowball fight.
35:59We're going to see if Joe Concha thinks this is just a snowball fight.
36:05Next.
36:05This is a snowball fight.
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