Rubio on channeling American voters' anger into activism
Presidential candidate talks Hillary Clinton, immigration reform, Iran deal on 'Hannity'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," August 274, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity." Tonight, a new poll shows that Donald Trump continues to dominate the Republican field. Plus, it also reveals that if Vice President Joe Biden, crazy uncle Joe, decides to enter the 2016 race, Hillary Clinton's candidacy could be in huge trouble.
Standing by at the "Hannity" big board tonight with a full report, "Fox & Friends First" co-host Ainsley Earhardt. Not good news for Hillary.
AINSLEY EARHARDT, CO-HOST, "FOX & FRIENDS FIRST": Yes, this is true, Sean. Let's take a look at these polls. It's another impressive showing for Donald Trump in the latest Quinnipiac University national poll. The billionaire businessman leads with 28 percent. He is up 8 percentage points from just last month. Dr. Ben Carson is the only other candidate who is registering in those double digits with 12 percent. Governor Jeb Bush, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Marco Rubio each follow with 7 percent. The governor Scott Walker checks in with 6 percent.
Now, Sean, the same poll could also give Vice President Joe Biden yet another reason to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Biden is actually better liked by Democratic voters than Clinton is, 83 percent of those voters have a favorability rating of the vice president, 6 percent view him unfavorably.
And when it comes to Hillary Clinton, 76 percent said that they view the former secretary of state favorably and 11 percent have an unfavorable view. So Sean, we'll have to see if strong support like this factors into Biden's decision. We're going to be keeping a close eye on it, and we, of course, will let you know.
HANNITY: All right.
EARHARDT: You think he's getting in, right?
HANNITY: I don't think there's any doubt. I think he's being pushed by Obama. We're going to get to that later.
EARHARDT: All right.
HANNITY: Thanks, Ainsley.
EARHARDT: You're welcome.
HANNITY: All right, joining me now with reaction, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio is with us. Senator, there's some good news in here. Not only are you tied for third in the poll, it -- they -- they had match-ups, Biden versus Trump, Bush and you. You did the best. Same thing in -- you actually were the only one to beat Bernie Sanders, of the other two candidates.
So in match-ups, you do really well, but not as well in the general poll. Why do you think that is?
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I don't know. It really doesn't matter at this stage. I mean, other than the fact that it's determining who gets into the debates. The bottom line is this is a campaign. It's August, September, October, November, December, January, five full months lie ahead. (INAUDIBLE) think about five months to go (INAUDIBLE) what those polls said.
So the important thing is for someone like me who's running for president is to go around the country and tell people what it is I stand for, what I will do if they give me the chance to serve in the highest office in the land. And then ultimately, our voters get to decide, and they do so in individual states, of course, starting in Iowa.
That's what I'm going to focus on. I think that's what really matters. And ultimately, that's what's going to decide this race, and I'm excited about the chance to be a part of it.
HANNITY: Hillary Clinton was viewed by 61 percent of voters, the highest number ever, as being dishonest and untrustworthy. When the poll was asking, What word first comes to mind when you think of Hillary Clinton, the first three were "liar," "dishonest" and "untrustworthy."
So between that and the e-mail server scandal, how much trouble do you think she's in?
RUBIO: Well, it's a very serious issue. Look, there are people that have been charged with criminal offenses for less. On top of that, it's just highly irresponsible. I mean, look, I'm on the Intelligence Committee. I have access to highly classified information of the same level that she had access to, and we would never put that in an e-mail.
Quite frankly, you only look at that either in a secure environment or on paper in a secure environment. You never e-mail that stuff around. Someone did something very wrong here. She should have known it when it she saw it, and her staff should have known better, staff that she supervised. It shows sloppiness, irresponsibility, quite frankly, incompetence, and perhaps even criminality in regards to why there needs to be an investigation. And I'm glad to see that the FBI is taking it more seriously.
HANNITY: You know, I'm sure, as a candidate, you probably get tired of answering questions about Donald Trump. But I personally think there is a reason for the Trump tsunami that in part is the Republican Party's blame. 2014, they ran on the idea that they would stop the president's illegal, unconstitutional executive amnesty. They ended up funding it. They still never repealed and replaced "Obama care" or used the power of the purse.
Do you think those are the factors that have angered Republican voters so much?
RUBIO: Yes. Beyond it, I would say that -- look at this. Three of the last four elections have been change elections. Obviously, in 2008, that was the theme of the Obama campaign. In 2010, when I was elected, it was a massive counter-reaction to what Obama had done. In 2014, once again, the American people voted for change.
And nothing has changed. And so people are upset. They see that everything goes up in prices. Their paychecks are stagnant. America's getting weaker in the world. And people are angry, and rightfully so.
And the question is, what do we do with that anger? My answer is we need channel that anger into activism. We can't let anger define us, for example, as Republicans, but we do need to let it motivate us to finally do something.
And that's why this election's so important. This is not just about who you like more. We can't afford -- we literally as a nation cannot afford four to eight more years of the same stuff. And you know, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden or anyone, for that matter, they are all running on the promise not just to continue the Obama policies but to expand them. We can't afford that as a country. We just can't.
HANNITY: Senator, when I interviewed you the day you got into this race, I asked you about immigration. It has now become a huge issue in this campaign. You said to me that comprehensive immigration reform is impossible because the American people don't trust us. And you said you support securing the border first.
RUBIO: Right.
HANNITY: Can you tell us specifically what that border security would be? And should anybody who didn't respect our laws and sovereignty be ever granted citizenship?
RUBIO: Well, first of all, let's start with what you asked the question about, how to secure the border. There's -- there's -- we know how to do that. And we've done it in some parts of the border, and not enough parts of the border because people are still coming in.
It requires more fencing and more -- more -- you know, building a wall. But it also requires more sensors, more personnel, et cetera. That alone won't be enough, though, because as I've said repeatedly, four out of ten illegal immigrants entered the country on a visa and they overstayed it. That's why you need a mandatory e-verify system so you can't get a job if you're here illegally. That's why you need an entry/exit tracking system.
And what I've said repeatedly is until you do that and it's in place and it's actually working, you're not going to be able to do anything else. And anyone who believes that we can move on this in some massive piece of legislation at this point, after two illegal actions that you've outlined and the problem that happened at the border a year ago with minors, they're delusional if they think we can move forward on this with one massive piece of legislation.
Now, you asked about the people that are here illegally. Look, I think that if we do that, the first thing that I just outlined, the border security, and it's working -- and then we have to something else first, too, and that is we have to modernize the legal immigration system. We can't continue to allow people to come here based on family connection. It has to be based on merit, on what you can contribute economically.
After we've done those two things, I think people will be reasonable about, what do you do with someone who's not a criminal? If they're a criminal, they have to leave. But if they're not a criminal and they're going to -- and they've been here a long time, they have to -- you know, they're willing to pay a fine, pay taxes, they get a work permit.
And that's all they'll have for a very long time. And that's -- and some people say forever. I don't even think you can get to that part of the debate until you've done the other two things. Let's see how the other two things work first, is what people are saying.
HANNITY: Senator, this Iranian deal -- and I know you care a lot about national security. We're going to give the number one state sponsor of terror $150 billion. They're going to continue to spin their centrifuges. They continue to threaten the United States and to wipe Israel off the map. They'll build more conventional weapons. They made a deal with Russia about a missile defense system. And they'll continue to build their ICBMs.
How can you stop this horrible deal that will allow this radical rogue Islamic regime nuclear weapons? Is there a path to stop it?
RUBIO: Yes, my first day as president because the president -- this is not a treaty. It's not binding. It's not even law. The law is sanctions against Iran. The current president is going to use the national security waiver in that law to waive these sanctions.
On my first day as president, we're going to reimpose them. I said it earlier today here in South Carolina. People who vote for me will know they are voting to repeal the deal with Iran on day number one, not just impose the American sanctions that we have in place, increase them, and back it up with a credible threat of military forceful, In essence, as long as you're spinning centrifuges, we will have crippling sanctions on you. And if you try to build a weapon, we will destroy your program.
By the way, the most effective -- one of the most effective weapons against Iran in this fight is to allow America to drill for more oil and to export it. Today, we are banned from exporting. We export more oil to Japan, to India, to these other countries that are buying from Iran, that will also hurt the Iranian regime.
HANNITY: Senator, you mentioned five months and a week left until the Iowa caucuses on February 1. When do the polls start mattering to you? When do you begin to believe that they're real?
RUBIO: Well, ultimately, we've had elections in this country where the polls have been off. But certainly, as you get closer -- you're talking to someone that was 60 points down when I ran for the U.S. Senate, and it really didn't start to matter until later.
I think there are information pieces in these polls that are relevant, but ultimately, Americans in these early states in particular have shown the trend over the last few years of making up their mind near the end.
And we're -- what we're excited about is we think we have a message that really appeals to a lot of Americans, many Republicans. It sells conservatism. It applies the principles of limited government to the challenges of the 21st century. We're very confident in what that's going to mean in January and February of this year.
HANNITY: All right, Senator Marco Rubio, good to see you. We'll see you out on the campaign trail, sir.
RUBIO: Thanks.
HANNITY: Thanks for being with us.
And coming up next tonight right here on "Hannity"...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So it talks about a -- you know, the whole thing I had with the Spanish journalist, if you call him a journalist. I don't. Actually, he's an advocate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, Donald Trump is keeping his feud with Jorge Ramos alive by calling him out on the campaign trail. When we come back, Laura Ingraham, Geraldo Rivera -- they're here. They'll debate it.
And Hillary Clinton -- well, has she been honest about her server and the scandal? Voters don't seem to think so. Wait until you hear the harsh words that voters polled used to describe her. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." So Donald Trump -- he made headlines this week after getting into a heated exchange with Univision's Jorge Ramos. Earlier today, curing a campaign stop in South Carolina, the always candid Donald Trump responded to that exchange. He took shots at his critics, and he even got a member of the audience to feel and pull his hair. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Trump gets earful in Spanish as Latino outlets air (INAUDIBLE) So it talks about a -- you know, the whole thing I had with the Spanish journalist, if you call him a journalist. I don't. Actually, he's an advocate.
So they say here -- this is a different person. On the front page! "Ricardo Sanchez, known as El Mandril on his Hispanic drivetime radio show in Los Angeles, has taken to calling Donald J. Trump 'el hombre del peluquin.'" In other words, the man of the toupee.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: This is on the front page of The New York Times. I don't wear a toupee!
Is it mine? Look.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is!
TRUMP: It is. Say it, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I believe it is.
TRUMP: Thank you.
When the candidate erupted at Jorge Ramos, the main news anchor at Univision, who by the way, I'm suing for $500 million. So I'm standing there and I'm saying, OK, go ahead. Go ahead. Then all of a sudden, this guy gets up, starts screaming at the top of his lungs. And it was unfair to the other reporters, and most of them have reported that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, here with reaction, editor-in-chief of Lifezette.com Laura Ingraham, FOX News senior correspondent Geraldo Rivera.
He was rude. He's not a journalist. He's not a reporter. He is a talk show...
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You talking about Donald Trump, Sean?
HANNITY: No, I'm talking about -- no, I'm talking about Jorge Ramos. He came in with an agenda. He was interruptive. That's not how press conferences work!
RIVERA: First of all, I want to feel your hair. I want to pull it. I want to see what's real.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Mine's real. Real. Pull it.
RIVERA: So's mine. I still believe the point of that exchange or that encounter between Jorge Ramos and Donald Trump is not who was right, who is wrong. He's a journalist. He's a commentator. He's an advocate. That's not the point. The point is, a Republican cannot win the White House without a substantial percentage of the Latino vote.
HANNITY: So you're saying that...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: So either you support illegal immigration or you lose the Latino vote!
RIVERA: There is a compassionate way to be hard on illegal immigrants by focusing on the criminal element. There's a way to do it. I begged them to...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Are you in support of a wall?
RIVERA: If you want to waste a trillion dollars, go ahead, build the wall. You're going to build a 100-foot wall, the Mexicans are going to spend $200 and buy a 101-foot ladder.
HANNITY: No, they're not going to be able to do that if you -- you build a big enough wall, you build two layers, three years, and you add sensors and lasers and...
RIVERA: Yes, you're not talking about Berlin here. You're talking about...
LAURA INGRAHAM, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hannity, let me get in here!
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: All right, Laura. I thought...
INGRAHAM: Yes, look...
HANNITY: ... it was a slam-dunk Trump. That exchange, he had the perfect tone and cadence. It was a knockout in the first round.
RIVERA: Lindsey Graham should be (INAUDIBLE)
INGRAHAM: Sean, I think that Jorge should carry around a facecloth because he was totally faced by Trump in that encounter!
(LAUGHTER)
INGRAHAM: It was just -- it's so obvious. Geraldo, look, we love you, but it's obvious. Jorge came to slay the Trump dragon. You know, he's, like, Well, we flew to Dubuque and we were going to make our statements and we were going to our stand.
Number one, he didn't ask questions. He said, You can't build a wall. You can't deport people. You can't -- so he was making a statement, as I would on television or a commentator or a pundit. That's fine. He wants to make a statement, he can make a statement. But don't pretend that you're there and you're somehow representing all Latino people.
Let me tell you a quick, quick anecdote. On my radio show today, I had a number of Hispanic callers call in and say, Laura -- I don't know if anyone understands this, but a lot of Latinos who are not from Mexico don't consider Univision the -- the -- the imprimatur of Latino thought. In fact, when you go in the comment section of the Univision piece called Trump versus Ramos, the comments are really diverse. There are a lot of people that say, Jorge, back off. And one of them I translated...
RIVERA: Laura, trust me, Latinos...
INGRAHAM: Yes, yes...
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: ... are getting a very negative view of Donald Trump...
INGRAHAM: Geraldo, I didn't interrupt you! I didn't interrupt you!
RIVERA: ... because of his bellicose nature.
INGRAHAM: So what they said in one of the comments, Sean, was, With friends like Jorge, who needs enemies? So a lot of Latinos are very conflicted about his grandstanding approach, his showboating approach. And he -- he -- he's a one-note Johnny on this issue, which is you can't deport people. You can't really punish anyone who crosses the border illegally. It's all a compassionate deal.
And that's fine. That's his opinion. That's fine. I say go to the American people and explain to them how this mass immigration of an illegal nature has made their lives better! And I think most people...
RIVERA: Jorge Ramos is not running for president.
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: Oh, he acted like it the other night, Geraldo!
RIVERA: The vast majority of our viewers have never seen Jorge Ramos, except maybe guesting...
INGRAHAM: He was on the cover of Time magazine!
RIVERA: ... for two minutes here or there.
INGRAHAM: What are you talking about?
RIVERA: My point is this is about Donald Trump. This is about a man who gives his own odds right now of 25 to 30 percent that he will be...
INGRAHAM: Right. That's accurate.
RIVERA: ... the president of the United States.
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: I am telling you the odds are zero...
INGRAHAM: OK...
RIVERA: ... unless he gets a higher percentage of Latino voters than he is now attracting...
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: Geraldo, why are you dividing Americans?
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: Why are you dividing Americans!
HANNITY: Hang on one second. What you're saying is that if he -- if -- that all Hispanic Latino voters, either you support illegal immigration, you give amnesty, or we're not going to vote for you. I don't believe that!
RIVERA: Trump...
INGRAHAM: It's ridiculous!
RIVERA: ... doesn't need you to defend him against...
HANNITY: I'm not defending him! I'm speaking about...
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: ... Hillary Clinton now with "e-mail-gate," do you think she answers questions when she's at those gaggles? People say, Hey, Secretary Clinton, what about the thing? And what about...
HANNITY: She doesn't answer!
RIVERA: ... and what about the thing? She...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Wait a minute! This would be the equivalent of me or Laura going into the...
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: ... that Donald Trump needs protection against a reporter...
HANNITY: No, I don't!
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: It was a knockout! He crushed him!
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: ... Black Lives Matter.
INGRAHAM: Geraldo! Geraldo! I have a question for Geraldo. Geraldo, did you complain when that guy Neil Monroe (ph), when he shouted that question out to President Obama in the Rose Garden a year-and-a-half, two years ago? Because I remember every reporter was, like, How dare he disrupt the decorum in the Rose Garden when the president was trying to -- I mean, everyone was jumping all over...
RIVERA: I think did I complain. I mean, I wasn't -- it wasn't like my passionate issue.
INGRAHAM: OK. Right. Case closed.
RIVERA: But there was a...
INGRAHAM: Case closed.
RIVERA: The decorum of the Rose Garden as compared to a gaggle or a press conference in Iowa? Come on, Laura!
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: There are rules. You're not shouting...
INGRAHAM: Geraldo!
RIVERA: ... in the churches, either.
INGRAHAM: Ramos -- yes. Ramos went back...
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: You want to win or you want to make a point? Yes, Donald Trump over Jorge Ramos! Great! He has to beat Hillary Clinton, not Jorge Ramos.
INGRAHAM: Right!
RIVERA: Focus on the issue. Speak more kindly of a population that is largely -- the vast majority of whom are law-abiding, hard-working people. Speak more...
INGRAHAM: Well, you know, American citizens...
RIVERA: ... intelligently. Deal with the issue.
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: You're doing what Jorge does. Yes. Well, here's what I'll say, is that dividing Americans among ethnic lines and racial lines and economic lines is getting really old to a lot of people. And I think what Trump and Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson are all tapping into is this idea of bringing the country together and having policies...
RIVERA: All right, then I have question for you, Laura.
INGRAHAM: ... that benefit all people, Latinos, blacks...
RIVERA: I have a question for you.
INGRAHAM: ... whites, et cetera.
HANNITY: Real quick.
RIVERA: I hear it. I hear that. How successful have the Republican Party been so far in attracting a diverse following? How successful?
INGRAHAM: Well, the establishment...
RIVERA: Or is it largely...
INGRAHAM: Geraldo...
RIVERA: ... the party of white America...
INGRAHAM: Right. Geraldo...
RIVERA: ... in a country that is no longer just a white America?
INGRAHAM: Well, Geraldo, I will say I think the establishment GOP has failed abysmally in growing the party.
RIVERA: Well, I agree.
INGRAHAM: I completely agree with you.
HANNITY: All right, I got to leave it. How about that beautiful point of agreement?
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: I like Laura. She's feisty.
HANNITY: All right, coming up -- liar, dishonest, untrustworthy -- those are the top three words that voters now use to describe Hillary Clinton, 61 percent think she's dishonest and untrustworthy. Ed Henry- he's with the Clinton campaign. He'll give us their reaction.
And then later tonight...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There are some common sense things that only Congress can do that we know would have a tangible impact in reducing gun violence in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Just hours after yesterday's horrific shooting in Virginia, you got the president, Hillary Clinton rushing to politicize a tragedy once again. We'll have reaction with Sheriff David Clarke and much more as "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." In the new Quinnipiac University poll released earlier today, voters were asked to give the first word that comes to mind when they think of the 2016 presidential candidates. When it came to Hillary Clinton, the word most used to describe the Democratic front-runner, "liar," coming in at number two, "dishonest," followed by number three, "untrustworthy."
Well, things are not looking too good for the Clinton campaign. Standing by in Ohio, where Hillary held an event earlier today, is Ed Henry.
Is this the event where she actually compared Republicans to terrorists?
ED HENRY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: She did, Sean, because she's trying to go on offense, clearly trying to change the subject from the e-mail flap that just won't go away. That's reflected obviously in the Quinnipiac poll, where voters are still not finding her honest and trustworthy. It's something this campaign is going to have to deal with.
Look at this image shot, a still image of the crowd. There's a lot of open space there, a lot of green there, Case Western Reserve University. She had about 2,500 people. Why is that important? It suggests an enthusiasm gap. I mean, think about it. Bernie Sanders has had events with over 20,000 people, rallies, big events, Donald Trump last week, 29,000 people in Alabama.
This is the former secretary of state, the inevitable Democratic front-runner many thought who was going to be the likely nominee. She's still leading the horse race in that Quinnipiac poll, but she is struggling because of this e-mail fiasco.
And you're right, she did go after Republicans. She named Marco Rubio on abortion. She mentioned Jeb Bush on Planned Parenthood and actually compared some of these GOP candidates to terrorists. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Extreme views about women, we expect that from some of the terrorist groups. We expect that from people who don't want to live in the modern world. But it's a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, the Republican National Committee immediately charged that this attack was, quote, "a new low for her flailing campaign. She should apologize immediately after her inflammatory rhetoric." That from Alison Moore (ph) at the RNC.
Clearly, there's no apology from the Clinton camp. She wants to try and go on offense here. She doesn't want to play anymore defense over the e-mail issue, something I found out when I tried to get her to talk today about this FBI investigation. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Secretary Clinton, have you been contacted by the FBI yet? Are you willing to talk to the FBI? Have you been contacted by the FBI yet?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: She didn't answer the question. She didn't even make eye contact with me on that rope line. She just did not want to go there.
That's just why, obviously, the door is now wide open for Vice President Joe Biden to potentially get into to this race. In that Quinnipiac poll, he was beating a lot of Republicans head to head, doing better than Hillary Clinton, beating Donald Trump by a few points, beating Jeb Bush by a few points.
We'll see if his numbers come down if he actually gets in. There's a halo around Joe Biden right now because Hillary Clinton is suffering so much that he is being seen by a lot of Democrats as a potential savior -- Sean.
HANNITY: Ed, one of the greatest exchanges. It will go down in history. It'll be studied in political science class. Did you wipe your server clean? Do you, like, mean with a cloth? And that was your exchange, so -- anyway, thanks for being with us.
HENRY: I appreciate it. Thanks, Sean.
HANNITY: And joining us now with reaction, Democratic strategist, FOX News contributor Doug Schoen. Julie Roginsky is with us.
Doug, I'll start with you. Liar, dishonest, untrustworthy -- those are the top three. Then we've got untruthful, criminal, deceitful, corrupt, crooked, murder, phony, cheat, deceptive, sneaky, arrogant, thief, devious.
Now, there were some good words in there, but not many. The top three, again, liar, dishonest and untrustworthy. How do you win the presidency if that's the perception? That is the first word that comes to mind unsolicited by voters!
DOUG SCHOEN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Sean, the word that I would use is front-runner. She's leading the Democratic primary over both Joe Biden, who's running third...
HANNITY: Joe Biden's not in!
SCHOEN: ... and Bernie Sanders...
HANNITY: Joe Biden is doing better...
SCHOEN: I understand. He's the vice president...
HANNITY: ... against Republicans than she is!
SCHOEN: Sean, if I could finish?
HANNITY: Yes.
SCHOEN: He is the vice president of the United States, has been for six, seven years now. The fact that he's running third does not augur well for his candidacy.
Clearly, I've made it clear to you and to others that this is a real problem for Hillary Clinton. Calling Republican terrorists is a mistake. Changing her story on e-mail, a mistake. She still doesn't have a consistent narrative.
But what she does have is the lead in the Democratic primary, clearly. And she is very competitive with the Republicans. So while I certainly think her candidacy is in crisis, I'm not ready to count her out, not by a long shot.
HANNITY: Julie, answer those words, Clinton is not honest and trustworthy -- 61 percent of voters do not think she is honest and trustworthy.
JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: That's clearly a problem for her. I'm not going to pretend it's not a problem for her. You should read what some of the voters said about Jeb Bush.
HANNITY: Not --
ROGINSKY: Really? Read the Donald Trump ones. The worst thing they said about Bush is Bush. That's the biggest problem for him. Donald Trump is blowhard, arrogant.
HANNITY: So did Hillary.
ROGINSKY: None of these people are auguring well. It's not like she's operating in a vacuum and the other people have this halo around them.
HANNITY: But she has the worst score ever of anybody on honesty and trustworthiness.
ROGINSKY: I don't disagree with you. That is a major problem.
HANNITY: Here's another problem that I think she has. Joe Biden leaked the phone call to Elizabeth Warren. He didn't have to let the world know. Josh Earnest went out of his way, the best political decision that Obama ever made ever is crazy uncle Joe. Of course that shows that he has confidence in his ability to do top job. It seems Obama is pushing Biden and is taking sides.
ROGINSKY: I don't think Obama is pushing Biden.
HANNITY: Oh, yes he is.
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: Joe Biden is going through a horrible point in his life right now. Do you think Josh Earnest is going to start piling on Joe Biden when Joe Biden barely buried his son?
HANNITY: There's a difference between piling on and pushing. Don't you agree, Doug, that somebody gave a wink and a nod to Josh Earnest to say the greatest political decision he ever made was crazy uncle Joe?
SCHOEN: I would say this. Julie Roginsky is a friend of mine, somebody I have enormous almost for. But on this one, Sean, I agree with you 100 percent.
HANNITY: All right, thanks, guys. Appreciate you being here.
And coming up next tonight here on HANNITY --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have got to do something about gun violence in America. And I will take it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Politicizing the tragedy two hours after two journalists were shot and killed during a live broadcast. A lot of Democrats, they begin the process. Sheriff David Clarke is here tonight to weigh in. And later, there is a lot of Internet chatter over what Senator Rand Paul said about the Black Lives Matter movement right here on this program last night. We'll explain and more straight ahead.
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HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." So just hours after a deranged gunman murdered two local TV journalists live on the air in Virginia, prominent Democrats all across the country, they tried to politicize the tragedy. Naturally that included President Obama. He told a local TV station, quote, "What we know is that the number of people who die from gun-related incidents around the country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism." President Obama was not alone in using this tragedy to advance a political agenda, and that of course being a pro-gun control agenda. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: We have got to do something about gun violence in America. And I will take it on.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: While there is no piece of legislation that will end all violence in this country, there are some common sense things that only Congress can do that we know would have a tangible impact in reducing gun violence in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are individuals in this country who should not be allowed to own a firearm. And it is just to me common sense and it's just tragic that this kind of legislation cannot be passed and signed into law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Here now with reaction, Milwaukee County Sheriff, our friend David Clarke is back with us. Sheriff, we know that this guy had a history of being unstable. There were warning signs everywhere and they've been there a long time. To me this isn't a gun issue. This is a mental health issue. Thoughts?
SHERIFF DAVID CLARKE, MILWAUKEE COUNTY: Well, shame on the left, shame on the Democrats for once again exploiting misery and tragedy to pursue a political agenda. Shame on the president of the United States to invoke terrorism into this horrific incident that happened in Virginia.
Look, this is a political movement. The president knows it. Everybody that you just played knows it. This document right here should not be used in kneejerk fashion over some horrific incidents that happened in the United States. This document, the constitution, protects freedom and liberty. It does not prevent horrific acts done by human beings.
So if this is really about reducing gun violence, if it was really about reducing crime, we already know how to do that. You identify the bad guys. You arrest the bad guys. You adjudicate them. And once they're convicted you lock them up for the longest period allowed by law.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, is letting them out the back door. He recently visited a federal prison and pardoned 46 federal prisoners, long time federal convicts. And he plans on doing more. So while the police and the community and the people are trying to get these individuals out of their community, he is pouring them back in. This was a chance for the president, Sean, to bring the country together, and once again the divider in chief goes out and further separates us.
HANNITY: How many convicted illegal immigrants did the Department of Homeland Security and ICE know about that after they spend time in prison, rather than deport them, they let them back on to the streets to commit more crimes, and in many cases, violent crimes. I really don't feel like getting lectured by the president.
What do you think we could do legally, constitutionally, for people that we know that are violence, that are showing signs and symptoms of instability? Because remember, we opened up our mental hospitals a number of years ago. We let a lot of people out. We said we were violating their rights. And, obviously, this was a very evil, disturbed human being.
CLARKE: Well, look, Sean, as you know, terrible things happen in this world from time to time. We have to be a little more humble about our ability to prevent every horrific situation from happening. There are certain things we can do to reduce and prevent these sorts of things. Not messing with this document, no. But we can do things like better mental health screening, better background checks. The FBI allowed a guy to purchase a handgun that went down, we understand it, and committed a horrific act recently. So if we're trying to make this absolute, that none of these things will ever happen again, we're working on the wrong thing, because unfortunately the world we live in, with the evil that exists, it's going to happen.
HANNITY: What does a woman do if she is being threatened by a guy, and if there is a seven day waiting period, and the threat is immediate, that her life has been threatened. What do you do in that case if she can't get a store and get a gun at least to protect herself and give her a fighting chance, right?
CLARKE: Well, it happened recently in New Jersey where a woman applied for a handgun permit. It took forever to get it. And in the meantime, some stalker boyfriend, a former boyfriend, went and killed her.
But here's my challenge to the president of the United States, you think this is so easy. Forego your Secret Service protection, for you, for the first lady, and your children, and see what it is like to have to fend yourself. And then we'll sit down and have a conversation so you know what we here at ground level have to deal with on a daily base in terms of self- defense. I am done asking people in my community to outsource their personal safety to the government.
HANNITY: All right, Sheriff, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate your insight.
When we come back, up next on "Hannity" --
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PEGGY HUBBARD: Last night, who do you think they protested for? The thugs, the criminals, because they're hollering police brutality. Are you -- kidding me? Police brutality? How about black brutality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, that was Peggy Hubbard. She's the woman that called out the Black Lives Matter movement. Last night Senator Rand Paul, he weighed in and said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL, R-KY., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think they should change their name maybe. If they were all lives matter, or innocent lives matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: We'll get reaction to both their comments coming up straight ahead.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUBBARD: They're hollering police brutality. Are you -- kidding me? Police brutality? How about black brutality? A little girl is dead. You say Black Lives Matter? Her life mattered. Her dreams mattered. Her future mattered. Her promises mattered. It mattered. On Channel 4, Channel 2, Channel 5, Channel 30, Channel 11, same old post dispatch -- murder, murder, murder, murder, black on black murder. But yet you -- are out there tearing up your own -- it's not your -- it's other people's -- for a criminal, for a thug.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: That was Peggy Hubbard, her epic rant against Black Lives Matter. And that went viral, over 10 million people watched it. We had her on the show earlier this week and she is not the only person raising red flags about the so-called activists and their tactics. Last night we had 2016 Republican president candidate Senator Rand Paul on as a guest. And he is making headlines for saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: I think they should change their name, maybe. If they were all lives matter or innocent lives matter. I am about justice. And, frankly, I think a lot of poor people in our country and many African-Americans are trapped in this war on drugs and I want to change it. But commandeering the microphone and bullying people and pushing people out of the way I think really isn't a way to get their message across.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Joining me now with reaction, Fox News contributor Deroy Murdock, Democratic strategist Richard Fowler. As I look back at the number, Deroy, it's pretty clear. About 100 black Americans will be killed in incidents with police on any given year. Those are pretty standard numbers. What are the numbers when it comes to black on black crime which we don't hear about?
DEROY MURDOCK, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: The numbers are about 56 times higher, about 5,600 people, black people are killed by other black people per year. So it's about 56 times higher. By the way, that 100 you mentioned, that includes armed, unarmed, justified, unjustified, male, female, et cetera. But even if you assumed those were all unarmed people killed unjustifiably by the cops, you have 56 times more black people being killed by other black people. I'd love to hear the Black Lives Matter people talk about that. If black lives really matter, then talk about the 56 times more innocent black people are killed by other black people, that's not white cops or racism of the cops or anything else like that.
HANNITY: If it's 56 times more where it happens where it's black on black crime, why doesn't anyone march about that? Why is it always the limited, the few incidents where cops are involved? Why is there such outrage and then total ignoring of the majority of cases? Why is that?
MURDOCK: They just look completely away. I think the Black Lives Matter organizations on the left. And the left wing narrative is that white racist cops are chasing down black men and shooting them just for laughs like it's duck season or something like this. And there are a handful of cases. We could look at Eric Garner's case, Michael Brown, et cetera. Those turned out not to be according to the Department of Justice, at least the Michael Brown case, the Trayvon Martin case, a couple of other high profile ones.
They didn't file civil rights charges, so I don't know where racism is. But you do hear about those cases. What you don't hear about are the people, unnamed like the 10 people killed on 4th of July weekend I Chicago gunned down by other blacks. You don't see marches, you don't see boycotts, nothing.
HANNITY: It's 56 times more incidents involving black and black crime. Where's the Black Lives Matter movement here? Why don't they show up? The girl that Peggy Hubbard was talking about was a nine-year-old girl killed in her own bedroom while doing her homework. Where's the marching for those incidents? Where is the justice for those people?
RICHARD FOWLER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Sean, I was in St. Louis last week, and actually there a march for this young girl in her community, in her neighborhood. Maybe Peggy Hubbard missed it.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: The president never weighed in. The president weighs in on Trayvon on Cambridge and Michael Brown. Where is the president on these incidents?
FOWLER: Listen. Listen. Sean, at the end of the day this is what it boils down to, right. Yes, black on black crime is a problem, but black on black crime I just as much of a problem as white on white crime. We're not having a debate about that. And the fact Black Lives Matter, we're talking about it right today on your show, they were talking about it yesterday and the day before shows that this movement is --
HANNITY: You're a Democrat. Governor O'Malley black lives matter, white lives matter, all lives matter. And then, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say all lives matter. Do all lives matter to you?
FOWLER: All lives do matter. But what is in question is at that particular event what was in question was do black lives truly matter? And I think to a lot of Americans whether they're black, whether they're white, whether they're straight, gay, do black lives really matter? If you can choke somebody for 11 minutes in New York City and walk away from the crime? Or better yet, if you could shoot a 12-year-old in the face in Cleveland and walk away from the crime, or better yet, you could shoot Walter Scott in the back while he was running away from the polilce, and walk away from the case, that shows black lives don't matter.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: But the point is --
FOWLER: The Eric Garner case was adjudicated and those cops walked when they choked him to death.
HANNITY: It's 56 times more likely it's going to be black on black crime and you don't hear a peep from President Obama or anything.
(CROSSTALK)
MURDOCK: You don't see the Black Lives Matter people attack Bernie Sanders and saying, look, Bernie, we want you to talk about black on black crime. The prevented him from speaking, please step up from the podium.
I hear this response. We talk about black on black crime. People say, well, there's also white on white crime. This is a little bit like going to the doctor and the doctor says to a black man, I'm sorry, I've got bad news. You've got lung cancer. He says, well, it doesn't matter, white people get lung cancer, too. Look, whether white people shoot each other or not, we do have a problem, which is black people shooting other black people. And yet the focus on the part of the left, on the part of Black Lives Matter is not to pay any attention to that whatsoever, to focus on a small number of cases - -
(CROSSTALK)
FOWLER: -- going down gunning down black people.
HANNITY: We've got to leave it there. We're just out of time. I'm limited to what the clock and what it allows me.
Anyway, coming up next, we really need the audience's help, we need your help. Our question of the day is next.
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HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." All right, time for tonight's question of the day. Don't you think it's just wrong for politicians in particular to bring up gun control, politicize a tragedy just hours after yesterday's shooting? I think it's awful, despicable, but yet, predictable.
We want your thoughts. Go to Facebook.com/SeanHannity, @SeanHannity on Twitter. Let us know what you think.
That is all the time we have left. We hope you'll set your DVR so you never miss an episode. We take attendance. Our feelings are hurt if you're not here, so please join us. Thanks for being with us. We'll see you back here tomorrow night.
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