Updated

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," January 6, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity." And tonight, the all-important Iowa caucuses are only 26 days away, and two Republican hopefuls are battling it out for the top spot now in the Hawkeye State. According to the RealClearPolitics Iowa average, Texas Senator Ted Cruz currently maintains a small lead, with 31 percent of the vote, while Donald Trump is close behind with 27.4 percent.

Meanwhile, the RealClearPolitics national average shows Donald Trump with a commanding 15-point lead over the two-way race potentially forming in Iowa.  Donald Trump appears to be going on the offensive.

In an interview yesterday. Trump suggested that the presidential eligibility of Ted Cruz may be challenged because he was born in Canada, telling The Washington Post, quote, "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question, do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years? It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he'd be running, and the courts may take a long time to make a decision.  You don't want to be running and have that kind of thing hanging over your head."

And Trump went on to add, quote, "I'd hate to see something like this get in his way, but a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, that the fact that he was born in Canada and he has a double passport."

Now, Senator Ted Cruz responded in typical fashion. He simply tweeted out this clip from the old show, "Happy Days." Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There he goes!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: And joining us with reaction from The Washington Times, Charles Hurt, editor-in-chief of Lifezette.com, Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham and Fox News senior correspondent Geraldo Rivera.

Laura, I'll start with you. You and Geraldo are the lawyers on this.  Where do you stand? I see no issue here for Ted Cruz.

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, there's no issue whatsoever. He has dual citizenship, Sean, because his mom is a U.S. citizen, so he gets naturalized citizen as a result of that.

This has already been looked into. In fact, on my radio show today, Chris Christie came to the defense of Ted Cruz, noting that -- I guess at a rally, that -- one of those Iran rallies on Capitol Hill, I believe even Donald Trump, according to Christie, had acknowledged that, you know, Ted Cruz of course was eligible, and just because he was born in Canada, in this case, his mom...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: He gave up his Canadian citizenship. Geraldo, you think there might be something to this.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I totally disagree. I think that Trump is brilliant to raise this issue. When my son, Gabriel, and his wife, Deb, was pregnant, I said, You got to come home. I want my grandson to be president of the United States. He has to be born in the United States.

Now, a child of a citizen of the United States born abroad or born wheresoever is a citizen if that's -- he or she so chooses. So there's no doubt but that Ted Cruz is a citizen of the United States.

HANNITY: But that would mean the morning he's born...

RIVERA: But he has to be...

HANNITY: ... that's natural-born.

RIVERA: But he has to be a natural-born...

HANNITY: But that is natural-born.

RIVERA: All right, let's go back. The Naturalization Act of 1790, three years after the Constitution, said the children of citizens shall be considered natural born citizens. That's in 1790. Five years later, in 1795, they amended the Naturalization Act of 1795 and said the children of citizens, wherever born, are citizens is (ph) excluded the phrase "natural- born citizens" when they amended the act!

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: That's a stretch. Come on.

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: Trump is right when he says it has never, with all due respect to Laura...

INGRAHAM: Geraldo...

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: ... never been litigated!

(CROSSTALK)

INGRAHAM: Sean, Sean...

HANNITY: John McCain wasn't born in the United States

RIVERA: People aren't listening. It has never been litigated...

HANNITY: I understand...

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: Trump is absolutely right...

INGRAHAM: Geraldo, Geraldo...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: One at a time. Laura.

INGRAHAM: Geraldo believes that a federal court is going to rule that Ted Cruz is not eligible to run for the presidency. I'm loving this. I want to see the federal court...

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: A federal court has never ruled...

INGRAHAM: Yes, but you're inferring...

RIVERA: A federal court has to rule.

INGRAHAM: You're inferring by the absence of language, which is a sometimes used statutory interpretation tool, but it's not a very effective one, that...

HANNITY: Why did they drop the phrase "natural born"?

INGRAHAM: ... that the absence of language...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: By the way, Trump even said the courts should declare he is a citizen.

RIVERA: And Trump is right that this is a huge distraction!

HANNITY: It's not -- I don't think so. Charles, you want to weigh in?

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Listen...

CHARLES HURT, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Ted Cruz has a larger problem here.  The problem here is that he is incapable of responding to Donald Trump with anything other than some sort of passive-aggressive goofy little film clip from "Happy Days," which is sort of what we've seen this entire campaign.  Until he learns to land a real blow on Donald Trump, until anybody...

HANNITY: Charles, I think you...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: I have agreed with you all throughout the process. I think you're wrong here.

INGRAHAM: I agree.

HANNITY: If you look at Trump's attacks on Jeb Bush, they've been pretty devastating. Same thing with Ben Carson, even Marco. I think Ted Cruz by, Oh, I'm just going to laugh it off, has been the best response of anybody.

HURT: Yes, I don't disagree with you that this is probably not going to be a very effective attack on Ted Cruz, but what I'm saying is that until somebody steps up and actually has a forceful attack on Donald Trump and actually takes him down a notch, Donald Trump is just going to keep plowing through...

INGRAHAM: Charlie, why is that good for the anti-establishment candidate to be shooting at each other? I would argue something different. I would argue that the two of them should work together until it's down to the two of them, until they clear-cut the field of Jeb, Marco, Kasich and anyone else who's left over in the gutter of politics.

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: ... going to take the rose -- the blush off the rose of Ted Cruz.  I think that the, He's not even a natural-born citizen, argument will resonate for at least the next few weeks.

HANNITY: I think -- I think you're going birther ballistic, and I don't think it's going to work.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: All right, let's talk about where this campaign goes -- 26 days.  Now we're getting down to the game beginning. If I had to guess, I would say probably Cruz has the advantage in Iowa. But moving on from there, I would say it then becomes Donald Trump territory in New Hampshire. Laura, your reaction?

INGRAHAM: I think Trump could surprise people in Iowa. Probably not, but you know, you've been to those caucuses, Sean. I have. These are raucous -- these are raucous events if there's a movement. The one that I would point to is the Obama caucus in 2008. Everyone thought Hillary was a shoo- in. When I walked out of that Des Moines high school, I said to my friend from college, It's going to be Obama. They were going crazy for Obama in Des Moines. So who knows. I mean, I think Cruz has an amazing organization...

HANNITY: But passion for Trump, though -- the passion is...

RIVERA: You cannot -- you cannot...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: ... 50 percent of Trump supporters that won't vote for anybody else.

INGRAHAM: Right.

HANNITY: So he has more passion on his side than any other candidate.

RIVERA: I would argue Trump is the Obama of this cycle.

HANNITY: Well, look at the crowds.

RIVERA: I think that there is tremendous charisma, there's tremendous energy there...

HANNITY: Is that your endorsement? Are you supporting Donald Trump?

RIVERA: I'm not ready to nearly go there. It would just -- we haven't even started...

HANNITY: What do you mean not nearly ready? Is he...

INGRAHAM: Nearly? What?

HANNITY: ... in your top two?

RIVERA: He's definitely in my top two. There is no doubt in my view that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee.

HANNITY: All right, so do you think -- do you think he'd be a good president?

RIVERA: I think he'd be a great president.

HANNITY: Yes.

RIVERA: Being a president is being a CEO, essentially. I mean, he has some hateful ideas that really bug the hell out of me, and you all know what they are. We don't need to...

HANNITY: Here we go, immigration again...

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: ... Trump is a wonderful negotiator...

HANNITY: Laura, what do you think? Would he...

RIVERA: ... an organized, brilliant businessman.

INGRAHAM: Oh, my God. OK, first of all, I think Trump -- this is, like, the first -- I'm just teasing you, Geraldo -- bad news that Trump has gotten in a long time!

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: Oh, my God, you got Geraldo saying...

RIVERA: That's good! That's good!

INGRAHAM: ... that he's his guy? Wait a second. I'm going to leave right now, Sean...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: You're taking off?

INGRAHAM: I don't know what to say about...

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: I think -- I think Geraldo is right, though. It's Cruz and Trump until the establishment or unless the establishment figures rally around one person. I still think the best person for them to rally around is Chris Christie. Chris Christie would be the most interesting...

RIVERA: I agree with you on that, too.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: There's a lot of attacks now against him because he is doing well in Iowa. He's now in double digit in two polls. All right, Charles...

HANNITY: He's going to handle heroin like no one can handle it (INAUDIBLE)

HANNITY: You know what the amazing thing is, Charles, is everyone predicted Trump's demise. And I actually talked to a real establishment person over the holidays, and I just said to them, You don't get it. You don't understand what's going on out there.

There's a reason Trump and Cruz are one and two and that they take nearly 50 percent of the Republican electorate away in these polls because there's real palpable anger out there and frustration and a feeling of betrayal.

HURT: And those establishment people have been wrong at every single turn with every single one of these predictions. And now what they're saying is, is that, Well, OK, if we go with him as the nominee, he's going to get slaughtered by Hillary Clinton. Well, is he really? I don't know that that's true.

(CROSSTALK)

HURT: ... look at the way he went after Bill Clinton. The first time in Bill Clinton's entire political career...

HANNITY: He was speechless.

HURT: He has been silenced!

HANNITY: It took him five seconds to recover. All right, Laura, does Donald Trump put in play New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania? Do we look at an entirely different electoral map?

INGRAHAM: I think -- you know, I read what Craig Shirley (ph) is writing on this, Reagan biographer.

HANNITY: I read that today.

INGRAHAM: He's talking about -- yes, the movement election. He wrote about it on Lifezette. You know, a movement election is a different type of election. It's an election where the people start moving into a direction because they think the country is failing or going down the tubes or the establishment has failed them.

We saw it in 1980. We all remember. We saw it in 1984. We did see it in 2008. That was a movement election. I think you're beginning to see the real signs of this taking hold beyond just New Hampshire, beyond just South Carolina, but to interesting states like Nevada, perhaps even, even a state like Colorado, which has gone very purple in recent years. I think people are fed up with Washington...

HANNITY: Real quick.

INGRAHAM: ... corruption, and they want a change.

HANNITY: Geraldo, can he win New York? You are the quintessential New Yorker.

RIVERA: He might. It all turns -- you mentioned Colorado. Colorado is a swing state, like Nevada, like North Carolina, like Florida. It all depends. Trump has offended Mexicans and Muslims and millennials and some women. Will those offended people be energized to show up in the way that Trump supporters are energized to show up? It will be an energy. It will be -- and again, I...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Is he bringing more people than anyone dreamed?

RIVERA: He will have people registering to vote who haven't voted in their entire adult lives, but he might have the opposite effect. Will the Puerto Ricans turn out in Florida, for example? Will the Mexicans turn out?

HANNITY: Last question. If he's one of your top two, who's the other one?

RIVERA: On the Republican side?

HANNITY: In general. Who are your top two people?

RIVERA: Well, I like Chris Christie also. I like him a lot as a person.  He didn't do anything to help me when I thinking of running for senate in New Jersey. But I give him a little slack. You know...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Did you win "The Apprentice"?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

INGRAHAM: Hey, Sean...

RIVERA: I didn't win, but at least he kept me on board for six weeks!

INGRAHAM: Hey, Sean...

HANNITY: Last word.

INGRAHAM: Sean -- Sean, one more thing. Didn't Bill Clinton look really tired and old?

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: He had a slight tremor. And it took him a while to get going, but...

INGRAHAM: He and Trump and he-

RIVERA: ... but I love the guy. Once he started, he was...

INGRAHAM: ... are the same age, Geraldo.

HANNITY: I -- I...

INGRAHAM: Yes, look at how vigorous -- look at how vigorous Geraldo looks...

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: And we are the same age, and so is Donald Trump.

HANNITY: Hey, I'll tell you, Trump got the better of that exchange with the Clintons.

INGRAHAM: Big-time.

HANNITY: And it shut them down big-time! All right, guys, good to see you all. Thank you.

And coming up next tonight on this busy news night here on "Hannity"...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Their hunting rights, their shooting rights...

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC: Moms Demand Action.

CLINTON: ... their collecting rights. All of that is not going to be affected. So I'm going to keep beating the drum, and I'm delighted that the president announced the actions he did today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right, Hillary Clinton is apparently very happy about Obama clamping down on your 2nd Amendment rights. We'll check in with Bo Dietl, Sheriff David Clarke and Katie Pavlich. They are here with reaction.

Then later, speaking of New Jersey governor Chris Christie, he is rising in the polls in New Hampshire. He's here to explain why.

Also, North Korea claims it tested a hydrogen bomb! 2016 contender Carly Fiorina says this is yet another example of Hillary's failed foreign policy. That's coming up, along with Donald Trump, Jr, tonight on "Hannity."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: There needs to be a rival organization to the NRA of responsible gun owners who know that their hunting rifles...

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC: Moms Demand Action.

CLINTON: ... their collecting rights. All of that is not going to be affected. So I'm going to keep beating the drum, and I'm delighted that the president announced the actions he did today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right, Hillary is delighted at the president's executive action on guns. Here with reaction, Milwaukee County sheriff David Clarke, Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich and former NYPD detective Bo Dietl.

Sheriff, let me start with you. It to me is a very simple equation. The number one best advocate for gun sales in America has become this president, and if Hillary wants to wrap her arms around illegal, unconstitutional executive actions on this, I think it hurts her in the campaign. Thoughts.

SHERIFF DAVID CLARKE, MILWAUKEE COUNTY: Well, first of all, there is a rival group to the National Rifle Association. It's called the Democratic Party.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: Yes!

CLARKE: And as far as President Obama and Mrs. Bill Clinton, they are anti-gun bigots. They are utterly intolerant to anybody else's view when it comes to -- other than their own when it comes to the 2nd Amendment, the shooting sports and self-defense. But you watch. By next summer, she'll be photographed walking around in a field like she's hunting, participating in the shooting sports with a gun resting on her shoulder probably holing it upside-down.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: Michael Dukakis in a tank!

CLARKE: She doesn't know what she's doing with it anyway. Look, if you want to reduce violence -- and the president knows this -- you target criminals. You do not target otherwise law-abiding citizens. And you don't make them have to go jump through hoops in a higher threshold to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

But Sean, if he goes after the real perpetrators of violence in America, he would have to target the underclass young black male who disproportionately is involved in all this violence, and he doesn't want to do that.

HANNITY: Let me read from the AP, Katie Pavlich. They said that what the president announced would not have prevented the slaughters of 20 1st graders at Sandy Hook Elementary or 14 county workers at a holiday party in San Bernardino, and it would have had no impact in keeping weapons from the hands of suspects in several of the deadliest recent mass shootings that have occurred that have resulted and spurred these calls for more gun control.

So they're really feel-good legislation. It's not going to do anything.

KATIE PAVLICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It's not going to do anything. And it really is disappointing because the president has an opportunity here to work with organizations like the NRA, who have actually done a lot of significant work when it comes to actually keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.

You know, Hillary Clinton can attack the NRA all she wants, the fact is that the NRA has a higher approval rating than Hillary Clinton does when it comes to trustworthiness, that's for sure. And the bottom line is that the NRA really has done work with in the past of previous presidents in terms of getting mental health legislation on the books to make sure people who are mentally ill cannot get their hands on firearms.

This is about grandstanding for Hillary Clinton. It's about grandstanding for Barack Obama. And it really is a shame. And the bottom line is if the president really wants to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, maybe his Justice Department should stop releasing felons, many of which are illegal immigrants, only to the streets of America.

HANNITY: And you know...

PAVLICH: They can start there.

HANNITY: You know, the president cries here, Bo, and I remember the president -- remember that guy who got beheaded, James Foley?

BO DIETL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

HANNITY: Yes. He gives a quick 30-second comment and races off. He didn't want to miss his tee time!

DIETL: But I'm really glad about one thing. I'm glad the president watches your show. This is the first time that the president mentioned Chicago in any of his...

HANNITY: True.

DIETL: ... in any of his speeches...

HANNITY: Second time.

DIETL: ... about the kids dying in Chicago! Furthermore, on top of it, I do -- I mean, we're letting people out of jail on these drug things, these A-1 felonies and all that across the country. A lot of these drug dealers were involved with murders and guns. That's where the problem was. And if this president wanted to do an executive order, like I said on your show many times, get the FBI, the ATF together and let's get into our inner cities (INAUDIBLE) task force to take those illegal guns off the street, not honest gun owners like of the 2nd Amendment, people that want to protect themself, because I tell you right now, when the ISIS comes to this country, we have 300,000 weapons out -- 300 million weapons out there...

HANNITY: Hey...

DIETL: ... and we're going to protect ourselves...

HANNITY: Listen...

DIETL: ... and ISIS is not going to shoot me. I'm not going to put my head down, get on my knees and get my head chopped off! I'm going to have my .9-millimeter, and I'm going to...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: And I'm going to have my 40 and my AR. Sheriff Clarke, if you're in San Bernardino, and God forbid somebody's there -- if I'm in that room, I want a Sheriff Clarke there that's armed or a Bo Dietl that's armed or Katie Pavlich or Sean Hannity armed. And I don't understand why people don't understand that. That's simple to me. It's common sense.

CLARKE: Sure, it is. Look, I want as many law-abiding citizens to arm themselves in this country as we can get so that I have the partner that I need to beat back this sort of violence. And in these mass shooting situations, you're right, the great equalizer is a law-abiding citizen in that situation with a firearm that can take action because when seconds count, the police are usually minutes away.

HANNITY: Yes. All right, guys...

DIETL: You know, there's so many officers, so many cops across this country are retired. They see a cop pull a car over, they pull over, they let them know, Hey, I'm retired from the job, and you're watching over that cop. And that's what we have. And we have other good law-abiding citizens that would stand up for the people of America!

HANNITY: All right, guys. Thank you all for being with us.

When we come back, Governor Chris Christie -- he's hitting the campaign trail hard in New Hampshire. His numbers are going up. He'll talk about it.

Then later, Donald Trump's son, Don, Jr., talks about his father's campaign.

Also, North Korea claims to have tested a hydrogen bomb. 2016 Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina also here tonight with reaction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Hi. Welcome back to "Hannity." 2016 Republican presidential candidate Governor Chris Christie -- he's been campaigning hard in New Hampshire, and his efforts seem to be paying off because his poll numbers are rising now in the Granite State.

Earlier, I spoke with the New Jersey governor about all this and more.  Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANNITY: Governor, welcome back.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, R-N.J., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Happy to be back, Sean. Thanks for having me.

HANNITY: All right, you've been spending a lot of time in New Hampshire, but it appears to be paying off for you. You have one poll now you're in - - well, two polls you're in double digits. How important now is it for you to do well there? You've spent far less time in Iowa, but you have been spending time there. How important is New Hampshire to the campaign?

CHRISTIE: It's important to everybody. And it's certainly important to us. I mean, you know, Iowa and New Hampshire are going to winnow this field, in my view, Sean, from 12 candidates down to 4 or 5. And so it's important for us to do well in Iowa and do very well here in New Hampshire.

And I think from the reaction we're getting here, we feel momentum really moving in our direction. And I think people are listening to our message of securing the homeland first, keeping the American people safe and improving our economic situation. I think those things are being received well, and we're moving forward here.

HANNITY: Let me ask you about the president's -- his position on guns and his executive action on guns. And you called the president a petulant child. Explain.

CHRISTIE: Listen, this is a president who came into office, as you know, in 2008 with a big majority in the House and with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Because of his policies and his conduct in office, seven years later, we have our largest majority in the House since 1928, and we have a majority in the Senate and we have 31 of the 60 governorships.

Now, since the president's lost all of that, he now has decided he's just going to write laws on his own. He's going to give us edicts, as if he's a king. And that is a petulant child. He's refusing to listen to the will of the American people, which is they reject his policies.

And so that's why I call him a petulant child. He's doing it on guns. He did it on immigration. He's done it on "Obama care."

HANNITY: But did -- aren't the Republicans emboldening him? I mean, they said they would stop. They ran in 2014. Give us the Senate, we'll stop the president's proposal for executive actions on immigration. And they said they would defund the Department of Homeland Security, and then they caved in. Then they gave in.

CHRISTIE: Yes, listen, the United States Congress has been weak. They've been weak and they've been vacillating, and they haven't done their job.

And what we need in Washington now is a strong Republican president who knows how to govern. You know, Sean, in New Jersey over the last six years, I have made tough decisions and implemented them with the legislature of the opposite party. I've done more in New Jersey than they could ever think about doing in the United States Senate and in Washington, D.C.

And so you're right, they have emboldened the president to an extent because they've been unwilling to be tough with him. When I get to the White House, there will be no hesitation from me to make the tough decisions that need to be made because I've been doing it for the last 13 years as a former federal prosecutor and now as the governor of New Jersey.

HANNITY: Let me ask you about your positions in New Jersey. New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. In '95, you ran on a platform of supporting the assault weapons ban. You said that GOP opponents that wanted to repeal it were dangerous, crazy and radical. And you supported in 2009 -- you ran against opposing attempts to permit concealed carry laws in New Jersey.

Where do you -- where do you stand now? Because you appear to have changed.

CHRISTIE: Well, listen, in 1995, Sean, I was 32 years old, and I've changed my mind. And the biggest reason that I changed my mind was my seven years as a federal prosecutor. What I learned in those seven years was that we were spending too much time talking about gun laws against law- abiding citizens and not nearly enough time talking about enforcing the gun laws strongly against criminals.

And I saw the difference when I did that for seven years as a federal prosecutor. I learned the difference and I learned what the limitations are of these laws that people are talking about and how they much, much more greatly infringe on law-abiding citizens than they do anything to prevent crime.

Having learned that, my position's changed. And quite frankly, if I had the choice now, I'd make New Jersey a state where you can have a shall (ph) issue on conceal and carry. Now our legislature won't do that, but I have done recently is to make sure that we're making it easier for folks to be able to get a permit in New Jersey because they deserve the right to do that as law-abiding citizens.

HANNITY: You know, it's fascinating. I ask the question all the time of people that are on the anti-gun side. And I say, OK, if you're in a situation like the tragedy and the murderous rage in San Bernardino and you're in a room like that, would you want somebody that knew how to use a firearm and had one with them, or if somebody breaks into your house, what are you going to do if they are armed and you are not?

And there's not a good answer. There's no good answer except you're a sitting duck for the most part if you're not armed. So you know, is that part of what you learned as being a prosecutor?

CHRISTIE: Well, there's no question about that. And I also learned that you've got to get those people that you're talking about on the folks who are in the murderous rage in San Bernardino or the person who enters your home to try to rob you or to try to do harm to your family -- you have to get those people off the streets, too. And the fact is that we're not spending nearly enough time on this.

And this is part of the president's problem. Where's he been when the crime rate and the murder rate in Chicago has gone up in 18 percent? Where has he been when the murder rate in New York is up 11 percent? Instead he and liberals like Bill de Blasio and Rahm Emanuel and others, what they're doing is not supporting the police departments, not making sure that they're being supported, and they're letting them do their jobs. And so we have criminals who have easy access to guns.

And then in places like Chicago and New York -- and you know this because of your experience in New York -- it is incredibly difficult for a law abiding citizen to get a gun. Is that making New York or Chicago safer?  It seems to me that the evidence shows that it's not. And so what really changed me as a prosecutor, I got to learn the evidence and what's really going on out in the world of law enforcement. And that's why my position changed.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Governor, congratulations on those poll numbers in New Hampshire. Thank you for being with us. We appreciate your time as always.

CHRISTIE: Sean, thank you for having me on and happy new year to you.

HANNITY: Thank you. Happy new year, governor.

And coming up, the world remains on edge after North Korea claims to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. 2016 Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina says this is an example of Hillary Clinton's foreign policy failures. She'll join us with more.

But first, I sit down with Donald Trump and son Don Jr., and he explains why he thinks his dad is the best Republican candidate to become the next commander in chief, that and more on this busy news night tonight on "Hannity."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has taken American politics by storm. Now I sat down with his son, Donald Jr., to find out why he thinks his father is the best candidate for president. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANNITY: Don Jr., good to see you again. How are you, sir?

DONALD TRUMP JR., EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Good to see, Sean. How are you?

HANNITY: All right, so here you are, the son of this famous man, hardworking man, well known billionaire, makes a lot of news. Did any of this politics stuff surprise you?

DONALD TRUMP JR.: No, not at all. I mean, I know when my father puts his mind to something he's going to do a phenomenal job with it. He's a great businessman. He has an incredible track record. And I know he understands what this country needs and what it wants. And I think he was sick of being on the sidelines watching a bunch of incompetents in his mind. And in our world, in our business world, these people wouldn't last five minutes in real companies, and he's sick of them making decisions that are costing our children, their children behind them, trillions of dollars and really giving up the great power that we've built up over the last 200 years. I mean, this country has had 200 years of hegemony over the rest of the world, and it feels like our politicians, they just want to give that back.

HANNITY: It's very interesting. Even before your dad got into this race I would go over occasionally and interview your dad, and there you are, and there Eric, is and there Ivanka is. And you guys worked very, very closely with him on a daily basis. Is there any part of your dad that maybe you know that maybe the general public doesn't pick up watching his speeches or his interviews or reading his tweets?

DONALD TRUMP JR.: Well, listen, I think a lot of people see, obviously, the business side of him. But, I mean, he's just a great guy. We enjoyed the holidays so much. To be able to spend time with him when he's not necessarily working or not doing the political thing, I mean, he's much more of a blue collar American. I say that in jest a little bit, but he's a blue collar guy with a balance sheet. That's the way he likes to have fun. He knows more about sports than any human being out there. He relaxes. The ribbing that we give each at the Christmas holidays is incredible. He's much more of an ordinary American and a proper American than a lot people would probably ever believe.

HANNITY: He's been involved in a lot of controversy since he's got involved in this. I would argue that he's raised the bar of where political correctness is. I've used the term, Don, that he transcends conventional political gravity. At any point, do you say, you give him advice, at any point did you ever flinch and say, oh, dad, why did you tweet that? Why do you say that? Do you speak bluntly to him about what we think?

DONALD TRUMP JR.: We do. We always speak very bluntly with him. But in the end I think the things that he's saying are things that need to be said. They're conversations that need to be had. There conversations that haven't been had. Everyone knows about it. If you go to a diner in the middle of America, people are having these conversations, but our politicians are too scared to bring it up because they're worried about offending the 0.002 percent of the country that may somehow be subject to what the conversation may be. And it's ridiculous. He's a straight- talking guy. He's always been. He has a history of that in business as a personality for the last 35 years. And that's what he's going to bring to the table. He's going to bring straight, honest conversation and bring up topics that, while they may be sensitive, they have to be said.

HANNITY: You know, one of the things he brought up this week, we heard the president yesterday talking about guns and getting all emotional. Your father said if guns don't keep you safe, talking to Hillary Clinton in support of the president, disarm your bodyguards.

It's interesting because every year in New York your dad, I am mentioned in the article, there are certain New Yorkers that have pistol carry permits, and he's a staunch believer in the Second Amendment. What do you think about the president's proposals, and, more importantly, what your dad's response to Hillary was, which I thought was pretty strong?

DONALD TRUMP JR.: I think his response is 100 percent right. It's really easy for someone to say no one should have guns when they're guarded by people with MP-5s. It's a little bit different. I'm always mentioned in that article as well because I'm a staunch believer in the Second Amendment. I shoot virtually every weekend. I'm a big outdoorsman. I believe in all those traditions. And I believe it's important for people to be able to defend themselves.

The impositions that this government is trying to put on now, it's the typical death by 1,000 cuts. We'll take a little bit here, we'll take a little bit here, we'll take a little bit here. And it doesn't end the conversations for 25, 50 years. It starts the conversation again the next day what they're looking to take back.

And really it's about freedoms. If I want to hand one of my old shotguns that I've had for 50 years to my grandkid one day, I have to good through a federal transfer? It's crazy. The rules that have been imposed, the rules that are already on the books haven't been effective. If you look at the places where the strictest gun control measures, whether it be California, Los Angeles, Barack Obama's home state in Chicago, they're a disaster, and they have the greatest rules in the world. But his rules are only going to have an effect and an impact on people who are actually willing to play by the rules, which is exactly the opposite of what it's supposed to do. It makes no sense to me.

HANNITY: Last question. All right,, so having been to Trump Towers many times, and I've gotten to know you and your brother and your sister, you work very closely with your dad. If your father becomes president, do all three of you go to Washington? Are you going to be in the Oval Office?  Have you discussed that?

DONALD TRUMP JR.: You know, I think we've joked about it a little bit. I think he'd give me the Department of the Interior because of my love of the outdoors, so we can get that going.

But again, I think the fact that he's running now as opposed to in 2012 where he didn't that he's had enough faith in myself and my siblings to be able to run the company. I mean, we've got tens of thousands of people that are under his direct employ. Those people, he wouldn't leave a company and leave those people and their lives and everything they've put into it at risk if he didn't think there was competent leadership to take over after him. So I think the fact that he's running now is the greatest to perhaps myself, and, again, Ivanka's and Eric's abilities to be able to run this company because he's not the kind of guy that would leave or jeopardize those people's families, their livelihoods to go do something where he wouldn't be in charge.

HANNITY: Don Jr., great to see you again. Thanks for being with us.

DONALD TRUMP JR.: Great to see you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANNITY: And coming up, the rogue regime in North Korea claims that it successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test. 2016 Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina says this is yet another example of Hillary Clinton's failed foreign policies. She joins us next to explain that and more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." The world is on edge after North Korea announced late last night that it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb.  Now experts are skeptical, however, that the test involved the hydrogen bomb, and it could take several days for the intelligence community to evaluate North Korea's claim.

Earlier today 2016 Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina tweeted that the situation with North Korea is yet another example of Hillary Clinton's failed foreign policies, and she joins us now with more.

Welcome back, Carly. How are you? I almost called you Hillary. That was a huge mistake.

CARLY FIORINA, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you, Sean? I saw that.  I heard that.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: I might as well start cursing. I mean, that's worse than cursing at somebody.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNITY: You know, when she was herself, when she was going for a confirmation hearing, she actually made the statement that she would embark on a very aggressive effort to end North Korea's nuclear program. So I guess this is an example that that really failed.

FIORINA: Well, yes, that's right. But here's the other thing, Sean. When you don't respond to bad behavior, you get more of it. So not only has she gotten every foreign policy challenge wrong as the secretary of state, she has failed to respond. When our embassy is attacked in Benghazi by terrorists and there is no response, you get more bad behavior. When Russia invades Ukraine and there is no response, you get more bad behavior.  When Syria crosses the red line and there is no response, you get more bad behavior. When Iran launches tests of ballistic missiles and there is no response, you get more bad behavior. When North Korea attacks Sony Pictures and there is no response, you get more bad behavior. In other words, Mrs. Clinton, you cannot lead from behind. We must respond when we are attacked or provoked.

HANNITY: I want to know -- I don't know if you saw this fatwa that was released by Reuters that actually goes into detail how to be a good rapist by ISIS terrorists if they have female prisoners, and they lay out the rules for this. And I'm thinking, what are we doing about this? What are we going to do to stop this? Where is the plan to win this battle, this conflict of civilization? Because we know that this is a worldwide caliphate that they're advancing. But nobody seems to want to talk about it.

FIORINA: That's right.

HANNITY: Hillary doesn't, Obama doesn't.

FIORINA: Well, they don't. And, by the way, we have some candidates on our side who don't have a plan, either. But here's my plan, and I've been very explicit about it. I've laid out a plan for how we keep people safe here at home, and I've laid out a plan of how we wage war and win by denying ISIS territory overseas. We must deny them their territory, to your point, Sean, because the territory that they've conquered because Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama declared victory in Iraq and against every generals advice withdrew all of our troops, leaving a vacuum, weaponry, territory for ISIS to conquer, that territory, their caliphate, is that from which they draw legitimacy, potency, credibility. We have to deny them that territory.

And that's why it's so important to stand with our allies in that region.  And that is why when Iran continues to get away with bad behavior, what do our allies who are Iran's enemies think about us? It is why we cannot stand by while Russia allies itself with Iran. You can't outsource American leadership to Russia. Russia isn't on our side. They're on their side and Iran's side.

HANNITY: You have been one of the strongest voices in terms of criticism against Hillary. And I wanted to ask you, because I think it's part of the Democratic playbook, poor Mitt Romney was accused of being engaged on a war on women because he wanted to hire them and he had their resumes in binders. But now that Hillary is trying to play the victim a little bit and the gender card, do you think it is fair game to bring up the issues involving not allegations of consensual sex but assault that have been made against her husband? Is that fair game?

FIORINA: Well, sure it's fair game. Look, everything Bill Clinton has done is fair game. He's a former president. I just don't think that is the most effective way to beat Hillary Clinton, because while all that was going on there were a lot of women who felt for whatever reason great sympathy for Hillary Clinton. Look, if my husband were doing that, I would have left him. I would not have behaved the way Hillary Clinton did.

HANNITY: Do you think she's an enabler? Do you think she assisted in the besmirching and the smearing and the slandering?

FIORINA: Well, sure she did. Of course she did. Of course she did. But the most effective way to beat Hillary Clinton is to remind voters of Hillary Clinton's behavior.

HANNITY: We have two important debates coming up. Where do you see your place in this heading into Iowa in 26 days? Where do you see yourself here, and how do you make the recovery? What is your strategy?

FIORINA: Well, I don't think I need to make recovery. I think I need to make progress. Remember, Sean, I started 17 out of 16. The pollsters didn't even ask my name because less than three percent of voters had ever heard from me. Now I am tied essentially with two governors who are household names in politics, who spent millions of dollars each on television. I haven't spent -- my campaign hasn't spent any money on TV.

And I know what I have seen on the ground. I've seen loads of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. We moved to bigger venues. I have packed town halls. And the truth is that most people in Iowa and New Hampshire make up their minds in the last two weeks. So this race is wide open. And I have come further faster than anyone predicted because voters listen and they like what they hear. And when I tell them it's time, citizens, to take our country back and a professional politician isn't going to be able to do it, and a guy who is a celebrity but has no plan isn't going to do it, either, they're listening.

HANNITY: Carly Fiorina, looking forward, 26 days, its' coming. Thanks for being with us.

FIORINA: Thanks, Sean.

HANNITY: When we come back, our "Ask Sean" segment is next. And we need your help. An important "Question of the Day" is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Time for our "Question of the Day." So what do you think about the president trampling on your Second Amendment rights? We want to hear what you have to say. Go to Facebook.com/SeanHannity, on Twitter @SeanHannity, let us know what you think.

Now, you've been sending questions all day. It's time for our "Ask Sean" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Hannity. Calina (ph) here. My question is, why does it seem like Obama pens never runs out of ink when it comes to executive orders and he's always bypassing Congress? Does he have no respect for our constitution?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: All right, Calina (ph), that is a great question, and I appreciate you sending it in. Here is the bottom line -- Congress is allowing this to happen. We have coequal branches of government, the executive branch, the legislative branch, the judicial branch. They all have their own enumerated powers. This president bypasses Congress.  Congress should not let him get away with it. They have the power of the purse. The can defund all of those efforts, and I would like to see them finally use that power. Great question.

That is all the time we have left this evening. We'll see you back here tomorrow night.

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