Conway: Denuclearization of North Korea benefits the world

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Conway: Denuclearization of North Korea benefits the world

On 'Hannity,' counselor to President Trump says peace and progress have already won heading into the summit with North Korea.

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 11, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome to "Hannity." It is 9:00 p.m. in our nation's capital, 9:00 p.m. in New York City, and 9:00 a.m. right here in Singapore, where we're live and we are only as you can see on the screen, just moments away from President Trump's historic one-on-one summit with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Now, President Trump and North Korean dictator both arrived at the summit site right here in Singapore. This is an important moment for the United States, frankly, the world. Now, after the summit, by the way, we'll tell you about -- all about the president's historic meeting. We're going to play you the full interview. We'll be interviewing President Trump right here on this program tomorrow night. We'll have our opening monologue in just a few minutes.

But from Singapore telling us what to expect from this meeting, we have FOX News chief White House correspondent, our friend, John Roberts. He made the trip over.

Sir, what's going on there?

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Sean, good to see you, and good morning to you, your live position.

First of all, a little bit of breaking news. The president tweeting while he was waiting there for Kim Jong Un to so the president could get into the Cappella resort there, that Larry Kudlow, his chief economic advisor, has suffered a heart attack and has been taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

We have no word on what the condition of Kudlow is, but he is obviously in good hands. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, one of the premier medical institutions in this country. So, we'll stay abreast of that and we'll bring you any developments that we get on that front, as things unfold.

Now to the immediate matter on hand here at Singapore and this summit. I mean, if you look at where we are now, compared to where we were just a few months ago, it is remarkable progress. These are leaders who not only had a sense of animosity towards each other because of their various countries' positions, but also were hurling personal insults at each other.

President Trump calling Kim Jong Un little rocket man in the speech that he made to the United Nations General Assembly. Kim Jong Un saying, rather unkind things about President Trump. Yet, here they are in the same building at the same time.

Sean, what remains to be seen though is just how serious Kim Jong Un is about the process of denuclearization. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, has told us on a couple of occasions now that he was told in person by Kim Jong Un because he has met him twice in person this will be the third time that Kim Jong Un wants to denuclearize. That he has a personal commitment from Kim that, yes, he wants to go ahead and do it.

But it would seem to cut against the grain of everything that North Korea has stood for, at least for the last two or three decades, and that every time the United States has entered into negotiations with North Korea about curbing, pressing, maybe rolling back a little bit its nuclear program, the North Koreans have done one thing on one hand and then they have done something quite different on the other. Remember, they said they were going to get rid of their plutonium production system and then they merely swapped that out for enriched uranium, which is what eventually led to these nuclear bombs that they had been testing.

So, the president going into this with a great degree of skepticism that North Korea really means what it's saying, but the president insisting that the only thing that he will stand for is a complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We know to some degree what Kim Jong Un is looking for.

He's looking for economic guarantees. He is looking for security guarantees. He'd like to see an end to the Korean War. He'd like to see the normalization of relations with the United States. But unless is he prepared to give it all up in a way that can be verified, Sean, he's not going to get much from this president.

HANNITY: I don't think there's any doubt about it. John Roberts, we're going to be checking back in with you throughout the hour tonight in Singapore.

Here in Washington, we have counsel to the president for a preview. Kellyanne Conway is with us.

Kellyanne, I think John Roberts summed it up right. The complete, verifiable irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, on top of what has already happened which we can officially say is historic.

And that is -- by the way, we are watching Kim Jong Un and the president, let's watch this. As they meet shaking hands, history in the making.

(INAUDIBLE)

HANNITY: That was the photo-op. Now, we are expecting in about -- let's listen in.

(INAUDIBLE)

REPORTER: What do you hope to accomplish, sir?

HANNITY: The media is now shouting questions, what would you like to accomplish, first?

It's scheduled to be a 45-minute meeting. Many expect it might go on a little bit longer. A lot of talks have gone all throughout the day yesterday, throughout the night tonight, and leading into this morning. It's 9:00 a.m. here in Singapore.

And we do expect in about, well, maybe 15 minutes from right now that the president and Kim Jong Un or at least the president will be making a statement. When that happens, we'll bring it to you live.

But let me go back to Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president for a just a minute.

The complete, verifiable irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but we already have a lot that's happened here. We dismantled one nuclear test site. At least Kim Jong Un has. We have three American hostages have been released. Missiles stopped being fired back in December over Japan, the saber rattling has stopped.

They are actually talking about denuclearization. And some hardliners have been -- well, let's just say -- expunged or removed from power. So, a lot has happened leading up to this that really paved the way for this, Kellyanne.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: That's right, Sean. And peace and progress have already won. The steps that have been made truly are historic. That everybody who's watching is witnessing history.

Congratulations to you for securing the first post-summit interview with President Trump. And I know that he will tell you what he thought of today. But remember what he has said already, which is that this president knows that sometimes negotiations like this take one, two, three, four, five or more meetings. You can't change 70 years of war and a country that has isolated itself from most of the rest of the world as it becomes nuclear capable. And you can't expect that to turn around in a day or a meeting.

But let's remember what's changed, what's changed from past presidents' attempts. It's the leadership and the vision of President Trump. It's his ability to reframe the way we look at relations around the globe.

And I'll tell you -- this is not an American issue. The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is everybody's business. This benefits the world.

And that's also why President Trump has brought on board the South Korean president, Mr. Abe from Japan. He keeps including folks from the region in the conversation. He has been preparing for this for quite a while insofar as he has been conferring with and receiving briefings from folks though who are versed in the region and certainly those versed with respect to nukes.

And here we are, you're right. We're way ahead of the game. But there's something about President Trump accepting the invitation from North Korea to at least sit down and start to talks.

And, Sean, you know, there are people this weekend who are saying they hope the summit fails. They hope the economy tanks.

Folks, don't bet against peace and progress for the world. Get on Team America and --

HANNITY: Kellyanne, if I can interrupt you. Hang on one second.

We're going to listen in on Kim Jong Un and the president now apparently taking questions.

TRUMP: I feel really great. We're going to have a great discussion and tremendous success, we're going to be tremendously successful. And it's my honor. We will have a terrific relationship. I have no doubt.

(INAUDIBLE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was not easy to get here.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

KIM JONG UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translator): The past (INAUDIBLE) and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward, but we overcame all of them and we are here today.

TRUMP: That's true.

(INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This way, thank you.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Guys, let's go.

HANNITY: All right. As you can see, well, let's keep listening in. The president will have a terrific relationship. It's a little hard to hear the interpreter here. But we'll be putting up on the chyrons at the bottom.

Basically what you have a bunch of niceties, photo opportunity. This is an historic event. I mean, the last time we saw something probably as big as this, this goes back to Reagan and Gorbachev and, remember, in Reykjavik, that it did not work out as well as some people thought. But eventually, as it progressed over time, what happened? The wall came tumbling down.

There's been a lot of talk about, well, will they be talking beyond denuclearization, about human rights? Will they be talking about possible reunification of North and South Korea sometime down the line?

All of those issues, I'm sure, will be discussed at some point. But as the president was very clear when he left Washington, he was saying this is a process. There will be nothing signed here, he said. He said this might take two, three, four, five meetings or maybe even more. But it certainly is worth it if we can make the world a safer place.

But, again, the core argument and mandate of the United States and this is very clear -- it is complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

All right. Joining us now, we have Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Sara Carter, and you see this pool behind us, Daniel Hoffman was swimming in it at 3:00 a.m. local time, six hours ago, doing laps. I was up with you. That's how I know.

Good to see you.

The goal is noble. We have so much that has happened leading up to this, which should give the world hope. There are no guarantees here at all.

But the fact that North Korea took all of those steps, hostages released, missiles stopped being fired. They are willing to talk about denuclearization. All of that and then knocked down one of their nuclear test sites. That's a pretty big concession just to get here.

DANIEL HOFFMAN, RETIRED CIA SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: There is a lot of steps that had been taken already. I think the long-term question is whether he wants to cash in his nuclear weapons capability and the ICBM capability for food, for energy assistance, and ultimately for integrating his economy into the region and the world. And those questions remain to be answered, but what we know today is that the president is taking the precursor step, which is to establish the relationship with Kim Jong Un on which everything depends.

HANNITY: You know, there was one political point, Dr. Gorka, and I'll bring it to you, because you worked in the Trump White House, that Kellyanne was just making before this.

You know, it's interesting. Every economic measure and 500-plus days, it's fairly remarkable, especially compared to eight years of Obama. Everybody that said Donald Trump couldn't win the primary, couldn't win a general election, that thought Trump's economy would tank. And that this day would never occur because he called little rocket man and talked about fire and fury.

If they had any intellectual honesty, a lot of people, Democrats and the media would be eating crow. But many politically, sadly, they don't want this to be successful because that hurts them in November.

DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST: Bill Maher wants the American economy to tank.

HANNITY: He said so, recession.

GORKA: Right, right.

So, Einstein made out speed of light famous with his equation. I think now, we are going to have to talk about the speed of Trump. Think about what has happened in just 500 plus 10 days. It is truly remarkable, from the crushing of the ISIS caliphate, to the economic growth, to 75 percent decrease in illegal migration, on and on and on.

And now, think about what's happened in just a matter of a few weeks. A couple of months ago, we were talking about potential fire and fury on the Korean peninsula. Today, on the anniversary of Reagan's Brandenburg Gate speech where he said tear down this wall, I doth my cap to my White House former colleagues to choose June 12th as a big day. We may be moving from fire and fury to potential peace and prosperity.

HANNITY: You know, the similarities here are remarkable. I know there is a whole generation that weren't watching when Reagan met Gorbachev and when Reagan walked away from Reykjavik. And when he gave that speech, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall, his own advisers didn't want him to say that.

GORKA: They tried to remove it six times.

HANNITY: At least six, right?

GORKA: And he had to manually write it in there as he was riding on the Beast to the event. You know, the swamp is an old phenomena, Sean. It's been around for a long time.

HANNITY: Oh, it feels like the swamp because the -- it's more humid here in Singapore than any place I have been in a long time. But the similarities are remarkable, but it wasn't just tear down this wall. It was the evil empire.

It sounds a lot like fire and fury, and it sounds a lot like little rocket man.

SARA CARTER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It was the Iron Curtain, it was bringing down that Iron Curtain and the Reagan doctrine. And remember, this didn't just happen overnight, just like North Korea right now. It doesn't happen overnight.

This is weeks and weeks of preparations, months of preparation. In November, Kim Jong Un launched the ICBM. I mean, the ICBM went over 2,700 miles into space. Think about that, Sean, the space station is 250 miles up.

HANNITY: Right.

CARTER: This was a really direct thread. It was a real warning. And that's why the fire and fury statement came up.

This is the first step for it.

HANNITY: My button is bigger than yours and it works.

CARTER: That's right. My button is -- and that's what they were doing. Here we have these two men really challenging one mother, that there's something more important that's happening here.

This is the beginning of something very important, and isolated nation like you've described so much, Daniel, in all of your work. An isolated nation coming out, coming to the forefront, and the president saying, look, we're giving you a chance. We're reaching out to you.

Do you want to take this opportunity or do you want to go back to November fire and fury?

HANNITY: Yes.

Daniel, you have been really remarkable from the get-go. You have been warning people, especially the White House, and in your own way, you've been making the point, don't -- manage expectations here and I think very early on, the president rightly -- look, Kim Jong Un is unpredictable. Nobody expected him to cross the DMZ into the arms of the South Korean president. But it happened. And the president walls very clear. Don't expect anything signed, 12, 3, 4, 5 visits. Maybe invite them.

And the president was very clear, don't expect anything signed two, three, four, five, maybe he'll invite him, maybe I won't. I'll size him up probably in a minute, like he probably did all of his business life. As he said, I prepared my whole life for this.

HOFFMAN: Yes, I mean, I think the president followed a really smart path. We sent Secretary Pompeo to Pyongyang for two visits to size up Kim Jong Un and see the extent to which he was serious about conducting negotiations. I think at the forefront of Kim Jong Un's calculus is that his nuclear deterrent is important for his regime security.

He saw what that meant to fellow autocrats, Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi and their own regime's security when they lacked that deterrent. I think that that's something that we have to get past.

HANNITY: I think one of the things that has been on their side that is definitely looking for, OK, what assurances do we have that if they need the economic assistance, one of the Chinese papers had an article that the delegates of Kim Jong Un is eating $35 buffet breakfast which is the monthly salary of the average person. That means people are starving in North Korea. And at some point, that becomes existential threat to a regime, too.

So, he's going to have to decide, OK, will the assurances of the United States and China be enough to make give it up -- yes?

GORKA: That's why it was genius who -- I'm going to find outs who did it, but whoever had the plan yesterday to take Kim to the Singapore Bay Sands resort, we there the day before. We checked it out, 57 stories tall, this unbelievable building, the opulence. What can you do in Singapore in a matter of just a few years, and they showed this to Kim.

Can you imagine what he is thinking right now? Wow. This is the West. This is free markets. This is democracy.

They planted a seed in his mind that OK, perhaps we could have this on the Korean peninsula. It's genius. It's utter, utter genius.

HANNITY: You know, one of the other things this is party of the lead up to this. It's very interesting. The president, that is his sort of power posed if you look -- if you noticed with Prime Minister Trudeau, all of a sudden, he was sitting back and then he saw President Trump leaning forward like this and he went into that. The president smiling, they're both smiling. These are the niceties. This was all planned in advance, orchestrated in advance.

One interesting point, there is a differing policies as it relates to foreign policy. There is a philosophy of Reagan. Peace through strength. Trust but verify. The Berlin wall came down.

Then, there is the philosophy of Bill Clinton. He tried to bribe Kim Jong- un's father, Kim Jong-il with $3 billion in energy subsidies and he told the American people, he said, this is a good deal for the American people. It wasn't. He got nuclear weapons.

And just like there is no cargo planes being sent here of cash and other currencies like Obama sent to the mullahs in Iran. A very big philosophical divide about how to approach these people.

CARTER: Absolutely, and failed sanctions. You know, talk, talk, talk. And what we see is they continually proliferate their nuclear capabilities. We saw that in Syria, when North Korea was actually assisting the Syrian regime and the building of a nuclear plant which the Israelis went ahead and took out.

And we see that consistently. You know, with some leaders, a very strong, determined leadership, something president by President Trump. Reagan was very good at this. It's what affects them. It's what takes them.

And had you mentioned, what is it going to take for Kim Jong Un to kind of move into this sanctuary, to give his people what they need and economically, I think right now, we're seeing that he had that for some time. He went to Switzerland, I mean, he was in school in Switzerland, that this isn't somebody that as isolated from the rest of the world. He just wanted the rest of the world's respect.

Now, it's going to be difficult. Human rights abuses in North Korea are staggering. And there is a lot that he --

HANNITY: Gulags there.

CARTER: That's right.

HANNITY: Actually, but the -- you know, one step at a time.

CARTER: Yes, this is one.

HANNITY: The nukes, I would agree that needs to be a part of the conversation. But if you can denuclearize -- if denuclearization of the Korean peninsula occurs, we have a safer world, a better world. Rockets not flying over Japan, it's a better, safer world. To what extent Daniel Hoffman did the president's sanctions and the president strike brigades off the Korean coast do you think have an influence on Kim Jong Un?

HOFFMAN: Oh, I think a very serious and significant impact. Those were the two pronged offensive.

You know, the contrast couldn't be greater. We are sitting in the middle of one of the most economically vibrant regions on the planet. And North Korea is the outlier. Singapore is the prototype. And it's not just Kim Jong Un that's taking it all in. It's everyone who is traveling with him.

And Kim Jong Un has to balance the fact that his economy is in free fall. That threatens his regime greatly. And contrary -- and he has to think about that coupled with the United States' determination to mount this deterrent that we've made very clear to him that we will be responding very seriously in the events of any military activity from North Korea.

HANNITY: One other thing and I want you to add to that, Dr. Gorka, if you can. And I also think one unbeknownst little factor here, if you go back to when the president was meeting with the Chinese president. Very -- actually, fascinating and interesting, because meetings that were supposed to be 15, 20 minutes, went on five hours.

There is a story that the president tells that when he was at dinner with the Chinese president, that was the night of the first Syrian strike --

GORKA: Right.

HANNITY: -- after President Assad had used these weapons against his own people. In the middle of dessert as the president tells the story, he leaned over and told the Chinese president, well, they are hurting children, they're using chemical weapons against innocent people, just so you know, I don't want you to hear from somebody else, and he told him.

That relationship seems to have solidified greatly and is very underreported. How big a factor is it?

GORKA: The biggest factor on these talks today of a player who is not in that room right now is China, and the fact that China after that dessert and the chocolate cake and the 59 cruise missiles, after they --

HANNITY: You heard the story, too.

GORKA: Oh, indeed. After they disappointed the president -- because there was some kind of gelling at Mar-a-Lago, but then afterwards, they didn't produce what the president expected. When the president got even more serious, when he sent those tweets about Beijing did not step up to the plate, what happened? Within a matter of weeks, Beijing stopped buying North Korean coal. One of the few things they had.

HANNITY: That was huge. You're right. And they trade (ph) American coal.

GORKA: Right. And not only that, then, China assists us in our banking sector sanctions on North Korea.

HANNITY: Yes.

GORKA: Unheard -- if somebody told you just a year ago, China is going to help us with sanctioning North Korea's financial sector, they would have sent you to, you know, the funny farm. But it happened.

This is -- this is the Trump effect and also I have to say here it's Mike Pompeo. What Mike Pompeo has done is absolutely incredible. Truly incredible.

HANNITY: Mike Pompeo is a rock star. He came in first in his class at West Point?

GORKA: At West Point.

HANNITY: All right. We're a little jealous, all right, that a little bit too much resume building here.

All right. We're going to continue with our panel.

Now, as we just saw moments ago, a photo opportunity. The president Kim Jong Un, they are now meeting, what is scheduled to be only a 45-minute meeting. We will be watching the time. We'll see what happens.

It is understood that the president might be going -- they might be both going home after this all happens.

For the very latest, we have right here with us in Singapore, FOX News chief national correspondent, our friend, Ed Henry, is with us.

Ed, what's going on?

ED HENRY, FOX NEWS CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sean, it's interesting you mentioned the timing. There was a lot of commentary back in the United States on some other channels that maybe because this schedule is getting compress, that the deal was falling through. The president trying to extinguish any talk along those lines with some tweets right before these talks started, calling out what he called haters and others who were trying to talk all of this down.

White House officials telling me that basically, they had planned for the possibility of the president staying a second day for these talks to continue, but also knew that it might only be one day. Kim Jong Un basically indicating he wants to go home just a few hours after these talks end. Now, the president planning to do the same.

But, again, U.S. officials are cautioning us, that could change based on what's happening right now, happening before our eyes behind closed doors. If they are making progress and need more time, they very well both leaders could extend their time here in Singapore. On the other hand, U.S. officials saying that in the pregame talks, they feel like they made so much progress in terms of denuclearization, and getting there on a reasonable timetable that perhaps and under a compressed schedule they cans still get some kind of a peace deal or a framework for peace deal regardless of how long they stay here.

So, the very bottom line as you were talking about Mike Pompeo a moment ago, the secretary of state, a little scoop I heard was about a week, a week and a half ago, the president went with his family to Camp David. Mike Pompeo was supposed to go there and brief him during some of his down time to prepare him for this summit.

But, I'm told that Pompeo told his aides he didn't really need to brief the president anymore. He was very confident a week or so ago that the president was already very up to speed on all key issues.

So, you've had Democrats like Chuck Schumer say this is seat of the pants diplomacy. They don't know what's going to happen on the ground in Singapore. But I can tell you, the president's team is very confident that, A, he is prepared and, B, that they are closing in on some kind of a deal. We're waiting and watching very closely.

At the top of the hour, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton and Chief of Staff John Kelly will join this meeting between the president and Chairman Kim and expanded bilateral meeting as they call it just over a half hour from now to try and figure out exactly what kind of a deal they can hammer out, Sean.

HANNITY: All right. Great perspective, Ed Henry, thanks for being with us here in Singapore. We stay in Singapore.

Our own John Roberts is standing by.

And we are watching history in the making, John. And I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that room.

ROBERTS: Wouldn't that be an amazing place to be, to be a fly on the wall? Because here you had two leaders who are really throwing rocks at each other, and now are shaking hands and being very cordial with each other. The president saying that they are going to have a great relationship. Kim Jong Un saying they've overcome a lot of very big obstacles in order to get together in that room.

But again, the big question, because we haven't been exactly to this point many times in the past because there has never been leader to leader talks. And there's certainly never been the president of the United States and the leader of North Korea in the same room together just them and their translators.

But we have been through a lot of negotiations with North Korea and they have never really panned out. I mean, you had that agreement back in the early 1990s that seemed to go some distance to curbing North Korea's nuclear program. But with the one hand, they were getting rid of their plutonium program, and with the other hand, they were bolstering their uranium enrichment program.

There is so much to talk about here, Sean. And the president has said on many occasions that they can't get it all done in one meeting. That what he hopes to do is start a process.

If you look at language that Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, used yesterday, he said the ultimate goal is the complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearization of the Koreans peninsula, the ultimate goal. So, what's the interim goal? The president has said, he told me when I threw a question at him, he'd like to do it all at once.

But he knows that that's probably not realistic, because you can't just box up North Korea's nuclear program, put it on a fleet of transport plane and take them to the United States in kind of the same way they did with the Libyan nuclear program back in 2003. It's much more massive. It also includes a big ballistic missile program. So, that's going to have to be taken apart.

And then there is this idea, too, Sean, of verification. North Korea has always played hide and speak with its nuclear program, even when inspectors were allowed into country. So, to have something that is verifiable and Pompeo stressed this again yesterday, that the V for verifiable is a big, big, big issue here. Until you get a program in place and you get cooperation from the North Koreans, that they are going to be very transparent, absolutely transparent, and let you know everything that they're doing, you are never really going to know what North Korea is up to.

When you look at the history of this nation, they have always said one thing and done another. So if the president can get the two countries on the same track where everybody knows what's going on and North Korea really does want to denuclearize, then that's going to leave an open question.

By the way, "The Washington Post" just a short time ago had update on Larry Kudlow. According to Judy Kudlow, his wife, she told "The Washington Post" and the White House is working on a statement right now that Larry Kudlow is fine, quote, fine, and that the doctors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are terrific and they're taking good care of him.

So, we're trying to get some independent verification of that, Sean. Haven't been able to at this point. I've been in touch with the White House. They are working on bird-dogging this as well. But the word from Judy Kudlow through "The Washington Post" is that Larry Kudlow, quote, is fine -- Sean.

HANNITY: All right, John. By the way, John, good news, great news actually. I'm a friend of Larry's, and thank you for that report.

We'll get back to John and Ed Henry.

I want you to know what we're witnessing here is really history in the making, what is perhaps the most consequential week, by the way, in recent memory when you think about it.

Now, moments ago, the president met personally with the North Korean dictator. They're now meeting one on one. The discussion expected to last around 45 minutes, is going to be followed by a joint meeting and a working lunch with advisors from both sides.

Now, the ultimate goal in these talks is the complete and very verifiable, and, by the way, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.

So we're going to show you why President Trump has already garnered more diplomatic success right here in this region than any other administration in modern history. There is reason. It didn't happen by accident.

We'll also discuss how the president's policies now force Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table in the first place. The perspective and understanding, we have got to learn these lessons and how there are even people, Democrats some in the media they don't want to admit they are ever wrong. They don't want to admit that the nuclear war that we are predicting didn't happen and peace may happen in its place.

And by the way, we do have to announce that the president will be sitting down with us right here in Singapore for a one-on-one interview. That's all happening. You will hear directly from him what went on behind the scenes what's actually happening right at this hour.

We have so much to cover and we are going to get to all of it in tonight's breaking news Singapore opening monologue.

All right, as we speak, the president is conducting a series of meetings with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. They just met, they shook hands, they had a photo op. And tomorrow the president will join us right here on this program for an important one-on-one and he will bring us inside that room.

But we begin tonight, how did we get here? We went to detail the president's goals, how political opponents of the president are purposefully trying to create artificial unrealistic expectations so that they could, "Ah, this is a failure," when we've gotten so much out of this already before it even started.

No one predicted that these talks would immediately result in the complete and total denuclearization of North Korea. This is going to be a process as the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, well, the hard work actually begins after the summit. And it's very important to remember what President Trump, what he just said a few days ago. He told us exactly that this is a process, it's a long process and here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Our people have been in Singapore. Our people have been working very, very well with the representatives of North Korea. So we're going in with a positive attitude and I think we're going to come out fine. But I've said it many times. Who knows? Who knows? May not, may not work out. There's a good chance it won't work out. There's probably an even better chance that it will take a period of time. It will be a process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: So this is going to be an ongoing process. Kim Jong Un going, as the president said, he can go at his own pace, he can go faster and he can go slower.

Now obviously we can't forget the untrustworthy nature of Kim Jong Un and his predecessors as we have learned from history.
Now North Korea won't agree to our terms, the president, well, he stated many times he will walk away. That would be the right thing to do. He already cancelled this meeting once. And they were kind of begging him to come back.

One thing is certain, this president is not going to be duped into sending cash loads of, or cargo planes full of cash like Bill Clinton did in the 1990s promising they'll never get nuclear weapons. We know that the former president, President Clinton's policy in North Korea was an abject failure. Kissing the rings of despots, it doesn't work. Trying to bribe them doesn't work. Frankly it's a form of insanity.

In order to avoid these historical mistakes and Clinton's blunder, well, we hope president and it seems to, leading up to this, well, the president is now following the lead of predecessor named Ronald Reagan. And just like Donald Trump, Reagan deployed a policy, a philosophy of peace through strength, trust but verify, a very aggressive military posture. And just like Trump, Reagan had very tough words for America's biggest foe, the Soviet Union. For some of you may not remember. But it's worth learning the lessons of history or we're doomed to repeat the failures. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MARCH 8, 1983)

THEN-PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: They preach the supremacy of the state. Declare its omnipotence over individual men that predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth. They are the focus of evil in the modern world.

So in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to be aware of the temptation of pride, the temptation of lively declaring yourselves above it all, and able sides equally at fault. To ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Right and wrong, good and evil, force of evil, evil empire -- it's important to remember President Reagan was not afraid to walk away from the negotiating table. This is very key. Before effectively ending the Cold War Ronald Reagan in his 1986 one-on-one talks with Mikhail Gorbachev without reaching any kind of deal, he walked away in Reykjavik in Iceland.

And of course tonight we have many reasons to be hopeful. Now already as I've been saying in many ways, the U.S. has made more diplomatic progress right here, well, in North Korea. We're in Singapore than any other previous administration.

Kim Jong Un, he dismantled one of his nuclear testing sites. He stopped testing intercontinental ballistic missiles. Remember, he's firing them over Japan threatening Guam and threatening the entire region -- at least temporarily. That was back in December. And he ended all those nuclear tests. He released three American hostage -- hostages. He walked across the DMZ and had friendly talks with the South Korean president, President Moon.

And now for the first time in history he is sitting down right there as we speak and without hesitation, without any concessions from the United States -- this is a point the media hasn't made. None, zero, he has given nothing. And we have got on concessions that nobody predicted. And the president is demanding complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.

This is obviously a worthy goal. You care about your kids, your grandkids, you want a safer world? This is a good day for you. At least we have hope.

Now as primarily achieved, how did we get here? For two main strategic regions. First, president's peace through strength strategy. It works. It works every time. Why don't we follow it, I don't know. He sent multiple carriers strike forces to the region. He ramped up military drills, he tighten the screws on and increase sanctions program. The sanctions alone have crippled North Korea's horrible economy.

So make no mistake in North Korea today their situation is dire. And Kim Jong Un's kingdom deals with hunger and poverty that is a threat to his power. And by the way, on a scale we are not seeing anywhere else in the world. And as Kim Jong Un comes here, they can take a look at just how beautiful south -- Singapore is and saying, "Maybe we can do this in my country." Because the North Korean economy is so distressed, even Kim Jong Un, remember, reportedly need financial assistance to get a hotel room here in Singapore. I'll let him stay with me if he wants. I will let him sleep on the couch.

Anyway, it's a primary way -- this is the important lesson. Trump forced Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table through an improved relationship with the Chinese president. China is North Korea's biggest ally trading partner. Many analysts believe that China holds a key to a safe Korean peninsula. He can pressure Kim Jong Un and his regime like no other country.

So, tonight, the world is watching. We are watching here in Singapore. And you still have people on the left, predictably -- I have said many times that if the president actually gave a million dollars or more to every American citizen you would have people on the left say, "Why isn't it two million?" And -- there are people that President Trump's success is a failure for them. In other words, they want these talks to go nowhere. Do you think the Democrats want the president to do well here? There are people who have been wrong about Donald Trump, our president, every single step of the way.

Some pundits, so-called journalists, fake news, they claim, "Oh, Trump is leading to us a nuclear holocaust because of his tough words and actions against North Korea." The same people, let me see, they predicted and laughed at the idea that Trump could win the Republican primary. They laughed at the idea he could beat Hillary Clinton. The same people didn't believe that Trump's economic agenda would be this successful in 500 days. The same people have predicted President Trump would have already been impeached right now.

And of course, President Trump won the election. The economy is soaring, we have the lowest unemployment rate in half a century. We have more jobs available in America than we have people to fill them on the unemployment lines. The lowest unemployment rate in 14 states, the lowest unemployment record for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, women in the workplace. More jobs available people than people on unemployment. Pretty amazing for 500 days. GDP growth, it's at faster pace than at any time during out the eight years of Obama. Yes, and President Trump is still in office, no legitimate threat of impeachment. Not a shred of evidence about Trump, Russia collusion.

These constantly wrong in the fake news media, these overpaid lazy so-called journalists -- really? It makes them look bad when the president is successful and it helps the country and it helps the world? And for Democrats they want to get back in power, I get it, that if he is successful that doesn't help them.

Anyway, once again, this has been on a grand scale. People have underestimated Donald Trump again and again. And sadly, even some want of them want him to be failing so they can be proven right. And many are incapable of ever reporting objectively on this president.

And by the way, now some are even claiming Trump wasn't prepared for the summit. They will never win, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, CONTRIBUTOR, CNN: He has been preparing for this all along in his imagination. There is a difference between studying up for it. This is not a dog who likes to learn new tricks. He relies on the same methods over and over again.

JOHN BERMAN, HOST, CNN: We've been told that Kim has been preparing for months, the president tells us he will depend on instinct, feel, and touch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I'm worried about with President Trump is this whole thing, you know, "I'm God's gift. I will go in a moment and I will know within 30 seconds whether there will be a deal or not and whether I know the history of North Korea doesn't matter, it does not."

STEPHANIE RUHLE, ANCHOR, MSNBC: He said, "I've been preparing all my life." I love to know, Mr. President, when was that? when you appear in Playboy soft core porn movie? Was it when you body slammed Vince McMahon, the head of the World Wrestling Federation? Or was it when you were leaking information, when you are disguising yourself as your own P.R. guide talking to tabloids about what a great lover you were.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

HANNITY: It's now so obvious and transparent to everybody where these people are coming from. The president said this is something you prepare for your whole life, you never stop preparing. Now the media and some of their friends in the Democratic Party, OK, they've got their position. We understand.

And, by the way, if the president succeeds, think about this. Is this good for the world or not good for the world? Good for your kids and grandkids or not good for kids and grandkids? Anyway, bad news for them. That's sad.

Anyway, we are -- by the way, expecting momentarily, we think that Kim Jong Un and the president might be coming out for another photo opportunity. If that happens, we'll bring it to you live.

We bring back Danielle Hoffman, Sara Carter, and Dr. Gorka. I just think for me, having watched Reagan and watched Reykjavik and watch the wall come tumbling down and watch history unfold. And it seems the parallels Reagan was tough on Gorbachev and the Soviet Union. Reagan took a tough stand. Evil empire, all of these things. So many similarities and some of the same people that were wrong about Reagan are seemed to be wrong here.

DANIEL HOFFMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, FOX NEWS: Right. There's one more parallel that I'd highlight and that was President Reagan's reliance on intelligence to make really good policy. And we've seen that with Secretary Pompeo. One the first steps he made behind the scenes was to bring back a recently retired senior CIA clandestine services officer Andrew Kim who is a Native Korean speaker with extraordinary subject matter expertise in the region.

And it was Andrew Kim who accompanied Secretary Mike Pompeo, then-director CIA Pompeo on that Easter weekend trip to Pyongyang and he has played a really critical behind the scenes role.

(CROSSTALK)

SEBASTIAN GORKA, NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIST, FOX NEWS: You know him.

HOFFMAN: I do know him.

HANNITY: Now just for people that forget your background. And everybody here we have all been meeting and talking with each other. Everybody here can verify, if you will this. He scares the living daylights out of you.

Daniel Hoffman, well, no, and I mean this in the complementary way. It's not a bad thing. You say, every conversation you have is being recorded here. By the way, when you take a shower every -- the Chinese, the Russians are watching. This is what you've been telling me since you got here.

HOFFMAN: Yes.

HANNITY: And I'm sure it's true. Not the shower part. I don't know. I'm hoping it's a slight level of discretion here.

(CROSSTALK)

SARA CARTER, CONTRIBUTOR, FOX NEWS: (Inaudible) about that.

HOFFMAN: Yes, I'm not so sure how interesting the shower part would be.

HANNITY: Thanks a lot, Daniel.

HOFFMAN: Yes. But you know, the level of interest obviously is so high in this summit. And there are enemies here tracking us, the Russians and the Chinese in particular.

HANNITY: You say at the highest level. You were very clear. You were telling all of us that they -- that electronic communications are being monitored everywhere here. There's no getting away from it.

HOFFMAN: I mean, that was -- that was my estimation is that the Chinese and the Russians in particular have mounted a full-court press in order to determine -- in order to collect as much intelligence as they can. And they are pretty wide in scope when they do that and they know this is an extraordinarily important meeting.

And one of the things that the president has done to his credit is that he has kind of shut out Russia and China two parts of the six party talks who were not holding our interest at heart. And by doing that and by trying to leverage our bilateral engagement with North Korea I have think, he has had much more success.

And so they are trying to influence the Russians and the Chinese from behind the scenes and collect information as well.

HANNITY: You know--

(CROSSTALK)

CARTER: China--

HANNITY: -- you are intelligence, you and Gorka, you are almost -- the thing is you spent 35 years. You've lived in Russia, what, five years?

HOFFMAN: I did. But, yes, about three decades in the government. Yes.

HANNITY: Three decades. You understand this game better, as good, well, as anybody. In a lot of ways this is a, what we're kind of dealing with a little bit.

CARTER: That's right. Even back -- even back at home when we are talking about, you know, FISA--

HANNITY: Right.

CARTER: -- and Carter Page and all the issues surrounding Mueller. But I want to go back really quick to what Daniel was saying. You know, the Chinese have so much at stake here. I mean, this is mainly Chinese. I mean, to work here at Singapore they have a lot at stake here, they have a lot at stake with North Korea. So it's very important for them to understand what's going on.

They definitely don't want to see a collapse of North Korea, Sean. They don't want to see the refugee crisis. They don't want another Chernobyl or something like that to take effect to the collapse of the North Korean government.

So it's really important for them and their own national security interest just like the United States has our own national security interest to really understand what's going on here. Same with the Russians. And this is what Trump is so fantastic at.

He is able to reach out. He says, OK, I'm going to decide right now. I'm reaching out to North Korea. I'm dealing with Kim Jong Un. I understand your concerns as well. But I'm negotiating with you.

Despite what the naysayers say because we know he has been actually prepping for this for months. He has been prepping for this ever since November of last year when they lifted off their ICBMs.

HANNITY: You know, it was very hard to hear. And I think that's a great observation. It's very hard to hear, Dr. Gorka when they were there for the photo op. They answered a couple of little questions. We expect them to come out in a moment by the way, we're being told.

But what we heard is, you know, Kim saying overcoming everything we are here. Trump saying, you know what, there will be a good relationship. Trump I believe it will be very successful. Without a doubt there will be a good relationship. And then Kim Jong Un says the past and practices that grabbed our heels blinded our eyes and ears.

Interesting comments, I don't know what you can gleam from it but it sounds a little bit like, I keep going back to the fact that Kim made all these concessions leading into this. One little news item that people don't pay enough attention to that three old-time hardliners, I don't know if we'll use the word purge, sponged, removed.

GORKA: Removed.

HANNITY: Taking a vacation, you know, need to spend more time with their children which is what you hear in the media when somebody gets fired, I need to take spend more time with my kids. But that to me was maybe the most hopeful sign that coupled with the missiles not being fired.

GORKA: But why did that happened? And it goes back to I think the key element of your monologue, Sean. Why was Reagan successful and why is Trump seemingly so successful? You can't win unless you believe in your team. And it's a very simple formula.

If you start your presidency with a global apology tour, you are not going to negotiate your way out of the paper bag. You are going to give in to the mullahs in Iran. You are going to allow out Chinese to rise. You are going to respond to Russian invasion of the Ukraine by rolling over and playing dead.

It's re-instilling faith in America. When you believe in your side you can win negotiations. But when you are going there thinking hey, we are the bad guys you are going to get steam rollers. And those are the steam rollers of Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Think with Obama's--

GORKA: Right, right.

HANNITY: He just went on apology tour.

GORKA: Right.

HANNITY: I don't see Trump apologizing or bringing cargo planes of cash.

GORKA: How are you going to positively--

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: I didn't see it at the airport when I arrived.

GORKA: How are you going to positively change the world if you think your country is the problem. Because that's what President Obama thought. We are the problem. Well, then you are going to get played by everybody and that's what happened. And Donald Trump will never be played.

HANNITY: It's, you know, look. Not even knowing the outcome, one thing is for certain, we will be -- this is history in the making.

GORKA: Right.

HANNITY: You know, leading up to this. And I actually though Kim Jong Un had a really, actually a very clever line about this as, you know, he was sitting down with the president for the first -- it was not easy to get here. It really wasn't.

GORKA: On a Chinese plane. On a Chinese plane.

HANNITY: And he got to borrow plane--

GORKA: Right.

HANNITY: And apparently didn't have money for hotel room. I offered him -- no, I'm kidding. I tried that joke.

All right. We're going to get back to our panel here as we continue from Singapore. First we have more information from our own John Roberts who is with us here in Singapore but did not go to dinner with us last night, but that's OK. How are you? John, can you hear me?

ROBERTS: Well, I'm available tonight, Sean. Yes, Sean, I can hear you. I'm available tonight that the opera is still open.

You know, what we're seeing here and the two leaders have been in the room together for little more than half an hour now. It's at the very earliest stages of forming a relationship and will give us the very earliest indications of how this could go going forward.

The president's team with him here in Singapore know that the outcome of this one-to-one is the most important thing that is going to happen today and is probably the most important thing that has happened with the U.S.- North Korea relationship, if you want to even call a relationship, in decades.

The president wants to sit down with Kim. He wants to take a measure of him. He wants to gauge whether or not is he serious about denuclearization. He wants Kim to be able to see that President Trump is sincere about offering them economic incentives, offering security incentives the potential end to the Korean War and the potential for the normalization of relations with the United States which ultimately would include normal trade relations which could be a huge boon to North Korea.

And the president said yesterday that he hopes the two of them will like each other so that they can move forward. So, I don't think you can overstate the fact that everything that will happen from here on in is really pinned on the relationship that the two of them can develop with each other in this one-on-one. Now if they continue to stay on that one-on- one that's a really good sign.

Because remember a couple of weeks ago when Kim Yong-chol, the vice chairman of North Korea came to the White House, he was supposed to basically walk in the south border through the diplomatic reception room down to the colony over to the Oval. Hand the president the letter from Kim Jong Un and then walk down the sidewalk to the South Lawn driveway and thrive off.

He turned out being there for an hour and 15 minutes. So I think the longer this goes on the better the signs will be. And there we see them walking out into the colony, the upper colony walk here. So they are now out of that meeting. Again, Sean, to be a fly on the wall would have been terrific. We should also tell you that the departure--

HANNITY: John?

ROBERTS: Go ahead.

HANNITY: John, if can I interrupt you, the president, Kim Jong Un came out together. They were now waving to the waiting media that is there. Seems friendly. The president saying hi. Now it looks like they are going back into either another room or another conference. I don't know if this begins the talks with others. It is scheduled to have a lunch. It's now, let's see, 9.50 a.m. Singapore time, a.m. that's the morning, 9.50 p.m. in D.C. in New York.

It looks like Kim Jong Un, did he just put his arm around Donald Trump. If my video is right there. And I couldn't see totally. But, now I assume they have got another meeting. They got a working lunch and both sides, both delegations will be there. John, that's the plan?

ROBERTS: Yes. They are going to go into what's called the expanded bilat. That will be the president, that will be the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and John Bolton, the national security adviser were on the U.S. side.

And then Kim will bring his advisors and I believe that Kim Yong-chol who was at the White House a couple of weeks ago will be among then. And then from there they will go to a lunch where the American delegates and the North Korean delegation will expand even further. It will also include on the American side Sung Kim, who the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines who really is the point person here in dealing with the North Korean delegation about the finer points of diplomacy here and what they can and cannot get done as well.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be joining and Matt Pottinger who is the East Asia chief for the National Security Council. Matt is an interesting fellow. He was a former journalist, he was with the Wall Street Journal, he was stationed in Beijing. He speaks Mandarin. He clearly knows a lot about this region.

And Matt, for the most part, has been in constant in the White House over at the Executive Office building working on this nonstop literally 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So he is finally going to have a chance to meet one-on-one Kim Jong Un. Which may be a little bit in the weeds for those of you who are following though.

But for those of us who follow the White House every day it really is an amazing opportunity for a person who really has been doing so much incredible work on trying to bring these two sides together.

Now, as for the departure, the president was initially scheduled to stay here through Wednesday morning just in case there were -- there was reason for more meetings. And don't forget it's 10 o'clock in the morning here on Tuesday. So the president was going to stay through until about noon tomorrow just in case there was a reason for there to be more meetings on Wednesday morning.

But the North Korean delegation said well, Kim Jong Un is going to be leaving at about somewhere between 2 and 4 o'clock on Tuesday. So the president decided he was going to leave today as well. He is scheduled to depart sometime around 7 o'clock this evening.

But we are told that the departure time is still fluid. So there is the potential here and I don't know how great it is, Sean. But there is the potential that if things are going well if the two leaders are getting along that the delegations are fully engaging in spirit and dialogue that maybe we'll see those departures delayed just a little bit.

But I would pass it to you that the longer this goes on today the better it is. Because it's likely that the relationships are developing and they are making progress. You saw the relationship there between Kim Jong Un and President Trump it seemed very cordial, it seemed sort of friendly. It looked much warmer than that when Kim Yong-chol was at the White House. The president had his hand on his elbow--

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: They are actually--

ROBERTS: -- a number of times.

HANNITY: John, if I may. The president now -- they are actually sitting at a table. What was the planned delegation working meeting before they have what is an 11.30 lunch that would be an hour and a half from right now. Let's listen in.

TRUMP: And we'll solve the problem (Inaudible) that has been to be solved. Working together, we will get it taken care of, so. Thank you very much.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have successfully keep talk in the past. (Inaudible)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look forward to working on it with you. (Inaudible)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TRUMP: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much.

HANNITY: All right. That is the expanded bilateral meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un after they had met privately. Pretty much on time. About a 45-minute meeting. This is expected to go on somewhere up until about 11.30 a.m. Singapore time where we are.

Everything seems to go on plan. Often there's the case, you know, media expectations were way out of whack despite of everything that the president had said. No, we are not going to sign anything. This is a "get to know you" basically. We're going to meet maybe two, three, four five times.

As Mike Pompeo as you can see on the screen he was sitting to the left of the president and interpreter to the right of the president. And the Chief of Staff John Kelly. As he had been saying the hard work will begin after all of this. Although a lot of meetings between both sides have been going on behind the scenes.

Our own Ed Henry, our Fox News chief national White House correspondent is with us. Ed, very hard from where our position to hear a lot about was said there. Except "I look forward to working with you" that I did pick up from the president.

ED HENRY, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, FOX NEWS: Yes, that's right. But just the fact that there were the warm words being expressed. Just the fact that they are sitting down. The President of the United States and Chairman Kim at a table just a few feet apart after the multiple handshakes and walks. And that 45-minute meeting, as you mentioned.

All of the punditry in the run-up to this, suggesting that it's falling apart, that the time has shrunk down. It's unlikely there's going to be a deal. Think about, week after week leading up to the summit how many times we have heard the summit was not going to happen. The president had set expectations too high.

And instead, here we are, at the first ever meeting between the U.S. president, Democrat or Republican, and a leader from North Korea. Just last August, Guam was on a high state of alert because North Korea was threatening to send either medium or long-range missiles to attack Guam with U.S. military personnel and their family and others there in the firing line.

The talk of potential nuclear conflict. Critics saying that the president's rhetoric about fire and fury was spinning us into a nuclear war. And the bottom line is, less than a year later, the president quite literally is at the peace table, Sean.

HANNITY: Great points. And one of our points we've all been making here, Daniel Hoffman, Sara Carter and Sebastian Gorka, real quick, Kim, overcoming everything, here we are. Trump, there will be a good relationship. I look forward to working with you. I believe it will be successful.

By all indications and then everything we've discussed that lead up to this day.

HOFFMAN: Right. They broke the ice. And so here we go. Now we got some negotiations and this was a great first step.

HANNITY: Sara?

CARTER: Well, we saw with Mike Pompeo statement earlier that he said yes, he sees things moving in the right direction. He was very positive. And so, I think we're going to see a lot of developments after this meeting.

GORKA: This wasn't just like any other bilateral. It may have looked it. But let's remember one thing, Sean. This the first time since 1953. History was made right now.

HANNITY: All right. I want to thank you all. We will be back here tomorrow. We'll have an interview with the president. You want to miss that, you want to find out everything that happened right here tomorrow night, 9 Eastern, 9 a.m. Singapore time. We'll be awake.

Let not your heart be troubled. Laura Ingraham is next in Washington.

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