Ingraham guest: Coronavirus virus may strike teachers unions

close

Video

Ingraham guest: Coronavirus virus may strike teachers unions

David Henderson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, explains how the COVID pandemic could impact the strength of teachers unions in America.

This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," July 30, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: I'm Laura Ingraham and this is "The Ingraham Angle" from Washington tonight. And we begin by marking the passing of two amazing men, their American stories both inspiring and in different ways.

First, Congressman John Lewis who was laid to rest today in Atlanta. He served in The House for more than three decades and before that, of course, he rose to prominence for his role as one of the original freedom writers and as a lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. He was badly beaten by police as he marched for racial equality, but Lewis nevertheless remained a passionate believer in non-violent means to effect positive change.

And today, of course as Sean and I were just talking about, we were very saddened to learn of the death of Herman Cain due to the coronavirus. He was an eternal optimist and he had an effervescent personality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: That's where they are going, Laura. But that dog ain't gonna hunt (ph). They are not talking about the Americans that you hear every day on your show, the people that I hear from everyday, they don't listen to those. They are creating their own narrative that is not in touch with reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Now, John Lewis and Herman Cain probably didn't agree on much, but they shared a dedication to family and to country, and they were never afraid to stand up for what they believed. Their accomplishments were the product of hard work, perseverance and deep faith in God. Classic American success stories.

Look at what these two men did. Coming from very different political perspectives and ask yourself, would this have been possible if the country were as racist and rotten as radicals are alleging? Of course, not. God bless them both.

And later in the show, we're going to get special insight from Herman's two close friends, Mike Huckabee and Pastor Darrell Scott. So be sure to stick around.

But first, a Teachable Moment. That's the focus of tonight's Angle.

Over the past 24 hours, we've gotten a huge reaction to last night's angle about the horrific murder of 60 year-old Bernell Trammell in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was gunned down in broad daylight one week ago tonight. Mr. Trammell had been a fixture in his River West neighborhood, and a supporter of both BLM, and lately for the re-election of Donald J. Trump. The sight of a Rastafarian poet holding a re-elect Trump sign was unusual to say the least. And some believe his killing was politically motivated. While police are still investigating, they saw the man shown in this photo and they say he's the prime murder suspect.

As of this evening, neither BLM nor a single Democrat elected official in the State of Wisconsin has commented on Mr. Trammell's death, not a peep from Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett, nothing from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, nothing from Attorney General Josh Kaul, not any of the Democrat congressmen, none have expressed their condolences or outrage about the possible political slaying of a peaceful law-abiding African-American man.

This ear-splitting silence follows a disturbing pattern of Democrat disinterest in the larger African American community as well. Now since the coronavirus lockdowns and racial justice protests began, killings of black men, women and even children have skyrocketed, but not at the hands of bad cops. Overwhelmingly, these murders have been committed by other African American men.

Now of course, Al Sharpton and BLM activists don't show up to March against this carnage. No calls for the removal of mayors and governors who refuse to tackle violent crime and do so head-on. No celebrities doing Instagram live concerts in memory of the victims. Why is that? Because there's no political benefit in it, that's why.

Now, a similar scenario is playing out in the debate over reopening schools this fall. Teachers' Unions joined at the hip with Democrats have refused to return to their jobs. Today, Washington D.C. public schools joined a slew of other school districts in announcing there would be zero in-person learning for kids. It's all going to be online.

Now, pretty much every pediatric specialist I've seen believes this 100% distance learning approach is a total disaster. It's terrible for all children and all parents, but especially for at-risk kids from single- parent families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that children from low-income families in particular, who are being home-schooled, they're not getting an adequate education because their parents are working.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Particularly that younger age group, K-8, distance learning just does not work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many low-income families, their children do not have access to the Internet. They don't have support for doing remote learning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: But, how could Democrats endorse keeping kids at home full time when the virus poses a minuscule threat to young Americans? After all, daycare centers for essential workers never shut down and grocery store employees, they show up every day to work, as do bus drivers and nurses. So why do educators get a special stay-at-home pass? Especially while they claim to care so much about the welfare of the children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President and his administration are messing with the health of our children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Moms and dads are worried. I'm worried as a grandparent about whether or not my grandkids are going to be able to go back to school safely.

JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As I've said before, these aren't somebody else's kids, they're all our kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Now of course, shutting everything down is the Democrats' only real answer to the coronavirus. From California to Michigan, you see a pre- election momentum beginning to build, to either pause or reverse re- openings. Today, Maryland's liberal Republican Governor Larry Hogan cited cases in other states to justify halting his own state's reopening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. LARRY HOGAN, R-MD.: We will remain paused at this point and not move into Stage 3 openings until it is safe, prudent and thoroughly backed by the data. Looking at these other states, they've been doing pretty well and then shot up, and we don't want to be one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: It's unbelievable. Montgomery County, Maryland's numbers are actually really encouraging. Of course, these decisions are driven not by what's good for the general welfare, but by politics. Lockdowns plus trillions in welfare spending until apparently there is zero virus in America; that's realistic.

Now, remember the initial justification for stay-at-home orders was the need to preserve the hospital system. You could kind of understand that. But now, they're using these lockdowns or pauses to preserve Biden's chances of beating Trump. It's truly disgusting. And whom do these lockdowns and school closures end up hurting the most? Well, rich families, they hire tutors and they take up new hobbies at home. It's the poor families who will struggle as they try to hold down jobs and oversee kids' Zoom classes and all the homework. The divide between the haves and the have-nots will only widen.

But, one gets a sense that the virus fear-mongering is beginning to wear thin and that more families see the need to move on to preserve what we have, while still protecting the most vulnerable. Even the New York Times seems to think that the unions have maybe overstepped and risk alienating millions of voters, reporting that teachers in many districts are fighting for longer school closures, stronger safety requirements and limits on what they're required to do in virtual classrooms, while flooding social media and state capitals with their concerns and threatening to walk off their jobs if their key demands are not met. Demands? Now, they can sit at home in their t-shirt and shorts, get the same pay, and they're issuing demands?

The Miami Teacher's Union is pushing to limit online learning. Limit online learning? Yes. Why? Well, according to The Times, they've cited anxiety about how they and their homes would look on camera during live teaching. So, they're not going to go to the classroom and they don't want to teach online. That's perfect.

With their local union leader saying that if a teacher does not feel comfortable and the teacher is not secure in the modality, they're not going to flourish and give the best of themselves. Modality? What about the comfort of students? Will they be able to flourish cooped up in their home, sharing a computer screen with their brother or sister, if they even have one? And do this for months on end? The left doesn't care.

If it was really about safety, why are Teachers Unions fighting reopening plans even in states where the virus is under control? In Hawaii, for example, which has one of the lowest COVID rates in the country, teachers are resisting fully reopening, including on the small Island of Lanai, which had zero -- zero confirmed cases. Now thankfully, President Trump wants the kids back in school and he has a solution for unions and school districts that do not put kids first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Say if a school doesn't want to open or if a governor doesn't want to open maybe for political reason and maybe not, but there is some of that going on, the money should go to the parents, so they can send their children to the school of their choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Bingo! School choice, go to a school that's actually teaching. The NEA and the AFT are powerful forces, but if they only remain so, I think they only will remain so if Americans continue to believe that public education is still worthwhile. By refusing to teach, by politicizing curricula, by jeopardizing our children's mental and physical well-being, they're showing us how non-essential they're becoming. And that's the angle.

Joining me now is David Henderson, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. David, could unions actually be putting themselves out of business permanently with these charades?

DAVID HENDERSON, SENIOR FELLOW, HOOVER INSTITUTION: I think so and the reason is that what will happen I think is a lot of parents, potentially millions of parents will figure out where they're going to do these learning pods, various things where they get a few kids together. I think they're going to figure out how mediocre the public school system is on average.

INGRAHAM: Well, when you see that teachers through the union reps are now trying to dictate the terms of even their online teaching, I thought that was -- I literally thought that was something from the onion (ph) or something, a total joke. They're not going to go to class because they're worried about the virus. OK, even if you disagree with that, OK. But now, they don't want to actually teach online either.

So, what's the point of having these public schools in these circumstances? And look, I come from a family of teachers and I really appreciate great teachers. I went to public schools. I had fabulous teachers in Connecticut, loved my teachers. But this now is just pulling the curtain back on all of this.

HENDERSON: Yes, it is. So, I wrote a piece in The Wall Street Journal today and saying there could be a renaissance in K-12 education because when this ends, whenever it ends or whether -- when it seems to end, a lot of parents I think will not want to go back to those mediocre schools. And I mean pre- pandemic mediocre schools and they might want to continue homeschooling. There's polling data that says 40.8% of parents are inclined to home-school when this ends. I think that's overstated, but even if a third of them do, the number of home-school kids would almost quadruple.

And then there are also charter schools. Those things are thousands of dollars cheaper per student per year. And so, I think a lot of parents will start pushing for those. People who have been kind of passive about this might start pushing to have charter schools.

INGRAHAM: Yes, catholic schools as well. A lot of them are--

HENDERSON: Yes.

INGRAHAM: -- bucking this no in-person teaching and understand the importance--

HENDERSON: Right.

INGRAHAM: -- of parent involvement, but teacher to student interaction, it's so essential if you're going to go that route.

HENDERSON: Yes.

INGRAHAM: Listen to what Biden said when he was addressing the National Education Association earlier this month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: There's a bottom line here. We win this election, we're going to get the support you need and the respect you deserve. You don't just have a partner in the White House; you'll have an NEA member in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDERSON: Oh, wow!

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: David, that is a shocking admission in any election, but particularly now that the unions are striking really against the kids -- they're striking against kids at this point.

HENDERSON: Yes. And so of course, the problem is the standard problem with unions. That it's very hard to fire someone who doesn't perform. You put union and government together, and you've got those two problems multiplying each other, and that is very hard. That's why charter schools - - that's one reason charter schools are very good. It's much easier to get rid of non-performing teachers, and it tends to attract teachers who really want to teach.

INGRAHAM: Well, if you're an essential employee, which they are essential employees, unless they have a severe co-morbidity, they shouldn't -- or extremely vulnerable, I don't understand how they get away with any of this. But this is the governors and the mayors and Larry Hogan in Maryland and Ralph Northam in Virginia, both of them are complete outrageous.

I'm getting parents calling me morning, noon and night also in D.C., of course. And this is where parents of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, all have to work together to say, "No, we don't accept this," or go a different direction altogether. David, your piece was fantastic. I'll make sure to tweet it out. Thanks so much.

And reopening schools isn't just about education. It's about preventing other public health crises, one that the CDC Director Robert Redfield recently said is beginning to rear its ugly head among high-schoolers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: But there has been another cause that we've seen particularly in high schools. We're seeing sadly far greater suicides now than were deaths from COVID. We're seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as (ph) background than we are seeing deaths from COVID. So, this is why coming I keep back for the overall social being of the individuals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Joining me now is Phil Kerpen; President of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. Phil, you feel that pain in your heart when you hear those comments. Anyone and we've all in some way have been touched by these horrific stories of suicide, and people don't like to talk about it because it's uncomfortable. But we have to talk about it in relation to these school closures because it is a real problem of isolation and desperation. That's a shocking admission from Redfield.

PHIL KERPEN, PRESIDENT, COMMITTEE TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY: Yes, it's pretty incredible because a lot of us predicted this might happen. And unfortunately it appears that it has happened. And of course, suicide, self-harm is the number two cause of death among teenagers after accidents. It kills thousands a year. When you're comparing it to a virus that kills tens a year in that age bracket, even a tiny increase in the percentage is going to be a much bigger number. And we thought that might happen and now it has happened.

And Laura, the insane thing to me is, this is a big deal and the CDC is not touting it from a platform; they're not going to the White House podium; they're not going on a show like yours and saying it. He said this on a tiny webcast from a dark office with a shadow on half his face. He sounded tired. Nobody even noticed this for a week or two. Like this was just some throw-away thing. This is a big deal and it's really devastating that we're doing this to children in this country over a virus that by and large doesn't threaten them.

He said in the same interview that it's a one in a million risk that this virus will kill a child, that flu is five to ten times more dangerous. Same interview, he said that. He's not saying these things to -- he's not screaming them from the rafters. He's not posting on their website; he's not saying them from the podium at the White House, but he's saying them on this web interview. It's very strange.

INGRAHAM: Yes, OK. Phil, thank you for saying that because if we're going to do these coronavirus briefings every day, fine. And we get some information, but you've got to look at the whole patient. If America is the patient, you can't just look at what the virus does. You have to look at the jobs lost, you have to look at the livelihoods destroyed, alcoholism, desperation, depression, suicide, I think Fauci and all these people have to answer those questions because they're not looking at the whole patient. They're looking at one aspect, very narrow aspect; it's important but so are these.

There's a new study out of Germany that found exposure to children may make adults less likely to contract COVID-19. Now, the study reads that certain childhood infections might provide partial immunity against COVID-19 and thereby potentially could reduce the need for ICU therapy in adults. Now, the study hasn't been peer reviewed yet, so we want to be cautious. But, it certainly sounds interesting at the very least and just as plausible as any of these other things we're hearing.

KERPEN: Wouldn't that be an unbelievable irony after all of these strikes and these demands and all of this stuff from these teachers, if it turns out that being around children is actually protective? That the childhood colds and other illnesses they have are challenges to the immune system of adults that protect them from future COVID infection, and we have seen several other studies suggesting that may be the case.

That would be kind of the ultimate irony I think if school closures endangered not just children through what Dr. Redfield was talking about, but maybe endangered -- maybe school closures endangered teachers as well by denying them access to children that tends to be protective.

INGRAHAM: Phil, we're not going to let this issue go, no way. Thank you so much. And while the ghouls and the media uses death to score political points, we pay tribute to Herman Cain's amazing life and legacy with two of his closest friends; Mike Huckabee, Pastor Darrell Scott also here. They join us in moments. You don't want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAIN CAIN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let it be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals; the tragedy lies in having no goals to reach for. It's not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity to have no dreams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Herman Cain's life story is that of the American dream. A true rags to riches story. While his mother cared for his family, Cain's father took on three jobs to support his family and provide a solid foundation for his son to excel, and Herman did just that. He took the world by storm. He got a degree in Mathematics before going to work as a Ballistics Analyst for the U.S. Navy.

After that, Cain took on the business world and after climbing the ladder at Pillsbury, he took the reins as CEO of the struggling Godfather's Pizza chain. He quickly turned it around into one of the most successful restaurant chains in the entire country. And just when you thought he had peaked, he broke new ground, a staunch conservative and a supporter of American businesses and American workers, Cain rode the Tea Party wave and became the first African-American to lead in a national poll in the Republican primary.

Though he ultimately lost the 2012 primary, the Cain train wasn't out of steam. He went on to inspire and rally conservatives with his fiery talk on radio and TV, including as a contributor on this network. He campaigned for President Trump in 2016 and helped him reach the White House. He lost his fight to COVID-19, working to do just that again in 2020, help Trump win.

His life was nothing short of extraordinary and we'll all miss him dearly. Here now to discuss his life and his legacy are two friends, Mike Huckabee, 2016 GOP Presidential candidate, Fox News contributor; and Pastor Darrell Scott; Co-founder of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. Governor, why was Herman Cain such a powerful voice in today's political conversation?

MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: Laura, one of the reasons he was the quintessential Christian gentlemen. He had such a positive outlook on life. He cared about people. That was a genuine passion that he had about everything he did, but there was something else about Herman. He had a great sense of humor. He treated everyone with great respect and dignity, but he never ever whined or complained about where he had been.

He was just so grateful for all that God had given him the opportunity to do, his spirit was contagious. You get around Herman and you just felt like life was going to be OK. And I'll tell you, we've lost a giant of a person who was a great entrepreneur, a great Christian gentlemen, a great business leader, a great political leader, a great humorous and let me say -- I put it on my Twitter account -- a great singer.

He actually had a terrific voice. I played bass guitar at the (inaudible) in 2011, when Herman was singing and I had no idea the guy had it in him. But, he was just an all-around great human thing. We really are going to miss him.

INGRAHAM: And a little known fact, Herman Cain was I think one of the first to campaign for Donald Trump. Here he is back in 2015.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: You know that, and the only way we're going to get back on the right track is that we have got to have the right leader in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Pastor Darrell Scott, you shared this picture of you with Herman Cain back at another 2015 rally in Georgia. Tell us about that day. Why was it so significant?

PASTOR DARRELL SCOTT, NATIONAL DIVERSITY COALITION FOR TRUMP: Well, President Trump, then candidate Donald Trump had invited myself and other African-Americans, well about 50 of us actually that went to that very first rally in Georgia. And it was there that I met Herman Cain for the first time. I was very pleasantly surprised to see him there.

And a lot of people don't know when they make these different type of allegations against President Trump that he had two black guys, myself and Herman Cain, open up his very first rally, October, 2015. I found him to be a great, great guy, a great American, a great conservative, a great Christian and a great Trump supporter. And he encouraged me and he exhorted me.

He said, "Man, don't let the crowd, don't let public opinion, don't let anybody try to bully you or pressure you or intimidate you into not standing firm on your convictions and following the dictates of your constitute. You stay in there. And if you ever need me for anything, don't hesitate to call. You have not because you ask not."

He was just a great, great, great, great guy. When Governor Huckabee was talking, he was bringing a smile to my face because it caused me to remember and reflect upon the type of person Herman Cain was to me, just a great, great guy. I think history will be very kind to him and his accomplishments in the political realm and the business realm and then the spiritual, religious realm, it cannot be overstated.

INGRAHAM: I completely agree. His spirit reminds me a little bit of Justice Thomas'. I mean he was just always laughing, fun -- always made you feel better about where you were and what you were doing. Even when the going was getting tough for Donald Trump in October of 2016, I was at an event with him out in California in Bakersfield, and he basically said these other Republicans who are falling to the wayside and are predicting doom and gloom, he's like keep going, Laura. This is going to be a fantastic journey that we're on right now. And he just always made people feel better about the moment.

Now, Governor, there has been ugliness in the wake of his death. Tonight on CNN, Chris Cuomo had one of the more disgusting takes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: I wish that this president have no peace until he thinks about what he's exposing people to. He didn't even mention that Mr. Cain was at his rally among the mask-less masses. Maybe he didn't get it there. Sure as didn't help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Implying evidence of cause of death without any evidence. Governor, thoughts?

HUCKABEE: This is just painful to watch. If Chris Cuomo wants to dress someone down about COVID, why didn't he talk to his brother whose stupid decision about nursing homes killed thousands of people, including the parents-in-law of one of my dear friends that you and I both know and love, Janice Dean? This is outrageous for him to come out there and speculate.

Herman Cain deserves better. He deserves to be remembered only as that vivacious guy. I first met him in 2007. We were both big advocates of the fair tax. Later when he ran for president in 2012 and he pushed out the nine-nine-nine, he did it was such just gracious spirit. And I'll tell you, in all the time that I've known Herman, this is the first time, Laura, that he's ever made me sad.

INGRAHAM: Yes, I agree with you. And Reuters put out a tweet that I -- I shouldn't be surprised about, Pastor Scott, but "Herman Cain, ex- presidential candidate who refused to wear mask, dies after COVID-19 diagnosis." So this is a man who accomplished so much in his life, and what they use as a positive praise, if they still know what that means over at Reuters, is that he didn't wear a mask. That's what his life amounts to at Reuters. It's disgusting.

SCOTT: "Disgusting" is too kind of a word for it. These doggone people on the left, these media outlets and this moron, this idiotic moron Chris Cuomo, are some of the most vile human beings. I really don't even want to equate them to human beings. They're just some of the vile characters, the vilest characters that I've ever encountered in my life. To say something like that of someone who was so great of a legacy as Herman Cain, he was a great, great American, a great conservative, a great Christian. And the reason they hate him is because he was also a great Trump supporter. They need to be ashamed of themselves.

But Herman Cain was who he was, he's done what he has done, and he's left a tremendous legacy. And he left some big shoes for us to walk in, too.

INGRAHAM: You bet, and we'll do it. Gentlemen, thank you. I couldn't think of two better people to have on tonight.

And in moments we take you live to Portland where Julio Rosas shares some video that he captured on the ground last night, plus a new batch of polls show a much closer race than it was even a few weeks ago. So where scenes like Portland, maybe these school closures contributing to this. Bevan and McLaughlin weigh in, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the -- off my street! I paid for this -- my taxes paid for your little flashlights, and your uniform and your -- boots!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Rioters still swarming the streets of Portland on a nightly basis as some federal agents there are poised to be replaced by Oregon state police. Joining me now live from Portland is a journalist who filmed that video you just saw, Julio Rosa, senior writer for Townhall.com. Julio, judging by the video, things not coming down there, I assume.

JULIO ROSAS, SENIOR WRITER, TOWNHALL.COM: No, not at all. In fact, the federal authorities last night, they were actually more aggressive than the first night I got here, which was Tuesday night. They gave about five to six warnings to make sure that people were not trying to breach the fencing perimeter or throwing fireworks on Tuesday. But last night, they only gave about two warnings before they came out to, again, push people away from the fence. There were people using hacksaws. They've kind of given up on trying to topple since the federal agencies have really made sure that the fence stays in place. So now they are just trying to destroy it at different points. And it's definitely, definitely not dying down. And we'll see what tonight brings.

INGRAHAM: Julio, one thing you've noticed about the crowds is their size, pretty big. Explain to the people who are watching at home just how massive these so-called protests, which really looks more like riots, can get?

ROSAS: It's pretty big. Up until today, actually, they had a big encampment at the park that's right across the street from the Hatfield Federal Courthouse. And so they have tents there, they have tables, and supplies for them to use, and they also have fires, like bonfires going on. So it got pretty big, about 500 people.

And it usually kind of dies down, or there's fewer people there after the initial response from the federal agents at the courthouse. But many of them still stay because a lot of them are more than happy to engage and fights with the police for employees. And often you see the videos that I have taken, they really, the cops only have responded, what I've seen so far, they've only really responded whenever there's an object or projectile thrown at them. And that kind of gets a little frustrating because we're in the crossfire as media.

INGRAHAM: Julio, thanks so much.

And new polling in battleground states shows the presidential race tightened considerably just over the past two weeks. The latest CNBC/Change Research poll shows Biden's eight-point lead over Trump in Pennsylvania has now shrunk to just two points. In Arizona, his lead went from six points to two points. And in Florida he went from seven points down to three.

Joining me now is Tom Bevan, co-founder and president of Real Clear Politics, and John McLaughlin, Trump 2020 campaign pollster. Tom, the race is a little tighter than the media wants the folks to believe, yes?

TOM BEVAN, REAL CLEAR POLITICS CO-FOUNDER: I think it is, particularly in the battleground states. As you just mentioned, Laura, that Charge Research, their national number barely moved. I think it was Trump gained one point nationally. The movement is all happening in those six key battleground states. And we have seen that not just from these polls but from a couple of other polls as well. So it is tighter than I think than it's being portrayed, certainly at the national level.

INGRAHAM: That CNBC poll also found that Americans in the battleground state, Trump trust more than Biden on some key issues. He has a four-point lead when it comes to getting people back to work, jobs, keeping them in the U.S., Trump leads by six points. John, is this because Americans are realizing that Biden's answer to the virus, like a lot of the Democrats are clearly trending towards this, is just a full lockdown, national lockdown, if he's elected? Are more people understand that this is where this is headed?

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN POLLSTER: That is true, that is true. But also these polls, also the polls you are referring to are likely voter polls, not these skewed polls that dilute the number of Republicans where they're only 24, 25 percent. So you have got a poll where you've got close to the exit polls where it was 32 percent Republican.

And what you also have is the president has been focused, he's had a really good couple of weeks on being focused on stopping the spread of coronavirus, trying to focus on reopening the economy, and also on keeping Americans safe in their communities. That's a winning contrast for the president.

INGRAHAM: In non-horse race polling situation, a new Cato Institute poll finds that 62 percent of Americans are afraid to share their political views. And that includes 77 percent of Republicans. Tom, could this be part of what is going on in this polling? Are people going to tell total strangers that they support Donald Trump in the environment that's as toxic as it is right now?

BEVAN: Well, that is the question, or at least one of the questions. And I spoke with Robert Cahaly from the Trafalgar Group a couple of weeks ago, he had a poll that came out in Michigan showing it a very close race, much closer than any of the other polls. And I talked to him about that. He said he is seeing more of that social desirability bias is the official term for it, more this year than he saw four years ago in 2016. He said he's also finding some Trump supporters hidden in the undecided votes. So they are not willing to say that they're going to vote for Trump. They are just telling pollsters that they're undecided as of yet.

So that is something to keep an eye on. Again, particularly in the swing states and where it's going to matter, if those races are close, we could see a repeat of 2016 in terms of Trump outperforming his polls by one, two, three points. Who knows?

INGRAHAM: John, Barack Obama is clearly, he's in this to try to win this for his old vice president. And he came out today, spoke at John Lewis' funeral in what many are describing as a purely political speech after the regular tributes to Congressman Lewis. And part of what he said was this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: You can still cast your ballot by guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation, by ending some of the partisan gerrymandering so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians.

And if all it takes is eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, then that's what we should do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: A Jim Crow relic, the filibuster. Is the Trump campaign worried that they're really going to be running against Barack Obama who is still widely popular?

MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely not. And it's a shame that he politicized that funeral. But on the other hand, he doesn't mention that the filibuster and Jim Crow, those were Democratic laws. That's what the Democrat Party gave to this country as their legacy. And Donald Trump and other Republicans are undoing that. So that was a real shame that he did that.

But the other part is the Trump voters are coming, and these polls are going to find them out. And no matter, the "New York Times" whack media yesterday because they were saying that basically they should do the poles based on census and dilute the number of Republicans and have adults and registered voters. We need likely voter polls because the last two elections the Republicans were 33 percent in the exit polls in 2016 and in a bad year in 2018. And these polls, most of them are undercounting us.

INGRAHAM: All right, gentlemen, great to see both of you tonight, thanks so much.

And are Latino voters turning on Biden? We're going to show you a clip that might explain why. And which Democratic senator said that China is becoming, well, more respectable as a nation. We're going to tell you, explain why he or she might feel that way, in the Last Bite.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: President Trump's growing support among Hispanic voters might be why you're see op-eds like this, "Latinos can be racist, too. My community shows how." Where the author complains she regularly sees Cubans for Trump signs. Joining me now is Steve Cortes, Trump campaign senior strategy advisor, and Francisco Hernandez, immigration attorney. Steve, the article's thesis seems to be somewhat reminiscent of that "you ain't black" quip from Biden, but for Latinos. Your take?

STEVE CORTES, NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, AMERICA FIRST: Exactly. Laura, it's interesting. Leftists claim to be tolerant, and they claim to be champions of minorities, but the reality is they don't think very much of us, including this author, Miss Alvarez, who wrote in "The Washington Post." She presupposed that just because of skin pigmentation or their ethnicity that they have to think a certain way. And that, by the way, is the very definition of prejudice.

I'll give you another similar example today during the John Lewis funeral, which I know you've been talking about during the show. There was a talk that somehow requiring voter I.D.s is a form of minority voter suppression. Now, talk about the bigotry of low expectation. The idea, and Joe Biden, by the way, has echoed this ridiculous canard, but the idea Hispanic-Americans and black Americans are not able, are not competent enough to furnish an I.D., that is the height of condescension. The left thinks very little of minorities. They think that they're entitled to the votes of the Hispanic- Americans. They're not. And President Trump, quite rightly, has worked very hard to earn the support of the Hispanics, and polls are showing the results.

INGRAHAM: Let's get Francisco in on this. Francisco, you agree essentially with that op-ed. So does that mean you can't be an authentic Latino and support Trump?

FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: Look, guys, racism is not exclusive to a race. We're all racist. We're all prejudiced. We're all biased, OK? The Democratic Party has been taken the Hispanic vote for granted, and the Republicans have written it off because they think they can't get it. It's up for grabs. We're not potted plants.

The thing about this is, if we look at racism, the article focused on Cubans. Cubans are a different deal. They don't want to be known as Hispanic or Latino. I love Cuba. I go to Cuba all the time. But Hispanics, Mexicans are racist against second, third generation Mexicans. They're racist against indigenous Mexicans. Blacks don't like browns, browns don't like Mexicans. All you have to do is look at Dallas city council politics, black versus brown. We have got to get past it. We've got to overcome it. And you know what, if Donald Trump wants the vote, he has got to earn it.

INGRAHAM: Gentlemen, this is an incredibly important topic, and I apologize this is so short. We're going to have you both back. This is an extended conversation, and both will be back.

Up next, Last Bite. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: Despite the fact that China planted a spy in Senator Dianne Feinstein's personal staff for 20 years, she is still singing the praises of the CCP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, D-CALIF.: We hold China as a potential trading partner, as a country that has pulled millions -- tens of millions of people out of poverty.

Content and Programming Copyright 2020 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2020 ASC Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.