Pentagon confirms death of Iranian commander in Baghdad airstrike

This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," January 2, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

RAYMOND ARROYO, GUEST HOST: I'm here tonight for Laura Ingraham. This is of course "The Ingraham Angle" from New York. Happy New Year! I know a lot is going on. We're going to bring you up to speed.

Trump is trouncing Democrats in key swing states. But a new poll tells a slightly different tale. Scott Rasmussen (ph) and John McLaughlin (ph) are here to explain what is really going on. And how serious are liberals about eradicating anti-Semitism? We'll have a hot debate. Candice Owens (ph) and Leo Terrell (ph) are here. Also, Joe Piscopo (ph) on Hollywood's bizarre New Year's resolutions. You don't want to miss that.

But first, a Fox News alert. A U.S. airstrike, killing the leader of Iran's revolutionary guard who approved the New Year's Eve attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Fox News's David Spunt is live in our D.C. news bureau with the latest details. David?

DAVID SPUNT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Raymond, the U.S. claiming responsibility for this attack. I am going to read the statement from the Pentagon in just a moment. Major General Soleimani was in charge of Iran's Quds Force and the Pentagon confirms that he was killed at the direction of President Trump after the airstrike hit his convoy near Baghdad International Airport.

Soleimani joined the armed forces in Iran 1979, the year of the Iranian revolution. He played a major rule in arming Shia militias in Iraq that eventually killed U.S. troops during the Iraq war. Also killed was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. He was the number two of Iran-backed militias known as the PMF. The PMF is blaming the United States. In total, Raymond, Iraq state TV reporting that seven people were killed.

I want to read part of the statement from the Pentagon. It says, quote, "At the direction of the president, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more."

Raymond, this comes amid tensions the United States and Iran. A New Year's Eve Iranian protesters stood outside the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Things got so out of control. U.S. forces had to come in. President Trump ordered approximately 750 soldiers in the region to deal with the unrest.

Now, just today, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said, quote, "the game has changed and we're prepared to do what is necessary to defend our personnel and our interests and our partners in this region." This comment came before the rocket attacks just several hours ago.

But it is noted, also part of this statement, I'm looking here right now, it says, quote, "the United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world." This coming from the Pentagon just about 10 minutes ago, Raymond.

ARROYO: David, thank you for the update. Joining me now is House Minority Whip, Steve Scalise, and Walid Phares, Fox News national security and foreign affairs analyst. Gentlemen, thank you both for being with me on this incredible night.

Walid, what can you tell us about this airstrike? Obviously, the U.S. ordered it. What does it mean and tell us about this general. This is a man responsible for 17 percent of the U.S. deaths in Iraq. Go on. Fill us in.

WALID PHARES, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, absolutely right, Raymond. What has happened tonight is stunning. This is a really pre-emptive national security strike by the United States against a network headed by Soleimani, who is in charge of Iran operations in four countries at least, if not beyond, who was preparing, according to reports, a series of attacks against U.S. diplomats, military and others, and who was coordinating with the heads of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, in Lebanon and other parts as well.

So what we have done tonight, what the country has done tonight after the orders of the president and the commanders, was to save American lives and interests and allies in the region from what was prepared by these organizations.

ARROYO: Now, Walid, this Soleimani, he is a spy master, as you said, a coordinator on so many levels. He was designated as a terrorist. He has been designated so for years. Here's the question. Why did it take so long? I understand from reports the Obama administration had blocked any intervening or assassination attempts on this general.

PHARES: Look, for the eight years of the Obama administration, we knew that very clear since 2009 to 2016, there was one goal of U.S. foreign policy. I'm not building something. It was there. We saw it. So, most of the actions against the Iranians -- I'm not saying all of the actions -- most of the actions by the U.S. against the Iranians were sort of delayed or were not taken because of the architecture of the Iran deal.

We were negotiating with Iranian leadership. So in the middle of these negotiations, we're not going to be shooting right and left commanders of the Iranian regime unless it was really necessary, but we haven't seen much of those. Now, we have a different policy. That policy is to make sure that the Iranians and their allies are not going to pre-empt against us and take out American lives.

ARROYO: Steve Scalise, Congressman Scalise, I have to ask you, Fox News has confirmed that there was a banner outside the U.S. embassy when it was attacked the other day and it said, Soleimani is our leader. It was written under windows by these Iran-backed militia men at the U.S. embassy there in Baghdad. Does this draw a line, a connection between Soleimani and the attack of our embassy, Steve Scalise, and is this the right move?

REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA.: Raymond, this has been building for a long time, but President Trump took incredibly decisive action to take out the head of this major terrorist organization. IRGC has been a major terrorist organization. Soleimani himself is responsible for the deaths of over 600 of our men and women in uniform. This guy has been one of the major terrorists, most brutal terrorists in the world.

This is on the same level of, you know, you can go down the line, but Al- Baghdadi, of course, the most recent, even when you look at where this ranks, this is right up there as one of the major attacks. Taking out one of the worst terrorists that has been a threat to the United States clearly, as the Pentagon has said, this was a defensive action because they were seeing other things getting ready to happen.

And so it wasn't just taking out somebody for what happened at the embassy, but it was also -- he was probably getting ready to direct other attacks against Americans. And so this is a terrorist who has been responsible for the deaths of 600 plus Americans and probably getting ready to try to do more. He won't be able to kill anybody else because he's been taken out.

President Trump, I think, has sent a strong message to Iran and any other terrorists around the world. This is serious business. If you come after America, we're going to come after you with lethal strength and overwhelming strength.

ARROYO: Walid, I want you to explain to the audience the connection between this Kata'ib Hezbollah, the group that attacked U.S. embassy, and Iran, because this Kata'ib Hezbollah, they were just a few months ago working with American forces, right, to stump out ISIS?

PHARES: That's the drama of how we are going to explain it. Basically, the mother organization is the Quds Force headed by Soleimani. That mother organization has sub-organizations, controls organizations and militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and even in Yemen, the Houthis. But in Iraq, it has a high density of organizations, one of which is Kata'ib Hezbollah.

Now, yes, that's true, that the pro-Iranian militias, because they are under the umbrella of the Iraqi government which is a big mistake, but because of this legality that they have, they've been fighting ISIS, but not because of us, not because of the Iraqi people, which they have killed over the past many weeks now, 700 Iraqis have been killed by that militia, not just Americans in the past and other Arabs, but including Iraqis, that organization has received orders to target Americans. That is the red line that we have been warning the president --

ARROYO: Walid, I'm going to open this up to Congressman Scalise. We're going to bring in Andy Biggs, Congressman Biggs, on House Judiciary Committee. Is there a concern -- particularly I am going to direct this to the congressman -- is there a concern over the last few years we have trained fighters in Syria, who later turned against our forces, and it seems we're seeing the same thing here, we trained this group, they helped us fight ISIS, and then they suddenly turn their guns and their training on our troops, are you concerned that we're moving into that same position again or into that place? I'll start with Congressman Biggs.

REP. ANDY BIGGS, R-ARIZ.: Yeah, that's always been an issue. I mean, I remember back when the Saudis invaded Afghanistan and we were training the Mujahedin leaders and giving them materials as well. Some of them ended up turning out working with Osama bin Laden against the United States later.

This is always part of the context within the Mideast, part of the real problem that we have. It's so complicated. When Dr. Phares starts talking about yes, this group was fighting against ISIS but they weren't fighting for the U.S., that's part of what we see, we see this overlay of different groups. It's almost impossible to really sort it out because of the way they structure it and they layer upon this one after another.

ARROYO: One more question, Congressman Scalise, and then I want Walid to answer this. Is there any concern? What can we do at this point? We spent a trillion dollars in Iraq to turn it into Iowa, or so we were told 16 years ago. It's obviously not that. You have the security guard there. That's who allowed this group of protesters who come and invade our embassy. It was the Iraqi government. Any concern that we don't have quite the hold there that we thought we did after all this time treasure and blood?

SCALISE: Of course, we have seen that slipping away over the last few years. You've seen a stronger Iranian influence. President Trump was able to pushed ISIS out of the Middle East by and large, but then you've seen other actors come in. Iran is one of those. They had an involvement in Iraq. They're trying to take away the freedom from the people of Iraq. This is a major victory for the people of Iraq who want freedom.

Frankly for Iranians who want freedom because Soleimani has been one of those people leading attacks against not just Americans, but against anybody who seeks freedom in that region and he is gone.

ARROYO: Congressmen, I want both of you to stay put. Walid, one last question to you, how do you think the Iranians respond and does this pull us deeper into the Middle East, something I know the president really doesn't want?

PHARES: The Iranian regime is now in a state of shock. What they have seen now is the decaptation of the strategic leadership against the Americans. What is it that they're going to do later? They have to make a choice between escalating -- every time they escalate, they see the might of America which has changed big time, or they will say we're going to seek a ceasefire, we are going to now rethink the issues. Both are possible.

Let me make one point that you asked about. Basically in Iraq, these militias are hated by the population. I think the situation in Iraq is better than what we generally think. The majority of the people, the majority of Iraqi youth, Shia, the majority of the Sunnis, almost all of the Kurds and the minorities are against Iran. So, we are in a much better position especially after the elimination of that threat.

ARROYO: Yeah. Well, this is certainly an evil man responsible for at least 600 servicemen's death and the mastermind of many plots in the Middle East. Thank you for being here, Walid Phares.

Congressman, I want to turn now to impeachment. It's more than two weeks since the House voted to impeach President Trump. Speaker Nancy Pelosi still hasn't sent the articles to the Senate. There are new questions. Is this just a ploy to add to the insanity with more articles of impeachment?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House has the sole responsibility under the Constitution for impeachment to send over the articles. Of course, in ensuing weeks, we may have additional evidence out there through investigative reporting and other disclosures that would justify sending it at a later time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Congressman Scalise, what is the backup plan here? Let's say Pelosi never sends them over. What then?

SCALISE: She's been on a fishing expedition from the very beginning. The day that Donald Trump took the oath of office they were trying to impeach him. Frankly, Al Green again just said that it was before he was elected president that they wanted to take him out. So, if you look at where we are now, they had no case, there was no crime committed, but they impeached him anyway. They don't know what to do with it.

They thought public opinion was going to be with them. They thought they were going to find crimes. Maybe she's still hoping something falls out of the sky. But this is a classic witch hunt. That is going to have a bad ending for Nancy Pelosi and for every Democrat who voted for that impeachment.

That is going to have to go back home to people that aren't just radical socialists, who are saying, what did you do the last two years, you spent all your time carrying out a political vendetta against President Trump instead of lowering drug prices and doing other things that matter to our working families.

ARROYO: Congressman Biggs, CNN published a new op-ed and it's the case for letting senators vote secretly on Trump's fate. The author, Professor Robert Alexander from Northwestern University, argues, quote, "A secret ballot would give the Senate what Alexander Hamilton described as confidence enough in its own situation, to preserve, unawed, and uninfluenced, the necessary impartiality to render a fair trial."

Congressman, are they so desperate that they are open to block transparency on impeachment? Is this even a possibility?

BIGGS: Well, it's not a real possibility. You're right, Raymond. They are so nervous letting the truth come out. That's why we started off, remember, in the secret chambers of the House with Adam Schiff and closed door meetings, so most of us who were ultimately going to vote on this didn't get a chance to hear it.

They do not want this to come forward. So I think the alternative ultimately is going to be, I've got to call on my friends in the Senate, particularly Lindsey Graham, they need to have a few witnesses come in so they can bring forward some of the evidence that the Democrats suppressed, which further undermines their case.

ARROYO: Congressman Scalise, I can talk about impeachment for another hour. You now have two Republicans, Susan Collins and Murkowski, saying they want witnesses at this trial. We'll see what becomes of that. But Congressman, I need your reaction to this, Elizabeth Warren's latest attack on the right to bear arms after that church shooting in Texas. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, D-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't feel safer going to my church knowing somebody could be sitting next to me with weapons. I don't feel safer going to the mall knowing that some fight that ordinarily might have escalated into a little push and shove could escalate into everybody whips out weapons. I don't feel any safer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Congressman Scalise, you know this issue better than most, your response.

SCALISE: My goodness. I mean, does she feel unsafe when she sees a law enforcement official walking down and patrolling a neighborhood with obviously a firearm and other things like tasers?

I mean, this is the classic fear that liberals have of individuals owning guns. What they don't recognize is that criminals have guns and will use them against good innocent people. If you don't have somebody to counter somebody with a gun, it's not going to end well.

In my case, I wouldn't be here if there wasn't somebody to counter that shooter in the case of the shooting at these horrible shootings at the church that we have seen. It was people multiple times that countered the shooter with a firearm, people that were trained. They knew what they were doing. You saw that in the case of the Texas church. Thank goodness you had people that are heroes that had firearms and knew how to use them to defend innocent people. Otherwise, there would have been a lot more casualties.

ARROYO: I agree. God knows how many lives were spared that day. Congressman Biggs, Congressman Scalise, happy New Year. Thank you both for being here. We'll catch up with you in the coming days.

In a moment, I will tell you why Trump is a proxy for those lacking of voice and why that could him in 2020. We will have an amazing debate. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARROYO: Trump's politically incorrect new year. Wait until you hear this message. Though the impeachment trial is looming for the president, it doesn't seem to be having a negative impact on him among voters. Now, I'm going to show you tomorrow night some voters I've spoken with. The numbers seem to be standing firm or growing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: What the Democrats did in the House was a disgrace. What they did, how unfair it was. So I think the impeachment thing, I call it impeachment light. It's a disgrace. Nancy Pelosi should be ashamed of herself. She's a highly overrated person. I know her well. She is highly overrated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Note the political incorrectness. We will get to that in a moment. The Trump campaign just announced that the president smashed his would-be rivals, raising an extraordinary $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Though it's a good reflection of support, that's not why people vote for a candidate.

I spent the afternoon talking to voters, OK? People support a candidate because they feel economically and personally secure. They vote based on how that candidate makes them feel. As regular viewers of this show, you know, in addition to politics, I always look at the cultural picture to see what is coming next.

Given the cultural moment, the president may find himself ideally situated in 2020. Stay with me for a minute. There are a few people in the pop culture or politics willing to hit hard and not only speak truth to power, but do it with brass knuckles and a comic touch. There is clearly an appetite for this approach. Do you know what was the most watched comedy special on Netflix in 2019? It was Dave Chappelle's "Sticks and Stones." And this is why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE CHAPPELLE, AMERICAN STAND-UP COMEDIAN: I'm not for abortion. And ladies, to be fair to us, I also believe if you decide to have the baby, a man should not have to pay.

(APPLAUSE)

CHAPPELLE: That's fair. If you can kill the [bleep], I can at least abandon them.

(APPLAUSE)

CHAPPELLE: It's my money, my choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: There is a cultural rebellion against the politically-correct, an enormous audience of Americans who are looking for something different, something that was once commonplace in American culture, something like we had in the 1980s. As a "Saturday Night Live" favorite reminded us at the end of 2019.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing here?

EDDIE MURPHY, AMERICAN ACTOR: What am I doing here? The question, Michael Che, is how the hell are you going to put on a show and not have me in the show until now? I saved this damn show from the gutter. Thanks to me. This is the thanks that I get for saving the show? Shame on you, Lorne Michaels! Shame on you, NBC. Shame on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Eddie Murphy's politically-incorrect hilarious return to SNL scored the show's highest ratings in 11 years. It was screamingly funny and not in the least bit politically-divisive. The American people always tell you what they want. With Joan Rivers and Don Rickles gone, they're yearning for someone to aggressively take on the establishment and call out the offenders with humor.

Voters feel they have no voice. So they are seeking a proxy, a voice to represent them politically and otherwise. With the surging economy and relative peace around the world, Trump may once again be that voice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The same maniacs are pushing the deranged impeachment. Think of this, impeachment. They're pushing that impeachment, witch hunt, and a lot of bad things are happening to them. Because you see what is happening in the polls? Everybody said that's really [bleep].

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Meanwhile, the Democratic frontrunner, Joe Biden, may be lagging in fundraising and lacking in fire, but he's desperately trying to be all things to all people. For instance, he recently suggested he might choose a Republican running mate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our 21-year-old son said the other night, I wonder if Joe Biden would consider choosing a Republican as a running mate.

JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The answer is I would, but I can't think of one now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: What about an African American running mate?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: An incredible number of qualified women. The former assistant attorney general got fired who was just in Delaware, the leader of the -- woman who should have been the governor of Georgia. An African American woman is incredibly good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: And on the campaign trail, he just keeps letting the gaffes fly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: How old are you, honey? Eleven years old. Talk to me before we leave, OK? After it's over, come up and talk to me for a minute, OK? Promise? Anybody under 15, you get something special today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: The far left of the Democratic Party are pinning their hopes on Elizabeth Warren. They moved right past Biden not for what she's advocating but for what she represents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She really represents the next phase of the Democratic Party. I think you can argue that Buttigieg and Biden really represent the old guard of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Wait a minute. Wasn't Hillary Clinton supposed to be last time the first female president, the next wave, the glass ceiling breaker? The truth is Warren is on a downward slope. She had a 30 percent drop in fundraising this last quarter. She has much chance of being the 2020 female presidential candidate as Julian Castro does at being the Latino presidential candidate. By the way, he dropped out today. We will commemorate his departure later.

The point is from Buttigieg to Warren to Biden, none of them reflect where the American people are at this cultural moment. They all feel too studied or too outside the mainstream to work. When you put them all up against Trump, will any of these voices cut through in the politically- incorrect moment that we find ourselves in? I rather doubt it.

Joining me now is Kayleigh McEnany. She is the Trump 2020 national press secretary. And Chris Hahn, former aide to Senator Chuck Schumer and host of the "Aggressive Progressive" podcast. Chris, do you really believe any of these Democratic contenders can match Trump rhetorically, emotionally or substantively, really?

CHRIS HAHN, FORMER AIDE TO SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Here's the point you're missing. Donald Trump is not an entertainer. He's not a comedian. He's the president of the United States.

ARROYO: Right. He's delivered on all of the things he promised.

HAHN: Hold on. Hold on, Ray. His words matter more than anybody else's words. When he uses hateful and harmful language, he incites people sometimes or he could. He needs to be careful what he says. It can move markets. It can move people.

Comedians should have absolute free reign to be politically incorrect. I believe in that. I am not one of these people who feel that comedians should be called out for saying things that might rub us the wrong way --

ARROYO: That's not what we're talking about.

HAHN: The president of the United States -- the American people want a president of the United States that they can put their children in front of a television set and say emulate that man.

ARROYO: I don't think -- Chris, you have to take a breath. You got to take a breath. You can't keep yelling, Chris. Let me in for a minute. Just one second. This is really important.

HAHN: I'm not yelling, come on.

ARROYO: I use the comedians as a cultural touch stone to show you where the American people are. What they're paying for.

HAHN: Right.

ARROYO: What they're willing to turn in for. Kayleigh, doesn't that tell us that Donald Trump is capable of cutting through and delivering on the goods that he promised and delivering on the economy and safety and security?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, TRUMP 2020 NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Raymond, you're right. President Trump brought us something that no politician in modern political history had brought. That's authenticity. He wasn't a studied mannequin politician in the mold of Hillary Clinton who focused group tested her words. He was authentic and he cut through what was the distrust of politicians.

What Chris is missing -- Chris, it is funny you just entirely deflect from the great accomplishments of President Trump tonight. The greatest foreign policy accomplishment, I would say, of the decade if not our lifetime, the killing of Soleimani, the unmistakable message that if you mess with Americans, you'll pay a price as a terrorist.

HAHN: Appropriate start of war.

MCENANY: The economy, the hottest economy in modern history, the forgotten men and women is forgotten no longer, wages growing at the fastest pace in a decade, twice as fast for low and middle income Americans. I understand you don't want to talk about that. That is why you deflect from it.

ARROYO: OK. Chris, just a few hours ago, Joe Biden made this claim about the economy. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The national debt -- excuse me, the economy is hurting the middle class and working class very badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: So, wait a minute. Chris, the Trump economy is hurting the middle class? Median household income surpassed 63,000, an all-time record. Middle class and lower income earnings are growing faster than upper income earners. How is that hurting the middle class?

HAHN: I think that the economy, doing as well as it is, the president should have more than a 34 percent hard reelect number.

ARROYO: No, no, no. You're not answering the question. The question isn't how popular he is. How is he hurting the economy?

MCENANY: His numbers are much better.

HAHN: Again, again, again, I'm not going to argue that the economy is not doing well right now. The president better pray it stays as well or that 34 percent will be 20 percent.

MCENANY: But Chris --

HAHN: It's amazing to me -- hold on, Kayleigh. It's amazing to me that in an economy this good, this president is not running away with the election.

That's because of his political incorrectness, Raymond. That's why.

ARROYO: He may be. We're going to get to the pollsters in a second.

Kayleigh, very quickly, your reaction?

MCENANY: Chris, the talking port of your political party was just articulated by Joe Biden. And if the talking point is the economy is not good, you can pack up and go home now, because, guess what, nearly 90 percent of Americans disagree with you according to much polling, CNN polling included. The facts defy your logic.

HAHN: I'm not saying --

MCENANY: Historic low unemployment for black Americans, for Hispanic Americans, wages growing at the fastest pace in a decade. Try that argument. It won't work.

HAHN: Yes, great. The thing is --

ARROYO: OK, guys.

HAHN: The thing is, Kayleigh, the president's words matter. And he could crash the market with a tweet, and Americans will worry about that, and that's why he'll lose.

MCENANY: The market is breaking records.

ARROYO: Chris, I love when Biden saying this is a big f-in deal, it's not a problem at all. But now we're all puritans. We're clutching our pearls and our buckle shoes.

HAHN: I'm no puritan. You know that. But he has to be more careful.

ARROYO: I hope not. You missed your Holiday. It was a couple of months ago. Thank you both for being, Kayleigh and Chris. We'll check back in with you.

New polling should have Democrats worried because Trump is trouncing them in key swing states. A new Mason-Dixon poll has Trump clobbering every Democrat candidate in Florida and Virginia except for Joe Biden. And even there Biden's lead in Florida is two points and in Virginia four points.

Joining me now with insight is John McLaughlin, Trump's 2020 campaign pollster, and Scott Rasmussen, pollster at large at Ballotpedia. John, is the Trump campaign worried about that Mason-Dixon poll that shows Biden beating Trump in these two major parts, Virginia and Florida?

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN POLLSTER: You have got the impeachment backfire going on right now where President Trump is running as this tough guy who is changing Washington. And s the Democrats attacked him, he's gone up. Now, that Virginia poll is five points more Democratic that the 2016 exits. So we may be ahead of Biden if we have the same turn out as 2016.

ARROYO: He's only up by four.

MCLAUGHLIN: Right, right. And it's freaking them out, because we're ahead with independents and we're doing better with African-Americans in Virginia and doing better with Hispanics in Florida.

ARROYO: Scott Rasmussen, what is the problem with the Florida poll? He's only up two. Isn't that within the margin of error?

SCOTT RASMUSSEN, POLLSTER: The reality, this is going to be a close election. If it were held today, we would be talking about key swing states without any confidence in who is going to win. However, the preseason is all we've had so far. The Democrats are about to have their nomination process. As they go through this nomination process, there's going to be a civil war. Which side wins, how is the nomination handled.

Can you imagine what it looks like if Bernie Sanders is denied the nomination and doesn't feel it's fair? In that case it doesn't matter who the Democratic nominee is.

So don't get ahead of yourself right now. The voters haven't played, and they don't play till Iowa.

ARROYO: I went out and spoke to voters today because you don't get the complete picture from these polls. Can we go to this, Sam? Do we have time to go to this? I hit the streets today in New York City to find out what Americans really think. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: If you were to vote today --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump.

ARROYO: Hold on. If you were vote today, Trump or Joe Biden, and why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump.

ARROYO: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's done great things for this country.

ARROYO: Trump or Biden, if you had to choose between the two?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely not Biden and not Trump. I don't know who yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate Trump. Trump sucks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly. Sorry. I don't like Trump.

ARROYO: And what about Biden impresses you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing. I don't like either one of them to be honest.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm abstaining this time around.

ARROYO: You mean you're not going to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.

ARROYO: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's making America great again. Our country is just doing wonderful. The economy is great. He got the immigration crisis under control.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump all the way.

ARROYO: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he's what America needs here. He is what I felt for so many years and nobody said, or I was afraid to say it, and he says it for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: This is what I referenced in the monologue, and I wrote it before I went out on the street. There seems to be, Scott, this movement among people. They want a proxy voice. How will that affect this 2020 election?

RASMUSSEN: The same way it affected the 2016 election. Donald Trump spoke for a lot of people that thought nobody in Washington cared, nobody cared about them, nobody listened to them, nobody cared about their issues, nobody cared about their values. That's about 46 percent of the country.

You have got another 46 percent that says anybody else.

ARROYO: John, I was stunned at the number of people, and there were a sizable number of them, who when I asked them who are you voting for, they said I don't want to talk about my political choices. I don't want to discuss it right now. Then off camera, after they walked about, I'm voting for Trump. What is -- is this 2016 all over again?

MCLAUGHLIN: They think you're the media. Plus, it's that on steroids, because you realize, 40 years ago, you had a Democrat president that the Iranians stormed our embassy and took hostages. As we were doing this show, Donald Trump was stopping the Iranians from doing that to our embassy in Baghdad. And so now Americans are looking at this and saying, we have a president who is doing what we feel and protecting our country and keeping us safe. So he's going to benefit from this, again, because he's keeping us safe.

ARROYO: Very quickly, 20 seconds. If we get pulled into a further reaction and reaction and reaction in Iraq between Iran and the United States, does that hurt the president in the polling?

RASMUSSEN: That's an impossible question because it depends on what happens when you get pulled in. I can make the great case to people that will rally around the flag, or if things look like we're stuck, that hurts.

ARROYO: John, he clearly didn't want another Benghazi. He sent 750 troops in. He wanted to stop it cold, and it seems he did.

RASMUSSEN: This is the world's leading terrorists. And he wasn't there to deliver roses to our people. So the president needs to go on TV and explain exactly what happened like Ronald Reagan would have done.

ARROYO: I agree. John, Scott, thank you very much for being here.

The left is speaking out against the rash of anti-Semitic attacks in New York. So why were they silent when members of their own party flaunted anti-Semitic views? Candace Owens and Leo Terrell debate that and more, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: We condemn any attacks, any efforts by anyone to try in any way impede the continuing move toward trying to heal the black and Jewish community.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES, D-N.Y., HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE: We want to turn any hatred that may exist into hope for a better future for each and every single community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Al Sharpton and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries condemning the brutal stabbing of five at an upstate New York Hanukkah celebration last Saturday, and a rash of anti-Semitic attacks in the state. But where were they last year when members of their own party were openly flaunting anti-Semitic views?

Joining me now to discuss, Leo Terrell, a civil rights attorney, and Candace Owens, founder of the Blexit movement and author of the book "Blackout." Leo, why don't Sharpton and Jeffries hold members of their own party to account for anti-Semitism when Congressman Omar was flying off about Jewish money, reviving those old tropes. Where were these voices then?

LEO TERRELL, CIVIL RIGHT ATTORNEY: Raymond, if you give me 25 seconds, I'll give you five fair and balanced facts. One, there's been a rise in anti-Semitic this year during the Trump administration. There's a rise in anti-Semitic in New York, Trump's home state.

ARROYO: And Trump is to blame, Leo?

TERRELL: The night before Charlottesville, white nationalists chanted hateful Jewish comments. And 72 percent of Jews vote Democrat in 2016.

We're the party that had a Jewish candidate for vice president, Joe Lieberman, and two Jewish candidates running for president. You will not find a Jew running for president in the Republican Party. Those are five undisputed facts. Those are five undisputed facts.

ARROYO: And President Trump -- Leo, Leo, don't grandstand. Let me get in here, because I have got to give Candace time.

TERRELL: Five undisputed facts.

ARROYO: You're conveniently omitting that the man running much of our foreign policy, President Trump's Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, is a Jew.

And if you've been to any of the Hanukkah celebrations that I've witnesses, you'd sing a different tail. Candace, your reaction?

TERRELL: Those are facts.

CANDACE OWENS, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TURNING POINTS USA: That's so ridiculous, I'm not even going to offer a rebuttal.

TERRELL: Ridiculous.

OWENS: I can no longer pretend that Leo Terrell is being serious. He makes comments as Donald Trump is inspiring anti-Semitism.

TERRELL: I gave you five facts.

OWENS: But to answer your question, we are seeing a rise in these attacks.

And to answer your question seriously, it's a really big issue. And you are correct to say that we have not seen the left condemn this anti- Semitism on their side when it came from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib or Omar Ilhan. That aside, though, this issue has gotten to a point where we can't even make this partisan. There's a man in the hospital that may never wake up again who was stabbed in his neck, right.

TERRELL: Good change. And 72 percent of all Jews vote Democrat, Candace.

You won't talk about that.

OWENS: I speak about how we're actually going to solve this issue. We know --

OWENS: Seventy-two percent of Jews --

ARROYO: Leo, don't yell over her. Let her finish.

OWENS: They know they have a president that is in the office that is standing by their side. They know how much he's done moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the Golan Heights.

TERRELL: Then why do the majority of Jews vote Democrat, Candace?

OWENS: Leo, Leo, I'm not here --

TERRELL: See. Talking points. Talking points.

OWENS: This is serious issue. Let's not make this partisan.

TERRELL: I'm giving you facts.

OWENS: This is a serious issue.

TERRELL: I'm giving you facts.

OWENS: You're being angry and you're being -- this is serious now.

TERRELL: I'm being angry.

ARROYO: Leo, let her speak.

OWENS: It's not about Democrat and Republican. I'm actually coming to the middle to say this is an important issue. I've been speaking to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. I've been speaking to businesses --

TERRELL: It's not about you. It's not about you.

OWENS: -- and talk about what we can do to lock arms to make sure --

TERRELL: It's not about you. It's not about you, Candace. You're promoting yourself.

OWENS: -- that we repair between the black community and Jewish-Americans.

ARROYO: OK, guys --

OWENS: I am not promoting myself, Leo. I'm just not debating with you.

ARROYO: OK, I'm moving along.

(CROSSTALK)

ARROYO: Ladies and gentlemen, please.

OWENS: You're being extremely childish, extremely childish, Leo.

ARROYO: Let me get in here --

TERRELL: The majority of Jews -- the majority of Jews -- name calling.

The majority of Jews vote Democrat.

ARROYO: Leo.

OWENS: It doesn't matter. We're not talking about Democrat or Republican.

Leo --

TERRELL: Anti-Semitic violence has increased.

ARROYO: We cannot hear what you're saying because you're screaming at each other. Please, OK? The fact is --

OWENS: I don't cut him off. He cuts me off all the time.

ARROYO: Guys. Don't cut me off, guys. The fact is Al Sharpton and Hakeem Jeffries have a double standard here when it comes to members of their own party, and then anti-Semitism they're seeing in their own community. Let's move on.

CNN is known for its Trump bashing, but one contributor took it to the next level. Here's what he said is really motivating Trump voters in 2020, and motivated them in 2016.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAJAHAT ALI, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: White supremacy in United States and Europe has turned into a death march.

What we saw from 2016 with the election of Trump, every study has shown that the predominant factor for Trump voters was not economic anxiety, but racial anxiety, which was exploited by Trump. So what we'll see in 2020 is the mainstreaming and further popularization of white supremacist conspiracy theories by the Republican Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Thirty second to respond. Candace Owens, are you attempting to mainstream white supremacist conspiracy theories? Is that what this campaign is about?

OWENS: Actually, what they're doing right now, the left is doing, is already working on their conspiracy theory when Trump wins in a landslide in 2020. They know they have nothing to beat him. They're holding on impeachment articles that they are never going to send to the economy. The economy is up. America is doing well. And more and more people are turning to Donald J. Trump for solutions. So what they're working on right now is what's the excuse going to be since we can't use Russia collusion again?

ARROYO: Leo, 10 seconds. Don't you decry that. That's ridiculous, isn't it?

TERRELL: Ten seconds. White supremacists are comfortable with Trump.

That's why they endorse him. That's why they like. He provides them cover. And Trump will not win in a landslide. Play save this tape so Candace can apologize.

OWENS: Leo, you're a joke. I'm so sorry to tell you that.

TERRELL: See, name calling. More name calling. She's always name calling.

OWENS: You've made such a mockery of serious things happening.

ARROYO: We're going to leave it there. I'm going to let you all debate off air. Thank you, both, Candace and Leo.

Up next, comedian Joe Piscopo breaks down the biggest New Year's Eve fails, and looks behind Hollywood's New Year's resolutions. We'll be back in a moment. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA RONSTADT, GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SINGER: I was sure that Trump was going to get elected the day he announced. And I said, it's going to be like Hitler and the Mexicans are the new Jews. And sure enough, that's what he's delivered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Happy New Year. That was singer Linda Ronstadt exemplifying Hollywood's collective meltdown over Trump being president in 2020.

Joining me now is comedian Joe Piscopo, legendary comedian. Joe, why does Trump loom so large in the heads of some of these Hollywood stars?

JOE PISCOPO, COMEDIAN: I don't know, but I'm watching -- great job today.

Your kid, Lorenzo, what a great kid. He's got his tenth grader here. And he knows who I am. He said who are you, old white guy? I said I'm Joe Piscopo. He's a fan. I love it.

Everybody has got to just settle down. The mantra on the radio show, if I mays, sir, AM 970, and the flagship station for Salem Media, with the greats like Seb Gorka and Mike Gallagher and Dennis Prager, and Larry Elder, my buddy. Everybody, you have to just settle down. And they're getting crazy for no reason. Maybe because I've known Donald J. Trump, citizen Trump, for over 30 years, worked for him. I saw him at immense and so many charity affairs with Melania. He would be there. And he was nothing but pleasant. So maybe because I know the man, I don't get upset.

But there's really no reason for this discourse.

ARROYO: So this reaction, coming from these people who loom large in our lives as musical stars, movie stars. It divides us further and erodes -- let people vote. Let folks, and keep politics to the political season, not every moment in every moment in our lives.

PISCOPO: Who decide to divide.

ARROYO: There you go.

I want to quickly get to New Year's Eve. This is a fail. I just saw it the other night, CNN's Anderson Cooper attempting to be one of the cool kids. Bad idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, cheers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh, what is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's liquorishy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that? Who would drink this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: College students.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So who sings "Imagine"? Do they play the recording of John Lennon's "Imagine"?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: So we do the Jagermeister. There you go, Joe Piscopo. This is a ridiculous idea. They're getting loaded on TV, and then they want us tomorrow to take them seriously covering an impeachment.

PISCOPO: And politically correct. I like Anderson, and I don't want to say anything bad about anybody, but he used harsh language on that broadcast. And they got away with it, man. They got away with it.

ARROYO: When you're drunk, you get away with a lot.

Final question, I mentioned it earlier in the monologue. We're in a politically correct moment, I would argue. It was one that you were a part of in the 80s when you could laugh at everything, everybody was fair game.

Now it's very small what you can laugh at, what you can discuss, and what's permitted in speech code. Is Donald Trump the candidate to fill that moment?

PISCOPO: It's a good question, because now, it's great to see Chapelle come up. That was great. And I was so happy to see Eddie Murphy on "Saturday Night Live." He did Velvet Jones. Oh, my god. He did Velvet Jones. You couldn't do it -- no one could do it except for Eddie. It's time to break through all of that.

And when Donald Trump, because for eight years before Donald Trump, with no disrespect to anybody, we were lectured. The professorial tone. We were bad, we were racist. I was so tired of being told what to do. And all the folks that are following now, they follow on social media, they listen to our radio show on AM 970. We're all good people. It's all about God, family, country. This is the greatest country on planet eart. Everybody has got to settle down.

ARROYO: OK, Joe Piscopo, I'm waiting for your return to "SNL." I hope Lorne Michaels is listening. Joe Piscopo, great to be with you, an honor.

PISCOPO: Good to see you, my friend.

ARROYO: Thank you so much.

Up next, a heartfelt goodbye to another fallen 2020 Democrat. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARROYO: Tonight, it's with a heavy heart we say goodbye to yet another 2020 Democrat, Julian Castro. He dropped out of the race today. You probably didn't notice, but we did. Here is our tribute to his short-lived presidential run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN CASTRO, D-FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am in favor of a carbon-free America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want to go hold that baby?

(LAUGHTER)

CASTRO: I know. I am not going to be the typical politician that goes and holds a baby.

(LAUGHTER)

CASTRO: I believe the best thing for the country would be not only impeachment, but removal.

You just said two minutes ago that they would have to buy in. Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago?

There are a lot of Americans right now that are hurting. The idea that America is doing just fine is wrong.

Open borders is just a rightwing talking point. It always has been.

It's great to talk to fellow identical twin. I hope your brother is nicer to you than mine is to me.

(LAUGHTER)

CASTRO: And doesn't make you grow a beard.

That's an election, you know. This is what we are here for. It is an election.

I am confident that I can reassemble that Obama coalition. That's what I think the winning formula is for Democrats in 2020.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Are we sure it's Joaquin and not Julian, or Julian and Joaquin.

Well, whoever it is, adios, amigos.

That's all the time we have tonight. You can grab my book "The Will Wilder Series." It's available at bookstores everywhere, a supernatural thriller for adventures of all ages. I hope you will give it a read. Lovely to sit in for Laura Ingraham, an honor. Happy New year. I will be back again tomorrow night. Make sure to tune in, set those DVRs, and we'll have "Friday Follies." You don't think I'd miss that, do you?

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