'The Ingraham Angle' Russia-Ukraine, Biden's incompetence

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Joe blows it again: What Biden and the New York Poop Attacker have in common

Laura Ingraham reveals the root cause of the Biden administration's incompetence in her opening monologue.

This is a rush transcript of "The Ingraham Angle" on March 2, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: I'm Laura Ingraham and this is the 'Ingraham Angle'. The Russian onslaught in Ukraine continues. The first major city fell to Russian forces today as the civilian death toll climbs to more than 2000, according to officials there.

Now, further east, the port city of Mariupol underwent a 15-hour bombardment after being surrounded by Russian troops. Now, according to the mayor, the city is near a humanitarian catastrophe.

And already tonight in Kyiv, blasts are being heard all around the city. We're going to be updating you on the increasingly dire situation on the ground there. And we'll do that throughout the hour. But first--

(VIDEO PLAYING)

INGRAHAM: What you just saw on that video was verified by the New York Times, Russian jets bombing a residential apartment complex just outside of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Now, it reinforces Fox's own reporting that air strikes against the area have increased, including in spots where civilians are desperately trying to take cover.

Joining me now is Zhenya Mykhailenko, who is a business owner, who converted his own restaurant into a bomb shelters. Zhenya, when was the last time that you all heard sirens tonight?

ZHENYA MYKHAILENKO, RESTAURANT OWNER IN KYIV: Pretty much all night long.

INGRAHAM: Zhenya, the thought of this constant sense of being under attack, of hearing the sirens, of hearing bombs dropping, of hearing human screams. I mean, a lot of people are used to hearing that and seeing it in movies. But your people there are living through the horror of this.

And you decided to do what you could by opening up your restaurant to people most in need. What are you hearing from the people most affected on the ground? Obviously, they're terrified.

MYKHAILENKO: I think you very much underestimate Ukrainian people. Because we're started in 2014. I was in Mariupol in 2015 a year after. And that's what struck me the most was that the citizens of Mariupol, because back then people in the capital in Kyiv were used to hearing artillery fire. And neither was I.

Now, when I was in Mariupol in 2015, I was jogging along the street. And I heard artillery bombing for the first time. I was like, What the f*** is going on? But everyone around me who lived there for this entire year was just ok with it. It was like a normal day.

So it's not as dramatic as you try to describe it. Ukrainians are not panicking. We are not frightened by the artillery fire. In fact, if anything, it makes us more resilient.

INGRAHAM: There are a million people, Zhenya, who according to the UN and other sources, have fled the country, mostly women and children. Men who are fighting age are staying behind, except the severely compromised or elderly.

The spirit on the ground is something that's been written about and talked about for this - these last several days now. And in a country where we can all get pretty spoiled and pretty used to the comforts of home, it's amazing to see those people who are able to go on with their life as best they can under extremely difficult circumstances.

But obviously, we're not used to that here in the United States. We're used to being able to go to work and getting there safely and not worrying about where our parents are. But that is not the case and in major cities throughout Ukraine today.

MYKHAILENKO: Once again, I think now you're underestimating Americans. Because I lived in Boston, I lived in Los Angeles, I lived in Long Beach. And there's some pretty resilient people in Long Beach that I know.

And I know, in fact, that people in Dorchester and people in some areas of Boston are also very resilient. In fact, I often associate myself with a lot of Americans I met during my six years living in America.

INGRAHAM: Zhenya, what would you like to say to the people of the United States, those of Europe, who are watching these scenes unfold, other than - apparently, we're underestimating the drama on the ground. What else do you want to say about what's happening there?

MYKHAILENKO: Oh, you're not underestimating the drama. The drama is real. You're underestimating how people react to it.

INGRAHAM: Yes. I don't think we are. But ok, but Zhenya, what would you like to say to the people in Europe about what your country needs and the support that you would like to say?

MYKHAILENKO: I want to say that, in fact, I just read an article about this is that Europe and the entire world was the witness of Russia since 2004 in Beslan. In 2004, when lots of children were murdered, because of Russian neglect, and many times over since 2004.

And we have not been doing anything since then. So today, while we're paying for this, Ukraine is paying for this, the price of having our cities bombed and women and children killed. And I hope that the entire world realizes and figures this shit out, because this is the last chance we'll get in my opinion.

INGRAHAM: All right, Zhenya. Thank you. Stay safe. We apologize, obviously, the viewers some of the language pretty rough, but one can sympathize given the circumstances.

Also, tonight, we're learning of what would be an alarming escalation. Senior Czech defense officials are telling the Washington Examiner that Russia might target the convoys of weapons headed to Ukraine.

Czech Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Kopecny adding, "The consequences of launching a military attack on NATO territory are quite clear." Well, that's an understatement.

Joining me now is John Ratcliffe, former Trump Director of National Intel. John, good to see you tonight.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Thank you.

Now, I realize the desire to get help to the Ukrainian people. But do you think the U.S. officials have really gamed out what happens if those NATO convoys are in turn attacked?

RATCLIFFE: Well, I think what we're seeing is, you know, this is now day seven of what most experts thought including in our Pentagon was going to be a two or three-day invasion. And while that speaks to the courage of the Ukrainian people.

It also speaks to the fact that Vladimir Putin miscalculated. He thought that conventional missile strikes and cruise missile strikes on command and control centers combined with his armored forces would lead to a quick victory, and that hasn't happened. And that's good news for the Ukrainians.

But the bad news is, we've seen what happens before when the Russians get bogged down. And Putin gets more desperate. What he did in Syria with saving Bashar Al Assad was to do what he's starting to do now, which is a siege mentality around cities where he literally has decided it's better to level entire neighborhoods, including civilians rather than risk any more Russian lives. And that's what you're seeing in Kyiv and Kharkiv right now.

And it also speaks to the fact that he has already warned that he does not want NATO interfering in this. And so, we need to be careful about escalating this. But, Laura, it really underscores why this was such a bad strategy from the Biden administration. The if-then strategy - if Russia invades then we'll do something about it, then we'll help Ukraine.

All of these supplies and all of the weaponry and all of the things that we sent in the Trump administration like javelins and stingers and sniper rifles and all the things that the Russians need, they should have been there long, long time ago instead of the strategy that now leaves them on the outside looking in.

INGRAHAM: Well, here's the former NATO ambassador, John, under Obama. He's on MSNBC today on what he expects next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS LUTE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO UNDER OBAMA: I do expect to be more brutal. Look, we should appreciate that we're in the very early days, just a few days into this. And we should expect this to be a long, protracted, brutal campaign.

If given a choice, Putin will double down before he backs down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: John, realistically speaking, now that Russia is there, that Biden has said, we're not going to fight Russian troops. We're not going to send boots on the ground. What realistically can the U.S. do to push Vladimir Putin out if we're going to keep buying oil from Putin and if we're going to keep supporting China, which is backdooring a lot of support? Obviously, to Russia.

RATCLIFFE: If you take out the options that would have worked the double whammy of this - the sanction that was the double whammy, which is actually sanctioning Russia's oil supply and increasing U.S. oil production. None of the other sanctions are going to work in a timely manner to help Ukraine. It is going to get worse.

Putin has not yet deployed. He's got 300 modern striker fighters, SU-30s, 34s, 35s. He's going to use those, use air to ground missiles to target Kyiv and Kharkiv and other cities, and then he's going to carpet bomb. That's what he did in Georgia. That's what he did in Syria. That's what he's going to do here.

And unfortunately, at this point, it's a matter of time if the Biden administration isn't going to do the things that were really necessary to help the Ukrainian people. We're just going to have a front row seat to the horrors of war.

And it will be a front row seat, because unlike Syria the world press is watching this. So I think the American people unfortunately are going to see the horrors of war up close. And I think it'll really underscore the Biden failed strategy here.

INGRAHAM: Well, John, America had to watch as Hungary was rolled over, as Czech Republic was rolled over, as Hong Kong security was completely destroyed by China. We are not the global power that we were at the end of the Cold War, at the very least.

I mean, we won the Cold War. And then we gave up the victory by empowering China. So as every time someone says Russia, I say China. OK, then what are - how are we going to cut off the support to Vladimir Putin in the east from China? And we're not going to. We're not willing to do that. Period.

RATCLIFFE: We're not. And in fact, that's why in the State of the Union address, you saw Joe Biden spend 15 seconds, a passing reference to China, our greatest national security threat. And why - from the intelligence community standpoint, there's concern here, Laura.

He - Joe Biden instructed our intelligence community to share our intelligence of Putin's invasion plans of Ukraine with China, naively thinking that China might help us stop Putin. And instead, they did exactly what everyone knew they would. They shared that information with Putin.

And not only that, they told Putin, look, we know you're going to invade Ukraine, we just ask that you hold off until after the Olympics. That's been confirmed by our intelligence sources. And again, it just underscores that China is not a strategic competitor. They are the adversary that wants to get rid of us as the world's superpower.

INGRAHAM: Yes. The Belt and Road Initiative, the belt to tighten around our necks. Now, today Biden echoed that one line, John, that he made in the speech last night about President Xi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I am truly more optimistic about America today than I've ever been. I really mean it. We're in a path to win the economic competition in the 21st century that we faced with the rest of the world.

I told Xi Jinping, who I'm told I've met with more than any other world leader, there's never been a good bet to bet against the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: John, that's a nice line. But it doesn't make a policy and none of us would bet against America either. But, sadly I'd bet against Joe Biden.

RATCLIFFE: Yes. Like I said, there's confusion in the intelligence community about the approach that he wants to take, because he uses those lines. But then, very clearly China, if anyone was under any delusion that China and Russia aren't working hand in glove against the United States.

This episode regarding the fact that China shared our intelligence with Russia on our intelligence about his invasion plans with Putin really underscores the point and shows the naive approach that we're taking with what is our greatest national security threat. It's really inexplicable. And it does not portend well for the next three years.

We've been slapped around by China already. Their diplomats have come to U.S. soil. Early in this administration, they are engaged against Taiwan in a way that they never have in the air defense identification zone. And Biden does nothing about it. And again, our fear is what's going to happen in the next three years, given the weakness that keeps getting projected.

(CROSSTALK)

INGRAHAM: Well, you know, John - Yes, well, you're right. Now, it would be nice if we heard from some senators on Capitol Hill about this. Some Republican senators in leadership who've, sorry, but spent more time covering for China than actually discussing the Chinese threat and they know who they are.

But we've got to get really serious. This is a whole future of the country. This is not just Ukraine. This is all of America that's on the line with this the east versus west struggle. And we seem to be worried about globalization and trade, and keeping investment banks happy on - in the U.S. Senate.

But we better get real real fast, or throw these bums out comes out and get some new people. And I'm fed up with this - half of the GOP leadership at this point on the China issue.

John, you didn't need to hear that. But I appreciate you joining us. Thank you letting me rant.

All right. As the Russian bombs do drop, an Iraq and Afghanistan vet is risking his life to get Americans and others out of Ukraine.

Joining me now from an undisclosed location inside Ukraine is Bryan Stern. He's the founder of project Dynamo. Bryan, how many Americans have you helped get out of the war zone at this point?

BRYAN STERN, PROJECT DYNAMO FOUNDER: We've helped about 100 people get out so far. Not just Americans, Canadians, some Brits. We even got a Afghan family out this morning that had fled from Afghanistan to Ukraine. And now, they fled from Ukraine to somewhere else. So, we - we're - we don't like to leave a seat empty on the bus is what I always say.

INGRAHAM: Well, Bryan, we had a guest on earlier who's a pretty renowned chef and he's opening up his restaurant to help those who are struggling just to try to get by. But his point to me was, don't underestimate the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

But that having been said, the video that we've been sharing on Fox is terrifying. I mean, you're used to being in war zones. And other people have lived through military campaigns. But for women and children, this is not usually part of their daily life. This - these are just terrifying scenes. I got to say. I don't even like watching them. They're so bad.

STERN: Yes, it's - you know, I would actually say the videos don't even do a justice. The - what I've learned in seven, eight months of doing evacuations between Afghanistan and now Ukraine is that, we develop relationships with these people over days and weeks. And you get really close to somebody when you share a bus for 22 hours.

And I'll tell you, the thing that I have learned the most is that every one of these stories are terrible, and gut wrenching, and heartbreaking. Every single one. And the pictures really don't do a justice. Having your life whittled down to a backpack and a carry on bag leaving your home for possibly forever, under the threat or action of Russian artillery, or bombers, or what have you, is absolutely terrible.

As it relates to the resolve of the Ukrainian people, I didn't hear the segment. But I've seen it firsthand. The resolve of the Ukrainian people is inspiring to me, at least. They're resilient, they're angry, and they're filled with passion, and they're filled with rage. And one man defending his home is better than 10 hired Russian soldiers.

So I think that the Ukrainians have already given the Russian army a run for their money. And I think that they will continue to do so.

INGRAHAM: Bryan, at the same time, we don't want to raise people's hopes that people who just got a rifle handed to them are going to be able to hold off the full force of the Russian militarist. Many as miscalculations that they've obviously made and Putin has made them. They're still one of the mightiest military forces on the face of the planet. And it's going to be tough, especially if they choke off support from the west.

STERN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, what's happening in Kharkiv is Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein style, siege on civilian targets at the end of the day. So, it's like that.

Ukraine is an active war zone. We've been more - we've been (ph) missiled. We've been - I was in an air strike (inaudible) thing just today in the place that I'm staying at. So this is an active war zone. But the Ukrainians are passionate. The Ukrainians are fighting.

I can't tell you how many - I was on the border today and watching the men, the men kiss their wives goodbye as they cross the border, and they go and fight. They go and fight. And are they happy about it? No. But are they filled with patriotism for their people? Yes, they are. Yes, they are.

So can they - will a man with a rifle defeat a fighter plane? No, he won't. But they're going to try.

INGRAHAM: Bryan, thank you for doing what you're doing and being there and putting your own life on the line again to help people. Thank you, Bryan.

And to my point, what if the entire narrative about the trajectory, the direction of this war and the mental stability of President Putin is just wrong?

Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the foundation for the center of defense of democracies thinks so. And he writes, "Putin is not crazy and the Russian invasion is not failing. The West's delusions about this war and its failure to understand the enemy, he writes, will prevent it from saving Ukraine."

Joining me now is Lee Smith, columnist for Tablet and host of The Daily Wire series, 'China: The Enemy Within'.

Lee, that's the question I was trying to get at with Bryan. You're - everyone's hearts break to see this suffering - at the level of human suffering that we're seeing it. We saw suffering in Hong Kong when freedom was crushed across the globe with all of these needless attacks on independence and freedom. But this is horrific. But are we getting the full picture here?

LEE SMITH, DAILY WIRE HOST: Well, I mean, I think it's very important to remember that many of the same officials who are speaking about Putin, Putin's intentions, Putin's competence, Putin's armed forces, unfortunately this goes back to - these are many of the same people who were telling us for five, six years about the intentions of Vladimir Putin to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump.

At that point, the intelligence community got itself in a lot of trouble. And this is one of the reasons or the key reason I've been saying for several years, what we saw was not just a beltway political scandal. It was a national security disaster waiting to happen.

Now, whether it's the press, whether it's coming out of the Pentagon, whether it's coming out of intelligence community assessments at this point, I believe that the American public has no very good idea what's going on, because these same people have now established a reputation for lying, in particular, about Russia, and for using Ukraine as an instrument against their adversaries, both foreign and domestic.

INGRAHAM: In other words, if you don't repeat lockstep what the Pentagon or various lobbyists for defense contractors would prefer the narrative to be, then you're a traitor, then you are pro-Putin, then you like the suffering. I mean - Is that what they're trying to do?

SMITH: We'll look, Laura, as you said before and as you've shown over the last week, the different clips that you've shown, you've really shown the American public the violence, the chaos, what's happening, what Vladimir Putin is doing.

The larger problem here is that to explain how we got to this point. It's not about being pro-Putin. It's not about being pro-Russian. It's not about feeling heartbroken for the Ukrainian public. What it is to - we need to understand what role the U.S. national security establishment has played getting us here. What role even Joe Biden as vice president under Barack Obama has played getting us here?

These are very important details. So as that article you're talking about, we need to understand actually what Putin is doing. We need to understand who Vladimir Putin is, without the lies of the national security establishment and the prestige press. We need to understand those things to - in order to understand how America comes out of this ok, and how the Ukrainians come out of this ok.

INGRAHAM: Well, they're certainly willing, Lee, and then we're going to get to something that Harris said today. But they're certainly willing to do a deep dive and a broad look at President Xi of China, right? He a brilliant strategist. He understands business. He has a dynamic view of the energy sector.

I mean, this guy is a cold stone killer. And yes, he is probably really obviously, he's not a dumb person. He's obviously a smart, but he's also a dictator. So but they're willing to kind of do that with China and have this expansive view of our relationship with China. But they never were willing to do that with Russia.

Getting to your point, I have to play this Kamala Harris, basically touting the administration's line here. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we want is that the Ukrainian people will be free, and that they will be safe. But we are now at a place where obviously Russia has yet again invaded Ukraine, and we must stand in solidarity with our allies, and make sure there are severe and swift consequences, which is what we've been doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Lee, what - I mean, the woman is just a menace. She has no idea what she's saying. She just says things like swift consequences, apparently not understanding those actually are words that could get America into a big, dangerous mess with Russia right now, correct?

SMITH: Right. You are describing - discussing the administration's treatment and portrayal of Xi, right. A very important issue here that I think that most people have put aside is, they say that the - Oh, Biden administration's response to Ukraine is likely to incentivize Xi and the Chinese to make a run at Taiwan.

I think that has it the wrong way around. The reality is that because there has been no response for Wuhan, that has incentivized American adversaries. Whether we're talking about Vladimir Putin, whether we're talking about the Chinese Communist Party.

Remember what happened at Wuhan. This is the issue. The Chinese lied about where it started, how it started, they lied about the nature of transmission. At that point, it became an operation.

And let's remember where this doctrine comes from. The idea of being able to deploy, deploy violence, hurt your adversary without them actually knowing what you're doing. This is a Soviet doctrine. So this reminds us how close at different points Moscow and Beijing have been in the past.

But again, for I think that that's one of the things we need to start looking at. No one has held the Chinese Communist Party responsible for the millions of deaths in the world, instead what did they do?

INGRAHAM: Yes, why?

SMITH: Because the fundamental factor is - exactly. Our national security threat. It's not just China. It's our own elite. And that's what this series is about, by the way with The Daily Wire. This is the problem, right?

When we talk about the Democrats being a problem. It's not just Joe Biden, it's not the Biden family, and it's not the Biden administration. The Democrats, right, their campaign money comes from industries that are reliant on a cash flow from Beijing, Hollywood, big tech, and Wall Street.

The Democrats are accordingly the pro-China faction, right? That's what's going on here.

INGRAHAM: Lee, there a lot of Republicans who are on the take as well.

SMITH: Agree.

INGRAHAM: And I'm not letting--

SMITH: Absolutely.

INGRAHAM: The Democrats totally deserve blame, but so do Republicans. Lee, that was a big conversation. Thank you.

Now, we want to take you back to Ukraine tonight, where explosions are rocking the capital city of Kyiv. And air raid sirens are going off in Lviv, where Fox's Lucas Tomlinson is standing by.

Lucas, what can you tell us tonight?

LUCAS TOMLINSON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Laura, it's the first time we've heard those air raid sirens so early in the morning here in Lviv, located about six hours west of the capital.

Now, earlier U.S. officials tell me that several Russian warships are now underway from Crimea headed northwest to Odessa, Ukraine's third largest city and jewel on the Black Sea. They think a serious assault could take place in Odessa as early as Thursday.

Now, earlier, Ukraine's president described the hell Russian forces are unleashing on his country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: They have orders to erase our history, our country and all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TOMLINSON: British intelligence says, five Ukrainian cities are now surrounded and one just captured Kherson, just north of Crimea in southern Ukraine. The Russians claimed to have captured their largest cities since the start of the invasion when we could go today, Laura, live on your show.

Now, Russian forces have their first prize, that strategic port in the Black Sea. Russia has fired over 450 missiles into Ukraine. It's not always clear if they're hitting their intended targets. This is Kharkiv National University and Regional Police Department on fire in Ukraine's second largest city, roughly the size of Dallas.

The Ukrainian government says, 2000 civilians have now been killed since the start of the war last week. Over 1 million have fled the country according to the UN. And Ukraine's top diplomat urging the West to send more weapons, not just those javelins and stingers. He wants bombs for this Air Force 'right now'.

Now, Russia's Defense Ministry has released its first casualty list, Laura. The Russians say, 490 Russian soldiers have been killed, 1500 wounded. U.S. intelligence says, those numbers could be four times higher. Laura.

INGRAHAM: Lucas, thank you. Stay safe tonight.

And now, Joe blows it again. That's the focus of tonight's 'Angle'.

All right. Well, what did President Biden and the New York poop attacker have in common? Well, they're both shameless about the crap they shove in people's faces.

And last night, it was Joe Biden in our faces with a brazen attack on common sense. Suddenly painting himself as part law and order populist warrior and part George W. Bush style global uniter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: We're going to do it by buying American. Buy American products.

Most Americans and most of the country can now go mask free.

Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Well, the poop perp Frank Abrokwa is the classic byproduct of New York's permissive approach to law enforcement. He's been sticking his crime spree on us for years. Arrested 44 times.

In fact, accused of other violent attacks on the subway, bus platforms, threatening people with things like screwdrivers. But he always finds himself right back on the streets to terrorize innocent New Yorkers.

Even though they have him on video committing the most recent attack. The judge there said, They couldn't hold him. The travesty of justice and embarrassment to the city, an indictment of the entire approach of social justice warriors who argue against incarceration and in favor of addressing root causes.

Meanwhile, the people be damned. Their safety, their economy, their piece of mind, all because liberal D.A.'s and phony tough on crime mayors refuse to change course. They can't admit their policies don't work. And in the end, it all ends up smeared in the faces of people who deserve it least.

Now, this would be all be really funny if it weren't so dangerous and so damaging to America. Because our cities are spiraling into a Mad Max hellscapes of violence and despair. Our families are being crushed by high food and gas prices. And Joe Biden, he thinks Americans are going to give him a pass because Putin is making Ukrainians suffer? We need cheap oil, and he gives us cheap rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Double America's clean energy production in solar, wind, and so much more. Lower the price of electric vehicles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Americans have had this nonsense shoved in their faces long enough. No wonder the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll has Bidens' approval 11 points under. And that same poll found that 60 percent of independents think the country is on the wrong track. And his job approval among independents is only at 37 percent.

Some of the many problems facing President Biden, the twisted, demented mindset of his activist base is perhaps the most devastating. He could send the Army Corps of Engineers in to blow up every remaining drilling rig in the United States to kill off oil and gas, and the green-iacs would still say he hasn't gone far enough. He could announce that he's only appointing black and brown nominees to all senior level staff positions, all court positions going forward, and the race radicals would say, what took so long?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Biden not once mentioned black, black people, African Americans, negro, anything in that speech.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: And more Democrat voters themselves are completely out of touch, out of sync with American, which makes sense, I guess, since they detest this country. Check out this recent poll from Echelon Insights. They found that the top give issues that Americans has a whole are extremely concerned about are the obvious ones like inflation, the economic damages from COVID, supply chain problems, the deficit, and of course, illegal immigration. This lines up really well with the top concerns of the GOP voters. But not the Democrat voters, because their top five extreme worries include Trump supporters, white nationalism, climate change, and voter suppression. That's right, they are more worried about MAGA hat wearers than the potential for a job-crushing recession or rampant crime.

So for them, police brutality is a far bigger worry than inflation. More of them see systemic racism as more of a serious threat than our crippling supply chain, our porous borders. This is a nightmare scenario for Democrats. They're caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. On one side is their vicious, impatient grassroots itching for some type of socialist type revolution. On the other side, you have most Americans who just want to live in peace and freedom, maybe a fair shot at prosperity. That would be nice. But Biden's team keeps thinking they have a messaging problem.

The truth is, they are just not good at governing. They can't read that room, meaning America. And they don't even really want to be in the same house as the rest of us. In the end, when you hate a country as much as their people hate ours, you can't run it. But you sure can go a long way to ruining it.

And that's the Angle.

Joining me now is Indiana Congressman Jim Banks, chair of the Republican Study Committee. Congressman, I said this last night, but Joe Biden sounded like he was kind of addressing the European Union or maybe the World Economic Forum, but not so much the American people.

REP. JIM BANKS, (R-IN) REPUBLICAN STUDY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: So true, Laura. It was the most uninspiring State of the Union speech that certainly I have ever seen in my lifetime. It was all talk, all rhetoric. I remember when Joe Biden talked about refunding or funding the police. I looked in that gallery at AOC, one of the poster-childs of the defund the police movement. And while every Republican and Democrat was standing, she was sitting and laughing because she knew it was a joke. It was all talk, all rhetoric from the president.

When Joe Biden talked about securing the border, I looked at Nancy Pelosi right behind him, and she was as surprised as I was and thought maybe it was a mistake on the president's part to talk about securing the border because we were all surprised that he would actually say it. It was all talk. She knew he didn't mean it. He's an empty suit. He is a commander in chief who is not in command of anything, and everyone in that room knew it.

INGRAHAM: Today in Wisconsin, Biden tried to lead people, I guess, to believe that he is exploring some type of economic renaissance, Congressman. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In my administration, the entirety of it from beginning to end has to be built and made in America. Look, around the country. American manufacturing is coming back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: First of all, it's man-u-factures, not man-a-facturers, number one. Number two, I guess he forgot the fact that we had the highest trade deficit on record in 2021.

BANKS: No doubt. Nobody is buying it. As you just mentioned, his approval ratings are in the tank. They are the worst approval ratings of any sitting president after one year in office since we've ever had polling about United States presidents. They are that bad because this president has no plan to address the issues facing America, inflation chief among them. Inflation is affecting every family in this country, and it's getting worse. Gas prices are continuing to go through the roof. That's what the American people are begging for answers to. And this president, he had no substance, no plan to address those issues last night, and the American people, they saw that first hand as much last night as they have seen over that year and a few months that he's been in office, and they have had enough of it.

INGRAHAM: Congressman, thank you. Good to see you tonight.

And during Biden's speech, he spent plenty of time pandering to the LGBTQ+ crowd, but he somehow made zero mention of the 13 servicemembers killed during his disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. And one congressman was getting infuriated, and rightly so, but getting called out now for standing out to the call him out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced many dangers, one being station of bases breathing in toxic smoke.

They come home, many of the world's fittest and best trained warriors in the world, never the same. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, a cancer that would put them in a flag draped coffin. I know.

(BOOS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: That woman, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert joins me now. Congresswoman, you got an enormous amount of heat. You were smeared in the media for breach of decorum. Why did you speak out during this speech as you did?

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT, (R-CO): Laura, it is never wrong to the stand up and speak out for moms and dads who lost their children. And I want to remind everyone who may be concerned about me speaking up at the State of the Union that Joe Biden was 100 percent responsible for the deaths of the 13 brave service members we lost in Afghanistan. And last night, he took zero responsibility for it.

So when Joe Biden started talking about flag-draped coffins, I got fired up. My mind went straight to the 13 soldiers that died in Afghanistan. The mother of one of those heroes lives in my district. She told me Joe Biden killed her son. So you're darn right I spoke up. And if I could redo last night, I would absolutely do it again.

The left, Laura, they got upset. They attacked me for it. That is fine. I can take it. But I will always speak the truth, the truth about our southern border, the truth about corruption, the truth about bad Democrat policies, and the truth about Joe Biden funding Russia's war by buying their oil. And I am proud to have mentioned these 13th brave men and women because the media would have given Joe Biden a complete pass on ignoring them at the State of the Union. Not you, Laura. We're talking.

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: Not surprisingly, the White House decided to launch against you today. Watch.

BOEBERT: Right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: A speech like that State of the Union is hugely important. It doesn't touch on, it doesn't have the time to touch on everything that is priority during that heckling. That was the moment in the speech where the president was talking about his unity agenda. I think that says a lot more about them than it does about how important these priorities are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: The unity agenda, Congresswoman. I guess you stepped all over that unity of not mentioning the sacrifice of those 13.

BOEBERT: Laura, this is exactly what I'm talking about. They will not hold Biden accountable, so we, the people, have to. And Joe's spin doctor, Jen Psaki, said that he didn't have the time to get to everything? We would have sat there for three hours if he could have sustained for three hours, but sadly, Biden has never had time for these heroes.

Remember when they returned home? Joe was checking his watch. And last night, he spent more time giving small business owners bad economic advice than honoring those 13 heroes.

INGRAHAM: Congresswoman, I started the Angle tonight with kind of an odd reference. But I saw that horrific story about that attacker in New York who smeared human feces on that woman and he just, the judge released him. I guess he's being looked at for a hate crime right now, but the judge said we can't hold you. Today, I thought that kind of is the whole -- that's just an image of today's Democrat Party, what they are doing to the American people. They are shoving it in our faces and then expecting a standing ovation at the end of it. Go on to do it again. We'll release you to do it again to us.

And it is kind of an intemperate way of comparing the two, but it's an insult to the American people to do what he did last night, try to pretend you're an America first populist and a uniter when they have been trashing America for the last 14 months as racist and misogynist and every other "ist" you can think of. Give me a break.

BOEBERT: That's right, Laura. And look, he knows the poll numbers. He plans to try and gaslight the public. He said that he would close the southern border. Give me a break. He's the one who opened it. I've talked to the Border Patrol agents that just want to policy to be able to do their job.

He said that Democrats support the police, but it is his party who defunded and demonized them for the past two years. He said he will be tough on Russia. But he is the one who has empowered Russia by increasing our reliance on their energy.

The American people are on him, and they know that his career -- he is a career politician, and they are not falling for his lies any longer. And we need to stop funding Putin's war and become energy independent here in America.

INGRAHAM: Congresswoman, I hope your GOP establishment is listening tonight. Thank you for joining.

And governance for dummies, plus, Joe gets saved by the Jill. Raymond Arroyo explains it all. "Seen and Unseen" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: It's time for our "Seen and Unseen" segment where we explore the stories behind the headlines. And for that we turn to FOX News contributor, Raymond Arroyo. Raymond, the president hit Duluth today to sell his great successes.

RAYMOND ARROYO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: He was accompanied by Dr. Jill, who introed the president this way -- forget about inflation, crime, record breaking illegal migrants crossing the border, and the war in Ukraine, Laura.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL BIDEN, U.S. FIRST LADY: Things are so much better. You were right to your faith in Joe Biden a year.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: That is why the president is at a 54 percent disapproval rating in the latest Real Clear Politics average, Laura. I don't understand this intro at all.

INGRAHAM: This is like an opening remarks at a sorority mixer. OK, we have to sell more raffle tickets to get, then we can get that trip to Cancun, girls. Let's go.

(LAUGHTER)

ARROYO: The greatest sorority sister of all time, and it's a woman who is falling all over the beer kegs. But all Biden could talk about today, Laura, was his $1 trillion infrastructure bill. At least he tried to talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While we are getting to -- excuse me -- while we're getting ready.

When I signed that infrastructure law 100 days ago, we already had the ground running -- we hit the ground running.

The Union Pacific Railroad, when I was in Pittsburgh, I met the folks who run that. Union Pacific Railroad just announced the purchase of the largest ever purchase of electric locomotives made in Erie, Pennsylvania, in the same plant, by the way, that the guy who turned on our lights built a factory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: I don't know what he is saying.

(LAUGHTER)

ARROYO: I don't either, Laura. When you can't say "hit the ground running," it's unlikely that you're hitting the ground running. The jumbled syntax is as incomprehensible as the policy follow through, Laura. Remember, last night, at the State of the Union, the president said new CDC guidelines recommended no more masks. Well, masks were mandatory at today's Biden event.

INGRAHAM: What?

ARROYO: None of this coheres. You can't make this up.

INGRAHAM: No, no, Raymond, the best is Ron DeSantis saying to those kids, get your masks off. I love that. People are all upset about Ron DeSantis today. He was -- take you mask off, you look ridiculous. Someone has to tell these kids to push away all of the brainwashing that they have been subject to.

ARROYO: It is curious that Ron DeSantis is following the CDC guidance closer than Joe Biden. Just saying.

(APPLAUSE)

INGRAHAM: On this Ash Wednesday, Laura, EWTN's White House correspondent challenged the president on how he reconciles his Catholic faith with his abortion advocacy. Watch how the caretaker in chief saves the president probably.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night, you continued to support Roe v. Wade. As a Catholic, why do you support abortion, as a Catholic, defying church teachings?

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I'll tell you what, I don't want to get in a debate with you on theology. But, you know, well, anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But why? Why support abortion as a pro-life --

BIDEN: I'm not -- I'm not going to make a -- I'm not going to make a judgment for other people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're Catholic, why -- why defy church teachings?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: Pretty good, Laura. Abortion advocacy on Tuesday, ashes on Wednesday. Judgment day is going to be fun. I hope Joe is there to pull St. Pete away.

INGRAHAM: She tried to pull him back. She usually is better at getting the hook on Joe in those situations. She kind of just gave up and walked away. I don't know --

ARROYO: You know how those mothers, they grab the kids by the waistbands and pull them back. That is what it looked like there. She's kind of pulling him at the waistband.

INGRAHAM: By the sanja-belt (ph).

(LAUGHTER)

ARROYO: As presidents have for years, Biden declared today Read Across America day. This is when the country focuses on encouraging young people to read. This is a fantastic program. We should encourage kids to read. The problem is when public officials or Supreme Court nominees act as though they are reading to children, and we are the children. This is the new video the White House just dropped. This is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I have just had the honor of being nominated to sit on the United States Supreme Court. Supreme court justices are on the highest court in this country, and it's very important that justice system is administered fairly so that people can have liberty and justice in our society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: You don't say. Did you know that the high court is the highest court in that country, Laura Ingraham? And what about liberty proceeding from the justice system, how does that work, Laura?

INGRAHAM: Well, she is one of the brightest legal minds in America, so we did have to get that "Schoolhouse Rock" version of the Supreme Court.

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: But it's kind of like the way Kamala talked about Ukraine.

ARROYO: That's where we're going. The simplistic explanations, Laura, governance via Sesame Street, is not just confined to Brown. As you said, Vice President Kamala Harris days ago. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So basically, that's wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: That's wrong.

ARROYO: And the United States is a bigger country run by people who take green stuff from mommy and daddy and mortgage your future on wasteful things like wind and electric chargers, and all sorts of things you will never need, boys and girls.

This is so insulting. I've got to tell you, it's insulting. She was on an African American podcast or radio show. It's insulting to this important base in the Democratic Party, and it's insulting to all Americans. I'm sorry. We're not little babies. Raise the discourse. Raise up the people. That's what leaders do.

INGRAHAM: I have a television show, and it's on a network called FOX News, and you're Raymond Arroyo, and you have a role, too, to play, Raymond.

ARROYO: Thank you, Laura.

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: We got a huge reaction, by the way, to our Mardi Gras video last night. So where do people see more of your festivities there in New Orleans?

ARROYO: Laura, FOX Nation shadowed me all throughout the Mardi Gras season. We just posted it. It is called "Mardi Gras All Access." It's a special that takes you behind the scenes and into the local side of the celebration. They also got to accompany my incredible ride as grand marshal in the biggest parade in Mardi Gras. It is lot of fun. It's on FOX Nation now.

And then there's a little special Laura Ingraham ditty coming up, which I guess we will tell people about later.

INGRAHAM: Yes, throw my reference in at the very end. It doesn't matter. "America's Hidden Gems," "America's Hidden Gems," but I'm not going to spoil the secret.

ARROYO: "America's Hidden Gems."

INGRAHAM: Unlike you just spoiled all the secrets of yours.

ARROYO: No, I didn't.

INGRAHAM: And we have Samantha in my video, I believe, in my FOX Nation.

ARROYO: Now, there's a hidden gem.

INGRAHAM: She makes an appearance, so I'm going to save that for later. But Raymond, I can't wait to watch behind the scenes with Mardi Gras with you. Thank you, Raymond.

And the architect of several foreign policy disasters has some thoughts on Ukraine. Hillary Clinton? Uh-oh, she' next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: She is not calling for American boots on the ground yet, but Hillary Clinton sure wants us to commit open-ended resources in Ukraine's fight with Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is a possible way out. If the Ukrainians with our help can impose enough economic pain on Putin and, sadly, the Russian people, combined with providing weapons, that that might be the only way that right now I can see us getting to a stalemate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: A reminder, our effort to support the Mujahideen, fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, lasted nearly a decade. Up next, Shannon Bream.


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