This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," November 23, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MONICA CROWLEY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: And welcome to "Hannity." President-elect Donald Trump makes key additions to his incoming administration.
Hi, everybody. I'm Monica Crowley, in for Sean tonight.
With more details on the transition tonight is Peter Doocy live from Florida. Hi, Peter.
PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Monica. The president-elect must be doing something right in the eyes of the Republican establishment because today, he got an unexpected hat tip from Jeb Bush, who said the nomination of Betsy DeVos for education secretary was a good move. Mr. Trump says DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist and one time head of the Michigan GOP, is going to help him bring school choice to every home in America.
The headliner, though, in today's nominations was Governor Nikki Haley to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Trump says she is a deal maker and she has indicated that when the president-elect asks you to represent the country, you do it. That is even though Governor Haley and the president-elect, Donald Trump, clashed a lot during the primaries.
And there does seem to be some concern among Trump's earliest backers about bringing more high-level officials on board who used to be big-time haters because we heard today that Mitt Romney is still under consideration as secretary of state, and that's something Mike Huckabee believes should only be offered on one condition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, R-AR., FORMER GOVERNOR: He attacked him on a personal level about his character, integrity, his honor. But when you do that, there's only one way that I think Mitt Romney could even be considered for a post like that, and that is that he goes to the microphone in a very public place and repudiates everything he said in that famous Salt Lake City speech and everything he said after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOOCY: A transition official told me tonight not to expect any more big announcements about cabinet posts until after the holiday. So we're not going to know about Ben Carson's status as the HUD secretary or not until Friday at the earliest. The president-elect did put out a Thanksgiving message, though, tonight where he offers up a prayer for healing after what he says was a brutal campaign -- Monica.
CROWLEY: Peter, thank you so much.
Also tonight, President-elect Donald Trump has released a Thanksgiving message that Peter just referred to, calling for unity. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, R-PRESIDENT-ELECT: We've just finished a long and bruising political campaign. Emotions are raw, and tensions just don't heal overnight. It doesn't go quickly, unfortunately.
But we have before us the chance now to make history together, to bring real change to Washington, real safety to our cities and real prosperity to our communities, including our inner cities, so important to me and so important to our country. But to succeed, we must enlist the effort of our entire nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Joining us now with reaction, our Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe, from The Washington Times and Fox news contributor Charlie Hurt, and former Clinton pollster and Fox News contributor Doug Schoen. Great to see all of you tonight.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Hi. So in many ways, Donald Trump ran the first 21st century post-ideological campaign, and I think what we're seeing now in this flurry of cabinet appointments is that his choices are really reflecting that.
Charlie, let's start with you on this question of who he is putting in these key positions. It does seem like he's reaching for strong, accomplished people who will help him carry forth his agenda and his vision for the country. But it also looks like he's approaching forming a government the way he would go about hiring for one of his businesses.
Do you agree with that? And do you think that's a positive?
CHARLES HURT, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely, Monica. I think that he is displaying the exact sort of temperament I think was the word that they all used that everyone during the primary and during the general election said that he didn't have.
You know, he not only has a -- you know, broader country that he has to unite, he has to unite the Republican Party. And you know, the way to do that is by picking people like Nikki Haley. I don't know why somebody who's governor of South Carolina would want to go and be U.N. ambassador. Sounds like a terrible job compared to being governor of a great place like South Carolina. But for what Donald Trump needs to get done, it's a very good pick.
She's a -- you know, a very appealing figure in the -- among the establishment. And you know, you're going to hear a lot of guff from some of the people that were with him from the beginning, but you know, everybody's going to be dissatisfied with something. This is something he has to do.
CROWLEY: Lisa, to Charlie's point there about party unity, there's also a bigger question about bringing the country together. After eight years with Barack Obama, we can really argue that the country is more divided than ever. So what do his choices, in your mind -- how do they -- what do they mean for both bringing the party together and then trying to get the country on board with his agenda and what he'd like to do?
LISA BOOTHE, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the best way for Donald Trump to try to bring the country together is by success, by creating jobs, by doing these things that he said he can do. I think if you build a stronger country, you build a stronger America, I think people are going to start coming together.
And I think that's what he's doing with some of his cabinet choices and people that he's choosing to surround himself with because what he's doing is identifying and bringing people in that are independent thinkers, that are smart, that have -- you know, have proven track records of success. And that's what Donald Trump said that he was going to do from the beginning, that he was going to identify the best people, surround himself with the best people. And that's what he has done. So I think Americans should feel assured that, you know, Donald Trump is going to surround himself with smart and competent people.
But also, you know, if you look at the instances of Senator Jeff Sessions, or even General Flynn, who also have track records of being mavericks of sort, of having that independent line of thinking because I think that's the biggest problem with Washington, D.C., and the reason why people elected Donald Trump is they wanted change. They wanted a change to the bureaucracy of the failed mistakes of the past. And so I think having those independent thinkers, people that are going to think outside of the box, bringing innovative solutions is exactly what this country needs.
CROWLEY: Doug, you are my favorite Democrat, or one of them anyway.
DOUG SCHOEN, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.
CROWLEY: When you watch President-elect Trump putting together a cabinet like this, again, more along the lines of hiring for a business, rather than the traditional approach of installing loyalists and cronies into these top positions...
SCHOEN: Right.
CROWLEY: ... is it sort of reminiscent about -- of what JFK did in building his government, which was the best and the brightest?
SCHOEN: Well, yes, it is. And one of the things that John F. Kennedy did which redounded to the country's benefit was to bring in Douglas Dillon, a Republican, as secretary of the treasury. That led to tax cuts that stimulated our economy, created jobs.
I think Donald Trump has made enormous efforts. I think you're exactly right and he's right that the country is coming together. I would say the more inclusive, the better. So if Trump were to do what John F. Kennedy did before, and even Barack Obama, who I disagree with on virtually everything, brought in Bob Gates and he brought in Chuck Hagel, again an attempt to unify.
If Donald Trump reaches out to those few Democrats like me who are willing to praise him and give him not only the benefit of the doubt but our full support, I believe we will be better still. But he's off to a great start. And his message tonight and his message yesterday were exactly right, Monica.
CROWLEY: Charlie, nothing succeeds like success. So with this team, if he moves with all deliberate speed in the first 100 days, particularly with a pro-growth economic agenda, tax reform, rolling back regulations, repealing and replacing "Obama care," filling that Supreme Court vacancy -- if he moves that quickly, particularly on the economy and gets this economy roaring of the kind that we saw during the Reagan years, for example, annual growth rate 6, 8, 9 percent, won't that silence the opposition? I mean, the left is never really going to go away, but the Democratic opposition really will have a hard time criticizing him.
HURT: Oh, absolutely. You know, the adage that, you know, rising tide lifts all boats absolutely applies here. And I think that what Lisa said a moment ago is exactly right. You know, nothing will quiet people quite the way -- you know, any critics on both sides, both Republicans and Democrats, quite like having a successful economy come roaring back.
And I think that -- you know, and I think that what we're seeing with a lot of these picks right now are these very much outside-the-box picks with -- you know, with DeVos for education secretary and talk that Ben Carson will be the secretary of HUD. Those are very -- those are -- that's not the sort of picks that you would have expected to get from this guy. And I think it reveals that he really does want to do big things, and doing big things is what he's promised.
And he has a unique opportunity -- just the way Barack Obama did eight years ago and failed to execute, Donald Trump has a unique opportunity to do great, big things, and hopefully, he will convert better than President Obama did.
CROWLEY: Yes, you know, Lisa, we just heard that Thanksgiving message from the president-elect. And look, he wasn't elected to take care of the far left or maintain Barack Obama's legacy. In fact, the exact opposite. He was elected to repudiate it and turn it all back.
But that message on Thanksgiving eve about unity and healing the divisions and I'm going to be the president for all of the people -- he is making it really tough for his critics, right, because he's not providing the kind of ammunition that they expected him to.
BOOTHE: Something tells me they'll still find things to criticize him for. But you're right, Monica. I think he sort of set the groundwork. He's set the tone. And he actually did that on -- when he gave his announcement -- or when he gave his -- yes, when he gave his speech not on election -- well, on election night or I guess it was the day after. Sorry. But when he gave his first speech as president-elect, he really set the groundwork and set the tone for the kind of president that he wants to be and sort of that unifying message.
And you know, back to your point. The best way he's going to get this country together is to get people working again, get this country back on track. And a lot of those partisan attacks, a lot of those attacks from the mainstream media are going to fall to the wayside because people are going to be happy if they have a job, if they're back to work, if they can pay their bills on time, if energy costs go down.
And you look at President Obama -- I mean, you mentioned the economy earlier -- he has been an obstructionist in so many ways to growing the economy. You look at energy, which is something that President Obama (sic) mentioned in his video that he gave, updating on sort of what the first hundred days are going to look like. Energy alone, just releasing some of these federal lands that President Obama's been prohibiting and restricting from energy exploration. That can create jobs, get people working again, something like the Keystone Pipeline. There are so many opportunities that Donald Trump can work towards that are going to get Americans working again and I think going to bring unity.
CROWLEY: Yes, unleashing the traditional American engine of growth. OK, guys, stand by.
BOOTHE: Exactly.
CROWLEY: Coming up next right here on "Hannity" -- top Trump allies are warning the president-elect against Mitt Romney as secretary of state. Is it possible for the former rivals to now work together? Our panelists coming right back with reaction.
And later, the liberal mainstream media continues to take shots at Donald Trump. What else is new? We're going to show you the very latest example and get reaction.
All that and more as "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Well, according to reports, former 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is the leading contender to be the next secretary of state. But some of President-elect Donald Trump's top allies are speaking out against the potential move. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, R-FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I think the vast majority of Trump supporters will initially be very unhappy and will be reminded of all the things that Romney said over the year. I can think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
HUCKABEE: I'm still very unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump. He didn't just go after him from a standpoint of saying, I disagree with his policy on immigration or I disagree with his policy on taxes, he attacked him on a personal level about his character, integrity, his honor.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP TRANSITION SENIOR ADVISER: In terms of Governor Romney, I think the secretary of state position is such that, and all the cabinet positions, you have to be qualified and capable, number one. Number two, you have to be loyal to what President-elect Trump has said his vision of the world and his agenda is for this first 100 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Well, back with us now are Lisa Boothe, Charlie Hurt and Doug Schoen.
OK, Doug, let me start with you because...
SCHOEN: Sure.
CROWLEY: ... there is a method to everything that Donald Trump does. If Mitt Romney ends up being the secretary of state, is this a case of keep your friends close and your enemies closer, much like what President Obama did with Mrs. Clinton, making her secretary of state? In other words, that it's better to have your critics inside the tent, rather than sniping at you from the outside.
SCHOEN: I think that's certainly part of it, Monica, but I also think there's a bigger message here. By having Governor Romney as the secretary of state, something I enthusiastically endorse, you both continue to unify the Republican Party and the country, and also, you offer a different but compatible vision with that of the president-elect to the United States.
Mitt Romney has said that Russia is the greatest strategic threat to the United States. I agree with that. He's spoken about Chinese bullying, terror and Iran, ISIS and need to upgrade our military. He has a vision, and Monica, he has stature in the world.
I think it is a big move of Donald Trump to consider Governor Romney for reasons that Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee and Kellyanne Conway said, but it shows that Donald Trump is a big man with big personality and the ability to look past the election to what I think are the greater and broader interests not only of himself but of the United States of America.
CROWLEY: Charlie, I do think that Donald Trump respects Governor Romney. I think he respects his intelligence, his negotiating skills, his abilities as a turnaround artist, even his regal bearing, which is something that you would desire in a secretary of state.
But given that past comments and the acrimony that came from Governor Romney during the primary process, do you think he's somebody that President Trump could rely on to loyally carry out his foreign policy wishes, or is it going to be somebody who might freelance foreign policy and cause some harm here?
HURT: Well, you know, for as long as Donald Trump is in the White House, there will be no Romney doctrine. So I don't think that we have to worry about that. Donald Trump is not the kind of guy that's going to let somebody freelance on his dime, I don't think.
And I also don't think that Donald Trump is all that worried about Mitt Romney being on the outside sniping at Trump just because he was so ineffective when he was going full-bore attacking him during the campaign.
But one thing I do think that it is, it's a signal to the establishment that he is -- that Trump is willing to sort of unify the party, which I do think he -- you know, that is an important signal. But the other thing is, think about this. If Mitt Romney accepts the request to be his secretary of state, what does that say considering all the things that Mitt Romney said about Donald Trump? Was he kidding about all that? Or is it -- I mean, imagine the amount of crow he has to eat in order to accept that position...
CROWLEY: Right.
SCHOEN: ... and go work for the guy.
CROWLEY: He might have some 'splaining to do.
SCHOEN: Yes.
CROWLEY: Lisa, so we saw all of these very loyal folks to Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Kellyanne Conway and others, go public with their opposition, or at least their resistance to Mitt Romney.
We also know that the Trump transition is doing their due diligence on people like John Bolton and Rudy Giuliani for secretary of state. Especially with Rudy, they're going through all of his business relationships and his speeches, and so on. So they might still very well be in contention for this stop job.
How do you think this is ultimately going to play out?
BOOTHE: Yes, I mean, there's been no announcement here. But if he ultimately chose to go with Governor Romney as secretary of state, he certainly has the credentials and the resume to back that up. And I think what we've seen from Donald Trump is him selecting people based off of merit.
And yes, he's been loyal to his loyalists, as well. We saw him bring in Senator Sessions, General Flynn and Representative Pompeo, as well. So there has been a lot of that, of paying back the people that have been loyal to him. But he's also looking at people based on merit.
And I think what he does -- if he was to choose someone like Governor Mitt Romney, it's coalition building, and that's really important for him because if you look at the Senate right now, he's probably going to end up with 52 Republicans in the Senate. So he needs to keep all his Republicans and the entire conference in line with him, and together collaboratively moving the country forward in the direction that he wants to move the country. So he's going to need all those different types of Republicans.
And I think it shows that, one, he's an adult being able to look past that, moving beyond that, and seeing someone based off their merit. And two, I think it shows that he wants to bring the Republican Party together and do some big things for the country.
Now, ultimately, the decision needs to come down, too, does he trust Governor Romney? And we have to trust, based on the conversations that he has had with Governor Romney, that he does, if he decides to bring Governor Romney on as secretary of state.
CROWLEY: Doug, there's one other things that nobody has really mentioned here, and that is the desperate need for reform of the entrenched leftist anti-Israel bureaucracy in the State Department. You want a secretary of state that's going to go in and smash the existing order, as Donald Trump has promised on a larger scale.
Who do you think can do that in the most effective way?
SCHOEN: Well, first, I think, you know, any one of the perspective candidates, John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney, can and will do this.
You're absolutely right. One, we need to break up the anti-Israel cabal in the State Department. But second, we need someone of great stature who can bring the Israelis and the Palestinians together with leadership and make it clear that it is not going to be a process of Israel giving away the whole West Bank, no more settlements and basically folding its tent on every issue.
I think Governor Romney can do it. But the entire Republican establishment, from what I read and what I see, is for that. And as a strong supporter of Israel, somebody who's worked for three prime ministers, I heartily endorse this and think this is a very important step to change American attitudes, policies and direction.
CROWLEY: Yes. The State Department needs to be shaken up just as the diplomacy...
SCHOEN: Absolutely.
CROWLEY: ... does on the world stage. All right, guys...
SCHOEN: Absolutely.
CROWLEY: ... thank you so much. Happy Thanksgiving.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: All right, coming up, the liberal mainstream press continues to launch attacks against President-elect Donald Trump. It's only just begun! We're going to show you the latest example.
And later, after the outrage of fake news on social media, liberal journalists are pushing a very questionable story that claims voting machines may have been hacked and that Hillary Clinton likely won the election. Yes, you heard that right. We will have reaction to of all that and more as "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Well, the liberal media continues to take shots at President-elect Donald Trump, and like I said, it's only just begun. Last night on MSNBC, one reporter called out his transition process. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATY TUR, NBC CORRESPONDENT: This is a serious break from tradition...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
TUR: ... about how you take these cabinet positions and how you fill them. You do it behind the scenes. You do it with a lot of serious thought. You do it with a lot of planning.
Donald Trump is treating this, calling them finalists, tweeting about them, having them parade in and out of his Bedminster golf resort, also parading in and out of Trump Tower -- and talk about keeping people in suspense, he's treating it so far like it is one of his reality shows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Joining us now with reaction, psychology expert -- boy, do we need her! -- also radio host Dr. Gina Loudon, syndicated columnist and FOX News contributor Cal Thomas and reporter for The DailyCaller, Kerry Picket. Welcome to all of us.
Cal, let me begin with you. Do these elites in the media and elsewhere not understand that more they pile on Donald Trump, the more sympathy they create for him and the more support he receives?
CAL THOMAS, FOX CONTRIBUTOR: Well, they do, Monica. But you know very well, having worked for Richard Nixon, that bashing the media only gets you so far. Spiro Agnew made that famous speech written by the late William Safire, calling them "nattering nabobs of negativism, but that only hardened their resolve.
You mentioned something in the previous segment about success. I think success would be the best way to fire back at the press beginning, as he seems to be indicating he wants to do with the naming of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, who is very, very much pro-school choice, liberating these poor and minority students from their failing government schools.
Now, remember Trump got 7 percent more of the African-American vote than Romney did, and he is starting to resonate, I think, with the African- American community. That's the way to overcome the press, not just to bash them all the time. Trying to convert them, going to the New York Times building, going to have minimal, if any, success. These people will not change their minds about him no matter what happens.
CROWLEY: Kerry, I think there was something more interesting going on with Donald Trump's visit to the New York Times. building, as much as I love Cal. He went to -- he had the media come to him, television, and he read them the riot act in a very sort of diplomatic way. But they've never seen anything like this.
Then went to The New York Times building rather than have The Times come to him, which I thought was a very interesting gesture. It was meant to disarm them. Now, I do agree with Cal that that's not going to work with The Times or anybody else on the left. But there is always a method to what he is doing here. So at least he can turn to the American public and say, See, I tried to be magnanimous and gracious. I tried to work with them. And gosh golly, they just wouldn't meet me half way.
KERRY PICKET, DAILYCALLER: Indeed. And what's fascinating here is that the first move he made was when he brought all those media personalities in. He brought in their executives. And apparently tore them apart.
Now, we weren't supposed to know that. And somehow, it got leaked out to The New York Post. We don't know who leaked it, but somebody did. And so The New York Times thought, OK, we're going to get him and we're going to have him come to us. And the fascinating thing here was that even though, say, for example, with his view on, say, climate change, they said, Oh, look at this, he's back paddling on climate change. he's on our side now. And then all of a sudden, it turned out, not exactly. Apparently, he said, No, no, I'm open to both sides. And he was able to basically control the conversation.
The thing I'm a little concerned about, though, is that he's gotten so used to talking directly to the media through Twitter, when he gets to the White House, that's going to be taken away from him. The NSA is going to make sure of it.
CROWLEY: Well, we'll see. I don't know. He's not really one to give up his social media.
And to that point, Gina, I'd love your response on this because he has -- Donald Trump has created a whole new model. He's created a new electoral model. He's created a new coalition. He's created a new way of communicating.
And like Presidents Nixon and Reagan before him, he has discovered that the most effective way to get his message to the American people is to go over the heads of the elite media and take his message directly to them. And he's got a weapon. As Kerry just mentioned, he's got a weapon that Nixon and Reagan did not have, which is social media.
How do you think he's going to manage his critics going forward?
GINA LOUDON, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: You make such a great point here, Monica, and I'm glad you alluded to this because I think it's the psychology behind all of this, that media still has not caught onto in their elitist attitude. And it is this. They need him a lot more than he needs them. He proved that when he defeated 16 other capable and competent Republicans. He proved that when he defeated the best that the Democrat Party had to offer. And he proved that when he changed the way media is done, by engaging social media, by you know, letting the people who are presenting this fairly go ahead and present it fairly and do well.
If you look -- don't trust me on this. Nobody has to. Look at ratings of those who presented both sides fairly. You will see they are soundly defeating those who presented that biased, leftist media nation the whole way along. So it's all there for them to see if they just decide to open their eyes.
CROWLEY: Well, I'm not sure they ever will, Gina, but hope springs eternal. And I think Donald Trump just relishes keeping everybody off balance. So the next couple of years are going to be very interesting.
Guys, thank you so much. Happy Thanksgiving.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: And coming up next -- after the uproar over fake news stories on the Internet, some in the liberal media are pushing a baseless report that Hillary Clinton may have won the election because voting machines were hacked. Our panel will have reaction next.
And later, authorities are ramping up secure as nearly 50 million Americans travel for the Thanksgiving holiday. Catherine Herridge will be here with a report.
Also, we'll have reaction from Dr. Sebastian Gorka and James Rosen. All that and more as "Hannity" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: Welcome back to "Hannity." After Donald Trump's election victory the mainstream media and liberals, but I repeat myself, tried to claim that fake news stories were one of the reasons why he won. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the spread of fake news on the web help elect Donald Trump? We may never know for sure, but researchers are asking the question because made up false stories are polluting people's Facebook timelines and Twitter streams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2012 the fake news things wasn't as big a factor, but the reality that Facebook could actually throw an election has been well known for years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now growing concern these fake stories may have had real influence on voters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fake news infects the left and the right. I've seen Clinton supporters sharing fake links this week with election related conspiracy theories. But the evidence indicates this is more of a problem on the right, among some, not all, but some Trump supporters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: After creating that media fire storm, liberal journalists are now spreading a very questionable story that New York Magazine first reported. It claims that activists believe voting machines in three key swing states may have been hacked which is the reason why Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and is trailing in Michigan. The report also says that those activists are urging the Clinton campaign to demand recounts.
Joining us now with react is Reverend Darrell Scott who served as CEO for the National Diversity Coalition for Donald Trump, The Hill contributor Kristin Tate, and Fox News contributor Guy Benson. Welcome to all of you.
So, Guy, let me begin with you. Any reason for Donald Trump's victory except Donald Trump, his platform, and the fact that American people wanted change? The left simply cannot accept this, will not accept this. And they are reaching for so desperately and in such a deluded way for any way it try to derail Donald Trump's presidency.
GUY BENSON, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: That's right. And happy Thanksgiving, Monica.
CROWLEY: You too.
BENSON: This is preposterous. I read this story in New York magazine, and there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that this election was hacked or rigged. The numbers in Wisconsin carefully and consistently mirrored the numbers in Iowa and Minnesota, nearby states similarly situated among rural voters. And those are states with paper ballots. This is a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory on the left.
And you just played the whole montage there of the fake news panic that we have seen from much of the mainstream press. These are also some of the same people who had the vapors over Donald Trump talking about the election maybe being rigged, hedging on whether he would accept the results. They said this is tearing at the very fabric of our republic. And now many of those exact same people are turning about and saying she should contest this. This was stolen, based on zero evidence, and it's embarrassing.
CROWLEY: The left, Kristin, is so good at projection, accusing the other side of what they themselves are guilty of. To Guy's point, David Becker, who is the executive director of the Center for Election Innovative and Research told the Daily Beast today, not exactly a right wing website, that, quote, "There is zero evidence of tampering, zero." So where is the left going with this?
KRISTIN TATE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: They have nothing here. Another big complaint from the left is that Hillary won the popular vote. You know what, if you don't like the Electoral College, too bad. That's how we do elections in this country. And while left is sitting there having arguments about the popular vote they are completely clueless about why they lost this election. They don't -- they are clueless.
Hillary spent the time on the campaign trail pandering to rich donors on the coasts, completely ignoring the forgotten men and women in the heart of this country. She had the audacity to go on TV and say that, to brag about putting coal miners out of business. And she is now shocked that she lost Pennsylvania and Ohio. It's unbelievable. The Democrats need to do some real self-reflection and ask why they lost this election.
CROWLEY: And Reverend Scott to that point, a very famous former far left congressman, Barney Frank, giving a fascinating interview this week to the "New Yorker" magazine in which he said exactly that. He is calling his party into account. He's saying we've got to take a closer look at ourselves. Why have we lost the white working class vote? Why have we lost states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin? We've got to look at ourselves here.
And the other interesting thing he said is that Democratic Party has been inflexible on issues like environmental policy. Climate change is a bridge too far for Barney Frank. But the overall message here from Barney Frank is like I'm on the far left, but I still want to win. And guys, if we want to win in the future we have got to take a close look at ourselves.
REV. DARRELL SCOTT, NEW SPIRIT REVIVAL CENTER: Yes. I mean, the Democratic Party has eaten crow and now they are snacking on sour grapes and they've gotten bitter, so they are coming with these preposterous stories.
No one has been a victim of fake news stories more than Donald Trump. They scared off a number of minorities with these fake news stories like Donald Trump is shipping all the black people back to Africa. And Donald Trump is going to go house to house dragging immigrants out of their home. They promoted this fear that is over America now, and they projected that. And now they have withdrawn, but they left the fear out there.
Listen, you can't get upset about the Electoral College but you embrace the concept of the super delegate. Bernie Sanders never had a chance in those primaries because Hillary had the super delegates already in her boat. Now the new game in town is the blame game of blame the Russians. The DNC gets hacked, blamed the Russians. Hillary's e-mail get leaked, blame the Russians. Now they are blaming the Russians, I think they are giving the Russians more credit than they deserve. They need to just own up to the fact that American public has spoken and they've embraced the message of Donald Trump more so than the negativity of the liberal party.
CROWLEY: Absolutely. And that is a very promising development for the future of the country I think. But we also know that left, all indications are given this latest development, that they will make his life as president a holy hell. So we all have to be on guard. Guys, thank you very much. Happy Thanksgiving.
Coming up, federal officials are stepping up security as nearly 50 million Americans are traveling this weekend for Thanksgiving. Catherine Herridge is here with a full report.
Plus, we'll get reaction from Dr. Sebastian Gorka and James Rosen. Stay with us.
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CROWLEY: Welcome back to "Hannity." Federal officials are warning law enforcement agencies across the country about the potential for an ISIS terror take as more than 50 million Americans are traveling this year for Thanksgiving. Chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge has the latest on train travel. Catherine?
CATHERINE HERRIDGE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: For Amtrak, this is the busiest travel period of the entire year. They are expecting 750,000 passengers over the next five days, and the peak days are Tuesday, today, and Sunday. If you're at Washington's union station, many passengers said that they prefer trains to flying and they feel OK with the high level of security.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess I'm kind of neutral to it. I guess in a way it makes you feel a little bit more safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just mentioned that to my friends the increased security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just feel like it is less of target, so generally speaking it seems safer.
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HERRIDGE: If you're on the trains this weekend, you can expect to see these k-9 teams. Their specialty is explosive detection. They really have the ability to clear large groups of passengers quickly and efficiently. Amtrak told reporters this week that the security is high but it's really unchanged from what they had last year.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police are increasing presence along with local state and federal partners along with k-9s throughout the stations and on railways, right-of-way. That's typical for any holiday. We always would boost our efforts security wise.
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HERRIDGE: If you look closely this weekend you may see the special scanning technology that has ability to scan and entire crowd and look for suspicious devices. Homeland Security and the TSA also have a rule this weekend. They have these crisis response teams. They have a surge capacity. And they deal with terrorism as well as criminal activity.
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PETER NEFFENGER, TSA ADMINISTRATION: We will have our viper teams out. So those are our visible intermodal response teams. These are teams of teams of TSA law enforcement agencies at work, agents at work closely with local law enforcement. So you will see more of that. They will be running more of what they call rail safe operations where there is a visible presence in stations and terminals.
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HERRIDGE: Amtrak is advising all passengers to come at least a half hour in advance and to have photo ID because there will be spot checks throughout the journey. Monica?
CROWLEY: Catherine, thank you.
Joining us now with reaction, author of the bestselling book "Defeating Jihad," Dr. Sebastian Gorka. And editor of The New York Times bestseller, "A Torch Kept Lit, Great Lives of the 20th Century," chief Washington correspondent James Rosen. Both books, by the way, are brilliant and important and I recommend them to everybody who is watching tonight. Gentlemen, welcome. Sebastian, let me start with you. This is a most dangerous time. We have a weak outgoing president and our enemies will want to test the new incoming one. What are the issues that most concern you now during period of time?
DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA, AUTHOR, "DEFEATING JIHAD": Well, Monica, I'm most concerned with the change in tactics that we see ISIS following. Al Qaeda for more than a decade was obsessed with spectacle. Ironically 9/11 was so successful in killing 3,000 people in 102 minutes that they wanted WMDs, they experimented with chemical weapons in Afghanistan, they were looking for something even more spectacular. ISIS is far more pragmatic. They have taken a leaf out of the classic irregular warfare insurgent handbook, and they understand that for a low investment, with minimal low training, you can cause a lot of havoc and kill lots of people. The Nice attack is a classic example. One man with a truck, scores of people killed. So ISIS has gone back to basic, and a holiday like this one is so attractive to them because they are looking for high concentrations of unarmed civilians, and that is what you have on Thanksgiving.
CROWLEY: James, you cover the White House, the State Department, government agencies issuing these warnings. Is there anything about this particular one that feels different to you?
JAMES ROSEN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Sadly, no. In fact, a whole generation of Americans has come of age in September 11th has unfortunately had to grow accustomed to receiving these kinds of new terror threats and alerts and warnings to travelers abroad, particularly on the eve of big holidays. You'll recall that just before Election Day, the FBI warned residents in three states, Texas, I think, Virginia, and New York of possible terrorist activity connected to the election in those three states. It didn't materialize. That doesn't mean of course that we don't have to be vigilant.
But I'm reminded of a very grim New Yorker cartoon right after 9/11 where it showed the classic evolutionary sequence of a fish in the sea and then some beast that rises from the primordial ooze that starts to walk on two legs. And then the last panel in this cartoon showed modern man, a man in a grey flannel suit with a briefcase walking into a metal detector. And sadly I don't see us retreating from that new stage of our evolution any time soon.
CROWLEY: Yes. You know, Sebastian, we're all concerned about the threat of violent terror because it's urgent and immediate and life-threatening. But this threat is so much bigger than that. It's ideological. It's demographic. It's about the infiltration of the United States and the west. Does the president-elect understand that? And what is he prepared to do to fight it in that way?
GORKA: Oh, absolutely. If you listen to his national security speech from Philadelphia or his Gettysburg address, Donald Trump gets it. When he has people like Lieutenant General Mike Flynn around him, director of the DIA who wrote the book "Field of Fight," both of these gentlemen have said it's not just about killing terrorists. That's part of it. But the ultimate victory is when we take down the ideology.
Just look at the statistics. We've arrested or killed 124 people in America in last two and a half years linked to ISIS. The issue isn't poverty. It's not people growing up in refugee camps. These are Americans for the most part or immigrants that are successful. It's the ideology of global jihadism we have to destroy. And Monica, having met Donald Trump, having worked closely with General Flynn, I can tell you they get it and we will have a different approach come January 21st.
CROWLEY: Yes, I think a lot of Americans realized that when they went to the voting booth in September, that this president and the people around him understand the true nature of this threat and are prepared to fight this war the way it needs to be fought.
James, before I let you both go, I mentioned your book earlier. It is a brilliant and lovely compilation of William F. Buckley's greatest essays on some presidents and statesmen and rock stars like Jerry Garcia, Princess Diana. It's really lovely. Let me ask you this. William F. Buckley, who I knew a little bit, was perhaps the greatest conservative intellectual of our time. He was also quite mischievous. What do you think he would have made of the rise of Donald Trump? And what would be probably the one piece of advice he'd give to the new president coming in?
ROSEN: Well, it wouldn't be the most famous line Buckley ever uttered when he made a symbolic run for mayor of New York City in 1965. The press asked him, what will be the first thing you do if you win, Mr. Buckley? And he said demand a recount. I don't think he would have given that advice to Donald Trump.
He wrote critically of Donald Trump on one occasion. But then, again, William F. Buckley wrote critically of Hillary Clinton on a number of occasions. He had a motto which was always to support the most rightward viable candidate. And I don't think in this general election season anyway that he would have withheld that description from Donald Trump. That's just my surmise. In terms of advice --
CROWLEY: James, I'm sorry. I'm against a hard break.
ROSEN: You got it.
CROWLEY: Appreciate it.
ROSEN: Thank you.
CROWLEY: Sebastian Gorka, James Rosen, thank you.
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CROWLEY: That is all the time we have left this evening. We hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for being with us. I'm Monica Crowley in tonight for Sean. Have a great night.
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