Untitled Document

[00:00:00] Senator Lindsey Graham joins us now. [00:00:01] Senator, I can't believe it. I'm seeing [00:00:03] optimistic reports from China and from [00:00:07] our our our Jameson Greer as well as [00:00:09] Scott Besson about the framework of a [00:00:12] deal with China. How do you feel about [00:00:14] it? [00:00:15] >> Well, I'm pretty optimistic. Uh Scott [00:00:17] Besset, we we could not have a better [00:00:20] representative than Scott. So, what are [00:00:22] we trying to do? We're trying to have a [00:00:24] better trading relationship with China. [00:00:26] >> [clears throat] [00:00:26] >> Trump is really the first president uh [00:00:29] in my lifetime, be honest with you, who [00:00:31] stood up to China. They steal our [00:00:33] intellectual property. They dump steel [00:00:35] on the market below cost to drive us out [00:00:38] of the steel business. So Trump is [00:00:40] trying to level the playing field. He's [00:00:42] got a lot of tariffs on Chinese [00:00:43] products. But the goal is to come out [00:00:45] with a trade deal where we'll have [00:00:47] access to their markets, sell them [00:00:49] soybeans. Half the soybeans in America [00:00:52] are sold to China. but also to have a [00:00:55] deal that we can live with where they do [00:00:57] not cheat, to have a level playing field [00:01:00] and lower tariffs as much as possible in [00:01:03] a win-win situation. And the only reason [00:01:06] we're having this meeting and the only [00:01:07] reason we're optimistic about better [00:01:10] days ahead with China is because Trump [00:01:12] stood up to China. [00:01:14] >> So, quick thing, he's also asking China [00:01:16] to pressure Vladimir Putin to end the [00:01:17] war in Ukraine. And we do know that the [00:01:19] Chinese state-owned oil companies said [00:01:22] they are pausing purchases of seaborn [00:01:24] Russian crude. Okay, that's not zero, [00:01:27] but that shows they're responding to [00:01:29] something. [00:01:31] Yeah. The key to ending the war is that [00:01:34] Putin's economy is based on oil and gas. [00:01:37] So if you could reduce the revenues [00:01:39] coming from oil and gas sales by Russia, [00:01:42] you would knock him out of the game. [00:01:44] Well, the largest purchaser of Russian [00:01:46] oil is China. The top three are China, [00:01:49] India, and Brazil. What if one day Putin [00:01:51] got a call from all three countries and [00:01:54] said, "You need to go to the peace [00:01:55] table. This is now hurting us." That's [00:01:58] the way to end the war. So, by putting [00:02:00] sanctions on the two largest oil [00:02:02] companies in Russia, it's made dealing [00:02:05] with Russia by China more problematic. [00:02:08] You see uh China backing away from [00:02:10] refining Russian oil. You see the same [00:02:13] thing in India. But we need more of it. [00:02:15] One of the goals for me of this meeting [00:02:18] uh in China is for President Trump to [00:02:21] get the assistance of President Xi in [00:02:24] China to push Putin to the peace table. [00:02:27] I've always believed that if the Chinese [00:02:29] president called Putin and told him it's [00:02:32] time to end this war because you're [00:02:34] hurting my economy, my country now would [00:02:36] end. And I'm hoping that will happen. [00:02:39] >> Day 27 of the shutdown. And I see our [00:02:41] secretary of transportation Sean Duffy [00:02:43] warns of a record strain on air traffic [00:02:45] controllers yesterday in Los Angeles. [00:02:47] They pause flights because of air [00:02:49] traffic controllers. Is what's going to [00:02:51] end this thing? I This is the continuing [00:02:55] resolution. So in order to continue [00:02:57] negotiations, but Chuck Schumer walked [00:03:00] out on it. You've been through this so [00:03:01] many times, Senator. How does this end? [00:03:04] >> Well, I think it will end when enough [00:03:05] Democrats see what they're doing to the [00:03:07] country. I mean, flying is going to be [00:03:09] more difficult. This is not a good time [00:03:11] to have the government shut down with [00:03:13] the world uh as dangerous as it is right [00:03:15] now. So, I'm hoping that a group of [00:03:17] Democrats will see that the best way to [00:03:20] get a solution on healthc care is not to [00:03:22] shut down the government is to talk [00:03:24] Republicans with a government open. [00:03:26] We're not going to do a deal on health [00:03:28] care being held hostage by a government [00:03:30] shutdown. That's just not going to [00:03:32] happen. So, I hope there's a breakaway. [00:03:34] there's a group of senators on the [00:03:36] Democratic side who will see that this [00:03:39] is hurting them, hurting the country. [00:03:41] But one thing I'm going to do in the [00:03:42] future here and maybe even sooner, I [00:03:44] think in the future, every time we shut [00:03:47] down the government, no matter what [00:03:49] party does it, we should forfeit our [00:03:51] pay, not have it withheld. [00:03:53] >> All right. Lastly, [00:03:54] >> every week the government shut down, we [00:03:56] should lose a month pay. That would that [00:03:58] would really matter. [00:03:59] >> It would uh because you don't do this to [00:04:01] get rich. um you do this for service [00:04:03] being in two places you don't make a ton [00:04:05] of money 20 the other area I want to [00:04:07] bring up is what's going on with [00:04:08] Venezuela we're finally taking action in [00:04:11] our home he own hemisphere for the first [00:04:13] time in my lifetime but what we're doing [00:04:15] drug boats and the pressure that we're [00:04:16] putting on Maduro who's an illegitimate [00:04:19] leader of that country who lost election [00:04:22] 70-30 [00:04:23] is we're starting to pressure them but [00:04:25] Senator Ggo says the strikes on the drug [00:04:28] boats are not about national security [00:04:30] listen [00:04:31] If this president feels that they're [00:04:33] doing something illegally, then he [00:04:34] should be using the Coast Guard. If this [00:04:36] is an act of war, then you use our [00:04:38] military and then you come and talk to [00:04:39] us first. But this is murder. It's [00:04:41] sanctioned murder that he is doing. [00:04:43] >> Is that how you say it? Sanctioned [00:04:45] murder. [00:04:47] >> You know, I think that's one of the most [00:04:49] offensive and uninformed comments I've [00:04:52] ever I've ever heard coming from United [00:04:54] States senator. To the men and women in [00:04:56] uniform who are protecting us from narot [00:04:58] terrorist by blowing up these drug [00:05:00] votes. You're not committing murder. [00:05:02] You're following lawful orders. Uh this [00:05:04] is not the first time a president has uh [00:05:07] dealt with our backyard in your [00:05:08] lifetime. Brian, in 1989, President Bush [00:05:12] 41 went into Panama and took down Manuel [00:05:16] Nora, president of Panama for his ties [00:05:19] to drug trafficking. And he was an [00:05:21] indicted uh he wound up going to jail. [00:05:24] Uh so Madura in Venezuela has been [00:05:27] indicted as a drug dealer in US courts [00:05:30] as a safe haven for narot terrorist and [00:05:33] to say that we're engaging in murder is [00:05:35] just such an outrage. The president of [00:05:38] the United States is commander-in-chief [00:05:40] has the authority to do these strikes. [00:05:43] Nobody accused uh Bush of committing [00:05:45] murder when he invaded Panama to take [00:05:48] down Nora. Nobody accused uh Reagan of [00:05:51] murder when he went into Grenada to stop [00:05:53] Cuban influence growing in Grenada [00:05:55] threatening our backyard. So the [00:05:57] president has history on his side. He [00:05:59] has the constitution on his side. And to [00:06:01] my Democratic colleagues, you're [00:06:03] demonizing the people who are actually [00:06:05] conducting the military operations as to [00:06:08] an act of war. Congress has declared war [00:06:11] five times in 250 years. So when I hear [00:06:14] that the military can't be used by the [00:06:16] commander-in-chief unless Congress [00:06:18] declares war, it it just shows me how [00:06:21] ignorant these people are. Congress is [00:06:24] the only entity to put us in a state of [00:06:26] war. But since the War Powers Act of [00:06:29] 1973, commander-in-chiefs have used [00:06:32] military actions 130 times without any [00:06:35] congressional input. Right, [00:06:36] >> Senator? It's always to have you on. [00:06:38] Appreciate it. And thanks for setting [00:06:39] the table for us. It's going to be a big [00:06:41] week.