it is an honor to be here. joe biden has weakened america at home and abroad. the disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan, the war on energy, runaway spending that launch that was inflation in 40 years, crisis at our southern border and assault on our values and liberties. and the american people have had enough. i know we can bring it back. different times call for different leadership. the republican party owes the american people the choice. proven leadership. at the national level that knows how to move a conservative agenda forward. we proved in the trump/pence years we could turn this country around and i have faith we will again. because i have faith in the american people. the good decent hard-working faith filled idealistic people of this country and i have faith that god is not done with america yet. and if we will renew our faith in one another, and renew our faith in him, who has ever

guided this nation since we arrived on this -- these wilderness shores. another best days for the greatest nation on earth are yet to come. >> thank you. [applause] >> i was born in 1985 and i grew up into a generation where we were taught to celebrate our diversity and our differences so much that we forgot all of the ways we are really just the same as americans, bound by a common set of ideals that set this nation into motion in 1776 and this is our moment to revive those common ideals. god is real. there are two genders. fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity. reverse racism is racism. order border is not a border. parents determine the education of their children. the nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to man. capitalism lifts us up from poverty. there are three branches of government, not four.

and the u.s. constitution, it is the strongest guarantor of freedom in human history. that is what won a's the american revolution. that is what will win as the revolution of 2024. thanks for letting me in tonight. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> governor desantis. governor? >> this is. >> this is our time for choosing. we will send joe biden back to his basement and we will reverse the decline of this country. i'm a blue-collar kid. i were minimum wage jobs to be able to make things made. i understand the importance of the american dream and i know how that slipped away from so many millions of americans. we will restore it. i'm a veteran who served in iraq. i know what it means to put service above self. i'm also a dad and a husband. i understand the importance of protecting his parent's rights and the well-being of our children. in florida, we showed it could

be done. i made promises and i delivered on all of those promises. 2024's make or break. we are not getting a mulligan. no excuses. i will get the job done and as your president, i will not let you down. god bless you all. [cheers and applause] >> we want to say thank you. thank you to all the candidates on the stage tonight and thank you to milwaukee. >> thank you, everybody. we will see you on the campaign trail from the base to the primaries to the general election and the conventions before that. thanks for joining us. sean hannity from the spin room starts right now. >> take it away, sean. >> sean: great job. martha and rep. welcome to "hannity," the very first debate of the campaign is in the box. the election season is officially up and running and tonight, we are broadcasting live from the spin room. we are beautiful milwaukee wisconsin where in just a moment we will hear directly from the candidates themselves, florida governor desantis, it will be

joining us. vivek ramaswamy will join us. we will get reaction from trump supporters. but without a doubt, every single republican running, guess what, they are far more articulate and ethical than your current president. you know take a look at the compromised cognitive mess that is joe biden and tonight, that was more than very obvious and transparent. in case you missed it, here's how it all one down. take a quick look. ♪ ♪ >> we cannot succeed as a country if you are working hard and you can't afford groceries, a car, or a new home. hunter biden can't make hundreds of thousands of dollars on lousy paintings. now is our moment to start running to something. >> i have had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like chatgpt standing up here. [cheers and applause]

>> give me a hug just like it into obama. >> this is why margaret thatcher said if you want something done, ask a woman. >> the american people are the most faith filled freedom loving idealistic hard-working people the world has ever known. we just need government as good as our people. >> it is time for change in america. >> sean: who are tonight's winners and losers? fox news contributor kellyanne conway, former trump white house chief of staff former rnc chairman reince priebus, all right, not our first rodeo. the thing that stood out without getting into the specifics who won or lost, we will let everybody at home make those decisions. what really stood out to me is what a contrast. this party is to this guy in the white house. i don't care if it is borders. i don't care if it is ukraine. i don't care if it is energy. i don't care if it is law and order, foreign policy on every

single issue, america is going to have a choice election here. that and i think one thing they agreed on, america is in decline under joe biden. >> kellyanne: they had made the case and they were not making the case as strongly, sean. to make yourself electable, you have to transport yourself in a split screen against joe biden. and you take him on all these issues. there's no major public policy issue right now that is tested routinely where joe biden's approval rating is above water. he can't point to anyone issue and say that is my signature accomplishment. to say nothing of his personal attributes and in addition to the policy issues, every single republican on the stage tonight and president trump was not there. they have higher personal attributes than joe biden, meaning cares about people like me, it has a plan for the country. has the mental agility. >> sean: showing really empathy towards the people of maui after saying, no comment. i don't want to be a distraction on the ground.

and he does nothing on the ground to distract from. >> kellyanne: the democrats even find eight people to be on the stage tonight? i mean, this is all the -- trump is beating every single one of them. and they are running for number two. i think nick he is going to get a second look from some people based on some stuff on abortion. and i like what she said that you don't demonize or punish women. that is important that we have to save babies and servicewomen. the people are maga people rooting for trump. mike pence's aggressive. chris christie did his i'm a seasoned debater there. i think desantis held his own. he did not have time to differentiate himself. but he delivered in a different way than he usually -- >> sean: i ti think he had a stg open. when i do my audience shows, i will poll them every night and those that like prison term, they also like desantis and i

think -- >> reince: and i think they are -- where they -- where they are going to win or lose, this debate is going to be in this room right behind us and every one of them had a moment. every one of them can clip something that they have said, one-liner, their position on something that they are going to use to attract voters, attract many. and look, as you were saying before, joe biden is not just doing a horrible job as president but the proof is in the putting. he is 20 points were today in his approval rating that he was in 2020. so when people debate, well, who can beat joe biden? can trump beat joe biden? can desantis beat joe biden? joe biden is 20 points worse in this election comes onto 100,000 votes in five states. that is it. we are talking razor-thin margin in your -- >> sean: and a state of wisconsin will be critical. if there's any republican that will have a chance at winning the presidency, always have to run the table. wisconsin is a big part of that equation. >> and -- >> reince: and wisconsin was won

by less than -- it comes down to about 20,000 votes. and i think this debate tonight was a great debate. every one of these folks are better than joe biden. unfortunately, i also think and it is a little harsh to say, and i didn't want it this way. i wanted donald trump to be here. but i think he probably made the right decision after seeing tonight because tonight -- >> sean: why do you say that? >> reince: because i think it looked like a -- an undercard debate and i think that not having the prizefighter i think not having donald trump on that stage took down the temperature a little bit and made it a little us, i think, attractive. and i think that he probably made the right decision. >> sean: the other candidates, let's be honest, this guy is sucking up 95% of the oxygen of the entire campaign. they should have been happy that this was a moment for them to get their opinions across and

introduce themselves like in the case of vivek ramaswamy. >> reince: but who is going to take a percentage of the vote after tonight? maybe they can do it. maybe taking spin it. the question is and this is just honest. donald trump is at 55%. what percentage of that 55% or one of these other people going to take from him? >> kellyanne: that is the question here, sean. he has got these four different indictments. he was not here in the debate. if the polls don't move appreciably after this, it is hard to know what any of them can do to effectuate it. now, i was like you. i wanted president trump to come to the debate. i believe in direct democracy. they wanted to hear from him. of the points of this debate was to introduce yourself to the voters who don't know you, he is the most prosperous -- popular, political person on the planet. and number two, he has got a whole record of accomplishment.

mike pence tried to say these are the trump/pence accomplishments. i think it was smart at the end for him not to, because he does play proved his apartment. that without him, without him, it is not as exciting. it is not as animated. and you know what? jeri lynne, they all talked a good game against him and they hardly laid a glove on him today. they will pretend. they did not because they know that in attacking from, you are alienating his voters but you can't do that. >> sean: and that is a big part of the base. we are at an inflection points for the country. how does america reconcile and i think this is really key. how do you reconcile securing the borders or joe's policies of he will lead in maybe 8 million illegal immigrants. how do you reconcile climate alarmism with the belief that we should be energy independent and energy dominant? how do you reconcile law -- line order versus define and dismantle the police? how do you reconcile school choice versus, you know,

catering to the teachers unions or foreign policy in ukraine. i don't see middle ground. one side is going to win in november in 2024. one side is going to lose. >> reince: right, and we are living in a zero-sum game in politics where moving 40, 50,000 votes in five states is a difference between winning or losing the entire electoral college. we have become a country in playing ping-pong between republicans and democrats and complete can put those republican control back and forth. and it is like night and day. the other thing is that division is very profitable in america as long as you are dividing you are making money and when -- and unity is a loser unfortunately. and that is where we are. it is a very divided country and i don't know how to fix it. >> kellyanne: i'm glad drnc has -- i'm glad president trump is endorsed. >> sean: the next thing you have to do is ballot harvesting game.

great to see you both. i love the people in your state. by the way, we, we will be talking to a lot of the candidates in just a moment. but first, more reaction we bring in the host of the ingraham angle, the band is back together. one and only laura ingraham. you know, i was watching you. and he said something i have always believed that debates are often about moments and i thought at different times, most of the candidates had a moment tonight. what did you think? >> laura: i agree with you, sean. starting with sort of backwards, i think nikki haley was the best establishment candidate. she had some visitors. but was it good enough to kind of justify for most of the electorate? a lot more money than ukraine probably not. i think in the end, i mean, christie is always the best talker. but actually connecting with republican electorate is desantis and vivek ramaswamy.

after the end of this whole debate, did any of them really, you know, and make the case to the american people that they are better, they would be better than trying to win the nomination? i think that is a hard one. you know? having moments that is one thing. but actually having a record to run on and say, i did this when i was president, the only one who comes close is desantis and i think he got better as the night went on, he started off maybe a little too stern. as the night got on the night went on, i think he got better and better. so i think desantis and the fake and the pylon on vivek ramaswamy with nikki haley and chris christie, i thought that -- >> sean: let me ask you this. i thought his opening answer was very powerful and that is, this is a nation in decline. that to me kind of set the tone of the light and that is, okay, all, most of the people with the exception of chris christie or a

circuit most of the guys on this stage would point this country in a totally different direction with conservative policies that would benefit every american. >> laura: you are right, sean. obviously this is a republican primary, though, right? so there are differences in the republican party. the old establishment, more represented by someone like mitch mcconnell. he is a very smart senator. he has done a lot of great things. what is he the future of the party? probably not. so again, vivek and ron desantis with incredible record as governor, those two men to me stood out as really the potential future of the party. is it enough to overcome trump? i'm kind of with, you know, previous panel. i think that is going to be pretty tough. maybe things will change. but again, i think vivek coming out and just taking on everyone on that stage, that is pretty

gutsy. maybe some people were annoyed by it. but i thought it was pretty gutsy. i enjoyed it. i thought it was a fantastic event tonight. >> sean: i thought it added to the flavor of it, for sure. >> laura: you bet. i enjoyed it. and i like just talking to you. >> sean: i miss you attacking me every day. >> laura: thanks for putting on the type of amis, sean. from good to see you. thanks for pointing it out as usual. joining us right here in the spin room, the man in the middle of the stage tonight, florida governor ron desantis. governor, how are you. good to see you? >> good to see you. >> sean: laura was saying she thought you got stronger throughout the night. about your open was particular strong and a message that most americans believe. this is a nation in decline. then you went into america first policy. >> then you talked about ukraine. you know? we are not securing our borders. why are we spending all of that money when europe won't even step up? >> look, i think the nation is in decline. but this decline is a choice.

and we are going to make this choice over the next 18 months. we can reverse the decline. we can restore america. and i think it is similar to the 1970s when jimmy carter was president. a lot of people said it was an age of limits. america was going to be able to be great again and ronald reagan had a different idea. so that is just i think with the average american is seen in their daily lives. and so in some respects, we can point of all the bad things and there's a lot of bad things. but i am optimistic that it can be done, you know why? because we did it in florida. everything i laid out in florida, we accomplished in the state has bloomed. we can do the same thing for the u.s. >> sean: okay, so that was a big part of your team today. this is florida. 2018, you had a pretty close race. i was down in florida covering those covering that race as you know. and then you come back and four years later, you win by a record million 1/2 votes. that would be, i was sick, validation for your governing skills for the state. and you kept talking about, i will not let you down.

explain. >> well, a look. i think that there's a lot of people that get i like that. they overpromise, under deliver. when times get really tough, there's a lot of people that are not going to stay in the fire. and what i did in florida, particularly during covid, making sure the kids could be in school, protecting everyone's businesses. >> sean: our kids were back in school in august of 2020. >> but when i stand my ground for you, you can take that into the back. i'm not going to back down. i have taken on the left and the democrats and the media. and we have beaten all those people. and i think that in florida, part of the reason i did so well this is because people, they knew where i stood and they knew, look, if the governor says he is going to do something, he is going to do it. he does not just make idle promises. so i think that is the same thing as president. i'm campaigning on a bold agenda. but i am not saying anything that i don't intend to follow through with. and so when i talk about using the military to take on the drug cartels because they are telling tales of thousands of our

citizens, we have every right to do it. i am going to do it. are not going to get a not -- so people are -- should know that. now is the time to get it done. i think our country, if we get another four years of this, i don't know if we can -- >> sean: i really don't think so i would be negligent if i would not ask you. i asked this question of donald trump. i said, you and governor desantis, i said, because you guys are friends. he did support you. >> i supported him. i mean, i support him in 2016 obviously and then in 2020, they really relied on me to do a lot and for their car was more money than him than any elected official in the country. i mean kyriq, you know, 10, $15 million and we worked really hard to make sure that florida election ran really well. we have the best election integrity in the country. treatment by the way, there were two points when it was not the best, right? >> and we got it done. and so the thing is, i mean, and though he attacks me a lot now. but that is just, you know, when i started to get steam for reelection, he came out and

started digging me. that is fine. i don't think he should do that. but it is what it is. but i do -- >> sean: i did ask him what happened and he did say, i supported him. he felt it was disloyal. did you ever respond to that? no, here is the thing. i'm loyal to my family, the constitution and the lord, our god. i work with other politicians to advance a common agenda. but nobody is entitled to be endorsed or supported. you have got to earn that. and i wouldn't mind you, he started attacking me before i even got in. before i even got reelected, he started to do it. so that is fine. at the end of the day, we are going to do are going to do what we need to do. >> sean: plus -- let's ask about the controversial issue of abortion. and you signed a six-week bill. the heartbeat bail. now, look, i don't think anybody really anticipated roe v. wade would be overturned. right? it had been a matter of law. >> most republican justices have let us down over the years, even when dobbs was pending, a lot of people said, cavanagh, are they

going to do it. so they didn't do it. >> sean: it is when -- an issue that one back to the states. do you support this as a state issue? >> what i have said is, one, the heartbeat bill, i am proud of. it was the right thing to do. the reality in our country right now is advancing it is bottom up. that is the reality based on kind of the demographics of the public opinion. and whatnot. and so you are not going to have wisconsin do what texas has done just like iowa is going to be different than new hampshire. that is just where we find ourselves. and so, you know, i'm going to b -- >> sean: should federally there be a standard. >> look, if there's something to prevent late-term abortions, that has been done before. i mean, obviously, as a pro-life person, i'm going to support that. >> sean: you pointed that out. i think there is an extreme lack radical left wing position the government should not get in that room with a patient and a

woman and okay, so that position basically is you can have an abortion up until that moment of birth. >> and democrat politician, if you ask them when does the child get protection, nine months, they will not give an answer. but when we points out, the corporate media, the liberal media, they run interference for the democrats. they attack us for being proactive and then they go to the democrats and act like the democrats are taking very, very extreme -- are not taking very, very extreme positions. >> sean: i thought that went over really well. >> we need that naturally. the cities are war zones and some of the places. and it is all because of leftist ideology. any place this ideology has been put in, those cities are failing. i'm going to clean it up as president. robin looking forward? >> yes, we got to get the day and then you. >> sean: we are working on the venue. one little piece of the puzzle left and i think we will get it done.

i did not want to bother him this week. governor, great to see you. i appreciate you being all on. one of the candidates, took a lot of heath wright, a newcomer to republican party. self-described outsider. take a look. >> let me just address a question that is on everybody's mind at home tonight. who the heck is this skinny guy with a funny last name and what is he doing in the middle of this debate stage? i'm not a politician. you are right about that. i'm an entrepreneur. my parents came to this country with no money 40 years ago. i have gone on to found multibillion dollar companies. i did it while marrying my wife, raising our two sons, following our faith in god. that is the american dream. and i am generally worried that that american dream will not exist for our two sons and their generation unless we do something about it. and i do think it is going to take an outsider. we have professional politicians who have been running from something. now is our moment to start

writing to something. -- running in to something, to our vision of what it means to be an american today. you don't turn over the keys to the people who broke it again. you handed over to a new generation to fix the problem. that is why i'm in this race and we are just getting warmed up. >> sean: all right, the facts ramaswamy. i was calling you -- >> it is like cake. >> sean: you should have told me. i did not do it on purpose. it was interesting tonight. i thought you were in an interesting position. he brought a lot of energy and a smile and you seem to be having fun up there. i'm the only one on stage not bought and paid for, ouch. that the they were coming at you pretty good. christie said, okay, you know, compared to barack obama. a guy with a long last name and liberal, you know, obviously. >> and i have encouraged chris

christie to give me a hug. good luck charm for barack obama. he rarely is everybody on the stage had been on a debate stage before. this is my first time in a political debate. and i am thrilled with how it came out. we over exceeded my expectations. frankly even trump as an outsider i think his second debate was a lot better than his first. frankly, this went -- >> sean: one of the reasons is you are very media savvy. you have warm enticing personality. a big smile. politicians don't smile enough. they need. they need to smile more. >> i'm not a politician. and honestly, it was fun. >> sean: you are now officially a politician. >> six months. okay. officially, i'm going to have to cringe. i think sean is going to take an outsider. i don't think whether it is ending the war in ukraine, whether it is reviving the economy and the war that i really do want to fight is the war on the administrative state and the shadow government here at home. that is not going to happen from somebody who comes from a super pac class. is not going to come from

somebody who comes with the historical republican party. it is going to take an outsider. the other thing that i think is important is that we are skating on thin ice. this has to be a moral mandate. this cannot be another 50.1 election. and i'm in this race to build a multiethnic working-class majority like reagan did. this has to be a landslide, young, old, black, white, hispanic, man, woman, it does not matter. i'm running this campaign that way. we going to the southside of chicago to kensington and the inner city of philadelphia. where republican candidates are told not to go in a primary. but the reality is that is why i don't mention republicans and democrats on the stage. and i'm a little different from the other candidates here because everybody else was focused on joe biden. and i think joe biden is a disastrous president. but i think the way we went on a landslide is we have to offer an independent vision of our own. and the more we do that, the more likely to we are to win. >> sean: there were a few shots. on-the-job training.

you don't have that back when. the experience. you have an impressive personal story, talking about your parents. my parents, my mom was a prison guard. my dad waited tables and was a family -- >> look where you are now. from and by the way, they don't believe it and they are in heaven. but mom thought i would be on the other side of the present. >> i think it is a remarkable story. the fact that your story -- >> sean: that is the american story. >> the extraordinary thing about our stories is they are not out of the norm. they are normal in the united states of america. >> sean: are you confident that you can convince the american people that, you know what? i have got enough experience. that can take care of this country's needs. >> yes, and that is my job in this race. this was the first chance that i really have to introduce myself directly to the people and i believe i will be the next nominee. i believe i will win the general election in a landslide that reunites this country. and i do think it is going to

take -- >> sean: what you parting the bidens? >> no. it depends on -- i want to be them. right? the real heart of the problem with joe biden and hunter biden is that i believe they are selling off our foreign policy to make money. and if that is proven in a court of law, they should be in prison probably for the rest of their life. but i don't want to be them to so i will let -- i want to see an impeachment proceed and if they are convicted in a court of law, absolutely they deserve full punishment for that. and the facts look pretty ugly to me as they stand. >> sean: vivek, anytime i miss pronounce your name, you have every right to expect me. but i appreciate your good sense of humor. >> thank you. when another candidate with some powerful moments tonight, tsakalakis senator tim scott. take a look at. >> we should be asking ourselves a bigger question about the weaponization of the department of justice. when i'm president of the first thing i will do is fire merrick garland. the second thing i will do, fire christopher wray because we need lady justice to the wear a

blindfold without that no one has confidence in our justice system. 17% of republicans have confidence in our department of justice. here is why. we keep seeing not only weaponization of the department of justice against political opponents, but also, against parents who show up at school board meetings. they are called domestic terrorists. from and joining us no senator tim scott. the senator, from the great state of south carolina, how are you get my phone? barbara grant to see lindsay is not here. >> thank god. >> sean: that is true. you are on the stage tonight. but how did you feel? >> i felt really good. i wanted to have a conversation, an adult conversation about why america -- but she has done for me. we need to focus on restoring hope, creating opportunities and protecting america. we do not spend enough time talking about the challenge we have at our southern border. we do not talk about the

challenges that we have with china. it is not the district of china. it is the weakness of biden that is the problem that we face as a nation. we need to dig into some of the most important consequential issues facing the american people. and not have a food fight on the stage. >> sean: you know, one of the things that stood out to me as a method of which i often make that on average, average american household is paying nearly $10,000 more for the same items that they were paying when donald trump left office on january, one 20th, of -- >> you are 100% right. >> sean: my point is, didn't have 61% of americans living paycheck to paycheck and you have $54,000 average american debt. how do you climb out from under that? bare necessities, people throwing it on their credit cards, that is real suffering and a lot of it is self-induced because of biden's energy and economic policy. >> absolutely. we have to know that energy

security is national security. but it is also one of the parts of my 10 million new jobs made in america plan where we can have 3 million new jobs in the energy sector. america would be the leading country on earth if we had a president who believed in our national energy resources. if we had that, we would rise to the top because we have more energy when you add oil, gas, and coal. listen, africa, india, are going to continue to see the carbon footprint explode because they have tons and tons of people living in poverty. why not use our resources to meet their needs and create passes -- >> sean: gas is going back up to four dollars a gallon. okay. 11 month high and donald trump and his years as president, it never went above three dollars a gallon. never reached three dollars a gallon. >> in december of 2020, in south carolina, the gas price was a

dollar and 99 cents. >> sean: those are called to good old days, right? those are the good old days. >> we can get them back, though. we have to have a president who believes in our own energy resources. >> sean: so you talked about firing director wray. you talked about merrick garland and getting rid of him. you said we will get rid of no irs agents. we will hire them for the border. >> absolutely. >> sean: now, do you believe that our department of justice and our fbi have been politicized and weaponized? what are the main reason you would fire them? >> 100% they have been weaponized. we know now that lady justice no longer confined the line for. when you watch what this department of justice has done against political opponents, you would consider that unethical and immoral. when you think about what it has done to her parents just showing up and saying, i want my child educated, not indoctrinated, you would call this department of justice immoral. when you see a swat team showed up at a pro-life activists home with guns drawn, you call that

immoral, irresponsible, and unacceptable. but we know as americans, we must trust our department of justice. it is un-american and and unacceptable to see what joe biden, merrick garland and christopher wray has done to the doj and most importantly, to the american people's confidence in the department of justice. >> sean: by the way, i want to admit publicly that when we had a throwing contest that you throw further to me. that is just not going to come out of my mouth. >> absolutely not. roman senator, always good to see you. appreciate it. senator scott was not the only candidate. on the stage tonight. take a look. >> we have got to get these kids reading. if a child, right by a third rate, they are four times less likely to graduate high school. so we need to make sure we bring an reading remediation all over this country. we need transparency in the country because parents should never have to wonder what is being said or talked to their children in the classroom. parents need to be deciding which schools their kids go to

her because they know best and let's put vocational classes back into the high school. let's teach our kids to the building things again. [cheers and applause] when we do that, we allow that innovation. that is when it will get back and yes, i will always say, i'm going to fight for girls all day long because strong girls become strong women. strong women become strong leaders and biological boys don't belong in the locker rooms of any of the girls. >> sean: alburgh, joining us no former south carolina governor nikki haley is with us. the governor great to see you. if you have fun out there tonight? >> i did have fun. it was great. >> sean: what a difference between policies and joe biden and everybody on that stage make one thing you had in common. there were a couple of things that you did in this debate that really interested me. is you kind of went against some of the party's main positions on the issue of abortion, first of all, you said women, if you want something done, so you really don't trust meant to the topic

is that true? i'm getting. >> no. >> sean: that was a famous margaret thatcher quote. that was well said. on the issue of abortion, i think from a political sense, i find myself in agreement with you. i look at the state of pennsylvania and mastriano lost by nearly 16 points. no exceptions for rape, incest, or the mother's life. it is an untenable political position. i support a large organization that gives expectant moms free or the ultrasounds. i just bought some ultrasound machines for them because i believe in it. however, it is a hard issue for me and it gets in the realm of politics. it is problematic for republicans if they are going to be very rigid. >> and i am unapologetically pro-life and i told the story of my husband and my children. i want to save as many babies as we can and i want to support as many moms as we can. but i don't judge women who are pro-choice anymore than i want them to judge me for being

pro-life. so let's figure out how we're going to support so many babies as we can put all of that it is back in the hands of the people. that is where it should be. we want to continue to happen. but when it comes to a federal bill, i think there is a place for that. but we have got to do it where we understand it takes 60 senate votes and a house majority. so let's stop demonizing the issue and let's humanize the issue because it is personal for every woman and every man and we have to start talking about it that way. >> sean: so donald trump was not there and i would take as a candidate, it is an opportunity. it does take up a lot of oxygen in the room. everybody knows that. and he commands that and obviously, he is the person. you are the only person that i heard, well, chris christie and asa don't count because that seems to be their entire platform to me. but you said you don't think the party can win with him. using joe biden in his current cognitive state can beat him? >> i mean, how sad is that? but i will tell you first of all those. >> sean: if you believe that?

>> i believe you're going to have donald trump is going to sprint more time in a courtroom next year, not through anything outside of their organizing government against him. today -- he is going to sprint more time in a courtroom that he is campaigning. i served with him. i agree with him on most issues. and he is my friend. but the reality is, we cannot afford joe biden. >> sean: john durham's report said operation crossfire hurricane and never should have been over. he also said that not one thing in the steel dossier can be proved. that was three years ago. >> i agree with all of that. >> sean: okay, how much of the charges against him do you believe are political, that it is persecution, not prosecution and that it is abuse of power and a weaponization of our justice system? >> it is all political. it is all weaponization, all of that. but the fact remains that he has got five court cases next year. his going to start in the early part of january. he has another one. trump if they can do that to one, they can do it to all. >> it is why we have to win because we have to make sure

that this weaponization stops but it is why we have to claim the department of justice. it is why we have to claim house. it is why this matters. we will use another term as the reason we have got to clean up washington. but you can't clean up washington if the returns is fighting issues of the past. we need a young generational conservative that is going to go and queen of what they have done to her daughter but also carry our country forward. roman governor, always great to see if you. >> thank you so much. >> coming coming up, former vice president mike pence will join us live from the spin room. more reaction to first gop presidential debate as we continue. thank you for being with fox and "hannity." ♪ ♪

let innovation refunds help with your erc tax refund so you can improve your business however you see fit. rosie used part of her refund to build an outdoor patio. clink! dr. marshall used part of his refund to give his practice a facelift. emily used part of her refund to buy... i run a wax museum. let innovation refunds help you get started on your erc tax refund. stop waiting. go to innovationrefunds.com you really got the brows. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone.

in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. ask your health care provider about the ozempic® tri-zone. you may pay as little as $25.

this is your summer to smile. to raise your glass and reconnect. to reel in the fun and savor every bite. to help you get ready your aspen dental team is celebrating 25 years of affordable care with an epic summer of smiles event. don't miss enjoying a moment, with our onsite labs to help you, fast, and 20% off your denture care. so, whether you need a new look or a quick fix, you can celebrate with a smile all season— always at aspen dental. book today.

salonpas lidocaine flex. a super thin, flexible patch with maximum otc strength lidocaine that contours to the body to relieve pain right where it hurts. and did we mention, it really, really sticks? salonpas, it's good medicine.

here's why you should switch fro to duckduckgo on all your device duckduckgo comes with a built in engine like google, but it's pri and doesn't spy on your searches and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooki and creepy ads that follow you a from google and other companies. and there's no catch. it's free. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you around showing the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today.

♪ ♪ >> sean: in 2020, my -- vice president mike pence demolish kamala harris. so how did he do tonight against his fellow republicans? let's take a look. >> you asked earlier, who is the most best prepared for this job? and i must tell you with all due respect, all of my friends on the stage, and even though probably looking on, the god question really, i'm the best prepared, the most tested, the most qualified and proven

conservative in this race. was a leader in the congress of the nine states. island indiana where we balanced budgets and had a aaa bond rating. when i was governor. and as vice president of the united states, we spent running into backfill on the military cuts of the obama administration and then we were there in the verse pandemic in 100 years. >> sean: here with us now former vice president mike pence. mr. vice president, how are you? good to see you again. thank you for being here but you know, the best prepared, most tested, and then you have to exchange with vivek and it was over this issue. you actually said it is not time for on-the-job training. now time for a rookie. and called him out when he said and quoted him saying that a president can't do everything. write back. >> sean: well, i mean, he is a flashy. he has a great smile, very personal, obviously successful. not ready.

that is your take? >> well, that is part of my take. look, i was glad to be on that stage. i thought bret and martha did a good job. >> sean: i do, too. >> but look. this country is in serious trouble right now. i mean, joe biden's disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan has unleashed the enemies of freedom around the world. and at the same company, he has been cutting military spending. he threw open the southern border of the united states. we have the worst crisis in border history. it has now created the worst inflation in 40 years. mortgage rates reached a 21 year high last week. and the study is assault on our values and our core liberties, religious freedoms, this is no time for on-the-job training. the reason that my wife and i after much fervor stepped into this race sean because as i told

you before, it is because when we look at the blessings we have had in our life, where i was a leader among house conservatives for 12 years, i actually, we moved the deficit reduction act when george bush was president. it was last time we had a meaningful cut in government spending on the books in history. are balanced budget. i could taxes. we achieved record employment and then, you know, i was a leading voice for the conservative agenda in the trump/pence administration. an illustration, i'm incredibly proud of. under there was some criticism of our record. try to get in on it a couple of times to defend a record. but look, to me, my message is that i say with great humility, when i look at the challenges facing america, and i look at the experiences we have had, i'm simply the most experienced, proven, tested, conservative in this field. and it is that kind of experience conservative leadership that is going to be required to return this country around. >> sean: if you look at the issue of borders, if you look at

the issue of energy independence, if you look at the issue of american foreign policy, law and order and on so many of these issues, and you guys got hit with a pandemic. you know? the worst one in 100 years. >> right. >> sean: and i think that it through everyone through a loop. and nobody in the beginning knew anything. let's be honest. and i think everyone was just flailing around a little bit and trying your best to communicate understand the magnitude of what we were dealing with here. that certainly, up to that point, record low unemployment for every single democrat -- demographic in the country and achieve energy independence and beat the caliphate and a lot of success there. a lot of great deals. >> trying to get back to a little bit non-covid after governor desantis, you know, lines about that. and he is entitled his opinion. but he is not entirely his own fax when i was tapped two months into that task force, to lead to

what has coronavirus task force, our focus was to save lives. to make sure healthcare workers at the testing in the resources to support and ultimately the vaccines that would see our nation to this. we spun up support for families and businesses and paycheck protection and there was an enormous invention -- investment in that. i believe that is what government is for. you know, when the roof falls in, when hard times strike a nation, that is what you have to balance a budget. that is what you have to be on a solid physical foundation. one of the things we never talked about tonight was we have in national debt the size of our nation's economy today. so the first time since world war ii and i was the first one and willing to step up and say, look, as president of the nine states, i'm going to say to over -- everybody over the age of 40, no changes in medicare. i want to have conversation. joe biden's policy is in insolvency and candidly, my

former running mate's policy is identity -- identical to joe biden. i had to call the back on that, he said he was not going to do anything about the national debt social security and medicare reform because he said -- >> sean: a president can't do everything. >> a president can't do everything. and i was in the building. i was in the hallway. i was in the oval office for 4 years, almost every day. presidents don't get to choose. you have to look at those crazies in the eye and saw them and i will. >> sean: vice president pence, thank you. more now. ♪ ♪ [ applause ] the day you get your clearchoice dental implants changes your struggle with missing teeth forever. it changes how you eat, how you feel,

and how you enjoy life. it changes your smile and how others smile at you. clearchoice network doctors have changed over 100,000 lives with dental implants, and they can change yours, too. because a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation.

listen up, you dogs with allergic itch! today's talking lesson is just one word: apoquel. ap--o--quel. ♪ you can't teach your itchy dog to talk...

...so, talk to your vet about apoquel. apoquel is for the control of allergic itch in dogs. do not use apoquel in dogs with serious infections. apoquel may increase the chances of developing serious infections... ...and may cause existing parasitic skin infections or pre-existing cancers to worsen. new neoplasias have been observed. i'm glad we speak the same language. ask your vet for apoquel. hi, i'm sharon, and i lost 52 pounds on golo. i realized i needed to make a change when i looked in the mirror and did not recognize myself.

i saw the golo commercial and i liked how they weren't actors. they just seemed like people that were just happy with themselves and had true results. since being on golo, i truly feel like i'm back to the best me i can be. try golo. it worked for me, and i'm real. (soft music) ( ♪ ♪ ) from the mountains, to fruited plains, and flooded timber. this is hunting country. this is our country. time to get ready for the season during the fall hunting classic at bass pro shops and cabela's. save on great gear with our low-price guarantee. and for a limited time, get inflation buster pricing on select tracker offroads - plus club members receive special financing. only at bass pro shops and cabela's.

♪ ♪ >> sean: all right, welcome back to "hannity." we are in the spin room,

following the first gop presidential primary debate here with more on today's event, desantis campaign surrogate and texas congressman chip roy. surrogate florida congressman byron donalds and fox news contributor ari fleischer. i have no idea who he is supporting. that helps to be the neutral voice. the funny thing is, i know we are all best friends. and you agree on a lot of stuff. you have taken a different position in the primary. >> i'm happy to be here. >> sean: we would have rather have a role. >> we will get there. we can still lock arms. we do it every day. look, i'm proud to endorse ron desantis and i think he showed why he is the clear leader. i think he was the clear winner of the debate. he showed his track record in florida is something that the american people can get behind because they are frankly sick of the noise. there's a lot of noise on that

stage. ron desantis was the guy who was standing up there and served in the military. and showed that he believes that this is a country and the client and that the florida blueprint will provide a path for us to get this country back. >> trace: vyron -- >> trace: bi-ban. >> i love my friendship but i don't know what he is talking about. fine was not good enough for this moment. he has to be dynamic. all the bickering back and forth. and a lot of the candidates, some of them had really good points. the governor was good. but he was not dynamic and he has to be dynamic because the elephant, the true elephant in the room is donald trump. he is massively ahead and all the policy has shown that donald trump did it. he did it once. he can do it again. is still the leader in this entire race. >> sean: he is going to be arraigned tomorrow. this is the fourth time and i believe, you know, our

political, or doj has been weaponized. politicized, all that is true. we have a president now. we have the joe biden bribery and money laundering scandal allegations that i believe are the walls are, you know, closing in on the entire family enterprise but my question is, you know, how much does that impact the race in a view? >> i think in our primary process, what it is really doing is it is going to continue to galvanize support amount donald trump. >> sean: i have been in this 34 years. it defies all conventional, political -- >> it defies conventional political wisdom and political wisdom in our country for a long time has been flat wrong. what has been is the people are realizing we have a two-tiered system. this is not working. if they are going to go after donald trump like this, they will do it to everybody. >> i100% agree with that. as bradbard pointed out, the elephant in the room is not going to be there in the reagan

library. ron desantis shows up. parent talked about the track record success. the governor's track record of success in florida is something these candidates did not want to run against because they are so proud of what he did in florida and how that is the model for america. >> trace: let me -- >> trace: let me bring re, the neutral voice. >> my job is to call it as i see it and i think ron desantis had the strongest night. he did with his answer on lockdowns. he did with his answer about use of force in mexico and drugs and he did it about the focus on the future instead of the past. desantis was real good. second place to me, was vivek ramaswamy. he is a in force instrument and he is articulate and fast on his feet and not a politician and that is one of the reasons he is resonating right now. he just says what he thinks and he says it in a forceful, when way. and people are sick of politicians. they are sick of washington and

that is why vivek did well. ♪ ♪ >> sean: all right. thanks. byron pitts good to see you. chip kelly good to see you. that is all the time we have left this evening. thank you for being with us. this day with the fox news channel for continuing coverage of the 2024 republican presidents are debate. trace gallagher is next. and i'm going to be his guest. so stay tuned. don't touch that out. i will be on with respect have a great night. >> trace: good evening, on his m trace gallagher. breaking tonight, rough-and-tumble first debate for republican white house hopefuls even without former president trump. will have the highlights, the low lights and where it all goes from here. sean hannity will join us in moments from the spin room. we begin with bill melugin. he is live in milwaukee. good evening. >> reporter: face, good evening to you. come into the night, the expectation was that florida