President Trump returns to discuss Cuba, Iran, SCOTUS and more

Summary

The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated

Episode: President Trump returns to discuss Cuba, Iran, SCOTUS and more
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Hugh Hewitt
Guest: President Donald Trump

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Episode Overview

In this episode of "The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated," host Hugh Hewitt interviews President Donald Trump in an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation covering U.S. foreign policy (Iran, Cuba, China, Venezuela), military priorities, judicial appointments, health care strategy, and the domestic political landscape. The episode is a condensation of the full interview, focusing on major current events and significant policy questions facing the Trump administration in 2026.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Situation in Iran and U.S. Foreign Policy

• Iran's Internal Crisis: Hewitt opens by noting reports from analysts about Iran's failing regime—fuel/electricity/water shortages and ongoing protests ([00:12]).
• Trump's Stance: Trump claims his administration already "brought down" Iran’s influence and defuses any admission over pushing for complete regime collapse, but warns of strong retaliation if protests lead to more violence against civilians:

  "I've let them know that if they start killing people...they're going to have to pay hell." — Donald Trump ([01:03])

• Message to Iranian People: Trump praises Iranians, recalls American businesses thriving in pre-revolution Iran, and contrasts the current situation with the past ([01:57]).

2. China, Activism, and Diplomacy

• Jimmy Lai’s Situation: Hewitt asks if Trump has engaged Xi Jinping on the jailed Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai. Trump confirms he raised Lai’s case but has not received a response so far:

  "If Jimmy Lai was freed, would you consider that to be a very significant gesture by China?" — Hugh Hewitt
  "I would. I think it would be a great thing...His son is working hard to get him out." — Donald Trump ([04:11-04:17])

3. Cuba and Shifting Geopolitics in the Hemisphere

• Cuban Regime's Vulnerability: Hewitt wonders whether the Cuban dictatorship is at a breaking point post-Venezuela ([05:11]).
• Trump's View: Trump describes Cuba as "hanging by a thread" due to lost Venezuelan support, highlighting recent U.S. actions in Venezuela as pivotal. He attributes Cuba's decline to lost revenue and says collapse is possible but notes "people have been saying that for many years" ([06:20], [06:54]).

4. The "Trump Doctrine" and National Security

• Doctrine Summarized: Hewitt proposes the Trump Doctrine as: "Don't kill or threaten Americans or our property...or we will hit you very, very hard" ([07:45]).
• Trump Expands: Trump includes drugs as part of this threat matrix, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for both security and narcotics issues ([08:00]).

5. Defense Spending and Military Modernization

• Naval Expansion ("Golden Fleet" and Shipyards):
  • Trump details a massive defense spending increase, the banning of defense contractor stock buybacks, capping executive salaries, and the re-opening and expansion of shipyards, especially in Philadelphia ([14:14], [15:17], [15:47]).
  • Plans for new battleships—"25 on schedule"—and possible return to WWII-era levels of production, including modernization with missile tubes ([15:22]).
  • Partnership with South Korea and others for rapid shipbuilding ([15:47]).

6. Supreme Court and Future Judicial Appointments

• Potential SCOTUS Candidates: Hewitt lists prominent conservative judges and politicians; Trump praises all, jokes Ted Cruz would be the "only one guaranteed confirmation" as "everyone wants him out of the Senate" ([16:21-17:43]).
• Advisors: Trump avoids naming current judicial advisors on the air ([17:50]).

7. Domestic Policy: Health Care, Legislation Strategy, and DREAMers

• Bundling Health Care Legislation: Hewitt suggests combining health care reform with popular initiatives (AM radio in every car, DREAMers Act) to attract Democratic votes ([20:48]).
• Trump’s Health Care Stance: Trump insists health care is too significant to bundle and emphasizes directing money to people, not insurance companies—reiterates the failures he attributes to Democrats being “in bed with the insurance companies” ([21:20], [21:45]).

8. Political Strategy and Reflections on Debates

• Debates and Party Health: Trump reminisces on prior debate performances, justifies abstaining from crowded 2023-24 GOP debates, and claims he "did the right thing" by not participating ([23:38]).
• Biden Debate Recap: He asserts the debate with Biden revealed Biden's infirmity ([23:54]).

9. Democratic Prospects for 2028

• Democratic Field: Hewitt asks Trump's opinion on 2028 Democratic hopefuls; Trump dismisses all named candidates, calls it "sad," and avoids stating which Democratic contenders he finds strongest ([25:32-26:24]).

10. New York City & Leadership

• Future of NYC under New Mayor: Trump comments on Mr. Mamdani:

  "His policies are not good, but maybe he changes...I want to do everything I can to help New York." — Donald Trump ([26:51-27:34])

11. Space Force “Golden Dome” Hub

• Location Under Consideration: Hewitt mentions studies favoring Ravenna, Ohio as the hub for Space Force. Trump says he loves Ohio and confirms it’s under consideration ([27:53]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Iranian Protest Crackdowns:

  “If they start killing people...they're going to have to pay hell.”
  — Donald Trump ([01:19])

• On the Cuban Regime:

  "I think that Cuba is hanging by a thread. Cuba's in big trouble."
  — Donald Trump ([06:20])

• On Defense Spending:

  "All that money ... is going to have to be... put into building new plant and equipment ... we're going to be very much back in the shipbuilding business."
  — Donald Trump ([14:14], [15:47])

• On Health Care Reform:

  "I want the money to go directly to the people and let the people buy their own health care and everybody loves it."
  — Donald Trump ([21:20])

• On Potential Supreme Court Nominees:

  "All of the names that you mentioned are great names, every one of them. I know them all."
  — Donald Trump ([17:40])

• On Future Debates:

  "I love debating. But I think I did the right thing ... I figured, why should I allow myself to be whacked by all 10 people at the same time?"
  — Donald Trump ([23:38])

• On 2028 Democrats:

  "With 350 million people ... that's the best they can do. It's pretty sad."
  — Donald Trump ([25:44])

• On Mr. Mamdani (NYC Mayor):

  "His policies are not good, but maybe he changes."
  — Donald Trump ([26:51])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Opening & Iran Discussion: [00:01]–[03:29]
• China & Jimmy Lai: [03:29]–[04:55]
• Cuba & Venezuela: [04:55]–[06:54]
• Doctrine, Media, Defense: [07:45]–[15:47]
• Supreme Court Future & Advisors: [16:21]–[18:01]
• Health Care & Legislative Strategy: [20:48]–[21:45]
• Political Strategy & Debates: [23:38]–[24:24]
• 2028 Democratic Field: [25:32]–[26:24]
• NYC & Space Force Hub: [26:47]–[28:06]

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Episode Tone

The conversation is brisk, unscripted, and occasionally jocular, reflecting the long-standing rapport between Hewitt and Trump. Both use a direct, conversational style, with Trump often digressing into personal anecdotes or jabs at opponents, and Hewitt focusing on getting succinct policy and strategy answers that are relevant to current headlines and future policy directions.

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Summary

This episode provides a comprehensive view of President Trump's current foreign and domestic policy priorities, approaches to diplomacy and defense, strategy regarding judicial appointments, and forward-looking commentary on the future of major American cities and the Democratic Party. The discussion is engaging both for Trump supporters and anyone interested in understanding the current administration’s perspective on world affairs, national security, American institutions, and political competition.

Transcript

[Hugh Hewitt]

Good morning, Gloria and Amy Grace, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Proud to welcome back to the Hugh Hewitt Show President Donald Trump. Happy new year, Mr. Trump. Good to have you back.

[Donald Trump]

Well, thank you very much, Hugh. Thank you very much.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I don't want to waste your time, so I'm going to dive right in and begin with Iran. Michael Duran of the Hudson Institute says the regime there is failing. They have fuel shortages, electricity shortages, water shortage. Karim Sajapur, Carnegie is posting the videos of the spreading protests. Mark Dubovitz, this is a quote. If President Trump brings down the Islamic Republic of Iran, he will cement his place as the greatest foreign policy president since Ronald Reagan. I think it would, actually.

[Donald Trump]

I thought I already did that.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I thought I was just about to add with Midnight Hammer. You did that.

[Donald Trump]

How much more can I do? You know, we just had Venezuela, we just had Midnight Hammer. We settled eight wars, eight and a quarter. But I'm willing to accept that. I'm willing to accept it.

[Hugh Hewitt]

What about Iran is the aim with Iran, the collapse of that awful 47 year tyranny?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I don't want to say it, but I will tell you they're not doing well, as you know, probably better than anybody. They're doing very poorly. And I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots. If they do it, we're going to hit them very hard.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Now, dozens have been killed. I know you don't do red lines, but have you communicated to them what that limit of your patience is?

[Donald Trump]

Well, some have been killed by, you know, problems of crowd control and other things. We're watching it very closely. The crowds are so large. There's been a stampede. There's been three stampedes and people have been killed in that. And I'm not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that. But they know and they've been told very strongly, even more strongly than I'm speaking to you right now, that if they do that, they're going to have to pay hell.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Do you have a message for the people of Iran, President Trump?

[Donald Trump]

All I can say is you should, you should feel strongly about freedom. There's nothing like freedom. You're brave people. It's a shame what's happened to your country. Your country was a great country. I remember years ago, when I was a young real estate developer, friends of mine went to Iran and they did great. They built buildings in Iran. They're still up, barely, by the way, but they're still up. I see pictures of them, apartment houses, and they did very well in Iran. Iran.

[Hugh Hewitt]

They.

[Donald Trump]

And I. They've passed away. They were very successful developers. They were great people, mostly New York developers, but they went to Iran and they built some pretty good jobs in Iran. And I remember they were saying, the people are great. The whole place was great. It was a tremendous market. And now you look at it. Look at. Look what's happened.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I sat down in the office of former President Nixon with Ray Price on a couch with RN watching the fall of the Shah, and he just kept shaking his head. He couldn't believe Jimmy Carter was letting it happen. Would you meet with Crown Prince Pavlavi, who is the heir to the constitutional monarchy? He doesn't want to rule. He would be a, you know, symbolic ruler, like King Charles.

[Donald Trump]

Well, I've watched him, and he seems like a nice person, but I'm not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that as president. I think that we should let everybody go out there and we see who emerges. I'm not sure necessarily that I. It would be an appropriate thing to do.

[Hugh Hewitt]

All right, let me switch to China. Mr. President, last time we talked, and I always ask you this, I asked you about Jimmy Lai, who is dying in real time. He's been convicted. Have you talked to Xi Jinping? I know you get along with.

[Donald Trump]

I have. I have. I talked to him and I mentioned Jimmy Lai. I don't know Jimmy Lai. I know of Jimmy Lai, and he was an activist, to put it mildly, but a positive activist. But if you're President Xi, he wasn't a positive activist. I spoke to President Xi when I was in South Korea, and we had a great talk about it, and I left it with him. He didn't give me an answer one way or the other. But obviously, so far it hasn't been. I got a lot of other answers that turned out positive. I haven't heard back on that one.

[Hugh Hewitt]

If Jimmy Lai was freed, would you consider that to be a very significant gesture by China?

[Donald Trump]

I would. I think it would be a great thing. I think I told President Xi that he's an old man who's very sick. I met his son, who was a very nice young man who loves his father a lot. His son is his primary. The primary person that's working very hard to get him out. And I felt I owed it to the son. I like the son. I mean, look, I don't know him, but I met him fairly briefly. But I love that he was fighting hard for his father. I thought that was. I like to see sons that fight hard for fathers, and he was certainly doing that. And I mentioned it during my meeting, early on in my meeting as a list of things that I'd like to talk about, but we have not heard back on that one.

[Hugh Hewitt]

All right, let me turn to Cuba. Mr. President. For 67 years, that police state dictatorship has sucked the lifeblood out of the people of that island. It. Is it time to increase the pressure there, maybe even quarantine it as you have Venezuela.

[Donald Trump]

Well, I don't think you can have much more pressure other than going in and blasting the hell out of the place. Look, they are their whole lifeblood. Their whole life was Venezuela. They got their oil, they got their money from Venezuela. And as you know, when our great soldiers went in, we had nobody killed. They lost many Cuban fighters during that battle. Many amazing job that the American soldiers did, led by a man who happens to be sitting right next to me, General Kane. What a job he did. And Pete Hegseth did. And the whole group. What a job they all did. It's amazing, actually. John Ratcliffe is walking in. Marco Rubio is walking in. We have a whole group of people here. They're all fans of yours. They're not walking in to listen to this call. They just happen to be walking in for the next meeting.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I got a little advice for you, Mr. President. Don't play golf and give strokes to Director Radcliffe. Don't do that. Don't give him any strokes.

[Donald Trump]

He's a good golfer. And he's a very. He's a very good guy, too.

[Hugh Hewitt]

But back to Cuba. Miguel Diaz Canel. Do you think he could fall like Khamenei and Iran might fall?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, I think I. Look, I think that Cuba is hanging by a thread. Cuba's in big trouble. Look, Cuba got all of its money for protecting. They were like a protector. They're tough, strong people. They're great people. Marco has a little Cuban blood in him. I think Marco is not doing a bad job. Right. What do you think? Can I ask you one question? How is Marco Rubio doing?

[Hugh Hewitt]

The equal of any secretary of state of my lifetime. And I'm glad he's not taking the Dolphins job. He should work for the Browns if he leaves your administration. That's right. All right.

[Donald Trump]

Where he goes, we'll be successful.

[Hugh Hewitt]

But.

[Donald Trump]

But no, I think that. I think that Cuba is really in a lot of trouble. But, you know, people have been saying that for many years. In all fairness about Cuba, Cuba has been in trouble for the last 45 years and, you know, they haven't quite gone down. But I think they're pretty close of their own volition.

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[Hugh Hewitt]

I want to try and define the Trump doctrine, Mr. President. I've been trying to do it on the air. It's down to this. Don't kill or threaten Americans or our property or American security in general, or we will hit you very, very hard. Is that succinct?

[Donald Trump]

And included in there is don't send drugs and don't send things that are going to kill our people. But you can sort of, you can sort of make the statement that you've indirectly said that, but it's a pretty direct statement. Don't send drugs into our country.

[Hugh Hewitt]

It's a great doctrine. Now the next question. I'm a Salem host of Fox contributors. This is a bit unusual. Bret Baier does the best interviews with you. I'm exempting myself from consideration, but I think you ought to give Tony Dokapol a chance over at CBS to see if they've really changed their ways. Is that on the agenda?

[Donald Trump]

Well, it hasn't been on the agenda, but if you recommend it, I would do it. I have a lot of respect for you, as you know, and I think you're doing a great job and you've done a great job. Went a little bit liberal on us for now when you were at NBC. I can't believe I couldn't believe you sitting on NBC trying to answer questions that you didn't believe it. You only gave them partial answers. You were never fully there, but you couldn't get out fast enough. It was very fun to watch.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I am happy with Salem and Fox.

[Donald Trump]

I hear good things about Tony and I can tell you that David Ellison is, is a fantastic guy and his father, Larry is one of the great. He's been good friends of mine, both of them. But David's doing a fantastic job and they feel very strongly about Tony.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Let's pause there. We'll come back. I want to make sure you hear this all. I talked to the President two hours ago, had 20 minutes of his time. The interview is 21 and a half minutes. All of it is posted at my YouTube channel. Duane is traveling to a funeral so the transcript will be a little bit delayed, but it'll be up this afternoon. General Easimo always he took his transcription equipment with him. The reason we do that is because Duane actually knows what we're talking about, knows the names, gets the references, even if they're very quick and never makes a mistake. So that's why he takes his transcription equipment with him to funerals. Odd looking guy at the funeral, but it'll beit's already posted at my YouTube channel. If you just want to listen to the entire interview with the president, this is interview number 32. If you include the four debates in the 2015-2016 and they're all at my website, HughHewitt.com I prepare a great deal for these interviews because you get time with the president of the United States. You don't waste it on stupid stuff. And I try not to. Fun. A little bit of fun, of course, but not stupid stuff. The rest of the interview coming up in segments two and three of this hour. Don't go anywhere, America. Stay tuned to the Salem News Channel. If you're watching from the Relief Factor Studio West, I am Hugh Hewitt. Stay with us. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewlett. Earlier today, President Trump graciously agreed to take some questions from me. He got the best comms team in the business and I have worked with or alongside of every comm team since Nixon in retirement. And it's simply the best comms team. But they are very specific about when your window is and how long your window is, as they have to be as the president of the United States. But we had 20 minutes, became 21 minutes. It's posted at my YouTube channel. There's Google Hugh Hewitt on YouTube if you want to listen to it uninterrupted. Here is the second part of that interview.

[Donald Trump]

Few good things about Tony. And I can tell you that David Ellison is a fantastic guy and his father, Larry is one of the great. He's been good friends of mine, both of them, but David's doing a fantastic job and they feel very strongly about Tony.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Yeah, I don't want Barry Weiss and Tony to overtake Fox in Salem, but I would like you to give him a shot to see if he's going.

[Donald Trump]

Well, if it's important to you, I do it now. I hear good things about Tony now.

[Hugh Hewitt]

You gave two hours to the New York Times yesterday. I appreciate you're the most successful president to the media in history, actually. But I would like to see you sit down with Matt Continetti, Guy Benson, Spencer Brown, Mary Kathryn Ham, the Mandels, Philip Wegemann, all of our superstar youngsters. People are under 40, 45. Is that on the agenda sometime to sit down with me?

[Donald Trump]

I mean, they have to ask. And it would be. I certainly like all the names that you mentioned. And I will say that the Times treated me pretty fairly yesterday.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Oh, interesting. I haven't read it yet. The transcript is announced.

[Donald Trump]

I'm waiting for the shock and it's a little hard not to. We have the greatest potential economy in history. We have $18 trillion coming in. The record is three. And that was from many, many years ago. We have something that just took place with Venezuela that everybody considers one of the most brilliant attacks they've ever seen. And you know, we had, we lost no people in the middle of a fort. Don't forget that house was built in the middle of a fort with thousands of soldiers. They lost quite a few people. I hate to say it.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I talked to an active duty naval officer yesterday who's very jealous that they were not there because it was such an extraordinary mission. Our military is amazing.

[Donald Trump]

But you know what? We had an extraordinary attack a few months ago in a place called Iran. We knocked out the Iran nuclear threat and it was obliterated. And we also took out Soleimani and we took out Al Baghdadi. So we've had some good attacks so far. We haven't had the Afghanistan disaster. That was the lowest point, I think, in the history of our country. Biden. But if you look also the Jimmy Carter disaster, that was a disaster with the hostages. And you know, when we were.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Every Democratic president is a disaster on two planes.

[Donald Trump]

I said I hope it's not a Jimmy Carter deal.

[Hugh Hewitt]

But Carter, Clinton, Obama, Biden, they've all been disasters in national security. Let me ask you about.

[Donald Trump]

I haven't had, I haven't had any disaster.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Not yet. And I hope it stays that way.

[Donald Trump]

I hope, I hope the word yet is going to disappear.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Well, we got to talk about the Golden Fleet because this is important. I want to take my hat off to you on the Golden Fleet. We need guided missile frigates and attack submarines and the Columbia class in the worst way. Is there going to be enough money in the budget to get everything built that we need, including new shipyards?

[Donald Trump]

Well, we are going to have plenty of money. And if you notice what I did yesterday, I told all defense companies there's going to be no more buybacks. You're going to put the money into building new plant and equipment and there's going to be no more stock options and there's going to be no more salaries of $50 million a year. You're going to put the money in, we're going to have it capped at $5 million, and that's effective immediately. And all that money that they're sending out is going to have to be. And you know what? Their stock prices went up. The reason is I also put out a statement, a secondary statement, saying that next year we expect to have $1.5 trillion in defense budget. And we're also building battleships. You know, we're building great battleships. We have 25 on schedule, but we're going to start with 10, and then we'll see how that all goes. But we're going to build battleships. And, you know, I thought you remember from Victory at Sea, you take a look at those great gorgeous ships, the Iowa, the Alabama, the Missouri, those great ships. And if you see, you know what I'm talking about.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Oh, yeah, provided they got lots of missile tubes on it, I'm all for them. The more missile tubes, you see, the better.

[Donald Trump]

I said, why don't we take some of them out of mothballs? The new ships will be 100 times more powerful than those battleships that we so admire.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Now, I know you're up, up upping the construction at Philadelphia Shipyard and enhancing.

[Donald Trump]

Its capacity and numerous others.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Yeah. I was wondering, are you going to.

[Donald Trump]

Build back into the shipbuilding business?

[Hugh Hewitt]

That is. That's the best news. Do people understand how important that is to the economy?

[Donald Trump]

I think they know, but the Philadelphia yard is one of the yards that's going to be opened up. But we have numerous yards that are opened up. Some of those yards have been built up by housing projects. You know, they're all in the water, so they tended to be in nice locations. But we have many yards opening up and we're going to be very much back in the shipbuilding business. And in some cases, we're partnering with South Korea and others initially because we have to get, you know, we used to make almost a ship a day during World War II, and then we just totally got out of that business, stupidly. But we're back in the shipbuilding business. We have to be.

[Hugh Hewitt]

All right, now I want to switch to one of my other favorite topics with you, Mr. President, the Supreme Court. I know you don't expect a retirement in the spring, but if one happens, you've appointed 60 appeals court judges. Would you Expect to take either a runner up from last time like Judge Kethledge or one of your appointees. Judge Rao is 53 on the D.C. circuit. Judge Rushing on the 4th is 43. Judge Strauss on the 8th is 51. A multiplier is 56, Don Willett 60. Then you got Senator Cruz, who's 55, and you got District Court Judge Eileen Cannon. I think she did a good job in the Florida case. She's 45.

[Donald Trump]

She did a great job. She's a great judge.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Yes, she did. And she came to the right constitutional conclusion about the illegality of the appointment.

[Donald Trump]

Highly respected. Yeah. So those are all great names. Every one of those names is a great name. Now, Ted Cruz, the nice part about him is we get a 100% approval. Every Democrat would vote yes and every Republican would vote yes because they would love to get him the hell out of the Senate, all of them, so that he's the only one that would be a guaranteed confirmation. And he's a smart guy. He's a good guy. And I say that jokingly, but I always say Ted would get a 100% approval. The Democrats want him out, the Republicans want him out. And he'd do great and he's smart. But all of the names that you mentioned are great names, every one of them. I know them all.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Who is advising you on judges this term as Leonard is not and the Federal Society is not?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I'm using some people actually that you know, I'd rather tell you on a personal, not on a phone call. But I have some very good people that are advising me, people that you know and respect.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Let's pause it right there. I think the rest of the interview will fit into the third segment. I'll take phone calls. 1-800-520-1234. You can critique my questions. I have a thick skin. You can comment on his answers. He doesn't care. 1-800-520-1234. I had a column in the D.C. examiner yesterday, Washington Examiner. He has had a fabulous first year back. I have a column at Fox News today about how the Venezuelan operation is just extraordinary. It really is. It was absolutely extraordinary. As I said to President Trump, I talked to an active duty naval officer yesterday. They were just jealous that they weren't there. Everybody in uniform wanted to be there. That Operation Absolute Resolve is maybe the most exquisite, perfectly constructed military operation that I know of for Special Forces. I know Neptune's Spear to get bin Laden was the same sort of choreographed opera that is unbelievable. But this was I think even more complex because there are more moving parts. But more of the interview, the rest of the interview coming up in segment three of this hour. And then I'll talk to you at 1-800-520-1234. Stay tuned, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt.

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[Hugh Hewitt]

Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Thank you for listening to the program today. I have talked with President Trump many times, but the latest was this morning. And part three of the conversation from this morning is coming up. 1-800-520-1234. Most of it will fit in part three and then a little bit in part four. And I'll take your callers calls back to the interview with President Trump from today agenda for this year. I know I watched your talk to the Republicans at the Trump Kennedy center and I know you talked about health care. The that would be great, but it would be easier to get done if you bundled it with for example, the Dreamers act, the AM radio and every car act. Both of those have got super majority. Do you think that's the strategy bundle health care with very popular laws, get them to the floor and move them?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I think health care is so big and so important that it probably supersedes some slightly less, you know, a very popular thing, but less important. I like the AM in every car, the AM radio in every car. I like that I'm in favor of it. It's interesting a lot of people don't know about that, but it's actually a very big subject.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Oh, it's a huge deal. It's a huge deal.

[Donald Trump]

We're going to be doing something on that. All of the things you mentioned I like. But I think health care is so big and so powerful, it's going to really going to have to stand in its own weight.

[Hugh Hewitt]

All right.

[Donald Trump]

So what I want, you know, with health care is pretty simple. I want because if you take a look, I don't know if you study insurance comedies, but these guys have made literally trillions of dollars. I want the money to go directly to the people and let the people Buy their own health care and everybody loves it.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I do, too. I think that would be a genius. I just think to get Democratic votes, you might have to put the dreamers act in or the radioact in along with it.

[Donald Trump]

The Democrats is they're totally in bed with the insurance companies. And what, you know, what I'm doing is the exact opposite. I'm giving the money to the people. They're giving the money to the insurance companies. It's hard for them to vote against the insurance companies who have made a fortune because of the Democrats.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Now, Mr. President, when we have that sit down that private talk about judges, I would like to talk to you about Richard Nixon because I believe your understanding of American power projection is very similar to his. And I think he also liked to keep people guessing. Some people called it the Madman Theory. I just thought it was strategic sense. Do you think that comparison is apt.

[Donald Trump]

Well, look, I don't know. We're just respected. We're respected again as a country. And I'm respected, but we're respected. We had a president who shouldn't have been there. It was, first of all, it was a rigged election. And that's now coming out loud and clear. But we knew that. I knew that four years ago. But it was just a rigged, horrible election. That's where we go. We got a man that allowed millions of people into our country from jails and mental institutions and drug dealers. And what a shame that Biden was just a horrible president. And, you know, if she would have won, which is the equivalent, if she would have won, our country would have been right now, Venezuela on steroids.

[Hugh Hewitt]

A disaster. A disaster. And Tim Walsh would have been the vice president instead of Vice President Vance. I can't believe it. Let me turn to politics in my last couple of minutes. Mr. President, I want to honor your time. You crushed the debates in 2015, 16. The last one was just Secretary Rubio, Senator Cruz, who we've talked about, Governor Kasich and you. And then there were no more. You skipped the debates in 25, 23, 24. You will control. You will. Whether or not the GOP has debates in 20, 27, 20, 28. Do you think they are a good thing for the party or a bad thing? Do you want to have them or do you not want to have them?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I always liked them. For me, I love debating. But I think I did the right thing. I had, you know, 10 people. They're all smart people, you know, governors and senators. And I figured, why should I allow myself to be whacked by all 10 people at the same time. I think I did a very smart A lot of people said you have to be in the debates. I said, I don't think I do. And then I had the debate with Biden, which turned out to be a good debate. I don't think I got enough credit for that debate because I made him joke. But he didn't do well in that debate. And the interesting thing is, without that debate, would he have been allowed to continue running?

[Hugh Hewitt]

Yes, he would have been. And that would have been a disaster for the party, even worse than Kamala Harris, because you can't hide the fact he was infirm. He was infirm. He wasn't there.

[Donald Trump]

Well, he didn't do too well. I would say that.

[Hugh Hewitt]

So let's pause it there. I'll get to the last question after the break. Again, the entire interview is being transcribed by Dwayne, who is traveling to funeral. So it will be up a little bit later this afternoon than normal. Normally it would be up already. The entire interview is posted at my YouTube site, Hugh HewittTube. It'll be in the podcast today. Highly concentrated, Hu, as will be your phone calls at 1-800-520-1234. And I think I will also be talking about it tomorrow with Matt Continetti, Ben Domenech and others on the big weekend roundup show, which happens every Friday right before the Hillsdale Dialogue with Dr. Larry Arn tomorrow, which is about Venezuela primarily, I would expect. So your calls and comments coming up. And the conclusion of my interview with President Trump. Don't go anywhere. The phone number is 1-800-520-1234. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Stay tuned. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Here's the conclusion of my interview earlier today with President Trump Democrats to wrap up.

[Donald Trump]

He was not the greatest. Go ahead.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Who is the strongest Democrat in 2028? Gavin Newsom, AOC Jasmine Crockett, Jared Polis in Colorado, Chris Van Hollen, Wes Moore, Andy Beshear, who's their best choice?

[Donald Trump]

You know, as you rattle off those names, I'm just seeing, isn't it amazing with 350 people, of course, we have no idea that Biden let in so many. Nobody knows. But with, let's say, 350 million people, that that's the best they can do. It's pretty sad. I think Newsom's hurt because he's done so badly in California.

[Hugh Hewitt]

He has.

[Donald Trump]

He's done so, so badly. I just, you know, look, he's a sort of a good politician, but he doesn't get the job done. I think people are going to. People aren't going to stand for that. There's nobody. I do have a couple of people that I think would be really tough candidates, but I don't want to name them because I hope they're not chosen.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Well, that does make some sense to me. Okay, let's close with Mr. Mayor Mamdani. And you decide when to conclude the interview. Mr. President, I know you love New York City. It's going to be a nightmare. I've only lived there once. I've only lived there in 1980. It's going to be worse than 1980, which was damn bad. And I left and went to law school because it was so bad. Will the city be able to recover after Mamdani?

[Donald Trump]

Well, it's going to be interesting. You know, I met him. He came to the Oval Office.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

And we've had some nice conversations. Very good. And then he hit me a little bit on the tremendous victory. And you would say it was a tremendous victory on Venezuela. And I said, gee, I thought he would have at least waited a month. I was surprised that he hit me on that. But he did, you know. So what are you going to do, kid? I expected it. I just thought it would be maybe three or four weeks instead of immediately because I do get along with him. He's got a great personality. He's a nice guy. His policies are not good, but maybe he changes. You know, that's what I would view, because I want to do everything I can to help New York. So I don't know. I hope. I hope you're wrong. I hope New York is. Will thrive. But typically, those policies, maybe you say not only typically in history, those policies have never worked.

[Hugh Hewitt]

They never work. The last thing I'll say to you, Mr. President, golden dome is the most important legacy you're going to leave if it gets built. I've read some studies that say Ravenna, Ohio, is where the hub ought to be for Space Force to control that because of the polar ice cap. Have you decided where the central location of Golden Dome will be?

[Donald Trump]

No, but I love Ohio, I can tell you that. And I've won Ohio big every single time. And everybody I've endorsed from Ohio is one. And, you know, it's been great. But I've heard that's one of the people, one of the places very much being considered.

[Hugh Hewitt]

All right, Mr. President, thank you for the time. I appreciate it. Come back again soon. And I look forward to talking to you again. Congratulations on a great first year in your second term.

[Donald Trump]

Thank you very much. You. You take care of yourself.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Thank you. You feel a little bit pinched. Well, if you make a switch to Consumer Cellular you may add some stretch to your budget. ConsumerCellular.com you1-800-411-4454 now listen, do not fall for the Phononos big wireless offer. That phone is not free. Typically the most expensive phone you'll ever buy is the free phone that you get with Big Cellular. Look at the actual cost of that plan, the length of the contract before you get locked into what could be a thousand dollar mistake. Right now for a limited time only, you get the second month of service with Consumer Cellular for free. When you use my promo code. Hugh. Hugh or visit consumer cellular.com/hue. It'll be automatic. But if you call 1-800-411-4454 and mention Hugh, you get that second month free. And here's something my listeners who are 50 and older will love. Two unlimited lines of data. Two for just $60. That's only $30 per line. Unlimited data. It's an easy way to manage your cost of living. It is the best deal out there. Call 1-800-411-4454. Be sure to use my promo code.

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[Hugh Hewitt]

It is always great fun and a privilege and an honor to talk to the President of the United States. And the entire interview is posted at my YouTube channel. The transcription will be up at my website. Hugh Hewitt the YouTube channel is different from that. We'll also put it on the podcast. Highly concentrated. Hugh X is flooded with reactions to it already. But now let's get some from you. We'll start down south in Georgia. Tina. Hi, Tina. You're on the Hugh Hewitt Show. What'd you think?

[Donald Trump]

It's great. I loved it. I loved everything. I love everything that Trump is doing that President Trump's doing. He's doing an awesome job. I'm proud of what he's doing. I'm happy what he's done with in Venezuela. Just keep it up.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Thank you.

[Donald Trump]

America needs to be cleaned up. Thank you.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Let me go up to Pennsylvania and talk to Josh in Butler, Pennsylvania. Hello, Josh.

[Donald Trump]

Hey, Hugh. How you doing, sir?

[Hugh Hewitt]

Good. Butler, of course, of great significance in the Trump presidency and the Trump life.

[Donald Trump]

Very much so. Hey, I was thinking about Minneapolis. What if we just cut off all funding, cut off all commerce into the state, you know, from the big corporations and stuff, and just cut off everything and.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Well, you know, Minneapolis, Minnesota's got 5.8 million people and there are, you know, there's a bell curve in every state with the greatest and the worst, and they're the tale of both. And we would never do collective punishment, not part of the Judeo Christian heritage whatsoever, not part of the Federalist Papers, not part of the Constitution or individual liberty. So, no, I can't go along with you on that, Josh. Thank you, though, friend. Now staying in Pennsylvania. Martin, what do you think of the conversation with President Trump?

[Donald Trump]

I can't say I liked it. You know, I'm only going to stick to one thing. I wish you when you interview him, you would have fact checker sitting there.

[Hugh Hewitt]

I think, Martin, you and I have a fundamental difference about how to do interviews. And I've had this conversation with everyone in the media, which is the transcript goes up and everyone can comment on the transcript, but if you get 20 minutes and you argue with the president, you're wasting your time. So would you disagree? Thank you, Martin. Nancy in Montana, what do you think? Nancy?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I thought it was fantastic, Mr. Hewitt, and it's hard to have an interview with the president today at a slow, slow pace because we're moving so quickly in different areas. And I tell you something, I'm very proud of our president and our Delta Force for what they did in Venezuela. But my main concern now, Mr. Hewitt, is in Minneapolis.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Well, I didn't cover that in the interview because it's an ongoing event. Vice President Vance talked about it today, and I just didn't think it was. It will be, given our news cycle, it's not going to be of great consequence. Long term. It's of enormous consequence today. I always treat my interviews as an opportunity to talk about long lasting and important issues like Iran. But thank you, Nancy. I want to get one more in the segment. Mike in Glendora, California. 1-800-520-1234. Hello, Mike.

[Donald Trump]

Hi there. You. Yeah, I thought it was a great, great interview. You covered a lot of subjects. I do have a question about the Supreme Court.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Sure. Can I ask. Yes.

[Donald Trump]

Okay. Can the nine justices be legislated so that it doesn't change? And if it cannot be, why? Why shouldn't we do what the Democrats want to do and make it in 13 and put in our guys while we can?

[Hugh Hewitt]

Okay, great question. My, my belief is the court should never change from nine. Liberals and some conservatives will tell you that because the number is not set in the Constitution, it can always change. And that FDR tried court packing and was shot down and it became a disaster in 1938 should not stop the Republicans from blowing up the filibuster and going after packing the court. My response is that will be the end of the rule of law in the United States. And I have a footnote. There is at least a decent argument that it is unconstitutional to change from nine after the 14th amendment. Although the 14th amendment was ratified and the number was changed shortly thereafter, it seems to me now part of the fundamental rights of the United States to have the rule of law and the continuity of the rule of law adhere. From 1868 forward, when the 14th amendment was ratified and not long thereafter, the supreme court decreased from 10 to nine and it's been there ever since. So I would not move to change it. And if the Democrats do, I hope it blows up in their hands as it did with FDR in 1938. It's repellent. It would be the destruction of the United States as a rule of law country. I'll be right back. Your phone calls are welcome at 1-800-520-1234 on the Hugh Hewitt Show. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Thank you for listening. President Trump's interview is posted over at my YouTube channel. Google Hugh Hewitt and YouTube. You'll get there. Jerry in Tennessee, what say you, Jerry?

[Donald Trump]

Can you hear me?

[Hugh Hewitt]

Occasionally I can.

[Donald Trump]

First of all, I want to apologize to you. When you first started in Tennessee, I said, oh, Lord, we've got another rhino. And I said, I'm gonna but I said, I'm gonna give him a chance. I'm gonna listen to him. And I found out you're very well informed on everything, Hugh.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Well, thank you.

[Donald Trump]

You got me changed to where I watch most time I watch the Salem News Network now instead of Fox or any of the rest of them.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Salem News Channel is a great lineup. Thank you.

[Donald Trump]

But I just want to tell you I was so wrong about you. You know, But I learned my lesson.

[Hugh Hewitt]

Well. I think the fetching Mrs. Hewitt felt the same way when I first met her in 1978 at a Pete Wilson fundraiser out in California. And I changed her mind too. Or I tricked her. You know, I may have tricked you, Jerry, but I tricked her. And we're still together for now, 47 years later and been married 43 years later. So there you go. You can always overcome bad impressions.

[Donald Trump]

You didn't trick me. What do you think that the hell how Republicans can handle this health care?

[Hugh Hewitt]

Oh my goodness. That's why Obamacare. I was trying to persuade the president. You got to log roll this with popular things like the AM radio and every car act for a reason. Otherwise I don't know that they'll get it. But we need Democrat votes on health care or it won't get through. Jerry. Thank you. I'll be back. America never.