Witches claim Trump using the phrase ‘witch hunt’ is insulting to their community and that they are being persecuted
Dakota Bracciale weighs in on how the witch community feels about Trump.
This is a rush transcript from "Watters' World," December 22, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JESSE WATTERS, HOST: Welcome to "Watters' World," I'm Jesse Watters. Major news coming out of Washington this week besides the shutdown. Mattis is out. James Mattis giving his resignation as Defense Secretary stepping down in February after President Trump announced plans to pull out all U.S. troops from Syria and withdraw roughly 7,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the coming months. Also this week, the President scoring a major victory with Criminal Justice Reform with overwhelming support from both chambers proving both Democrats and Republicans can agree on something when they try.
Here to break this all down, former intelligence analyst and commentator Morgan Ortegus and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the author of "Trump's Enemies," and that book is very, very, very long.
All right, ladies first, we'll start with Morgan. In my opinion, you know the only reason we're in Syria is because Bush got us into Iraq then Obama got us out too early and ISIS took over so Trump and Mattis came in, bombed out of the heck out of the Caliphate basically eliminated the Caliphate and Mattis wants to stay and try to secure the peace and hold the allies hands and Trump's thinking to himself, "You know what, we got in, we got it done. Let's get out." Is that true?
MORGAN ORTEGUS, FORMER INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: I think that's a fair assessment. I think it's important to look at Syria and Afghanistan as two very different conflicts. One of the most important things that any President has to do especially when they're committing young men and women's lives is to explain why we're there and what the mission is.
This President has said even before he ran for President as long as he's been in public life that he is very wary of getting the U.S. entangled overseas. He had a very clear mission. What I think we really need as a follow-up action from this announcement is really a plan from the President, his National Security team on when we're leaving, how we're leaving, how we're going to secure - we have a lot of assets on the ground there.
You know, military equipment that could fall into the hands of the Iranians and I also want to know from the President ...
WATTERS: Right.
ORTEGUS: ... how do we now counter Iran? Because he had a countering Iran's strategy that I applauded as one of the most important things he would do.
WATTERS: I think you counter Iran not by fighting a proxy war in Syria, that's the President's opinion. I think there's other ways to contain the Iranians than fighting basically in Russia's backyard, you know, and Russia's little puppet regime. It doesn't have to be in Syria. Is that the President's thinking, Corey?
COREY LEWANDOWSKI, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Well, look I know this, Jesse. I know the President wants to make sure that when we fight our enemies, we're doing it on their home turf and not on ours and that's very important, but you also have to ask yourself the question, how long are we going to keep our troops overseas in Afghanistan?
We've been there 6,000 days if you can imagine that - over 6,000 days in Syria. The question is, you know, we have destroyed and decimated those insurgents over there, but how long are we going to keep our military assets over there and how important is it for the United States to remain there and I understand generals' positions. They want to keep our men and women in those places for strategic reasons, but as an American citizen, I want to bring our men and women home and make sure we're only deploying them when they have the best interests of the United States in mind.
WATTERS: Well, usually when America gets involved in Foreign Wars, we win and then we leave troops there in order to sustain the peace and just kind of is a bulwark against any further aggression, but this President doesn't want to do it that way. He doesn't see that in the U.S. national interest and he thinks to himself, "Why are we fighting alongside the Kurds? Does that what America blood and treasure? Does it need to be spilled fighting alongside the Kurds?" And he's also thinking to himself, "Listen, we can go back in if we need to and bomb them again," but why sustain boots on the ground in Syria for year after year after year, does it really make sense, Morgan?
ORTEGUS: Well, I think that's an incredibly complicated question. First of all, when it gets to the Kurds, the reason why there's a lot of people that are concerned about that is because they have fought alongside. They've been - some of the most effective fighters in the Middle East against ISIS, you are right, Jesse, that we can go back in and we did have to do that in the Obama administration when we saw ISIS flare-up in Iraq.
I think the conversation that the President is having with the American people is overdue and is incredibly important where we have to --
WATTERS: Do you think he should give a televised address about the Middle East strategy?
ORTEGUS: I do, I do.
WATTERS: In Afghanistan? In Syria?
ORTEGUS: Absolutely. I mean, what a lot of people don't know is that we actually have more ongoing operations in Africa than in the Middle East right now, so I think there's a lot as it relates to foreign policy. The American people need to understand it and I think there's a lot of people - look, if you look at the latest polling on American sentiment on Afghanistan, depending on the poll, there's only 20% to 25% of Americans that really understand our mission there and support it.
I'm very supportive of what we've done in Afghanistan. I'm on the Board of the American University of Afghanistan. I believe in this, but the President is right to be very concerned about the amount of money that we have spent in Afghanistan and in Syria, but more on Afghanistan. We have spent billions of dollars and we've corrupted that place in many ways that's --
WATTERS: It's been a mess, Afghanistan is a mess, everybody knows that and I think, Corey, in Syria he's saying you know, "Why are we paying all this money to protect Syria's borders? Let's bring the troops home and protect our own borders." But I can also see the flipside. I could see, you know, hanging out allies out to dry. What kind of message does that send to people in the Middle East that want to fight alongside of us?
LEWANDOWSKI: You know, Jesse, our allies know that we're going to stand beside them whenever they call us to do it, but you know having a permanent military presence overseas in places around the world continuously is something that this President wants to reevaluate and should be rightly done so.
You know, when you look at Afghanistan, just in the last couple of weeks, we've had three more U.S. soldiers killed over there when their Humvee blew up because they drove over an IED, the fourth individual is up at Walter Reed. Look, they don't want us there and I understand that and as it brings back the issue of legal immigration. We have to make sure we're protecting our borders, Jesse, and if that means using our military to build a wall on the southern border so we're protecting Americans first, that has to be the priority of the President.
And then we have to reevaluate our forward deployments around the world to make sure that our men and women in uniform have the tools necessary to be successful, but there should be no commitment to have a permanent military presence in Afghanistan where we've been for over 6,000 days.
WATTERS: Right, all right, so let's move on because you mentioned earlier the people in this country is feeling about Syria. No one really supports boots on the ground in Syria and the polls show that. Another very interesting poll, this is from Gallup, the country's top problems besides me, we took that out of there. We just didn't want to personalize it, Morgan. Nineteen percent believe government is the biggest problem in America, 19% followed by immigration and then unifying the country.
Morgan, what do you think people mean when they say government is the problem specifically?
ORTEGUS: Well look at today. Look - you know, and what we saw - have seen over the past few days that relates to the border wall. I mean, you have, you know Trump - you know, the President is saying that he will shut down in order to get this border security and Schumer - Senator Schumer going, "No, it's your shut down." I mean, you have two grown adults sniping at each other. This is going on in the Congress, you know, between all of the leadership.
So when the average American is tuning into Fox News, and they're watching you know, the Congressional leadership just bicker with each other, it looks like a bunch of overgrown entitled children and that's why the President was elected to disrupt all of this --
WATTERS: Not like us, we're very mature adults. We never bicker, Corey and Morgan. We hold ourselves to the highest level of conversation. It could be a couple of things though, Corey. It could be as Morgan said, people look at Washington being dysfunctional over a shutdown or a border wall. It could be people thinking, you know, the government is corrupt that. You know, they've spied on this President. There's people within the administration that are still continuing to try to undermine this President.
They could look at the Democrats and say the Democrats and the Congress and the Senate, they haven't done enough to stop the Trump agenda. It could be a whole host of things that the - you know, I'm just mad at the government. I'm not getting my check soon enough, you know, my check is not big enough. It could be everything, so we don't really know what it is. What do you think it is?
LEWANDOWSKI: Look, Jesse, I think it's - the American people by and large, here's what they want. They want safety and security at home which means let's protect our country. They want roads and bridges they can drive on, so let's get a transportation and infrastructure spending bill done, so bridges aren't falling down around our country. And also let's give access to healthcare across state lines.
Look, the government has been stopping this. The bureaucrats in the government, those holdovers from one administration to the other, let's make it so people can buy their health insurance across state lines so that they can be more competitive in the marketplace.
WATTERS: I agree with you, it's not even --
LEWANDOWSKI: Look, the government is the problem.
WATTERS: It's not even the bureaucrats, that's half of it. The other half of it are the monopolies. These guys, these big insurance companies, they don't want competition across state lines. They want to be able to sell individual policies and compete against maybe one or two people in one state because once those borders are opened up across the state lines, prices are going to come down and they're going to have to compete and make less money.
All right, let's turn to the media. I'm surprised the media wasn't at the top of the list for the country's biggest problems. I blame Gallup for that; maybe they didn't ask the right question. Let's play this media montage of just a kind of a vicious attack on the Trump family. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He seems to be frayed out. This is the first time that we have Ivanka which is like the only kid he likes, like in the cross hairs. The only way we're really going to get to Trump is if you go after his kids.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't indict a sitting President, but it doesn't say anything about a sitting President's daughter.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, ANCHOR, MSNBC: The President's children stand right in the line of Mueller's investigative progress. If the prosecutor will not be stopped, and the kids will not fall to him, we see the President's adult children heading to prison, but what if the prosecutor were to offer the President an alternative. That would be giving up the presidency in exchange for acquittals all around, not just for himself but for all his kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: Wow, kind of sickening if you hear it. I mean, you can kind of feel the bloodlust, I mean they want to lock up Don Jr., Ivanka, probably Eric, probably Baron probably - probably put Baron in juvy. I mean, the way things are going, Morgan, it's kind of - it's kind of sad. I mean, it's just - anybody that watches that's kind of sickened by it.
ORTEGUS: It is. I mean, to top it all off, they were making fun of the First Lady's Christmas card this week, and let me just say that anyone who was making fun of how Melania Trump looked in that white dress is just insanely jealous as was I when I looked at it because she looked like perfection, and look the reason why they're going after the children is because I think that they're worried that they may not be able to get the President, and that's what they want.
WATTERS: I agree with that. I think that's the best closest thing they can get if they can't get the President, Corey, they're going to try to get Don Jr. or someone close.
LEWANDOWSKI: Well, of course because if you remember this whole Russia collusion narrative is how they're going to bring down the President, now that Bob Mueller investigation has shown that there was no Russia collusion whatsoever and the President hadn't - had not ever cooperated or coordinated with the Russians, so now they have to go after Don Jr. or Ivanka or somebody else because they can't put their hatred of this President in front of their love for the country.
It's so disappointing and disingenuous what they have done to this family that really - look, I think if you look at where the media's approval ratings are, they're in the low single digits right around hovering about where Congress is these days.
WATTERS: I know, it's pretty pathetic. Do you think Morgan that they're trying to send a signal because we remember the President said that if you do go after my children in any way, I mean, that's the red line. That is the red line - would that trigger firing Mueller or something along those lines? Is that what they're trying to precipitate?
ORTEGUS: Well, they've already gone after his children. If you look at what the newly elected New York Attorney General said and she's politicizing the prosecutor's office in a way that I think the Constitution never, I mean, she's going after the Foundations --
WATTERS: Yes, everything.
ORTEGUS: She's going after the business of the children. I think --
WATTERS: And even Trump on it, she's going after the wine. She's going after the steaks. She's going after water.
ORTEGUS: I think that there is --
WATTERS: Everything is gone.
ORTEGUS: You know, I'm concerned for the family in the sense of, it's not just about Mueller and this investigation, I think that they're going to put these kids through hell, right through litigation hell over many years beyond past his presidency.
And so, it's unfortunate to see that. You know, we have not - the President has not stuck his Attorney General or the acting one after the Clintons and their family, there's some reportedly some new investigations, but if that's what we're going to do is just to politicize these prosecutor's office to go after families, will be to the Democrats whenever they're --
WATTERS: I'll give you the last word, Corey. This does remind me of whenever the "lock her up" chants happened. The people in the media said, "Oh, you can't say that. You can't say that." But when I look at that montage we just played, that's exactly what they're chanting basically about children.
LEWANDOWSKI: Jesse, the media - look, very candidly, the media is jealous of the Trumps and they have been since the day he came down that escalator. All of his success in the real estate world, all of the success on television, now his success in politics and his family's success.
Look, if Ivanka Trump was a Democrat, she's be on the cover of every magazine as the woman to look to, the woman of the year. The same is true with Melania Trump, but the mainstream media does not want to give this family the credit they deserve, including the success in prison reform that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner pushed through the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan manner this time, the first time in a decade to reform the prison system. They did that and the media won't give them any credit for it.
WATTERS: Yes, the media is probably saying they're trying to get prison reform because they're probably going to be in prison. That's how they're probably trying to spin it. All right, Corey and Morgan --
LEWANDOWSKI: It's shameful.
WATTERS: Thank you guys very much and Merry Christmas.
ORTEGUS: Thanks, Merry Christmas.
LEWANDOWSKI: Merry Christmas.
WATTERS: Still ahead, a witch and Diamond and Silk and holiday fun and games.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: How you can impeach somebody who's done a great job? I'll tell you what, if I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash. I think everybody would be very poor because without this thinking, you would see - you would see numbers that you wouldn't believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: This thinking right here, right here. The big brain I think. The President makes a point there. I think he's going to be making it for a very long time. Republicans thought it was a great idea to impeach President Clinton, remember that 20 years ago this week. But how'd that work out for him? Not so well. Still, many Democrats calling their bluff, demanding Trump be impeached or forced to resign.
Here with the lessons learned from the Clinton impeachment fallout Fox News politics editor, Chris Stirewalt. Chris, before we start, I have to talk to you about your sweater.
CHRIS STIREWALT, POLITICS EDITOR: Okay.
WATTERS: I have a sweater theory, tell me if you think this rings true.
STIREWALT: Ready.
WATTERS: Back in the day when they didn't really have much, you know, warmth, heating ...
STIREWALT: Okay, it was cold. It was cold, yes.
WATTERS: ... in modern America, yes, everybody kind of lived in cabins or things like that, you needed sweaters, you needed layers especially in the winter. Now, there's heat everywhere. I mean, I could be wearing a t- shirt right now and I'd be comfortable. Are sweaters like a last century kind of thing? Do we really need them any more?
STIREWALT: Our sweaters anachronistic, is Jesse's question? And I will say no, because on a day like today in Washington, where the weather is very changeable and it's very rainy and it's very up-and-down, if I do this, I don't really need a coat when I go outside.
WATTERS: Oh, you don't want to wear a coat because my entire theory is predicated on being able to put on a coat when you go outside.
STIREWALT: I don't want it - to forget a coat, I don't want to carry a coat. I don't want to deal with a coat.
WATTERS: Oh, because you think you have such a bad memory you're not going to be able to remember to keep warm.
STIREWALT: Exactly.
WATTERS: Okay, well then you know what, wear as many sweaters as you want. My theory goes out the window.
STIREWALT: I appreciate your - and though I understand, you know, Abraham Lincoln used to wear a shawl, so just remember, it wasn't just sweaters. There was all kind of stuff going on back when there was no central heat.
WATTERS: Do you think I'd look effeminate if I wore a shawl around Fox News?
STIREWALT: I think if you were like - like Lincoln like a black manly shawl, like a tough Lincoln shawl ...
WATTERS: Like man shawl with like stains and grease and things.
STIREWALT: Right.
WATTERS: Like coal?
STIREWALT: They might even call you "The Emancipator." They might call you "The Rail Splitter." It might happen for you.
WATTERS: Okay, because that's better than some of the other nicknames that go with that hair.
STIREWALT: Exactly. Go with that. Go with that.
WATTERS: Okay, all right so lessons learned from the Clinton impeachment, do you see the Democrats going down a similar road that the Republicans went in the '90s, what are your thoughts?
STIREWALT: In one sense, very much so which is that the Democratic establishment knows that impeaching Donald Trump, there's - the first and easiest remedy for removing Donald Trump from office is in the 2020 election, and that's what the Democratic and that's by the way you - you get to go back to the people.
The Democratic establishment right now very much has their eyes on that. Now, we don't know what all is going to come out from Mueller, so who know - it's pointless to engage in conjecture though many of our competitors engage in this, who knows? So you can't know - this is an unknown, unknown.
WATTERS: Do you think they're just trying to hurt him politically like if, you know, if they can get the impeachment done in the House, even if it doesn't get voted on in the Senate that would harm him politically enough to bruise him going into 2020?
STIREWALT: Well, I think your parallelism with 1998 is a very good one because in those days, this was Newt Gingrich had led an insurgency inside. He was to the Republican House in those days, he had been what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is for Democrats. There's this insurgency --
WATTERS: Wait until old Newt hears that comparison, Chris. I hope he's watching.
STIREWALT: An insurgency inside the Republican Party that was making these demands, pushing Republicans, pushing the Republican establishment to do that and you're right. That wing of the Democratic Party and by the way, about 70% of Democrats depending on the poll you look at, about 70% of rank-and-file Democrats across are in country are in the mood for impeachment.
WATTERS: They are.
STIREWALT: They want to see impeachment.
WATTERS: Seventy percent of Democratic voters support impeaching the President even though the Mueller investigation hasn't wrapped up?
STIREWALT: Right.
WATTERS: But that just kind of goes back to the Kavanaugh thing. They're not even waiting for the evidence. They're just going on gut.
STIREWALT: Right, and just like there were Republicans who felt the same way about Obama, so these folks, this energy has to go somewhere. Nancy Pelosi and her team want to say, "Oh, we're very concerned. We're looking. We're investigating." But not yet, not yet, not yet, not yet - because they know that so close to an election, unless you had some absolutely shocking, amazing provable thing, unless there was a history-making moment, unless you have Nixon's edited tapes or something, when the voters say, "Look, we're going to have an election next year. We can just take care of it."
WATTERS: So where does Nancy channel that energy - the hate Trump, the resistance, impeach Trump energy from the left wing of her party - where does she channel that energy? Does she channel it to the House Oversight Committee? Does she channel it up the chamber to the Senate? Does she - or just like you said, does she just make everybody think, "Listen, 2020 is around the corner," in 2019, you're going to start having debates and we're going to be really turning the page on this. Where does she move that energy?
STIREWALT: What she can hope for is that if you notice the shutdown battle and all of that fold roll, what she has to hope for is that that's what the next year looks like, that the next year looks like incremental scorched earth fighting over pointless procedural gobbledygook and that she's able to keep her conference unified in fighting Trump over whatever sort of meaningless thing - the next meaningless things, is hell no, we won't go.
WATTERS: How do you think Nancy is going to do keeping her caucus unified? I mean, Paul Ryan had some trouble with the freedom caucus, how do you think she's going to handle some of the more aggressive members of her party?
STIREWALT: Democrats generally do better at party discipline. Democrats generally do better at sticking together.
WATTERS: They do.
STIREWALT: The very fact that she won the speakership in an unprecedented fashion even after having lost the speakership and lost it and lost and not regain the majority for so long, to win it again as she now looks apparent to do, so I would say she knows how to keep them in line.
WATTERS: All right, Chris Stirewalt, pro-sweater.
STIREWALT: Pro-sweater.
WATTERS: He is the sweater guy, I am going to break out that shawl in 2019, check me out.
STIREWALT: Merry Christmas.
WATTERS: Thank you very much. Merry Christmas to you, too. Still ahead, speaking of a classic "Watters' World" Christmas quiz, but first witches around the world begging Trump saying stop calling the investigation of "witch hunt." A witch will be here to discuss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The witch hunt as I call it.
You know I call it a witch hunt and it is a witch hunt.
How long is this witch hunt gone on?
This is a pure and simple witch hunt.
This whole witch hunt that's going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: "Witch hunt." President Trump's frequent and favorite nickname for the Mueller investigations now upsetting actual witches. Seriously. They claim it's insulting to the witch community and incites witch persecution.
Joining me now, our go-to witch, Dakota Bracciale, who put a hex on Judge Kavanaugh after his Supreme Court confirmation, did the hex work?
DAKOTA BRACCIALE, PRACTICING WITCH: Yes, I feel that it's had.
WATTERS: How can you tell?
BRACCIALE: Well, really it was about having people exposed for what we believe is corruption and so the day after we did it, there was the memo leak about the Justice Department specifically targeting trans people, and that was something that really was like a rallying call the arms for people on our side --
WATTERS: Oh, so you think the hex caused the transgender situation?
BRACCIALE: I don't - well, listen I've been in many transgender situations and I don't know if hex has caused all of them.
WATTERS: Very good. All right, well Merry Christmas, witch.
BRACCIALE: Yes, absolutely. Blessed solstice, that's what today is, don't forget the reason for the season.
WATTERS: Okay, so solstice is what exactly?
BRACCIALE: Well, there's the solstice and the equinox and in many pagan faiths and earth-based faiths, you honor the turning of the seasons.
WATTERS: So they're not celebrating Christmas.
BRACCIALE: No, I believe in kind of enjoying all of the Yule-tide holidays, Yule among them, but also Christmas and any place that you're invited.
WATTERS: Are you getting presents?
BRACCIALE: As many as I can get, absolutely.
WATTERS: But I mean you're not - you don't have a tree?
BRACCIALE: Well, actually bringing the tree indoors was a revival of pagan practices done during the Victorian period.
WATTERS: So you're taking credit for the tree.
BRACCIALE: Yes.
WATTERS: Okay, but you're not celebrating Christmas?
BRACCIALE: No, I do with family.
WATTERS: Okay.
BRACCIALE: Yes.
WATTERS: Okay, so you will give gifts?
BRACCIALE: Absolutely.
WATTERS: Okay, see, I don't think that's right. If you're not a real Christmas believer, but you're taking advantage of it for the gifts, I think that's kind of cheap, right?
BRACCIALE: I mean maybe slightly opportunistic.
WATTERS: I would say it's opportunistic.
BRACCIALE: The gifts aren't cheap.
WATTERS: No, I could think of some very expensive things that you need.
BRACCIALE: Yes.
WATTERS: Like, a broom.
BRACCIALE: Well, you can always make your own, but you know, the therapy definitely not cheap. You know, you've got to work on that.
WATTERS: Yes, and you need a lot of that. All right, listen your community is upset because of the phrase witch hunt that the President keeps uttering.
BRACCIALE: So I hear.
WATTERS: What is the - what is the reason for the upset-ness?
BRACCIALE: Personally, I kind of find the whole thing a bit ridiculous. I'm not one of those people whose so offended because "oh my goodness, you said witch hunt" and that's against witches. A lot of these people who've been writing these think pieces and you know, foolish outrage posts, they're essentially trying to tie themselves to what is a - it's myth- making. It's this idea of - well, there was the burning times which was you know, during the witch hunts. The fact is, is that yes, there was 300 years of witch hunts and a lot of people were killed. Most of them weren't witches though. A lot of times, it was political opportunity.
WATTERS: So that's actually a good point. So you're saying President Trump, innocent of being the theoretical witch and Mueller is targeting him wrongly just like it was back in the Salem days.
BRACCIALE: I don't know. I mean, I think --
WATTERS: I think that's what you just said. I think you just cleared the President of wrong doing.
BRACCIALE: I'm not actually so sure about that.
WATTERS: You agreed with the analogy.
BRACCIALE: My issue with him is in saying witch hunt is that, witch hunt by definition, I actually have a definition here, "an intensive effort to discover and expose disloyalty, subversion, dishonesty or the like usually based on doubtful or irrelevant evidence," so we are just trying --
WATTERS: Like Russia collusion.
BRACCIALE: Well, I don't know of over a hundred --
WATTERS: No evidence of collusion.
BRACCIALE: Over a hundred criminal charges can't be that baseless, so --
WATTERS: Not about Russia collusion.
BRACCIALE: I don't know, with 33 people indicted, you know, you've got a lot of people already - five of his former advisers have already pled guilty.
WATTERS: Not about collusion.
BRACCIALE: I don't know about that, that's a --
WATTERS: Well, I do.
BRACCIALE: The Mueller probe isn't over yet.
WATTERS: Because that's the truth. Yes, I know the witch hunt is still ongoing.
BRACCIALE: Is it?
WATTERS: Are you planning - or it looks like it, I mean, he hasn't really made a definitive.
BRACCIALE: I don't know. He likes to - the thing with him is he's not that socially adept and so he'll find a catch phrase.
WATTERS: Who?
BRACCIALE: Trump.
WATTERS: Trump.
BRACCIALE: And so he said --
WATTERS: Trump is not socially adept.
BRACCIALE: No.
WATTERS: Coming from you?
BRACCIALE: Yes.
WATTERS: The witch.
BRACCIALE: Absolutely.
WATTERS: Okay, so you're socially adept.
BRACCIALE: Listen, I'm getting invited to multiple holidays this year.
WATTERS: Billionaire President, TV star is not socially adept.
BRACCIALE: Well, I don't - I don't think inheriting money makes you better at being social, you know in many ways, it could even make you worse.
WATTERS: What about tens of millions of people supporting and loving you?
BRACCIALE: I don't know. Tens of millions of people supported a lot of leaders that we wouldn't agree are not great people.
WATTERS: Are you comparing Trump to someone in particular?
BRACCIALE: Oh, I don't know. I think there's a whole host of people we could compare him to.
WATTERS: Careful, witch - if you say --
BRACCIALE: Who are just as feckless and useless.
WATTERS: If you say something wrong, you might get banned from "Watters' World," and I don't want to ban my witch correspondent.
BRACCIALE: Oh no. Listen, I am the go-to witch, that's why I rode here in my broom.
WATTERS: You are the go-witch, we will never have another one.
BRACCIALE: I stopped the rain for you. I'm trying here. No, my thing with him is, you know, I feel when I look at the way that he uses certain words like "witch hunt," its classical what people call gas lighting. It's used - it is the abuser or aggressor trying to envelope themselves in the terminology of victimhood, saying, "Look, they're accusing me. They're coming after me," as if this was present-day McCarthyism.
WATTERS: You know what that reminds me of? Hillary saying this is a vast right-wing conspiracy.
BRACCIALE: Yes, absolutely.
WATTERS: Similar.
BRACCIALE: Well, I think --
WATTERS: At least you know what? The fact that you agreed with that point makes me think you are a very fair and balanced witch.
BRACCIALE: Yes, well, there's your 2019 hex list and she may be on top.
WATTERS: Oh, all right, Hillary watch out. You're about to get a spell cast upon you.
BRACCIALE: A little bit.
WATTERS: All right, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
BRACCIALE: And blessed solstice.
WATTERS: And blessed solstice. All right, Dakota, thank you.
BRACCIALE: Thank you.
WATTERS: Al Gore claiming climate change and the migrant caravan are connected. Wait until you hear this from Al. Diamond and Silk responds, next.
Caravan crisis still looming at the border and if you ask former Vice President Al Gore, the migrants themselves are an example of global warming. He tweeted this, "People from all over the world are being forced to migrate because the climate crisis is affecting their livelihood. The migrant caravan from Central America is a recent startling example. This "Financial Times" video connects the dots in a profound way." You can't make it up.
Here to react, Diamond and Silk. Ladies, I've seen a lot of these migrant caravan people interviewed. They've talked about fleeing violence. They've talked about coming to America for jobs. I didn't hear anything about fleeing climate change in Honduras. Did you?
DIAMOND, VIDEOBLOGGER: No.
SILK, VIDEOBLOGGER: No, or fleeing because it was too cold or too hot,
DIAMOND: Listen, by comparing the caravan to global warming is just like comparing water to surf. It will not fit. Okay, and first of all, let us make sure that we're clear. Illegal aliens trying to bum-rush our borders because of our strong and booming economy created by the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
They want some of this American Dream over here. That's why they're coming from their countries and coming over here to come into our country. They think they can walk up in here illegally and obtain the America dream.
SILK: But we advise them to fight for those same rights in their own countries.
DIAMOND: And since Gore, he was talking about global warming, if he was really concerned, he should stop driving his car, stop flying in a plane and the only reason he continues to blame up - crank up global warming is because of those tech firms, those green tech firms that he's tied to that makes up money that's why he keeps cranking it up.
WATTERS: I know, I mean and if the whole world was warming, everybody from the warm temperatures would be traveling up north to Russia and to Canada and that's not happening. That's not happening.
DIAMOND: That's not happening.
WATTERS: And it's beautiful in Central America - it's like - what is it? Eighty five and sunny every day? If there's a climate crisis down there, I want some of that climate crisis. I'm going to be on the next plane down there.
All right, next thing we want to talk to you ladies about, I guess there's a survey out that says people want a modern Santa, not a classic Santa - a modern Santa with tattoos whose gender-neutral, maybe doesn't use a sleigh or something like that, maybe he's a little too overweight, maybe should wear skinny jeans you know, because they don't like the Santa suit. What do you guys think about modern Santa?
DIAMOND: No, I want my classic Santa. Leave Santa alone. I do not want my Santa looking like a thug and all thugged-out. No.
SILK: That's right.
DIAMOND: No, I want the classic Santa that we grew up with. I want that one. I don't want them changing. Now, here's what people can do, if they want another Santa, how about them - they create something in their own home and have that kind of stuff in their own home, but we want the traditional Santa to stand. Next thing you know, they'll be trying to change Santa's name --
SILK: To Sasha.
WATTERS: Oh mean, that would not go over well in much of the world. You know, and the reason Santa is fat is he is eating all the cookies and milk.
DIAMOND: Right, that we save for him when he comes down the sleigh. We put it in the chimney. We have our stuff there for him to eat.
SILK: That's right.
WATTERS: Yes, I mean, we're not putting carrots and hummus; we're putting cookies and milk, guys. That's why Santa is packing on the pounds. All right lastly, I want to get to our friend, Nancy Pelosi. I guess they caught her at a bar dancing, I guess, she was celebrating early because she thought she won the shutdown battle. There's Nancy kind of trying to find the beat out there. I guess, what's that? Don McLean? "American Pie." Is that how Nancy dances? I guess, I mean that's - you know, we're going to see a lot of dancing Nance in the next two years it looks like.
DIAMOND: Well when it comes to Nancy Pelosi, we can see that they are all talk and no action and you know what I can't understand, they are okay with funding slush funds, but they don't want to fund the wall. That is crazy to me and instead of building a wall between them and Americans that really want a wall, how about they start with the border and build that wall on the border? How about they fund the wall.
WATTERS: That's right. You know, they want to protect themselves against sexual harassment lawsuits, but they don't want to protect us from MS-13. Can you imagine --
SILK: And they are doing it with our tax dollars. They're doing it with our tax dollars, Jesse.
WATTERS: And I'm giving them a lot. You should see how much I give the government, it's way too much.
SILK: Yes.
WATTERS: Even after the tax cut. I need another tax cut.
SILK: That's right.
WATTERS: All right, ladies, Merry Christmas and we want a Santa Claus not a Sasha Claus, have a great Christmas and Happy New Year.
DIAMOND: Thank you.
SILK: Thank you.
WATTERS: All right, coming up, a fan favorite Fox News fun and games, the holiday edition, right back.
It is the season to be jolly and what better way to continue the holiday spirit than with a round of Fox News fun and games. Joining me now, Fox news 24/7 headlines reporter, Carley Shimkus, happy solstice, Carley.
CARLEY SHIMKUS, HEADLINES REPORTER: Yes, I had idea it was that day, but apparently it is.
WATTERS: Apparently it is. All right, let's get into this. We're going to play some games for the folks and here are the questions. Who would you at Fox News want to be your Secret Santa, go.
SHIMKUS: I would say Ainsley.
WATTERS: Why Ainsley? Are you buttering her up because you work with her?
SHIMKUS: Sure. Well, I know her so well because I work with her. She is so sweet. She's generous. I feel like she's the type of person that would really think about what you want.
WATTERS: Like she's listening all year, one of those people. I do that.
SHIMKUS: And if the spending limits is like $20.00, she'll go the extra mile and spring for like a $75.00.
WATTERS: Don't you love people like that? I'm not one of those people.
SHIMKUS: I am not one of those people either.
WATTERS: But I love other people like that.
SHIMKUS: Yes.
WATTERS: And that's why I would choose Hannity and the reason I would choose Hannity is because he makes the most money here at Fox News, and I heard that Hannity is an extremely generous tipper. Word on the street, Hannity doubles the bill when he tips at a restaurant.
SHIMKUS: Are you - you know what? That doesn't surprise me at all.
WATTERS: I'm thinking about waiting tables for him.
SHIMKUS: You're right, as a side job.
WATTERS: Yes, on the weekends, you know.
SHIMKUS: I would take either Hannity or Ainsley. Hannity would probably be good with the electronics, Ainsley would give like a nice handbag.
WATTERS: Okay, well that's not really what I'm looking for, but go for it.
SHIMKUS: That's why I picked her.
WATTERS: All right, most likely to get a lump of coal. Go first. Be careful though.
SHIMKUS: I'm going with Ed Henry. This was a no brainer for me.
WATTERS: Why is that a no-brainer?
SHIMKUS: There is a reason, because I was on a roll on Tucker Carlson's quiz show for the summer ...
WATTERS: Oh okay, I got you.
SHIMKUS: Ed Henry was the guy that beat me. I will - a woman never forgets those things.
WATTERS: Oh, you're going to hold a grudge.
SHIMKUS: So out of everybody in the building, Ed Henry is getting a lump of coal.
WATTERS: All right, his staff will lament him.
SHIMKUS: And I love Ed, but he's getting a lump of coal.
WATTERS: Okay, I'm going to go with Juan Williams and I feel like I don't need to explain it. Everybody knows Juan deserves coal if you'll watch "The Five" you know Juan deserves a huge lump of coal in his stocking.
SHIMKUS: Disagree. Great man, but I know why you're giving him coal.
WATTERS: No, great man but he deserves a lot of coal. All right, let's see what's next. Who is a secret serial re-gifter?
SHIMKUS: This was easy. This is hands down Brian Kilmeade.
WATTERS: You think so?
SHIMKUS: Absolutely.
WATTERS: Do you know this from personal experience?
SHIMKUS: No, I don't, but Brian has many gifts. I just don't feel like gift-giving is one of them. He's just such a man. You know, I don't mean to - you know ...
WATTERS: He's such a man. He's so manly.
SHIMKUS: He's just such a guy.
WATTERS: That's what I think of when I look at Brian.
SHIMKUS: And sometimes, guys just aren't good at giving gifts.
WATTERS: I feel like if he gave you a gift, it would be his book.
SHIMKUS: Yes, it would be his book.
WATTERS: He would be like, here's a copy and he'd sign it and make it like real special.
SHIMKUS: Great read or like an umbrella or something very generic.
WATTERS: Right, like right Rightmove's umbrella; not even an umbrella he bought. All right. I'm going take ownership of this. I'm a regift giver. I do it. I actually have a few items on my desk right now that I'm planning on regifting actual family members at Christmas.
SHIMKUS: Now, would you ever get caught with that or --
WATTERS: Hopefully, they're not watching the show and so now I just blew it up. Now, I'm not going to get away with it anymore. I have to go shopping again. All right, next question, best Christmas caroler. Who do you think?
SHIMKUS: Also, easy for me. This is Tom Shillue.
WATTERS: Oh, that's a great answer.
SHIMKUS: Tom Shillue is in a professional barber shop for TED.
WATTERS: That is a great answer.
SHIMKUS: So he's open about the caroling?
WATTERS: Can I change my answer, who did I say? Oh, oh, that's right. You know what, I actually have a better answer, and here is why, Bret Baier, roll the tape. That's Bret Baier at the Christmas party in D.C.
SHIMKUS: That needs to go viral.
WATTERS: I don't think I have permission to show that.
SHIMKUS: That was a sharp suit.
WATTERS: Wasn't that nice?
SHIMKUS: Yes, that was a well-cut suit.
WATTERS: He looks good, doesn't he? And he sounds good.
SHIMKUS: Yes.
WATTERS: You know what, if things don't go well at Fox, there's always singing for Bret.
SHIMKUS: I think we're past that with Bret.
WATTERS: Okay, has he earned his stripes?
SHIMKUS: Things are going pretty well. Yes.
WATTERS: Okay, yes, him and I are definitely in a different area. Lastly, the most likely to fall asleep before midnight.
SHIMKUS: I'm going with Lou Dobbs.
WATTERS: On New Year's Eve?
SHIMKUS: Yes, I'm going with Lou Dobbs because he's such a classy guy. He's so above New Year's Eve.
WATTERS: Is that an age crack? And I'd be careful.
SHIMKUS: This is - this has nothing to do with age. This has to do with class, Jesse.
WATTERS: Classy people go to bed before midnight.
SHIMKUS: I'm over it. I'm so over it. I'll wake up, it's going to be 2019. Twenty nineteen can wait for me, that's what Lou Dobbs does.
WATTERS: I have won. I have won. I am going to go with Greg Gutfeld and it's not falling asleep. Greg would pass out, because he'd drinking too much wine and he'd think you know what, same year as last year, what's the difference? Who believes in dates and he'll just pass out.
SHIMKUS: I can see. He'd be fun to party with though.
WATTERS: All right, so listen on New Year's, Greg will not be seeing you because he's going to be passed out. You are going to be hosting New Year's from eight to ten, is that right?
SHIMKUS: That's right with Grif Jenkins, the New Year's Eve pre-show and then we might stick around for it the main events. Last year, I was in Miami, do you remember that because you were part of the show.
WATTERS: Yes, I think I feel like this might have been a demotion.
SHIMKUS: Had a ton of fun.
WATTERS: I feel like this is a demotion for you. You had the sweetest gig ever and now you have - because remember, you were asking me the other day, you were like, "Do I have to be outside for New Year's?"
SHIMKUS: Yes.
WATTERS: Yes, you do.
SHIMKUS: I thought it was inside.
WATTERS: Yes, Carley, you're outside.
SHIMKUS: Nobody told me that was a part of the gig.
WATTERS: You want to go back to Miami now, don't you?
SHIMKUS: Yes.
WATTERS: All right, it's not going to happen. Grif needs your help.
SHIMKUS: That's all right. We're going to try and stay warm somehow.
WATTERS: And it's going to be so good, Gutfeld is going to stay up the whole night.
SHIMKUS: Please, I hope so.
WATTERS: All right, Carley, thank you.
SHIMKUS: Thanks a lot.
WATTERS: Up next, a special Christmas quiz. Time now for "Last Call." What better way to start the Christmas weekend then with a special "Watter's World" holiday quiz throwback from two years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: Where was Jesus born?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus was born somewhere in Jerusalem, I believe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, wow, wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like about Europe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bethan Air.
WATTERS: The three wise men brought three gifts for baby Jesus, what were they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some sandals, a robe and some bread.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Food.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, I haven't been to Sunday school in years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frankincense, myrrh and something else.
WATTERS: What's myrrh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Myrrh is something the used in making perfume.
WATTERS: Are you wearing anything right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't wear cologne, but you are. I could smell you from here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stings the nostrils.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: That's all for us tonight. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and if you're looking for a last-minute gift, Fox Nation, why not? Exclusive Fox programming there. It's amazing.
All right, "Justice With Judge Jeanine" is next and remember I'm Watters, and this is my world,
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