Newt Gingrich on Donald Trump's Most Revolutionary Inaugural Address in American History and Path to Greatness

[00:00] joining us now is Speaker new Gingrich

[00:02] uh Mr Speaker uh welcome to the program

[00:05] so much to discuss but first I want to

[00:07] make sure that we uh discuss your new

[00:09] film coming out which will premere on

[00:11] PBS on January 14th uh at 1000 p.m.

[00:14] Eastern I want to play the trailer and

[00:16] then get some of your remarks on it play

[00:18] Cut 191

[00:20] please immigrants have come to America

[00:23] from around the world for many reasons

[00:26] some fled famine and poverty others

[00:28] sought religious freedom and some came

[00:30] for the possibility of a better life my

[00:32] name is hry kissu and I came to America

[00:36] in

[00:37] 1938 the promise of freedom and

[00:39] opportunity continues to be a powerful

[00:42] draw for those who make their journey to

[00:45] [Music]

[00:47] America Mr Speaker tell us about this

[00:51] project well I think it was inspired by

[00:53] Kista because her grandmother came to

[00:57] the United States legally from Poland

[00:59] through Island as did something like 12

[01:02] million other people and so we believe

[01:04] deeply in legal immigration and we are

[01:08] strongly opposed to Illegal immigration

[01:11] and we want to make the case that people

[01:13] who have come here legally some famous

[01:16] like Henry Kissinger others like Maria

[01:18] DOL who had been adopted from a Siberian

[01:21] orphanage and went on to become the

[01:24] first woman certified by the Marine

[01:26] Corps as a combat infantryman um all of

[01:29] them in their own unique way way has

[01:30] made America a better wealthier more

[01:33] secure country uh and it's important

[01:35] that we find ways to strengthen legal

[01:38] immigration at the very same time that

[01:40] we control the border and we Deport

[01:42] people who are here illegally so that's

[01:45] why we did it we're very proud that PBS

[01:48] picked it up and that people can find it

[01:50] streaming at pbs.org and I think they'll

[01:53] find that it's a it's a very educational

[01:55] and at the same time a very interesting

[01:57] show

[02:00] I I I I I love the premise and what a

[02:03] applicable segue to what we are now

[02:05] seeing and living through I want to get

[02:07] into the deportations and of President

[02:10] Trump uh what he's doing immigration

[02:12] wise but Mr Speaker I have to get your

[02:14] historical analysis first let's just

[02:15] take an even greater step back and look

[02:18] more macro on Monday president Donald

[02:20] Trump took the oath of office in the

[02:21] capital rotunda in the most triumphant

[02:24] political comeback in American history

[02:26] put this into words in a historical

[02:29] context of what we the American people

[02:31] are living through and what president

[02:33] Donald Trump accomplished this week you

[02:35] know when CH and I were in the Rotunda

[02:38] listening to the speech it hit me that

[02:40] it's the most revolutionary inaugural

[02:43] address in American history the next

[02:45] morning I went and read uh Jefferson's

[02:48] first and second inaugurals Andrew

[02:50] Jackson's first inaugural and Franklin

[02:52] Donar Roo's first inaugural sure enough

[02:55] Donald Trump on Monday gave the most

[02:58] revolutionary speech if you read it and

[03:01] think about it it's about cultural

[03:03] change it's about political change it's

[03:05] about economic change it's about

[03:07] governmental change and it's about

[03:09] changes in our role in the world all

[03:11] those in 30 minutes clear decisive and

[03:14] then what's amazing is

[03:16] instantaneously he began implementing it

[03:18] with hundreds of executive orders uh he

[03:21] has in the last five days I think done

[03:25] almost as much as Franklin Roosevelt did

[03:27] in a 100 days and I thought in fact I

[03:29] told him that if he does keeps this up

[03:31] for 10 days he will have passed Franklin

[03:33] Roosevelt's 100 days and that he shows

[03:35] no sign of slowing down and if you saw

[03:38] him speaking at to Davos by television

[03:42] um he laid it out for the Business

[03:43] Leaders of the world you want to create

[03:45] jobs in America you're going to have low

[03:47] taxes you want to create jobs overseas

[03:49] and try to sell in America you're going

[03:51] to have a tariff um I think that was

[03:53] probably a huge sobering shock to many

[03:56] of those Business Leaders and you've

[03:57] already seen uh several groups come

[04:00] together to commit $500 billion for

[04:02] artificial intelligence the head of

[04:04] Saudi Arabia has pledged $600 billion in

[04:08] investments in the United States and I

[04:09] think Trump has decided U he's going to

[04:12] be probably the most consequential

[04:15] president uh other than uh Washington

[04:18] and Lincoln that we've had in American

[04:20] history and he's he's certainly working

[04:21] at it pretty hard the first

[04:24] week Mr Speaker I I agree with all of

[04:27] that I want to get your take on the lack

[04:31] of something I expected more resistance

[04:34] president Donald Trump signed an

[04:35] executive order challenging Birthright

[04:38] citizenship if he would have done that

[04:40] back in 2017 he would have been met with

[04:42] 500,000 protesters in Washington the

[04:45] next day president Donald Trump freed

[04:47] the January 6 prisoners all of them and

[04:50] all we got were a bunch of whiners on

[04:52] cable TV where is the rank and file

[04:55] where is the Infantry resistance of the

[04:58] American left are they in hibernation or

[05:01] have they been

[05:02] eliminated well I you know I think

[05:05] couple things first of all his nine-year

[05:08] project to get back here uh is unlike

[05:11] anything in American history they did

[05:14] everything they could to stop him and

[05:16] he's here and maybe the most iconic

[05:18] moment was when he was shot and stood up

[05:22] with his fist up in the air yelling

[05:24] fight fight fight I think it took

[05:26] something out of his opponents to

[05:28] realize that you're dealing here not

[05:30] with a normal politician you're dealing

[05:32] with a citizen who has become a

[05:34] juggernaut of History second the fact

[05:37] that he won by more than two million

[05:38] votes and that he carried every single

[05:41] swing state all seven of them I think

[05:43] demoralized the left here they they had

[05:46] thrown everything they could at him uh

[05:48] and here he is standing triumphant and

[05:51] then they're watching you know to go

[05:52] back to to General Thompson's phrase um

[05:55] they're watching shock and awe I mean

[05:58] he's hitting them from so many different

[05:59] angles every day they're getting 20 or

[06:03] 30 things to be outraged about daily and

[06:05] I think they're just mystified and I

[06:08] think the elite media knows that they're

[06:10] in deep trouble they're declining

[06:11] economically they're getting people laid

[06:13] off uh frankly programs like yours or

[06:16] like Joe Rogan or like Fox News uh all

[06:20] of these have become dramatically more

[06:22] important than the traditional Elite

[06:24] media and the result is that their

[06:27] revenue is going down their employment

[06:29] is going down you look at the layoffs at

[06:32] places like the Washington Post uh the

[06:35] Los Angeles

[06:36] Times this is a different world and I I

[06:39] think now let me be very clear and you

[06:41] sort of said this at the

[06:42] beginning all we got so far is a ticket

[06:45] to the dance we haven't realigned

[06:48] America we haven't won massive

[06:51] majorities like Franklin Roosevelt and

[06:53] so we've got to perform we've got to do

[06:56] well enough to keep the house in 26 we

[06:58] got to do well enough to elect another

[07:00] Republican president in 28 and until

[07:03] we've done that I think we're still in a

[07:06] in a gray Zone where Trump's personality

[07:09] is carrying us but we haven't yet quite

[07:12] solidified the country as a new Mega

[07:15] oriented traditional American country

[07:18] which is where Trump is taking

[07:21] us I think that is extremely wise and

[07:25] president Trump does have a Washington

[07:28] likee quality where Washington

[07:29] Washington was larger than life he would

[07:31] March straight into battle as you well

[07:33] know be shot at and even shot and there

[07:35] was almost a an aura around him that

[07:38] made him largely culturally and

[07:41] politically Invincible you said

[07:43] something though that historians would

[07:45] scoff at in Prior years and now they're

[07:48] maybe reconsidering you said he is

[07:50] attempting or on Pace to be on in the

[07:55] same sentence as Washington and Lincoln

[07:58] please make that case

[08:00] well I think Washington Lincoln will

[08:01] always be preeminent Washington and

[08:04] essentially created the country uh

[08:06] Lincoln held the country together

[08:07] through a four-year Civil War so they're

[08:09] in a little different class but if you

[08:11] go one layer below to Jefferson Andrew

[08:14] Jackson theore Rosa Franklin Roosevelt I

[08:17] have no doubt that Trump is going to end

[08:19] up if he continues at this pace for four

[08:22] years and keeps the house and Alex's

[08:25] successor I have no doubt he will end up

[08:27] in a Zone just below Washington and

[08:30] Lincoln and above people we've

[08:32] historically thought of as great

[08:33] presidents and uh I think that uh if you

[08:36] watch his authenticity I watched him the

[08:38] other night on uh on on Hannity and

[08:40] they've known each other for 30 years

[08:42] he's so calm he's so relaxed he's so

[08:45] much in comfortable with himself that I

[08:47] think this is a very important moment

[08:50] you know clist and I made two movies one

[08:51] about John Paul II called nine days that

[08:54] changed the world where he went back to

[08:56] Poland and the other movie about Reagan

[08:59] uh called Revo of Destiny and Reagan and

[09:01] John Paul II meet for the first time and

[09:04] they've both been shot and part of their

[09:07] conversation is why did God spare us and

[09:10] they concluded that God had spared them

[09:12] from the Assassins so they could defeat

[09:14] the Soviet Empire and they agreed on an

[09:17] alliance which worked to defeat the

[09:19] Soviet Empire I think president Trump

[09:22] thought very deeply I know speaker Mike

[09:24] Johnson said after the Second Assassin

[09:27] was was captured uh Trump realized how

[09:30] really deep a problem threat this was

[09:32] and he and Trump went off to a room and

[09:34] prayed for two hours now I think you're

[09:36] seeing a man who has been profoundly

[09:39] shaped by realizing that God saved him

[09:43] and that therefore he owes a different

[09:45] quality of Duty than he would have

[09:48] thought a year ago and I this is and

[09:50] I've known Trump a long time this is a

[09:52] more sober more serious more considerate

[09:56] person than he was before these

[09:58] assassination attempts

[10:01] I I think that's exactly right and he

[10:04] looks as if he has a

[10:06] centeredness that I I don't want to say

[10:09] it was lacking in the first term but it

[10:11] is deepened and strengthened he feels

[10:14] present ready in total command and

[10:17] control of every room that he comes into

[10:20] there's almost nothing that can surprise

[10:22] you once you've been shot literally at

[10:24] that point what bad news article are

[10:27] they going to write about you he's faced

[10:28] 700 years in Federal prison they tried

[10:29] to take his business Empire away from

[10:31] him and that word Duty we has been lost

[10:36] in American political virtue for quite

[10:39] some time and it the media deep down

[10:43] almost knows that not only they've lost

[10:46] but he kind of won in such a way that no

[10:50] matter how much they complain they can't

[10:52] they can't possibly stop him at this

[10:54] point Mr Speaker what could go wrong at

[10:56] this point what are the potential

[10:58] cautionary pitfalls you've been and seen

[11:00] a lot of presidencies that this

[11:02] Administration needs to be cautious of

[11:04] and aware

[11:05] of well look I I think first of all you

[11:09] have to have a certain level of humility

[11:12] uh President Kennedy had a sign on his

[11:15] desk that said oh lord your ocean is so

[11:18] big and my boat is so small and even if

[11:21] you're as big as president Donald Trump

[11:24] the world is much much bigger so you

[11:26] have to be cautious you have to worry

[11:27] about not starting a new clear war with

[11:29] Russia you have to worry about what

[11:31] North Korea is going to do you have to

[11:33] make sure that the Chinese Communists

[11:35] don't think they can cross the Taiwan

[11:37] Straits uh you've got to worry about the

[11:39] Iranians who are religious Fanatics uh

[11:41] and try to help the Iranian people who

[11:43] are not religious Fanatics I mean there

[11:45] are a lot of things out there that make

[11:47] the world complicated uh we're

[11:48] undertaking a brand new struggle where

[11:51] we have defined uh criminal

[11:53] organizations like the cartels uh as

[11:56] terrorist groups that involves a whole

[11:58] series of decisions uh and Mexico is a

[12:01] big country and it's a country that has

[12:03] large sections of it being run by uh

[12:05] criminal gangs so that's going to be a

[12:08] major concern the biggest concern for I

[12:11] think for the president the thing he has

[12:12] to focus on is the

[12:15] economy uh he it's vital to him to keep

[12:19] the house in 2026 and it's going to be a

[12:22] real fight if the economy is growing if

[12:24] there's a sense of a trump boom then I

[12:27] think he's got a good chance of keeping

[12:28] the house if the economy is still

[12:30] floundering then I think there's a real

[12:32] likelihood we'll lose the house and

[12:34] you'll end up with a Nancy Pelosi

[12:35] environment of Democrats obstructing

[12:38] blocking investigating and possibly

[12:40] impeaching so this this is the central

[12:43] decision point and that requires in my

[12:45] judgment passing a very very strong Bill

[12:49] uh I think by Memorial Day as Speaker

[12:52] Johnson said or certainly no later than

[12:54] July the 4th because it's got to go into

[12:57] effect now the early report $500 billion

[13:00] committed for artificial intelligence

[13:02] the Saudis committing $600 billion these

[13:05] are great things but to get the average

[13:07] American on board they've got to see the

[13:10] taxes change the regulations change the

[13:12] economy growing uh if that happens and

[13:15] with people like you and I have to say

[13:17] you were extraordinarily helpful and

[13:19] important in the last presidential

[13:21] campaign and I think you made a

[13:23] significant difference particularly in

[13:25] reaching out to younger Americans so

[13:27] with the help of the entire team that

[13:28] elected in President we have a chance to

[13:31] make sure we not only just keep the

[13:32] house but we actually increase our

[13:34] margin there are 13 Democrats in seats

[13:37] that uh Donald Trump carried there

[13:39] another 21 Democrats that are in seats

[13:41] he got within 5% they're going to vote

[13:44] very strangely very much against the

[13:46] American people and we have a real

[13:48] chance to beat them and to substantially

[13:50] increase the majority that speaker

[13:52] Johnson has to work

[13:55] with well thank you for those kind words

[13:57] Mr Speaker my inclination has been for

[14:00] two bills but can you convince our

[14:02] audience otherwise I'm not against one I

[14:04] mean I'm I'm far from a legislative

[14:06] expert why do you think uh one bill

[14:08] would be the best solution well let me

[14:11] just say as part of the background that

[14:13] I I've engineered this before uh we were

[14:15] the only Congress in a 100 years to pass

[14:18] four consecutive balanced budgets pass

[14:21] welfare reform pass tax cuts pass uh

[14:24] Food and Drug Administration reform and

[14:25] vent Medicare Advantage we did all that

[14:28] with a Democratic president why because

[14:30] we followed Ronald rigan's principle

[14:31] Abraham Lincoln's principle which is you

[14:33] start with the American people president

[14:36] Trump if he will campaign for about 10

[14:38] weeks and go into the districts I just

[14:41] mentioned the 34 that are vulnerable

[14:43] Democrats he will pass a Big Bill I

[14:46] don't think you can do that twice in the

[14:48] first six months of the year and I think

[14:50] it's desperately important that that be

[14:53] the tax cuts deregulation energy uh

[14:56] affordability Bill uh I think you can

[14:59] throw in things for immigration he's

[15:01] frankly going to do a lot on immigration

[15:03] without a bill and I think people say oh

[15:05] we want to we want a quick early Victory

[15:07] no I want a decisive victory that shapes

[15:10] the economy for next year to give us a

[15:13] chance to keep the house anything less

[15:15] than that is a failure and I think the

[15:18] Senate is so cumbersome and so difficult

[15:20] to work just structurally that even

[15:22] though John th's going to be a very good

[15:24] majority leader and very Cooperative

[15:25] with Trump frankly uh he would have a

[15:28] very hard hard time getting two big

[15:31] bills through the senate in six months

[15:33] uh so if I have to choose I want one

[15:35] really big Bill As Trump describes it

[15:37] one big beautiful bill and I think

[15:39] that's the safest if you want to keep a

[15:41] majority in the house it's the safest if

[15:44] you want the Trump presidency to be

[15:47] successful very persuasive Mr Speaker I

[15:51] I yield to The Experts and no matter

[15:54] what we'll be helping what whatever the

[15:56] team decides we'll be there to support

[15:58] and we'll be there to make sure it

[15:59] happens Mr speaker thank you so much

[16:01] great to be with you