Day One, Trump Speaks

Gary Bauer

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Day One - Yesterday was a big day in Washington. As newly-elected members of Congress were sworn in, control of the House of Representatives flipped from Republican to Democrat.

While this is usually a run-of-the-mill process, a lot of things happened yesterday that should concern anyone who cherishes American values and who was hoping for compromise from the new Congress.

• Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) refused to take her oath of office on the Bible. Instead she used a law book. I don't know which law book, but I do know this: Long after the senator and whatever book she took her oath on are gone, the word of God will endure.
• Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) took her oath on what she called "Jefferson's Koran." She said, "Some of our Founding Fathers knew more about Islam than some members of Congress now." Obviously she doesn't know very much. Jefferson got a translation of the Koran so he could understand the Islamic Barbary Pirates against whom he would later, as president, wage war. Thus the phrase, "To the shores of Tripoli" in the Marines' Hymn. But she is probably right -- the Founders understood what many elites today do not: Radical Islam is a deadly threat to freedom.
• Unfortunately, Tlaib wasn't done. She later went to a reception sponsored by the radical group MoveOn.org. Referring to a conversation she had with her young son about her election, Rep. Tlaib declared, "We're gonna go in there and impeach the motherf---er.'"
• And there's more. The world map on the wall in Rep. Tlaib's office had a Post-It note on it labeled "Palestine" over the state of Israel.
• Rep. Tlaib is not the only newly elected member of Congress who is hostile to Israel. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) lied to her constituents about her support for efforts to boycott and sanction Israel. The election of these two Muslim women, along with socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), has been hailed by cultural and media elites as "the wave of the future." Just to be clear, they are celebrating the victory of anti-Semites. Some future.
• Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) posted the transgender flag outside of her office. (Yes, they have a flag.)
• Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College.
• Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump.
• Not to be out done, Nancy Pelosi made history herself by becoming the first woman to become Speaker of the House twice. And the first bill she pushed through the House late last night was an appropriation bill that gave an additional $12 billion in foreign aid to multiple countries and provided more money to promote abortions overseas, but did not provide one dime for better border security to protect American citizens.

And that, my friends, was just Day One of the new Democrat House!

I waited all day for newly sworn-in Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), who couldn't wait until he was sworn in to attack Donald Trump, to say something about any of these outrages. But all I heard was crickets.

There was one thing I saw yesterday that reminded me of the great reservoir of courage we still have in this country. It was a picture of Representatives Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Jim Baird (R-IN) and Brian Mast (R-FL) together on the House floor. The caption read, "5 eyes. 5 arms. 4 legs. All American."

Rep. Crenshaw lost his eye in Afghanistan. Rep. Baird lost his arm in Vietnam. Rep. Mast lost his legs in Afghanistan.

Trump Speaks - President Trump surprised reporters at the White House late yesterday afternoon by delivering an impromptu press conference. He began by congratulating Nancy Pelosi on her second term as speaker and expressed his hope that they could find areas of agreement for the good of the country.

Then, with most of the networks carrying his comments live, he turned the podium over to representatives of the Border Patrol. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, spoke first. He said:

"I've been a Border Patrol agent for 21 years. I can personally tell you . . . that physical barriers, that walls actually work. . . I promise you that if you interview Border Patrol agents, they will tell you that walls work. . .

"Anywhere that you look, where we have built walls, they have worked. They have been an absolute necessity for Border Patrol agents in securing the border. We need those physical barriers, and we appreciate President Trump and all of his efforts in getting us those physical barriers."

The next person who spoke was Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. He told reporters:

"We are all affected by this shutdown. We have skin in the game. However, it comes down to border security. . . and we fully support what [President Trump] is doing to take care of our nation's borders. . . You all got to ask yourself this question: If I come to your home, do you want me to knock on the front door, or do you want me to climb through that window?"

Next was Hector Garza, also a vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, who addressed the criminals who are regularly apprehended attempting to cross the border. Agent Garza said:

"We're talking about murderers, rapists, people that commit very serious crimes in this country. . . These criminal aliens that have been released from jail, that have been deported, will come right back into the United States. However, if we had a physical barrier, if we had a wall, we would be able to stop that. . . And again, we ask our congressmen to fund border security and fund the border wall."

If you missed this press conference, watch it here. Share it with your friends and family members.

Incredibly, some talking heads on MSNBC labeled the president's press conference a "stunt" and even suggested that Agents Del Cueto and Garza are the equivalent of skinheads because they happened to be bald and support the president's efforts against illegal immigration.

Joe Scarborough and Donny Deutsch owe President Trump and the men of the Border Patrol a huge apology. But I won't hold my breath.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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