United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss recent developments in the Middle East, the influence of Iran, and comments made by Senator Chuck Schumer regarding the ongoing government shutdown.
During his appearance, Hagerty praised President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their roles in achieving peace agreements in the Middle East. He also highlighted the contributions of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to these efforts. Hagerty stated, “It’s an incredible day and an incredible victory. My hat’s off to President Trump and to Secretary of State [Marco] Rubio. This accomplishment is amazing. Two of the most incredible players who will never take credit themselves–that’s Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both exceptionally talented individuals. Jared was deeply involved in the Abraham Accords. Now, we’ve opened the door for more Abraham Accords to be signed, and at this point, President Trump’s Nobel [Peace] Prize should be front and center. It’s very hard for me to imagine how the Nobel Committee can overlook this now, the eighth conflict that President Trump has resolved in the 10 months that he’s been in office. This is amazing. It’s a wonderful victory, and I think the world is delighted to see peace and prosperity beginning to break out in the Middle East.”
Hagerty discussed leadership from both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former President Trump: “Hamas has been enormously difficult to deal with. But it’s taken two great leaders, interestingly, two leaders who have had amazing comebacks themselves. I was actually in Israel in [Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin] Bibi Netanyahu’s office when the Knesset was voting him out of office the last time. He made an incredible comeback. But no one has had a more incredible comeback than President Trump. President Trump has come back with a vigor that nobody in the world has seen. He’s taken that leadership, that focus, to deliver this sort of peace. And everybody’s come together–the Turks, the Egyptians, the Qataris, the entire region is supporting this right now. That’s the weight that was necessary to bring this about.”
On Iran’s position following these developments, Hagerty said: “Iran’s influence is weakened so dramatically that Hamas had no choice but to take this deal. I don’t think this would’ve been the case a year ago. But the combined efforts of Bibi Netanyahu and President Trump have basically taken Iran to a fundamentally weaker position all around the region. Iran is the core of the problem in the Middle East. And now what we’ve seen is Iran wilting away. This agreement is testament to that. We’ve opened the door for more Abraham Accords and more peace and prosperity. I think this is the doorway to a fundamentally new and more prosperous Middle East.”
Addressing Senator Schumer’s recent remarks on government funding negotiations during a shutdown period, Hagerty criticized Schumer’s perspective: “I’ve heard different numbers [on cost to taxpayers]. The lowest is that it’s costing taxpayers $400 million a day. We’re well into the $3.6 billion range. I’ve also heard a $15 billion-a-week number. So somewhere in that range, it’s [the government shutdown] very costly to the American public. But this latest from Chuck Schumer, I really can’t believe this. Schumer just said yesterday that every day that the government stays shut down is better for us. My question is, who is ‘us’ in Chuck Schumer’s mind? Is it the military that’s working without pay overseas? Is it law enforcement that isn’t being paid while being attacked in Portland? Is it the air traffic controllers causing delays all over America? No. ‘Us’ is Chuck Schumer and his political career in New York. If you polled it right now, he would lose to [Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] AOC in a primary. This is all about Schumer’s political future, and he’s holding the United States of America hostage. It’s ridiculous.”
