dana perino is up next, including that speech from president trump. ♪ ♪ >> dana: breaking tonight, you're looking live at big sandy super store arena in huntington, west virginia where any moment president trump is expected to take the stage for a campaign rally. the president promising big announcements tonight, but that news now getting overshadowed by major developments and special counsel robert mueller's investigation as reports of new grand juries and subpoenas come to light. we have those breaking details in just a moment with chief national correspondent ed henry he is live at the white house. white house veteran bill bennett is here as well. we begin with fox news peter doocy. he is live in west virginia with more with what we can expect to hear from the president in just a few minutes. peter? >> and we know that the big announcement inside the big

sandy super store arena on the banks of the ohio river tonight will be that west virginia's state house is going from blue to red. the governor tim justice was elected in 2015 as a democrat is going to announce tonight on stage with president trump by his side that he is joining the republican party. this is something that is getting the most buzz among the people that we have spoken to here. a lot of the people in this 8600 capacity arena started showing up this morning or even last night. they were outside in the 90-degree heat. they were chanting u.s.a. they were chanting trump. people are so excited. i just saw one guy in the stands using a trump campaign sign as an air guitar. so as the president gets closer, people are getting really antsy. president trump has in west virginia the highest net approval rating of any state in the country, according to

gallup and this is his crowd. everybody that we have spoken to said that they have wanted to see him. they never had the chance when he was running or the other times he has been here. they will get a chance tonight. and, again, the big news that we expect is the governor switching parties from blue to red, which is a positive headline for the president who today has also been taking credit for the stock market hitting 22,000 yesterday, he says it's happening because is he cutting so many regulations. dana? >> dana: all right, peter, thank you so much. it sounds very fun there in west virginia. but now to the other big story breaking tonight. the white house responding to reporting from the "wall street journal" that special counsel robert mueller has assembled a grand jury to investigate russia's interference in the 2016 election. chief national correspondent ed henry live at the white house with how they might respond to all of this breaking news. ed. >> dana, good to see you. pouring down rain here at the white house.

maybe symbolic because the leaks keep on coming. the "wall street journal" now reporting that now robert mueller the special counsel has a special grand jury impaneled to look at this russia investigation separate from the one already looking at retired general michael flynn. mueller moving very quickly here because, remember, he was only named to this post in mid may. it also means that even if no charges are ever brought, the probe could overshadow the president's agenda for months. even as he claims it's a witch-hunt that will amount to nothing. then there was another leak. reuters reporting grand jury subpoenas have been issued specifically in connection with donald trump jr.'s 2016 meeting with that russian lawyer. now, members of the president's legal team, you asked how they are responding, they say they are not aware of any grand jury being impaneled and they are also saying they have no details about subpoenas or anything else. here is jay sekulow, one of the president's attorneys. >> we have no reason to believe that the president is under investigation here.

>> now, however, yet another leak, cnn reporting tonight the investigation is not winding down. it's actually widening to dig deeper into the president's finances and business dealings. territory that the president has suggested could lead to the special counsel's firing. remember, we have already reported the president and his aides being angry over mueller hiring many attorneys who have donated money to democratic candidates and campaigns raising questions about independence some lawyers steeped in the intricacies of financial crimes being hired. mueller's team digging into the trump family finances. possible ties to russian businesses, real estate tractions even though the president told the "new york times" last month he does not own any buildings in russia and has not made any money there most significantly in that july interview with the "times" the president was asked a question by reporters said, quote: if mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to russia, is that a red line? the second "times" reporter jumped in would that be a breach of what his actual charge is the president

declared quote, i would say yeah, i would say yes. that has led lawmakers to try to protect mueller's job. republican lindsey graham already wrarng that if the special counsel is fired, that would be the beginning of the end of the trump presidency. interesting because all this happening as we're told attorney general jeff sessions already planning to have a big news conference tomorrow to lay out the next steps in his efforts to crack down on all these leaks of sensitive information and, in fact, there was yet another leak early today to the "the washington post." transcripts of some of the president's sensitive phone calls with world leaders spilling out, could be very damaging to national security. in any other administration, that kind of leak would have dominated the headlines all day and this evening. instead, right now this grand jury even superseding that, dana. >> dana: all right, ed henry, thank you for being here tonight. we are awaiting president trump who could be here any moment. but, until then, we have bill bennett former reagan cabinet member, chairman of the conservative leaders for

education and a harvard law graduate and before the president comes, sir, it's good to have you here. i'm curious what your initial reactions were to the news about the grand jury. >> well, i know a lot of people are saying this is normal, take this in stride. this is what happens in investigations. but it's not good news. if you are at the white house. first of all, one of the lawyers said i thought this was supposed to be secret. grand jury proceedings are supposed to be secret. he is right about that. second, think in the popular mind, dana. grand jury. grand jury, what does that mean? that means indictment. it means crime. it means trial. you know, people watch a lot. >> dana: in the movies. >> and the movies, that's exactly right. so they think all those things. but now in reality, think of the team that mueller has assembled. these are very strong and able lawyers. many of them leaving lucrative practice to pursue. this i don't presume they are all doing this out of the public interest. i think since some of them are identified with hillary

clinton, there could be some partisanship there. so i think the advice and ed covered it very well for these lawyers that is the trump lawyers is to suit up, steel up. because this is the beginning. and it's going to get re very rough. one other thing, the finance part of this, i remember bob novak you are probably too young to remember mr. novak. >> i remember mr. novak, sure. he says if the government comes after you on financial stuff, irs, anything else, they will get you. they are like god. they have unlimited resources and unlimited time. think of all those real estate deals. i don't think anything horrible happened. but, you know, if you dotted an i wrong or crossed a t wrong, the government can come after you. so, that legal team better be set and ready because this is going to be a nasty business. and the notion that they have no reason to think they are coming after donald trump, they are coming after donald trump. >> dana: the president keeps teasing us by opening and closing the curtains behind you. while i have you and before

he comes out. let me ask you about the big news that he is about to help to make tonight which is that switch of the governor from republican to -- i'm sorry from democrat to republican. that's actually a pretty big deal. it doesn't happen all that often. >> you are right it's a big deal. i was just with the republican governors at their meeting and what does it make it, dana, 34 republican governors. >> dana: i think so. >> that's extraordinary. i have been watching fox all afternoon. crowds gathering five hours ago and filling out the place. it is interesting, isn't it, the current and counter currency in america right now. we see these approval rating numbers going down and then you get a crowd like this. i know it's the most favorable states. there are a lot of states where this could happen. it's a very interesting time of political turmoil. it is a big deal, you are right. >> dana: it isn't the campaign anymore. i can understand the rallies and campaign people being excited. this is seven or eight months into a presidency and there is still all this

excitement. >> there is all this excitement and it is still his desire, isn't it interesting, to go to the people, to touch the people. i think he draws from them. i think he draws a lot of confidence and strength. but my gosh, you know, these leaks. i mean, can he do any business at all without it being reported on the front page of "the washington post. >> dana: how unusual would that have been in the reagan administration? >> there are leaks. there are always leaks. there are disloyal people. but this is a flood. we had trickles. we had some flows sometimes, but i remember the level of excitement, too. the level of anger when there was a leak, you know. was talked about in the cabinet meeting. >> dana: bill, i have to stop you there because president trump is about to take the stage. thank you. [cheers and applause] ♪ blowing like a breeze ♪ country road ♪ take me home ♪ to the place ♪ where i belong ♪ west virginia

♪ mountain momma ♪ take me home ♪ country road. [cheers and applause] ♪ all my memories ♪ gather around her ♪ [cheers and applause] ♪ dark and dusty ♪ painted on the sky ♪ misty taste of moon shine ♪ tear drops in my eye ♪ country road ♪ take me home ♪ to the place ♪ where i belong ♪ [cheers and applause] ♪ west virginia ♪ mountain momma ♪ take me home ♪ country road ♪ [cheers and applause]

♪ i hear the voice in the morning hours she calls me. [cheers and applause] ♪ the radio reminds me of my home far away ♪ and driving down the road ♪ i get a feeling ♪ that i should have been home yesterday ♪ yesterday [cheers and applause] >> thank you, thank you. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> i am thrilled to be back in thesin the very, very beautil state of west virginia. [cheers and applause] and i am proud to stand

before you and celebrate the hard working people who are the absolute backbone of america. thank you. [cheers and applause] i love the people of this state. i love your grit, your spirit, and i love our coal miners. and they are coming back strong. [cheers and applause] i mak promise during the campaign, you may remember, many of you were here, i actually think we have more people here tonight with thousands outside that we had during the campaign. [cheers and applause] and as you have seen, i have kept that prime minister miss as president we are putting our coal miners back to work. [cheers and applause]

we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal. we have stopped the e.p.a. intrusion. american coal exports are already up, think of this, think of this. americaamerican experts ofameril are already up 60% this year. ever hear of anything like that? [cheers and applause] the change you voted for is happening every single day. everyone in this great arena is united by shared values. [cheers and applause] we believe in god. we believe in family. we believe in country. [cheers and applause] we support the constitution of the united states of

america. [cheers and applause] we cherish and defend the second amendment. [cheers and applause] we believe schools should teach students to love our country, to have pride in our history and to respect our great american flag. [cheers and applause] we stand with the incredible men and women of law enforcement. thank you. [cheers and applause] we believe strongly that a nation must defend and protect its borders. [cheers and applause] and, above all else, we believe that we must take care of our own citizens and put america first.

[cheers and applause] day after day, we are keeping the promises that we made during the campaign and that includes our promises to our great veterans. thank you, veterans. today we announce new tele health services to help our veterans get the care they need where and when they need it, far advanced and it is so popular. this state has many retired military members. and we thank them and we thank their families and spouses for the patriotic service. they have been incredible. we, in america, honor our great heroes. [cheers and applause]

this week in the east room of the white house i awarded the medal of honor to a true american hero, specialist v james c. m mcclowclowen. many of you watched as i gave jim the medal. he courageously saved the lives of his fellow soldiers during a fierce two day battle in vietnam. his story is now enshrined forever in the "roll call" of american patriots. earlier this morning, a former marine named woody williams led everyone here in the pledge of allegiance. thank you, woody. [chanting u.s.a.]

>> woody received a medal of honor from president harry truman for his actions in iwo jima. [cheers] >> woody is the last surviving marine who received a medal of honor in world war ii. woody, tonight we honor you, we salute you, and we thank you for what you've done for all of us. thank you, woody. [cheers and applause] now, we must protect the birth right of freedom that patriots like jim and woody have earned for us with their blood, their sweat, their tears, their hard

work, and their bravery. all across the country, americans of every kind are coming together with one simple goal. make america great again. [cheers and applause] the stock market reached yet another all-time in history all-time high today. [cheers and applause] boosting the retirement savings, hopefully, of everybody in this room. have you all been helped? i think so. unemployment is at a 16-year low. but, don't forget, and i will never forget, the millions and millions of

people out there that want jobs, that don't register on the unemployment rolls because they gave up looking for jobs. so, i accept the number but, honestly, we all know there are millions of people out there that we love, the forgotten man and woman and they are looking for jobs and they are going to have them because i have factories coming back into this country. you have seen that. [cheers and applause] they are coming back. we have auto plants expanding and coming back. they are coming in to michigan. they are really coming in to michigan. and they are coming in to ohio and pennsylvania. [cheers and applause] [chanting trump, trump, trump]

>> economic growth has surged to 2.6% nationwide. you have to understand what that means. nobody thought that number was going to happen. and 3% growth in west virginia. i wonder how that happened. 3% growth. [cheers and applause] west virginia, you're leading the average. when was the last time you heard that, west virginia? [cheers and applause] you're leading the country's average. remember, i told you don't sell your homes. don't sell your homes. you're doing great. i'm so proud of you. you know, we won this state by 42 points. can you believe that? 42 points. [cheers and applause] and i asked your republican

party leader how would we be doing today versus november 8th, election day, he said, mr. president, honestly, you're doing better. i said better? [cheers and applause] 42 points. since our election, not mine. since our election we have added more than 1 million new jobs. [cheers and applause] and the good news keeps pouring in. in fact, we have a very important announcement to make tonight. does anybody know what that announcement is? does anybody know what that announcement is? we have a very, very large announcement.

do you understand? large. so i would like to invite my good friend, and your governor, jim justice, up to the stage to share this news with all of you. jim, come on up. come on up, jim. look at this guy. [cheers and applause] jim is going to say a few words. and these words have not been spoken by a major political figure, meaning governor or senator in our country for a long time. thank you. [chanting]

>> first of all, what an incredible honor and thank you for coming and thank our great president for being here. [cheers and applause] i've got to tell you a couple stories real quick. i've been to the oval office twice in the last two or three weeks. aye been there to present an idea on coal and an idea on manufacturing. i've had the great opportunity to be with our president. [boos] >> now, let me tell you just this. i have to be really serious with you just a moment. i have to tell you that the last session of our

legislature i tried with all my soul. now, i will tell you if you will just give me just a moment. this man and myself are not politicians. we ran to get something done. we ran and gave up part of our lives. we ran because we want nothing. we ran as our founding fathers did years and years ago to serve. now, i will promise you to my soul that no one loves west virginia more than i. and in the last session i would tell you that there was some greatness passed with our roads and so on, but there was way too much pain. now, listen to me and listen really good. we heard a lot of we heard

our vets and our teachers and our disabled and our weak and we walked away from the old. now, i can't promise you just this. i came -- i came to only get something done. [crowd noise] >> let me just say this to you as bluntly as i can say it. west virginia. at the altar, when we had it done. like it or not like it, but the democrats walked away from me.

now, today i would tell you with lots of prayers and lots of thinking today i tell you as west virginias i can't help you any more being a democratic governor. [cheers and applause] so tomorrow i will be changing my registration to republican. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] as a coach, i would tell you it's time to run another

play. i would also tell you this and pay please close attention to this. my mom and dad were staunch lovers of ronald reagan, staunch republicans. my mom and dad are no question in my mind in heaven right now and they're both saying the same thing but my mom is saying it more profoundly, and that is she is saying jimmy, it's about damn time you came to your senses. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] now, let me go one step further and say just this. what in the world is wrong with us as peoples, have we not heard enough about the

russians? [cheers and applause] i mean to our god in heaven above, think about it. the stock market is at 22,000. [cheers and applause] and this country has hope, and we're on our way. this man is the really dear friend of mine. but, you know what else is unbelievable? this man now has the chief of staff that all of us can pronounce his first name. [cheers and applause] and you know what that name is today? it's sir. think about that. now, i will end by saying

we're a long ways from being perfect. there was mistakes made and change is tough. but but i can tell you this. this man is a reflection of his kids children. eric trump has been under my vehicle in the back of the woods changing a tire. i have hunted with don jr. and ivanka and jared, even though jared is our greatson, are so good it's off the chart. >> god bless them all. >> now, i'll end by saying very quickly, this man is a good man. [cheers and applause] he's got a backbone, he's got real ideas, he cares

about america, he cares about us in west virginia. [cheers and applause] and, most importantly of all, you know what? he has made us as common every day americans feel good and be proud of who we are. [cheers and applause] my friend, our great president, donald j. trump. [cheers and applause] [chanting trump] >> i want to thank your great governor.

having big jim as the republican is such an honor. i will tell you. such an honor. [applause] fantastic man, a fantastic guy. and thank you, jim, very much all over the nation they're watching and they really appreciate that. and we have another friend with us tonight who voted for us on healthcare and honestly, how the republicans and the democrats let us down on that is hard to believe. repeal and replace. hard to believe. [crowd booing] senators, but a senator that voted for it shelley moore capito, who is here with us tonight. [applause] thank you, shellie. jim came to the oval office

a couple of weeks ago, and we talked about how we are all working together to open up the coal mines in this state. and also very importantly, to create jobs in furniture manufacturing and other forms of manufacturing. very important to jim. but governor justice did something else very important tonight. he showed the country that our agenda rises above left or right. it's an agenda for all of the people, especially for the tens of millions of forgotten americans. they're not so forgotten anymore. i will tell you. you have proved that. you proved it never not forgotten anymore. countless citizens,

democrats, republican, independent have been neglected and ignored by washington. but we will make sure they are never ignored again. [cheers and applause] we know there are powerful forces in washington who want to stop us. but we won't let them. [cheers and applause] we are fighting for every american who has been overlooked, pushed aside, or told to put their dreams on hold. but we will win. and we're winning now. the failed voices in washington who oppose our

movement are the exact same people who gave us one terrible trade deal after another, who gave us one foreign policy disaster after another, and who sacrificed our sovereignty, our wealth, and our jobs. they gave them away. [crowd boos] we don't need advice from the washington swamp. [cheers and applause] we need to drain the swamp. [chanting drain the swamp]

washington is full of people who are only looking out for themselves. but you know this. you know it better than most i didn't come to washington for me. i came to washington for all of you. that, i can tell you. [cheers and applause] your dreams are my dreams. your hopes are my hopes. and your future is what i'm fighting for each and every day. the question for democrats, all democrats, including those in congress is whether they are on the side of the voters or are they on the side of the special interests?

the reason why democrats only talk about the totally made up russia story is because they have no message, no agenda, and no vision. [cheers and applause] they don't talk about the all-time high stock market. they don't talk about reforms to the v.a. or about manufacturing jobs. we're bringing back to america. by the hundreds of thousands. they don't talk about the keystone pipeline that i immediately approved or the dakota access pipeline. [cheers and applause] the russia story is total fab fabrication.

it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. that's all it is. it must rake makes them feel better when they have nothing else to talk about. what the prosecutors should be looking at are hillary clinton's 33,000 deleted emails. [cheers and applause] [chanting lock her up]

and they should be looking at the paid russian speeches. and the owned russian companies. or look at the uranium that she sold that is now in the hands of very angry russians. [crowd booing] most people know there were no russians in our campaign. there never were. we didn't win because of russia. we won because of you. that, i can tell you. [cheers and applause] we won because we totally outworked the other side. we won because millions of patriotic americans voted to take back their country.

have you seen any russians in west virginia or ohio or pennsylvania? are there any russians here tonight? any russians? they can't beat us at the voting booths, so they're trying to cheat you out of the future and the future that you want. they're trying to cheat you out of the leadership you want with a fake story that is demeaning to all of us and most importantly, demeaning to our country and demeaning to our constitution. i just hope the final determination is a truly honest one, which is what the millions of people who

gave us our big win in november deserve, and what all americans who want a better future want and deserve. democrat lawmakers will have to decide they can continue their obsession with the russian hoax or they can serve the interests of the american people. [applause] try winning at the voter booth. try winning at the voter booth. not going to be easy but that's the way you are supposed to do it. our agenda is the pro-worker agenda. we want to control our borders and lift our people from welfare to work. [cheers and applause]

we want to support our police and make our communities safe. we want to reduce taxes and increase wages for all of our people. [cheers and applause] we want to get the special interest out of politics for good. [cheers and applause] and we want to bring back our plants and our factories and our manufacturing. and that's what's happening right now and you see it and so does every other state in our union. that is why in the proud tradition of america's great leaders, from washington to lincoln, to teddy roosevelt, we are protecting american workers and we are

protecting american industry for the first time in many, many decades. [cheers and applause] no longer will we allow other countries to close our factories, steal our jobs, and drain our wealth. [cheers and applause] we are building our future with american hands, american labor, and american ire, aluminum, steel, and what else -- coal. we will buy american and we will hire american. [cheers and applause] to protect our jobs and our industry, i withdrew the united states from the horrible trans-pacific

partnership. [cheers and applause] and to protect our workers and our coal miners, i also withdrew the united states from the job killing paris climate accord. [cheers and applause] but not only are we bringing back our jobs, we are bringing back our safety. [cheers and applause] we have seen the blood shed and devastation inflicted by terrorists in america in europe and all across the world. i said it during the campaign, and i will say it again right here tonight. we will keep radical islamic tastes out oterrorists out of or

country. [applause] [chanting u.s.a.] >> we only want to admit people into our country who love our people and who share our values. [cheers and applause] we are also keeping our country safe from criminal gangs and violent crime. [applause] we are taking the fight to the drug smugglers, human traffickers, and the vile

criminal cartels like ms-13, who are being thrown out of our country so quickly you can't even count. [cheers and applause] just last week i visited long island where ms-13 has brought terrible violence to a once peaceful and beautiful neighborhood right where i grew up. we are liberating american communities from these vicious, violent gangs. one by one, we are finding the drug dealers, the gang members, the predators, thieves, criminals, and killers and we are throwing them out of our country and once they are gone, we will not let them back in. [cheers and applause]

we are topping drugs from pouring in to our country and poisoning our youth and have you a big problem in west virginia and we are going to solve that problem. we are cracking down strongly on sanctuary cities that shield criminal aliens. [cheers and applause] and in order to stop the drugs, gangs, and traffickers, we are building a wall on the southern border. [cheers and applause] [chanting build that wall] i also proudly announced

legislation this week with senators tom cotton and david purdue to reform our immigration system to protect american workers and american taxpayers. it's called the raise act. raise the raise act. for many years, america has issued most of its green cards to lower skilled immigrants. and people that had no hope of getting a job. undermining blue collar workers and wages and costing taxpayers billions and billions of dollars a year. the raise act switches to a merit-based system. [cheers and applause] you come in largely based on

merit. doesn't that sound nice? wouldn't that be nice? it's about time. our proposal prevents new immigrants from going on welfare for at least five years. so you don't come in and go on welfare. [cheers and applause] our plan favors applicants who can speak english, who can support themselves financially and who demonstrate valuable skills that will strength our economy and strengthen our country. [cheers and applause] we believe decisions about who immigrates to our country should be based on the best interest of america and on the best interest of the american people. you.

[applause] we are working every single day to heed and honor the will of those millions and millions of voters that came out and voted for us, not for me. they voted for us. that is why i will repeat again tonight that congress must do its job. keep its promise, live up to its word, and repeal and replace obamacare. you have to do it. [applause] nothing in life is easy. but congress must not give in. they must not give up. but, instead, congress must get to work and deliver americans the great healthcare that they

deserve, the great repeal and replace that they have been talking about for seven years. incredible. one vote, incredible. but we'll get it. we'll get it, folks. they can't give up. call your congressman, call your senators, call everybody, get them to have the guts to vote to repeal and replace obamacare. [cheers and applause] which is a disaster. to be a prosperous nation, it is also critical that we lower the crushing tax burden on our workers and on our businesses. the united states has the highest rate on business than anywhere in the world.

we want to bring it down to one of the lowest because we want more growth, more jobs, and higher pay, and that's what's going to happen. [cheers and applause] and importantly, we also want to let americans keep more of their own money, not take it from them. it's time to pass a tax cut for middle class families. [applause] finally, and you will see very soon, but you are hearing about it my administration is committed to rebuilding the the depleted infrastructure of the united states. think of it, we have spent $6 trillion in the middle east, and the middle east is 100 times worse than it was

16 years ago when we started. can you believe this? what a shame. that is why we are pushing a 1 trillion-dollar new infrastructure investment bill. we're going to fix our roads. we're going to fix our bridges. we're going to fix our highways and our schools and our airports. [cheers and applause] we will create amazing monuments that inspire awe and wonder in our people. it used to be that way. it's not that way any longer. we have airports that look like third world countries. it's not going to be that way anymore. [applause]

american workers will build this great future and american energy and american clean coal will power this future. [cheers and applause] we are the nation that put a man on the moon, that dug out the panama canal. and that won two world wars. [cheers and applause] we can do anything we can build anything, and we can dream anything. we share one home and one glorious destiny. and whether we are black, or brown, or white, we all bleed the same red blood. [cheers and applause]

we all salute that same great american flag. [cheers and applause] and we are all made by the same almighty god. [cheers and applause] as long as we remember these truths, as long as we remember who we are and what we are fighting for, we will never fail. [cheers and applause] america will triumph. , freedom will prevail, our values will endure, our citizens will prosper, and our nation will thrive as

never before. [cheers and applause] with patriotism in our souls and with love for west virginia in our hearts we say these words again tonight. we will make america strong again. we will make america wealthy again. we will make america proud again. we will make america safe again. and we will make america great again. thank you, west virginia. god bless you. thank you, thank you.

♪ date of birth deign trump in west virginia, huntington, west virginia at a campaign rally really delivering for all the people who waited hours to be there. there was one very excited fan behind him getting a personal picture there of president trump. so, joining us now for some quick reaction. charles hurt is a columnist at the "washington times" and fox news contributor and matthew editor of the washington free beacon and former dnc advisor. let me start with you, charlie, on the news of the night that he started out with, that the governor of west virginia, has decided to make america great again. is he switching from democrat to republican. how significant is that? >> i think it's somewhat significant. what i think is more significant is the fact that the governor of west virginia never could have drawn a crowd like this on his own. but, you know, the only way he could get in front of a crowd like this is to ride

the coat tails of donald trump. and i would defy you to name a single democrat on the national stage today who could pull off what donald trump pulled off tonight. i think the people that are writing trump's obituary today might want to think twice about it now. >> dana: maybe you can weigh in on that. do the democrats get concerned that the president nine months into a presidency pulls a crowd like this in a state that went for him big time. enough to you have a governor switching parties to join, i guess jump on the train. >> am i concerned that a billionaire mining executive in a state that went for donald trump by 42% is switching parties? i mean, no. we're not concerned about that. >> dana: okay. >> i appreciate the tactic today going after the russia investigation. it may fulfill a political need for him. but he has very serious legal concerns. this is the third grand jury that has been impaneled, subpoenas are going out. so this may be a smart political strategy. but he has legal concerns.

>> dana: matthew, to that point, that was the other breaking news that happened today, the finding out that robert mueller has opened grand jury panel. the president actually going back to what he had said before that this is all just a made up thing. what did you make of that? >> attacking the idea of his campaign colluding with russia, dana and also turning it into a debate about hillary clinton and getting quite a reaction from the crowd was fascinating to me about the speech. you would have no idea of the political and perhaps legal jeopardy president trump faces in washington, d.c. from the reaction in that crowd in west virginia. two very different attitudes towards the president. one in the beltway, which is pretty negative and skeptical and another in his base of west virginia which is overwhelmingly positive. >> dana: that said, charlie, the crowd certainly reacted when the president started talking about the attacks against him, they are certainly well aware of those and they were also on board when he was talking about what he would do with the raise act with sanctuary

cities. you know, ms-13, they must be paying attention to the news and to this white house. >> sure. and all of those issues are vitally important to ginning up his base of supporters. he is wearing this russia thing clearly as sort of a badge of honor, almost. the only reason the democrats talk about it because they have no message and agenda and vision. i think that's probably a pretty sound criticism of the democrats today. >> dana: zach, what do you think of the russia news today of the grand juries. the democrats are going to hold their fire or keep firing away thinking they might sort of be able to get a sca scalp here it? >> it's not democrats it's democrats and republicans coming together allow this investigation to move forward. two bipartisan bills introduced in the senate to stop donald trump from following through on his threat to fire robert mueller. and intervene in the investigation. day deign well, i appreciate

that you stayed with us for the hour. that's the story for tonight. tucker is up next. and i will see you back here at 9:00 for the five. have a good night. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> tucker: well, good evening and welcome to tucker carlson tonight. the president just finished of speaking as you saw in huntington, west virginia. the big news that state's democratic governor jim justice announced he is switching parties and becoming a republican. that means half of the country, more than half, two thirds of the country's governors are now republican. good news for the trump administration. otherwise, a tough day for them in washington. we're going to show you part of what the president said in west virginia in just a minute. first, we are joined by charles krauthammer. he is a writer and columnist to assess what that just meant. charles, thanks a lot for coming on. >> a pleasure. >> tucker: what do you take from that speech? >> well,