On today’s program: Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand and Host of the “Outstanding” podcast, reports the highlights from the State of the Union, and sheds light on the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. Brad
SPEAKER 06 :
from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 11 :
Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will. Who would believe that we’re even talking about this? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.
SPEAKER 16 :
I was President Donald Trump last night delivering his State of the Union address where he called for a ban on the gender transition of minors. Good evening and welcome to this February 25th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us. Well, coming up, North Carolina Congressman Brad Knot joins me to take a look at the key takeaways from last night’s one hour and 48 minute State of the Union address. And here’s something that stood out in the record setting speech. President Trump never mentioned the sanctity of life. Does that matter? John Rogers, senior partner and pollster at Signal, joins us with new polling that shows just how significant the sanctity of life issue could be for Republican voters as they head to the polls. Well, President Trump delivered his State of the Union address last night, marking a potential pivotal moment as the White House seeks to shore up support among Republicans and independent voters ahead of the midterm election. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper. So, Casey, what were some of the highlights from the president’s speech last night?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, Tony, you’re right. It’s a pivotal speech, not just as a State of the Union, but as we head into these midterm elections. The president addressed a range of issues from the economy to the southern border, but it all comes against this backdrop of rising tensions with Iran and the frustrations over the cost of living. Now he discussed economic issues like housing, health care, utility bills, the run of the game at crime and retirement. And he also made a plug for his health care proposals, which includes reducing drug prices and making federal payments not to insurance companies, but directly to Americans. The president did steer attention away from the more controversial elements of his immigration enforcement push, Minneapolis, while highlighting the elements of his message that have more been more resonating in the past, like closing the southern border, something he did very successfully. The president also pushed for Congress to unite behind the Save Act. Here’s a clip.
SPEAKER 11 :
Perhaps most importantly, I’m asking you to approve the Save America Act. to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections.
SPEAKER 19 :
Now, the speech was also not without what have become the traditional Democratic antics. And President Trump, on True Social today, actually responded to some of that. He blasted U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who were heckling the president during his State of the Union address, which that was a bit of a tough part to watch, Tony.
SPEAKER 16 :
It was. He poked him a little bit, though. He did. He always does. President Trump is imposing sanctions on Iran. You mentioned Iran. He talked about it last night, again, issuing a warning. But these sanctions come ahead of the next round of nuclear talks in Geneva. What can you tell us about this latest development?
SPEAKER 19 :
Sure. Well, the U.S. is targeting Iranian companies and these ships that are enabling the illegal oil sales, as well as ballistic missile programs. The oil and the ballistic missiles is everything in Iran right now. Of course, this comes amid the escalating tensions and the ongoing nuclear talks, which is why I got a mention in the State of the Union address. And I actually think we have a clip of that for you here.
SPEAKER 11 :
We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words. We will never… have a nuclear weapon. My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain. I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.
SPEAKER 19 :
NICK SCHIFRIN He’s been clear on that message. Now we have a second aircraft carrier arriving in the region, which is good timing, because the next round of nuclear talks with Iran are set to take place in Geneva tomorrow, Tony.
SPEAKER 16 :
Casey, I think he’s made it very clear what the United States expects out of these conversations. All right, Casey, thanks so much. We’ll see you later in the program for our Washington stand panel discussion. All right, I want to go back now to the President’s State of the Union address and get an assessment from a member of Congress who was in the room last night. Joining me now is Congressman Brad Knott, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee. He represents North Carolina’s 13th congressional district. He previously served as a federal prosecutor. Congressman Knott, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 22 :
Hey, Tony, it’s great to see you, too. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 16 :
Absolutely. So let me first just get your overall thoughts and reactions to the president’s speech last night.
SPEAKER 22 :
You know, it was a great speech. It was the longest speech for a State of the Union address of any in history. But it felt like it was about 25 minutes being there. That’s a pretty good metric. But what I really took away was the president, he asserted himself not only as the leader of the country, but the leader of the party who’s going to fight for the American people. And whether it’s innocent, protecting innocence, protecting children, protecting folks against the harms of illegal immigration, protecting our market economy, protecting choice in schools. These are all things that the president was very forceful in kind of delineating out the stakes not just of where we’ve been, but where we’re going to go. And I thought the speech was resoundingly successful in being patriotic and being forward-looking and really encouraging to most Americans who need something to be encouraged about. He said, we can do this if we stick together and rely on the same ingredients that have always worked for our great country.
SPEAKER 16 :
You know, I did kind of see it. It had the feel of kind of a pep rally. It was, you know, a celebratory event for the country. There were a few themes that he really honed in on. And I think as a former prosecutor, you would connect with this, but he spent a lot of time talking about crime, in eliminating crime, creating safety in communities. Talked about the National Guard being certain places and, of course, national security. But that, I mean, there’s a reason he probably focused on that. Americans in many places feel insecure. Sure.
SPEAKER 22 :
Well, you know, sanctuary jurisdictions cover anywhere from 35 to 45 percent of the people in this country. And the sanctuary jurisdictions, Tony, as you well know, they’re not just a passive exercise. They are active in the efforts that they take to protect criminals. And an example of that is if someone is arrested who’s an illegal alien that was charged with taking indecent liberties on an American child or selling drugs to an American student, When they get a federal detainer, notice that the federal government wants to come to that jail to deport that illegal alien criminal. Sanctuary jurisdictions will often release that criminal onto the street. And you extrapolate that into the broader body politic and you have chaos, you have crime that flourishes. You have lawlessness, obviously, and the president is absolutely correct to say we are not going to tolerate that. And he listed the cities that had cooperated with the National Guard with federal agents and had had had had worked hand in hand. And the results are staggering. I mean, drastic decreases in crime of every sort. And you know, public safety is the right that no one talks about. Americans should be safe whether we’re in our homes or on the street, and the president is the leader who will restore that right.
SPEAKER 16 :
Connected to that, there were a few things that the president called upon Congress to actually do legislatively. A lot of what was talked about last night, there was some, I would say, kind of a victory lap of some of the things he’s accomplished in the first year. Celebration of the country are, you know, I love to see the elevation of the military. That was a very central theme last night. But he called upon Congress to pass the Save America Act. That’s related to the immigration issue. It’s related to the crime issue. It is protecting America’s election and the integrity of elections.
SPEAKER 22 :
Sure. You know, we have an extraordinary problem here in the United States that is completely resting on illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants in the country right now, they vote, they hold appointed offices. We know that they have held positions in law enforcement offices, school boards. Illegal immigration has really permeated every corner of the country. And if we continue to incentivize illegal immigration, it’s going to continue to happen. And sealing this problem, one basic step is requiring an ID, requiring a proof of citizenship before you can register to vote, and then an ID to vote. It’s a basic common sense test that the American people support. And I hope that we can get this across the finish line.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, the American people support it, but some of your Democratic colleagues or most of them do not support it. So I wonder, you know, when most people don’t know this, but when you go to vote there in the House, you have an I.D. card and you have to use that card to vote. Now, do your Democratic colleagues, have they protested about that?
SPEAKER 22 :
No, there’s no protest about that. There’s no protest about Zoran Mondami requiring an ID to shovel snow. There’s no protest about showing an ID to do various activities, whether it’s boarding an airplane or buying certain things. But this is one that really strikes a nerve with the Democratic Party, and it really begs the question, why? And I think we know why that’s the case, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to pass this common sense law.
SPEAKER 16 :
So the next step is in the Senate, and that’s where the president looked. He looked to the majority leader in the Senate, John Thune, because the House has passed it. It’s now up to the Senate to take this and move it forward.
SPEAKER 22 :
That’s right. And, you know, one of the big questions I have, candidly, is why every Republican senator is not for this measure. Again, we know that in various cities and jurisdictions around the country, illegal aliens have the right afforded to them to vote by these liberal governments. That cannot happen in federal elections. It absolutely must be stopped. And why these Republican senators, I don’t want to name them, are resisting getting on board with this is beyond me because most of the Democrat senators are obviously lockstep against it. But I think if the American people can continue to persuasively beat this drama of persuasion, I think we can turn the tide here. I mean, it’s an 80-20 issue, as you well know.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, you know, Congressman Knott, that’s what we’ve seen on so many other issues. One of the other issues I’m going to talk about in this next segment is the transgender issue. And that’s because people spoke up and parents began to speak up about this a few years ago. And then the leadership starts to get in the parade. So it’s very important that people vote. verbalize where they stand on these issues. And by the way, folks, you can weigh in on this. Text the word SAVE to 67742. That’s SAVE to 67742. Congressman Knott just got about a minute and a half left talking about immigration. The Department of Homeland Security is still not funded. What’s happening?
SPEAKER 22 :
Well, the Democrats are flailing. I mean, again, they’ve lost the narrative here. They want to try to obstruct and confuse as much as possible. The American people know that illegal immigration is a huge problem, and they support the removal of illegal immigrants. ICE is funded, and the Border Patrol is funded, and so the Democrats are throwing a tantrum and hurting people completely unrelated to immigration enforcement, and it’s a real disservice to the country.
SPEAKER 16 :
So it doesn’t look it’s not going to get funded this week because Congress is headed back out of town. Democrats have a retreat. So, I mean, we’re looking at next week before there’s any possibility of it being funded, correct?
SPEAKER 22 :
That’s right. And this is the TSA. This is FEMA. This is the Coast Guard. I mean, real patriots who are going without paychecks because the Democrats playing a political game here.
SPEAKER 16 :
Congressman Brad Knott, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks so much for taking time to join us today.
SPEAKER 22 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 16 :
All right. Folks, again, text the word SAVE to 67742. That’s SAVE to 67742. And weigh in on this. I mean, you need to weigh in because it does need to move forward. We need to protect our elections. a picture ID, that is not onerous. That is protecting everyone’s right to vote in this country, making sure that our elections have integrity and cleaning up the voter rolls. These are very, very common sense procedures that are being proposed. They need to be done. All right, don’t go away. Coming back with more after this.
SPEAKER 15 :
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them.
SPEAKER 12 :
A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal That they’re endowed by their Creator. With certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.
SPEAKER 15 :
Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th birthday, America. May God bless America.
SPEAKER 16 :
You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose, to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
SPEAKER 26 :
At the 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C., members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
SPEAKER 29 :
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent, and we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation, even when we don’t deserve it.
SPEAKER 14 :
I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your Son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne. You said that you helped the humble, and we’re asking just now that you would help us, Lord.
SPEAKER 05 :
We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you. We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
SPEAKER 16 :
Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Check out the website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, get the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app. Right. It didn’t take me long when I entered into the political arena to learn not to listen to the political consultants. You know, I entered politics for a reason, to make a difference on issues that mattered. Among them was the right to life. Now, the consultants in the political class, they said, don’t talk about that issue. Avoid that issue. I could tell you story after story. They wanted you to avoid the life issue like the plague. And frankly, we see that happening right now in the Republican Party. Well, I thought the president’s speech last night was good, and I enjoyed a lot of it. We were just talking about it. There was a glaring omission, the life issue. Why? Well, it’s certainly not because voters don’t care about the issue. A new national survey of Republican primary voters conducted this month by Signal shows 74% of GOP primary voters say a candidate’s position on abortion is important when deciding whom they support. And when it comes to the abortion drug that we talk a lot about here, Mifeprestone, 80 percent, including 84 percent of self-described Trump Republicans, believe the FDA should require in-person visits for this deadly drug. Also, 32 percent would be less enthusiastic about voting in the November midterm election if GOP leaders abandon pro-life policies. So is there a warning here for the Republican Party? Joining me now to discuss this, John Rogers, senior partner and pollster at Signal. And John took the lead on this poll. John, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Tony, great to be with you. So let me just start with that question. Is there a warning here?
SPEAKER 17 :
I think there is. And the political context here is that Democratic Party enthusiasm is very high. We’ve seen Democrats overperform in a special election recently in North Texas and Tarrant County. Other elections, off-year elections that happened in Georgia this last year, Democrats have done really well. And so we’re coming into a midterm election year, which Republicans hold, obviously, the presidency in both chambers of Congress. And usually, historically, that means that that’s going to be a tough midterm election for the party that’s in power. And so it’s imperative that Republicans do everything to make sure that there is a strong, high turnout among the Republican based voters. And so as our poll showed that we just came out of the field with, this is a very important topic to Republican primary voters. And a third of Republican primary voters say that they would have decreased enthusiasm both to vote and to volunteer in the midterm general elections if they feel like Republican leaders in D.C. are abandoning or weakening pro-life principles.
SPEAKER 16 :
So, John, that doesn’t mean that issue that is the issue that’s front and center. It’s you know, I’ve long described the life issue as kind of the operating system for the political mind of a pro-life voter. It’s just it’s constantly running in the background. And it does give direction and guidance to how they cast their vote. It’s not that they talk about it all the time, but it is a fundamental issue.
SPEAKER 17 :
Right. So in our poll, we found that 84% of Republican primary voters across the country oppose federal tax dollars being used for abortion.
SPEAKER 1 :
84%.
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s in contradiction to what the president said about we need to kind of, we need to let go of that Hyde Amendment thing.
SPEAKER 17 :
This is an issue that’s core to the worldview of most Republican voters, a vast majority of Republican voters across the country. 79% of voters in our poll said it was important to keep the Hyde Amendment in place.
SPEAKER 16 :
Are they willing to trade that for support of President Trump?
SPEAKER 17 :
I think that they would say it’s a both and. I would say I think that a lot of the Republican primary voters say that they support President Trump partly because of the victories that he delivered in his first term. And they want to see that continue in his second term.
SPEAKER 16 :
Do voters realize that the abortion rates have gone up in this country as a result of the abortion pill and the policy of the Biden administration that’s still in place?
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s a great question. A vast majority of Republican primary voters in our poll said that they were unaware that the abortion rate has gone up since the Dobbs decision came down. And obviously, a lot of that’s because of the chemical abortion drugs that have been able to be milled out around the country because of the policy that’s been allowed to continue from the Biden administration.
SPEAKER 16 :
Is there a risk there for Republicans that once voters find out that, hey, there’s a policy in place that’s undermining the victory that was won in Dobbs?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I think there definitely is. If you’re in a battleground district in Georgia, for instance, or North Carolina or in the Midwest, any decrease in enthusiasm or any decrease in the turnout of GOP voters, even if it’s just 5%, could have really a catastrophic effect in some of those key battleground districts.
SPEAKER 16 :
Are we in a, you know, I’ve described it like this. You’re the pollster. I’m not. But I’ve described it like this since really Barack Obama, that we are at a place of more base elections where the enthusiasm of one’s base is what determines the outcome.
SPEAKER 17 :
That is the case. And I think it’s also important to remember that the party’s coalitions have changed, right? The Republican Party is now the party of the non-college voter, which means that midterm elections are harder and harder because the non-college voter is going to turn out when the president is on the ticket. They may or may not turn out if he’s not on the ticket, right? And so because of that, it makes it even more imperative to ensure that there’s no decrease in enthusiasm among your base pro-life voters.
SPEAKER 16 :
So where does this issue of the sanctity of life rank? in all of the issues that are out there in terms of motivating factors.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, it’s extraordinarily important. And again, I said it’s central to the worldview of most Republican primary voters. And it’s one of those things that they kind of assume sort of like pro-Second Amendment, and it’s operating in the background for them. And they want to see action. So again, another data point from our poll is that 75% of voters across the country, Republican primary voters, want to see Congress take aggressive oversight of HHS and FDA. on this issue. Say that again. 75% of Republican primary voters nationwide want to see congressional Republicans take aggressive oversight of HHS and FDA on this issue.
SPEAKER 16 :
That is responsible. They’re the agencies responsible for mailing these abortion pills into states that many of these congressmen represent where it’s illegal.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s correct. That’s correct. And an additional 74 percent of Republican primary voters say that they believe having those chemical abortion drugs be milled into their states undermines the power of pro-life states like Iowa and South Carolina.
SPEAKER 16 :
But again, back to something I said or asked you earlier, most people are not aware that this is taking place. That’s right. That’s right. But I think that they’re becoming more aware as things move along. And that’s a risk if they see that their party and their congressman is not doing something about it.
SPEAKER 17 :
Right. And, you know, I don’t think that there’s going to be like this massive group of voters that stay home. But even a sliver of pro-life voters would be it would be something that the GOP can’t afford.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 17 :
It’s not it’s not the pendulum swings the other way.
SPEAKER 16 :
People say I’m not voting for them. It’s just the enthusiasm level is is taken down a couple of notches. And what you’ve described is we can’t afford that.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s right. That’s right. President Trump is not on the ballot again. Obviously, his policies are. And with the enthusiasm that we’re seeing in these special elections on the Democratic side, Republicans have to be able to match them.
SPEAKER 16 :
John, 30 seconds. Your message to Republicans?
SPEAKER 17 :
My message to Republican officeholders would be that this issue is at the core of their voters and what they’re concerned about. They want to see the victories that happened in the first term. They want to see that continue in the second term of the president’s. John, fascinating. Where can people find out more about this poll? They can go to Signal, C-Y-G-N dot A-L, and then also follow me on Twitter.
SPEAKER 16 :
All right. I’m going to have a link, folks, on TonyPerkins.com if you didn’t catch that. John, thanks so much for coming in. Tony, great to be with you. Fascinating information. I hope the Republicans are listening. All right. Don’t go away, folks. We’re back with more after this.
SPEAKER 10 :
The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
SPEAKER 06 :
Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 23 :
FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
SPEAKER 25 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
SPEAKER 27 :
It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER 01 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat.
SPEAKER 16 :
You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. The website Tony Perkins dot com. During his State of the Union address last night, President Trump brought up the transgenderism issue, highlighting the story of Sage Blair, who was 14 years old when school officials in Virginia facilitated her social gender transition and hid it from her parents. Now, she was report later, she was kidnapped and trafficked across state lines into Maryland, where a judge actually refused to return her to her parents because they refused to support their daughter’s quote unquote transition. Well, in 2023, when I during the Biden administration, I would do a state of the family address. I actually had Sage’s mother at the Family Research Council and highlighted that case. Because we were seeing more and more of that. Well, last night, after sharing Sage’s story, the president actually highlighted that case and called for action on this issue, saying that we should all be able to agree on this.
SPEAKER 11 :
Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will. Who would believe that we’re even talking about this? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I have to tell you, hearing that last night was encouraging, because when we were talking about it, no one else wanted to. Now we have the president of the United States, and that’s not all. There is legislation being advanced through Congress to protect America’s youth from this horrific agenda. And the sponsor of that bill? joins us now here to discuss this, Congressman Dr. Bob Onder, who serves on the House Education and Workforce Committee. He represents the third congressional district of Missouri. Dr. Onder, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you, Tony. Great to be back.
SPEAKER 16 :
All right. So first, let me get your reaction to the president’s remarks last night.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I was very glad to see President Trump highlight the Sages saga in his State of the Union address. And of course, we know, Tony, that not just in Maryland, but in California, in Minnesota, it is the law that if parents do not support transitioning children, chemical and surgical mutilation of their children, they can have their children taken away from them. So I agree with President Trump that we need to fix that. We need to outlaw that horrific practice once and for all. But I had a guest at the State of the Union address, Chloe Cole, who highlights the broader problem of the need to protect our children. You know, Chloe, when she was 12 years old, began that path of first puberty blockers and then wrong sex hormones and ultimately surgery. She had a bilateral mastectomy at age 15 and then, of course, regretted it all by age 16. She was too young to consent to such horrific medical intervention. For that matter, she was too young to, by far, to drive a car or buy a pack of cigarettes or serve in the military, and yet here these gender quacks were bringing her down this road to irreversible harm. So the Chloe Coac once and for all would outlaw that practice and hold those accountable to the victims responsible.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and Chloe has become a great spokesperson for this. She speaks out very articulately on this issue. And she has her day in court coming up. And actually, what I see turning this is more people are now talking about it. You’ve got attorneys getting involved in this, a lot of the trial lawyers filing suits. I think it’s going to have a tremendous impact. combined with legislation like yours. Let me ask you this question Bob because there were there were several things last night that showed a contrast between the two parties. But the response to the Democrats to the president’s call for acting on this was very telling.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, absolutely. This was just silence from the Democrats on this issue. You know, and this is an issue that Americans overwhelmingly agree with pro-family conservatives on. Over 85% of Americans believe that children should not be transitioned to the wrong sex or wrong gender. So why Democrats cannot support us in this effort to protect our kids is mind-boggling, other than to say that the radical transgender left is, to the Democrats’ view, a constituency of theirs, and they don’t want to cross these people. But no, we are going to protect, despite the Democrats, we are going to protect kids.
SPEAKER 16 :
And the president called him out on it last night as well. So we just got a little over a minute left, Congressman Andrews. So give our folks a quick action item on the Coe-Cole Act, what they can do to help you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. What your listeners can do is call or write or email their congressman and tell them to support the Chloe Cole Act of 2026 to protect our kids from horrific transgender procedures and to hold those responsible for their harm accountable.
SPEAKER 16 :
Congressman, how can we be praying for you? How can our listeners and viewers be praying for you?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, yes, Tony, this is as much a spiritual battle as it is a political battle. I can tell you I’ve been engaged in these sorts of issues for a long time, and I and my family have come under spiritual attack. So, yes, please have your viewers pray to guide me and guide my family that the hand of God would protect us from the demonic evil that is the transgender cult.
SPEAKER 16 :
We certainly will. I’ll encourage all of our folks to do that. We appreciate you stepping out and providing the leadership on this. Thank you, Tony. Congressman Bob Under of Missouri and folks will weigh in on this. Pray for Bob, but also weigh in with your members of Congress as well. All right. When we come back, the Washington stand panel joins me. So don’t go away. We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
SPEAKER 02 :
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates, and multiple Republican congressmen.
SPEAKER 21 :
There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
SPEAKER 28 :
The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 17 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill, and that should never be the case.
SPEAKER 20 :
This is a drug that takes the life of every child, so there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
SPEAKER 09 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 24 :
It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
SPEAKER 28 :
We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 21 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 13 :
The Stand Firm app brings trusted Family Research Council resources together in one place. Stay informed with news articles from the Washington Stand, watch interviews from Washington Watch, explore courses produced by FRC, and find many other resources to equip you to engage culture and government from a biblical perspective. Download the Stand Firm app today by texting APP to 67742 or by searching for Stand Firm in your app store.
SPEAKER 16 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in on this Wednesday. By the way, if you want to weigh in on this issue of the protecting our children from this trans agenda, text the word kids, that’s K-I-D-S, to 67742. That’s kids to 67742. And add your voice to the rising chorus that’s protecting our children. All right, our word for today comes from Exodus chapter 40. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. See, when the tabernacle was erected, the cloud that had once rested at a distance on Mount Sinai descended to dwell among the people. The glory of the Lord filled the place prepared according to His design. What began with redemption from Egypt culminated in communion with God. The cloud became their guide. When it moved, they moved. When it remained, they waited. Their clarity did not come from maps or momentum, but from watching the presence of the Lord. And so it is with us. God has not left us to navigate life alone. Through His Word and His Spirit, He provides direction. Our responsibility is simply to be obedient and to be attentive. When we look to Him, we can see clearly. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. Okay, there was a lot that came out last night from President Trump’s State of the Union address, which was the longest in modern history. I was glad I was on the Central Time Zone last night. But as we’ve discussed, what was missing from the address was also notable. And we want to unpack some of that right now with our panel from the Washington Stand. Joining us now, the Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper and the managing editor for broadcast. That is Casey. And Suzanne is the editorial director and senior writer. Get those titles straight. Casey, Suzanne, welcome.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thanks.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay, let’s start with you, Casey. What stood out for you last night?
SPEAKER 18 :
Sure.
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, we tried to warn people, if you remember, at the beginning of last night’s show that this is going to be a very long speech, and we were not proven to be liars on that one. At times, it was a bit showy and traditional President Trump style. He’s a show business guy, as we know, from The Apprentice, and that was on full display at some of the moments, like when the hockey team came out.
SPEAKER 16 :
Behind door number three. Yes. You know, I don’t know that that’s ever happened before where they had people come in. I mean, they’ve always had them sitting in the gallery and pointed them out.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, they had room because so many Democrats were absent. The hockey team could have sat downstairs.
SPEAKER 16 :
That was interesting. And for the occasion, you’re wearing your… I’m nothing if not subtle, right.
SPEAKER 03 :
USA, USA.
SPEAKER 16 :
Give the history behind that.
SPEAKER 03 :
So, yeah, this is one of the national jerseys signed by, unfortunately, not someone from last night, or this would be worth a lot of money. But, yes, a USA official jersey from the Olympics. Okay. Here to represent.
SPEAKER 18 :
She tried to give me a youth extra large the way I thought I was going to rip it open. It didn’t work out. Well, I’m not going to give you the Freedom Award.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, what a shame. Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER 19 :
Actually, coming on the set now, we have… Oh, no. Yeah, behind that door… No, but all that to say, you know, there was a time, but pros and cons quickly. Some of the pros for the president were he was able to go through a lot of his accomplishments, which he really does have. Big wins on the economy. He’s gotten inflation under control from its huge rise under the former president. Gas prices are down. He’s some executive orders on crushing DEI. The border is closed, which we were told was impossible.
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s twice he’s done that.
SPEAKER 19 :
He’s closed it twice. And I think the big con you mentioned is no mention of the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, yeah. I thought it was a great celebration for America last night. I actually, you know, even though that’s way past my bedtime, I stayed up and watched the whole thing. Suzanne. What Casey just said, the president has a lot to trumpet. A lot has been accomplished. But sometimes he becomes, I think, his own worst enemy by overstating things and being loose with the facts, which then gives the media a heyday. I made this comment in an interview after the speech that he was going to keep the fact checkers up all night long. And the first thing I saw this morning when I woke up was all the fact checkers.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. And this wasn’t a policy speech. And I think we’ve come to expect that from State of the Unions. There was no grand vision that he was casting for the nation. I do think what is so interesting about Donald Trump, and you sort of referenced this a little bit, is that, you know, he’s such a polarizing figure. And yet what he does so well is bringing Americans back to a sense of national pride, which we didn’t experience under Joe Biden or Barack Obama. You see that in the recruitment numbers.
SPEAKER 16 :
We haven’t seen that since Ronald Reagan. You probably don’t remember that, but I do. I mean, Ronald Reagan, of course, in a much different style and approach, but made you, of course, I was in the Marine Corps back then, but made you proud to be an American.
SPEAKER 07 :
And so a Hollywood guy.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah. And President Trump is doing something very similar. I thought the two Medal of Honor awards awardees last night. I mean, I thought their stories were compelling. I thought that was very touching, especially at the conclusion, the 100-year-old Navy pilot that received the Medal of Honor. You know, you can’t see that and not say, you know, that’s… He provided moments for people to really rally around at a time of great division.
SPEAKER 03 :
I think that was the true strength of this speech.
SPEAKER 16 :
So let’s talk about what was, well, before I go to what was missing, let’s talk about what he did include in there. He talked about Sage, when she was 14 years old from Maryland, where her school covered up the fact that SHE WAS TRANSITIONING. NOW, INTERESTING, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS BEFORE WE WENT ON THE AIR, BACK IN 2023 AT FRC STATE OF THE FAMILY ADDRESS THAT WE DID HERE DURING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, WE ACTUALLY HAD SAGE’S MOTHER, MICHELLE, WHO WAS THERE LAST here in our building as we highlighted this growing problem of schools secretly facilitating the transitioning of their children. And so when I saw that last night, I was thrilled to see that what we were talking about, you know, and trying to bring attention to is now right in the middle of the State of the Union, the president calling for policy to address it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. And frankly, the optics of that moment when every Republican is standing and applauding when Trump says, you know, this is something we should never be in favor of, which is parents having their children ripped out of their arms, secretly transition. And here you have a picture saying a thousand words with all the Democrats in their seats. If I’m a campaign manager, I am airing that video. And then before the midterms and saying, this is what you’re voting for. People who think that children should not only be mutilated and socially transitioned, but without their parents knowledge.
SPEAKER 16 :
You’re so right. I was just talking with Congressman Bob on there about that, that what a contrast. I mean, how could you be for a school district covering up facilitating your child? being transitioned to another sex or another gender, and then lending itself to this whole journey that she went through where she was sexually abused and trafficked. I mean, it was horrific. And they sat there as if their silence was affirmation.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, well, they took some really hard stances in the transgender, like the tulip run of transgenderism, and they can’t back down from those now. And I think really, though, credit to you and FRC because prophetic voices are stoned in their generation and then proven right in a later generation. And that’s exactly what we’ve seen. I feel that sometimes.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, you get some bruises.
SPEAKER 16 :
I feel that. Well, let’s talk about that, because that’s where FRAC is right now. Absolutely. Where we’re talking about this horrific issue of the abortion pill that has actually caused abortion rates in this country to rise, even though Roe was overturned. Nothing was said about that last night.
SPEAKER 03 :
What an absolutely devastating missed opportunity. This speech was 10,500 words. Not one of them was spent on the sanctity of human life. And I have to say, this is one of the rare opportunities when Donald Trump has to lay out the terms of the debate. We’ve seen him do this with Hillary Clinton, where he very vividly spells out the Democrats’ extremism. And that is where Republicans win, is to say, this is what Democrats are for. He missed that opportunity. I am just astounded and, frankly, extremely disappointed because right now, you know, you had the pollster on earlier talking about the fact that only one in five Republican voters knows that abortion has skyrocketed since Dobbs. They all think that abortions have gone down. This is an opportunity he had to explain that.
SPEAKER 16 :
I talked about that, again, in a post-interview last night, that when the American people, primarily when the Republican voters, I should say, find this out, they’re going to be outraged. They’re appalled. Exactly. And this is going to affect enthusiasm at the polls. And you read all these stories about the deficit of enthusiasm among Republican voters. Now, I don’t agree with that. I think there’s a lot of reasons to be enthusiastic. And to your point, Donald Trump in the past has spoken to this very effectively. In fact, I’ve talked to him about that in the past. But his pollsters have changed his mind on this. And he sees this strictly as a political issue. My last conversation with him about this was, Mr. President, it’s not a political issue. It is primarily a spiritual issue. And we have to get it right. And that’s your point, Casey, that that’s why we’re here as a prophetic voice. I’d rather be a pleasant voice. But if we have to be prophetic, we will. I think it was affirmed last night by what we saw with the the highlighting of sage.
SPEAKER 19 :
I guess we have a sackcloth here You know I could turn it Really leaning into Exodus here Yeah, I mean, I think that the president I wish he had spoken about Mifepristone as well, but I think it’s very telling that he didn’t even bring up some of the more quote unquote popular issues. Not a single one. Virginia’s pushing third trimester abortion right now. That’s an easy target. Americans do not support that. He could at the very least talk about that.
SPEAKER 16 :
I was, I guess, maybe I’m pulling back the curtain a little bit too much here, but I was in the White House before his State of the Union address after the former governor of Virginia. Northam made that comment. It just happened to be like two days before the State of the Union. The night before the State of the Union, I was in the White House. The president came in the room, exploded over what Northam had to say, was incensed by what he said. And by the way, I should say what he said. He talked about basically fourth term abortion after a child was born that, you know, if they were born alive from a failed abortion, we would keep them comfortable until they decided what to do with them. Right. Right. And the president was incensed by this. So again, the president, as you pointed out earlier, has spoken very effectively and passionately on this. But unfortunately, his political pollsters have convinced him that this is a political liability and a losing issue.
SPEAKER 03 :
And they’re wrong.
SPEAKER 16 :
They’re wrong on two fronts.
SPEAKER 03 :
They’re making a political calculus, but they’re making a wrong political calculus. Because as we’ve seen after Dobbs, 11 pro-life governors signed bills into law protecting the unborn. All of them won.
SPEAKER 16 :
Because they knew how to talk about it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly. The only time we lose on this issue is when Republicans refuse to talk about it. When they hide from it, we lose. And last night, he had a chance to spell out exactly what he wanted to say on this issue and set the terms of debate, and he failed.
SPEAKER 19 :
I think his New York side is showing. He’s a New Yorker. There’s a couple of states where abortion is pretty popular, California, New York. The rest of the country doesn’t look or think like California and New York. A lot of these states are a lot more pro-life than the president used to growing up with.
SPEAKER 16 :
But I go back to the point, and I want this president to be successful.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 16 :
Because, number one, we’re commanded in structure and scripture to pray for our leaders. I prayed for Joe Biden, that he would get it right. I mean, that’s like trying to get a parked car to go 60 miles an hour. But Donald Trump is moving in the right direction in most cases. And so I pray for him because I want him to be successful. But this issue of the sanctity of human life is a defining issue for the nation, especially after the Lord heard our prayer and graciously gave us an overturn of Roe and another chance, as I was criticized for saying about the president, a mulligan, a chance to get it right. But right now we’re not getting it right.
SPEAKER 19 :
There’s no fear of the Lord. That kind of, there’s no sense of like, we as a nation should be a little bit worried that, I don’t mean just for the president personally, I just mean among, you know, our country. True, true.
SPEAKER 16 :
There needs to be a healthy dose of fear. That does prompt me to… If I had a criticism of the president’s speech last night, other than what was left out, would be there was clearly a lack of humility. And I know that that’s a part of the show, the arrogance. But even the attributing, you know, if God needs a miracle, he calls the United States. I don’t think so. I mean, I think that’s getting that’s borderline. Yeah, a miracle on ice, maybe.
SPEAKER 03 :
A miracle on ice, yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, he did have the hockey team there. He had the hockey team there. But all in all, you know, I’m grateful for this president, and I thought as the 250th anniversary, it was a great celebration. I liked how much the military was emphasized and highlighted. Not so crazy about the sports.
SPEAKER 03 :
He’s really good. It included embracing the sacrifice of men and women and showing off the heroes of this country, which are the men and women in uniform. They are. First responders.
SPEAKER 18 :
The Coast Guard.
SPEAKER 16 :
The National Guard. The Coast Guard. That was amazing. To see him sitting there with his mom.
SPEAKER 19 :
And the girl that he rescued. In the age of feminism, people still love women. Christ-like masculinity, heroism.
SPEAKER 18 :
126 people that he rescued in that, something like that.
SPEAKER 19 :
I didn’t know what that meant, but it’s risking his life, to be sure, in that tragic Texas flood.
SPEAKER 16 :
So I think that’s what I liked about last night was really highlighting true heroes. You know, we’ve gotten to a point in our culture where we’re looking to idolize anything. If somebody falls in a hole and survives, they’re a hero. But these are men and women who… in some cases, gave their lives for the benefit of others.
SPEAKER 19 :
We contrast that with giving Ellen DeGeneres the Medal of Freedom or something. I mean, it’s night and day.
SPEAKER 16 :
So it’s good to celebrate those things. I think it subtly points to the fact, how has America survived for 250 years? Obviously, God’s grace and his protection and provision. But because I think in the hearts of those men and women, we read what Scripture says, greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends. Give you almost the final word.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I just I mean, last night reminds me once again how much we need to pray for this president, how much we need to pray for Congress. We’re in a deeply divided time right now. And that was very evident last night. And I think that’s not something God can overcome. But we certainly as individual people need to be on our knees asking for that to be civility.
SPEAKER 16 :
And I was praying for the president to be a little more dialed back. I mean, he only poked the bear a few times. He did.
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, Democrats poked back. They poked back. That was also grieving me a little bit, just to see the division.
SPEAKER 16 :
There is a decorum that we’ve lost in many ways, and that saddens me because I do think that there’s a… We can obviously passionately disagree, but we’ve got to do so in a way that is civil. All right. I get the final word.
SPEAKER 03 :
As you should.
SPEAKER 16 :
Suzanne, Casey, thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Folks, thank you for joining us as well. And do pray for our nation. Pray for our president and continue to stand for truth.
SPEAKER 06 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
