Rep. Hunt explains how Trump made an adversary think twice about messing with America



Republican Reps. Wesley Hunt (Texas) and Byron Donalds (Fla.) detailed some of President Joe Biden's domestic and international failings on the Tuesday episode of the "Sage Steele Podcast."

Donalds noted, for instance, that under Biden's watch, "we have had to evacuate seven United States embassies. That has never happened in American history. Never. That is how weak we are on the world stage. That's how bad it is."

According to the Daily Signal's accounting, the reality is far worse.

The Signal indicated that as of March, the Biden administration had overseen the evacuation of 11 embassies, more than any other administration to date. President Barack Obama reportedly presided over the second-most embassy evacuations with a total of eight.

The Biden State Department has, however, come up with a different set of numbers concerning ordered or authorized evacuations under both the current and previous administrations.

"When you're weak and our adversaries know you're weak, they push you," continued Donalds. "It's no different than the bully in the school yard. If you're timid and the bully knows he can get away with it, what happens? He comes for your lunch money every single week, every single day ... until you punch back."

After the congressmen emphasized that America's adversaries perceive the U.S. as weak under Biden, Rep. Hunt shared a tale illustrating a better way of doing things — a tale that has ostensibly morphed slightly with each retelling.

'If you harm a hair on a single American, I'm going to kill you.'

"I'm going to give you my favorite President Trump story," said Hunt. "It's my number one favorite of all time."

"When we were negotiating with the Taliban while President Trump was still the president, President Trump wanted to get out of Afghanistan but he wanted a conditions-based withdrawal meaning that you [the Taliban] do what we tell you to do and then we start pulling troops back slowly as long as you abide by our rules," said Hunt.

The congressman suggested that Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the Taliban leadership to discuss the withdrawal with a single translator in the room.

"President Trump looked at the Taliban leader and said this: 'I want to leave Afghanistan. But it's going to be a conditions-based withdrawal,' and the translator translated," said Hunt. "And [Trump] said, 'If you harm a hair on a single American, I'm going to kill you.'"

Hunt claimed that the translator sat back in silence, reluctant to communicate Trump's death threat.

"And Trump goes, 'Tell him. Tell him what I said.' [He] reached in his pocket, pulled out a satellite photo of the leader of the Taliban's home, and handed it to him," said Hunt.

Steele interjected with "shut up!"

"Got up and walked out the room," continued Hunt.

Trump told Fox News in 2022 that he had sent Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar a photo of his house, and said, "'If you do anything, we're going to hit you harder than any country has ever been hit.'"

A year earlier, Trump told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt that he had threatened Baradar along these lines:

If you do anything bad to the United States of America, if you do anything bad to any of our civilians, to any American citizen, or if you do anything out of the normal, you know, they’ve been fighting for a thousand years, but out of the normal, because you’ve had your wars, and if you do anything out of the normal, but anything bad to America or any American citizens, I will hit you harder than anybody has ever been hit in world history. You will be hit harder than any country and any person has ever been hit in world history. And we will start with the exact location and the exact town, and it’s right here. And I believe I repeated the name of his town. That will be the first place that we start.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows reportedly noted in his book "The Chief's Chief" that Trump vowed in a phone call to flatten Baradar's village in early 2020 if the Islamist group threatened Americans or American interests.

According to Meadows, Trump said, "And your village, Mullah? We know where it is. We know it's the Weetmak village. If you dare lay hands on a single American, that will be the first thing that I destroy. I will not hesitate."

While Hunt's favorite Trump story appears to have morphed over time, the core suggestion that has gone unchanged is that Trump was willing to back American safety with the threat of American vengeance.

"That's the definition of strength," continued Hunt. "That's what I'm talking about. And so you can imagine that kind of sentiment being around the world. If we have an embassy in another country, no one's going to touch it because they're going to be fearful that they're going to get a MOAB on their head. That's how President Trump rolls."

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Anonymous hero saves elderly friend with clever move after deranged suspect stabs, tases her



Police are lauding the heroism of a man whose quick action saved his friend's life after the pair were attacked while walking their dogs Saturday, authorities reported.

"It is likely [the 68-year-old female victim] would not have survived the attack if her friend hadn't acted so quickly and heroically," the Moab City Police Department said in a statement addressing the grisly encounter.

"We want to recognize the heroism and bravery shown by the victim's friend/neighbor. He has expressed the desire to remain anonymous and would request time to heal emotionally and deal with the trauma of the incident," the statement also said.

A 53-year-old man and his friend were walking their dogs along a pathway next to Millcreek in Moab City, Utah, around 7 a.m. when they noticed a man who appeared to have started a campfire in a parking lot by the stream. After informing the man that camping and campfires are illegal within the city limits, they continued on their walk.

Authorities described what happened next as "attempted homicide" in their press release. The man the pair saw, 38-year-old Alexander Kensell, then allegedly tased the woman. When she fell, he repeatedly stabbed her with a fixed blade.

The man, also a victim of Kensell's assault, forced the suspect away from the woman, created a distraction, and got the suspect to chase him.

"His action effectively kept the assailant away from his friend," police said.

Moab City Police officers and Grand County Sheriff's Office deputies arranged for medical attention. The woman, who was in serious condition, was first transported to Moab Regional Hospital. Later, she was flown to Utah Valley Regional Hospital for advanced care. The woman is now in stable condition, authorities said.

Kensell, whom authorities believe arrived in the town recently from out of state, was booked into Grand County Jail.

An inmate list for Grand County Jail updated Monday shows Alexander M. Kensell was booked on felony charges of aggravated assault and homicide.

The Moab City Police Department noted it had recently increased enforcement of ordinances barring in-city camping and will continue with that approach. Police say they are "actively engaged with community leaders and service providers to find meaningful solutions and resources to address homelessness and mental health issues in Moab City."

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