Hour two Sean Hannity Show, toll free. It is eight hundred and nine point one, Shawn, you want to be a part of the program. So we had competing Americana on display.
Last night.
We had the UFC at the White House, which was I thought spectacular on every single level. And it was a really cool moment. At the very beginning. I did not expect it. I was not there, but I thought it was worth I just it just kind of took me by surprise. It was President Trump playing Ronald Reagan a radio address from Flag Day June fourteenth, nineteen eighty six before the UFC America two fifty and I want to play it here.
Nice fellow Americans.
Today we celebrate Flag Day, the birthday of our stars and stripes. So we think back over the history of our nation's flag. We remember that the story of US early years was often one of hardship and trials, sometimes a fight for simple survival. It was two years into the War of eighteen twelve when America seemed a teetering on the edge of the feet. The British had already taken our capitol and burned the White House. All it stood between the British and Baltimore with the guns of
Fort McKenny. British bombardment lasted for twenty five hours, through the dark hours of the night.
The rockets fired and the bombs exploded.
That a young American patriot named Key, felt captive aboard a British ship, watched anxiously for some proof.
Some sign that liberty would prevail. You can imagine his joy when the next morning, in the dawn's early light, he looked out and saw the banner still flying, a little tattered and torn, but still flying proudly above the ramparts. But with the birth of our nation, the cause of human freedom had become.
Forever tied to that flag and its survival. As the American Republic grew imposperate and new stars were added to the flag, the idea of freedom we were prospered when the Rory Hills of Kentucky, to the shores of California, to the Sea of tran Croak beyond.
The men and let us never forget they're honoring our flag. We honored the American men and women who have courageously fought and died for it.
These anniversaries remind.
Us that the great American experiment in freedom and democracy has really just begun, and they challenge us to match.
That great and s of spirit in our own time.
We are, after all, the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Now, there was a liberal alternative that was airing I don't know where was that on Emma's Now or something, and a bunch of liberals crazy, I don't know, Jane Fonda and Pete Midler and Joy Reid, and they had their alternative, This is America two fifty to them, listen.
Left because.
No one is getting.
Not this time.
No one is getting left because time.
How do we get there together?
Or never?
Get out?
All you fascist boues your bow?
You fascist downlu.
Hey there, I am fascist.
Let me put you straight.
When you come for the rest.
Of us, we'll fight you at the gate and you will lose.
You fascist down louse.
I mean, they're singing at another big DNC event. Anyway, With all of that said, I love the fact that this president loves sports as much as he does. Our friend Stephen A. Smith could not believe that Donald Trump, lifelong Nick fan, showed up at you know, the first game at the Garden.
Game three.
The Knicks did win the championship over the weekend, as everybody knows, first time in fifty three years. Congratulations to Knicks fans. But anyway, it was I just love the Americana. Now we're gonna have a series of events that we're going to be going to and bringing you to radio and TV that I think you're gonna like, I know a lot of you and your families that you will also be going to a lot of these events. Anyway,
a great time. I think he's probably one of the nicest people in broadcasting, if not the one of the greatest sports analysts, play by play, you name it. He's been there for every big sporting event for decades now. Jim Gray is with us a Fox News sports analyst, host of Westwood Ones Monday Night Football, and good friend of mine. He also wrote the book Goats. He knows every most dominant player in every sport ever. Mister Gray, sir, how are you.
I'm great, Sean, thank you for that beautiful introduction. That's so nice of you.
One of the nicest guys I've ever met.
And that's it's a compliment because it's not as common, be it political commentary or news commentary or sports commentary, there's a lot of intramural battling.
Well, you know, I've not been involved in any of that. I've gotten along so much for so many years, coming up on fifty years of this next year started in nineteen seventy seven, So you know, I've genuinely looked at other people's work. Bud Greenspan, who was the great documentarian and historian for the Olympic Games, used to do all those great simpls s he Owen's Returns to Berlin, the
last African Runner, the Wilma Rudolph story. Billy Frisk, the first World War pilot to be in an Olympics, And he said something to me one time that you know, took me, took me by surprise. And then I thought about it and I thought, boy, isn't this beautifully he said. I knew I was good when I could look at other people's work and admire it. I love looking at my colleagues's work and admiring it. Stephen A. Smith, Mile Rico,
Dan Patrick, all these people do all this work. Jim Nantz is phenomenal, Joe Buck and you know what, they do a great job. So we don't have to diminish other people to try and make ourselves look better, you know.
But for a lot of people it is a zero sum game. You know this.
I know this, And a lot of people feel any success they may have in life will be predicated on someone else's failure.
I've never believed that.
Well, there are a lot, and unfortunately there are a lot in broadcasting who behave in that fashion. It's shameful, it's disgraceful because if you're good enough, you can stand on your own two feet, so you don't have to make others look bad or point out their mistakes. Say look, when you make a mistake, Sean, nobody has to tell you. You know, you know, you don't have to be pounded
over the hindside. And by the way, you don't need to be pat on the head when you do something well you know it too, and you don't have to stand on.
The top of the Actually you did pat me on the head.
Recently, you watched my podcast as for Bill Belichick, and was great.
I was.
I'll tell you what shocked me about him, because if you go to his press conferences after football games, for example, he gives these notorious one word answers. He does not like the press he doesn't like the media, and I felt he really opened up and was so I don't just open and I think he knew that I was a fan. Number one, I said so. But number two, this is not a hostile environment for people.
I want.
I want to learn from one of the best coaches ever in the NFL history, and I felt like I did learn about a lot about him.
Bill is Bill is so good. You know we've had him on Let's Go.
He had him mine with Tom Brady. That was maybe I watched that before the podcast.
And I know you did, and thank you for your kind words of what you said.
I was not wrong. It was great.
Beyond that, that was really that was really kind and you know that touched me. I really appreciate it. The really appreciate it. John. But Bill is Bill is a genius. Okay. Bill hasaneous recall, he's so far ahead of all of
these other people. He's won eight Super Bowls, and he can tell you about some innocuous play when he was coaching as an assistant coach Denver Broncos back in the seventies, Okay, and he can pull it up and he can tell you all twenty two that were on the field and what they did and how they did it, and it's just astonishing his knowledge of football history, how he's kept current contemporary, and you know, he's really you know, it's you look, there were certain aspects of him that was
just not going to divulge anything at any time, and so he got surly at times and he got you know, people got underneath his skin and he just wasn't going to give them anything. 'ron to Cincinnati, 'ronda Cincinnati, 'ronda Cincinnati. But you know what, when you get to know Bill, or when you spend time with Bill, he is really really likable. He's considerate, he cares about his players, he cares about other people in his life. He'll go out of his way for you and expect nothing in return.
So I have a really good feeling about Bill, a great relationship with him. I wish him nothing but success here in North Carolina. And he is the greatest coach ever.
He's one of the goats.
You wrote I think one of the best sports books ever about goats.
What is it that makes the best the best? What is that? Is it work? Ethic?
Is it natural talent? Is it a combination? Is it coaching? Is it collaborative, Is it instinctive? What is that special something? Because you run the gamut from Mike Tyson all the way to Tom Brady, all the way to the you know, every big Goat and every big sport, Tiger Woods.
You know all of these guys.
Well, when you look at Kobe, Ali Jordan, Yeah, these guys, Tyson, Phelps, they all have one thing. They are myopic in their pursuit and they will let nothing, nothing stop them from getting to what it is that they do and how they continue to do it. Tom Brady said this to me many many years ago, and he says it repeatedly. If all you ever do is all you've ever done, then all you'll ever get is all you've ever gotten. Imagine if Tom would have stopped after one. But no
he didn't. He took what he just said, that wasn't all he ever did, and so he wasn't going to get just that. He was going to go for two, three, four, five, six, seven. Okay, So he's never satisfied. And you know they're all trying to touch perfection, Sean, and the ones who are realistic, like Kobe, I said, Kobe, you're trying to be perfect. He says, I know I never will be, but it sure is fun to try. They touch it for a moment. Tiger Woods can touch it for a moment and it's
like a jellyfish. It slips away, But he wants to touch it again again and again. And that's what drives them, that feeling, that ability to be perfect for the moment. But know that it's so elusive that you could never be perfect all the time. And that's the distinguishing difference. That's the difference between good and great and great and excellent.
All right, quick break right back more with sports broadcaster Are Good and Jim Gray on the other side, eight hundred and ninety four one sewn on number. If you want to be a part of the program, your calls coming up.
Hey listen.
If you want to open your business, you know what it's like. You need this insurance, that insurance, this one, that one. I mean, the bureaucracy is absolutely insane. And then you have to deal with one agent another agent. It is it's worse than dealing with the healthcare system. To be honest, you sign your deal. How many of you have ever read the fine print of any insurance policy? Probably most of.
You have not.
If you did read it, you probably didn't understand it. Your broker probably explained it in ways that are inaccurate themselves. I don't even think they take the time to read it. You know, we all know people that have made insurance claims only to find out when they file that claim, oh sorry, that's not covered.
But they thought it was covered, right.
We continue now with sports broadcaster Jim Bray analyzing last night's big UFC two fifty event at the White House, which was unbelievably spectacular in my view. You know, one of the problems I've had in my career, and we're in broadcasting, is I don't like to watch my show, or listen to my show, or go back and analyze the show.
However, if you want to improve, you have to.
You have to you have to have that self reflection and you have to be able to take criticism. No one takes criticism better than Tom Brady. And that's why Belichick was so great for him, because he treated him like everybody else, and he criticized him and he went after him. And you know what, no one else also takes praise better than Tom Brady. So when you're able to do both with humility and have a gratitude and a sense of knowing that you've arrived still trying to
get better. Most of those guys that we talk about, these goats, Muhammad Ali, until his last breath, was trying to be better tomorrow than he was yesterday as a human being, as a husband, as a societal impact person around the world, as a fighter. So the growth never stops with the great ones. None of them get complacent. And Sean, you've you've had a top show now, I don't know for twenty years, you've been number one. I don't know how it was maybe longer in.
My thirtieth year of Fox, maybe my thirty sixth year in radio, I've been on. Oh whah, I'm not I'm not a fifty like you though, but I'm going to be there.
Not willing.
I didn't mean to take that.
No worries.
You know, how are we going to look back at this event that took place at the White House last night in your view and what was your overall take on it?
Well, it was just a spectacle, okay, and it all went well. There was no controversies, all the fights went well. It looked Dana White what he has been able to do with the UFC to take that sport from where it was to where it is. You know, it's it's it's just been phenomenal, and so you know this was something different. It's a celebration of American life. Look, the UFC cells out all over America, all over the world wherever they go. So you're giving the people what they want,
and the people got what they wanted. So you know you're going to find controversy. Mike Ditka said this to me many years ago when I was inducted into one of the Hall of Fames. He gave the induction speech and he said, if you have no successes, you have no critics. So all these people are going to criticize, and they're going to sit around with their typewriters or on the internet or you know, speak into whatever forum
they have or or platform. And guess what it's because he's successful and they all wish that they could be him and so and they wish that they had the success that these people have had. So I just got to take the criticism where it needs to be applied, apply it and where it's a bunch of bs, let it go in one ear and out the other.
We love Jim Gray.
If you've not read his book Goats, go find it on Amazon or a bookstore and you will not regret reading that book. Honored to call this man a friend and getting his take after this historic day yesterday at the White House. Jim Gray, God bless you. You're a dear friend. I think the world of you, and we appreciate your take on everything vice versa.
Sean, thank you so much for having me on. Love you, buddy, and love you back getting after it, Sean, keep doing it, buddy. And by the way, can I say one thing. Yeah, having been you know, broadcast the NBA for forty years, it's so great. What's happening in New York with the Knicks.
I'm happy for my friends. I gave him a hard time during this series. I was given Steven a hard time too. If they lose, it's Donald Trump's fault. I'm like, no, if they lose, it's on them, Donald Trump's fault.
We'll due respect to the presidents.
I know, I mean they blame him for everything and give them but whatever, Jim Gray, appreciate you, Mam.
Paor Hannity less big government.
This is the Sean Hannity Show.
I guess, especially with Jason here and Jason wanted the New York Knicks to win so bad. Jason, Jason and Katie are probably the two biggest sports fans we have working on the show. Katie wanted San Antonio, Jason wanted to New York Knicks. I wanted the games over so I didn't have to compete against the highest NBA rating since Michael Jordan. Obviously it's been fifty three years since the next one. But you know, I really have a hard time understanding. And I was getting into this with
Stephen A. Smith on TV last week. We talked about it. Here is why why did Nick fans? If they win, they go crazy and they get violent. If they lose, they go crazy and they get violent. You know, sure enough, it happened again over the weekend, and I'm watching all of this unfollowed. I'm like, what are you Everybody should
be happy and celebrating. You have cop cars ruined, you know, buses were torched, riding in the streets, fighting goalre and I'm like, how is that a celebration fifty three years you should be celebrating your city, not wrecking it. Here's some of the sights and sounds of that, Josie.
What is the point?
I don't know, but I guess if that's how they celebrate in New York City, That's why I love the Free State of Larda. I will say the star by far in the series, he deserved the MVP. Jalen Brunson. I was so impressed with his play. But the bigger story of Jalen Brunson to me is he he gave back about one hundred million dollars for salary expansion for the team, money that he could have had himself, and
which is very selfless. Most players don't do this because in sports you often get one, maybe two if you're lucky, three and I mean lucky career contracts like this. But he wanted a team to win a championship and he was willing to give up money to get it to build a better team around him. But he still misses Texas taxes.
Listen, every championship that you've won has been one in Texas. The first one at Villanova in Houston, the second one in San Antonio, and now this one here in San Antonio. What do you have against Texas? And how special is it for you to be able to win this title with Michel and Josh.
I have nothing against Texas.
I love Texas.
I miss I missed the Texas Texas.
I missed the Texas taxes. Like why is New York losing so many people to mass migration out of New York, the state out of New Jersey, the state out of Illinois, out of California, you know, all things talk about all the time.
All right, let's get to our phones.
James is in Pennsylvania, James High, how are you glad you called.
Sara doing great?
Sean, I've been a fan forever, back to Hannity and Comb's days, and thank you the reason for the Yeah, I just love what you do. And one of my concerns is with this the deal that President Trump is working on here has signed is given money back to Rian and that the people themselves, the Iranian people, who are fantastic people, are not really in control of their country yet and to keep any of the muddls in place and have to deal with them and they can't be trusted.
It's well they can't.
But remember they're not getting any American money, number one, they are. They're not getting money up front. That was clarified, and we have JD Vance on tonight and he will go over all of these points with.
Us on TV.
They basically get paid on per action basis, based on what they are agreeing to do, and so if they want a chance to rebuild their country. At any point, did you ever hear Donald Trump say that regime change was the goal?
Oh no, he didn't go in there. I don't believe at all with the idea of regime change except to get.
Rid of Well, they kind of did get regime changed three times, right, So that happened as a matter of course.
But what was the president's main goal?
Well, to stop the nuclear threat to the United States was the main goal in safety and security of our own country.
And secondarily the free flow of oil at market prices, which would be phenomenal if in fact the straight opens and the price of oil today has been down as low as has been since the beginning of this conflict. So in that sense, that kind of does fit in with Trump's doctrine, doesn't it. No, forever wars, he didn't have regime change as a goal. What Steve Woitkoff told us from day one about the sixty percent enriched uranium.
We're going to get that as part of the deal, or the payments will stop and probably the bombing begins again.
That would be my take.
I'm a Reagan trust but verify guy, and you know, have they suffered enough pain yet?
I don't know. Time will tell, right well.
President Trump was very cautious not to destroy infrastructure that would harm the Iranian people once they were able to get re re established in their own country and have their own control, which is fabulous. I trust President Trump emphatically of twenty one years in the military. I'd go follow any order he would give. It wouldn't be a problem. I still have my original Heart of the Deal book from nineteen eighty six when he came out with it, and I use it every day.
But listen, I mean I think that you know again, they're getting nothing the only thing that opens up to them. It's kind of like, have you ever done a big construction project in your life and you pay You usually give a down payment, but that's not happening in this case. But for every phase of building there is a payout. For example, they the foundation, you pay that money. The banks will only loan it in phases. If you're building new homes. I don't know if most people know that.
And then if you frame out the house, then there is another payment. You then put up the wallboard in paint and that's another payment. Then you put on the roof and that's another payment. So if they want to rebuild their economy, they have a chance to do it. I think there are other mitigating factors. How other countries in the region feel about it now. Ultimately, I think Israel is They're going to make their own decisions based on how the Iranians treat them. And you know, we
saw what happened when they attacked that Apache helicopter. We saw what happened when they went after commercial ships last week. The president pounded them two days in a row hard and then said I'm hitting carg Island next. And the backstory is they called and said please don't do that. We're ready to sign the deal. That's how it happened. That's what I was told.
My big concern is who is he signing the deal with and what are they going to do with any money that they do get. When you go down the road and the negotiations go forward and they comply with a few things and then they get money, then they go off in another direction. You can't trust them. I just I don't trust them.
Listen, if you think I trust the Iranians, you got the wrong show. I don't trust them at all. But I'm a trust but verify guy. If in fact they look it just defies well, a death cult defies logic anyway. But one of the good news the parts of the deal, and I'll clarify this with JD tonight on TV, is you know our American inspectors and part of it. They've all told me we are and we'll have eyes on them the whole time. I don't think they'll be able
to get up to the various stuff. They'll figure out a way to either neutralize or take back that nuclear dust. And you know this, this is going to unfold over time and we'll see how it plays out.
Okay, Well, I certainly hope.
So, I mean I have full trust in what the President's doing and not you know we you, I mean, you may have some background knowledge, but inside edge, but I certainly don't. So I mean I trust whatever he's doing because I know there are other factors involved in making those decisions that you know, common people like myself. Don't don't have a clue to I.
Think common people like yourself are the people that make the country great. Don't, don't, don't sell yourself short here, James, You're a good man.
God bless you. Back to our phones. Art is in Oregon. Art. How are you glad you called?
I'm doing real well. But I want to follow up on what you said on Friday, Sean. First of all, big fan, I love the show. But you had said that you know you are the boss, and I just wanted to tell you that you know you know what a boss is, don't you. But well, a boss is like a diaper. It's always on your butt and full of crap.
I am not like that as a boss at all.
Okay, it was this.
I'm actually very and I think Linda will back me up. I'm pretty hands off. I hire the right people that are capable of doing a great job, and I buy them lunch for radio and dinner for TV, and I am pleasant to them and I appreciate their hard work and I expect them to do their job.
My expectations are high for a lot of people.
The fact that I have an Amazon subscription to loves Soft and cushy has nothing to do with the environment in which I work, right, Sean, I.
Have no idea what that means at all.
Well, come on, have a sense of humor on a Monday.
All right, Well, thanks for taking my calls, John, love.
What you get.
It's sort of like in relationships, there are guys that think that being the man of the family means to be Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone and have Dino the Dinosaur as your pet. No, the word gentleman is be a gentleman. I think that means opening doors. I think that means men pay for dates. I think that there are words that men should never use against women. I think that I'm very old school in that way. And you know, if some people think that's toxic masculinity, then that's on them, not me.
If that's toxic masculinity, I'm a huge fan.
Just a heads up, Yeah, I mean anyway, appreciate it. I quick break right back to our busy phones toll free. It's eight hundred nine four one, Shawn. If you want to be a part of the program as we continue this Monday.
Final Hour roundup is next. You do not want to miss it, and stay tuned for the final hour Free for All on the Sean Hannity Show.
Let's get back to our busy phones. It's eight hundred one Sean. If you want to join us, Andy is next. Andy is in Connecticut.
Andy. How are you glad you call good?
Sean?
How are you today?
I'm good? Sorry, good good.
I'm following up on a conversation that you were having the other day on Friday as well.
Uh, you have a buddy in the that's.
Big fishermen for stripe bass, and you were talking about that slot limit, that ridiculous slot limit.
It's like three inches. And he is a great fisherman. He by the way, I played him the segment and he was so touched that I talked so much about it, and he loves fishing. And it's like he catches a ton of fish, ninety percent of him he has to put back in the water and it's like a half an inch off.
It's so stupid, and.
They're so strict that as to how you measure them as well. You have to take that stand tape striper and pin it down, so that's how you measure it as well. But the thing is, striper's the fishery for stripers is. It's just not in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut. It's obviously it goes from Maine, if not further north to Maryland, and these fish winter in the rivers Connecticut, Hudson. The Hudson you gotta be careful with because that's PCB heaven.
But these states have different slot limit limits in this whole fishery. Massachusetts is different than Maine. Maine is. Most of them are similar. The Maryland crabs right right, their slot limit is nineteen to twenty four mm hmm.
It's like, what, there's only one person in this room that can talk to this caller, and it's Ethan. Because Ethan is an avid fisherman.
Well, let's bring Ethan, and Ethan is an avid fisherman on our team. Ethan, you want to weigh in on these ridiculous rules for fishermen.
Those slot limits are actually a thing. Even in Florida. You have snook down in Florida has a slot limit and there's actually three different regions in Florida that have different limits. So the purpose behind it is that the breeders are certain size, so they want to keep the eggs for the female breeders going so New York striper population was decimated. I fishing. I don't love slot limits. It makes it really annoying to fish, but I understand the science behind it.
The problem is is and I'm a big fan of the show. Did you ever watch the show? Andy Deadlis Catch? Absolutely love the show. And what frustrates me is that these guys put their lives on the line. Many have died in the course of doing this, these colossal crabs that they get, and this is their livelihood and their living There are smarter, more intelligent ways to protect species and populations than just saying fishermen can't fish. And we ought to be using AI, we ought to be using science,
we ought to be using ways to replenish. I mean, we're not thinking out of the box with it.
Yeah. And also the international fisheries. There are ships from China, Russia all over the place. International fish have no business being there.
By the way, I have no.
Business being in US warters or right outside US wards. And they will come and take everything everything.
Yeah, it's terrible.
It's not like it's sort of like the Paris Climate Accords where it's sort of like the Paris Climate Accords where America pays the freight, and China and India were declared developing nations and they paid nothing. I mean, we're just stupid sometimes because the Russians, they're going right up to that line and across it were not