Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, appeared on Fox News' America’s Newsroom to discuss several pressing issues related to national security. The topics included President Joe Biden's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Vice President Kamala Harris's statements during a presidential debate, and Iran's ongoing support for terrorist organizations in the Middle East.

Addressing President Biden’s UNGA speech, Hagerty criticized the current administration's handling of national security. He stated, "The Biden-Harris Administration has been a complete disaster from a national security standpoint, and there is no part of the world that is safer than when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came into office." He contrasted this with what he described as relative peace during President Trump's tenure. Hagerty highlighted various global issues such as unrest in the Middle East, conflicts involving Ukraine and Russia, and tensions in the Far East as evidence of increased instability under the current administration.

Regarding Vice President Harris’s claim during a presidential debate that no U.S. troops are currently in combat zones, Hagerty refuted this assertion. "It’s not true. It wasn’t true then; it’s certainly not true now," he said. He criticized the debate format and questioned whether the United States is better off now compared to when Trump was in office.

Hagerty also addressed Iran's funding of terrorism despite claims from Iranian leadership about wanting peace. He accused the Biden-Harris Administration of being naive or complicit regarding Iran's actions. "Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terror," he said, noting that under Trump, sanctions had severely impacted Iran's ability to fund groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. According to Hagerty, these sanctions had brought Iran financially to its knees but have since been relaxed by the current administration.

He further argued that Trump's policies had led to significant achievements such as moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and entering into the Abraham Accords.