FULL RALLY: Hegseth Joins Ed Gallrein On Kentucky Campaign Trail Against Trump Nemesis Thomas Massie

[0:03] Hello, Kentucky. It's good to see everybody today. As mentioned, I'm Ashley Hayek. I'm the president of America First Works, and I just want to thank you all so much for joining us. You know, in the preamble to the Constitution, it says the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, and that just really resonates. I'm a U.S. Marine wife. I'm a mom to five kids, and everything we do is for our children and for future generations, and that's what America First Works does. [0:30] Because every single day, we're fighting for the policies that make our country stronger and better, trying to support the president's America First agenda. And so that's what we're going to gather today, and we're going to discuss, because we believe the country is worth fighting for, and for defending and rebuilding after four years of complete disaster from the previous administration. [0:51] So before we begin, I want to acknowledge and thank the veterans that are here, and law enforcement and first responders. If you could please stand. [1:12] We're so grateful and so humbled by your service. I also wanted to thank Representative Kim Moser for being here. She is a retired NICU and flight nurse, and so I wanted to also thank you for your service and for being here with us today. [1:25] Now I'd like to introduce a man who's dedicated his whole life to both faith and service. Pastor Steven Ebbs is a retired Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and Pastor at Faith Lift Church. So please join me in welcoming Pastor Steven Ebbs to give our prayer today. [1:45] Good afternoon. It's indeed an honor to provide the invocation for such a prestigious event as this. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day and the blessings that come with it, including all those working behind the scenes to make this event possible. We thank you for the freedom that is ours, including what this assembly today represents. We lift up our Secretary of War, Pete Hexett, and all our [2:33] military leaders. Provide them with the wisdom to make decisions that protect and to serve with integrity. May they be filled with courage and clarity, leading with compassion and strength. We ask for your divine protection over our brave military personnel as they continue to serve our great nation. I pray that when facing adversity, they will have the ability to uphold peace and justice with dignity, honor, and respect. [2:38] And finally, Father, I thank you for Ed Galron. I thank you for his unwellery and respect for his unwellery and respect and to serve with integrity. [2:46] And as well as an honor, we thank you for your unwellery and respect for your unwellery and respect and to serve with integrity. May they be filled with courage and clarity, leading with compassion and strength. We ask for your divine protection over our brave military personnel as they continue to serve our great nation. I pray that when facing adversity, they will have the ability to uphold peace and justice with dignity, honor, and respect. [3:04] honor and respect and finally father i thank you for ed galron i thank you that for his unwavering [3:12] commitment dedication and support that is a true testament of the kind of man that he is [3:20] ed has the motivation drive and stick to itness to succeed in everything that he pursues we give [3:29] you glory and honor and it's in jesus holy precious and most righteous name we pray amen [3:37] amen amen thank you and now to lead us in the pledge of allegiance please welcome retired navy [3:51] lieutenant commander and pilot justin galray all right just jump right up there what an honor uh [4:00] thank you for standing please uh recite the pledge of allegiance with me i pledge allegiance to the [4:10] states of america and to the republic to stand station indivisible thank you thank you you know [4:29] too often career politicians speak speak the language of america first while undermining the [4:35] very policies that strengthen our military secure our border rebuild american manufacturing and protect [4:41] american families and i don't know about you but i'm tired of elected officials who are more focused [4:47] on their personal brands than serving the american people now last year as i mentioned we were really [4:53] proud to advocate for the working family tax cuts which prioritize investing in our southern border [4:59] military modernization it provided tax cuts no tax on tips no tax on overtime no tax on social [5:05] security um and was really one of the largest investments in national defense in modern american history [5:11] and when this legislation came to congress there were some so-called american first politicians [5:16] who voted against it and to me that's unacceptable but today is not about those failed politicians [5:23] it's about the men and women who actually carried the weight of defending this nation [5:26] those who answered the call served with honor sacrificed without ever asking for recognition [5:32] and our next guest is one of those great men edgal ryan is a fifth generation kentucky farmer [5:38] his he's been in family farming his family's been farming for over 100 years three decades as a navy seal [5:44] which is incredible and one of the few to earn an army ranger qualification he has two prestigious [5:50] presidential unit citations four bronze stars and the only navy seal to earn the army combat parachutist badge [5:57] unbelievable and he continues to serve us today by leading a non-profit that supports veterans [6:03] and their families so without any further delay i'd like to introduce edgal ryan thank you again i will [6:20] only accept that applause on behalf of our nation and those i served with to include senior chief [6:28] steve brown right here navy seal folks silver star winners in your presence today thank you for [6:35] coming humble as the day is long you never heard that from him but i'm going to sing his praises [6:44] before i start here i want to start with laying the groundwork if we do not take advantage of this [6:49] narrow window of opportunity we have history will punish us with president trump and the leadership [6:55] team he's arrayed and the way that works is they punish us through our kids and our grandkids [7:00] so i'm going to build on your remarks ashley to really put a fine point on that all that to say [7:07] thank you all for coming today honor me with your presence i'll make a few remarks [7:11] in preparation of the honorable pete hegsteth arriving good afternoon it's my privilege to [7:17] welcome the honorable pete hegsteth here today he'll be here shortly and i'm going to tell him wait [7:22] welcome to the heartland ranger hegsteth you might be aware he's also an army ranger [7:27] let me say this clearly there has never been a more important time to stand behind our president [7:34] president trump and the courageous leaders he has put in place to fight for the future of the [7:38] united states military like pete hegsteth president trump knows that and we all know that for four [7:46] long years under joe biden we watched the strongest fighting force in human history drift into weakness [7:52] confusion political insanity i spent my career in uniform conducting sensitive activities and operations [7:59] around the globe from panama to the persian gulf and other areas i can never mention due to their [8:04] secretive nature including long hours and direct communications with the highest levels of u.s [8:10] military leadership because the stakes were high as they are now and that included the president's [8:16] white house situation room and where decisions carried life and death consequences i led men in [8:22] combat i lost teammates the military i first served in under president reagan was built around one [8:29] simple principle fight and win our nation's wars that was mission first not politics not ideology not [8:38] social experiments the mission winning wars protecting america defending freedom keeping our enemies afraid [8:45] of us that is the military president trump believes in that is a military pete hegsteth is rebuilding [8:52] focused on lethality in war fighting to deter our enemies and sustain peace and prosperity [9:00] leadership but under joe biden washington's liberal elites decided they wanted to remake the military [9:05] into a laboratory for woke politics didn't they they focus on pronouns instead of preparedness [9:12] climate seminars instead of combat readiness diversity quotas instead of lethality political correctness [9:19] instead of the warrior culture recruitment collapsed morale cratered confidence in military leadership [9:26] felt a historic lows and our enemies noticed china noticed russia noticed iran noticed and the terrorists [9:35] noticed didn't they didn't they weakness invites danger i saw it all and the american people knew something [9:43] was wrong because too because they could see it couldn't you right before your very eyes it was shameful [9:48] they saw a military leadership class more interested in msnbc and the ladies on the view applause [9:54] than battlefield victory i'll tell you the troops i deployed with like steve brown right there [10:00] the best and most capable joint special operations forces in the world that included seals [10:05] green berets rangers special operations aviation just like the night stalkers from down here in [10:10] fort campbell kentucky a lot to be proud of kentuckians and including those young service members [10:15] on their very first deployment they did not sign up to defend our nation to be lecture about pronouns [10:20] and their parents didn't send them off for that did they no they did not they signed up to fight and [10:26] defend this nation and our families didn't they god bless them and they deserve better than what joe [10:31] biden the liberal elites gave them so readiness retention recruiting plummeted it and our enemies [10:36] were on the march weren't they right before our very eyes that is why so many veterans active duty troops [10:43] and military families turned to president trump they were desperate for a commander-in-chief willing to [10:49] stand up and say enough against all odds didn't they how many times they tried to kill him three [10:55] how many times they indicted him you're going to use all your fingers and toes aren't you at least [11:00] i do you know i struggled in school okay they were desperate enough is enough pete hextest was one of [11:08] those courageous leaders too wasn't he before he ever stepped into the pentagon pete was fighting this [11:14] battle publicly when it was unpopular to do so i have his book long before this election the war on [11:21] warriors right god bless him for publishing that and exposing that you better believe [11:26] they were coming after us he spoke for the war fighters he spoke for the troops he spoke for the [11:32] combat veterans who were sick and tired of watching politicians weaken the greatest military on earth [11:37] and encourage our enemies to be emboldened and he paid a price for it but real leaders don't back [11:42] down when pressure comes do they no they lean into it that is exactly why president trump put pete [11:47] hexteth in the lead at the pentagon think about where we are in history right now and you're having [11:53] the secretary of war coming here to little old kentucky to see you today is that something that's [11:58] something to be proud of that reflects on you i can't take credit for that that reflects on you [12:05] i mean there's few folks more busier than they miss like the day before christmas for santa claus he's [12:10] flat dadgum busy isn't he with everything he's got going on because president trump knows the difference [12:16] between a bureaucrat and a warfighter and he picked a warfighter and pick eggs that together they [12:21] do what the political class said couldn't be done they are rebuilding the strength confidence and warrior [12:26] ethos of our armed forces bear with me on this from the inside out got that the inside out that's culture [12:34] because military strength starts with a culture a warrior culture you cannot deter our enemies if [12:40] your troops are distracted by politics you cannot project strength if retreat retention and recruiting is collapsing [12:46] and president trump understands something the political class never will peace comes through [12:51] strengths just as president reagan knew didn't he didn't we're seeing the same contours aren't we [12:59] not apologies not weakness not decline strength that is president trump's vision for global peace and [13:06] prosperity and every american that loves this nation should stand behind it i learned about strength the [13:13] hard way i learned it in operations where every decision mattered i learned it from senior enlisted [13:19] leaders who taught me what real leadership looked like like senior chief steve brown right there the kind [13:25] that does not come from a briefing room or a book but it comes from being the first one out the door and the last [13:31] one back in i've seen what happens when america is strong i've seen what happens when america is weak and it [13:38] hesitates i've served alongside extraordinary americans who carried the weight of this country on their backs [13:43] without asking for any recognition god bless them and their families men who repeatedly miss birthdays [13:50] anniversary holidays and more to serve our nation without fanfare they didn't join to be social media [13:57] celebrities men who came home changed forever some who never came home at all too many i think about them [14:05] every day i think about the families who got that fateful knock on their door people many times ask [14:13] me it was the hardest thing you ever did navy seal training ranger training no it was not it was put on [14:20] my dress uniform with the chaplain and be the face of the worst day of the life of those parents i hope [14:31] y'all got that back here i think about those families every day it'll sear your soul when you live that [14:38] world i think about the kids growing up with that folded flag on the mantle every medal i received whether it was my [14:45] four bronze stars or any other recognition belongs just as much to the men beside me as it does to me [14:50] i can't take credit for that whatsoever no i cannot because in the military nothing is accomplished is [14:55] known teamwork is the center of gravity and one thing every combat understands is this the world is [15:00] dangerous evil is real and weakness gets people killed i've seen evil up close i've looked it in the eye [15:07] through the front side of a rifle in combat i can tell you the only language evil understands is strength [15:15] they don't care about social media tweets or posts that is why president trump's vision for the [15:21] strongest military in the world is not a campaign slogan it's a matter of our nation's survival and [15:27] it puts deterrence back on the table so we don't have to have hostilities and today so he knows that [15:35] and today under president trump pete hags this we're finally moving back in the right direction aren't we [15:45] we're restoring standards based on war fighting restoring accountability and performance and [15:51] leadership restoring deterrence for peace and prosperity just like president reagan did correct [15:57] restoring pride and service have you seen the retention recruiting is skyrocketing parents are [16:03] glad we've taken them youngins down there to join aren't they we are telling young americans once again [16:09] that the military is not a social club it is not a political activist organization it is a warrior [16:14] institution dedicated defending united states of america based on a long tradition that matters [16:22] because the young marine standing post tonight it matters the pilots flying missions all around the [16:27] world it matters the army rangers deployed overseas with other troops it matters the ships at sea with [16:34] sailors that matters the special operating operators hunting terrorists in places we can never talk about [16:40] doing what our nation has it matters and it matters to their families too doesn't it i was that guy [16:53] once for a career that span three decades so i know what it's like to be a long way from home on a hard [16:58] mission wondering whether people back in washington had your back or not those folks we just talked about [17:04] deserve a commander-in-chief who has their back because they can trust they have them and donald trump [17:09] and they have them and pete hags that don't they not political distractions dreamed by bureaucrats in [17:15] washington are people that are hung up on doing social media tweets something else america still [17:21] produces the greatest fighting men and women in the world because of their parents and their [17:24] grandparents if i got that right we have not lost that spirit it is there and you epitomize that being [17:30] here today you see it in the next young generation patriots stepping forward to serve in in record numbers [17:37] you see it in veterans across the country who still believe america's worth fighting for [17:41] and that is why i am running to be a champion for them and their families in washington dc i came [17:47] home from wars and i looked at washington and the misrepresentation of our values and i said [17:54] somebody's got to do something just well be me for the same reason i joined in 1983 there was no books [18:00] or movies about seals there was no bonus to join i never met a seal but by golly if one farm boy from [18:06] kentucky is going to make a difference then that's the way i was going to do it i was 26 years old i [18:12] wasn't 19 out of high school i wasn't 22 at a college i was full grown from a dairy farm politicians [18:22] up there who never carried a rifle in combat make decisions about young americans who would and that's [18:28] not acceptable because leadership matters culture matters courage at the top matters and that's why [18:34] president trump's leadership matters that's why pete hegstack's leadership matters it sends a message [18:39] to our enemies america's done apologizing for its strength america's done weakened itself from within [18:45] america's done putting politics ahead of national security under president trump we're rebuilding [18:49] fighting strength and we're returning the principles made our nation the most feared and respected [18:54] force on earth to maintain peace and prosperity so pete hegstacks i want to thank you for coming today [19:02] your courageous leadership thank you for carrying out president trump's vision for the strongest [19:06] military this world's ever seen thank you for your willingness to fight for our men and women in [19:11] uniform and their families and thank you for helping restore pride strength and confidence in the united [19:17] states military and to everyone here today thank you for believing in this nation you're patriots i'm [19:23] going to tell you steve will tell you seal team six area 51 that's not the secret weapon you are you [19:30] patriots are the secret weapon of this great nation thank you for what you do for standing with [19:35] president trump pete hegstack as we lead our nation back to prominence god bless our troops god bless our [19:43] veterans god bless our families and continue to god bless america thank you for coming today thank you for [19:51] coming today well folks i think y'all ought to agree the second business guy in the world right now to [20:20] president trump is pete hegstack's his plate is full but he's got a great team under him it is my pleasure to [20:25] introduce a fellow ranger here today to little old kentucky thank you for coming pete we are honored [20:32] by your presence here today and we look forward to your remarks and all that to say i really enjoyed [20:40] the time up here with you today and i look forward to talking with you folks more thank you outstanding [21:25] it's wonderful to be here with all of you good navy is that good navy oh we can do this navy army thing [21:31] now too you already started it didn't you well it's great to be in kentucky with great americans i had [21:38] a chance i just came for campbell with other great americans uh the best of our nation uh and it's an [21:46] honor to be here with all of you i have to say up front for the lawyers uh that i'm here in my personal [21:51] capacity as a private citizen a fellow american and a fellow combat veteran uh here to support navy seal ed [22:00] gal ryan i'll admit as an army guy we're supposed to try to give navy seals a hard time but ed was not [22:14] only a leader in seal team six but also ranger qualified which feels just a bit excessive unnecessary [22:23] by the way you got one thing wrong i'm not ranger qualified you are so i'm just an army infantryman [22:28] you got me on every level uh and we're so grateful for your service but the truth is that combination [22:34] tells us a lot about ed uh this is not a guy this is a man who volunteered for the hardest assignments [22:42] surrounds himself with warriors and led from the front when the stakes were life and death and trust [22:50] me men don't follow you in those environments because you have good talking points they follow [22:57] you because you've earned their trust they follow you because you perform under pressure they follow [23:03] you when things get dangerous and chaotic you move toward the mission instead of away from it and [23:10] america desperately needs even more of that leadership right now now i do have to say this i had a chance [23:18] to look over ed's military record and it's quite impressive multiple bronze stars two presidential citations [23:24] i had a chance to give one to uss ford returning just a couple days ago they're rare it's the navy cross of [23:30] unit citations it's impressive but unlike politicians in washington you don't get those casting or [23:38] pontificating and you don't get medals like that for explaining why everybody else is wrong you earn them [23:46] through leadership and through advice and performance under pressure all of that matters because america [23:53] is starving for those types of leaders and after spending years around soldiers and marines and seals [24:01] and rangers and medics and airmen and infantrymen you learn something really quickly from the best of [24:06] america there's a massive a massive difference between those who talk about leadership and people [24:14] who actually lead trust me we already have plenty of talkers in dc plenty of consultants plenty of [24:30] bureaucrats plenty of career politicians who've never carried a responsibility heavier than a committee [24:35] hearing not enough war fighters not enough men who've actually had to make those hard decisions under [24:42] pressure not enough leaders who understanding service before self about being on a team about leading [24:49] and about following and that's why this race matters and that's why i'm proud here to stand with [24:56] ed galrein because he led warriors in combat he led at the very highest levels of special operations [25:05] he served with distinction as a navy seal and rose into leadership within the elite ranks of seal team six [25:11] one of the most demanding combat on planet earth i've had a chance to see firsthand what those men do [25:19] it's extraordinary and it's not made for the vast majority of americans ed's is not a manufactured [25:25] politician he's not a social media celebrity trying to be a conservative fighter he's not someone who [25:32] discovered patriotism because a pollster told them it was popular you don't get what he has by accident you [25:39] don't get there because you've mastered the language of washington social circles you get there because [25:45] men trust you with their lives you get there because when things get dangerous and chaotic you move [25:50] toward the mission instead of away from it and right now america needs that kind of leadership right [25:57] alongside president trump president trump needs those kinds of reinforcements because let's be honest [26:10] about where we are under joe biden washington rewarded weakness corporate america coward to the woke mob [26:18] politicians served themselves as politicians often do and while all this is happening the people who [26:24] actually fight america's wars were watching their institution the one they loved so much consumed with [26:32] nonsense woke trainings political indoctrination diversity quotas climate seminars pronouns dudes in dresses [26:42] i'm not kidding standards were lowered troops were undercut we need more of that t-shirt right there i [26:52] identify as american american american watch americans watched our military become more concerned with [27:06] not offending activists than preparing warriors to win wars i've said that for years america cannot afford [27:14] a woke or weak military we need a lethal and ready military we need warfighters we have ended the war [27:23] on warriors president trump told me when he first offered me this job he said pete have to be tough as [27:35] shit sorry he did you ready they're gonna come after you and boy was he right he was right but that's also [27:56] what ed represents a warfighter a man forged through service and here's the thing about men who come from [28:03] that kind of world they don't scare easily washington doesn't intimidate them the media doesn't intimidate [28:10] them the twitter mob doesn't intimidate them because after you've led men in life and death situations [28:17] the games that are played inside the beltway start looking pretty small now contrast that with what [28:23] we've gotten from tom massey at some point being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing [28:30] nothing at some point constant obstruction is not leadership it's just commentary it's obstruction [28:38] president trump does not need more people in washington who are trying to make a point [28:43] especially from his own party he needs people willing to help him win to vote with him when it matters [28:52] the most and too often thomas massey has acted like his job is to stand apart from the movement [28:58] that president trump leads instead of strengthening it when president trump needs backup massey wants to [29:04] debate process when the movement needs unity especially at the biggest moments [29:10] massey's willing to vote with democrats when conservatives are fighting the most radical left in american history [29:18] too often massey's instinct is to throw elbows at fellow republicans instead of the people who are [29:25] destroying our country or want to destroy our country and there's one man standing in their way and [29:32] it's president trump that's and president trump needs reinforcements and that's what warfighters do they [29:45] stand behind leaders and have their back warfighters understand mission they understand teamwork they [29:51] understand loyalty and they understand that in the middle of a fight you don't weaken your own side you [29:57] advance to the objective and that's what ed gal ryan understands because he has lived it the best warriors [30:08] like ed are usually the most humble men in the room if you've met him and you've met them you know the [30:16] type they don't need applause they don't seek the spotlight they don't confuse publicity with accomplishment [30:26] ed gal ryan's record speaks for itself thomas massey's record speaks for itself too too much grandstanding [30:36] too few great votes years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous [30:43] it's not real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most when we need that tough vote [30:50] to beat left-wing lunatic democrats the most real courage means understanding that this country is facing [30:58] existential threats and deciding to be part of the solution instead of constantly trying to position [31:05] yourself above the fight kentucky has a choice in this race you can send a warrior reinforcements [31:16] for the president in our shared fight against the radical left or you can send an obstructionist in [31:24] my mind it's an easy choice you can send a navy seal determined to fight for president trump's agenda and [31:31] with his full endorsement to help save this country because i'll tell you based on what we're up against [31:39] that's exactly what this moment requires strength clarity conviction and unity this moment demands [31:49] leaders who love this country unapologetically like president trump and like ed gal ryan leaders who [32:05] believe america is worth defending leaders who understand peace comes through strength not apologies [32:14] not weakness not surrender and leaders who stand with president trump in the military and in the past few [32:22] years i've had the chance in the front line to see courage under pressure to see sacrifice to see [32:31] brotherhood and that spirit still exists in this great country it's incredible to watch the best of our [32:38] country the real one percent do their job every single day on behalf of us with no uh with no desire for [32:45] the spotlight it is still very much alive don't don't look to washington to it for the most part look [32:50] to our country and to our formations but now america needs to bring that more of that same spirit into [32:58] the halls of congress now is not the time to sit on the sidelines president trump is leading the fight [33:05] to restore american greatness i have a chance to see it every single day and what he needs and what he [33:13] deserves he needs reinforcements he needs to bolster our ranks not obstructionism he has enough obstruction [33:24] from democrats we need reinforcement from republicans and that fight requires a congress full of warriors [33:33] including ed this one ladies and gentlemen is a no brainer thank you for stepping up thank you for your [33:51] willingness to raise your right hand again uh you're not you did knowing and understanding what you did [33:58] in the military you could have hung it up and done anything you want instead you're deciding to get [34:02] back into the arena that says a lot about you uh in in the toughest of races it says a lot about you [34:08] you are badly needed so good luck godspeed god bless kentucky and our great republic thank you very much