October 29, 2025 • 8 mins
Fox News Anchor Brett Baier joins us to discuss his new book, To Rescue the American Spirit: Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower. Baier shares what drew him to Roosevelt’s story, how the former president helped shape America’s global identity, and why his leadership lessons still resonate today.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's go to the hotline and bring in a very
special guest. This morning, we're joined by chief political anchor
at Fox News. He's also anchor and executive editor of
Special Report. Brett Behar is with us to talk about
his brand new book, To Rescue the American Spirit, Teddy
Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower. Brett, it's really
great to talk to you this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And you know you've.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Written some presidential biographies in the past, you've been on
this show to talk about them. What was it that
drew you to take a close look at the life
and legacy of Teddy Roosevelt.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey, Ron, thanks for having me on. Teddy Roosevelt jumps
off the page. He's got amazing anecdotes in his life
all throughout, so it's a joy to write about. He's
larger than life. But that's not really why I chose him.
I chose him because he's a consequent shows, our twenty
sixth president, and this is a soda strang look at
what he wishes his legacy is, and that is making
(00:55):
America a global power at the turn of the century,
that America is a leader in the world at the
time we weren't and there were other countries that were dominating.
He decides that he wants to get engaged in the world,
and he reaches out to Russia and Japan that are
fighting over territory and it's devolving in what could be
a world war. He reaches out to both leaders and says,
(01:18):
I want to host you in the US with delegations
for a peace negotiation, and he brings them to Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, and he sets up the logistics, he sets
up all the specifics, He shuttles between the delegations and
over days of intense negotiation, eventually they get to a
peace treaty between Russia and Japan. The war stops, and
(01:39):
for that Teddy Roosevelt gets the Nobel Peace Prize. But
more importantly, it puts America on the map that we
solve something big. It's very interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
You have a president right now who wants to win
the Nobel Peace Prize and is trying to work out
a peace deal involving Russia.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Exactly. No, I mean, he's definitely done it with India
and Pakistan and Iserbaijan and Ore and a number of others,
but he needs he wants to get Russia Ukraine. But
you know, history is cyclical, and I obviously wrote this
well before any of this with the Trump administration. But
the foreign policy is very similar as far as reaching out,
(02:17):
trying to be active peace through strength, much like Ronald
Reagan said, and trying to make a difference that way.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Let me ask you about the title to Rescue the
American Spirit? What did you mean by that in why
do you think American needed rescuing back then? And are
there similarities between the state of the country back then
and now?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yes, I think so. I mean Teddy Roosevelt is tapping
into something that America needed, was the feeling of greatness,
the feeling of understanding where we've been, how much it
took to make the country what it was, but then
looking to the fuwuture and saying, how can we be
a big power in the world. You know, he gives
(03:04):
a lot of speeches. You know, all the history books
are filled with the speech where he says, speak softly
and carry a big stick, obviously talking about foreign policy,
dealing with leaders, but showing them your strength. The other
speech that he's known for is Citizenship and a Republic.
This is after he leaves the presidency. He goes to Paris.
That speech became known as the Man in the Arena speech,
(03:25):
and it really captures the spirit of engagement that Roosevelt himself,
you know, really embodied. He wants you to be a doer.
Don't just be the critic throwing rhetorical grenades from the outside.
Be in the game. Is essentially the message of that speech,
and that is what his essence was is action.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
We're joined now by chief political anchor for Fox News
and anchor and executive editor of Special Report, Bret Berry's,
author of the new book To Rescue the American Spirit,
Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower. What are
the major themes you seem to emphasize throughout the book
is Teddy Roosevelt's moral core And I'm curious when you
(04:08):
look at our politics today how much of that specifically
has been removed from it as compared to what we
saw back then with Teddy Roosevelt.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
That's a good question. I mean that comes from his father,
who says you should always lead first with being true
to your morals. You know, I think the world would
be a better place if that was what everybody did,
not just politicians, but one of the things that you
see in this book is the human Teddy Roosevelt. He
(04:42):
had false foibles, ups, downs, had a lot of loss,
lost his wife, love of his life after she gave
birth to their first child in the same brownstone on
the same day as his mother died Valentine's Day, and
the loss of both of them at the same time
(05:04):
creates this giant grief where he can't handle it. He
hands the daughter off to his sister and heads out
to the Dakota Territory and the bad Lands and finds
himself for two years, you know. So he goes through
these bits and starts throughout his life, but is really
(05:26):
a human character.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And that's what all of these books I'm trying to
do Teddy Roosevelt's personality. How do you think that would
play in today's society with cable news and social media
and all of that.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Oh, he'd have a great Instagram account and he'd be
all over x. I mean, he'd be posting all the time.
He listened. He knew the power of media, he knew
the power of the press. He you know, after he
does this time in the bad Lands and he meets
all these cowboys and ranchers, and ne'er do well.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
He goes through a series of jobs. He's New York
Police Commissioner. He's a New York State lawmaker. He's New
York Police commissioner. He's assistant Secretary of the Navy. He
resigns that job because he wants to get involved in
the Spanish American War. He recruits a regiment of all
these guys he meets out in the Dakota's territory and
the guys he went to college with at Harvard. He
(06:23):
puts them together and it's kind of a Star Wars
bar of army regiment, and he calls them the rough Riders,
and they go to Cuba to fight. But when they're
getting a boat over there, he realizes that some of
the reporters, the New York Times Guy, a couple others
don't have transportation over to Cuba. So he says, come
with us, you know, be with us. And he understands
(06:44):
the power of the press, and the reason that we
have such detailed notes of the charge up San Juan
Hill and all the bravery that that regiment did is
because he had reporters with him. And he becomes a
national hero because of.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
That if you had a room full of our leaders
from Washington, d C. Members of Congress on both sides
of the aisle, and you were there to talk about
your book and Teddy Roosevelt his life, his leadership, what
would you stress to them as something they can learn
from it.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Each one of these presidents that I've written about has
a part of their life story where they've been through something.
They've gone through a challenge and personally they got over it,
you know, a crucible something they had to bear through
that they became more human and strived to reach across
(07:41):
the isle. Each one of these six have had reached
across the isle to find common ground. And I think
the message I would give to Democrats and Republicans is
that's what you've got to be doing more of, because
people that put you in these jobs expect you to
do stuff, to be a doer, not just pulling apart
(08:05):
and partisan garbage. So I think finding common ground is
something that I would stress to look for from Teddy
Roosevelt and the other five. All Right.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Brett Bayer chief political anchor at Fox News and anchor
and executive editor of Special Report. He's author of the
new book To Rescue the American Spirit, Teddy Roosevelt, and
the birth of a superpower.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Brent, always great to talk to you. Best of luck
with the book. Thanks so much for having me out
the Ryan Gorman Show on NewsRadio wfl A.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Ryan Gorman Show,
and find us online at Ryan Gormanshow dot com.
Let's go to the hotline and bring in a very
special guest. This morning, we're joined by chief political anchor
at Fox News. He's also anchor and executive editor of
Special Report. Brett Behar is with us to talk about
his brand new book, To Rescue the American Spirit, Teddy
Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower. Brett, it's really
great to talk to you this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And you know you've.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Written some presidential biographies in the past, you've been on
this show to talk about them. What was it that
drew you to take a close look at the life
and legacy of Teddy Roosevelt.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey, Ron, thanks for having me on. Teddy Roosevelt jumps
off the page. He's got amazing anecdotes in his life
all throughout, so it's a joy to write about. He's
larger than life. But that's not really why I chose him.
I chose him because he's a consequent shows, our twenty
sixth president, and this is a soda strang look at
what he wishes his legacy is, and that is making
(00:55):
America a global power at the turn of the century,
that America is a leader in the world at the
time we weren't and there were other countries that were dominating.
He decides that he wants to get engaged in the world,
and he reaches out to Russia and Japan that are
fighting over territory and it's devolving in what could be
a world war. He reaches out to both leaders and says,
(01:18):
I want to host you in the US with delegations
for a peace negotiation, and he brings them to Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, and he sets up the logistics, he sets
up all the specifics, He shuttles between the delegations and
over days of intense negotiation, eventually they get to a
peace treaty between Russia and Japan. The war stops, and
(01:39):
for that Teddy Roosevelt gets the Nobel Peace Prize. But
more importantly, it puts America on the map that we
solve something big. It's very interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
You have a president right now who wants to win
the Nobel Peace Prize and is trying to work out
a peace deal involving Russia.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Exactly. No, I mean, he's definitely done it with India
and Pakistan and Iserbaijan and Ore and a number of others,
but he needs he wants to get Russia Ukraine. But
you know, history is cyclical, and I obviously wrote this
well before any of this with the Trump administration. But
the foreign policy is very similar as far as reaching out,
(02:17):
trying to be active peace through strength, much like Ronald
Reagan said, and trying to make a difference that way.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Let me ask you about the title to Rescue the
American Spirit? What did you mean by that in why
do you think American needed rescuing back then? And are
there similarities between the state of the country back then
and now?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yes, I think so. I mean Teddy Roosevelt is tapping
into something that America needed, was the feeling of greatness,
the feeling of understanding where we've been, how much it
took to make the country what it was, but then
looking to the fuwuture and saying, how can we be
a big power in the world. You know, he gives
(03:04):
a lot of speeches. You know, all the history books
are filled with the speech where he says, speak softly
and carry a big stick, obviously talking about foreign policy,
dealing with leaders, but showing them your strength. The other
speech that he's known for is Citizenship and a Republic.
This is after he leaves the presidency. He goes to Paris.
That speech became known as the Man in the Arena speech,
(03:25):
and it really captures the spirit of engagement that Roosevelt himself,
you know, really embodied. He wants you to be a doer.
Don't just be the critic throwing rhetorical grenades from the outside.
Be in the game. Is essentially the message of that speech,
and that is what his essence was is action.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
We're joined now by chief political anchor for Fox News
and anchor and executive editor of Special Report, Bret Berry's,
author of the new book To Rescue the American Spirit,
Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower. What are
the major themes you seem to emphasize throughout the book
is Teddy Roosevelt's moral core And I'm curious when you
(04:08):
look at our politics today how much of that specifically
has been removed from it as compared to what we
saw back then with Teddy Roosevelt.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
That's a good question. I mean that comes from his father,
who says you should always lead first with being true
to your morals. You know, I think the world would
be a better place if that was what everybody did,
not just politicians, but one of the things that you
see in this book is the human Teddy Roosevelt. He
(04:42):
had false foibles, ups, downs, had a lot of loss,
lost his wife, love of his life after she gave
birth to their first child in the same brownstone on
the same day as his mother died Valentine's Day, and
the loss of both of them at the same time
(05:04):
creates this giant grief where he can't handle it. He
hands the daughter off to his sister and heads out
to the Dakota Territory and the bad Lands and finds
himself for two years, you know. So he goes through
these bits and starts throughout his life, but is really
(05:26):
a human character.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And that's what all of these books I'm trying to
do Teddy Roosevelt's personality. How do you think that would
play in today's society with cable news and social media
and all of that.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Oh, he'd have a great Instagram account and he'd be
all over x. I mean, he'd be posting all the time.
He listened. He knew the power of media, he knew
the power of the press. He you know, after he
does this time in the bad Lands and he meets
all these cowboys and ranchers, and ne'er do well.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
He goes through a series of jobs. He's New York
Police Commissioner. He's a New York State lawmaker. He's New
York Police commissioner. He's assistant Secretary of the Navy. He
resigns that job because he wants to get involved in
the Spanish American War. He recruits a regiment of all
these guys he meets out in the Dakota's territory and
the guys he went to college with at Harvard. He
(06:23):
puts them together and it's kind of a Star Wars
bar of army regiment, and he calls them the rough Riders,
and they go to Cuba to fight. But when they're
getting a boat over there, he realizes that some of
the reporters, the New York Times Guy, a couple others
don't have transportation over to Cuba. So he says, come
with us, you know, be with us. And he understands
(06:44):
the power of the press, and the reason that we
have such detailed notes of the charge up San Juan
Hill and all the bravery that that regiment did is
because he had reporters with him. And he becomes a
national hero because of.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
That if you had a room full of our leaders
from Washington, d C. Members of Congress on both sides
of the aisle, and you were there to talk about
your book and Teddy Roosevelt his life, his leadership, what
would you stress to them as something they can learn
from it.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Each one of these presidents that I've written about has
a part of their life story where they've been through something.
They've gone through a challenge and personally they got over it,
you know, a crucible something they had to bear through
that they became more human and strived to reach across
(07:41):
the isle. Each one of these six have had reached
across the isle to find common ground. And I think
the message I would give to Democrats and Republicans is
that's what you've got to be doing more of, because
people that put you in these jobs expect you to
do stuff, to be a doer, not just pulling apart
(08:05):
and partisan garbage. So I think finding common ground is
something that I would stress to look for from Teddy
Roosevelt and the other five. All Right.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Brett Bayer chief political anchor at Fox News and anchor
and executive editor of Special Report. He's author of the
new book To Rescue the American Spirit, Teddy Roosevelt, and
the birth of a superpower.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Brent, always great to talk to you. Best of luck
with the book. Thanks so much for having me out
the Ryan Gorman Show on NewsRadio wfl A.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Ryan Gorman Show,
and find us online at Ryan Gormanshow dot com.
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