STUART VARNEY (HOST): Last night, President Trump squared off against Sen. Schumer and Speaker Pelosi on building the wall. Who won? In my opinion, and this is an opinion, the president won. He spoke first. He was appealing directly to America. It wasn't a tweet. It was an Oval Office address, and that alone helped make him look a bit more presidential. So, too, did the content of his speech. It wasn't a narrow appeal, it was aimed at all Americans. He laid out the facts. He showed compassion for the children who he said had been used as pawns. And he shared the stories of Americans murdered and beaten by illegals. He said America faces a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and of the soul. He looked like a president, and he said the things that a president should be saying. 

Then came Sen. Schumer and Speaker Pelosi, who offered the Democrats' response. Again, in my opinion, they looked ill at ease, a little angry, and absolutely not prepared to compromise. The president had used that word, “compromise.” Schumer and Pelosi did not. They accused the president of having a temper tantrum and of manufacturing a crisis. That's way off base. It is the Democrats' refusal to secure the border that has created this crisis. Let's be clear here. What we saw last night was a political battle, a fight for the votes of middle America. I think the president won. It was also a fight about a very important issue, the security of our country. On that, the president won, hands down.

Previously:

Fox host demands networks give Trump time to speak any time he asks, says it's unfair to “preemptively judge it”

CNN's Rick Santorum says Trump’s immigration address showed a “softer side” and was a “compassionate argument”

Video: Fox urges Trump to declare a national emergency over border wall funding