“Amazing Military Feat”

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Five

Episode: “Amazing Military Feat”

Host: Jesse Watters, Kennedy, Harold Ford Jr., Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld
Date: January 6, 2026

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Overview

This energetic episode focuses on the aftermath and implications of a bold U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, as well as a wide-ranging discussion of U.S. foreign policy, domestic corruption scandals, American politics, and new “woke” controversies. The hosts blend sharp analysis, political banter, and cultural references in their signature unscripted style.

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Main Topics & Discussion Points

1. “Amazing Military Feat”: U.S. Captures Maduro

Time: 00:04 – 04:37

• Breaking News: President Trump lauds the U.S. operation removing Maduro, calling it, "an amazing military feat" (00:33).
• Rules for Venezuela: Trump’s demands for new interim leader Delsey Rodriguez: fight narco-trafficking, expel hostile foreign agents, halt oil sales to U.S. adversaries, and plan for free elections (01:20).
• International Law Debate: Kennedy and Harold Ford Jr. caution about the legality and global precedent of kidnapping heads of state, drawing parallels to U.S. leadership being abducted (02:05–02:37).
• Latin America’s Reaction: Ford points out surprising approval in the region, saying, “Costa Rica, there’s an 80% approval rating for the action” (02:44).
• The Politics: Democrats accused of inaction; the panel jokes about “paying the $25 million” reward to Delta Force instead (04:06).
• CIA Praise: Ford highlights John Ratcliffe’s low-key CIA leadership as a factor in the mission’s success.

Memorable Quotes:

• Trump: “He tries to imitate my dance a little bit. ... I want their sign maker. The guy is great.” (00:33)
• Kennedy: “We are supposed to be a nation of laws. The way we did that was against international laws, against the United Nations.” (02:09)
• Ford: “Certainly the policeman of the hemisphere. I’m for it.” (02:58)

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2. Trump's Foreign Policy Philosophy

Time: 04:38 – 07:56

• Trump’s Unconventionalism: Greg Gutfeld calls Trump “our first non-binary president ever” because he defies traditional neocon or isolationist labels, focusing simply on “America first” (04:47, 05:09).
• Ideology vs. Pragmatism: The group discusses how Trump’s approach is pragmatic rather than ideological. Gutfeld asserts: “He zigs and he zags ... ideology and systems like that make you feel smarter because you don’t have to think too hard” (06:46).
• Debating Rewards: Ford suggests that if anyone gets the $25 million for Maduro, it should be Delta Force (04:06).

Memorable Quotes:

• Gutfeld: “He’s our first non binary president ever. ... He’s just got one filter and that is America first.” (04:47–05:09)
• Ford: “But he has principle. The principle is America first.” (07:31)

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3. Democratic Response and Future Concerns

Time: 07:59 – 10:45

• Mixed Reactions: Kennedy notes even some Democrats, like Wasserman Schultz, praised the mission, but party hardliners still oppose it reflexively (08:04).
• Proxy War Worries: Kennedy warns, “Worst case scenario, a proxy war with Iran and China” (08:42).
• Stability and Principles: She urges a plan for peace/prosperity, not military entanglement: “I would not do as much as I could militarily ... if we can somehow turn this into stabilization ... that’s ideal” (10:11).

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4. What’s Next for Venezuela and U.S. Doctrine

Time: 10:45 – 12:32

• Transition Needs: Ford emphasizes the need for a clear transition plan and doctrine beyond “mess around and find out” in Latin America (10:57).
• Rule of Law, Drug Flows: Key future challenges are restoring order, reducing trafficking, and promoting legitimate governance.

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5. Minnesota Scandal: Tim Walz Fallout

Time: 13:15 – 18:29

• Fraud Fallout: The panel discusses Minnesota Governor Tim Walz not seeking re-election amid a welfare fraud scandal, with Tim Walz defending himself publicly (13:27–14:17).
• Corruption and Politics: Gutfeld and Watters claim these kinds of scandals reflect a deeper national issue with government corruption and unqualified leadership, not just isolated mismanagement (15:14–16:43).
• Federal Spending Critique: Focus shifts from “spending” to “corruption,” with the assertion that high spending is often a veil for theft (15:14).

Memorable Quotes:

• Walz: “You can make all your requests for me to resign—over my dead body will that happen. ... God help me, I don’t want to be judged against [Trump].” (13:27–14:17)
• Watters: “They want dumb people in charge so their interest groups can steal from you. That’s the whole problem.” (17:10)
• Kennedy: “Whenever you have that kind of taxation and that kind of spending, that’s what it’s there for ... to enrich their cronies.” (19:29)

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6. Housing, Social Policy, and “Woke” Debates

Time: 29:32 – 36:09

• NYC Housing Czar Controversy: The hosts discuss Zoran Mi appointing a far-left official who previously called homeownership a “weapon of white supremacy” (29:32).
• Backlash: The hosts mock and criticize this ideology as “ignorant,” “racist,” “dangerous,” and “nonsense”, arguing that such views undermine the American Dream and are politically toxic (30:56–36:09).
• Satirical Takes: Multiple pop culture references detail the show’s satirical tone, e.g., “You start with one dry cleaner, all of a sudden you own half the city.” (30:57)

Memorable Quotes:

• Kennedy: “What an ignorant racist moron.” (30:56)
• Gutfeld: “This person is a racist bitch. ... They see you as expendable.” (34:54)

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7. Insurance, Wildfires, and Government Accountability

Time: 24:56 – 28:13

• California Wildfires: Kennedy shares her personal struggle with insurance and recovery post-wildfire, blaming California’s leaders for shielding insurers and failing homeowners (24:56).
• Policy Suggestions: Watters suggests Trump federalize disaster recovery in California: “You bring in the Army Corps of Engineers, you bring in the National Guard ... and just start building homes” (28:25).

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8. Media, Messaging, and 2026 Midterms

Time: 22:03 – 24:55, 26:32 – 28:13

• Trump’s Playbook: Trump tells Republicans to focus their midterm message on prior successes in border security, the economy, and attacking Democratic inaction (22:17).
• Media Distrust: Gutfeld complains mainstream media will “muck it up” for Republicans (23:36).
• Democratic Strategy: Ford critiques Democrats for focusing solely on Trump-bashing, saying the party needs “a message” about enabling communities, safety, and prosperity (26:32).

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9. Pop Culture & “One More Thing” Segment

Time: 36:44 – End

• Lighthearted End: The crew discusses a viral theory relating childhood #1 movies to forecasting 2026, with jokes about aliens, The Towering Inferno, Rain Man, and The Empire Strikes Back (36:44–38:40).
• Signature Banter: The segment “Gorilla News” and Fox Shop Gym gear plugs provide comic relief (38:54–39:55).

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Quotes & Timestamps

• Trump: "It was an amazing military feat that took place yesterday." (00:33)
• Greg Gutfeld: "He’s not a neocon, but he’s not an isolationist. He’s our first non-binary president ever." (04:47)
• Kennedy: "We are supposed to be a nation of laws. The way we did that was against international laws, against the United Nations." (02:09)
• Harold Ford Jr.: "Costa Rica, there’s an 80% approval rating for the action." (02:44)
• Jesse Watters: "They want dumb people in charge so their interest groups can steal from you." (17:10)
• Kennedy: "What an ignorant racist moron." (30:56)
• Greg Gutfeld: "This person is a racist bitch... They see you as expendable." (34:54)
• Kennedy: "The American dream is not dead, but it will be dead if this witch beats that horse." (31:12)
• Jesse Watters: “He should declare a disaster zone and say, ‘Gavin, if you can’t do it, I will. I’m a builder.’” (28:25)

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Tone and Style

The episode is fast-paced, witty, and often irreverent. The hosts blend serious analysis with satire, sarcasm, and banter. Political points are interspersed with personal anecdotes, cultural references, and rapid-fire exchanges.

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Conclusion

This episode of “The Five” offers lively, partisan analysis of major headlines—from Trump’s Venezuela operation and its global reverberations to domestic corruption in Minnesota and culture war skirmishes in New York. The discussion pulls no punches, with the panel both celebrating and problematizing American assertiveness, critiquing political corruption, questioning radical policy ideas, and pushing for strategic clarity on the world stage.

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Major Segments & Timestamps

• Venezuela Military Operation & Trump’s Demands: 00:04–04:37
• Trump 'Non-Binary' Foreign Policy: 04:38–07:56
• Democratic Response & Proxy War Fears: 07:59–10:45
• Planning for Venezuela’s Future: 10:45–12:32
• Tim Walz Minnesota Scandal: 13:15–18:29
• Corruption and Covid Dollars: 19:29–21:28
• California Wildfires & Insurance: 24:56–28:13
• NYC Housing Czar Controversy: 29:32–36:09
• Culture & Comedy Segments: 36:44–End

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Transcript

[Jesse Watters]

Hello, everybody. I'm Jesse Watters along with Kennedy, Harold Ford Jr. Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld. It's five o' clock in New York City, and this is the five. President Trump addressing House Republicans touting the military operation that took Venezuela's dancing dictator, Nicolas Maduro, from the palace in Caracas to Diddy's cellmate at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.

[Donald Trump]

It was an amazing military feat that took place yesterday. Schumer, he's such a bad guy. I mean, I've known the guy for a long time and he's such a bad guy. You know, at some point they should say, you know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations. Wouldn't it be good? They've been after this guy for years and years and years and, you know, he's a violent guy. He gets up there and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit. They have brand new, beautiful printed signs by, like, the highest quality printer. And you have a woman, Free Maduro. And the sign is before we even did the attack, Free Maduro. We should all have quality signage like that. The one thing I want, I want their sign maker. The guy is great.

[Jesse Watters]

President Trump laying out the rules of the road for Venezuela after warning its leaders to cooperate or risk getting another Delta Force courtesy Wake up call. Politico reports Trump has a list of demands for the interim president, Del C. Rodriguez. He wants them to crack down on drug flows. Kick out Iranian, Cuban and other operatives out of countries or networks hostile to Washington. Stop the sale of oil to US Adversaries. They also expect Delsey to eventually facilitate free elections and step aside. Meanwhile, it looks like Jazzy Crockett and the ladies of the View are still in mourning at the arrest of Mad Dog Maduro.

[Kennedy]

Maduro is a bad guy.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We took him out.

[Kennedy]

So is Kim Jong Un.

[Jesse Watters]

So is Putin.

[Kennedy]

So is. Or what's that other guy in Hungary? Are you going to go into all these countries and just kidnap their leaders? The way he was removed from that country matters. We are supposed to be a nation of laws. The way we did that was against international laws, against the United Nations. Guys, we've done this for 20 years. Somebody coming into the United States and.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Grabbing our leader in the middle of.

[Kennedy]

The night and killing people in this country.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I'm sure everybody would be outraged at them doing it that way.

[Jesse Watters]

All right, Dan, I don't think that's going to win her a Senate seat in Texas.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I know. I was just thinking of our constituents in Houston.

[Jesse Watters]

Right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And actually, today, polling is not necessarily reliable. In the region. But Costa rica, there's an 80% approval rating for. For the action. And as you mentioned yesterday, a lot of these governments have recently switched over from being very leftist to being more favorable towards the United States. And they're sick of the situations that they're dealing with. They don't all want to be narco run. And so they maybe see a little bit of hope here. I, you know, I'm not against America being the policeman of the world, but certainly the policeman of the hemisphere. I'm for it. I think it's fair to ask what's next? And Marco Rubio and the president have said, we're getting there. We've got a plan. I think that the unsung hero of a lot of this is John Ratcliffe at the CIA, who impressively stays out of the limelight. You never see him. He doesn't do an interview. He's Secret Squirrel over at the CIA. And they obviously had a very good approval rating after this because there was a 25% surge that was reported by CNN today supporting this. And why is that, Bill? I think that you have a successful operation that makes it look like peace through strength. America is in charge. And you know what? We're not going to take it anymore. There's, number one, number two, people learning more about Maduro and how he's a bad guy. By the way, Johnny, at the beach last night with all of these young people who thought Maduro was a place or a thing, it was very disturbing.

[Jesse Watters]

Well before he went out, Johnny also thought Maduro was a place.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I don't know. I wouldn't say. The other thing is, it was something that President Trump was just saying. There is that the Democrats continue to look like lunatics because they were under Biden Harris. They were offering $25 million to capture Maduro. Here we captured Maduro and we don't have to pay the $25 million unless, as Greg says, you give it to the Delta Force.

[Dana Perino]

Love it.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And that was a precision strike. So I. On the. On the politics of it. Okay, fine. It is fair to ask what the solutions are. The solutions are complicated. The problems are complicated, but at least there's movement.

[Dana Perino]

Mm.

[Jesse Watters]

A lot of action down south, Greg, the signage.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Lot of action down south.

[Jesse Watters]

How do they get the signage free Maduro before the operation?

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's incredible. They're like half psychic, half sign makers. I want to get in on that. You know what's interesting about Trump? So he's not an. It confuses old minds. He's not A neocon, but he's not an isolationist. He's our first non binary president ever. It's not like any other president, you know, there are no boxes for him. That's kind of a good thing. Cuz when you think about it, weren't we all like that once before? We felt compelled to put ourselves in these labels of being. I'm a conservative. Like I was a liberal, then I was a conservative, then I was a libertarian. I thought I was an anarchist for a while, then I thought I was a woodland creature until I got into therapy. Trump, look, he's not into foreign war, forever wars, but he's also not into hibernation. He's just got one filter and that is America first. And if you're gonna pick any filter, it's not a bad one to have. I mean, to be a neocon, you have to be for exporting democracy no matter what. To be in isolationist, you have to be against doing anything but just staying home and you know, not and keeping your eyes closed. But he is like, you can't put him in a box. And that forces you to look at every independent action, you know, outside of some high minded principle. It's like, is this thing good for America? Does it allow for a clean exit? When he says we're taking the oil, we can go, wow, that's kind of brass. Yeah, but you know, it's honest. And is that good for America? Well, yeah, it was our oil. I mean, he not only staunched the flow of drugs, he also is getting our oil back. That's what I coined this phrase this morning. Killing two birds with one stone. Never heard me write that down. Yeah, you can. Yeah, write it down. Yeah, but you know what, I got to. Can you get that?

[Kennedy]

Gotcha.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Thank you, thank you. But it's like, I'll finish on it. You know, I think that Trump has always looked at ideology as narrowing choices, and he doesn't like narrow choices. It's like having one setting on your blow dryer, Jesse. Or you know, one setting on your neck massager, Dana. It's just like, it's like you want to be able to have the flexibility to do what you want and that's how you live a life. You don't live a life. And so I think it's hard for a lot of people to figure this out because ideology and systems like that make you feel smarter because you don't have to think too hard. You just say, oh, this is what we do and I know best and I don't have to argue it. But he just goes, he zigs and he zags.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But he has principle. The principle is America first.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The principle is America first. And it can look amoral to other people, but America first, we don't give.

[Jesse Watters]

An F. How many settings do you have on your neck massager, Kennedy?

[Kennedy]

Well, it was sold to me as a neck massager, but it turns out it has a. Which makes it a multi tool player. Thank you, Nabisco.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Nabisco.

[Jesse Watters]

You know, the President's asking for a thank you. Do you think we're ever going to get a thank you from the opposing party?

[Kennedy]

We did from W. Wasserman Schultz on Saturday. So she was very enthusiastic because a lot of her constituents, not just Venezuelans, but there were Cuban Americans who had left their homeland to find freedom and riches in America. And they were also applauding their oppressed brothers and sisters. So she took that as a sign that she should also be applauding. And then, you know, the virulent, angry people in her party turned her and with the line they always use and it's like, because Trump, you know, because Trump, this has to be bad. Because Trump, Maduro has to be good. If Trump hates him, then he must be a wonderful person and a comrade and, and arms. But if you look at the people who were oppressed under Maduro's leadership, why would they be celebrating if this were such an awful thing? So I think in the short term you can find some positive aspects here. My problem as someone who does have an ideology and an operating principle which is led by freedom, is that this could drag on into something that is incredibly expensive. And worst case scenario, a proxy war with Iran and China. I have more faith than some of my fellow libertarians do in Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio. What worries me is this president is going to be president for three years. What is happening in Venezuela will exceed his term. So, you know, if the pendulum swings the other way and you have people who don't necessarily have an operating principle, you know, who were moderate Democrats and now their mom, Donnie Cheerers, what are they going to do with Venezuela? And you know, the Hakeem Jeffries of the world who are, you know, Chris Murphy's, who are losing their spit over what happened in Venezuela, instead of saying, because Trump, Trump is bad, give us a solution, what would you do?

[Greg Gutfeld]

How would that change this move? Given what your concerns are about the future, how would that inform what you would do now? Would you try to do as much as you can whether it would be a Democrat or I would do as.

[Kennedy]

Much as I can to bring about peace and prosperity. That is my operating principle. I would not do as much as I could militarily because I think that is what gets people killed. It's what gets Americans killed. Especially, you know, people who have signed up with the better angels of their nature to serve in uniform for the United States and to have those people killed. That's what breaks my heart. That's what I don't want to see. But if we can somehow turn this into stabilization, peace and prosperity, I would love to see the President put forth a plan that says just that.

[Dana Perino]

It's a lot. It's a lot to do. Please say Greenland again. I just want Greenland.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We must take over Greenland.

[Jesse Watters]

That sounds like a German.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes, I think, Kenny.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, that's the move.

[Dana Perino]

Kennedy's point is where the White House is now, Dana was touching on. It's fair to ask what comes next. I think that the President clearly has a hemispheric focus. We've been talking around his table, but how critical that is for a number of things. Foremost, we talked about it helping to stem the flow of illegal immigration from some of these countries where there's not a lot of opportunities, not rule of law and frankly, it's just dangerous. I think we give the President some time. I think this issue here deserves a transition period for him to be able to begin to articulate some of the things that if not all the things that Kennedy mentioned. Because if we're going to get rule of law there, if we're going to get a decrease in drug flows, there's if not an altogether elimination. If we're going to get electoral and political integrity, it's going to take some time, but it's also going to take a president. I hate to repeat what I said yesterday, but I will. He had an opportunity today before the House Republicans to begin to lay out a vision, to begin to lay out what the plan is going to look like. I hope it, like Kennedy, I hope it does not involve massive military, a massive military presence. But if his plan needs that, we should know as the American people what it is he wants to accomplish intermediately. There's and long term because if long term we want peace and prosperity, that may cost a lot of money because it's not just going to be Venezuela. We have to do it. They can't sit as an island. We would hope that would serve as a template for the entire hemisphere. So I applaud his hemispheric focus. I don't know what the plan is. I don't know what the doctrine is. It can't be mess around with me and find out. That can be a consequence of the doctrine. But we need something fuller and frankly, that explains better where we're headed as a country, militarily, economically, as it relates to our hemisphere.

[Jesse Watters]

Well, obviously you missed primetime last night because I explained it pretty well her I watched you. Up next, tampon Tim is blowing his top off after aborting his re election campaign.

[Kennedy]

This is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52 episode podcast series the Life of.

[Jesse Watters]

Jesus A listening experience that will provide.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Hope, comfort and understanding of the greatest story ever told. Listen and follow [e-mail] or wherever you listen to podcasts. Beats in Tennessee, but my sun sets in Colorado.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So Minnesota Governor Tim Walls lashing out at President Trump as he faced the press just a day after announcing that he won't seek reelection for a third term amid growing fallout from a massive welfare fraud scandal.

[Tim Walz]

Have I been perfect in this? God dang, no. I wasn't perfect as a teacher. I wasn't perfect as a coach. I wasn't perfect as a soul. But I was pretty damn good at all those things. Game's over for them now. It was all me. I was the bad guy or whatever. Well, put up or shut up now and tell us what you're going to do to make this state better. Answer these tough questions, quit hiding behind this and expect for the next 11 months for me to ride you like you've never been ridden to make sure that you're doing your job. I'm not going anywhere. And you can make all your requests for me to resign over my dead body will that happen. I will fight this thing till the very end to make this state better. And the question that I think they need to decide is, is when did the guy in the White House resign? Anytime I get drug into being next to Donald Trump, God help me, I don't want to be judged against that guy.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And Axios is pointing out waltz's falls from grace. Alex Thompson says 14 months ago, Walz almost became VP and then flirted with a 2028 run. Now walls is ending his political career amid scandal, personal burnout and feuds with former allies including Kamala Harris. Greg, he made some threats there.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He's threatened to ride me.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Like you've never.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Like I've never been ridden, man. Tampon Tim is seeing red. You know what the biggest achievement is for him? Electing Trump? Imagine if Kamala had chosen Josh Shapiro or Harold Ford.

[Dana Perino]

Instead.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He took that slot and steered that ticket into the sea. And I credit him for his honesty. Remember when he said most white men commit crimes? I think he was talking about himself. I think he realizes he's in trouble. And when, you know. And honestly, he is lucky if this is all that happens.

[Dana Perino]

You know, when we look at the.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Debt, which is what, $38 trillion, we always talk about spending, but I think what we're finding out, that the spending question might be a distraction from the corruption question. If it comes to a point where it's over a trillion, $2 trillion, it's not about spending. It's about the fact that we were so focused on spending, they were just stealing our money. And then they say, oh, we're in debt. They can raise our taxes, and in California, seize assets, claiming every dime is sacred. And I think that. I think this has opened the door.

[Dana Perino]

I think Nick.

[Greg Gutfeld]

What's his name? Shirley. Don't call me Shirley. These guys and Musk, they've opened the door to something that we haven't really looked at in a while. Shirley says he's being hunted. And I would take that claim very seriously. When you think about Trump getting shot, almost assassinated twice, Charlie Kirk, Elon Musk being targeted, his dealerships, the cars January 6, her grandmother's parents, Christians, white dudes at work like Jesse, who's been turned down from so many promotions because of your skin color, you don't think people want Nick Shirley dead? I mean, let's be honest. Like, this is. We're in a new world where there is an active campaign to go after the people who are threatening those who corrupt this country.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And from the beginning of this scandal, his message has gone, Jesse, from I've got this fraud under control to it's actually President Trump's fault.

[Jesse Watters]

Right? Yeah. No, Greg's right. I wanted a job at Fox News.

[Tim Walz]

Yes.

[Jesse Watters]

I'm gonna file a suit. Yeah. Ride you like you've never been ridden before. Somewhere Mayor Pete's like, I'm too gay. Danielle always said, stupid is more dangerous than evil. And he is a perfect example. The DNC brass casted this guy as this, like, dumb, aw, shucks, white knucklehead that just bumbles around, pretends to work on cars and hunt ducks. Meanwhile, he's so asleep at the sw, everyone's backing up the Brinks truck and just looting the Treasury. But that's what Democrats want. They want dumb people in charge so their interest groups can steal from you. That's the whole problem. Greg's right. It's not a spending problem. This country is the richest country in the world and we're in debt up to our eyebrows. And I got big eyebrows. The Democrats want substitute teachers in charge, right? Remember, these people come in one day a year and all hell breaks loose because no. No one respects them. They want weak men and women running the show so they can steal everything from the taxpayer. And this is what they did with Joe Biden. You know what Joe Biden did? And I don't even know he did this. They stopped checking daycare centers to see if anybody was there for the last year. And they gave these people $19 billion. $19 billion went out the door and there was no checking to see if there's any even kids there. That's why Caroline Levitt said on my show last night, Harold, you'd know this if you are watching, that the DOJ is investigating Walsh and all these people and people are under indictment and we don't even know about it yet.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Harold, how damaging is this writ large? I mean, do you think it's bigger than Tim Walz in Minnesota? I do.

[Dana Perino]

I think it happens. I think this kind of mismanagement of funds, of not stealing of funds happens in states across the country. I think that this story here, as I shared yesterday, I think you let the chips fall where they may. I think there is a little bit of politics here, but the politics are completely overwhelmed by where it looks like the facts are taking us. So I hope that the young man that helped expose this, I hope he gets out across the country. I hope he doesn't just go to Democrats. Let's go to all the states. I think we will find Covid dollars having been mismanaged from California to Maine, unfortunately. Now, I don't think that I agree with Greg in a huge regard around what Musk, what the impulse of Musk's effort, Musk's efforts to fine overspending, excessive spending, redundancies in government. I hope they continue to do that. The thing that got all the attention was the closing of the usaid. But we've yet to really talk about some of these other things and this is one of them that should be talked about.

[Kennedy]

Kennedy spending and corruption go hand in hand. You know, Greg brings that up. But whenever you have that kind of taxation and that kind of spending, that's what it's there for. I mean, it is designed by socialists as a taking in order to enrich their cronies. And that's what they've done. They've done that here in Minnesota.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Can I add something? Because they put names on it and they use language to make you think that it's for good reasons.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, that they care. That they care about people. Because you look at the potential softest targets for corruption. I mean, there's nothing softer than feeding the hungry and taking care of children in need. It's like, of course people want to do that. And you have a lot of naive do gooders in this country who want to help people who truly need it. But, you know, it's like homeless people, kids without parents and meals, like they can all be damned as long as a group of people in Minnesota are banking hundreds of millions of dollars. I mean, it's the same thing that's happening in California with the homeless industrial complex. That whole thing is set up not to solve the problem of homelessness, but to make sure sure these do gooder cronies have an open spigot for years and years to come. Because, you know, Gavin Newsom even said, like, we're not really sure what happened with that money. We're not really sure how many homeless people there are in this country. But you can be damn sure that middle class people in California are being taxed out of the state because they thought they were doing the right thing by checking a box on a ballot measure to help people in need. Those people just get tossed on the street while the money that was funneled to those Somali corrupt a holes, you know, that goes God knows where.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, remember also when Meredith Blasio left New York City and not all.

[Kennedy]

Somalis are corrupt a holes.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Just, just for the record, Blasio's wife lost $1 billion that was supposed to be for homeless. And they were like, oh, sorry.

[Kennedy]

And we were talking about mental health.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Yeah, mental health. Well, now I'm crazy. Okay. Up next, President Trump is telling Republicans I'll have plenty of ammunition in the midterms as Gavin Newsom makes the President his chief target.

[Dana Perino]

It was hurricane force bull coming from Trump.

[Greg Gutfeld]

President Trump meeting with House Republicans at the Trump Kennedy center to map out their midterm strategy with 47, reminding GOP lawmakers that they got plenty of ammo when it comes to transport, border security and crime.

[Donald Trump]

Together, we had 12 months of unprecedented success in 2025. And now we're going to make history and break records with the epic midterm victory that we're going to pull off. Millions and millions of people were pouring into our country, and I fixed it. The problem is people forget that I Did it. They totally forget. He's going to break the record. For her mom, who's sitting in the front with her father, I'm going to break it. I think every president and vice president should be forced to take cognitive exams. I don't think Gavin could. He's got a good line of crap, but other than that, he couldn't pass.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Speaking of the greasy one, Gavin Newsom giving an interview to Ms. Now, what's that? To whine about the president.

[Dana Perino]

Unlike the President, United States, who's not done a damn thing, hasn't lifted a finger. So you talk about the attributes for a president, United States, take a look at what you've got and consider the opposite. And that's what the American people deserve.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Do you want to be President of the United States?

[Dana Perino]

Focus. Not my interest. Not. It's not. I literally have no idea what fate will hold. The only thing that matters is 2026 taking back the House of Representatives. Do I believe that Donald Trump will promote fair and free elections if Speaker Johnson remains speaker in 2027? No, I do not.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So, Dana, you know, it's one thing to talk about and champion the data of success. It's getting that info through, you know, being persuaded, persuasive with it, and with the way the media operates. They're corrupt, they're not credible. They're going to do everything they can to muck it up.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, okay, except that we are in a period where media is different. Right. So Nick Shirley has basically helped bring down a governor in Minnesota, though Tim Walsh says he's staying there until he doesn't, which I would be surprised if he finishes this term. The other thing is, Newsom just said that the only thing that matters is 2026 and the house taking back the Congress. But I would say, why? They don't pass legislation. No one's passing legislation. Unless your goal is to just impeach President Trump again in the House. I don't understand why the goal, why nobody's passing legislation. Congress doesn't do anything. It is notable that this week is the anniversary of the LA wildfires, a point not lost on Kennedy, who lost, well, has to redo her home there. He did an interview where he just said that there was a historic speed of the wildfire cleanup, and he said it's the fastest debris removal in US History, which sounded to me a lot like the largest airlift. And I think the fires were his Afghanistan moment.

[Greg Gutfeld]

What say you, Kennedy?

[Kennedy]

I'm going to be there tomorrow. I'm going tomorrow to mark the anniversary with my friends and neighbors who lost everything. I have one of those homes that's filled with toxins, and the insurance companies don't want to pay us anything. They don't really want to clean our homes. New York Times just did a very interesting piece about a family who was told it was safe to go back into their homes. And they've all tested positive for lead and neurotoxins. So that's what these families are having to deal with. And guess who is shielding the insurance companies? The governor. You know, the insurance commission that is populated by the richest insurance companies in the country. They're making sure, with the help of Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, they don't have to help anybody. It's been a year. Nothing has been done to my house. We haven't had any remediation. And I've got so many neighbors like that. And then you've got the people who have lost everything, and they're being offered pennies on the dollar for what it would take to reconstruct their homes. And you can't do it. And also, you can't go and get permits unless you have a settlement with your insurance company. They're going to delay as long as possible. Even though it says in your policy, this is what you paid for, this is what you were owed. That is what the governor is doing in that state. He's running interference. It is criminal, it is immoral, and the president is right. All he has is a line of crap.

[Tim Walz]

Mm.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So you're saying Newsom should dye his hair? Hey, Harold in the green room. I was really surprised to hear you say that. President Trump has done so many great things for the country, it's almost hard to keep track. And that could work against him.

[Dana Perino]

Did I say that?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes, you did. I have it right here in my notes.

[Dana Perino]

I trust you. The November of 2025, just a few months ago, we had an election. Democrats did very well. I think they did very well because they spoke to people where they were. The kinds of challenges people are facing in their everyday lives with housing and groceries and health care. I hear you loud and clear. My prayers continue to go out. And I know you are going back to your home state or going back to California tomorrow. One of the things I would ask President Trump to do. We have sent the National Guard to places where we don't think these locals are managing immigration. Right. He should get after these insurance companies, too. It does not make sense. It's incompatible with the American way that if you buy insurance, that something bad happens. And you can't rely on that insurance. This is, this is something. This is a contract they had with you and millions of other Californians, and we should hold them to it. I happen to think the election, to Dana's point, is going to be this year about just the basics. It always is. Do people feel better about where they are in November, October, November than they do today? If that is the case, then Republicans will win. If they don't feel better, they likely will lose. To Dana's most salient point, though, Democrats, we need a message. If the only message we have is that we want to go after President Trump, even if the country rewards us with victory on that message, that's the wrong message. We've got to figure out how we empower people, how we make communities safer, how we make communities more investable. I'd be, if I were mayor or governor, I'd be meeting with the president saying, all this money you've attracted or you get commitments from around the world. $19 trillion. How can we make my city and state ready for that kind of investment? What do we need to be doing to educate our workers and educate students who will graduate into the workforce? These are the things you don't hear in politics enough of. And I hope that someone gets to it quicker than not.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Jesse, what does the GOP have to do?

[Jesse Watters]

Well, we have a lot of money, so that helps, but I think Harold's onto something. He doesn't even realize it.

[Dana Perino]

I'll help you with it, my colonizer.

[Jesse Watters]

Trump should federalize the Palisades. He should declare a disaster zone and say, gavin, if you can't do it, I will. I'm a builder. You bring in the Army Corps of Engineers, you bring in the National Guard, you bring in some of your construction crews, and you just bulldoze all the BS out of there and just start building homes.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I don't care.

[Jesse Watters]

Let Gavin Newsom fight you as you're building homes back. You know, I'd have, I'd have agree with you, Pam at the doj, go rattle some heads in the insurance industry. What are you guys doing over there? Knock some heads together. Do something. Is this guy's not doing anything right now.

[Kennedy]

That Geico lizard has done nothing for me.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That is true. All right, coming up, Zoran's new housing czar thinks owning a home is racist.

[Kennedy]

You're going to be sleeping on the floor of a tent. Zoran Mi just tapped a far left wackadoodle to run New York City's tenant protection office. And folks are having A field day digging up her since deleted old pro commie tweets. She once called to, quote, seize private property. That's right. She blasted homeownership as a, quote, weapon of white supremacy. And check out these comments she's made in the past about private properties. I think the reality is, is that for centuries we've really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good. And we are going to, in transitioning to treating it as collective good and towards a model of shared equity will require that we think about it differently. And it will mean that families, especially white families, but some POC families who are homeowners as well, are going to have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have. What an ignorant racist moron. Here is someone who wants shared equity because she's so brain dead she won't be able to create her own equity. This is very racist on its face because it's assuming that there is no black home ownership in this country. I know a lot of black people who own homes and they work very hard.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Jefferson.

[Kennedy]

They start moving on up, Greg, to the east side. You start with one dry cleaner, all of a sudden you own half the city. The American dream is not dead, but it will be dead if this witch beats that horse. Harold, your thoughts?

[Dana Perino]

I didn't know I was a racist or that my grandfather was a racist, was a racist. I try to take people, give people the benefit of the doubt. She's going to have to come back and clean that up. I don't understand how home ownership is a weapon of white supremacy. Now there was a time in our country where neighborhoods and communities and banks really did all they possibly could and some with legal.

[Kennedy]

Absolutely.

[Dana Perino]

And some of them had laws were on the books to limit blacks and living in certain neighbors. But we passed that day. Our challenge now is affordability. And she would do better focusing on ways in which we can build more housing here in New York where we can build more affordable housing in New York. And convening, to Dana's point, one of the powers of government is to be able to convene people, convene the builders, convene the real estate developers, convenient organizers and activists and people who want to own homes in these communities instead of talking this race stuff. This is not the answer.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it's nonsense, it's empty, it's ignorant. But also, if you're going to build new structures in the city, you have to get past the unions and that is incredibly expensive. How come the commies never address that?

[Jesse Watters]

Jesse well, they should just pay them off like everybody else does. And, Greg, you're wrong. Not just the Jeffersons. Martin Lawrence also had an apartment.

[Kennedy]

Yes, Fresh Prince of Bel Air shared it with Gina.

[Dana Perino]

You're gonna keep going with the black.

[Jesse Watters]

I also think. I also think the woman. It's like Mad Libs for woke. As attractive as she is, Dana, there's a saying. Personnel is policy. So they're hiring these people. Call them people. She's like a Venezuelan lady. I mean, this woman belongs at the Maduro regime in Caracas. And, you know, it's funny, they always say, oh, we don't believe in, like, this Venezuelan socialism. We're more like the European socialism thing. Well, how's Europe doing? Not so great. Their birth rate shot, their economy, they're getting lapped by the United States and Asia, and they call Trump daddy. Okay, they're not doing well. All right? So relax with all the socialism stuff. I don't care where it is.

[Kennedy]

And anytime you talk to a Scandinavian leader, they're like, no, we're trying to be more free market. We actually don't have minimum wage laws in this country. It's the only way we can support a healthy safety net, which is not socialism.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But one of the things I can't stand with the whole thing is the up talking for young women. You cannot talk like that and expect to succeed. No one will take you seriously. But unfortunately, we have to take Mom Donnie seriously. He told us he was going to appoint people like this to his administration. I went into Christmas season going, you know, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Okay, well, I don't think so, because she's not the only one thinking you think of, like, the chief legal advisor that he has. I mean, you can just go down the line, but to Madani's defense, he decided it. Now, I think that he's overreading his mandate. Okay? Nearly half of New Yorkers voted for someone else, and the choices were terrible. So he only got 50% of the vote. But the other thing I would say is that. So that was five years ago. I don't know how old she is today, but she got through all of her schooling and thinks like that. So you think our taxpayer dollars, this is what they're educating, or you go to see Johnny's people on the beach or at the park. Before they ask us for any more taxpayer dollars on education, we need to have a conversation about that.

[Kennedy]

Amen. I mean, how many students are there like that in the country who are going to amass 4 or $500,000 in student loan debt who come out that empty headed?

[Greg Gutfeld]

I don't know, I find her attractive.

[Jesse Watters]

You have to fight me for her.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. Very rarely do you find someone ugly on the inside and the outside. And I have no problem saying that this person is a racist bitch. How many examples do you need to show that these people hate you and that you are a target? They see you as expendable. She said, especially white families. So she was saying we're going to target white people and change your relationship with homes. This is like, we get it, the American dream is difficult. But she's saying the American dream is evil. This is a person who might be your neighbor one day, your executioner the next. And you say, oh, that's, that's going a bit too far. This is a person who is okay with coercion and seizing your private property. And she's a white lady. So what stops us from doing that to her? No, she's the exception. This is one of those weird. This is the survivalist mentality of the white female progressive lady. They'll throw every white person under the bus to protect themselves. Who do they go after with dei? They didn't go after white women. They went after white men because it was the white woman in charge. This miscreant. I have no problem saying awful things about her because I know that she is dangerous.

[Kennedy]

She is dangerous.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

I mean, this is the worst of this shellacked democratic socialism. It's awful.

[Greg Gutfeld]

No, she, she cheerfully advocated for coercion.

[Dana Perino]

But we need to read the Bible again today.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Bible study.

[Kennedy]

Harold's Place Baptist after the Bible is up next.

[Dana Perino]

Welcome back. According to a new social media Trend, the number one movie from when you were 10 years old will define how your 2026 goes. So Greg Gutfeld, Mr. Exclamation Point. Was 10 years old when the Towering Inferno was the top movie. Jesse, it was Rain Man. Both Dana and Kennedy were 10 when E.T. the extraterrestrial dominated the box office. And yours truly, me, was 10 years. Was 10 years old when the Empire Strikes Back was the number one movie. Kennedy, your thoughts on this incredible social media theory?

[Kennedy]

Well, you know, according to my year, it'll be very touching and sentimental. I will fall in love with an alien and he will leave me in self deport.

[Dana Perino]

Ep.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, I think the idea is that like whatever happened in that movie is going to manifest itself in 2026. So we might find out that aliens are real.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that'd be amazing, right, Mr. Gutfeld?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Well, you Know what? The Towering Inferno. I saw that in the theater. What is it? It's a tall structure with a fiery orange bouquet on top. It's gonna be the Year of Trump. He is the Towering Inferno. That movie. By the way, do you have the poster? Had Paul Newman, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Steve McQueen, Robert Wagner. Do you have the poster up there? No, you don't. You can't get it. Faye dunaway, the great O.J. simpson. Who can forget him as Harry Jernigan? It's amazing. Oh, well.

[Dana Perino]

Yours?

[Jesse Watters]

Rain Man.

[Dana Perino]

Harold. Yes, yours.

[Jesse Watters]

A mentally challenged man makes a lot of money. It's my year. Perfectly.

[Kennedy]

I thought you were saying that's Tim Walls.

[Jesse Watters]

No, he's broke.

[Dana Perino]

Empire Strikes Back, the great George Lucas. This movie, I don't know exactly how it manifests itself today, but the good guys win in the end.

[Jesse Watters]

So midterms, Harold.

[Dana Perino]

I like that. One More Thing is up next.

[Jesse Watters]

Time now for One More Thing. Greg.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Tonight we got a great show. 10pm Aaron McGuire. Dave Landau. Kat. Tim Tyrus. Let's do this. I feel ya. Gorilla News. Check out Buenzzie at San Antonio Zoo. Look at him with that coconut. Can't open that coconut. You know what, Buenzzi? I feel ya. This is how I feel every time I have a caplet of Imodium trying to open that damn thing up. Why is it when you need. You need it so badly for a very urgent problem and you can't seem to open it?

[Jesse Watters]

What's that segment called again?

[Greg Gutfeld]

I feel you. Gorillas.

[Jesse Watters]

Gorillas. That one's going to take off. All right, you guys make a New Year's resolution. You want to get less fat? We got you covered at the Fox Shop Gym gear. I know you never thought you'd see it at Fox, but we got it. We got socks. These things are flying off the shelves. We can't even keep them in stock. Hats, quarter zip sweatpants, tanks and Camelback water bottles. Don't break a sweat.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

You should definitely wear that tank.

[Jesse Watters]

No, I don't wear tank stuff.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Rick Hume does.

[Jesse Watters]

Hard Rule tonight. Jesse Water. Primetime. Christy Gnome. He's. She's hot on Tim's tail in Minnesota. Not in that way.

[Tim Walz]

Dana.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Let me just promote the podcast for Reno on Politics with Colin Reed and Selena Zito. And also a picture of a couch that turned into a car.

[Dana Perino]

Listen to the 5ad free on Amazon.

[Jesse Watters]

Music with your prime membership or subscribe.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Wherever you get your podcasts.