Kirk Assassination Suspect Faces Death Penalty

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Five

Episode: Kirk Assassination Suspect Faces Death Penalty
Date: September 17, 2025
Host & Panelists: Kayleigh McEnany, Brian Kilmeade, Kennedy, Harold Ford Jr., Greg Gutfeld
Podcast: FOX News Podcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses intensely on the recent formal charging of a suspect in the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. The panel debates the coverage of the case in mainstream media, the motivations behind the murder, political rhetoric, and broader issues of polarization, violence, and radicalization in American society. Key topics also include former President Obama's response to the tragedy, President Trump's state visit to the UK, the prospects for Joe Biden post-office, and even a lighthearted debate on the resurrection of the "beard trend."

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charlie Kirk Assassination: Media Coverage, Motive, and Political Narrative

• Main Story: The suspect is charged in Utah with aggravated murder and other counts, with prosecutors highlighting disturbing texts sent to his roommate/lover. The episode critiques mainstream media’s framing of the story.
• Media Critique: The panel sharply criticizes ABC and its reporter Matt Gutman, as well as Montel Williams, for spinning the shooting as a tragic love story rather than a politicized attack.
  • Kayleigh McEnany notes, "[Prosecutors] lay out the mountain of evidence that shows that the suspect was overtaken by left wing ideology. They were explicit about that. CNN is still confused about the motive." (01:15)
• Text Message Evidence: The suspect’s own words ("I had enough of his hatred. Some hatred cannot be negotiated out. He hated Charlie Kirk and what he stood for.") are highlighted as clear evidence of a political motive. (02:03)

Notable Moments & Quotes

• Greg Gutfeld mocks media narrative:
  “I just see love struck non binary Romeo and Juliet. ... I'm waiting for the American crime story to be released. And of course, they're gonna make them the heroes, and they're gonna make Charlie ... the bad guy. Because that's what Hollywood does. The anti hero always trumps the hero.” (02:23)
• Media Narrative Dangers:
  Greg ties this reframing to historical media distortions (Charlottesville, “very fine people” hoax), warning:
  “The blood doesn't even have to dry before they rewrite the narrative.” (03:04)
• Brian Kilmeade challenges denial of motive:
  "How could [Montel Williams] sit there and try to rationalize, well, this is a love story gone wrong, misconstrued." (04:59)

2. Political Radicalization & Responsibility

• Left vs Right Motivations:
  Harold Ford Jr. acknowledges leftist radicalization but contextualizes it within broader factors like trauma and online exposure:
  “There's no doubt the leftist ideology played a role ... but there are a lot of people who are exposed to leftist ideology who don't kill people. There are a lot of people who are exposed to neo Nazism who don't kill people.” (10:14)
• Greg Gutfeld differentiates mechanisms of radicalization:
  He claims media, academia, and politicians normalize extreme rhetoric on the left, making this case distinct.
  “These are news anchors. These are politicians. These are college professors that are actually legitimizing this ... This is why this is different.” (11:07)
• Kennedy decries rhetorical normalization of violence:
  “They are normalizing the way they've normalized the terms fascist and Hitler and authoritarian and Nazi. They're doing the same thing with murder.” (13:07)
• Harold calls for broader understanding:
  “If everyone like the five of us people, could have their views ... we wouldn't have violence gripping us. We have a problem in our society ... if we think we can brush it away ... by saying, ‘oh, it's just because these leftists did this and this leftist did that,’ there's no brushing.” (14:03)

3. Political Rhetoric: Obama, Trump, and Division

• Obama’s Statement:
  Former President Obama enters the discussion, condemning Kirk’s assassination but also faulting Trump’s divisive language.
  • Brian Kilmeade critiques: “Obama is the architect of the modern political division in America ... we were never as divided as we were when he was president.” (17:16)
• Panel Divides:
  Harold Ford Jr. contextualizes: “I think every president is an answer to the previous president...so you can kind of see the continuum.” (18:50)
• J.K. Rowling Reference on Words vs Action:
  “Words are not violence. When you pretend that views that oppose your own are violence, you're justifying the use of actual violence towards the speaker.” (Harold, quoting Rowling, 19:09)
• Kayleigh’s Critique:
  Paints Biden and Obama as failing the call to unite: "Spare me the pull the country together language until you talk to your former vice president because he ripped us apart for four years straight." (21:21)
• Gutfeld’s Rule:
  “When they say it’s both sides, it’s their fault.” (22:42)

4. Statecraft and Image: Trump in the UK

• President Trump’s State Visit:
  • The panel provides a lighthearted take on Trump’s regal reception in the UK and discusses U.S.-UK relations, international trade, and British admiration for Trump.
  • “No president's ever gotten a second state visit. ... America is back as the world's hegemonic power...” (Harold & Kayleigh, 27:27 & 29:12)
• Greg’s Disdain:
  “It’s very hard to, like, actually absorb anything Obama’s saying ... try to speed it up a bit.” (22:42)

5. Biden’s Financial Prospects and Legacy

• WSJ: Biden Unpopular as a Paid Speaker:
  The panel riffs on reports that Biden isn’t receiving lucrative offers, linking it to his single-term presidency and lower public enthusiasm compared to Obama and Trump’s expected windfalls. (31:37)
• Greg’s Satire:
  “...for Joe [Biden] ... market it differently. Like it's a Cadbury creme egg. It's only available for a limited time. ... Or do it as a novelty thing where ... he shows up at your birthday and he cuts the cake.” (32:58)
• Presidential Post-Office Ethics:
  Harold expresses concern about presidents monetizing their office: “I've said for a long time we should take care of them and not force them to write books and give speeches ... compromise themselves. Potentially compromise America and national security.” (34:36)

6. 'Beard Boom': Political, Cultural, and Baseball Beards

• NYT on Beard Trends:
  The panel jokingly discusses the resurgence of beards in politics and sports, referencing historic beard booms and figures from Cory Booker to Ted Cruz to Yankees’ anti-beard policies. (36:31)
  • Kennedy: “Baseball beards are not acceptable for the New York Yankees and I will die on that hill.” (37:50)
  • Greg: “Short people cannot pull off a beard because we look like leprechauns.” (38:17)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Greg Gutfeld on the media’s narrative: (02:23)
  “I just see love struck non binary Romeo and Juliet. ... I'm waiting for the American crime story to be released. ... they're gonna make Charlie ... the bad guy.”

• Kennedy on normalizing murder vs rhetoric: (13:07)
  “They're doing the same thing with murder. And they're trying to equate someone's anger ... with someone picking up a bolt action rifle ... and killing him in front of people ... It is not the same thing.”

• Harold Ford Jr. on radicalization: (10:14)
  “There's no doubt the leftist ideology played a role ... but there are a lot of people who are exposed to leftist ideology who don't kill people.”

• Greg Gutfeld on both sides-ism: (22:42)
  “When they say it's both sides, it's their fault. Because when it's your fault, they just say, it's your fault.”

• Greg Gutfeld on leftist radicalization: (24:22)
  “It's the migration of leftist extremism into the mainstream. That is the problem that I think you have to deal with as a moderate, as the sole remaining voice of the Democratic Party.”

• Kayleigh McEnany on Biden & Obama’s rhetoric: (21:21)
  “Spare me the pull the country together language until you talk to your former vice president because he ripped us apart for four years straight.”

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Segment Timestamps

• Charlie Kirk assassination and media analysis: 00:05 – 15:05
• Obama, Trump, and U.S. division: 15:23 – 25:58
• Trump’s UK state visit: 26:39 – 30:26
• Biden’s value as a post-presidency speaker: 31:37 – 35:39
• Beard trend commentary: 36:31 – 38:34
• One More Thing (quick, lighter stories): 39:24 – 41:56

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Recap for New Listeners

This episode delivers a heated, deeply skeptical take on media framing and left-wing ideology in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, blending serious inquiry with trademark banter and biting humor. The most impassioned exchanges center around why political violence happens, how media and political rhetoric shape public perception, and what responsibility leaders bear in times of tragedy. While the show veers into lighter segments—including British pageantry, financial jokes at Biden's expense, and beards—the central message is clear: the panel sees the Kirk case as a flashpoint illuminating deeper problems of polarization, radicalization, and narrative manipulation in American life.

Transcript

[Brian Kilmeade]

Hello everyone.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm Kayleigh McEnany along with Kennedy, Harold Ford Jr. Brian Kilmeade and Greg Gutfeld. It's five o' clock in New York City and this is the five. The suspected killer of Charlie Kirk facing the death penalty after getting formally charged with aggravated murder and a slew of other counts. There were seven in total. Prosecutors in Utah describing some of the disturbing text messages the alleged assassin sent to his roommate slash lover. And now how did the liberal media cover it? Well, instead of being horrified, ABC's Matt Gutman and Montel Williams spun it like a twisted love story.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It was very touching in a way that I think many of us didn't expect. This duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case. And on the other he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner, text messages that are a so fulsome.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So robust relationship and somebody was disparaging the person that he loved. I don't believe he was motivated politically. I think this was motivated emotionally.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

ABC's Gutman later apologizing and posting, quote, I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear. But let there be zero doubt here, I unequivocally condemn this horrific crime. And as prosecutors lay out the mountain of evidence that shows that the suspect was overtaken by left wing ideology. They were explicit about that. CNN is still confused about the motive. We don't have a motive yet. We don't know yet. We're waiting. Obviously we've heard what the governors had to say with the.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Come on. We don't have a motive yet. We know we don't have a motive yet.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

What's happening with.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Really? That's CNN's position, Mr. Lawrence. He just happened to fire the gun in celebration.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm not arguing with you politically. I'm saying that law enforcement has not put a specific motive, you know, that there's a difference of what they're putting.

[Kennedy]

In a legal argument.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

That's what you're talking about and you're.

[Kennedy]

Not even, not even arguing about.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

All right, well I'd like to pull up the motive. Caitlin must have missed the press conference that day. Greg, here are the text from the roommate. Roommate? Why, Tyler? Why did I do it? Roommate? Yeah, Tyler. I had enough of his hatred. Some hatred cannot be negotiated out. He hated Charlie Kirk and what he stood for. That seems to be the motive.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You know, I don't see it at all, Kaylee. I just see love struck non binary Romeo and Juliet. I'm waiting for the American crime story to be released. And of course, they're gonna make them the heroes, and they're gonna make Charlie based on complete fabrications, the bad guy. Because that's what Hollywood does. The anti hero always trumps the hero. And they will never realize that Charlie was above both. Imagine doing this to other horrible people. You know, yeah, Hitler killed 6 million Jews, but did you ever see his watercolors?

[Brian Kilmeade]

Or.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Or, you know, John Wayne Gacy, he killed some kids, but he's great around pets, you know, just because, you know, really bad people can have a moment of tenderness. But it doesn't deserve your observation. When you're reporting a story, you're not hosting the Bachelorette. And it sucks because his name's Gutman. So close to Gutfeld. But do you see? I think what bugs me about this is that we've seen this before. If you're old enough to remember, from Angela Davis to Luigi Mangione, the blood doesn't even have to dry before they rewrite the narrative. And it will always be based on the story that they prefer. And this is how it starts. It starts with the text. I go back to Charlottesville when Trump said there were fine people on both sides. He was talking about the statute debate. The media knew that, but they changed it. So it was, no, he's talking about Nazis. That was the tentpole hoax that allowed all the other hoaxes to come in. And it was the one that Joe Biden references. I ran for president because of Charlottesville because he said fine people. So that story was warped by people who had to believe that Trump was a racist bigot. So they created this story, and now they're gonna do this with Charlie. And it's our responsibility to. To stop it. And that means just being relentless about it. The same way that the Fine People hoax was dismantled by Cortez.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What's.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I can't think of his. Steve Cortez, Scott Adams, Joel Pollack. Everybody's gotta do this with this one. In the name of Charlie. You can't let him get away with it.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Absolutely. You know, Brian, it's very strange to me that two separate people could arrive at the same conclusion. Hearing an assassin lay out exactly how they did this to their lover. And you have Gutman walking away with this Romeo and Juliet love story. And then you have Montel Williams, a love. A love torn child, a kid who tried to defend his significant other. How do Two people arrive at that conclusion.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I mean, you stole a lot of my thunder when you said, if you need a motive, any help, all he said is, I had enough of this hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated. He took him out because of that. So I think, how would Montel Williams, who we both know, I think is a good guy, he's going through a lot of physical problems, but great talk show host for 30 years. How could he sit there and try to rationalize, well, this is a love story gone wrong, misconstrued.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

How could.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Matt Gutman's been doing this for 20 plus years and I think he does a really good job. Obviously a network anchor, Kaitlan Collins, who I know, you know everybody. I do. But guys, I don't want to make it personal. I think the one thing is missing is when people talk about why is Israel acting like this in Gaza, when people say why? Why the people on the five, why is Fox News getting so upset about Shelly Kirk? We know him. And you haven't seen the video. You didn't watch the 107 video of what happened to the Israelis that led to the Gaza incursion and the war. And I hate to say it, but you didn't know Charlie Kirk. That's bad on you. Maybe not your fault, but you didn't see how he died. If you saw how he died, you wouldn't be saying, it just seems like a guy that didn't know his gender and was separated from his family. Let's try to make sense of this. And to your point, there are people, very smart people that will say to you, well, we know the laptop wasn't real. We know the laptop was fake. And I go, what are you talking about? They don't watch us. They don't make any effort to go past the network news or cnn, msnbc. There are people that really think that Vladimir Putin put Donald Trump in the office the first time. They didn't see the unwinding in the Mueller report. So these are not uneducated people. They have just no idea. And when Jimmy Kimmel came out last night or the night before and what did he say in that 12 second soundbite? Jimmy Kimmel came out and said these MAGA guys wanted to pretend that this guy wasn't one of them. So you might go, of course he's not. Of course he's not maga. He hates Donald Trump. He hates Charlie Kirk. All you have to do is see that. So you think, what's the big deal? He doesn't get much ratings and he's just going to hate Trump. But there's people that only get their news from him, ABC the rest of the. And they don't know that he is not maga, that this is an assassination of Kirk, that he did hate him, it was intended for him. He horrifically took someone out in the prime of his life. And the only way you could sit there and try to rationalize is this a relationship or did he see Star cross, Did he have a hard time dealing with his gayness? Was if you didn't see the reality of how Charlie died.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yeah. Kimmel saying the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize the kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.

[Brian Kilmeade]

One of the most asinine things I ever heard.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Conspiracy, literally. Harold, there's three data points that to me we talk about a common set of facts. Left loves this. What are the common set of facts? Fact one, we showed you the text messages. Fact two, the mother said he was turning towards left wing ideology. He became enveloped in this trans ideology. Fact three, the county attorney, Jeff Gray, not a political partisan actor, said he was motivated by left wing ideology. It's an inescapable conclusion. So why can't the left acknowledge the set of facts?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, good to be back with everybody. I think that I don't. These excesses on both sides, don't, don't really, I don't get too caught up in them. I think that people can arrive at different decisions about a set of events and it's not for me to judge them or not judge them. I reach my own conclusions. I think what happened to Charlie Kirk was a total assault on our country. I didn't agree with Charlie on most things he said publicly. I didn't know him well enough to know some of his private feelings. But the public things I didn't agree with. But what I admired most about him was he believed in dissent and believed in open debate and believed in honest debate. And he certainly didn't deserve what happened. Two, I listened to President Trump when he talked about this young man's child, the suspected assassin's family. He said that it seemed like it was a good family. Maybe the President was saying it because they were supporters of him, but he said it seemed like a good family. It seems like somewhere along the line, along the line, he got radicalized. Something happened to this kid. And I think about how we, how we kind of solve these things. He may have been radicalized by left ideology and probably was, was. But Katie, I'm sorry, Kayleigh, you may Be right. I heard what, what Montel said and I had never considered what he said. He's likely wrong, but I never considered that maybe. Let's just give me one sec. Brad. We're all human and that's the opinion he reached. I don't necessarily agree with him, but here's what I do know. You look over the last several years and you see the number of killings like this. They generally have a couple things in common, at least the experts say there's either or one of all things. There's either some trauma, childhood trauma involved with these people. They have some sort of personal grievance about something. Three, there's some script or manifesto they've concocted in their head that justifies what they've done. And four, they have access to a gun. And fifth, we're seeing increasingly they're young white guys who are being radicalized or have some sort of massive exposure to something online. That's what I want to figure out how we get at. And in this case, there's no doubt. Kaylie, hold on one sec. There's no doubt the leftist ideology played a role.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm not denying even Abby, Philip, acknowledge the.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But there are a lot of people who are exposed to leftist ideology who don't kill people. There are a lot of people who are exposed to neo Nazism who don't kill people. You look at the. You look at the guy who went up to Buffalo in 20, 22, 18 years old, drove 200 miles and killed nine people in a grocery store where black. A grocery store in a black neighborhood, and he said he was a neo Nazi. I think people who have different.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That's a, that, that's apples and oranges and. I know, but let me.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Localization is what I'm.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes, okay, but. But I guess what I'm saying is when you. I understand what you're saying about the radicalization, but the mechanism of the radicalization is way different when you have a constant drumbeat of brainwash where you have eight to 10 years of people in the media. These are not like, wait, wait, wait. These are not rock stars. These are not artists saying Nazi, Nazi. These are news anchors. These are politicians. These are college professors that are actually legitimizing this and saying it over and over again. This is why this is different.

[Kennedy]

No, but here on the President.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

What a second. But President Trump said what I said. He said that something happened to. It says there was a radicalization. My only point is I want to get after that. If you're right and you probably are right, Gerald?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It's not a problem.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

It's a leftist ideology.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

How do we stop it from radicalizing it in here? But I'm going to say.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Y' all interrupt me. I was just trying to.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Very, very cut and dry. You cannot get more cut and dry than why did you kill Charlie Kirk? We could even pull up the text message. I had enough of his hatred. What did Charlie stand for? Charlie wasn't a left winger. Charlie was a mainstream conservative. Charlie was a Christian. Charlie was a constitutionalist. And the man hated that. And he wrote it in a text. Kennedy.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. I mean, not too different from Luigi Mangione's manifesto that you talked about, which, I'm sorry, if you, if you are trying to instill fear in people using your politics or based on their politics, that's terrorism. And I'm shocked that they dropped those two charges from Mangione.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

The court did. The prosecutor tried to do it. Right? The court did.

[Kennedy]

The judge allowed that. And you know, Paul Moore was like Alvin Bragg should probably appeal that. You talk about trauma. A lot of people have had trauma. A lot of people, most people have had childhood trauma. They don't go out and murder someone that they find to be abhorrent. I'm sure there's a lot of people that Oprah disagrees with. She had a very tough childhood. She's not gonna murder someone. But my problem is, you know the defense that, oh, he's this love struck teen who is so angry on behalf of his lover. A lot of people are angry. So, you know, Randy Weingarten said, well, leftists, they go to the college, they sign petitions to keep Charlie Kirk off the campus. MAGA people, Trump supporters, they're the ones who murder people. No, it was this person. And now they're trying to take this chasm between confronting someone rhetorically with ideas.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

You have to look at me. I'm agreeing with you. I'm making the point.

[Kennedy]

They are normalizing the way they've normalized the terms fascist and Hitler and authoritarian and Nazi. They're doing the same thing with murder. And they're trying to equate someone's anger, which can be voiced in words, with someone picking up a bolt action rifle and aiming it at a father's head and killing him in front of people in cold blood. It is not the same thing.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

And it is.

[Kennedy]

That is not the same thing. Just the fact you said that this. You're not gonna judge people because everyone has their own subjective interpretation. I disagree vehemently. This is objectively wrong. I don't care what side you're on, I don't care what you disagree with. I don't care what your politics are. It is never, ever okay. There's never been a better time for people like Randy Weingarten and Montel Williams, who was my favorite Montel since the 90s. But you know what?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Montel Jordan, not Montel Jordan.

[Kennedy]

It's my favorite Montel once again, because this is how we do it.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I am not suggesting in any way that I agree with him, but I give people the space. I want to understand what they're saying. Because clearly, if everyone were like you and me and you, people wouldn't be being killed while they're giving a speech. If everyone, like the five of us people, could have their views, people could state their positions, and we wouldn't have violence gripping us. We have a problem in our society, and if we think we can brush it away, flush it away by saying, oh, it's just because these leftists did this and this leftist did that, there's no brushing.

[Kennedy]

There's only.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Listen to me.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm only saying we gotta go.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

President Trump said this kid was radicalized. If we don't face this thing with social media and look at it in totality, we're unfortunately gonna be talking about this a lot more.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

We gotta run. But this only changes when people on the left like Senator Fetterman stands up and says, stop comparing Trump to Hitler. That is the only, only way this ends. All right, up next, the left is cheering on assassins. And yet President Barack Obama thinks President Trump's rhetoric is the problem.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

This is Jason Chaffetz from the Jason in the House podcast. Join me every Monday to dive deeper into the latest political headlines and chat with remarkable guests.

[Brett Baer]

Listen and follow [e-mail] or wherever you download podcasts.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Welcome back.

[Kennedy]

Former President Obama weighing in on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, calling the murder horrific and a tragedy, and accusing President Trump and his administration of fueling political division.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Watch When I hear.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Not just our current president, but his aides who have.

[Brian Kilmeade]

A history of calling political opponents vermin, enemies who need to be targeted, that speaks to a broader problem.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Broader problem.

[Kennedy]

Let me be clear. Barack Obama conveniently failing to call out the left's assassination culture and the Democrats obsession with calling Republicans Hitler.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Do you think we throw around Nazi too often?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Probably.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But also, I think it's really important.

[Greg Gutfeld]

People know their history.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Do you think that that's contributed to this or are those critics wrong? They're absolutely wrong. There should not be anyone that faces consequences because they actually know history.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We cannot allow this heinous murder to be exploited as an excuse for the advance of authoritarian rule.

[Kennedy]

All right, so, Brian, I want to go to you about President Obama. He is calling out President Trump for saying that some in his administration have used terms like vermin and enemies. But I think I remember people in the Obama and Biden administrations using very pointed, cruel language directed right at President Trump.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Deplorable. When you talk about targeting irredeemable Nazi, Nazi and Barack Obama, I always look at him as when he be when he became an ex president or I'm used to ex presidents acting above it all. You know, we used to see H.W. bush and Clinton going, helping out people after they get hit by a tidal wave or something horrific. They just came together. They stopped talking politics, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. They just become above it all, almost statesmen. I don't want to get into that. If you go up to George W. Bush now, you don't even know if he's Republican or Democrat. He won't even talk about it. Barack Obama's become more political. He has not left Washington, even though he hasn't had the job in six, seven years or a job. He's probably got $200,000 or $300,000 to sit down and talk to somebody just now over here in Pennsylvania. I expected him to have lofty, grandiose views and thinks of things he could have done better. Instead, he's got more in the mud, more in the weeds, and he's got to say to himself, what did I actually accomplish? Because it's all being undone. I'll bring it to the White House. Response? Barack Obama is the architect of the modern political division in America, famously for demeaning millions of patriotic Americans who opposed his liberal agenda, as bitter for clinging to their guns and religion. You'd have to say, even though his rhetoric was gate and his talent is fantastic, we were never as divided as we were when he was president. And he wants to make sure we never forget it.

[Kennedy]

I mean, obviously we need to learn from, internalize and somehow grow from this moment, Harold, which at this point feels a little impossible. But we have to come together and we have to do it. Was the country more or less politically divided at the end of President Obama's term?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So I think every president, I don't answer your question this way. I think it's relative, probably, but I think every president is an answer to the previous president. And first term for President Trump came after President Obama's presidency. And then President Biden came after the first term of President Trump's presidency. So you can kind of see the continuum.

[Kennedy]

Let me Write this down.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

J.K. rowling. Bob, let me replace every president's a response to the previous president. My friend Greg Constant is right to quote J.K. rowling. And I agree a lot with what she, she said something I thought was so, so important. She said, words are not violence. When you pretend that views that oppose your own are violence, you're justifying the use of actual violence towards the speaker. President Trump. I mean, President Obama, I thought, was trying to say that in the first part of that, of that sit down he had and then he said the things he said about President Trump. And I think two things can be right at once. I think timing is important. I think as we find ourselves at this moment, I wish that President Obama had said all of this right after and said to Democrats, Democrats, Republicans, particularly Democrats, this is horrible. This is, this is an affront to our country and to what we stand for. He is still the biggest, if not the biggest, one of the two biggest voices in our party. I'm glad he finally, I'm glad he finally said some words there as we sit here today. I do in my lifetime and you've worked for President Kayleigh, I've not, I don't remember a time when the president, right after a tragedy, didn't say something really trying to envelop him to bring the country together. Now, President Trump, I give him the benefit of the doubt because Charlie was a great pal of his. He considered him another son of the way that it's been described. So the personal pain had to be, had to be so gripping. But as time went on, the president, I thought President Trump has gotten better in terms of his language and bringing us together. The person that brought us together the most was this governor out there in Utah who right away said, look, we didn't riot out here. We didn't burn anything out here. People out here were upset. We are angry and we want to do everything we possibly can to bring justice to this situation. That's what we need national voices doing. And I hope that more Democrats, particularly Democrats, are doing that over the next several days.

[Kennedy]

No, he absolutely did not. So, Kayleigh, I ask you this. So if, you know, to Harold's point, and I think he's right about this, I think every successive administration is, is a response to the previous administration. So did President Trump start us down the road of attacking one another, or did that start with President Obama or even before.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I think President Trump is forced into a certain position because of the media's duplicity. When the media goes out there and does what we just played in the last block, makes this a Romeo and Juliet love story, lies about the motive. The only way to change that is the man with the biggest microphone in the world, President Trump, saying exactly what Tyler Robinson's motive was, and that is what he was doing. And good for him for doing it for Obama. And I'll do this quickly. I know we're short on time. Part of the job of the president is to pull people together. Okay. Have you talked to Joe Biden, your vice president, when he said the vaccinated have a right to be angry at the unvaccinated? Half the country should be angry at the other half? Did you talk to him when he said that those who oppose the Georgia voting law were segregationist? Half the country segregationists. Did you talk to him when he called MAGA a clear and present danger, a threat to the very foundation of the republic? They do not respect the rule of law in the Constitution. Do you talk to your vice president? Was that pulling the country together? And did you talk to him when your vice president, Joe Biden called half of the country MAGA supporters garbage? Spare me the pull the country together language and tell you talk to your former vice president because he ripped us apart for four years straight.

[Kennedy]

Yes, he was not exactly. Exactly a continuation of the Obama presidency. But where do we stand? When you've got a former president attacking a current president, does it make things better?

[Greg Gutfeld]

You know, I'm not that worried about it because, man, is he boring. Like, it's very hard to, like, actually absorb anything Obama's saying. You're just going like, come on, dude. You could drive a truck through those spaces between words. It's just like, we get it. You're important, historic. But try to speed it up a bit. He is really the most boring person on the planet, and that says something. I have a rule of thumb, though. When they say it's both sides, it's their fault. Because when it's your fault, they just say, it's your fault. You follow me? So every time you hear both sides do it, you know they're culpable. Because when it's our fault, they never say that. They just go, it's your fault. So remember that. Also, I want to go back to what I said before. You know, if you hear a performance artist say that men could get pregnant, you go, what the hell? It's a performance artist. You don't expect that from a Supreme Court justice. That's what I'm talking about. It's the migration of. Of leftist extremism into the mainstream. That is the problem that I think you have to deal with as a moderate, as the sole remaining voice of the Democratic Party. Now, let's just. I'm going to buy into this idea that both sides use derogatory language. I think it's true. I think the Democrats are more demonizing. They say you're a threat to democracy. Republicans call you a socialist. But let's just say for the sake of fun, it's equal. There's one thing you have to understand. Republicans are as square as their front lawns. There is research that shows that the right is concerned with law. The left sees law as oppressive. This is why we don't believe in a weak border. This is why we don't believe in getting rid of bail. This is why we think, if you steal $900 from, I don't know, TJ Maxx, you should go to jail. That's just in our DNA. So when you think, okay, I'm going to say Brian Kilmeade's a jerk, doesn't mean that I want people to attack him. Because that's not how Republicans and conservatives think. Because we rely on law and order to solve our problems. But for some reason, the left has been able to push this idea that violence is how you speak to power. And when you see somebody like Charlie, you realize that's power. Perhaps the most powerful conservative voice in a generation. And they go, violence is acceptable to speak to power. We don't do that. That's why when people say both sides, it's like, I'll give you that, even though I disagree. But you gotta understand, ours is cauterized. We don't move forward. We don't use our. We don't just go, like, I heard Brian say this. I'm gonna go beat up the cameraman. That's not how it works with us.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right? Why do you have to be used twice in a negative way?

[Greg Gutfeld]

I'm trying to plant a seed.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I've had death threats on me. You've had death threats on you. It goes.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I just.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

When I say both sides, I know what direct me, but I just. I just think we gotta look. But I'm not talking about trying to find answers.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I'm not talking about you. I'm not talking about you at all. And I do agree with you. I do also believe that there's an undercurrent here. Of grievance that has spread from the left and could envelop the right at some point.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yes, grievance and grief. It is a lot to grapple with as a country.

[Kennedy]

Up next, think Joe Biden could do this? President Trump dazzles the royals. Stay with us.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah, you know what it is.

[Brett Baer]

Listen to the all new Brett Baer podcast featuring Common ground in depth talks with lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle, along with all your Brett Bear favorites like his All Star panel and much more. Available [e-mail] or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Greg Gutfeld]

President Trump getting the royal treatment during his second state trip to the UK or, or uck. Riding with King Charles in a horse drawn carriage. That's right, Camila was steering it, inspecting the guard of honor at Windsor Castle, watching the Royal Air Force do a Red Arrow salute and toasting a state dinner.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Watch. We are, as a country, as you know, doing unbelievably well. We had a very sick country one year ago and today I believe we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. In fact, nobody's even questioning it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

In your face, Charles. Harold, why is this important? It's really hard to care about this, but I'm doing my best.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I've talked a lot. That's a question. I've talked a lot in the last two segments. I'll just say three quick things. The Brits do pageantry better than anyone. I hope that the president and King Charles, I know that the prime minister was there. It's really the prime minister he needs to be talking to. Had a might have had a brief conversation about Ukraine. And I hope we are able to collaborate them on AI and some of the pharma stuff they talked about. And three, the president's probably relieved we got a rate cut today which kind of throws it's a little bit of a shame on or shade when he says we're doing so well. You normally cut rates when there's some headwinds coming to the economy. I'm glad they cut rates. But more importantly, I'm congratulate the president. No president's ever gotten a second state visit. So congrats to him and the first lady.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You know, Kennedy, they always use the phrase pomp and circumstance as opposed to that. Like that's a good thing. I don't get this at all. I just don't get it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Why are you hosting this segment? You're so enthusiastic.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I picked this segment because I had nothing to say.

[Kennedy]

I don't mind it. Look at the pink segment, I'm fascinated by the 155 foot table, 4,000 pieces of cutlery, and, you know, the food sucks. Not necessarily. I would like to try for myself.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Their desserts are great.

[Kennedy]

They swap me in with Stuart Varney, which I think is really weird.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You know, why did they. Why did they send him? Because he's British.

[Kennedy]

Absolutely. Number one. But number two, I love Princess Catherine's lover's knot tiara. It's beautiful. It was a favorite of Princess Diana's. It was from Queen Elizabeth II's personal collection. And no, it was never worn by Princess Margaret, even though she fictitiously referenced it in season one of the crown.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So, Kaylie, let's talk about Prince Andrew.

[Kennedy]

That's fun.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Greg, I love your utter disdain for this segment. So you make it wholly inappropriate. Look, I will reply to that by just saying America is back as the world's hegemonic power, evidenced by the fact that this is the second state visit for President Trump and no Prince Andrew. Sorry.

[Kennedy]

All right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All right.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Brian, in the break.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Oh, gosh, I have to go to the break. I can't say anything.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

No, no, no.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, so just real quick. I was able to cover that this morning. Thanks for getting up early and thanks for your text messages. I did feel like I did a good job. We covered all this pomp and circumstance this morning. It's like we ran out of gas and cars. I thought it was in 1812 again. We had nothing but horses, carriages, and people with big hats. I thought this guy was marching really weird. But tomorrow's really going to matter because tomorrow they're going to ask to cut tariffs on steel. Tomorrow they're going to ask to help Ukraine. Tomorrow they're going to say, hey, do us a favor. Do us a favor and get a $10 billion economic deal. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, I want to reward this type of behavior. That Brexit was Trump's idea. He backed it. Soon he's got a prime minister that likes him. The British like him. Look how far he has come. Four years ago or six years ago when he was there, they thought he was an illegitimate leader. Now they can't do enough for him.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Thank God.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That shows how much that Trump. Yeah.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

If it was 1812, LJ would not have been upset with you this morning.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. We were in the middle of by the way. Wouldn't have national anthem without that war of 1812. Right.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He doesn't shut up, does he? He thinks it's his Fox and Friends.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You would Even not even know the format of Fox and Friends.

[Kennedy]

He thinks you're Steve Doocy.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He's still on, right?

[Brian Kilmeade]

I'm pretty sure.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Okay, coming up, companies won't shell out for Sleepy Joe. When investing leads to questions.

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[Brian Kilmeade]

Thank you, Billy Joel. The first new song he's done in quite a while. Meanwhile, I think that was the voice of Greg Gutfeld. Off camera. No more 10% for the big guy. According to the Wall Street Journal, companies reluctant to hire former President Biden as a paid speaker due to his unpopularity. And the bills are stacking up. $800,000 in personal debt thanks to that beach house he refinanced. Hunter's legal mess, $3 million. Ashley's got not a cheap divorce. Plus he wants to leave some money for the grandkids. Are you surprised she's having trouble? Kennedy at this point in his career.

[Kennedy]

America loves winners, right? President Obama and Michelle Obama got $65 million for their, his and her memoirs, right?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Yep.

[Kennedy]

President Trump will probably get upwards of $100 million because of his interesting story. The fact that he was voted into office, then he was beaten by Biden, then he, you know, he had a gap term, then he came back as president again after an assassination attempt. So America wants a two term president. A one term president who had to leave the race because of his mental infirmities is damaged, sad and not interesting.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And not a sought after speaker. I watched your show last night, Craig. You kind of covered this a little bit. So he, you wouldn't want President Biden to speak at your luncheon.

[Greg Gutfeld]

What would he be? What, what would he actually, what would he actually say? So my suggestion, as I mentioned last night is for the only way to make this work for Joe is to market it differently. Like it's a Cadbury creme egg. It's only available for a limited time. It's not going to last. Get it while it's hot. This might be it. This could be it. Or do it as a novelty thing where it's like, you know, he shows up at your birthday and he cuts the Cake.

[Brian Kilmeade]

He do cameo.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Does cameo. It's a shame there aren't any Love Boats anymore. Cause he'd be great doing a guest star as a Love Boat, as like a retired ship captain. But the fact is this is a guy whose entire life was based on sponging off the country, pretending to be a public servant when he was really for private gain. The status, the influence, using his title for his kids. And when he says he wants to leave money for the grandkids, does he mean all of them?

[Brian Kilmeade]

Oh, yeah, all of them. Good point.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Thanks, Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Kaylee.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yeah. He's gotta become interesting. Look, Hunter Biden made himself interesting when he started coming out like guns a blazing. I'm going after the Democrat party in the establishment. Kamala Harris has now turned on Joe. In the book, at least the excerpts we've seen. He needs to market a speech. The truth about Kamala Harris. Tell us about everything you saw behind the scenes.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And Obama.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

And Obama. And boy, they're gonna get a lot of speech.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's no memory.

[Brian Kilmeade]

He also had some bad financial decisions. 2013, got a home equity loan in his house. It's still active. He's 2024. I mean, come on. He's got a $10 million advance on him.

[Kennedy]

Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Oh, I had no idea. You got to tell me this in rehearsal.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I don't believe that we should ever let former presidents work. They're the closest things we have to royalty in this country. I've said for a long time we should take care of them and not force them to write books and give speeches and for that matter, compromise themselves. Potentially compromise America and national security. The market is speaking here. But I got to tell you say President Trump may make 100 million when he gets out. Heck, he's selling perfume, phones, bibles, bitcoin and watches. He may get that while he's there.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And I like President Trump.

[Kennedy]

God bless capitalism, Darrell.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But not while you're president. When Beau Biden did it, not be. When Hunter Biden did it. Bless his soul. When Hunter Biden did it, we criticized him. I just think we ought to be.

[Brian Kilmeade]

One of the themes of this. If he didn't choose to have a lavish lifestyle, he does get a good pension as president. We did make sure that after Jefferson and Washington and Madison, all these guys.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Senator, Double bill or. I'm not crying for him, Brian. I'm only saying every. I don't want any president, regardless of what their marketing and moneymaking powers. Because they are our royalty. We should treat them as such, right?

[Greg Gutfeld]

They are not Our royalty.

[Kennedy]

Yep.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We don't have royalty here, Harold.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

The pageantry of the British.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Up next, beards are coming back, I think. Ask Cory Booker. Yep.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Don't leave me burning here. Hit a fire on the.

[Greg Gutfeld]

After my accident recently, we asked some people about sharing their New York Times accounts.

[Kennedy]

My name is Dana. I am a subscriber to the New York Times, but my husband isn't.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

And it would be really nice to.

[Kennedy]

Be able to share a recipe or an article or compete with him in wordle or connections.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Thank you, Dana.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We heard you introducing the New York Times. Family subscription. One subscription, up to four separate logins for anyone in your life. Find out [e-mail] family.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

The New York Times asking the hard hitting questions of our times. What's with all the beards? There have been four great beard movements in history. In the second century, the middle ages, the Renaissance, and of course the late 19th century. We're currently in the fifth. Brian, you had a beard when I first met you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I did. Never had a beard. You are lying. I don't even think we're allowed to grow beards. Could you find out Kennedy, if we can grow beards? Abraham Lincoln was the first president to grow a beard because an 11 year old asked him to. And that shows we should listen to children. What is that? That's ridiculous. Benjamin Harrison.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

That's how Brian looked when he first met him.

[Brian Kilmeade]

There you go. I think that I want to see stats on this. But they point to the beard boys. Like Mayor Pete is now wearing a beard. Senator Chris Murphy now wearing a beard.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

People think they look tougher.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Ted Cruz actually looks better with a beard.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Also got a beard. Cory Booker.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Really?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, I just saw it last night. Or maybe he just didn't shave. I don't know.

[Kennedy]

He's shaving.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Kaylee, you have an affinity for baseball in a serious and meaningful way. There's a great movement in baseball where a lot of these guys are having beards. Like in the last five, 10 years. What do you feel about this question in politics?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yes, you're exactly right, Harold. Two beards are acceptable. The baseball beard and the duck hunting beard. My husband and Ted Cruz, different people grow beards from now until early next year. Acceptable. They look good. Only two kinds.

[Kennedy]

Baseball beards are not acceptable for the New York Yankees. And I will die on that hill. The Yankees have a tough time when they've got players on the field who have beards. I. I'm not the first time ever to go back to the no facial hair policy. A good Mustache is fine. Beards? Absolutely not. They will never see the World Series again if they keep up with the beard policy. Gandalf, ZZ Top, Ulysses S. Grant. Some great beards in history.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Mr. Gutfeld.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Short people cannot pull off a beard because we look like leprechauns. You ever notice that? You don't see short people with beards.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I know that.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Start looking.

[Kennedy]

Go to Notre Dame. You'd be a great mascot.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Oh, there we go. You look good with the beard. I like it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

What you guys do all day?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yes. Yeah.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

No Yankees. One more thing is up next.

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[Kayleigh McEnany]

It's time now for one more thing, Greg.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Tonight we got a great show. We got Kat, Tim, Tyrus, Jeff Dye and Dr. Drew. That's tonight. And what are we doing now? Greg's Itchy Warty Pig News starring Brett Hume.

[Juan Williams]

Check out this woody pig laying in the sun while enjoying getting the belly scratches with my good friend Juan Williams over there. And delightful Molly Hemingway at the Jacksonville Zoo. The woody pigs are native to the tropical rainforest where mud baths become a common indulgence. You know what's a great indulgence? Mary Kathryn Ham. She's quite a talent. Brian Kilmeade. Why are you only on in the mornings? I'd love to see you in the evenings as well. You're just. You're an unrecognizable talent. Anyway, back to you, Kaylee.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Thank you. You remember my name, Harold.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I saw this young man all week long, Andre gunter, this brave 13 year old kid. We're talking about young people who are radicalized online to hate this kid, been radicalized to be kind. And this is a young man that jumped on top of his classmates, his six year old classmates at Annunciation School. Saved their lives. He was. That's his. I think that's his mom. That looks like his mom. He was on with her. And the way he described his story, Brian and Greg and Kaylee and Lisa were really, it was just unbelievable. So thank you, young man. God bless you. And may more kids get radicalized on kindness and selflessness and love. Like this kid.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

A hero. I'm going to throw this out there really quick and then get to Brian. My new show, Saturday in America airs today, 10am on Saturday. Thank you. And my first guest is Caroline Levin.

[Brian Kilmeade]

The heir of Paris. That's going to be great. And you'll have 2 hours and 50 minutes. An hour and 50 minutes to fill this.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm going to get you to come.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's going to cost you. One more thing. I have to salute the 1980 hockey team. They won the gold medal. I don't know if you heard, Greg, but the Congress officially passed legislation honoring that team. They gave the US that great Cold War victory, a bunch of teenagers who beat the Soviets, and the next thing you know, it collapsed. Don't tell me these two incidents are not linked. I will teach a social studies class. For the right price. That's what I got. Thank you, Congress, for passing something of importance. Elise Stefanik and Pete Stauber.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I love it. Kennedy.

[Kennedy]

All right. Let's go to Australia. Let's go. Dananda, where a giant whale was freed by the SeaWorld Foundation. He was caught up in fishing gear. It took him about an hour. No whales were harmed in this rescue. And like Moby Dick, he. He lived to see another day. And torture fisher people all over that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Part of the world will scare me.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Wow. What a wonderful.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And you had four seconds to.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I did. That's it for us. Have a great night.

[Brett Baer]

It's Will tame country. Watch it live at noon Eastern Monday through [e-mail] or on the Fox News YouTube channel. And don't miss the show. Listen and follow the podcast five days a week at foxnewspodcasts.com or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Listen to the Five Ad Free on Amazon Music with your prime membership or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.