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

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."

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)

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.”

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

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.