Open Mic At The Rose Garden

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Five – "Open Mic At The Rose Garden"

Date: October 21, 2025
Podcast: The Five
Host: FOX News Podcasts
Panelists: Jesse Watters, Kayleigh McEnany, Jessica Tarlov, Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld

---

Overview

In this episode, the hosts of "The Five" dive into the hottest political stories dominating the week. They tackle President Trump’s approach to the ongoing government shutdown, his controversial drug interdiction campaign in the Caribbean, the uproar over his planned White House ballroom, and weigh in on the state of Democratic Party messaging and media coverage. Throughout, the panel keeps the tone lively, blending punchy commentary, heated debate, humor, and their trademark banter.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. President Trump and the Government Shutdown

Main Points:

• Trump is framed as winning the shutdown battle, with the panel noting that his approval rating remains steady or has slightly improved.
• Democrats are accused of stalling and drawn out "optional suffering" while Trump is depicted as wanting to reopen the government.
• Disagreement over public polling: McEnany highlights mixed poll results on Trump’s standing and challenges the narrative that the shutdown is helping Democrats.
• Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld lampoon the idea that shutdowns show the government as largely non-essential.

Notable Quotes:

“The first shutdown...was hurting Donald Trump. This one is not hurting him at all.” – Greg Gutfeld [02:00]

“The American public blames them [Republicans] for it because they are the ones that are in charge.” – Kayleigh McEnany [03:39]

“Polls are for nerds and strippers, and I’m fresh out of nerds.” – Greg Gutfeld [07:58]

Timestamps:

• [00:34–07:54] Shutdowns, poll results, and political messaging
• [07:55–10:26] The clean CR and the debate over government essentials

---

2. Trump’s Drug Interdiction Campaign in the Caribbean

Main Points:

• Trump’s aggressive bombing operations against narco-trafficers is discussed, with panelists split on legality and effectiveness.
• Dana Perino supports the strategy, emphasizing the magnitude of the opioid crisis.
• Jessica Tarlov raises due process and humanitarian concerns, referencing potential collateral damage and lack of evidence for some killings.
• Broader geopolitical implications: Jesse Watters ties Colombia’s alignment with China to U.S. drug enforcement posture.

Notable Quotes:

"I am totally in agreement...We should bomb the crap out of Colombia and take their cocaine and Cuba’s next." – Greg Gutfeld, tongue-in-cheek [12:01]

"This is such a winning issue. And Trump is always smart in taking the position and forcing the left to take the opposite position." – Dana Perino [13:26]

"Drug traffickers also have rights. The law applies. We should have the evidence. They should be charged with something..." – Jessica Tarlov [15:37]

Timestamps:

• [11:13–18:17] Bombings, Colombia and the China angle, due process concerns

---

3. Karine Jean-Pierre’s Media Tour and Democratic Messaging

Main Points:

• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s new book and TV blitz are mocked for “gaslighting” and perpetuating false narratives around Biden’s presidency.
• The panel criticizes the media’s belated scrutiny of Biden and the supposed lack of candor from both media and Democratic spokespeople.
• The group discusses Kamala Harris’s positioning for a 2028 run and internal Democratic grievances.

Notable Quotes:

“KJP is expected to lie and cover for her boss. That’s her job. That wasn’t the media’s job from 2020 to 2024. Yet they did it anyway.” – Greg Gutfeld [23:44]

“You don’t get it in advance for an op-ed...but I don’t feel like it’s telling you anything about the party or the direction of where we’re going.” – Kayleigh McEnany [22:10]

Timestamps:

• [18:50–27:30] KJP, Biden’s media coverage, Kamala’s book, 2028 ambitions

---

4. White House East Wing Demolition & The New Ballroom

Main Points:

• Trump’s decision to build a $250 million White House ballroom sets off a firestorm of criticism and parody, including musical skits on "The View."
• Some panelists lament the loss of historical integrity, while others highlight positive precedents and stress that donors—not taxpayers—are footing the bill.
• The debate spirals into Trump’s legacy and broader questions about presidential power, ambition, and symbolism.

Notable Quotes:

"He’s pooping on the American people, literally.” – Greg Gutfeld, mocking the outrage [28:42]

“If every single Trump action is the end of the world and the end of history...then really nothing is.” – Jessica Tarlov [30:27]

“Democrats are upset because Trump is so unconstrained and he’s so ambitious, and he’s wielding executive power so confidently, and none of their presidents ever did...” – Jesse Watters [30:34]

Timestamps:

• [27:30–34:28] Ballroom construction, historical analogies, fundraising questions

---

5. Lighter Segment: Travel Hacks for Couples

Main Points:

• A trending “airport divorce” travel hack suggests couples split up after clearing security to reduce stress, which the panel generally ridicules.
• Panelists joke about traveling with spouses, kids, and the actual sources of travel arguments.

Notable Quotes:

“The issue isn’t after security, you moron. It’s before security. It’s the trip to the airport, waiting in line. That’s where all the fights happen.” – Greg Gutfeld [35:37]

Timestamps:

• [35:03–37:02] Travel hacks, family life, panel banter

---

6. One More Thing: Human Interest & Upcoming Guests

Highlights:

• Dana plugs the "Go Pink" charity event for breast cancer survivors.
• Greg shares a humorous wildlife clip.
• The group recaps oddball news: Oregon’s pumpkin regatta, Madrid’s sheep parade, travel with kids, and plugs for other FOX shows.
• Dana announces an upcoming interview with Senator John Fetterman, praising his independent streak.

Notable Quotes:

“He recently said, ‘I know and love people who voted for President Trump. They are not fascists, they’re not Nazis. They’re not trying to destroy the Constitution.’” – Dana Perino on Sen. Fetterman [40:18]

Timestamps:

• [37:25–40:48] Human interest, charity, show promotions

---

Notable Moments & Quick Hits

• Panel humor: Regular barbs and running jokes, e.g., “Polls are for nerds and strippers” (Gutfeld [07:58]), mocking "The View"’s protest songs, and playful digs at each other's “meanest” comments yet ([26:16]).
• Pop culture references: Trump’s comparison to "Weekend at Bernie’s," references to bowling alleys, pool parties, and reality TV.
• Cultural critique: Gutfeld and Watters frame “media bias” as a reason why Democratic strategies are failing.
• Historical perspective: Dana Perino recounts prior structural changes to the White House to put Trump’s project in context ([34:12]).

---

Tone and Style

The episode maintains an irreverent, sarcastic, and quick-fire style, characteristic of "The Five," with panelists frequently layering policy critique with banter, pop cultural jabs, and humorous analogies. The tone moves quickly between serious analysis and tongue-in-cheek commentary, giving equal space to political developments and lighter lifestyle topics.

---

For New Listeners

This episode showcases "The Five" blending political analysis with lively conversation and humor. If you missed it, expect sharp opinions, memorable quips, and a mix of earnest critique with playful ribbing, all focusing on the week’s most controversial headlines.

Transcript

[Jessica Tarlov]

Optimism isn't sunshine and rainbows. It's fixing things, changing things, changing the.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Way we fix things.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Rolled up sleeves, breaking through growing power.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

To meet growing needs.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Working to run the world on smarter.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Energy every day, taking power where the.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Grid'S never been, then getting up and doing it again.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Because if optimism never stops, then change can't either. GE Vernova the energy of change.

[Jesse Watters]

Hello, everybody. I'm Jesse Waters along with Kayleigh McEnany, Jessica Guitar Love, Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld. It's five o' clock in New York City and this is the five open mic at the Rose Garden. President Trump was throwing back Diet Cokes in the Oval, then stepping out to serve up some insults as he hosted a lunch with Republican senators in the beautifully renovated Space 47, blasting the Democrats for keeping the government shut down and sicking Darth Vader on them. We have Darth Vader. You know Darth Vader, right? Darth Vader is a man who. I think he's sitting right. Is that Darth? Stand up, please. Darth Vader, stand up. Does everybody know this is. They call him Darth Vader. I call him a fine man, but he's cutting Democrat priorities and they're never going to get him back. But Darth will be the least of the Democrats worries. Democrat senators are, quote, terrified of getting the guillotine if they vote to end the shutdown. Meanwhile, the no Kings boomers might break a hip after hearing this news. President Trump is winning the shutdown battle and the numbers prove it. This shutdown hasn't eaten into Donald Trump support at all.

[Greg Gutfeld]

His net approval rating is actually up.

[Jesse Watters]

A point in, in terms of his popular support.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So the bottom line is this. The first shutdown during Trump's first term, 2018, 2019 was hurting Donald Trump. This one is not hurting him at all. There's no real reason Donald Trump might say, at least when it comes to popular support, I want to get out of this shutdown.

[Jesse Watters]

And despite the fawning coverage of the no Kings protests, crazy Bernie actually thinks the media is on Trump's side. What they are trying to do, and.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I touched on this a little bit.

[Jesse Watters]

In my remarks, is to say to ordinary people, hey, look, we got ICE agents breaking down doors. We got U.S. troops in Portland and Chicago. We're powerful. We are really powerful. You got nothing. Who are you? We got Elon Musk. We got all of the billionaires on our side. We own the media. Our people are buying elections.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You know, we, you know, you can't.

[Jesse Watters]

Run against Us because we have so much money. And by the way, you know, you know, we control it all. You're nothing. Go home. Who the hell do you think you are? All right, so Jessica, that poll just goes right in your face because you always say how the Democrats are winning the shutdown battle and it doesn't look like it.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Well, that poll was about Donald Trump's personal approval rating. And when I saw this in our packet, I thought, oh my God, it's going to be some enormous number. And then it was plus one. And there's also from the same time during the shutdown, the AP poll which has him at his lowest second term approval at 37%. So, you know, take it for what you will. Harry Anton was back on TV this morning with one that I feel like would be in your face. He said. I was shocked to see how Dems have gained on party ID per Gallup. Dems lead by seven points versus a tie at the start of the year. Looks a lot more like 2018 cycle than 2022. 2018. I like that very, very much. But the shutdown is about the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Greg will taunt me about 2028, but Donald Trump will not be on the ballot. If he is, then the TDS is going to be through the roof. And Republicans are losing the shutdown battle between 10 and 15 percentage points. The American public blames them for it because they are the ones that are in charge. They are in charge of every facet of government and they have to compromise to get something done. They have to come to the table. And Mike Johnson has been having these calls with his caucus and members from all over the country are saying to him, we want to at least come back to work. He's keeping the government closed. He's not bringing them back so that they.

[Jesse Watters]

This is in the Senate. He doesn't have anything to do with the House.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

But you need the House to vote.

[Jesse Watters]

On after the Senate goes.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yes, I understand you guys in the.

[Jesse Watters]

Senate are not voting to open the government.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Right?

[Jesse Watters]

Right.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Well, we don't want to. They're not making a compromise with us.

[Dana Perino]

John, you don't have the numbers.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Then get 60 senators. The issue why we do health care. Actually, the voters actually trust us on it. They're wondering where your concepts of a.

[Dana Perino]

Plan are taking you.

[Jesse Watters]

You would have won the White House if you don't have any power in Washington.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Trump is 36 on health and you're.

[Jesse Watters]

Minus 897 on that.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Sounds official.

[Dana Perino]

Fact checks number one, Harry and 10 went on to say fewer than half are blaming Trump for the shutdown. So we did have shutdowns in his polling. Number two, Donald Trump and Barack Obama's net approval ratings on average are about the exact same at this point. Their second term, both hovering around 45%. Joe Biden was 43% worst approval since FDR, or, excuse me, going back to Carter since. So Trump's doing fine in the polls. Number two, you say we have no health care plan. Mike Lawler has put together a plan with 13 Democrats. He says let's extend the subsidies for a year and figure out how to bring down health care costs that have skyrocketed since Obama. Johnson says, where's Chuck Schumer? Where is Hakeem Jeffries partnering with them? They're not. What they're doing instead is refusing to pass a CR. 12 times, to Jesse's point, 12 times the Senate has voted down the cross. 13 times Senate Democrats voted for CRS during Biden's tenure. The only thing that has changed is the president. They won't come to the table on health care. And then finally, the last thing I would say is John Thune said, let's play let's pay the military, let's pay workers. Democrats said, no, no, no, we're going to shoot that down too. They are maximizing pain to cater to the radical left wing socialists animating Mamdani in the entirety of your party.

[Jesse Watters]

Dana Perino.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yes, well, yes, well, no, go right ahead. Well, I said at the very beginning when this started that we know how this ends. And it's just the Democrats are deciding to draw out the pain, right? The suffering is optional and they are taking the option government shutdowns. Whoever wants to reopen the government, that's the side that wins. President Trump wants to reopen the government. Therefore the president is winning by a little. But also the Democrats aren't doing anything to help themselves. When is the last time you saw a Democrat on TV making a compelling case? They change the topic all the time. You know, I'm a podcast enthusiast. I listen to a bunch. Listen to a Democrat today. Some great ideas about social media and about the state of the Democratic Party. Never once did they talk about health care or the situation with the shutdown. It's not even on the front page of any of the papers. I checked today with friends who live in Virginia, especially Northern Virginia, there's that big gubernatorial race. It's not in any of the ads. They're talking about abortion and Jay Jones. So to me, the consultants or the people who are spending money on the issues, they know that it is not working for them. But the closer we get to the cutoff for military families not getting money or air traffic controllers getting that zero on their paycheck, that's when everybody collectively might have a little bit more pain. And the Democrats might find a way to find 10 senators to strategically allow them to do this. Because the fever pitch for wanting the shutdown happened last March when Chuck Schumer went ahead and did the vote for the cr. And then all of the progressives started saying, aoc, you have to primary him, we have to get him out, hence we are in this position. So how long do they want to draw out the pain in order to play Chuck Schumer's game?

[Jesse Watters]

Greg, what are your thoughts on the clean cr?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Thank you. Thank you. I've been waiting for months to say that. Well, it's a good question. You know what I always say, polls are for nerds and strippers and I'm fresh out of nerds. Just wrote that down. Look, the politicians biggest fear is that people realize much of what the government does is not essential. The government was created purely for things that we cannot do. The essentials, like military, not trans military. But over time it transformed into a massive, ever expanding monster that is designed for its own self preservation. Government was great until it got rich. And then as money flowed in, so did the corruption and the rent seeking the non essential now dwarfs the essential and it fights to the death for its survival. That's why like you have a temporary spending bill that was supposed to be temporary, but you know, it's easy to invite but impossible to evict when you have bureaucrats. And it's funny to see the same people who are marching against no kings fighting for a ever increasing government, especially one that tells you how to behave. I mean, under Biden, we actually had a government that told that invaded your bedroom, invaded your family's bedrooms, invaded your children's locker rooms. You can't get more unessential and intrusive than that. If you are against no king, against no kings, or for no kings, I forgot what it was. Then you should be happy the government's shut down because they're out of your way. Finally, every time Bernie mentions billionaires, we have to point out the hypocrisy and the weakness of that argument. There are 900 billionaires in the United States. You're gonna focus all your energy on 900 people when there are 370 million people in the United States? There's probably out of there. A million criminals, many of them violent on the street. People care about illegal immigration. They care about criminals. These are things that you could score. The billionaires. What are you going to do? The only reason why he says billionaires, because he can't say millionaires. He can't say millionaires. He used to, but he can't because he became one now that he's a millionaire, now that Liz Warren's a millionaire, Gavin Newsom is a millionaire. You go down the line, you can't actually incriminate yourself. You know, this is the problem with demonizing the rich. Sooner or later, you're going to want to become one. And then what do you do?

[Jesse Watters]

All right, well said, Greg.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Up next. Thank you, Jesse.

[Jesse Watters]

You're not welcome. President Trump gets threatened after nuking narco terrorists in the Caribbean.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Ain't nothing but a party, y'. All.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm Elmer Heinrich.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's Will Tane 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.

[Jesse Watters]

Updated all my stats. My breath smelling like Similac can tell by the friendly chat.

[Greg Gutfeld]

President Trump's dream drug boat bombing campaign ruffling plenty of feathers across the South American countries that spent decades turning a blind eye to the deadly poison flowing north. So far, 34 narco terrorists have been killed, leaving only two survivors. One got repatriated to Colombia, the country not the college, and another to Ecuador. Meanwhile, Colombia's far left president Gustavo Petro is musing about removing Trump in a medicine interview after Trump called him, quote, an illegal drug leader.

[Jesse Watters]

Humanity has a first option to change Trump in various ways. It could be through Trump himself, the easiest way, if not remove Trump.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You know, Dana, I am totally in agreement with what you said in the green room. We should bomb the crap out of Colombia and take their cocaine and Cuba's next.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Don't forget that. I added that part at the end.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Why is he saying this?

[Jessica Tarlov]

That actually might be true.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Is he just trying to play Trump's game? Little muscle flexing?

[Jessica Tarlov]

Well, I think just remember, everybody has their own constituency, right? And everybody, he's the leader of his country. And there are questions about, wait, what are we doing? I get, I get it. I've been just say no kids since the 80s. I hate drugs. I don't want them coming into our country. But I also Understand the need to be like, okay, well, how do we know that these are the people? Maybe we do know. Could we get some more information? Or. Don't tell me. I don't need to know, but could you make sure that Congress knows? And if they're cool with it, then all is good. But when it comes to the Colombian leader, it's just. It's a shame, because 15, 20 years ago, there was a really good partnership between the United States and Colombia, and the leadership in that part of the world has never been able to get a stronghold. That's why so many people were fleeing. They wanted to come to America. If they just would focus on governance and rule of law in their own country, they wouldn't be in this position.

[Greg Gutfeld]

They need Sophia Vergara. That's what I say. Kelly, you heard it here first. Don't you think that this issue is effective for Trump? Because people understand it as a real issue. Again, it's not a concept. It's something you could score. Drugs are bad. Stop the drugs.

[Dana Perino]

Bingo. 72,000, 276 is the number of fentanyl opioid deaths in 2023. Donald Trump is saying, I see these ships. I could intercept them, but I'm going to obliterate them because I'm going to be on the side of destroying people who are poisoning America. This is such a winning issue. And Trump is always smart in taking the position and forcing the left to take the opposite position. And while the left is so hung up on where can he do this constitutionally? Well, he has the commander in chief power. We've had people do all kinds of military strikes, the Houthis and. And the Houthis in Yemen. For by way of example, Article 1, Section 8. Yes, Congress can declare war. They do declare war. That's their purview. But limited strikes against enemy combatants like this are entirely appropriate. And while the left is so hung up on making these legal arguments, President Trump's just saying, I'm obliterating poison coming into the United States. 72,000 deaths is too much in one year. Not on my watch. And Democrats are taking the side of the narco terrorist.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, Jessica, you love my face.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah.

[Greg Gutfeld]

But you know what's interesting too, though, is, okay, so we go after the supply. We can't seem to do anything about the demand. We are a country that. That is addicted to drugs, but our enemies take advantage of that. Right, because they know that we buy drugs. So we have to kind of take it to them. We have no choice.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Well, I think that there is always a choice. And you're right about the demand issue. And I wish that we could do more about that. And this, I mean, this has been going on forever, that we have a drug consumption problem here and a drug supply problem coming from south and Latin America. So I totally get that. But when you're looking at how this fight is being executed at this particular moment, it doesn't make a lot of sense. First and foremost, the fact that no one can confirm that we've actually been taking out narco traffickers or huge drug traffickers, however you want to say it. And last week when we were talking about this, Dana had just seen the alert that the admirable at the that the admiral in charge of the Southern Command had resigned. And he was the one who was in charge of this. And the reporting is, is that he wasn't comfortable with the mission and had been pushing back within the Pentagon. And do you think he would have resigned if everything was by the book? So we have 32 people that have been killed so far, seven individual strikes. We know that the Colombian president is alleging at least that an innocent fisherman was murdered. We know that there's a family from Trinidad who's saying that a member of their family was killed. And then it is really important that we have repatriated two people, one to Colombia, one to Ecuador, because that indicates that we don't have any evidence to prosecute them, that we didn't know who these guys were, because if you did have evidence, you would bring them before a court. And I know that you're going to make fun of me and I am prepared for it each and every day. But drug traffickers also have rights. The law applies. We should have the evidence. They should be charged with something and they should come before a court of law. And Rand Paul was on the Sunday shows this weekend and he said to Kristen Welker, when you kill someone, if you're not in a declared war, which we are not Congress with the war powers, you really need to know someone's name. At least you have to accuse them of something. You have to present evidence. So all these people have been blown up without any evidence of a crime. They're also saying that it's about fentanyl. And people, you know, who analyze the area are saying that there is drugs that go through, but it's mostly cocaine and marijuana that are headed actually to Europe and to Africa. So the government story is not adding up.

[Jesse Watters]

Well, if you're a cartel, you have lots of different product lines. Jessica Heroin you got heroin, you got fentanyl, you got cocaine, you got marijuana. You take out a boat and it hurts the main cartel. Listen, these guys aren't fishing, Jessica.

[Greg Gutfeld]

They.

[Jesse Watters]

This is a submarine. How do you fish from a submarine? You don't. You move drugs throughout the Caribbean. It's so much bigger than just drugs, Jessica. Let me explain it. The Colombians made two huge mistakes. They joined China's Belt and Road initiative and they joined the BRICS Development Bank. There's a huge competition between China and the United States, and Colombia chose the wrong horse. The they bet against the dollar, they bet against the United States. And now this guy, Petro, his term's up in 2026. We're going to get a new guy in there that aligns with the United States, okay? It's a very strategic country, okay? It links north and South America. You got the Pacific right there. You got the Caribbean. You got both seas right there. It's a major transit corridor for migration and for trade. You gotta have Colombia on your side. You can't have the Chinese in there dominating. So this and the Venezuela play are about maintaining U.S. dominance in our own backyard.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Well put.

[Dana Perino]

Was it?

[Greg Gutfeld]

I think so, yeah.

[Dana Perino]

Well done.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. All right, let's move on, shall we? Up next, Carrie Jean Pierre takes her gaslighting tour to the ladies of the View.

[Dana Perino]

Karine Jean Pierre's new book, Independent, is hitting shelves today, and she's on a full blown media tour reminding voters exactly why her party tagged Tanked last year. Her answers were loaded with delusion, identity politics, and nonstop excuses for Biden's diminished mental acuity.

[Jesse Watters]

He talked way less to the press.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Than Donald Trump does.

[Dana Perino]

Way less. People weren't paying attention to what we.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Were doing at the White House, but.

[Jesse Watters]

I paid attention that.

[Jessica Tarlov]

I'm with you on the policies.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I'm talking about his performance.

[Jessica Tarlov]

The President. The president spoke to the American people a couple times a week.

[Dana Perino]

The way that he was treated in.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Those three weeks was awful. It was deplorable. I had never seen this visceral reaction and the attack on this man who, you know, by objectively had a good three years as a black woman. As a person who's also lgbtq, I feel as if those communities that I am part of largely get taken for granted.

[Dana Perino]

Well, not to be outdone, another member of the Biden Book Club is soaking up the attention Democrats desperately wish came with a return policy. Kamala Harris seems to be teasing a 2028 run.

[Jessica Tarlov]

We have to win on everything, and it's about not Only elections, but around this, this war on disinformation and also just lifting up the ability of us as Americans to trust each other. There's a lot of work to be done and I'm in it and I'm here for the fight.

[Dana Perino]

A lot of Republicans cheered at that moment. You know, Dana, the objectively false statement by Karine Jean Pierre that Biden somehow spoke more than Trump. I mean, I'm looking at an Axios article. Biden has engaged in fewer press conferences and media interviews than any of the last seven presidents.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Well, I guess I'm going to give her points for consistency because if you think back to the briefings when you had the split screen of Bill Millucian at the border with migrant, illegal migrants just coming across at Del Rio Pass or whatever that was, I think that's what it was called. She would say the border is closed. Obviously the border is closed. Like, well, okay, no, then inflation said there is no inflation. What are you talking about? She echoed the points from the chief of staff at the time and said it's a high class problem. So there is that. Also, she said there was no crime. So now she's saying that Biden spoke more than Trump. So I'm thinking that consistency is what she's going for here. She has declined to come on America's Newsroom. She doesn't wanna come do an interview with me, although she would find she'd get a lot more viewers here. She'd get a fair shake. But because she doesn't wanna come on, this is the question I think I would ask her. Are you okay? Are you all right? Because you realize you don't have to do this. And if she says, yes, I'm okay, I'm all right, then we all know that she's doing it on purpose. She, as Jessica said, everybody gets a choice for what they want to say. This is her choice.

[Dana Perino]

It is a choice. I mean, Jessica, look, she says, we were always honest about Biden, his mental acuity. I understand her loyalty to the president. He empowered her. I get that. But it's just, again, objectively false to say you didn't see this. I mean, Carl Bernstein said the guy froze up like he had rigor mortis at an event. And there were 15 to 20 occasions of this. And Olivia News is debating how dead Biden appeared to be in a press interaction with other reporters. Like everyone saw this?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yeah. And there have been a lot of people who testified, who have written op eds, who have done interviews, who I think didn't, you know, lose their loyalty to him by talking about their experience. And from what I've heard, that the Biden family is not mad at those people. They're just doing their best to not break the law. Right. Especially when you're under oath and you're testifying and to be objective about what happened. And, you know, I think it sounds like from what's in this book that it could have been a long form op ed and that it didn't need to be a several hundred page book. And I get it. You don't. You don't get it in advance for an op ed or it's not that good as whatever she got. But I don't feel like it's telling you anything about the party or the direction of where we're going. And you can make fun of Kamala all you want, and I know that you guys enjoy that, but her book is telling you something about who she is, how she's thinking about herself and her positioning in the Democratic Party. This, to me, just feels like weird fluff. And we've already had this conversation 100 times. It's not moving the ball forward for me.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yeah.

[Dana Perino]

The Kamala book was like a grievance tour with the Democratic Party. But you're right, there were some honest parts of it. You know, Greg, Jesse enjoyed it. Jesse.

[Jesse Watters]

I did. Because it was juicy and gossipy.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah. Greg, Kamala says I am the leader of the party, and I know that that is welcome in Republican circles.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. I want. I want to focus on kjp because I. I'm on her team. I think that this entire conversation is missing the point.

[Jesse Watters]

There's.

[Greg Gutfeld]

KJP is nothing compared to this suddenly caring media who are jumping all over her. Where were they? They are now discovering their journalistic purpose. No, KJP is expected to lie and cover for her boss. That's her job. That wasn't the media's job from 2020 to 2024. Yet they did it anyway. The bulwark didn't speak truth to power over Biden. They were just a never Trump cutout. Gayle King, she said, oh, it was so obvious. Well, it was so obvious. Why did you say something when it was happening? Carl Bernstein, who kept saying everything was worse than Watergate. Well, apparently Joe Biden's infirmity wasn't worse than Watergate until he was gone. This drives me crazy. It's hilarious how they all mock her now. And the reason is, it's because they know that they're at fault because they were willing to put A cadaver in front of Trump. They probably would have done the same with any other Republican, too. But they would say, trump is so evil, we'll even roll out Weekend at Bernie's. But the fact is, they would have done that to Mitt Romney, too. So who's the most successful politician this century? Donald Trump, with 98% of the media against them. Then you look at the KJPs, you look at the Joe Bidens, you look at the Kamala Harris's. They're all abject, pathetic figures. They're failures. And they had the media on their side. They failed. What does that tell you? An allied slobbering media does you no favors. It leaves you as an incompetent, arrogant, entitled fool. It's like parents who spoil a child so much that that child has no ambition, doesn't have to do anything, sits on the couch. That's the Democrat Party right now sitting on the couch. They don't know how to get up. Meanwhile, Trump, he's like the kid that the parents said, no, you gotta work your way through school. When you're 18, you gotta get out of the House. So he gets out. He does, and so he has no favors. He's not expecting them. And he goes and he gets it on his own. And what happens? You have one of the greatest presidents you're ever going to see in your lifetime. The Democrats have to learn this, that the media is not your friend. Especially now. The more the media gets behind you, the more people are going to hate you because they don't trust the media anymore. They hate them.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah. And the media suddenly found their voice, Jesse, and is asking KJP questions like, what? Five years too late.

[Jesse Watters]

You know, this show has come such a long way when Greg is now making parenting analogies. It is. It's amazing. And what Dana said about kjp. That's the meanest Dana has ever sounded.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Wow.

[Jesse Watters]

She should really do your show. So she's got off to a really bad start. And she says she's an independent, but she can't think independently. She's still Biden's press secretary. She's still having this debate about whether Joe is fit enough to be commander in chief. We did this a year ago. She's like Rip Van Winkle. She went to sleep. A year later, she's waking up. Well, we did this already. And Kamala is saying she's the captain. Like a month ago, she said there's millions of voices in the Democrat Party. And now she wants to be captain. Now captains don't write, tell alls. So this is my thing. I think she's running. She is running. Think about it. She's been vp, she's been senator. She can't make money. No one's going to pay her. There's only one way to go, and that's the White House. So she's going to run against Gavin, she's going to lose, and then when she does, she's going to call him a racist.

[Dana Perino]

I 100% agree with you. I think she's running.

[Jesse Watters]

She's running.

[Dana Perino]

Ready to sign my name to it?

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yep.

[Dana Perino]

All right, we'll see. Up next, demolition derangement syndrome. Ladies of the View breaking into song. Ouch. Over the construction of Trump's big, beautiful ballroom.

[Jesse Watters]

She say love you, wish you mean it. Boy, I'll see you when I'm dreaming. I can't wait to feel you.

[Dana Perino]

So what are you thinking?

[Jesse Watters]

Always fought for you on your worst days. Then you told me that. I said, if I do this again, I'm going to get a ballroom built.

[Greg Gutfeld]

And we're putting up our own money.

[Jesse Watters]

With the government is paying for nothing. You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back. You hear that sound? Oh, that's music to my ears. I love that sound. Other people don't like it. I love it.

[Jessica Tarlov]

So President Trump sounding off as demolition begins on the East Wing of the White House to make way for his new $250 million ballroom. Not everyone is a fan. The View was breaking out into protest songs.

[Jesse Watters]

You don't own it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You cannot take it down.

[Jesse Watters]

You don't own it.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Tacky Gordy Nasty Ballroom.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He's pooping on the American people, literally.

[Jesse Watters]

But to take literally a wrecking ball.

[Greg Gutfeld]

To the White House, it's grotesque, just grotesque. Far different.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yeah, painful. I mean, this is historic spirit.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's history being torn to shreds.

[Jessica Tarlov]

There's so much beauty and history in the East Wing. So it's sad to see that, you know, that huge hole there. Caroline Levitt had a post about Teddy Roosevelt building the West Wing, Taft making the executive office into the Oval. You can make improvements. I'm a traditionalist. I love tradition. But I do think you can make improvements along the way. And to have a ballroom wouldn't be a terrible thing. Plus, taxpayers are not paying for it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That is so true. And remember, Nixon added a bowling alley and Bill Clinton put mirrors above the beds. I understand Morning Joe upset. Mika knows a bad facelift when she sees one. Dems don't understand. Trump goes back to what he said, when I work my ass off, he does multiple things every day. That's what he's done all his life. Democrats will say, how can you work on this, this redesign when we have a war in the Middle East? He says, I'm actually working on the Middle east, too. I'm also dealing with Putin and Zelinsky. I got the. The I border over here. Democrats don't understand that you can do different things at once. They can only do one thing, and that one thing is have a conversation. And then they pretend that the conversation is action. Oh, we'll talk about that. Let's talk about it. That's why nothing got done. That's why no kings. Everybody's freaking out because they're not used to seeing action in your face. Jessica, preemptively.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Jesse, if every single Trump action is the end of the world and the end of history and the end of the country, then really nothing is.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah, I wouldn't make a big deal out of this. Gavin can hold a little ball in there, or whoever the next Democrat president is. The Democrats are upset because Trump is so unconstrained and he's so ambitious, and he's wielding executive power so confidently, and none of their presidents ever did, and nothing they can do can check his power. They feel like they've squandered the opportunity in the executive office to do grand things, to make peace deals, to redo the World Trade Order, and they're looking at a guy who they thought was just like a pockmark in history come back and be a consequential president. And he's so consequential, he's leaving a symbolic and physical legacy of right there on the footprint of the most hollow grounds in Washington, D.C. and they can't wrap their head around it.

[Jessica Tarlov]

I was thinking, Jessica, that, like, for me, when I first saw the picture, I was like, I love that. That's such a beautiful spot. But then I realized, one, that there could be progress. But two, for him, a site like that is like, oh, yeah, here we go. Because he's a real estate developer, and for other people, we're like, oh, my gosh, it looks horrible.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

He was definitely excited by it, though. There was some reporting that White House aides did know that the optics of this was really bad, especially because he had said that what he was planning pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of. That doesn't really look like total respect to the existing building. So I don't know if his construction crew got A little ahead of themselves.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That's what you do.

[Jesse Watters]

Jessica, he's working with the White House Historical Preservation Society. He's not coming in and like, bombing the place and putting up the Obama Presidential Library, which is ghastly.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Listen, have you seen that thing?

[Jesse Watters]

It's a monstrosity.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Okay, come on. Listen, I understand that Mar A Lago is allegedly the height of style and panache and glitz and glam, but he turned the Rose Garden into a patio that looks like you should have chicken tenders and fries on it.

[Jesse Watters]

Have you been there?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I can see. No, I have not been in there.

[Jesse Watters]

So you have no idea. Okay, when I'm president.

[Greg Gutfeld]

What's wrong with chicken tenders?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I enjoy chicken tenders. I have a three year old. I'm just saying that the Rose Garden looked better before and should we have a bigger ballroom? Maybe. But he wasn't supposed to do this and he said that he wouldn't. But the big problem is, is that it's being funded by Donald Trump and also donors. Some of the names we know, some which we don't. And Donald Trump has been profiting off of the presidency left, right and center. His kids do it, too. With these deals all over the world.

[Greg Gutfeld]

How's he profiting from that?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Well, he's gotten.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's for the White House.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

You don't know what kind of influence he's selling by having people come there. That's what happens at Mar A Lago, too. It happened at Trump International.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So you should have taxpayers pay for it.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yes, the crypto. No, he shouldn't do it or he can't do it. Just say he doesn't.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Just say you don't want it, you.

[Jesse Watters]

Don'T like it, no matter what he does. Jessica.

[Dana Perino]

Maybe.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Maybe they should just show Dancing with the Stars in the right family theater.

[Jesse Watters]

That is. I mean, they should do Dancing with the Stars in the big beautiful ballroom.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Well, thank you.

[Dana Perino]

I think what you're trying to say, Jessica, is thank you, Trump, for saving all this taxpayer dollars and creating a large space where we can hold huge meetings. Picture evidence, you know. 1902, Theodore Roosevelt constructing the West Wing. Doesn't look too great. 1934, FDR added a second floor basement. Also doesn't look too great. 1948, Truman changed the foundation. Also doesn't look good. There's another bad one.

[Jessica Tarlov]

He's a fire, too.

[Dana Perino]

At some point we have Nixon. You're showing them. 1970, Nixon changed the pool to the press room. And then 1975, Ford built an outdoor swimming pool. These look horrendous. But the end result was a beautiful White House. So we can say thank you, Donald Trump, for following in the footsteps of predecessors.

[Jesse Watters]

Is that why they call it the press pool?

[Dana Perino]

Yeah, the press pool. There you. Oh, Dana, that's a good historical fact. Is it?

[Jesse Watters]

Is that true? Did I just make that up?

[Jessica Tarlov]

I want to check.

[Dana Perino]

I mean, that's brilliant, but it's a.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Pool of people, so I don't know.

[Dana Perino]

And the pool used to be one.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Never signed the pool.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I never understood why they called it the spray pool.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Spray.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes. That was a bill spray.

[Jessica Tarlov]

It's a spray of Bill Quentin term.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Kaylee. Oh. Going blue.

[Jesse Watters]

Wow.

[Dana Perino]

What is happening Kaylee tonight? Yikes.

[Jessica Tarlov]

All right, up next, a simple travel hack that can save your marriage and your flight.

[Jesse Watters]

Oh, my God. I did not see that coming.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

They say life is so much sweeter through the T.

[Greg Gutfeld]

When you're in the middle.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It's a travel hack that could save your marriage. Couples are trying out a airport divorce, intentionally parting ways after passing security, then returning, then reuniting later at the gate. We've been talking about this in the break. We have a lot of opinions. Greg, you're.

[Greg Gutfeld]

This is. Who wrote this? No, the story. It's idiotic. The issue isn't after security, you moron. It's before security. It's the trip to the airport, waiting in line. That's where all the fights happen. It never happens once you're through security. Everybody does what they want. This person should be fired.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Not the one who wrote the script.

[Jessica Tarlov]

But the people who are having airport divorces after they get through, they actually might need marriage counseling, because that's not the problem. The problem is. What do you mean you don't have TSA on your desk? I have TSI.

[Jesse Watters]

Oh. It's always Emma.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Does Emma not have TSA PreCheck?

[Jesse Watters]

No. She does, but it just never gets there. It's Johnny's fault. I have. In order to prevent the airport divorce, I have an airport prenup.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Nice.

[Jesse Watters]

So. But I love going through the airport with Emma. We go look at our books, we get our tea, we get our coffee, and I have to walk. I can't leave her out there in the wilderness. She might not make it to the gate.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it would cause a divorce if I did this. Like, here's three kids, Sean. See ya. I'll go get a mimosa. Meet you at the gate. Yeah, that would cause it, not prevent it.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Traveling with kids, though, is a whole other. There is nothing More pleasant than when you have kids. Traveling alone with your spouse where you're like, I'm not thinking about any of you. Like, you've been take care of your pee pee all by yourself. We're not on a leash. Sure.

[Dana Perino]

All right.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Like traveling with other people's kids. That's why I gave up kidnapping.

[Jesse Watters]

That's called trafficking.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah.

[Jesse Watters]

I'm calling Homan. Total beats ultimate heart health is. Time now for one more thing.

[Dana Perino]

Dana P. Okay, so I want to.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Highlight this great event that is helping women who are battling breast cancer. Next Thursday is the 21st annual Go Pink luncheon. And the event serves as this beautiful campaign featuring magnificently bedazzled bras for people who've had breast cancer surgery. And this is to help them feel beautiful. And my friend Marie Unanoway spent 10 to 12 hours per bra. She did 43 of them. Handed all of them and they will be auctioned off at this event. I mean, she is such a giver. She is so generous and. And they turned out beautiful. So congratulations to her and to all the people who get one.

[Jesse Watters]

Congratulations, Greg.

[Greg Gutfeld]

All right, tonight we got a great show. It's Cat Tiff, Emily Campano, Colby Covington and Tyrus. That's tonight at 10. A new thing. Greg's animal med school. Nice scrubs with Brit Hume. Thank you, Greg. Check out this bear giving CPR to a trash can. This is obviously. He went to the University of Chicago med school. Learned this technique. It's a grizzly bear in Valdez, Alaska. The bear was frustrated because he couldn't get into the locals Bear proof trash can. So reminds me of something I used.

[Jesse Watters]

To tell Rip Bear.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I always tried to get into bear proof his office. Oh, that Brit bear.

[Jesse Watters]

Very good. That's not getting old at all. It'll never get old. You know, Greg, a big regatta guy you know are me big time regatta guys. Well now there's the west coast giant pumpkin regatta. This is what they do in Oregon. Nothing screams Oregon more than this. You dress up in Halloween costumes, you carve like a thousand pound pumpkin into a boat, paddle around the lake and.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Then you go fight ice and you.

[Jesse Watters]

Go firebomb the ice building. That is right. Tonight, Jesse Waters primetime. We have Caroline Levitt, Anna, Paulina, Luna and Julie.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Say it.

[Jesse Watters]

Greg Barreras Honderas, eight o', clock, Jessica.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Hundreds of sheep took over Madrid streets this weekend for an annual festival celebrating the ancient herding roots. The parade highlights Spain's rural traditions where shepherds reenact the ancient tradition of transporting sheep from summer to winter pastures across the Spanish capital. Jesse, are you happy? It's two days in a row of good omt.

[Jessica Tarlov]

That was a lot of.

[Jesse Watters]

It's better than a 90 year old woman in a marathon.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, Very Democrat.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

You go, girl.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Lots of sheep in your face.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Enough.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It's omt. Leave me be.

[Dana Perino]

We can't do that, Jessica.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

You could. It's a choice. Every day you get a choice.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Everyone gets a choice.

[Dana Perino]

Everyone gets a choice in life. That's right. Look. So this Saturday, I'm excited to share. My guest on Saturday in America will be my favorite Democrat other than Jessica. His name is Senator John Fetterman. I love him. I feel like he's one of the rarest types in Washington who bucks his own party regardless of the consequences. And he recently said, I know and love people who voted for President Trump. They are not fascists, they're not Nazis. They're not trying to destroy the Constitution. Take that, Jessica.

[Greg Gutfeld]

How did you get him? I think we asked him and he hasn't responded. I beg.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

He has a book coming out, so maybe he'll come.

[Dana Perino]

He's a good one.

[Jesse Watters]

Will KJP do Dana's show?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

No.

[Jessica Tarlov]

I would love to have her.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

After Dana gave away her question, I.

[Jessica Tarlov]

I will ask more questions.

[Jesse Watters]

What's wrong with you?

[Dana Perino]

Yeah.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Listen to the 5ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.