The Five — "Showman-In-Chief"

FOX News Podcasts | December 9, 2025
Panel: Dana Perino, Kayleigh McEnany, Harold Ford Jr., Jesse Watters, Tyrus

Overview

In this lively episode, the Five break down President Trump's star turn as host of the Kennedy Center Honors, examining its cultural and political significance. The conversation moves from the media's handling of Trump and Biden to the latest controversies around immigration, the Pentagon's strikes on narco boats, Ilhan Omar’s Nazi accusation, and the left’s outcry over a jeans ad. The tone is fast-paced, irreverent, and peppered with humorous jabs and memorable quips, typifying the Five’s unique chemistry.

President Trump: Showman at the Kennedy Center Honors

(02:00 - 10:18)

• Trump Hosts, Guests, and Notable Quotes
  • Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, celebrating icons like Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, and George Strait.
  • Trump worked the red carpet, gave playful interviews, and bantered with Jesse Watters:
    • Trump (joking about being honored):
      “Yeah, I think I'm going to nominate myself for next year.” (02:42)
    • Trump’s riff on hosting:
      “If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don't think I should be president.” (03:18)
    • Trump tours the venue:
      “I'll tell you what, the Trump Kennedy Center. I mean, Trump Kennedy Center. I'm sorry... this is terribly embarrassing.” (03:54)
• Panel Observations
  • Tyrus: Trump is “electrifying” and unfazed by opposition, working and having fun, which “must drive the Never Trumpers absolutely crazy.” (04:16)
  • Ainsley Earhardt: Trump is disproving media narratives about his supposed “fatigue,” citing energetic hosting and big policy announcements. Highlights media double standards, especially at the New York Times. (05:10)
  • Kayleigh McEnany:
    “Despite all of this fun, all of this great time, all the celebration, [the media] make him seem like a North Korean dictator…” (05:10)
  • Harold Ford Jr.: The event’s unifying power, noting Trump shines when among creators and celebrities. (06:49)
  • Jesse Watters: The importance of competing for cultural institutions and recognizing icons like Stallone:
    “For so long, we've ceded the power of the cultural institutions to the left… Trump is competing. And there is an ascendancy with MAGA right now in the culture.” (08:47)

Media Critique: New York Times and the Biden Administration

(11:54 - 19:45)

• NYT's Late Coverage of Biden's Border Policy
  • Watters notes the Times’ “lengthy piece” finally critiquing Biden’s immigration failures, calling out tardy journalism.
  • Ainsley: The left’s “stand up to ICE” position is a losing political message, especially with stories of crime tied to released illegal immigrants and Trump rescuing children from trafficking. (13:07)
  • Harold: Agrees it’s a severe, long-standing issue; credits Trump’s border actions; calls for a focus on real solutions, not political games. (14:40)
  • Dana Perino: Blasts the NYT for not reporting earlier:
    “If it's all the news that's fit to print and they didn't see fit to print it until later, and now the way they printed it, it's almost worse … I think the New York Times really should refund me for the past five years.” (16:44)
  • Tyrus:
    “Hindsight's 20/20, but I guess bullshit is year long ... you're reporting that it's a problem now. Do you realize if they actually did their job as journalists, ICE wouldn't have to be doing what it's doing right now?” (18:27)
  • Jesse:
    “For years [the NYT] said that securing the border was racist. So we do want our subscription money back.” (19:36)

Double Tap Strikes and Politicizing Foreign Policy

(21:01 - 29:45)

• Democratic Outcry Over Narco Terrorist Strike
  • Democrats accuse Trump of war crimes after a Pentagon "double tap" strike on a narco boat.
  • Ainsley: Notes how Democrats always seem to defend criminals or adversaries in these narratives. (23:12)
  • Dana: Quotes General Jack Keane supporting the strike, and predicts most Americans side with law enforcement over narco-traffickers:
    “Most Americans are not going to sympathize with the Maryland man or any of these drug runners.” (22:20)
  • Jesse: Calls out Democratic inconsistency:
    “Barack was smoking people in the Middle East, Trump's doing [it] in the Caribbean … This is the most popular foreign policy action of Trump's second term, killing narco terrorists … And if you're against it, you sound like a lawyerly whiny, effeminate weasel.” (25:31)
    • Explains legal basis for strikes: unflagged, stateless narco vessels can be sunk under international law.
  • Tyrus:
    “These boats don't just kill the people that OD on it. They destroy communities. … What makes you oppose something like this? What is in it for you to oppose this?” (27:22)
    • Attributes Trump’s strong stance to his own policy suggestion pre-election.
  • Harold: Argues for bipartisan transparency, while noting the Honduran pardon as a weak point for Trump but agrees with the general policy.

Ilhan Omar, Stephen Miller, and Nazi Accusations

(31:45 - 38:44)

• Omar Response to Somali Fraud Allegations
  • Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, facing questions about her state’s $1B Somali COVID fraud scandal, brands Stephen Miller (Jewish) a “straight up Nazi.” (32:08)
  • Jesse: Recaps the fraud, Omar’s background, highlights how her community “steals a billion dollars... and then [she says] we're the real victims.” Notes the absurdity of calling Jewish Miller a Nazi. (32:47)
  • Dana: Critiques media for focusing on name-calling rather than substance. Cites Jason Riley (WSJ) urging accountability:
    “You're not doing the Somali community any favors by just trying to sweep this under the rug. If you want to assimilate, take responsibility for it and figure out how to stop it from happening again.” (34:02)
  • Harold: Rejects guilt by association with ethnic groups, but agrees Omar shouldn’t have invoked Miller:
    “I didn't like her answer ... I don't see the connection between the issue here and Stephen Miller's comments about immigration.” (36:03)
  • Ainsley:
    “The lowest form of intelligence debate is an ad hominem attack. It's lazy, it has no facts. It's just leveling a criticism. And that's what you saw from Ilhan Omar with the Hitler comparison. It is so dangerous, it is so wrong … It is designed to put a target on the back of Trump administration officials.” (37:14)

Culture Corner: Sydney Sweeney Controversy

(39:32 - 42:32)

• Sydney Sweeney Responds to American Eagle Ad Backlash
  • Sweeney downplays left-wing backlash, clarifies she simply likes the jeans and doesn’t endorse political motives attached to the campaign. (39:32)
  • Kayleigh: Applauds Sweeney’s effort to move past political polarization:
    “I love that she's using her platform to say, regardless of what I stand for, let's come together.” (40:03)
  • Jesse: Mocks overreaction:
    “It's a bunch of single 30 year olds that run the show and they're the ones. I don't want to have anything to do with this type of filth. I find these ads despicable.” (40:37, joking in character)
  • Tyrus: Dismisses the controversy:
    “It's a jeans commercial. It's not that deep. ... Sweeney, make your money, do your thing and keep going forward. But nobody cares.” (41:39)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Trump jokes about self-nominating for a Kennedy Center Honor:
  “Yeah, I think I'm going to nominate myself for next year.” — Donald Trump (02:42)
• Kayleigh on New York Times critique:
  “They make him seem like a North Korean dictator… Despite all of this fun, all of this great time, all the celebration, they make him seem like a North Korean dictator.” (05:10)
• Dana’s subscription refund rant:
  “I think the New York Times really should refund me for the past five years.” — Dana Perino (16:44)
• Tyrus on media’s role in the border crisis:
  “If they actually did their job as journalists, ICE wouldn't have to be doing what it's doing right now.” (18:27)
• Jesse on narco terrorist strikes:
  “If you're against it, you sound like a lawyerly whiny, effeminate weasel.” (25:31)
• Ainsley on ad hominem attacks:
  “The lowest form of intelligence debate is an ad hominem attack. It's lazy, it has no facts… and that's what you saw from Ilhan Omar with the Hitler comparison.” (37:14)
• Tyrus on jeans commercial drama:
  “It's a jeans commercial. It's not that deep.” (41:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Kennedy Center Honors and Trump as Host: 02:00 – 10:18
• Media & NYT Critique on Immigration: 11:54 – 19:45
• Pentagon Strike/Narco Boat Debate: 21:01 – 29:45
• Ilhan Omar/Stephen Miller/Nazi Accusation: 31:45 – 38:44
• Sydney Sweeney/American Eagle Ad: 39:32 – 42:32

Takeaways

• The Five see Trump’s Kennedy Center performance as both a cultural and political win, countering negative media portrayals.
• The New York Times’ delayed criticism of Biden’s border policy triggers outrage and mockery.
• The panel overwhelmingly supports Trump’s hardline approach to narco-terrorism, ridiculing Democratic counter-arguments.
• Ilhan Omar’s Nazi accusation is denounced as intellectually lazy and dangerous.
• The Sydney Sweeney ad drama is ultimately dismissed as manufactured outrage.

This episode showcases the Fox panel’s skepticism toward mainstream media narratives, penchant for culture war debate, and affinity for sharply drawn, sometimes comedic commentary on both politics and pop culture.