The Trump Trap

Summary

The Five

Episode: "The Trump Trap"
Date: August 26, 2025
Hosts: Katie Pavlich, Harold Ford Jr., Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Tyrus, Greg Gutfeld

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Overview

This episode of The Five centers around perceptions of rising crime rates in American cities, the political debate on law enforcement, and the so-called "Trump Trap"—Donald Trump’s strategy of leveraging the crime issue to put Democrats on the defensive ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The panel debates whether Democratic mayors and leaders can or should pivot back from previous “defund the police” stances, the implications for the Democratic Party’s electoral future, and covers a mix of other trending stories, from corporate branding snafus to celebrity engagements.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. The “Trump Trap”: Crime as the Defining Political Issue

Timestamps: 01:04–05:44

• Greg Gutfeld launches the discussion, contrasting how President Trump and Democrats address crime, mocking the perceived “softball” treatment of President Biden by the press and suggesting Democrats are repeatedly outmaneuvered by Trump’s focus on crime.
  • Quote: "We're against crime. The Democrats like crime. I don't know why. I think crime will be the big subject of the midterms and will be the big subject of the next election... He's put them in a trap again." (01:51)
• Dana Perino notes Trump’s high-profile crackdown on crime in D.C. and how Democrats have a hard time pivoting away from progressive policies, such as defunding the police.
  • Quote: "But it seems like to me the Democrats and these mayors have gone so far off the deep end with the defund the police movement that they can't now come back to saying and admitting that actually not having police officers really has been detrimental." (03:25)
• Jesse Watters offers a political history lesson, pointing out that Bill Clinton pragmatically moved to “add more cops and get the federal government to pay for it” to win elections.
  • Quote: "What did he do? Figured out a way to do the crime bill, add more cops and get the federal government to pay for it. And he was able to win." (04:40)

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2. Democrat Dilemma: Crime Policy and Political Positioning

Timestamps: 05:44–13:43

• Tyrus makes the case for dramatic action (including military deployment) to restore order, painting Democratic opposition as indefensible and suggesting “switching roles” for urban leaders as a challenge.
  • Quote: "The only reasonable way to fix this is to bring in extra help, which is in this case, our military. And we've seen amazing results. Not just that they're there, but the presence is there." (05:44)
• Harold Ford Jr.—the panel's Democratic voice—acknowledges the trap, invokes Clinton’s 1990s approach, and urges compromise: "Speaker Johnson [should] put together a massive, smart, comprehensive crime bill... you’ll get Democrats like me on television saying Democrats support it." (09:38)
• Gutfeld and Dana argue that Democrats' refusal to engage on crime, or to work with Trump on it, is alienating key voting blocs and undermining their own interests.
  • Quote (Gutfeld): "Black people want safe neighborhoods. Hispanic Americans want secure borders. It's not that difficult for the Democrats to understand." (11:07)
  • Quote (Dana): "It's really difficult to run over with a hose on the police situation when a lot of the Democrats are the ones who built this problem by saying all cops are racist and they should be defunded..." (13:31)
• Harold Ford Jr. closes the segment asserting, "Any Democrat that does a Democratic mayor doesn't want more cops. Shame on you." (13:26)

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3. Political Prognosis: Is the Democratic Party Facing Extinction?

Timestamps: 15:26–23:07

• With polls and New York Times projections suggesting “the blue wall might be cooked,” the panel debates the party’s future.
• Jesse Watters and Tyrus draw analogies to dinosaurs and cicadas, poking fun at the DNC's public focus on divisive social issues instead of core concerns like crime and the economy.
  • Quote (Tyrus): "They're still campaigning against a guy that they'll never compete against again... Accept it. It's over." (17:43)
• Dana Perino criticizes Democratic Party leadership for focusing on fringe issues ("land acknowledgements," "defending terrorism," "transgender bathroom initiatives") rather than core working-class concerns.
  • Quote: "The dinosaurs didn't do this to themselves... Democrats are doing this to themselves. They can't get out of their own way at this DNC meeting." (19:20)
• Harold Ford Jr. provides perspective on party comebacks, recalling historical Democratic revivals led by Clinton and Obama. He warns that if Democrats stay mired in outdated or divisive culture wars, "we're going to be in the minority a long, long time." (22:53)

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4. Cracker Barrel Controversy & Corporate Branding

Timestamps: 23:49–29:57

• The panel riff heavily and humorously on Cracker Barrel’s failed logo redesign, seeing it as symbolic of companies alienating their customer base.
• Tyrus quips, "Let’s not look at it from the political ramifications. Let’s look at it in nature... This is the last place that you can see white people in their natural habitat." (24:04)
• The discussion veers between gentle ribbing (“white restaurant?” jokes), branding missteps, and more earnest reflections on how companies should respect traditional, loyal audiences.
• Dana Perino: "If you have a good product, you just need to sell the product to a younger audience. You don't have to change the logo or try and change the culture of the place..." (28:39)

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5. Fitness Challenges & The New York Times

Timestamps: 30:57–35:39

• Panelists mock a New York Times article warning about the risks of a viral “100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under 10 minutes” challenge. They argue media is coddling people, and that personal failing and improvement are how people grow.
• Tyrus: "If it gets people going, great. Because if you don't exercise regularly and you try this, you will fail miserably. And that's a good thing." (31:52)
• Greg Gutfeld: "They talk about the nanny state. This is the tranny state. This is so you don't have any masculinity at all in your body." (34:13)
• The segment ends with a consensus that attempting and failing physical challenges is healthy, and public discourse should encourage—not discourage—effort.

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6. Pop Culture and Lighthearted Moments

Timestamps: 35:53–39:19

• The panel reacts to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement, trading banter about celebrity romance fatigue (Tyrus: “I got a close up. I don’t care. I don’t care. I’m not a Chiefs fan. I’m not a Swifty.” 37:12) and joking that perhaps Kelsey will now be distracted on the football field (Greg Gutfeld).
• The segment is used to highlight how public figures shape the news cycle even beyond politics.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Greg Gutfeld (on crime as a wedge issue): "Trump's not laying a trap, he's just doing the right thing. Democrats should try that sometime." (12:50)
• Tyrus (on branding and cultural identity): "Can we not have one white restaurant? Is that okay?" (25:20)
• Harold Ford Jr. (political comeback): "You never bet against the future. And the problem Democrats have is we're clinging to the past, the old ideas, the old ways." (20:53)
• Dana Perino (on culture war): "Democrats can't get out of their own way... They still are arguing... that America is this colonialist, white supremacist nation that needs to be taken down..." (19:20)
• Jesse Watters (on DNC missteps): "This is the double down conference. They're trying to figure out... how can we most not learn our lesson from the last election." (16:24)
• Tyrus (on political challenge): "Switch with one of your constituents. In these rough neighborhoods without your team... live in that apartment for seven days with no staff, no bodyguards, nothing... See how long you last." (06:08)
• Gutfeld (on fitness challenge debate): "They talk about the nanny state. This is the tranny state... so you don't have any masculinity at all in your body." (34:13)

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Segment Timestamps

• Crime & Politics: 01:04–13:43
• Democratic Party’s Future: 15:26–23:07
• Cracker Barrel Segment: 23:49–29:57
• Fitness Challenge/New York Times: 30:57–35:39
• Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Engagement: 35:53–39:19

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Tone & Style

• Spirited, irreverent, and opinionated, with a mix of political analysis, satire, and humor. Panelists often riff on each other’s comments and mix cultural references with policy commentary.
• Genuine political disagreements, but frequent lighthearted exchanges and playful jabs.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode sees The Five dissect the Democratic Party’s vulnerabilities on crime and cultural issues, predicting that Trump’s focus on public safety and border security will continue to put Democrats at a disadvantage unless they adapt. The conversation highlights ongoing party rifts, the challenges of responding to public safety concerns, and touches on the risks of losing touch with traditional base voters—not only in politics, but even in the corporate world. All of this is underscored by the panel’s characteristic blend of politics, pop culture, comedic banter, and pointed commentary.

Transcript

[Greg Gutfeld]

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[Harold Ford Jr.]

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[Tyrus]

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[Greg Gutfeld]

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[Harold Ford Jr.]

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[Dana Perino]

America is built on hard work and powered by American energy. Chevron has spent $44 billion with local businesses across all 50 states since 2022, fueling infrastructure and communities, all while strengthening local economies. Last year, Chevron increased us nearly 20%, powering communities and businesses from the heartlands to the coasts. We're helping to fuel America's energy advantage, building a brighter future right here at home. Visit chevron.comamera to discover more. Hello, everyone. I'm Katie Pavlich along with Harold Ford Jr. Jesse Waters, Dana Farino, and Tyrus. It's five o' clock in New York City, and this is is the five.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You have not had this happen for four years. You sat and you'd ask one question to Biden and it was always the ice cream question, right? What flavor ice cream do you like best? I like vanilla. And that was the end of the conference.

[Dana Perino]

President Trump holding a marathon Cabinet meeting that stretched past three hours, covering just about every major issue facing Americans at home and abroad. At the center of it all, Crime 47 was touting his incredible turnaround of Washington, D.C. from one of America's most dangerous cities to what he now calls the safest city in the nation. And in classic Trump fashion, he pointed out the awkward reality for Democrats. They're defending crime instead of crime.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We're against crime. The Democrats like crime. I don't know why. I think crime will be the big subject of the midterms and will be the big subject of the next election. They called it a trap. This Democrat consultant, they said he's put them in a trap again, because these are all traps, you know, 80, 20. But they're not 80, 20. They're almost 100 to nothing.

[Dana Perino]

And just as the president predicted, the left is falling for it. As Politico noted this morning on crime, Trump has Democrats right where he wants them. Case in point, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson repeatedly dodged Morning Joe's questions on whether an increased police presence would help out with violence in the Windy City.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Would you also like to get federal funding to help put 5,000 more cops.

[Tyrus]

On the street in Chicago? Policing by itself is not the full strategy.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Do you believe that the streets of Chicago would be safer if there were more uniformed police officers on the streets of Chicago?

[Tyrus]

I believe the city of Chicago and cities across America would be safer if we actually had, you know, affordable housing.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Look, okay, but that's not the question I asked.

[Tyrus]

My question is, and I just need.

[Greg Gutfeld]

To answer a no. Would an additional 5,000 cops on the streets in Chicago help complement those programs to make Chicago safer?

[Tyrus]

I don't believe that just simply putting out an arbitrary number around police officers is the answer.

[Dana Perino]

All right, Dana, I actually agree with the mayor in the sense that policing is not the only thing you need. You also need prosecution and tough on crime policies and laws in cities across the country to actually keep people off the streets and from getting out if they commit a crime. But it seems like to me the Democrats and these mayors have gone so far off the deep end with the defund the police movement that they can't now come back to saying and admitting that actually not having police officers really has been detrimental.

[Jesse Waters]

Brandon Johnson in Chicago in particular, but Muriel Bowser in D.C. a little bit different. Right. She has said we need to add, I think it's 300 police officers. She is asking and hoping for more recruits. And so that's why initially, even with her in D.C. it was like, we don't really love this, but it could help. And then she's had to deal with her constituents and gone to a little bit to the left. But in general, it's like she knows that this can give them some breathing space in order to get some things calmed down. But in the meantime, you have Brandon Johnson. This guy more recently has done better, but about two months ago, he had a 7% approval rating in all of Chicago. Okay. And it's mostly a Democrat city. So that means your mom and maybe your aunts still like you. And that's it. What was so painful about the interview that Joe Scarborough did with him is that he's clearly trying to give him a lifeline. He's trying to lead the witness. He's like, don't you think that more police would help? And he's like, no, but don't you think. And even Brandon Johnson didn't want to take that because he thought that Joe Scarborough was trying to put him in a trap. And so now you're going to have Democrats all across the country have to defend this. And that is one on the merits. Good. Let's have this debate. Let's figure out a way to get American cities more safe. But also then on the politics, Karl Rove is on Newsroom Today saying that if you go back and Harold maybe could talk about this, that when Bill Clinton realized that 1996 was going to be a bad election year. What did he do? Figured out a way to do the crime bill, add more cops and get the federal government to pay for it. And he was able to win.

[Dana Perino]

So, Tyrus, one of the big problems Democrats have, besides defending crime is that President Trump made a campaign promise to clean up DC and now other people in these cities are saying, why can't we do that in our city? Why are our leaders failing us? They combine it with policy and execution, which is resulting in results. I mean, there are thousands of arrests happening in D.C. so it's not just like they've said this and they hope people like it, it's actually actionable.

[Tyrus]

You keep going to. I always try to look at the other side's perspective and you try to figure out what is their argument. Even when I made a little, little chart, just the pros and cons, there's just, there's no pros to their argument. We had four years of lawlessness in our big cities to where they're emboldened, they're attracted, they form groups, they, they use Facebook to map out there where they're going to go. So. And the police are underfunded and they went through four years of hell. So the only reasonable way to fix this is to bring in extra help, which is in this case, our military. And we've seen amazing results. Not just that they're there, but the presence is there. Now the guys, when they're in the House going, hey, which, which Walmart are we going to knock off? I don't know, man, there's soldiers everywhere. I'm not going out tonight. It's a deterrent and it's working. And my argument is, since you try to figure out what is the profit, what is the benefit of speaking out against this, whom is going to vote for you or support you or send you money in your campaign for saying, I'm anti everything you're doing. So the best way to win this argument, there's only one way. What Mayor Johnson has to do is he needs to. They like to do challenges. They always want to do bench press challenges. And this here's a challenge for you. Switch with one of your constituents. In these rough neighborhoods without your team, all you get is a little, little chess camera and that's it. And you live in that apartment for seven days with no staff, no bodyguards, nothing in a small allowance, 100 bucks. And you figure it out for a week. See how long you. And then when you come out of that, and if you can look that camera in the face like, yeah, we don't need help in our cities, then maybe you can have an argument and I can add that to the list.

[Jesse Waters]

But you have to add kids that you have to send a school to that scenario because that's a huge problem.

[Dana Perino]

And to play in parks and to walk down the street by themselves and not to do what the governor of Illinois just did, which is to go to a place with bodyguards in the safest part of Chicago and film the water ignoring it. Exactly. Exactly.

[Tyrus]

Water crimes are not running out of order where the crimes are happening.

[Dana Perino]

So, Harold, it seems like politically Democrats could disarm Republicans by working with the president on these issues and solve some crime in their cities, get an accomplishment, and then take away the accusation that Democrats are pro crime. But at the DNC summer meeting where they're trying to start over, you have this woman who's a consultant saying that this is an issue that affects Americans. And simply, it's just an issue that is a red herring, essentially, that Republicans are pouncing on for Democrats rather than reality.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Good to be back around the table. A couple things. First, it's been duly noted by Karl Rove and, I think, many others, we've said it on this show. The last time we had a national crime bill that actually went after fighting crime and put more cops on the street, introduced community policing, expanded it, helped provide more prosecutors around the country to prosecute violent criminals. It was Bill Clinton, a Democratic president. I don't think of this as a Democrat Republican, but if we're going to go down the narrative and use some of the vernacular, I'm happy to do it. Democrats, this may not be the issue that the 26 elections are decided upon. Many people always say it's the economy, but I tell you, we're walking right into not only a trap, but as I said yesterday, we swing at every pitch, every pitch outside of the strike zone. Crime is an issue in cities, in rural areas all across this country, whether it be drugs infiltrating communities, whether it be guns infiltrating communities and the violence that spews from that or that flows from that. The mayor of D.C. who I think is doing a pretty decent job, said, look, we need more money for jails. We need more money for mental health. As I've heard the mayor here in New York and other cities across the country, I thought my pal Joe Scarborough tried to give the mayor of Chicago a lifeline. There's nothing wrong with saying you need more police officers. You could say yes, we want more police officers to help us with mental health issues, who are trained in that way, police officers who can help us break up domestic violence disturbances. As Tyrus said yesterday, fundamentally, any city in America, if you're a leader there, you want crime reduced so you can induce more investment, more jobs, more opportunities, new things, new education opportunities come into communities. This is why this is important. But I would urge President Trump, I get it, sending the military might be the thing to do, but do a crime bill. You have Republicans, Katie. You said Democrats should go to them. Republicans control the House and the Senate. When they get back off recess, Speaker Johnson put together a massive, smart, comprehensive crime bill. And you'll get Democrats like me on television saying Democrats support it.

[Dana Perino]

So, Jesse, this is not just a narrative or the vernacular. You have these Democratic mayors speaking out against the president. They're not willing to involve themselves in turning over illegal immigrants to ice, for example, which are a big part of these arrests. And the dnc, again, they're not willing to admit that they were wrong. And the mayor of D.C. to her credit, now has moderated a little bit on this, but she's actually the reason why the police department is short thousands of cops and they're trying to pay $30,000 for bonuses because she was part of this narrative in 2020 that defund the police was an option, would make communities safer.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Well over 90% of the black victims of shootings are black. I didn't say that correctly, but you get the point. This is something that Trump is saying, black lives matter, and Democrats are saying, no, they don't. So he's trying to protect black lives and he's going to win black votes because of this. It's the same thing with illegal immigration. He went out and tried to secure the border, and the Democratic Party thought Hispanics were going to recoil, and they didn't. They voted for Trump. And the same thing's happening here. Black people want safe neighborhoods. Hispanic Americans want secure borders. It's not that difficult for the Democrats to understand. You asked Harold Ford Jr. The right question. If you can't beat them, join them. Why don't they just join with the president to make sure the country is safe? It's not that complicated. They hold a losing hand, Katie, and it's killing them politically, and it's also killing black Americans. So do the right thing. The Democratic Party has to be more nationalist. They have to want to build ships, they have to want to build AI centers, they have to want to do what's right for the country. And if you have someone going after Jerome Powell because he's keeping rates high and people are locked out of homes and you can't have the American dream, why don't they jawbone Powell too so he brings rates down so we can get this party going again. Everybody knows someone who's been pickpocketed, carjacked. Maybe it happened to them personally. And all these things have happened in the inner city. And if you go out and tell these people crimes down and throw a statistic in their face, well, I just got shot in the abdomen and you're giving me a statistic. You're not taking me seriously. And we have to take everything that politicians say so seriously. You know, their work got broken into on January 6th. My God, we heard about it for two years. 0.1% of the population is trying to figure out what bathroom to go to. We have to hear about that. NonStop redistricting was three weeks. No one even cares about that. All right, so we have to pay attention to your shenanigans. But people are getting shot in the leg. People are dying from fentanyl because the heroin highway comes right through Chicago. And they're saying, I don't worry about it, and throwing numbers at you that they cooked cuz they're cooking the books. Trump's not laying a trap, he's just doing the right thing. Democrats should try that sometime.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Katie, I wasn't being critical of you. When I said the narrative, I only meant. That's okay, President. No, if I'm gonna be critical, I'll be frontal critical. Republicans. Mr. Trump ought to just get them to pass something in Congress too, because as you know, in D.C. can do all of this.

[Dana Perino]

I don't disagree with that.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And I think the Democrats are wrong. Any Democrat that does a Democratic mayor doesn't want more cops. Shame on you.

[Dana Perino]

Well, it's really difficult to run over with a hose on the police situation when a lot of the Democrats are the ones who built this problem by saying all cops are racist and they should be defunded so they don't really want to admit that they were wrong.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I didn't say that.

[Dana Perino]

That's what I said. All right, up next, are the Democrats about to go the way of the dinosaurs? Thanks for calling, consumer.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

One of the best things that protects me from fraud is that I simply don't respond.

[Tyrus]

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[Harold Ford Jr.]

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[Tyrus]

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[Greg Gutfeld]

Like the dinosaurs, the Democratic Party's facing new signs that they them could be headed for extinction. Politically speaking. The New York Times says the blue wall might be cooked. Quote how the Electoral college could tilt further from Democrats if population projections hold in 2032, a Democratic presidential candidate who wins Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada loses the presidency. And the Obama squad says there's never been a worse time to be a Democrat. I do not think the people at the helm of the party have been willing to contend with the depth of.

[Tyrus]

The crisis the party is in. I mean this is at its worst.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Point than at almost any point in our history. And I would probably even include after.

[Tyrus]

The 1984 election when we lost 49 states.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Okay, stegosaurus velociraptor. Dana, what will the Democrats look like in 2032?

[Jesse Waters]

Well, I also, I agree that in a way it feels like they're just done that they're never coming back. But usually parties do bounce back eventually. As I said, maybe since 1984 it hasn't been this bad. Like the cicadas. Cicadas, they come back every 17 years. That is a possibility. This is the double down conference. They're trying to figure out a way to how can we most not learn our lesson from the last election. And in this scenario that you have them talking about the Hamas Israel war and I know that that is a serious bone of contention with a lot of people there and it's severe and it's striking. But they also talked about dark money in politics and land acknowledgements. Instead of talking about economics or policing or education, it's not that there aren't issues that they could grab onto. They just choose not to. Maybe they shouldn't have had this meeting in public. Yeah, right. Maybe should have had this one behind closed doors and try to figure out and hash it out and. And really have it out with each other. I like seeing it in person, but just from a comm standpoint, I might have taken it behind closed doors.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Tyrus, I know you wanted to start the segment with a land acknowledgement.

[Tyrus]

If you take it away, no land gets conquered all the time. That's how human beings work. And I think it's cicada, but I don't want to be that guy. Cicada, Cicada.

[Jesse Waters]

Cicada, Jakarta.

[Tyrus]

Oh, my neighborhood is chiqueda. I think the biggest problem that the Democratic Party has, and it's not the. Again, I said it yesterday. This man right here is a Democrat. These ain't Democrats. He's. The Socialist party has a problem. They're still campaigning against a guy that they'll never compete against again. President Trump won. Accept it. It's over. You're not going to. He's not running in 20, no matter how much you want to make. Because I guarantee you their entire campaign slogan is much like the dinosaurs who never thought to when they looked up and saw the asteroid coming. Like, hey, maybe we should walk over here. The smaller dinosaurs, the conservative one, turned into birds and are still with us here today. But those Democrats wanted to stay there and be like, oh, it's gonna be. We can beat that big, beautiful asteroid that is President Trump. You've missed your window. You're not gonna get him. So in your meeting, you come together and say, we'd like to acknowledge the fact that for the last decade and a half we've battled with Trump. White flag. We lost. Regroup. Everyone who was a part of it. Thanks for playing Send your way. That's a new team. You gotta make cuts. We gotta have. We're gonna start things over from scratch. I just can't believe it's the only way you do it. Otherwise you end up. You go the way of the dodo.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I didn't know the smart dinosaurs transitioned into birds. Yes, that's the first time I'm hearing about it.

[Jesse Waters]

You just went to the museum with Jesse Jr. You know the chickens?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, I saw the skeletons.

[Tyrus]

I didn't really play around with this. In a scientific lab, if you play around with the chicken's embryo, you can reproduce. A raptor like individual.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Okay. Another person that knows more about science than I do. Katie, explain to me the. Is it the shift in population? Is it everybody's moving to Florida and Texas?

[Dana Perino]

Well, that, that helps, too. And it does not help Democrats with their redistricting or with the Electoral College in future elections. But the dinosaurs didn't do this to themselves. You know, this was kind of out of their control, the asteroid taking them out. Democrats are doing this to themselves. They can't get out of their own way at this DNC meeting. They're still defending terrorism. They're doubling down on saying criminals are not a problem and that Americans should basically just live with higher crime rates, that it's some kind of distraction by the Republicans, not real life. They still are arguing, you had the attorney general of Minnesota saying this today, that sex offenders should still be in women's bathrooms and girls restrooms, saying they want to sue the Trump administration over transgender bathroom initiatives. Still to this day, they're going to continue doing that. And that America is this colonialist, white supremacist nation that needs to be taken down or shamed till the end of time, which you saw in that ridiculous land acknowledgement. So they can't get out of their own way as the country is going to the right. The Democratic Party, where the energy is, is shifting to the left. And I actually think that the Mamdanis and the AOCs are in control and they're going to gain even more power because to at least Mamdani's credit, I think all of his solutions are ludicrous and that communism is not a solution to housing or other issues in a city. But he's actually talking about housing prices, health care, cost of groceries, where at the dnc you're in a lot of the same stuff that is kind of out in LA LA land for the average American. And they're not interested.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Harold, you guys will bounce back, right?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Look, you never bet against the future. And the problem Democrats have is we're clinging to the past, the old ideas, the old ways. It sounds and feels like we're running a 1990s campaign. And that doesn't mean I don't like President Trump. Excuse me, President Clinton, who won in those times, but that technology is not going to win in 20. 25, 26, 28. In 84 and 88. The young fellow was on. One of the Obama guys was on talking about how bad 84 was. 88 was bad, too. 92. Remember, no Democrat wanted to run in 92 because H.W. bush was so strong he had ejected Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. And Norman Schwarzkopf was the talk of the country. Cuomo didn't run, Mario Cuomo didn't run, Bill Bradley didn't run, Al Gore didn't run. And all of a sudden this little country governor from Arkansas said, you know, it's the economy stoop and that's what I'm going to run on. A guy named Bill Clinton resurrected the party and basically introduced a new politics for Democrats in 2000. I would argue W. Bush was also a mini transformational figure. His line was we are compassionate conservatives and he changed and upended the way people thought about conservative politics. And Obama comes along in 08. Then the granddaddy of them all, 2016, Donald Trump, who disavowed everything Republicans said he should have done by talking about immigration in a way he shouldn't have talked about. At least some said he talked about tariffs and talked about ways to reinvigorate the economy in different ways. You think about what he's doing today. Everybody around this table was critical of Obama and Biden when they did the chips act. And when Obama invested money in the car companies and the banks, saying that was state directed capitalism, it was picking winners and losers. President Trump decided to invest in Intel. President Trump's own commerce secretary said this morning they're looking at investing in Boeing as well as defense companies. Not investing, but taking shares. This is unprecedented. So all I say to Democrats is the door is opening. But if you're going to have land acknowledgments, if you're going to sit around and talk about how we're suing the president and if you don't get off this issue of little boys playing in little girls sports and going in their bathrooms, we're going to be in the minority a long, long time. And I'm going to have to listen to those kind of Democratic meetings for far longer than I want to.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Oh, and we love listening to those meetings. Aren't those delicious? Up next, President Trump says he can fix Cracker Barrel after their brand went up in Flag.

[Tyrus]

From the Fox News Podcasts Network.

[Jesse Waters]

Hey there, it's me, Kennedy. Make sure to check out my podcast, Kennedy Saves the world. It is five days a week, every week. Download and listen at foxnewspodcast.com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.

[Tyrus]

I'm glad you're uncomfortable, Jesse, but all eyes are on me right now, so you relax. Speaking of Jesse, Cracker Barrel is coughing up the weakest apology ever. After their logo revamp was a total bomb and nuked the stock price. The Barrel now admits they could have done a better job. You think they went in to say, quote, we know we won't always get everything right the first time, but we'll keep testing, learning and listening to our guests and employees. Translation, the suits running Cracker Barrel don't have a clue. Need more proof. They just threw a pop up in liberal New York City and packed it with line dancing TikTok influencers. President Trump is trying his best to bail out the barrel. He truth quote, Cracker Barrel should go back to the old mogul, admit a mistake based on customer response, the ultimate poll and manage the company better than ever before. Harold, we're still talking about this. Now, Cracker Barrel is a great time, great family meal. I love the store. It's a little time machine. You go in there and you buy a bunch of cool stuff and then you sit down and have a meal. Also, I think we need to look at this. Let's not look at it from the political ramifications. Let's look at it in nature. Let's look at it from, let's cook. A completely different way of looking. I'm challenging all you all here. This is the last place that you can see white people in their natural habitat. It's quiet, everyone clanks. They're pleasant, they eat their, they're fatty foods. You know, it's always a good time and it's, and I mean, we have Mexican restaurants, right?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Absolutely.

[Tyrus]

We have Spanish, we have, we have barbecue, we have soul food. Can we not have one white restaurant? Is that okay?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

No, I hadn't thought about it like that. But I gotta tell you.

[Tyrus]

Of course you did.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I love the crack. I love Cracker Barrel. I'm like you. I think I give people grace. I think they tried their hardest and they probably made a little bit of a mistake. My thinking when I watched this thing was that they probably thought they should take out the old man and the old country, start thinking it might appeal to younger people. But there's something special about the place and if they made a mistake, maybe they should take President Trump's advice and go back to it. But I tell you this, whatever they do, keep serving the fried chicken like you do and the chicken fried steak like you do.

[Tyrus]

Jesse, I know you have ate a cracker barrel too in your time.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Once.

[Tyrus]

Once.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Once on a road trip on the way back from the border and it was terrible.

[Tyrus]

You're, you're have a good way for you went to the border is awesome.

[Greg Gutfeld]

A long time ago. Yes, but I see what you're saying. They're trying to take the cracker out of the barrel.

[Tyrus]

Like let them have one. Let you guys have one.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Right. And white people need to eat and they need their places.

[Tyrus]

There's a lot of them in this country.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You guys have Denny's. We have Cracker Barrel. We have Olive Garden too. Do you guys go to Olive Garden?

[Tyrus]

No. Waffle House.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Waffle House. Got it. But it's like they tried to make it younger, but cracker barrels for old people, it's like trying to sell reverse mortgages to young people. Or gold or relief factor or my pillow or all the things we sell on Fox. You just have to keep your audience happy with what they're used to. That's why people will be watching Fox until they die.

[Tyrus]

Dana, Dana, as a white person, does it make you uncomfortable to talk about white people having a stake in something?

[Jesse Waters]

No. But I also don't think that's exactly true about cracker barrels because they have a lot of customers. But here's the thing.

[Greg Gutfeld]

A lot of people do eat it.

[Tyrus]

Yes, we do. We specifically go there because cracker barrels are quiet.

[Jesse Waters]

Yes. I have not been able to get extra excited about this. You can ask my America's Newsroom producer. It's been a tough one for me. I don't think it's like Bud Light. Okay. With Bud Light, you had the vice president of marketing trashing their customers. You had a whole corporate equality index that had to be checked off. And you had Dylan Mulvaney. They took a redesign of a logo and people have lost their minds. Now, I understand something from Jeannie Mama, who is a good friend of mine in the Bush administration. She said no one likes change except a baby. Okay? So we like our things. We like the way that they look.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The only thing that could have been worse if they had made it blacker.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Barrel.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That would have been bad. This they can recover from.

[Tyrus]

Taking Katie's valuable time away.

[Jesse Waters]

I just want to add one thing. I do think President Trump who truth that thankfully during our segment this morning to save it because I had nothing to say. He was trying to help them a little bit. But that is the second best thing that happened to Cracker Barrel today. Do you know it's the best thing that happened to Cracker Barrel today?

[Tyrus]

What did the stock was up a little bit.

[Jesse Waters]

Taylor and Kelsey got engaged. Now we can talk about something else.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I didn't heard about that.

[Tyrus]

She made a great analogy. She said the only thing likes it is baby only likes to change diaper. Is this move what they need to change the diaper on this.

[Dana Perino]

No, if you have a good product, you just need to sell the product to a younger audience. You don't have to change the logo or try and change the culture of the place, which is what they're doing by sanitizing it and turning it into something that it's not. The other thing is that these people have to get outside of New York City. I'm sorry, you have to get out and actually go to a number of cracker barrels. They should have sent someone on a research mission where they go to a cracker barrel in every single state and they talk to the people who eat there and say, if we change the logo, do you think that we should do this or that? They would have all said no. They would have saved themselves a ton of money. They would have saved the outrage. And also they're saying they're trying to appeal to younger people through TikTok influencers and the Internet. And I understand that social media is very powerful and that everybody thinks that everything on the Internet is the only thing that matters, but it's not real life all the time. And a lot of these companies keep thinking that if they just do these things on social media through these PR campaigns from New York City, that somehow they'll appeal to younger audiences. There's a lot they could have done by visiting regular cracker barrels on social media with younger people without changing the core of who they are.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Don't get rid of patty sausage either. I love the patty sausage.

[Tyrus]

They could have just added a couple more crackers.

[Dana Perino]

They could have added food.

[Tyrus]

Some baby crackers in the barrel.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, put a little baby to the old guy.

[Tyrus]

Grandpa.

[Dana Perino]

White grandpa.

[Tyrus]

It's the white people's natural environment and habitat. Let them have it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's quiet. It's nice.

[Dana Perino]

It's not that quiet.

[Tyrus]

Coming up, the New York Times is having a fitness freakout over Pete and the Bobby Challenge repair Clinic came to.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless. And if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

One, it's $15 a month. Two, seriously, it's $15 a month.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Three, no big contracts.

[Tyrus]

Four, I use it.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Five, my mom uses it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Are you. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Okay, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

[Jesse Waters]

Payment of $45 for three month plan.

[Dana Perino]

$15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra Cementmobile.

[Tyrus]

Com. But you know I never lie.

[Jesse Waters]

That's Zach Top. Everybody download that immediately. All right? Is going Maha a danger to your health? The New York Times is warning against the Pete and Bobby challenge with the headline, quote, 100 push ups and 50 pull ups in under 10 minutes. What could go wrong? The time, citing fitness experts who urge caution against jumping into a difficult routine, saying it could come at risk of injury. Lately, working out has become a new political battleground. Even J.B. pritzker and President Trump are trading jabs about each other's weight.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

It takes one to know one on the weight question.

[Greg Gutfeld]

And the president, of course, himself is not in good shape. A guy like Pritzker, he ought to spend more time in the gym. Actually.

[Jesse Waters]

Tyrus, what is the risk of if you don't do any exercise at all and all of a sudden trying to do the hundred?

[Tyrus]

The risk is an early death. Heart disease, type 2 diabetes.

[Jesse Waters]

No, it's from the doing the challenge.

[Tyrus]

I'm so. This is what's wrong with, with media and stuff. You build up. Okay. You don't. If you're sitting on the couch and this inspires you that I'm going to do this, you start out slow. Maybe you do. Maybe if you're not. If you can't. Like Mandani, who can't bench his body weight, he could do the with his knees on the ground, three push ups to start and just practice standing up for his pull ups. You can build this. You can inspire to do this. And if it gets people going, great. Because if you don't exercise regularly and you try this, you will fail miserably. And that's a good thing. And if you pull a muscle, that's a good thing because you're going to want to do better and you're going to keep trying this idea that anytime anybody challenges somebody, like, oh, somebody could get hurt. Yeah, that's why it's called a challenge. But sitting on the couch eating your Haagen Dazs, checking your cracker barrel stock is not going to make you healthy.

[Jesse Waters]

I don't see too many. There aren't as many articles in the New York Times warning you about walking across Times Square to 37th street, because that is. That has taken your life into your own hands.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Harold, look, I agree. I think Tyrus nailed it. I mean, if you can't do 100 pushups or what is it, 100 pushups and 50 pull ups in under 10 minutes, you gotta keep going at it. We should be encouraging people to work out. It will reduce health costs. It'll extend lives and may make it where you don't have to take all these drugs to do these things. Exactly. If you're in good shape. So I don't mind this. I don't know what the New York Times is trying to get out here.

[Jesse Waters]

Katie.

[Dana Perino]

This is just so stupid because people writing this don't understand athletics because they are claiming that if you push for 100 pushups and 50 pull ups in under 10 minutes and implying that you'll accomplish it, that you'll hurt yourself. If you can't do it, you're not be able to do it. Like 100 pull ups is a lot. So if you're not in shape, you're not going to be able to do it. And on the strength thing, remember when they were saying that if you work out, you're a white supremacist and they're claiming it. Just get over it. Exercise should be something that everybody engages in.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I'm a white supremacist because I work.

[Dana Perino]

Out used to be the narrative. So they need something to write about. But this is stupid.

[Jesse Waters]

You attempted this but you thought it was five minutes.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, like usual. I misread the instructions. But I can do it now. I just haven't filmed myself because I don't want to. Have you seen the looks of the guy that wrote this article?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

No. Come on, don't do that.

[Tyrus]

Do it. Do it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He looks like he can't do one push up. They talk about the nanny state. This is the tranny state. This is so you don't have any masculinity at all in your body. I was listening to Glenn Beck on the way to work today, Remember him?

[Jesse Waters]

Yep.

[Tyrus]

He had the show chalkboard guy.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, he was pretty good. He said he didn't think he could do three pull ups and he actually said he didn't think 40% of the entire country could do one pull up one. One. Now do you agree with that?

[Tyrus]

I probably would agree with that to some extent.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. Overhand, not like hegseth, not chin ups.

[Dana Perino]

But also every exercise is not for everyone. Like maybe you like running and you're not a pull up person, but it's a start.

[Jesse Waters]

What is the difference between. I mean, like, I know the difference between a pull up and a chin up, but what's the muscle difference?

[Tyrus]

Well, you're using the front part of your body and the back part of your body. But here's the thing, maybe the first time you do them, someone holds your legs, you and your buddy do it together and they hold your Feet. This is how America was built. Because here's the deal. When you're working out and you're also alert, your brain's going. Suddenly BS media news might not mean so much from the squealers anymore. That's what they're more afraid of. Independent thought, a little personal success. You're not glued to the TV anymore. And maybe you only do one chin up. Or your buddies hold your leg and you do five. But if you stick with anything for 14 days, you will see improvement. So maybe you won't do it at first.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I wish the politicians would stop calling each other fat, you guys.

[Jesse Waters]

Yeah, let's not do that.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Let's not do that.

[Jesse Waters]

All right, I called it. But a year late, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting hitched.

[Greg Gutfeld]

How are people 16 older.

[Tyrus]

Hi, this is Joe from Vanta. In today's digital world, compliance regulations are changing constantly and earning customer trust has never mattered more. Vanta helps companies get compliant fast and.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Stay secure with the most advanced AI.

[Tyrus]

Automation and continuous monitoring out there. So whether you're a startup going for your first SoC2 or ISO 27001 or a growing enterprise managing vendor risk, Vanta makes it quick, easy and scalable. And I'm not just saying that because I work here. Get [e-mail] Sweet America.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Welcome back. Time for the fastest. At long last, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married. Congratulations. Two years after their whirlwind romance began, the pop star announced the engagement on Instagram with a post that reads, your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married. And I wonder if this guy is going to be invited to the wedding.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Well, I wish him a lot, a lot. I think it's. I think he's a great player, I think he's a great guy and I think that she's a terrific person. So I wish them a lot of love.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Tyrus. Sir, what are your thoughts on this engagement?

[Tyrus]

I got a close up. I don't care. I don't care. I'm not a Chiefs fan. I'm not a Swifty. I don't care. I would rather talk about sidewalk widening on 48th Street. Stock markets come to a screeching halt than anything that has to do. And what is that? School teacher and the gym teacher. You're an adult. Stop calling him your boyfriend. Stop talking like a child. Okay? The real world. We got real things to deal with. Great. You got engaged. You did it. A millionaire is marrying a billionaire. Somewhere. Two little angels got new wings today. Yay.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Dp A strong opinion from our pal Dan.

[Jesse Waters]

He does, and I get it. But I think America needs this story. It will be a good love story. It's great that people there are. Marriage rates are going up. Maybe they'll even have a baby. And it will be a very. It'll be a singing football player, maybe, or a.

[Tyrus]

It's definitely gonna be a white baby.

[Jesse Waters]

Well, this is true.

[Tyrus]

So you can have the baby shower at Cracker Barrel.

[Jesse Waters]

Congratulations to them. And I think that President Trump was smart in the moment. He was like, I could do this or I could do that. And he decided to do this, and it was good. Now nobody has to, like, ask him about it 20 more times.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Are you going to cover this night on prime time?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Oh, you bet I will. Because I'm a romantic and I love it when love is in the air. But also I'm an Eagles fan. So this is going to distract Kelsey all season. You know, your wife said her bachelorette. She's bothering you about guest lists. This is great. He's not going to be focused at all.

[Dana Perino]

Eagles again, good sports reference.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Katie, your thoughts?

[Dana Perino]

I think this is great. Marriage to the right person is a wonderful thing and good for her, but I'm not Swiftie. So good for the Swifties.

[Jesse Waters]

The thing is, they've been waiting for this. I think it was a year too late. I think he waited too long. Maybe she wanted him to. I don't know. But in 2024, that was my New Year's prediction is that they were going to get engaged. So I don't know. I want to know the backstory. Maybe we'll hear it in a song one day. As to why it took so long.

[Tyrus]

Get a prenup.

[Dana Perino]

They're a good team.

[Jesse Waters]

Oh, you. That might have been what took so long. The prenup.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah, for her.

[Tyrus]

For him.

[Jesse Waters]

Exactly. For her.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah. For her.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Congrats to these good people. One more thing is up next.

[Dana Perino]

I'm Ashley Graham, and as a parent.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I know the back to school transition.

[Jesse Waters]

Can be a lot when it comes to wellness. Ollie supports you, me and my family through it all. Kids, multi is big in my house. It supports their immune system and they love to take it. A win win for everyone.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Shop these [e-mail] or retailers nationwide. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

[Jesse Waters]

This product is not intended to diagnose.

[Dana Perino]

Treat, cure or prevent any disease. Time now for one more thing, Dana.

[Jesse Waters]

Well, guess what? It is national dog day. And happy to all who celebrate, including my who only has cats I wrote a piece on Fox Digital talking about Percy. There he is. But we also have pictures of everybody's dogs here. Right? Okay, well, that's a good trick. It's called Our dogs Remind us of Life's Sweetest truth. But let's see the other dogs. Let's see em. Okay, there's Gadsden. Super cute.

[Dana Perino]

On St. Patrick's Day. All right, we match. Look at that.

[Jesse Waters]

Who else do we have? Wow.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Harold, Lulu, Stormy and Birdie.

[Jesse Waters]

Nice. And Jesse. Oh.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Coco and Rookie.

[Jesse Waters]

Yes. And Tyrus. Doesn't have a dog, but he's got.

[Tyrus]

We've got horses. Richese and Jesse. Jesse's the gray. Richesi's the Belgium sport horse.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Sometimes dogs act like this. I find that offensive.

[Dana Perino]

All right, Happy dog day. Jesse, your turn.

[Greg Gutfeld]

There she blows. Allie, that was very dismissive of my Nexus. They worked for hours on that. That's Mount Kilauea putting on another show. Hawaii's volcano erupting again this weekend in Arcalava. Over 100ft in the air. This is the 31st eruption since December. She can't stop blowing. Tonight. Jesse Waters primetime, eight o' clock. We have Tomi Lahren, Charles Payne. Gad Sad. That's two ways in. Sad. And Madison Allworth.

[Dana Perino]

Madison. See the volcano last year in Hawaii and it was not doing that. Missed it by a year, unfortunately.

[Jesse Waters]

Harold, like me and to Taylor.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Two brave and great Samaritans. Resc. Shared ride Driver after his car after he drove into a creek during a storm in South Carolina. Peter Giusti was driving through heavy rainfall with minimal visibility when he took a wrong turn and found his car sinking. It had to be scary. Then Robert Eaton and his friend Brandon, you can see him, raced over to help Peter out of his seatbelt as a car filled with water. Peter was taken to the hospital, treated for minor injuries. And the great thing about this, he plans to take both Brandon and Robert to dinner. Love it when people are.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Where are they going?

[Jesse Waters]

Cracker Barrel.

[Tyrus]

Cracker Barrel. Barrel.

[Dana Perino]

Not anymore they're not.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Maybe they should have called it the Barrel.

[Dana Perino]

Possibly. All right, here we go. Here's some good news. You guys know this guy? New York City Mayor Eric Adams swore in 13 year old cancer survivor DJ Daniel as an honorary deputy mayor for public safety for a day at City Hall. DJ has been sworn into more than 1300 law enforcement agencies nationwide and was praised for his courage and commitment. The honorary role highlights his inspiring journey and support for law enforcement. So congrats DJ on another appointment appointment as honorary deputy.

[Jesse Waters]

All right.

[Tyrus]

Tyrus all right, this week on Tyrus's F around and find out a bike rider in Utah. Use your head. A whole new meaning of the term. Yes. When asked what was he was thinking, he said the only thing that was going through his head at the time was the roof.

[Jesse Waters]

He's okay.

[Tyrus]

He's okay. He was wearing a helmet, hit his forehead. He's doing that. But you know what else is a hit? My comedy tour, which you can also check out my what It Is comedy tour. There's tour dates up over there. We got all kinds of new shows happen. We're in Louisville, Kentucky, Wahala, South Carolina, and wait, where? Dallas again?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Kentucky.

[Tyrus]

Louisville, Kentucky, or Louisville, depending on what cracker barrel you go to in the area.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Got him again.

[Jesse Waters]

Where are you going in Tennessee? Johnson City. You know who speaks about Johnson City in a country music song?

[Tyrus]

You're going to tell me.

[Jesse Waters]

What's his name?

[Tyrus]

Oh, what's his name?

[Jesse Waters]

Hootie and the Blowfish guy. What's his name?

[Tyrus]

Darius.

[Jesse Waters]

Darius Rucker.

[Tyrus]

Okay. Yeah, I knew that.

[Dana Perino]

Not Tyrus on tour. That's it for us.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

This is Jason Chaffetz from the Jason in the House podcast.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Join me every Monday to dive deeper into the latest political headlines and chat with remarkable guests.

[Tyrus]

Listen and follow [e-mail] or wherever you download podcasts. Listen to the Five Ad Free on Amazon Music with your prime membership or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.