Podcast Summary: The Five

Episode: "Trump Commands While Dems Are Lost In The Woods"

Date: December 27, 2025
Panel: Charlie Hurt, Paul Morrow, Leslie Marshall, Kayleigh McGee White, Tom Shalhou

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Five" focuses on contrasting the continued dominance and showmanship of Donald Trump in the political landscape with what the hosts describe as the Democrats' lack of leadership, vision, and direction. Through a mix of banter, policy discussion, news highlights, and humor, the panel addresses holiday moments turned political, crime and urban life, media narratives, and cultural phenomena, peppered with their trademark irreverence.

Key Discussion Topics & Insights

1. Trump’s Omnipresence and Showmanship

• Santa Hotline Segment: Trump transformed a children’s Christmas call into a political soapbox, humorously referencing “clean, beautiful coal” (01:52).
  • Quote:
    Charlie Hurt: “Only Trump could turn a Santa hotline into a Trump rally on giving kids clean, beautiful coal.” (01:44)
• Christmas Military Action: Discussion of Trump’s decision to order a Christmas Day airstrike against ISIS, positioning it both as a forceful policy move and performative politics.
  • Quote:
    Charlie Hurt (as Trump): “We hit ISIS...they got a very bad Christmas present.” (02:59)

2. Democratic Leadership Vacuum

• Lack of Clear Leaders: Both President Biden and Kamala Harris are criticized. Biden is literally invisible in his family photo, and Harris’s podcasting is labeled as rudderless.
  • Discussion of Kamala Harris attributing criticism of her public persona and laughter to sexism.
    • Quote:
      Kayleigh McGee White: “Kamala Harris is now bouncing around on random podcasts...explaining that criticizing her cackling laugh is, you guessed it, sexist.” (03:12)
• No Clear Vision: Debate over the absence of a charismatic next-generation Democratic leader, despite past unexpected rises (Clinton, Obama).

3. Republican Unity vs. Democratic Disarray

• Trump’s High Approval & Policy Wins: Panelists tout Trump’s high approval among Republicans (87%) and list his supposed policy achievements: Iran, immigration, women’s issues (07:34).
• Democratic Division: Emphasis on internal struggles, with references to Hunter Biden and Harris’s political difficulties.
  • Quote:
    Kayleigh McGee White: “You have Joe Biden, who doesn’t know where he is still...Kamala Harris...blaming her own political failures on sexism. This is the future that Democrats want. No wonder they’re at 18% approval rating, right?” (08:40)

4. Crime, City Life & Law Enforcement

• Crime Down Under Trump?: Panel credits Trump policies and National Guard deployment for a 20% national drop in murders, contrasting it with recent high-profile crimes (21:16).
  • Quote:
    Kayleigh McGee White: “One year in. And President Trump is making great progress in undoing four years of Joe Biden’s career crime crisis.” (21:16)
• Quality of Life in Cities: Argues that Democrats tolerate diminished urban quality of life, while Republicans support “broken windows”-style policing.
  • Quote:
    Paul Morrow: “You don’t want to have a city where you lock up your toothpaste and not your criminals. And somehow or other we’ve decided that that’s okay.” (23:43)
• Discussion on Due Process & Mental Illness: Leslie Marshall urges balancing tough-on-crime stances with mental health interventions and fair legal process (25:27).

5. Media Critique and Political Comedy

• Late Night 'TDS' and Kimmel Abroad: Criticizes Jimmy Kimmel's “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and anti-Trump jokes, particularly his alternative Christmas address for British TV.
  • Quote:
    Charlie Hurt: “Jimmy Kimmel delivering an alternative Christmas message on British television...from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.” (13:11–13:17)
• Comedy Has Become Political: Tom Shalhou and others lament the lack of non-partisan targets and claim only right-leaning comedy (e.g., Gutfeld) is drawing broad laughs.
  • Quote:
    Tom Shalhou: “Humor has to be at every moment...everybody needs to be sort of in the barrel and be up for mockery and ridicule or it’s not funny.” (16:07)

6. Generational and Cultural Notes

• Social Media & Youth: Millennials and Gen Z aren’t watching Kimmel and late night—they get news and satire from social media, with access to all viewpoints (19:30).
  • Quote:
    Kayleigh McGee White: “They’re definitely getting alternative viewpoints. They’re not watching late night comedians. Or Jimmy Kimmel.” (19:30)
• Parenting & Pop Culture: Macaulay Culkin story—his children don’t know he was Kevin in "Home Alone" (31:51–33:20); panelists muse on generational divides and keeping up traditions.
  • Quote:
    Macaulay Culkin (via clip): “They have no idea it’s me. They watch Home Alone. They go, that’s Kevin.” (31:51)

7. Listener Questions & Fun Segments

• Thank You Notes—Still Required?: Mixed panel opinions on the etiquette and practicality of handwritten notes in the texting era (34:51–36:06).
• Fan Mail Friday: Panelists reminisce about shows they weren’t allowed to watch as kids (38:06–39:32).
• One More Thing: Fun news bites, including the real-life Grinch caught shoplifting (39:52–40:23), Yellowstone hydrothermal eruptions, and Santa Claus pulled over with a concealed carry permit (41:08).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Democratic Disarray:
  Leslie Marshall: “We don’t have one leader and you don’t need to have one leader. This far out from the general...” (10:17)
• On Trump’s Messaging:
  Charlie Hurt: “Trump really does have a remarkable ability to stay on message even when talking. He turned that into putting a GPS on Rudolph...” (04:43)
• On Kamala Harris’s Laugh:
  Tom Shalhou: “We find your sense of humor, Kamala, to be kind of weird because you laugh in all the wrong places... you’ll be telling a story and they’ll start laughing and, you know, you say, I didn’t get to the punchline. Calm down here.” (11:07)
• On Comedy’s Evolution:
  Tom Shalhou: “Humor has to be about everything. ...If it’s not real, it’s never funny.” (16:07)
• On Crime and Urban Life:
  Paul Morrow: “If a woman can’t walk down the street in your city after dark and without fearing for her life, then you live in a place that is not a civilized place.” (27:22)
• On Thank You Notes Today:
  Charlie Hurt: “As a millennial myself, here’s what I do. I take a photo of myself enjoying the gifts, right? ... I text it, and then that’s it. Box checked.” (35:05)
• On Parenting & Media:
  Kayleigh McGee White: “Well, I was raised sort of as a fundamentalist Baptist. So basically, all of them [no shows allowed] except for Little House on the Prairie.” (38:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Time (MM:SS) | Highlights | |---------|--------------|------------| | Santa Hotline / Clean Coal | 01:44–02:33 | Trump turns a call into political theater | | Christmas Day Airstrike Discussion | 02:33–03:12 | “Bad Christmas present” for ISIS | | Kamala Harris Laugh & Sexism Claims | 03:52–04:30 | Critique of Harris’s response to critics | | Democratic Leadership Debate | 09:06–10:32 | “We don’t need to have one leader” — Leslie Marshall | | Late Night Comedy & Jimmy Kimmel | 12:30–18:42 | Kimmel’s anti-Trump monologue, “comedy is no longer funny” | | Crime & Urban Life Stats | 21:16–30:15 | National crime down under Trump, city life quality debates | | Macaulay Culkin & 'Home Alone' | 31:51–33:52 | “They have no idea it’s me.” | | Thank You Note Etiquette | 34:51–36:06 | Handwritten vs digital gratitude | | Fan Mail Friday | 36:55–39:32 | Shows panelists couldn't watch as kids | | One More Thing | 39:52–42:11 | Grinch shoplifter, Yellowstone eruptions, Santa with a CCW |

Recurring Tone & Style

The episode features fast-paced panel banter, sarcasm, pointed political jabs, and comedic asides. The hosts use pop culture, anecdotes, and personal reflections to make political arguments accessible and entertaining.

Takeaway

"The Five" in this episode underscores what they see as Trump’s effective political theater and leadership, contrasts Republican unity with Democratic uncertainty, and bewails shifts in crime, culture, and media. The underlying throughline: a belief that assertive policies, real-world focus, and a willingness to mock all sides—rather than preaching to the converted—are the supposed keys to political and cultural success.

(Summary excludes sponsor ads, show intro/outro, and transitional content.)