Trump Doordashes McDonald’s, Talks Iran Blockade

Summary

---

The Five – Episode Summary

Date: April 13, 2026
Episode: Trump Doordashes McDonald’s, Talks Iran Blockade

---

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Five" brings the panel together to dissect several hot-button topics dominating the week's headlines. Ranging from President Trump's naval blockade of Iran and his symbolic DoorDash delivery at the White House, to major political scandals including Eric Swalwell’s resignation, and the ongoing debate over law enforcement's response to violent crime. The panel also delivers their trademark blend of humor and sharp political debate, keeping the conversation lively and engaging.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s McDonald’s DoorDash and Iran Blockade (00:20–11:07)

• Symbolism at the White House

  • President Trump stages a “DoorDash delivery” moment at the White House, promoting his policy to eliminate taxes on tips and boosting his connectivity with working-class Americans.
  • Memorable Moment: "Special delivery at the White House. Somebody ordered some Big Macs with a side of blockade." – Jesse Watters (00:38)

• Iran: Naval Blockade & Diplomacy

  • Discussion of Trump’s recent naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks in Pakistan failed.
  • Dana Perino sums up the strategic stakes: "They'd like to make a deal very badly. They will never have a nuclear weapon. We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world..." (01:10)
  • Concerns over the humanitarian impact on the Iranian people vs. pressuring the regime.
  • Dana: "I'm worried about the people, you know, that the people of Iran, the regime, this one might make them, force them to come to the table, or it will also force new bedfellows." (03:26)
  • Panel agrees the blockade has had immediate effects, but there are doubts about long-term success and economic impacts.

• Criticism and Historical Context

  • Harold Ford Jr & others debate the wisdom of tearing up Obama’s nuclear deal, the effectiveness of sanctions, and whether Trump is positioned for a better deal.
  • Dana Perino: “If you make diplomacy impossible, you tend to make war inevitable.” (02:22)

• International Perceptions

  • Tom Shillue checks in with non-US media (Al Jazeera, BBC) and shares a relevant quote from Sultan Al Jabba (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company):
    • “The Strait of Hormuz has never been Iran's to close or restrict through navigation. The world simply cannot afford it and must not allow it.” (10:00)

---

2. Eric Swalwell Scandal & Congressional Fallout (12:10–29:28)

• Swalwell’s Scandal Erupts

  • Reports of sexual assault and misconduct lead to bipartisan calls for Swalwell to resign from Congress and drop his run for California governor.
  • Emily Compagno delivers a withering takedown: “Standing with sexual assault victims means not making any more and creating any more. He's so predictable in his profile of a drunk on his own power, waste of flesh.” (14:10)
  • Panel debates the broader implications—should all lawmakers facing credible allegations step down? The "even Steven" dynamic of expelling both Democrats and Republicans if warranted, mentioned by Emily (15:23).

• Swalwell’s Resignation

  • Breaking News Segment: Swalwell announces his resignation (24:57), citing the distraction to constituents and lack of due process.
  • Max Gordon (field reporter) provides context: “He was a leading candidate for California governor just a couple of days ago, but then this bombshell report came out... It was really just a weekend of implosion for his campaign.” (25:51)
  • Panel discusses the rarity and political calculus of congressional expulsion; only six members have ever been expelled in history.

• Cynicism and Power Games

  • Jesse Watters theorizes the revelations may be a Democratic power play: “They might have just canceled Swalwell with these women to open up a lane for potatoes Porter and the billionaire Stier. I wouldn't put it past them. Democrats are dirty. Not as dirty as toe sucking, but dirty.” (18:43)
  • Tom Shillue continues: “He has always been an idiot, really. He's like a sitcom character.” (28:31)

---

3. Battle Over Masculinity and Dem V. GOP Rhetoric (20:58–24:57)

• Trump at UFC, Dems and Men
  • Trump’s appearance at a UFC event highlights his masculine brand, contrasted with Democrats' struggles to connect with male voters.
• Hasan Piker & Political Discourse
  • Hasan Piker (Joe Rogan of the left) draws criticism for inflammatory rhetoric, calling Republicans “the biggest domestic terrorists” (21:36).
  • Rep. Elissa Slotkin fires back at Piker’s personal attacks: “What normal human being would choose to go on a show when someone calls you stupid every 10 days?” (22:20)
  • Panel debates the toxicity of modern political language and the media's role.

---

4. Crime & Policing: NYC Subway Incident (30:32–36:47)

• Deadly Subway Attack
  • A man (calling himself "Lucifer") attacked elderly passengers in the NYC subway with a machete and was fatally shot by police.
• Debate on Police Force
  • Some activists and journalists question the use of lethal force.
  • Jesse Watters: “So what are you supposed to do with Lucifer? Let him continue to go on a stabbing spree?... If there had been an unarmed therapist at the scene, what would she have done? She probably would have been slashed.” (31:14)
  • Harold Ford Jr.: “...anyone that thinks that cops shouldn't pull a gun on somebody wielding a knife on a subway, try being on the subway with your 9 year old...” (35:13)
  • Emily Compagno: “I'm exhausted by people who are so ignorant and uneducated and not even curious to even learn about the training tactics or why.” (36:04)
  • Panel laments the state of blue cities, crime, and political reluctance to back proactive policing.

---

5. Cultural Critiques and Lighter Moments (37:16–38:53)

• Justin Bieber at Coachella
  • Bieber criticized for “lazy” set at Coachella; Emily is more critical, calling the festival “a magnet for really rich, spoiled kids that dress very scantily and then watch really overblown stars.” (37:31)
  • Others defend Bieber, noting his nod to his YouTube roots and creative choices.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Economic Sanctions & Regimes

  • Emily Compagno: “They will never prioritize their population. They prioritize control.” (08:28)

• On Swalwell’s Political Irony

  • Jesse Watters: “He may have had a guilty conscience or this may have been an attempt at putting on a scandal condom because he knew this would come out because he was all in on me too.” (18:43)

• On Media Divide

  • Tom Shillue: “These (Al Jazeera, BBC) are not pro-American news organizations, but they have a much more sanguine view of the blockade than the American media.” (10:00)

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• White House DoorDash & Iran Blockade: 00:20–11:07
• Swalwell Scandal/Resignation: 12:10–29:28
• Men and Masculinity in Politics: 20:58–24:57
• NYC Subway Machete Incident & Policing: 30:32–36:47
• Pop Culture, Coachella & Bieber Set: 37:16–38:53

---

Episode Tone & Character

The episode maintains an energetic, irreverent tone, combining serious analysis with the hosts' trademark banter and pointed humor. The Five’s voices remain distinct: Jesse’s sarcasm, Emily’s passion, Tom’s dry wit, Dana’s measured insights, and Harold Ford Jr’s attempts to bridge perspectives.

---

Useful for New Listeners?

Absolutely—this summary captures the political climate, key controversies, and cultural quarrels shaping April 2026, while highlighting the show's unique blend of news analysis and personality-driven panel discussion.

---

Transcript

[Tom Shillue]

Now it's time.

[Jesse Watters]

Hello, everybody. I'm jesse waters along with emily compagno, harold ford jr, dana perino and tom shalou. It's five o' clock in new york

[Tom Shillue]

city and this is the five.

[Emily Compagno]

McDonald's.

[Dana Perino]

Hello, nice to see you.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Nice to meet you.

[Emily Compagno]

I have your doordash letter for you.

[Tom Shillue]

Mr.

[Dana Perino]

Look at this. This doesn't look staged, does it?

[Jesse Watters]

Special delivery at the White House. Somebody ordered some Big Macs with a side of blockade. President Trump promoting no tax on tips, flanked by an Arkansas grandma who pocketed 11,000 in tax free tips last year. And while the President gets some delivery to the Oval, he's delivering some economic pain to Iran. We're seven hours into Trump's naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after JD's peace talks in Pakistan this weekend stalled. The President keeping the door dasher by his side as he took questions from the press.

[Dana Perino]

They'd like to make a deal very badly. They will never have a nuclear weapon. We're going to get the dust back. We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that's what they're doing. We have a blockade. They're doing no business. Do you think that men should play in women's sports?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I really don't have an opinion on that.

[Dana Perino]

You don't? I'll bet you do.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

No. I'm here about tax on tips.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah.

[Guest/Caller]

Are the White House good tippers?

[Jesse Watters]

Do you know?

[Dana Perino]

Wait.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Potentially, yes, very.

[Jesse Watters]

Meanwhile, The Dems failed 2016 ticket. Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine still whining about Trump ripping up Obama's terrible Iran nuke deal.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

When we did the original talks, we had the P5 plus one, you know, the original members of the Security Council plus Germany. But it was a real negotiation. So I worry that the United States is now in a very weak position vis a vis Iran.

[Tom Shillue]

I think that decision by President Trump to tear up a diplomatic deal will

[Dana Perino]

go down in history as one of

[Tom Shillue]

the worst decisions in the foreign policy space ever made by an American president.

[Dana Perino]

If you make diplomacy impossible, you tend to make war inevitable.

[Jesse Watters]

This naval blockade, Dana, just getting started already, pretty effective.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So I think that it shows that one JD Vance went and gave them a lot of time and also he didn't drag it out. Okay, so you think about when you just hear Hillary Clinton's voice. I just remember covering that every week there was like another step in the negotiation, another step, and then the Iranians dragged the talks out forever. What I appreciated about this weekend is that, all right, I'll fly all the way over there. I will sit and I will listen and I will give you our points and we will draw some red lines and you won't agree to them. So, okay, now we're going home. We're not going to sit here for weeks and do this over and over again. The other thing is reportedly, I don't know this firsthand, but reportedly JD Vance was not for this operation to begin with. Now he is gone. He's like, I tried. And now he can say, Mr. President, now, now we have to win this thing. We don't have a choice. Because the Strait of Hormuz is so critical, the blockade, I don't know if it will work in the long term. But it's interesting about the economic pain that Iran could feel from this. I'm curious, though, how much economic pain the Iranian regime will be able to stand because their people, the people of Iran, have very little. And even when they were protesting, in order to try to placate them, the leadership in Iran said, we'll give you $7 a month more. And the Iranian people were like, yeah, that's not going to cut it. And they also wanted more freedoms. They were fighting for things. President Trump's help is on the way. This type of economic pain, though, is something that the actual regime might feel. Now. The. I'm worried about the people, you know, that the people of Iran, the regime, this one might make them, force them to come to the table, or it will also force new bedfellows. So if they really did mine all of the strait and we need help and figuring out where those mines are, are the British going to come? Because they are actually very good at that. We'd love your help. Then you think about the Arabian partners in the area who are like, we can't have this. So we want to help the Americans and the Israelis do this. In the meantime, Israel is finishing its job as well. So overall, I believe that when you hear Tim Kaine say, well, we had a better situation under the Obama deal, except that when Kushner and Wyckoff were there at the table, the Iranians said, we have enough uranium for 11 bombs. So how good was that deal?

[Tom Shillue]

Right?

[Jesse Watters]

Exactly, Harold. So we sailed two destroyers right through the strait. The Iranians said that they were going to bomb them. They didn't do anything about it. And now we're undertaking anti mining operations and the market likes it.

[Tom Shillue]

Good to be with you. First off, I like McDonald's. I was glad to see the president and I eat McDonald's to my wife Chagrin and Wendy's and raising Cane's too. But it's another segment. I think the blockade has been a success in its short, the short period of time we've had it. Some have suggested that maybe we should have started with the blockade. I don't know if I agree with that. I think we needed to. The efforts to take out a lot of their military, take out a lot of their leadership has certainly softened things. I think you've made that point, Jesse, over the last several days as well. I think where we are is a good thing. The market likes the fact that the president's trying to negotiate some settlement, some agreement here, as we saw today, with the market being down early and then rising later. I do hope, and I'm sure the president knows what the market is looking for is something probably different than he's looking for. I think if the Strait of Hormuz is open, the markets will perform perhaps in historic ways over the next few weeks. The market, I hope, hopefully we'll have something to do with the president, what the vice president has made clear, which is to ensure that the Iranians do not get a nuclear weapon. I think the president is informing the country and helping the country to understand why this is so critically important. And hopefully Democrats, Republicans alike, and even some of my party who have been the most outspoken will appreciate that fact as well. For the president's right, we're going to need a bigger defense budget. We have half the ships that we had 10 years ago, 12 years ago in our military. The president's asked for one and a half trillion for this. And I hope that the Congress, I hope they find ways in which they can cut certain things, maybe not childcare. And I hope that those of us who have the means to perhaps pay a little more will pay a little more to ensure that we have the kind of military that we need and the kind of military that is giving us the outcome we have here. But I give the president a lot of credit. I give the blockade more credit than some are giving it, particularly in my party. And I can only hope that they maintain the fortitude to ensure that they get a very, very good deal. I'm not with them criticizing Obama as much because I think the Obama deal is a little better than some suggest it. But he's in a position, President Trump, to get a much better deal today. It's because of the blockade and because of the military operations.

[Jesse Watters]

Right. And the cease fire is over in eight days and you're going to see this strait opening up, hopefully really, really soon. And that creates a lot of pressure on the regime. There's still a shot at diplomacy.

[Emily Compagno]

There is. I think the massive issue that I have with Hillary Clinton's statements then and now and Tim Kaine's statements then and now is that they are treating negotiation with a terrorist regime and a terrorist state as normal diplomacy. And the reality is that it isn't everything I know, which is very little. But I learn it from Sarah Adams, who guided us in explaining that these terrorist regimes, just because they're sitting at the same table doesn't mean they have that shared interest and resolution. And we frame concessions as, oh, great, it's a step of alignment now we're sharing the path down together. But instead, it's actually them just trying to outlast and outmaneuver us. And what they have on their side is the time, in terms of patience that they will lay dormant for centuries until their dream is realized of absolutely annihilating us. They're not built toward compromise. They're built toward survival. And when we talk about sanctions now, I agree that obviously their entire country has imploded economically. Their people are suffering, but they don't care.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

That's the whole point.

[Emily Compagno]

They will never prioritize their population. They prioritize control. And every time we have relieved sanctions in the past under Obama or under Biden, it does not lead to constraint on their part. It leads to them freaking out. It leads to them doing exactly what we should expect them to do and what we hope they don't do, which is scrambling to hurt us in all ways, shapes, and form. And so the other thing to remember is that Iran's occasional deception that we see, oh, there's still mines there, but we're not sure where they are. So you have to sail a little bit more north in our water. Deception is not occasional. It is all the time. It is what their strategy is based on. So does this mean we can't negotiate with them? No, but it means that we have to sort of portray the beast for what it is, which is a beast. This is not sitting across the table from a potential ally. And that's sad because they used to be an ally a long time ago. So these Democrats that are framing this as somehow failed or whatnot, I think see it as they thought it was some type of equal across the table instead of a vastly different type of monster. And this is also where our shared alliances and the Gulf allies and also Europe's allies need to step up to the plate because they will Only survive and be well behaved with pressure from the entire globe. So we need our allies now more than ever.

[Jesse Watters]

And the President delivers the message to Iran next to a doordash delivery person. Last week it was the Easter Bunny.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

He cares about the population, right?

[Emily Compagno]

Exactly.

[Tom Shillue]

Looks like right.

[Jesse Watters]

Nice fat tip.

[Tom Shillue]

You know what I did on this issue? I consulted other media, world media I listened to. I got Al Jazeera on my tablet this morning. I kept Fox News on on the tv, but I looked at Al Jazeera. Also listened to BBC World Service last night. These are not pro American news organizations, but they have a much more sanguine view of the blockade than the American view media. It's surprising if you look at these things. I think also I want to read this quote from Sultan Al Jabba. That's the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, he tweeted out. The Strait of Hormuz has never been Iran's to close or restrict through navigation. The world simply cannot afford it and must not allow it. The countries of the Middle east, the oil producing countries and the non oil producing countries are either positive on what Trump is doing or they are craftily neutral. But if you look at the way the world is dealing with, it's very different from the leftists in the Democratic Party and the US Media.

[Jesse Watters]

Completely different.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Can I say something?

[Jesse Watters]

I think they want Trump to fail and I think the rest of these countries want the straight open. Go ahead.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I just want to point out that, Tom, you've really elevated the discourse on this show. You used the word sanguine and craftily in the same.

[Tom Shillue]

I like the term sanguine because it means bloody and I have the ruddy cheek. So I, you know, I see it is impressive. It's a good word for me.

[Emily Compagno]

I think I brought it down because when you said craftily, I thought, she's crafty. From the Beastie bowl, my mind goes in a different direction.

[Jesse Watters]

And Emily, keep your ears open because up next, Swalwell sex scandals snowballing fast. Other lawmakers are getting dragged into it. Now, listen, you gotta fight for your right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

How do you look, Emily?

[Emily Compagno]

I realized I forgot to advertise that we were on.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Let me get to this.

[Emily Compagno]

All right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Alex Falwell's sexual assault scandal is now threatening to take down other lawmakers. The congressman pulling the plug on his California run for governor after getting hit by a wave of sexual misconduct allegations, including by a former staffer who is accusing him of rape. Swalwell admitting that he is sorry for mistakes in judgment, but is vowing to Fight the, quote, false allegations. And now the pressure is building. Fellow Democrats are calling on him to resign from Congress.

[Guest/Caller]

I believe that he should resign, and

[Jesse Watters]

you cannot do what he did.

[Guest/Caller]

And I believe the survivors.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Will you vote to expel Eric Swalwell and Congressman Gonzalez? I would.

[Guest/Caller]

The accusations are absolutely heinous, and his admissions, betraying his family are deplorable. So Eric Swalwell needs to resign. He needs to drop out of the

[Emily Compagno]

race, be investigated, and if found true,

[Harold Ford Jr.]

and I think we need to give the victims the benefit of the doubt. If found true, then he should resign.

[Jesse Watters]

I think he should probably resign, and I'll have to see evidence before I vote to expel. There seems to be enough evidence that

[Tom Shillue]

if this came to a floor, I

[Emily Compagno]

would vote to expel.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So this comes as Access reports. The scandal could trigger a ripple effect with potential expulsion votes for at least three other lawmakers who are also facing scandals once the House returns tomorrow. Meanwhile, folks are pointing out this irony. Eric Swalwell spent years branding himself as a MeToo champion, but now he's the one under the microscope.

[Guest/Caller]

For Brett Kavanaugh's sake, if he is innocent, I hope tomorrow he opens his statement and says, you know what? Bring in all the victims, allow them to be heard, allow them to be questioned. That will clear his name if he's indeed innocent. As somebody who has spent my time in Congress working to stand up for the rights of victims about sexual assault. Victims deserve justice. Former prosecutor and a dad of a little girl, and that we have to do everything to stand with sexual assault victims.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Emily, that's just like a fast pitch right down the middle.

[Emily Compagno]

I mean, standing with sexual assault victims means not making any more and creating any more. He's so predictable in his profile of a drunk on his own power, waste of flesh. You guys know how I felt about him representing the East Bay for quite a long time as a transplant. And the reality is that the Democrats of the deeply blue East Bay resented him sort of from the beginning because he came in there from out of state, and then he displaced Pete Stark, who people really loved, and they felt like he did so with a lack of respect for the machine. We saw that he sort of came out swinging against Biden, but then all of a sudden, understanding he needed to be part of the machine himself. And so he sort of toed the line, got back into set. Look, bottom line, to quote the Democrats, to quote him, there are credible allegations of sexual assault against him. So, yes, he should resign. But I also think that this is our moment to step up and say that everyone should be kicked out. They are right. Swalwell and Gonzalez and Corey Mills and Sheila, get them all out. And then it'll be even Steven, because the thought of strategy somehow overtaking the thought to force someone out. And I understand that there's an ethics committee investigation playing out. So there are arguments for, well, let the results happen before you expel. I will quote George Santos that gave his recommendation to these guys that said, you know what? If I could do it all over, I, I wouldn't have been expelled and I would have resigned on my own terms. Now, we still have a lot of questions, obviously, but I think it is sickening that we continue to pay the salaries of these people who refuse to give up their seats in Congress, that they are sitting there the subject of criminal investigations and multiple ethics investigations and so much. And then we learn that everyone knew about it, that it's a Weinstein all over again, except for like a facsimile of his amount of power that he had. And we are supposed to be like, that's so great.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I wish them well.

[Emily Compagno]

Welcome back from recess. I think that is absolutely abhorrent. It's unacceptable whatsoever. And I look forward to Eric Swalwell swallowing his pride and probably a bit more, too.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

And Harold, so one of the consequences was not only is he facing these expulsions, but he dropped out of the governor's race.

[Tom Shillue]

So you have that. I agree with what Emily just said that the, the governor's race in California is interesting for Democrats. So they've got to figure out our own colleague, former colleague, who looks as if he may be and could find his way at the top of that list as well. And we'll see what happens with Democrats. But to give some historical context to some of this, the Congress has expelled six people in the history of Congress. They've censored 28. So they have a basis and a historical precedent to do this. The interesting thing is what Emily said about in about two thirds of the way of her talk, which was they're even. This has become political because they're looking at, because of the razor thin margins. If you take Gonzalez out and Mills out, meaning you expel them or you take action against them because they're Republicans, you might give the Democrats a majority. So you've got to take two Democrats out. So whatever they do, I hope they follow the rules and follow the evidence. And it sounds like that they. Sounds like they are. This is not the last time we're going to talk about this story.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Yeah, Eric Swalwell. I don't think we had this on the bingo card. Apparently some of the media might have known a little bit about it.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah, well, it's a he said, she said, Dana. And then I read a lot more, and it's more of like a he said, she said, she said, she said, she said. Because there's a lot of women coming forward here, and it's not all pretty. One of the allegations was that he sucked on a girl's toes.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Okay.

[Jesse Watters]

I just want to say, I mean, guys do not do that ever. Okay. And also, don't just whip it out. Allegedly, he was just whipping it out in a car in broad daylight in front of the intern. Like, that's not the moment you do it. It has to be done in the moment of maybe passion, never with an intern. But also sending cock a doodle duplex, also not something that women usually enjoy. Seems risky. That's what you'd call. That's what you'd call poor judgment. And he's had a history of poor judgment because. Fang fang. And so this guy shouldn't be anywhere near power. He may have had a guilty conscience or this may have been an attempt at putting on a scandal condom because he knew this would come out because he was all in on me too. Kavanaugh, locker room talk. My God, I can't believe he said that. Believe all women. No. One of those left wing holy rollers. This guy had it written all over him.

[Tom Shillue]

And.

[Jesse Watters]

And he only raised his profile because he was a Trump antagonist. He fought Trump harder than he fought for California. So when this broke, no one in California cared. No one battled for him because they were like, none of the power brokers ever even heard of him before. So it looked like this could have been a coup because they had this jungle primary and they were gonna lose. So they might have just canceled Swalwell with these women to open up a lane for potatoes Porter and the billionaire stier. I wouldn't put it past them. Democrats are dirty. Not as dirty as toe sucking, but dirty.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All right, Tom, you get the benefit of following that.

[Tom Shillue]

Well, I want to double down on Jesse's theory. I don't think it's a crazy theory at all. This has echoes of what Joe Biden. They were in denial. They all pretend. We just noticed that he's completely mentally incompetent. We noticed it at the debate. We just tuned into this debate just now and then he was out. Why? Because they thought he was going to lose to Donald Trump. These folks in California and Democrats all over the country realize he's muddying up the waters. There's too many Democrats. They got to get rid of him. They knew if he's going to win because he was the leading Democrat that he would run against Republicans and they're polling better than him. So they said we got to get rid of him.

[Jesse Watters]

And this might have come out in the general.

[Tom Shillue]

Yes. And now and this whole time Democrats, there was no proof of Fang Fang. Now do you think that what do you think about Fang Fang when he had a Chinese spy and they said, well, we don't know if he had sex with her, but he had sex with everything else that walked into his office.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Right, right.

[Tom Shillue]

So what do you think about Fang Fang? Poor Fang Fang.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I don't feel sorry.

[Jesse Watters]

What do you mean?

[Emily Compagno]

Chinese spy.

[Jesse Watters]

She's probably sucked on her toes.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All right, up next, the battle for men heats up. President Trump firing up the guys at a UFC event while the Joe Rogan of the left sparked some flight fresh controversy.

[Guest/Caller]

You are some fighter.

[Dana Perino]

Thank you, man.

[Emily Compagno]

That was President Trump rocking a UFC event in Miami this weekend. Still showing that he's got that magic touch with male voters and emails. We want, you have to now compare that to the Democrats who are still trying and failing to crack the masculinity code. Their so called Joe Rogan of the left, Hasan Piker is back in the headlines this time for calling Republicans terrorists.

[Guest/Caller]

Stark difference between even a Democrat who you and I might find not up to par to say the least versus Vance or whoever they put up.

[Tom Shillue]

Of course.

[Guest/Caller]

I mean I hate Republicans. I oppose them. I, I say that all the time. I think that the Republicans are far more damaging. The biggest terrorists, the biggest domestic terrorists in this country, the biggest terrorist internationally is the Republican Party.

[Emily Compagno]

Disgraceful. But not all Democrats are sucking up to the America hating streamer. Michigan Senator Elise Slotkin is firing back after Piker attacked her for daring to talk to Bill Maher, but not him.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Watch.

[Emily Compagno]

I talked with Hassan Piker this week and he essentially said that there was a double standard on you going on Bill Maher show versus his twitch stream. Do you want to respond to that? Some derogatory things he said about orthodox

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Jews saying that we deserve 9 11.

[Emily Compagno]

Like there's some things in there. Not to mention he calls me stupid

[Harold Ford Jr.]

like every other week. So I just. What normal human being would choose to go on a show when someone calls

[Emily Compagno]

you stupid every 10 days? Yes, obviously. I'm not quite sure, Harold, why more mainstream media folks don't adopt her common sense approach. This guy's bad news.

[Tom Shillue]

I agree. I think that whenever on either side, Democrats or Republicans, use language that I think is not becoming of a political conversation I'm critical of. I think there's no way in the world. If I were Lisa Slack and I'd go on Mr. Piker's podcast, I wouldn't go on it if he invited me. Now, if I were in a setting and he was there to debate, I'd debate him, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of being on his platform. I think one of the worst things that has happened in politics over the last 10, 20 years is that people believe that politics is just about fighting. And the language they use projects and imparts and portrays and. And celebrates fighting. No one. I've said on this show before, everyone, Democrat, Republican, like everyone said, we want a candidate that's going to fight, fight, fight. No one ever says, I want a candidate that's going to solve, solve, solve. And I don't sense that Mr. Piker's platform is that he's entitled to it, but so is Ms. Slotkin. And I agree with her. I agree with her position.

[Emily Compagno]

Jesse, this is a person who also says, I hate Republicans. I mean, this is the tip of the iceberg for the horrible things he has said. But how can someone run for office, run for a position of influence, not realizing that he's going to represent, guess what, people who are Republicans, too. Yeah.

[Jesse Watters]

You never want to say you hate half the country. I've learned that. I don't think I say that anymore. But, you know, you seem weak. When another man says they're afraid of other men, another man should not say, these other guys are so dangerous, they're so violent, they're so threatening. Well, sometimes that's a compliment. Sometimes you need men to be dangerous and violent to protect the country from the inside and the out. And he just sounds like a Real Housewife. I hate. Stop. I wouldn't run with that guy. But if they do, go for it. A little advice for the Democratic Party. You used to have Bill Clinton, the Kennedys, the Cuomos, the Gores, John Edwards, Barack Obama, kind of. You used to have tall, athletic, handsome men. Can I say handsome? Yes. I'm that secure in my masculinity. Either that or I'm gay. But I'm not saying, you know, we have breaking news here.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Breaking news because the five guest results. Maybe Eric Swalwell is resigning from Congress. He said this in a statement. I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the false, the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make. I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process within days of an allegation being made is wrong, but it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress. I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able in my absence and to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th congressional district. So Max Gordon, he's out in California. He's got the latest for us. Had you on NEWSROOM this morning. This is quite a turn of events.

[Max Gordon]

Yeah, absolutely. You know, this isn't necessarily unexpected, but it is definitely a shock to the political world. You know, he was a leading candidate for California governor just a couple of days ago, but then this bombshell report came out in the San Francisco Chronicle with allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman while he wasor she was one of his staffers. Then CNN came out with a separate report interviewing three additional women saying that there was some sexual impropriety that had gone on. It was really just a weekend of implosion for his campaign where we had staffers quitting and then we had the Democratic establishment establishment telling Swalwell that he should drop out the race for California governor. He then did that on Sunday evening. And then now today we see that he is going to be vacating his congressional seat. We had calls for him to step down from his congressional seat as well. So, you know, this is really going to be a sending shockwaves throughout the political world, but not necessarily unexpected.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All right, Max Gordon, thank you for that update. And Harold Ford Jr. Will kick us off with another round of commentary about this. Harold, I guess this it might put a complete end to his political career. Good decision by him, probably the only

[Tom Shillue]

decision for him, I think two things. One, and I'll start where I finished before this. This now puts in play this California governor's race and will give it national attention that probably did not have a few days ago. And two, I asked the question as for the other three members of Congress that they were talking about the Congress taking action on, perhaps censoring or even expelling. What happens with those three members will be interesting to see over the next few days.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All right, Emily.

[Emily Compagno]

I think it's interesting that he used allegation singular when there are multiple allegations against him. And so I wonder if he's just referring to the allegation of rape, which he said.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

That's how I took it.

[Emily Compagno]

Yeah, yeah, I'm great. Great news. I'm in a great mood now because of this. The distraction he talked about. He's been a distraction since day one. We know that he has spent way too much time on social media trying to curry favor with his followers rather than his constituents. I know for a fact his constituents won't miss him because they felt underrepresented by him the entire time. He was never a representative of the East Bay, and he certainly has been MIA for quite a long time once he got his Washington, D.C. home. So good luck fighting everything. And he's being criminally investigated, too. Hopefully, this is the last we'll hear about him politically and ever, frankly.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Right. And then I guess this could change and maybe help Steve Hilton even more in the California governor's race.

[Tom Shillue]

Absolutely. And you know. You know what's not said enough about Eric Spalwell with all these accusations? You forget his. His major quality is that he is a really dumb guy. He has always been an idiot, really. He's like a sitcom character. He reminds me of. Remember Ted Knight on Mar. Mary Tyler Moore. What was his name? The newscaster there?

[Emily Compagno]

Like a Ron Burgundy.

[Tom Shillue]

Remember him? I forget.

[Dana Perino]

Isn't it?

[Tom Shillue]

But he is just a dumb. Dumb.

I mean, that's.

He has always been so. You know, these scandals, they don't surprise me. Also, his rambling statement, so unimpressive.

It's classic.

I mean, keep it brief, all right? And he writes, this is outrageous, these accusations. They're not true. But, you know, but I do have to own up that there were some bad things I did. Also. It's outrageous to have someone to step down. But I am stepping down. I mean, just shut up.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Right? Well, he is. And, you know, it's interesting.

[Guest/Caller]

He.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Jesse, has missed more votes in Congress than a guy, a Democrat guy, who passed away last March.

[Jesse Watters]

That's a lot of votes. It's funny, he complained about not getting due process. He never gave it to Kavanaugh or any of the other people he tried to skewer. Anna Paulina Luna, the congressman says that there's going to be more stuff coming out about him, more allegations. And so he probably knew that. There's also a video circulating of him online. I don't know if it's true. I don't even know if it's even him. There's a lot of innuendo swirling around this guy. And there are criminal charges potentially here in New York City based off something that happened with one of his employees and could be a problem.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All right, coming up next, the left is feeling sorry for a machete wielding maniac after cops take him down mid rampage.

[Tom Shillue]

The left is once again treating violent criminals like helpless victims. Police in New York City shooting dead a machete wielding maniac who had slashed three elderly subway riders at a very busy Grand Central Terminal. He was apparently calling himself Lucifer during the attack. But activists are questioning the police, not the psycho. Check out this post on X from a left wing journalist who says, quote, does NYPD know how to disarm people without going straight to lethal force? Follow up question. Has anyone else noticed that NYPD consistently reacts to a person with a knife by shooting them? Chose the wrong song. I should have talking heads. I should have chosen psycho killer. Jesse.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah. Does it surprise you that the Democrats are defending Lucifer?

[Tom Shillue]

No.

[Jesse Watters]

So what are you supposed to do with Lucifer? Let him continue to go on a stabbing spree. This is what they're trained to do. You can't say drop the knife and then him lunge at you and not do anything about that. You gotta put him down. If there had been an unarmed therapist at the scene, what would she have done? She probably would have been slashed. Also, it's not the cop's job to protect the killer. It's the cop's job to protect everyone surrounding the killer. Let's just say you hit him with a stun gun. How many episodes of Cops have you guys seen? Some guy gets tased and he's on dust and he keeps going. That's not guaranteed you're gonna be able to put him down. Grand Central Terminal for people that don't understand is densely packed. It's not like you're dealing with a guy with a knife in the middle of a cornfield. There are people everywhere. Like he can move five feet in one direction and stab someone else.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Right? Dana, I'm glad that they had a gun.

[Guest/Caller]

Yeah.

[Tom Shillue]

Well, listen, I came to New York during. From Dinkins to Giuliani, and I saw the change. I'm thinking that nobody who was in New York during that era voted for Mamdani.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So I wasn't here during that era. I came Giuliani to Bloomberg, to this.

[Tom Shillue]

Yeah.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So all I have seen is the decline since Bloomberg.

[Tom Shillue]

That's true. I think Mamdani was elected by people who saw none of that.

[Emily Compagno]

Terrible.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I do want to. Can I do Dana Perino recommends this weekend. I finally was able to get to an article I've been wanting to read in the Free Press by a guy named Chris Arnaud. And he basically. I wouldn't say he's ideological. He's saying America puts up with way too much, especially our blue cities. He was talking about Chicago being a disaster, but he goes on public transit everywhere and including overseas. And he says, you don't have this in South Korea or in other places. South Korea comes to mind because it's highlighted in the article. And he said, America just accepts way too much of this. And the blue cities is what is driving people into the suburbs or even the exurbs, because they have to get away from it. And so how can you expect the cities to thrive if you keep pushing people out? Well, partly it's because you want to leave, because you don't want to be involved in the situation, even though the city can be wonderful, but they're making it a scary place to be.

[Tom Shillue]

That's it. Okay, Harold. Dana said Blue Cities. I asked my AI program during the break before coming here. I said, could you name some Blue City mayors who are tough on crime? And this is what I told me. London Breed and Jacob Fry. That's the best they could come up with on AI.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

He's not in Jacob anymore.

[Emily Compagno]

London Breed is former. And she was she.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, that just goes to show.

[Tom Shillue]

Yeah, I'm saying it's nonsensical. Right.

But the guy who are none, London Breed was defeated by a Democrat out in San Francisco who is tough on crime. And you have. I get the joke. Here's my thing. I think that Jesse's right. If you don't live in New York and don't have an appreciation, I take the subway just about every day. This is not the middle of nowhere. You have people all around, and Grand Central is one of the busiest, most dynamic and fluid places. So I think if you understood what the police were dealing with, you wouldn't make that case. We're living in a time in which our mayor is thinking about cutting the police force and using the money for other things. I think if this mayor were serious and other mayors were serious about putting more cops on the street, more cops in subways, more cops on buses, there are people who might say, I'd be willing to pay a little bit more. If you're telling me my kids can get to school, I can get to work, and people who I work with and who work with and around me, they can get to work, too. But this nonsense about, you know, people should come back and pay Taxes. Because it's the right thing to do. No, it's the right thing to do if the schools are better, if the streets are safer and our subways are safer. And anyone that thinks that cops shouldn't pull a gun on somebody wielding a knife on a subway, try being on the subway with your 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old daughter and someone, and someone breaks out a knife, you want a police officer to put them down. So I salute the nypd, Emily.

I think Mamdani said we thank the police for their swift action. But his. He says that, but his actions are not backing up those words.

[Emily Compagno]

Right? His actions were to dismantle, attempt to dismantle the SWAT unit here. I don't care what he says. He's absolute trash. I'm embarrassed that he's the mayor here. I'm exhausted by the ignorance on X by these people who the picture was, her or him, whatever it was, in a mask like. That's the kind of person that is knee jerking to protect the machete wielding maniac. Instead of just either shutting up for a second or, or saying, I'm so grateful to NYPD for saving more lives. It's like the inverse of the knee jerk that you should be engaging in. And I'm exhausted by people who are so ignorant and uneducated and not even curious to even learn about the training tactics or why. And also to immediately blame NYPD specifically instead of to acknowledge that that is training and protocol for every police department around the country. And that indeed, if she was the one in the way of that machete wieldy maniac, I think out of her mouth would be the words thank you instead of vilifying nypd. But I will say I'm real tired of my tax dollars going toward nothing here. And I think there's a safe sort of bet to say here, well, if I'm not getting safety, if we're not getting protected, if we're getting a mayor that's just taking our money and give it to other people, why pay taxes at all?

[Tom Shillue]

He saluted the police.

I think I saw his correct.

Did I say it correctly? I'm glad he did that. I'm glad he did that. Thankfully, he did that.

Okay, coming up. Baby, baby. No. Justin Bieber is getting called out for surfing YouTube videos at Coachella.

Critics are calling Justin Bieber's headlining Coachella set quote, lazy after the pop star played some YouTube clips of his old songs on a screen. Watch this. Oh, we already played it. Forgive me. What do you think about This, I actually kind of liked it. But what do you think?

[Emily Compagno]

Okay, so I am exhausted. I am so tired of Coachella. I don't. In general, it seems to me a magnet for really rich, spoiled kids that dress very scantily and then watch really overblown stars. His voice is incredible and I love that he loves the Lord. I think you get what you pay for, so. Meaning if you go to a place like Coachella where it's all just overblown ridiculousness anyway, you think you're gonna get. Actually, you think you're gonna get operettas. And I'm sad cuz he does have an incredible voice, but I feel like you have to sort of like read the room. I'm sorry.

[Tom Shillue]

Prime time.

[Jesse Watters]

Did he phone it in? Yeah. Have people done much worse?

[Tom Shillue]

Sure.

[Jesse Watters]

What I respect are the guys in the 60s and the 70s that were so high on heroin that they would just play one song for 45 minutes. That's what I like.

[Tom Shillue]

DP.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I have a different take. I don't really know a lot about this, but this is my assistant, Kate. She had this take. He was discovered on YouTube. That is why they used it as a former Mrs. [e-mail]. it was incredible to watch. And he did all his old hits. He never performs. It was not lazy, fun and interactive.

[Tom Shillue]

Kate's right.

[Jesse Watters]

Kate's take. I like that. What do you think?

[Tom Shillue]

No, she's right.

15 seconds.

This is multimedia. He was showing video. He took the time. He chose the things. He sang duets with his own young self. This was part of his artistic project. It was not lazy at all.

I agree with you. I thought it was very good. One More Thing. One More Thing is up next.

[Jesse Watters]

It's time now for One More Thing. Happy birthday, Mom. That's right.

[Tom Shillue]

Oh, yes.

[Jesse Watters]

Another great birthday for my mother. I love her so much and we will see her soon. For Gigi's birthday tonight, Jesse Waters, primetime. Johnny went to Al Sharpton's DEI conference watch.

[Emily Compagno]

Is DEI a good thing or a bad thing? It's a bad thing.

[Guest/Caller]

Al Sharpton says DEI is great.

[Emily Compagno]

Oh, okay.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, he says great is great.

[Emily Compagno]

Oh my gosh.

[Jesse Watters]

Harold.

[Tom Shillue]

I like Reverend Sharpton. Rory McElroe, congratulations. He's won back to back. Masters was 12 under. He finished. He had a little rocky finish there at the end, but he did something only Tiger and Jack have been able to do. So congrats to him and Nick Faldo have been able to. Congrats, Rory McElroy.

[Jesse Watters]

Congrats, Emily thank you for Washington FD,

[Emily Compagno]

for rescuing this osprey that was tickled in a fishing line.

[Jesse Watters]

Oh, wow. We almost have time for Tom.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Wow.

[Tom Shillue]

Ted Baxter. That was his name. Ted baxter.

[Guest/Caller]

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