Trump Kicks Off Midterms Blitz In Iowa

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Five — "Trump Kicks Off Midterms Blitz In Iowa"

Date: January 27, 2026
Host: FOX News Podcasts

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Overview

This episode of The Five centers on former President Donald Trump’s high-profile campaign rally in Iowa, marking the official kickoff of the 2026 midterms blitz. The panel—Jesse Waters, Dana Perino, Emily Compagno, Harold Ford Jr., and Tyrus—debate Trump’s political strategies, the latest policy moves (such as the $100 billion tax refund and deregulation), the condition of the Democratic field, ongoing immigration controversies, and media rivalries as the midterms approach. The tone is energetic, mixing policy analysis with the show’s trademark banter and sharp wit.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Iowa Kickoff and Economic Strategy

• Trump’s Tax Refund Bonanza
  • Trump is distributing a $100 billion tax refund in hopes of boosting GOP performance at the polls.
  • Jesse Waters: “The strategy is simple. Put money in voters’ wallets and get rewarded at the polls.” [01:19]
• Why Iowa?
  • Dana Perino notes Trump’s Iowa choice is strategic: a reliably red state with key economic and farming concerns, but also one where GOP must stay vigilant if Democrats are energized.
  • Dana Perino: “It also forces those states where you might have an issue—a lack of enthusiasm for voters—your local press, your local social media’s going to be focused on the visit.” [02:28]

2. Voter Enthusiasm and Political Tactics

• Grassroots Mobilization
  • Tyrus stresses that success depends on energizing disinterested voters beyond the engaged political class.
  • Tyrus: “It’s the rest of the country who’s living their lives, who don’t watch TV, that just vote, ‘Well, I’m a Democrat, so here’s my vote.’ That’s who you got to get paying attention… President Trump should be like, ‘I’ll come to your town and help you.’” [03:40]
• Democratic Reaction
  • Harold Ford Jr. says Democrats welcome Trump dominating headlines, believing competition spurs both parties:
  • Ford: “As a Democrat, I’m glad he’s there because I want voters to win between now and November.” [06:52]

3. Economic Hopes and Regulatory Burdens

• Tax Relief Is Not Enough
  • Emily Compagno, with personal experience as a small business owner, speaks to the dual challenges of taxes and regulations:
  • Emily: “That tax relief, it goes so far, but I think the regulatory relief—that will drive people to the voting polls.” [07:00]
  • Anecdote: Shared her Uber driver’s struggles and small vineyard business’s burden under local/state taxes and regulations. [07:00–09:03]
• Debate Over Deregulation Pace
  • Ford critiques the slow pace, suggesting executive action; Compagno and Tyrus argue it’s due to entrenched Biden-era regulations.
  • Emily: “It's so difficult to disentangle ourselves, these regulations from what we inherited specifically from the Biden administration.” [09:37]

4. Minneapolis Immigration Firestorm

• Biden’s Critique & Trump’s Law Enforcement Shuffle
  • Biden posts on X accusing Trump of “targeting American citizens.” [11:03]
  • Trump replaces ICE leadership in Minneapolis, claiming to de-escalate while working with state and local leaders for crowd control and public safety.
  • Trump: “Tom [Holman] is very good…he gets along very good with governors and mayors.” [11:44]
• Partisan Tensions Over Immigration
  • Jesse Waters criticizes both local resistance and the administration’s compromise, arguing for stricter immigration enforcement:
  • “Are we saying now that we’re just going to wait for illegals to commit crimes?” [13:17]
• Community and Law Enforcement Challenges
  • Discussion of how sanctuary policies and lack of local-federal cooperation complicate both crime prevention and immigrant rights.
  • Tyrus: “The Democrats ... are assisting the worst criminals in the world because they are providing them cover.”

5. Trump’s Iowa Speech: Themes and Claims

• Victories & Economic Boasts
  • Trump touts his electoral wins, economic gains, crackdown on regulations, investment, stock market highs, and military/police recruitment surges:
  • “We won the Electoral College 312 to 226. We won the popular vote for the first time of any Republican in many decades…America is respected all over the world.” [21:37–26:59]
• Exaggerated Rhetoric
  • Frequent claims of ending inflation, closing the border, and dramatic economic turnaround.
• Shoutout to John Deere
  • Applauds the company’s investment in a new North Carolina plant, linking tariffs to American manufacturing growth. [29:00]

6. Panel Analysis: Messaging, Turnout, and Political "Sex Appeal"

• Waters’ Playbook for Trump
  • Suggests Trump should keep messaging simple—econ boom, low crime, strong border—and “run it as hot as you can into November.” [34:41]
• Ford’s Critique of Speech Content
  • Ford wanted more focus on forward-looking solutions: tariffs, health care costs, housing, and job creation.
  • “No one goes to the store saying I want an iPhone 10. They want the new stuff.” [35:31]
• Mobilizing the Electorate
  • Compagno suggests a “Noah’s Ark” approach—everyone brings a non-voter to the polls. [37:27]
• Tyrus on Charisma in Politics
  • Trump’s dominance on stage overshadows down-ballot Republicans:
  • “He is the main event. He's the opening act. He’s just too damn sexy for everybody.” [38:13, lighthearted tone]

7. Democratic Rivals: Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris

• Dynamic (or Dysfunctional) Duo?
  • The panel revels in Newsom and Harris’s maneuvering, quoting a book from PA Gov. Josh Shapiro about Harris’s reluctance to partner with him (and even forgoing her own bathroom). [40:13]
  • Emily: “Kamala Harris didn’t want a collaborative relationship if [Shapiro] became her running mate. Apparently, she disliked being Joe’s number two and even complained about not having her own private bathroom. Rough life.” [40:13]
• Newsom’s Policies Criticized
  • Waters and Tyrus lampoon Newsom’s record (“decriminalized prostitution...paved the way for reparations...gas prices like highest besides Hawaii...free sex change surgeries for prisoners on death row”), calling it a “buffet of vulnerability.” [44:24]
  • Dana Perino: “It’s hard to run for president if your nickname is Governor U Haul.” [43:22]
• Ford’s Forward-Looking Advice for Dems
  • Ford says Dems should stop rehashing old spats and lay out concrete positive plans:
  • “We as a nation have to grapple with the kind of conversation and bring costs down and keep us healthier. This nonsense these guys are talking about looking—Shapiro was right. Don't look back backwards… talk about your answers for the future.” [46:18]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jesse Waters: “The strategy is simple. Put money in voters wallets and get rewarded at the polls.” [01:19]
• Tyrus: “He is the main event. He's the opening act...he's just too damn sexy for everybody.” [38:13]
• Dana Perino: “It’s hard to run for president if your nickname is Governor U Haul.” [43:22]
• Harold Ford Jr.: “No one goes to the store saying I want an iPhone 10. They want the new stuff. The president's got to tell people how lives are going to be better for them.” [35:31]
• Emily Compagno: “That tax relief, it goes so far, but I think the regulatory relief—that will drive people to the voting polls to say, yes, thank you and let’s keep it exactly how we are.” [07:00]
• Trump (on regulatory reform): “I've cut a record number of job killing regulations. The reason our job numbers are so good...it includes dozens of burdensome regulations that were crushing our amazing farmers. We love our farmers.” [32:00]
• Trump (regarding economic progress): “This has been the most dramatic one year turnaround of any country in history in terms of the speed.” [27:00]
• Harold Ford Jr.: “If you're going to talk about how you're going to make people's lives better, that's how you win elections.” [35:31]
• Tyrus (on Democratic infighting): “If they were sanctuary cities, if they actually worked with the President...the Democrats, they’re so focused on being anti-Trump that they are assisting the worst criminals in the world because they are providing them cover.” [18:34]

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Important Timestamps

• Trump’s opening remarks and economic boasts: [00:51], [21:37–32:00]
• Iowa rally strategy analysis: [01:42]
• Panel discussion on party enthusiasm/regulatory hurdles: [03:10–09:03]
• Minneapolis immigration issue: [11:03–15:23]
• Panel reactions to Trump’s Iowa speech: [34:12–38:11]
• Mockery of Newsom, Harris, and rival Democrats: [40:13–45:41]

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Tone & Takeaways

• The episode is characteristically combative, humorous, and populist.
• Trump’s team is betting on economic “wins” to drive turnout, while Democrats are depicted as mired in internal disputes.
• Key issues: economic relief vs. regulatory drag, urban unrest, immigration policy, and the vulnerabilities of Democratic frontrunners.
• Much playful ribbing and inside-joke banter, especially about political charisma and “sex appeal” in modern campaigning.
• The group agrees: winning requires fresh ideas and grassroots enthusiasm, not just reliving past glories or scandals.

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Summary prepared for listeners who want a thorough, content-rich snapshot of this episode’s big debates, main themes, and the energy of The Five panel.

Transcript

[Megan Alexander]

Five years ago, the US Brought leaders from Israel, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain together to sign the Abraham Accords. I'm Megan Alexander and this is Middle East. Tomorrow, go to partners.foxnews.com met.

[Jesse Waters]

Hello, everybody. I'm jesse waters along with emily compagno, harold ford jr. Dana perino and tyrus. Five o' clock in new york city, and this is the five. At any moment, President Trump will be taking the stage in Iowa, the next stop on his midterms tour blitz. Moments ago, he was working the room at a local restaurant, schmoozing with the faithful and teasing how he thinks Republicans will do next November.

[Donald Trump]

Listen, hopefully we win the midterms. And it's very scary because like it's two out of 50 years or something like that. For some reason, when a president wins, Republican or Democrat, even if they're a good president and hopefully I'm a great president based on the first year, I'm a great. We had a great first term, too. People don't. We rebuilt our military. We had phenomenal financial numbers. But I think this term's blowing away really every term.

[Jesse Waters]

And he's off to a hot start. The president stuffing the pockets of Americans with a $100 billion tax refund bonanza. The strategy is simple. Put money in voters wallets and get rewarded at the polls. All right, so Dana, they're calling this the official 2026 kickoff of the midterms. How is it going so far?

[Dana Perino]

So last week when President Trump was on his way to Davos, Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, was went to the back of the plane and she told the reporters this will likely be one of his last foreign trips for a while. He is going to be focused on the midterms, although I think he's going to China. But they're going to focus. And this is one of the first stops smart to go to Iowa. Obviously, that's a red state. But there's also another reason that he went to Iowa. There's farmers that got concerns and also the Republicans in the state. They're going to get a run for their money if the Democrats are highly motivated. I love when presidents get out of D.C. they can go and meet the people, see the people, like he's going to love being at the rally today. But it also forces those states, states where you might have an issue.

[Donald Trump]

A.

[Dana Perino]

Lack of enthusiasm for voters, your local press, your local social media is going to be focused on the visit. And even if you have an energized left and you have a Republican president whose polling should, in his mind, be better than it is. What he can say is that, well, the Democrats have it much worse than he does, and so they're not in any great shape either. I think that the project on the tax returns is really good, but the projection on economic growth is incredible. We haven't seen a number if that is true. If they get to a 5.4% or so, as they're projecting. We haven't seen that in many, many moons.

[Jesse Waters]

Yep, we're going to run it. Pretty hot, Tyrus.

[Tyrus]

That's the way we do it.

[Jesse Waters]

I love your blazer, by the way. That is a blazer. Is that my blazer?

[Tyrus]

Well, Johnny hooked me up. It was. It's not yours because you would never get trapped in the double bison.

[Jesse Waters]

That is true.

[Tyrus]

I think it's here. But it's our choice. We took two of your jackets and sewed them together. Sewed them together because you have a very hourglaze. Very hourglass. Hourglass hips. You know, in another lifetime. Are you.

[Jesse Waters]

Are you confusing me with Will Kane?

[Tyrus]

No. Some would argue Will Kane has childbearing hips. But speaking of childbearing, this is what I feel like the president's doing. He has to push these birth these Republicans. Don't they understand how important this is? Yeah. He's the reformed president. We're making changes. And this is the one time where the 3 million to 5 million people who watch politics and stay on top, we know what they're gonna do. It's the rest of the country who's living their lives, who don't watch tv, that just vote. Well, I'm a Democrat, so here's my vote. That's who you got to get paying attention. And that means, guys, boots on the ground in those communities. They should. President Trump should be like, I will come to your town and help you. When you do five rallies and you get to this point and you move up this, then the president will come, hit the home run, clean up for you. But him, he's having to build this from the ground up. And I think that's a lot to ask given what's going on on the entire world right now. He has a lot on his plate.

[Jesse Waters]

So, Harold, as a Democrat, do the Democrats want Trump front and center dominating the airwaves, going to all of these swing states?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I do. Good to be with everybody. I do. Because when you get to this point, nine months out from a midterm and nine months out from a president running for reelection, voters generally win if both sides are angling and working furiously, fastidiously to try to deliver for people. It was interesting to hear the President there, Jesse as he was in that I think it was a diner or restaurant it looked like and he said, you know, he was citing history saying only 2 times out of 50 do the midterms work out in favor of the person in the White House. Which means he's looking at the poll numbers and I think that's a good thing. You look at our in house one of our in house newspapers, the Wall Street Journal today, the front page talked about health care costs. How some Americans are paying mortgage style monthly premiums because of the way health care costs have gone up not just for those in Affordable Care act but for those even who have private insurance or may have employer based insurance. Farmers TP mentioned it right there in Iowa farmers are hurting. We the taxpayers are spen some 15 to 20 billion dollars trying to help them largely because of the President's tariffs. Those aren't my words. Those are the words of the farmers bureaus there throughout the Midwest and even specifically there in Iowa. I think the President would also be would be smart to think a little bit about and talk a little bit about AI and how it's going to impact employment patterns and for that matter the kind of jobs will be created. Ms. Wiles is one of the smartest and savviest and most clever political operatives and obviously an operator there in the White House's chief of staff. But he needs to get back on the road in the I think the focus overseas is one of the reasons why the polling numbers, which are just a snapshot of the moment, say that many Americans believe that the priorities the President is prioritizing are not necessarily their own. Finally we watched today some numbers. Jesse said that the country is at an 11 year low when it comes to consumer sentiment. Now people are still spending but they're not as excited and optimistic and enthusiastic about that spending. So you asked me a basic question. I'll give you a succinct answer. He's right to be there and as a Democrat I'm glad he's there because I want voters to win between now and November.

[Jesse Waters]

Emily, do you think the Republican Party can meet the level of excitement that the Democrats say they're at right now?

[Emily Compagno]

Yeah, they say that they're at historic double digits. Turnout amplification. I hope so. But I think to the point about those that don't watch tv, that answer and that surge and that fire will come if people actually are eased, if their Burdens are eased. The tax that, that 100 billion surge, that's going to be huge. There's a lot of regulations that are still, that we inherited from the prior administration and before that, people are still trying to dig their ways, their way out of. I took a $43 and some change Uber yesterday. The driver showed me at the end. He made $17 from that. That's the amount that here, the state and the city is taking. Now that's an example where he's going to get even more relief because first of all, the IRS didn't update their regulations after the big beautiful bill was passed. So he'll get expected. But at the end of the day, people like my family included that we run a small agricultural business. It's a small farm. We, we see that costs have skyrocketed. The wine. We see that. We see that insurance has gone up, we see that bond costs have gone up. So there's tax relief for sure. But those regulations, and I know Administrator Lefler is working on it, but it's difficult to disentangle ourselves from that. So listen, I'm optimistic and I'm one of those people that are so grateful for these tax breaks that I see impacting the community. All of my friends in the hospitality business, our small business that employs people who now get breaks on tips and the like, that up until now was totally ignored. I think it's a, it's been a really ripe environment for people who want to start out businesses and finally people who, who have ideas and dreams actually get to proceed with that and pursue the American dream. But that tax relief, it goes so far, but I think the regulatory relief that will drive people to the, to the, to the voting polls to say, yes, thank you and let's keep it exactly how we are.

[Jesse Waters]

You said your family owns a vineyard?

[Tyrus]

Yes. I was also tipped off by that too. Jesse.

[Jesse Waters]

Vineyard. Not a farm, a vineyard.

[Emily Compagno]

It's an agricultural.

[Tyrus]

You said agricultural. Okay. Okay.

[Jesse Waters]

It sounds like we're kind of dancing around the truth here.

[Tyrus]

California. Ish.

[Emily Compagno]

Well, no, it's in Oregon. But I'll say this.

[Tyrus]

Oh, even further.

[Emily Compagno]

We had a vineyard in California. I'll say this because it's important for this that our business is squarely within the agricultural industry and the alcohol industry. So name me two more highly regulated industries. You can't. And so that's why we are an example of sort of drowning under the burden. But these tax breaks made a big deal for us, but so too will the regulatory release and the President should do that.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I don't. We talk about Democrats. This is something squarely in the president's province to do. Republicans control the House and the Senate. It's been, it's been a year. I don't know why you're. Why he's not doing some of these things.

[Tyrus]

No, he is.

[Emily Compagno]

Respect. We saw that member with his latest cabinet meeting where they made the point that it's so difficult to disentangle ourselves, these regulations from what we inherited specifically from the Biden administration that it's taking a little bit longer. It's difficult.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

All you got to do is sign, Mr. President, sign an executive order.

[Emily Compagno]

You can get it done and codify it. Legislature.

[Tyrus]

All right.

[Jesse Waters]

Save the Rapano Vineyard. President Trump just arrived at the event center in Iowa to kick off his midterm splits. We'll keep an eye on that. But coming up next, sleepy Joe Biden crawls out of his crypt and jumps straight into the Minneapolis firestorm.

[Megan Alexander]

Hi, I'm Megan Alexander and this is Middle East Tomorrow. Five years ago, the US Brought leaders from Israel, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain together to sign the Abraham Accords. That historic day ignited a cross border movement of change makers who are joining forces to reshape the region. Join me as I uncover the stories of the people transforming the Middle east today and tomorrow. Go to partners.foxnews.com met since you came.

[Donald Trump]

Along, you're filling in all the spaces, erased all of the traces.

[Dana Perino]

Well, guess who's back. Yes. Former President Joe Biden is adding his 2 cents about Minnesota. In a post on X, he accused the Trump administration of, quote, targeting American citizens. No single person can destroy what America stands for and believes in, not even a president. If we all of America stand up and speak out. So that comes as President Trump reshuffles his deck in Minneapolis. Greg Bovino is out. Tom Holman is in meeting with Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Fry. President Trump also voicing his support for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, telling reporters she will not be stepping down from her role. And here's Trump talking to Will Kaine about everything that's going on in Minneapolis.

[Donald Trump]

Less we're going to de escalate a little bit. We have Tom Holman there now. We put him in there. He's great. I don't think it's a pullback. It's a little bit of a change. Everybody in this room that has a business, you know, you make little changes. You know, Bavino is very good, but he's a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases it's good. Maybe it wasn't good here, Tom. I've noticed as tough as he is, he gets along very good with governors and mayors. Now, I spoke to the mayor and to the governor, I know. And they want to see it cleared up. Couldn't have been a nicer conversation. And in fact, I said to my people, I said, it's hard to believe that's the same guy I watch on television or I watch in the debate not doing so well or because we had a very reasonable conversation, very good conversation.

[Dana Perino]

So as you can see, President Trump trying to bring down the temperature. But will these Democrats listen?

[Tyrus]

This ICE should be crushed. No. Gone. Homan gone. Miller gone. Masks off, identification out, and law abiding people no longer terrorized.

[Emily Compagno]

I was the person locking and unlocking doors at a super mercado in order to make sure that ICE wasn't entering the facilities.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, there's no way in hell that.

[Dana Perino]

Senate Democrats can support this administrative administration's agenda.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Senate Democrats should not lift one finger to help advance the Trump agenda.

[Dana Perino]

One of the tells about the conversation having gone well last night, Jesse, is that after President Trump talked to Walls and Fry, suddenly, as if by magic, the police, local police were there helping and arresting violent agitators.

[Jesse Waters]

Yeah, I liked how Trump was like, man, Walls doesn't seem like such a doofus. The guy we watched Meltdown with Vance. So there was a deal and we had Bovino and the Border Patrol boys in town to give ICE backup to do crowd control because the locals wouldn't help them since it's a sanctuary city. And so after the mayhem on Saturday, we're going to send Bevino and Border Patrol back to the desert where they're trained to be, not doing crowd control in urban environments. If you guys cooperate and coordinate with ice, give us the intel and hand over the bad hombres that have been charged criminally. And Walz said he would. But there's two problems. Walz's base is pissed because Walz's base is like, wait a second, we're gonna be working with ice? The Nazis, the Gestapo, you had a phone call with the dictator. And the deal is that ICE stays and gets the criminals out. They don't even want the criminals out. They want everyone to stay, no matter if you've raped, murdered or pillaged. Now, Trump's base is also happy that he finessed the drama. But if we're just targeting people with criminal records, that's fine, but that's not enough. We want everybody that came into this country deported. Are we saying now that we're just gonna wait for illegals to commit crimes? Like, there was a guy the other day, threw a rock at a school bus, killed a girl, eight years old. You're saying that if ICE had seen him the day before he threw the rock, we would have just let him stay? Why are we waiting around for people to commit crimes? I'm not saying you don't prioritize the bad hombres, but if you get swept up, you gotta go. And when you send them home, it brings rent down, it brings prices down, it brings insurance down, and it brings wages up. So I hope the president maintains his resolve from what he promised the voters.

[Dana Perino]

How do you see all of the, I guess, the conversations that took place? I'm not gonna say collaborations, because we don't know yet, but it does seem like it's a very different story today than Sunday.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

It really does. And I think we all are relieved that that is the case. It goes to show a couple of things. We were saying last week that the conversation between the president and Governor Walz and Mayor Fry. Hope I'm pronouncing the young mayor's name right, and the mayor of St. Paul. All of this should have happened sooner, I think. I was trying to say last week that if you believe the president may be coming to your state or city, be it New York or California or Colorado, the right thing to do would be to reach out to him before. It's unfortunate. It's trag painful to think that the kinds of things, the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis have had to unfold for us to reach this point. But I watched a woman from Iowa, an elderly woman from Iowa, walking out of a grocery store earlier who said she was a Trump supporter. When they asked her about what's going on in Minneapolis, what does she think? She says, I'm not for all these protests and things, but you've got to stop shooting people. And I think at the end of the day, that's where people. That's where people are. There's no doubt when someone asks you, law enforcement asks you to stop, to stand here, to not do this, the answer should be yes. But I'm also a believer that unless law enforcement feels like there's an imminent threat to their lives, that we ought to be really, really careful about shooting people. I think the president doing what he's done is an act of leadership. I think Governor Walls doing what he's doing is an act of leadership. President Trump's an interesting guy. He'll say a lot of things about people. Four months ago he said that the mayor of New York, Mr. Mondame, wasmight have been a terrorist, that he was a socialist, that he was a communist. And then he welcomed them to the White House and the two of them looked like they'd been frat brothers for the last. They were frat brothers 20 years ago, 15 years ago in college. He's a guy that you can engage with and try to get things done with. And some people don't want to give him the benefit of the doubt and that's fine. But we have a problem that needs to be addressed. And Jesse, I agree somewhat with you. We said the worst, the first. And even our own Sean Hannity has said in the last 24 hours, when comes to people working at or shopping at Home Depot who are paying their taxes, who may be here illegally, who are raising their families, there's gotta be a better way than the way we're doing it right now.

[Jesse Waters]

You know where we cut up the Maryland dad at a Home Depot.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Our own Sean Hannity and others. I don't mean to cut you up deeply, but I just think we got to think about.

[Dana Perino]

I want to bring in Tyrus and ask you a couple things. Of course you can talk about whatever you want because you're bigger than me.

[Tyrus]

Internationally known, flipping tables over at work. It would be you.

[Dana Perino]

Yes.

[Tyrus]

The used car salesman. I'm attacking you. The guy who makes fun of the way I say Illinois. I'm attacking you. Wow.

[Dana Perino]

Dana, the question is this. The leftist base wants to keep fighting, Right? So is somebody like Swalwell who wants to ride this to some sort of political glory because he's running for governor in California, he's not going to let it go.

[Tyrus]

No. And I hope he gets a T shirt that says crush ice. Cuz that was his team worked hard on that.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah, that was in line.

[Tyrus]

Oh boy. Listen, here's the thing. If they were sanctuary cities, if they actually worked with the President, because here's the deal. If I am a bad guy and I need to hide, I'm not hiding with other bad guys. I'm hiding with the Danas. I'm gonna hide in places where I'm surrounded by other people. That's what bad guys do. They don't hide. They hide around where it's safe because by the time they get to everybody else, they might be able to get away. And the Democrats, they're so focused on being anti Trump that they are assisting the worst criminals in the world because they're providing them cover. Real criminals watch out the window. Oh, they're coming, they're gone. And then the poor bastards that have to work and lay low and they're doing the right thing, but they're not legal. They're getting swept up in it because there's no support from the city. Local police could help. I know him. He works every day. He's a good guy. I see him in church. Maybe we can sponsor him. But we're not getting that help, so you can't solve that riddle. And another thing I just have to say before, I think Fox needs a printer retraction immediately because the fact that you are putting quotes on what Joe Biden said is laughable. I want to see a video of him saying that because he didn't say that. I think the auto pin has struck again. Apparently auto pins on Twitter now because there is no way, no way he said that statement. So whoever's writing for him, the auto pin is back. But you want to help do your part. Forget the midterms. This is the one president that can hate you and argue with you on national television, but if you got a good plan, he'll sit down. You know why? Because it's business. It's not personal.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah. And it is a little bit hard to swallow some of this because. Because so many of them agreed with Secretary Mayorkas under Biden who said the border was secure even when there was visual evidence every single day that it wasn't.

[Tyrus]

True.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah.

[Emily Compagno]

And you know, every time, speaking of Iowa that Swalwell, for example, talks about law abiding citizens, I wonder who he's talking about. Because the reality is that the first of all laws are designed to protect the American public. So when you have a state like Minnesota and Minneapolis who for some reason suspend enforcement, enforcement of those laws and declare themselves a sanctuary city, well, they are massively negligent. I attribute any of those tragic deaths to that, to their negligence. Because now instead of one law enforcement officer enforcing the law, you have to have five. And people act in certain ways if they are emboldened to do so. There is no way that you can tell me that all of those law abiding Minnesotans that are coming out to protest, protest peacefully, would be bringing guns to the fight and would be out there impeding federal investigators, investigations and federal operations if they didn't feel emboldened to do so by their governor and by their mayor.

[Dana Perino]

Oh, okay.

[Tyrus]

Well, let me get.

[Dana Perino]

Thank you, Emily. We're gonna get you this Fox newsletter. President Trump is speaking in Clive, Iowa. Let's listen.

[Donald Trump]

Put us on a rocket ship back to the White House. That was a quick one after a rigged election. We had a rigged election. I had an election. I said, do we do it again? And I said, I think we better do it again. Not too many people who would have said that. But we did so well the second time. I said, well, we won twice, we got to do it a third time. Should we do it a fourth time? Four Victors. We got the right team over there, the right team over there. That would be easy for you. That wouldn't even be work. But you came out by the thousands in a cold and snowy winter evening. Remember that beautiful evening. And together we won the Iowa caucuses in a 30 point landslide. That was great. I'll never forget it. It was so freezing. You think it's cold now? That blew it away. Whatever happened to global warming? You know, now it's, you know, it's like one of those things. But it was the coldest night. I remember it was way below zero. And they say, sir, you don't have to come till 10 or 11 o' clock because a caucus takes longer. Then I got a call at like, let's say the polls close at 7. Sir, you've won. I said, I won what? They told me 10 o' clock they can announce. They said, you won by so much. They just called it at one minute after seven. Right. So we made the journey. And we made that journey through all the cars and everything else, and we made a speech. But what an evening that was. Then in November, we won the state by a massive landslide. That was incredible in the election. And we then went on to win all swing states. All seven of them. They said seven swing. Well, he could win four of them. He's doing very well. But we won seven. We won the Electoral College 312 to 226. We won the popular vote for the first time of any Republican in many decades by millions and millions of votes. And we won a category that's very important. We won 86% of all counties in America. 2,700 to 525. How about that? Other than that, we didn't do too well. So now we're back where it all started. To celebrate the greatest first year of any administration in American history. They say that even the radical left is saying only we did a lot of things. Twelve months ago, Joe Biden handed us a mess. We inherited the legacy of record high inflation the highest inflation in the history of our country. They say the fake news. Ooh, that's a lot of fake news. No, the fake news. The fake News said it's 48 years. I remember recently I said the highest inflation, the worst. I believe this, by the way. What worst in the history of our country. They said it wasn't the worst. It was 48 years. They said that's okay, too. Somehow that sounds even worse than when you say the history. Right, 48 years. I accepted that. But I think it was in the history. A mass invasion of our border in our country was being laughed at all over the world. We were being laughed at. We were a joke, but not a joke anymore. We're not a joke. We're not being laughed at anymore. But today, just after one year of President Trump, our economy is booming, incomes are rising, investment is soaring, inflation has been defeated. Our border is closed, totally closed. And America is respected all over the world. Like they've never been respected. One year. I thought it would take us two years. I guess I'm following in the great path of John Deere. We got the chairman of John Deere here, Chairman and CEO. That's pretty good. I even signed a John Deere hat for him. He said, I'm going to put this in the museum. I said, that's good. Now, it's a great company. Great company. And you just said you're opening up two massive plants because of tariffs. You're opening up one in North Carolina, one someplace else, and you're expanding all over the place. You're doing a great job. I bought a lot of John Deere set. I bought a lot of John Deere. It's a great company. It's an honor to have you. Thank you very much. This has been the most dramatic one year turnaround of any country in history in terms of the speed. I really thought it would take us two or three years to do what we're doing. You know, the greatest, the number one country anywhere in history of the world. World, anywhere in history, for investment coming into the country. And it's amazing. And it's because of tariffs. And it's also because of the fact that we had such a tremendous November 5th. That November 5th brought Spirit back to our country. Came back. You know, one thing I think which is so. It's so important is if you remember a year and a half ago, we couldn't get people to enlist in the military. Any of them, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Any of them, the Coast Guard, Space Force. I love Space Force. Right. We couldn't get them. And even police departments, they couldn't get anybody with a uniform represented the country. You couldn't get them. And today we have the single greatest recruitment numbers in the history of our military. The police forces are loaded, law enforcement is loaded up. And everybody wants to be a policeman, a fireman. They want to be, they want to be in the military, any branch. I mean we, we literally. They couldn't get them. A year and a half ago, nobody wanted to be in the military. Now everybody wants to be in the military. It's an amazing thing that's happened, an amazing turnaround. And all because we have a president who does something very simple, puts America first. Right. Thank you. So under my leadership, economic growth is exploding to numbers unheard of. They've never had them before in recent times and now, and we're just getting started, you know, the great big beautiful bill, which is no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security for our seniors. Do we have any seniors in here? Do we have any seniors in here? One of the fake news said he did that because he doesn't want to pay tax on his Social Security. Don't you believe that's what I never thought of? These are sick. These are sick people. But despite the fact that we've just really started, it's just kicking in because we inherited such a horrible situation with all of the high prices and the inflation and everything else. I. And by the way, the open borders, we had millions and everything you see today wouldn't happen. They opened the borders, but we had a 5.4%. And since the election, the stock market has set 52 all time highs, adding $9 trillion in value to your savings, retirement account and 401 s. So 401 people, I mean, of which you got a lot of people. Does anybody have a 401k in the audience? A lot of people. So you're setting records, right? The highest it's ever been. They say this, you know, the good stock market, they say, well this stock market. Or they can't get. They just try so hard. This stock market doesn't affect the middle class. I say it does. What about a 401k? What about all the other things? What about the fact that they're making more salary than they've ever made, but the stock market's the highest. How is John Deere stock doing? Great. All time high, everyone. I don't have to even ask the question. I mean, I made a lot of people rich. Me, I just keep working I made a lot of people rich. I made a lot of people rich that I don't even like. I got a lot of people that I don't like at all. And I've made them, I've doubled their net worth. But after four years in which Biden got less than $1 trillion in new investment, think of it. He took in substantially less in four years than one trillion. We secured commitments for a record breaking plus 18 trillion. So in one year we did over 18 trillion and he did less than one trillion. Just over one year ago, under sleepy Joe Biden and the radical left lunatics, we were a dead country. We were a dead country. I tell you, one year ago, a little more than one year ago, we were a dead country. The king of Saudi Arabia told me that. You've heard me say it. He said it better than anybody else. He said, you know, I can't believe it. A couple of months ago, a few months ago he said, a year ago you were a dead country. Now you're the hottest country anywhere in the world. He said, I can't believe it. And today I'm pleased to announce one more historic investment. The great American company that we just talked about is doing so much, I have to give, I have to give it really. I buy so much equipment from so many of the people in the. You know, we have a lot of very successful companies in here. But I know it's a very, a very special deal because John Deere is doing $70 million in factory in North Carolina, brand new, the best in the world. And I think it's going to pay off very, very big. And if it doesn't, I have nothing to do with it. But if it does, I'm going to take, I'm going to take, take full credit. But what it is, is an excavator factory as I understand it. And it's going to be the only excavator factory. In other words, excavators. We all know. I love those excavators, believe it or not, know a lot about them. We don't make them here. This is going to be the only excavator entirely made in the United States of America. So that's great. I love it, I love it. It's great. And they'll all come. I hate to tell you, but they're all going to be coming too. You're going to have some competition, but you'll be ahead of them. If congressional Democrats had their way this year would right now be facing the largest tax hike. So they wanted to give you. This is what I was running against. The largest tax hike in the history of our country. I wanted to give you the largest tax cut in the history of our country. And if they won, this country would be cratering right now. It would be cratering. So I've cut a record number of job killing regulations. The reason our job numbers are so good. And remember this, I've cut hundreds of thousands of federal jobs. Now if I didn't do that, our numbers would be even more through the roof. Or I could get them. You know what they do in order to have decent numbers? They hire a million people. You hire a million people, all of a sudden you're down to three and a half percent. We don't do that. We get rid of that job where you have 10 jobs for every. You have 10 people for every job. And they are all now. And they, they hated me. They hated me. Now they love me. You know why? They all got jobs in the private sector making twice as much money as they made from the federal government, sometimes much more than that. So a year ago they hated me and now they love me. But it includes dozens of burdensome regulations that were crushing our amazing farmers. We love our farmers. We won this thing. I think hell is voting for Kamala. You know, it was a crazy election because we were doing great against Biden. Our hope. Nobody even knew who the hell Kamala was. All I knew, she was the border.

[Dana Perino]

You've been listening to President Trump. He's in Iowa. He's kicking off a bunch of midterm election campaign rallies style rallies that he's going to do. Talking about the one big beautiful bill and the economy and lots of other things. This is just getting going on a little minor technical difficulty. We're going to take it around the five real quick on this topic. The president saying that inflation is over.

[Jesse Waters]

Is that a direct quote?

[Emily Compagno]

Defeated.

[Jesse Waters]

If I were the president, I would just say strongest border in the history of North America. I would say lowest violent crime rate since 1900. Put that right there. Okay, now you're playing with house money and you just juice this economy this year with the tax refunds, the deregulation and low gasoline prices and you just run it as hot as you can into November and you roll the dice as he's even saying he set the bar. I think what two presidents in the history America have ever done well in the midterms. So it's stacked against him. But listen, if the economy rips, he has a shot.

[Dana Perino]

He does also, it depends on who you're running against Harold. And what's interesting to me is that this crowd, it's the middle of the day on Tuesday in Iowa and he's able to pull a crowd like that.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

He's used to getting big crowds. I was disappointed a little bit. I like the President. I thought that this was maybe he's getting a little rust off it. But, but you talk about the future when you're talking about elections going forward, reminding people what happened in 24 and how they won. It's fine for a few minutes, but I didn't hear anything about the cost of living there in Iowa. He came, he picked Iowa because of the farmers. You said it well. DP at the outset. I haven't heard anything about the farmers yet. I'd be talking about lifting tariffs. I'd be talking about the ideas he's going to ask Democrats and Republicans to implement in Congress to lower health care costs. He actually has a really interesting idea about housing, how he's to going, going to stop. He's going to let Fannie and Freddie play a more active role in perhaps even buying and backstopping more mortgages. I talk about a federal, federal, new federal laws to make it easier for permitting across the country to build more housing. I think Jesse's right. I'd have started where Jesse started and then I'd have got into we're going to have so many jobs created in this country perhaps over the next year to five years are going to be generated by my great ideas and AI. And here's what we're going to do in Iowa to do it. I just don't think thing you don't win election, you don't win future elections with the old technology. No one goes to the store saying I want an iPhone 10. They want the new stuff. The president's got to tell people how lives are going to be better for them. And finally, if you're watching this as a Democrat looking at running against him, there's an opening. And the opening is you got to give ideas. If you're going to talk about impeaching him, you're not going to win. If you're going to talk about the past, you're not going to win. If you're going to talk about how you're going to make people's lives better, that's how you win elections.

[Dana Perino]

Emily, the border issue is an interesting one. He could say, you asked me to secure the border. I did it in a week. There were three people that tried to get across last week. And so that problem is solved. But the other thing is the one big beautiful bill. So his speech today is coinciding with Senator John Thune, who has all the Republicans out and about in the next few weeks to go out and talk about the big beautiful bill as now it gets underway. Since we're post January.

[Emily Compagno]

Yeah. And as we talked a little bit about earlier, those sort of seven main ones that in addition to a lot of the, the, the business tax cuts. Tax cuts lead to that $100 billion surge. And again, since the IRS didn't weave it into their regulations, everyone's getting back more than they expected because they paid too much in the past. I too would sort of, I would have a message of like, we need you. And combined with the positivity, everything is awesome. And also, guys, let's do a Noah's Ark. When you go to vote in the midterms, bring someone that hasn't voted in a while. When you're at church. Church, bring someone that hasn't voted. Like, to really galvanize the evangelicals, galvanize those people that don't vote. Because I think the Democrats are counting on the fact that they are fired up. So now we need to come back twofold against it.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Bring your soul. Which animal are you taking?

[Tyrus]

Which animal am I taking? I'm taking over my horses with me. I'm gonna have a nice book to read them. Adventures of Old Paint. Listen, President Trump has the same problem that Harold and I have. He's just, just too damn sexy. Like, he's just. All eyes are on him. Everything he's. And that's the problem. You get famous battling Trump, going after any young Democrat person goes up, says they're on every channel. Then the Republican guys come out, we can't name them. Be like, hey, I can't stand Biden. Where everyone's like, yeah, no kidding. Like, there's no. They're. They're not sexy. Where I would, if I was going to run for a Senate or House, I would be like, wherever you are, I'm going to be there. Where are the people? Because the people are there to see him. So unless or everybody who's running change their name to Donald J. Trump, because when they see the thing, oh, President Trump, I'm in. Because when as soon as he walks off the stage and let's say the next guy comes up, the crowd's like, good night, I'm out. There's no. He is the main event. He's the opening act. He should just too damn sexy for everybody. Cuz, you know What I'm talking.

[Jesse Waters]

We need more jokes in politics.

[Tyrus]

Where are the sexy Republicans? Where are they? Get a little eye candy.

[Jesse Waters]

I mean, I think Lindsey Graham looks good.

[Tyrus]

Okay.

[Dana Perino]

And with that.

[Tyrus]

Yeah, that's a whole other segment. I got a hot breaking news.

[Dana Perino]

Coming up next, President Trump dishes on his favorite political foil. That would be Gavin. News them.

[Emily Compagno]

I'm Jessica Rosenthal. Today on the FOX News rundown, we speak to a retired Minnesota fraud investigator as House Republicans tee up additional hearings to look at stolen taxpayer dollars in Minnesota and beyond. Go to fox newspodcast.com to listen and follow.

[Jesse Waters]

Together forever.

[Tyrus]

We do.

[Emily Compagno]

The California's dumpster fire duo are looking toward 2028. Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom are locked in a battle for the Democratic spotlight. And the headlines are getting messy. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro claims in his new book that Kamala Harris didn't want a collaborative relationship if he became her running mate. Apparently, she disliked being Joe's number two and even complained about not having her own private bathroom. Rough life. Cue up the ladies of the View, where the hosts promptly piled on the governor, Governor Shapiro, for daring to question their beloved mamala. What's the point? How does this win one vote? What is what's the point?

[Unknown Female Speaker]

Well, first off, I didn't view my book. To me, this wasn't about dishing respectfully. It was just more about how we went through the process, what I thought, what I felt coming out of it. You are right that continuing to look backwards is not the answer. We've got to look forward. And that's why I write about the stories of the people that I've met along the way who've inspired me to serve and make an impact going forward.

[Emily Compagno]

And after Newsom frolicked around Davos with knee pads and stalked, President Trump, 47, is getting some revenge on his favorite nemesis, POTUS. Telling the California Post, I'm amazed Gavin wants to run for office. Office people love the dream of California, but they hate what's happening to them. Gavin is incompetent. Tyrus. As a Californian, I could not agree more.

[Tyrus]

And it's deformed Californian. I'm a Floridian now, but here's it again. I'm getting upset with Fox. Really? Nemesis. Newsom's his nemesis. He's President Trump's nemesis. President Trump goes to sleep for the 17 minutes he sleeps every night and he sees Newsom. Newsom's not a nemesis. He's like a fly that keeps bugging a horse. Eventually, he's going to get whacked out of there. Like, this dude is. He's an embarrassment. Like, he just. They keep even his own team. But here's the part that I love the best about the View, and this is why, just give me some hope for the midterms, is that they, like Kamala, wouldn't change a thing because they continue to go down the same playbook. Here's a guy who's coming on, who had momentum, who a lot of Americans. Look, are. Are recognizing the weird circumstances that he was not the vp. They see his accomplishments, like, hey, this guy's got something to it. But he's not part of the plan. He's not the narrative. He's on the wrong team. So they're gonna tear him down and make him look bad so then they can be unburdened by what has been again. And I, for one, am so excited that I hope. I think there should be a monster ticket they should announce now. Kamala Newsom, flip a coin. Who's vp? Who's press? Start running now. Start campaigning now. What could go wrong? What kind of I. They just get better momentum. Maybe we get a good speech out of Kamala. Maybe.

[Jesse Waters]

And they could share a bathroom.

[Tyrus]

They could share a bathroom. But I will say this. Neither one is sexy.

[Emily Compagno]

Truer words never spoken. I agree. The interesting thing is they've always shared a donor pool for the most part, and especially they're coming from California. So do you see this as the dynamic duo or as the rivalry?

[Dana Perino]

I believe Gavin Newsom is courting conservatives because he thinks he has the left all locked in down right. And I think if you look at what David Axelrod said about him, that that's not necessarily true. But Gavin thinks he's playing with house money, so he's like, okay, now that I got all of them, I'll just tack to the middle now. But I don't think that that's true. I don't think that the left and the activist left is going to be satisfied with him. Then you have the moderates who have problems with him as well, and then you have independents who are leaving in droves. It's hard to run for president if your nickname is Governor U Haul.

[Tyrus]

And if Halle Berry don't like you, good luck. Right, Harold.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

That was difficult to watch.

[Tyrus]

Yes, it was.

[Jesse Waters]

I have another news. It's Kneepads Newsom. But I thought Newsom was going to be the president. You know, I've been saying that for many, many years until I read this article from the Atlantic. Gavin Newsom's record is A problem. I can't wait for this guy to run for president. I didn't even know these things. And I do this for a living.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

He.

[Jesse Waters]

That doesn't surprise you, huh? He decriminalized prostitution so now there's like teenage prostitutes just slinging it all over Los Angeles. He's paved the way for reparations. The curriculum in California has CRT, so the math scores collapsed 20%. Surge in homelessness, boys and girls sports, open border. He banned the sale of gas powered cars. I mean that is ridiculous. And gas prices like highest besides Hawaii. And that's an island. Free sex change surgeries for prisoners on death row. Guys about to go into the electric chair. And you're gonna cut him up and then give him a new one. What are you doing? What a waste of money.

[Tyrus]

He doesn't get to. He's never gonna use it.

[Donald Trump]

Use it?

[Jesse Waters]

Free health care for illegals. Average home costs a million dollars. You can't build in California. This the. It's a buffet of vulnerability. That's what they called it.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

No. If I were both Governor Shapiro and Governor Newsom and Senator Vice President. Excuse me, Harris. I mean, no time in the 21st century have more Americans felt that the American dream is out of reach than they do today.

[Donald Trump]

2.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

The President has been criticizing our friends up north, the Canadians, because Mr. Carney said that they were going to negotiate with China a trade deal. It was announced this morning that India. India and the European Union have agreed on a massive free trade deal. Mr. Starmer from UK is going to China. These have implications for how we create jobs and the kinds of things. Things that happen in America. That's what I'd be saying if I were them. The Wall Street Journal ran a piece yesterday at op ed from the president of Dartmouth who's been listening to you, Dana, for some time as she talked about the changes that be made to higher education to make it more affordable, to make it link it up more with results.

[Tyrus]

Results.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

To not be about outcome, to be about opportunity and to not engage so much in political posturing. That's what Democrats. What we need to be talking about as opposed to all of this nonsense that we're talking about now. When it comes to health care, we have to understand our innovation is so great. Costs are only going to keep going up. We as a nation have to understand what that means. And we as a nation have to grapple with the kind of conversation and bring costs down and keep us healthier. This nonsense these guys are talking about looking. Shapiro was right. Don't look back backwards. And whenever anyone asks you that question again, don't answer it. Talk about your answers for the future.

[Emily Compagno]

Well, stop giving them tips.

[Donald Trump]

Harold.

[Tyrus]

Harold, run for office, for crying out loud.

[Jesse Waters]

You are sexy, Harold.

[Emily Compagno]

All right, guys, one more thing is up next. This is Ainsley Kelly Earhart.

[Megan Alexander]

Thank you for joining me for the.

[Emily Compagno]

52 episode podcast series the Life of Jesus.

[Tyrus]

A listening experience that will provide hope, comfort and understanding of the greatest story ever told. Listen and follow [e-mail] or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Jesse Waters]

Before we get to one more thing, Melania Trump will be joining us here at the table tomorrow for a big interview. Do not miss this, okay? Okay.

[Dana Perino]

Hey, Dana, we're gonna be here and I'll do this little one more thing. I found this today. There's this guy in Russia and he has a cat and he has a bald head. So his solution is to put the cat on top of his bald head. And apparently for cats, that means that, you know, it's comfort and warmth and then, you know, it's like a mutual beneficial situation.

[Emily Compagno]

Adorable.

[Tyrus]

It's not good when you have cat on the brain.

[Jesse Waters]

You're a bad boy. Tyrus. Let's go to India. Around the world, the nation just celebrated its 77th Republic Day. It's included a display of military might. These are the fearsome Indian military members that will just strike fear in the heart of all of their enemies. Also featured bands, horses, camels, floats, high kicking soldiers, even motorcycle stunts. Look at them.

[Dana Perino]

Wow, that's high go.

[Emily Compagno]

That's greater ed high kick flexible than.

[Jesse Waters]

Newsom paradise are amazing. Tonight, Jesse Waters primetime Sydney Sweeney's lingerie scandal tonight at 8pm Tyrus.

[Tyrus]

Well, you know what time it is. It's time for Tyrus tour. Check it out. Planet Science comedy tour is going all over the place. And yes, we'll be in Illinois.

[Jesse Waters]

Illinois.

[Tyrus]

Illinois.

[Jesse Waters]

Hard ass.

[Emily Compagno]

Come on.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Illinois, Antarctica. U.S. coast Guard. We're talking about a lot of things, law enforcement. The coast guard rescued this luxury ship. They carved out all the way out to them a channel for them to be able to get there and rescue these people. It's good to be rich because it's a luxury ship there. But at the same time, they did their job. Thank God. Hot. And bless those people on that.

[Tyrus]

I could have got out.

[Jesse Waters]

10 seconds, Emily.

[Emily Compagno]

Two kangaroos jumped in the middle of the Australian huge bicycle race.

[Tyrus]

Yes.

[Emily Compagno]

Not one, but two.

[Tyrus]

Only in the listen to the 5 ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts?