Podcast Summary: The Five – “Trump’s Year-End Address”

FOX News Podcasts | December 18, 2025

Overview:

This episode of "The Five" features Jesse Watters, Kayleigh McEnany, Jessica Tarlov, Dana Perino, and Greg Gutfeld discussing President Trump’s upcoming year-end primetime address. The panel debates Trump’s achievements and critiques, reactions to a contentious Vanity Fair profile on White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, media treatment of presidential health stories, the ongoing investigation into a shooting at Brown University, and a few lighter topics from dating apps to viral animal videos.

1. Trump’s Year-End Address: Preview & Political Messaging

[01:20 – 05:26]

Key Points:

• Jesse Watters introduces Trump’s prime-time address, hyping his achievements: Middle East peace deals, cracking down on narco-terrorism, lowering gas prices, stabilizing the border, and ending DEI programs.
• The panel mocks “liberal lunatics” for manufacturing a preemptive negative response (Watters, [01:32]).
• Kamala Harris is criticized for complaints about Democrats lacking authenticity and being stuck in the past.

Notable Quotes:

• Jesse Watters [01:32]:
  “47's got plenty to gloat about...from securing historic Middle east peace deals…lowest gas prices in four years, a border that's quiet as a mouse, and yes, ending DEI programs.”
• Kayleigh McEnany [03:30]:
  “I would love to see a woman leader in my lifetime that rises to the level of presidential merit. But you have to lead…Allison Janney cannot be the only Democratic woman showing women how to be president...”

Panel Tone:

Upbeat and combative, with a tongue-in-cheek critique of opponents' anticipated arguments.

2. Grading Trump’s First Year: Report Card Debate

[05:26 – 09:14]

Key Points:

• The panel plays “grading game” for Trump’s first year.
• Jessica Tarlov, while giving a low grade (C-minus or D-plus), acknowledges Trump’s success for voters prioritizing border security.
• Discussion of public perceptions, referencing polling data. Tarlov notes a recent Quinnipiac poll: 57% blame Trump for the current economy.
• Kayleigh McEnany and Dana Perino counter with polling showing Trump is more popular at this point than recent presidents, despite economic pain.

Notable Quotes:

• Jessica Tarlov [05:36]: "The American public is the ultimate arbiter...they're not feeling rosy about the conditions. If someone is just a voter purely on border security...Donald Trump, I'm sure, is getting an A right now..."

• Dana Perino [07:36]: "...he is the most popular president at this point in his presidency in the 21st century...you have to acknowledge the American people's pain because they are feeling pain..."

• Kayleigh McEnany [07:47]: "Unlike the Biden administration, you have to acknowledge the American people's pain...but there's still more to be done..."

Insights:

General agreement that economic messaging is critical and Trump’s “progress” must be contextualized with remaining challenges.

3. Pros, Cons, & The Question of Authenticity

[09:14 – 12:14]

Key Points:

• Greg Gutfeld presents a pros/cons list of Trump’s first year — highlighting “Middle Eastern peace deals, closed border, tax changes, slashing government bloat, jumpstarting AI” on the pro side.
• Cons are described as criticism about rhetoric and process, which Gutfeld dismisses as largely emotional.
• Gutfeld argues Democrats cannot be authentic due to “identity politics” restrictions, and Kamala Harris’s remarks reflect a lack of realness in Democratic messaging.

Notable Quote:

• Greg Gutfeld [09:23]: “On the pros, you've got concrete, measurable things...But you can't measure rhetoric...which is what the Dems do..."
• Greg Gutfeld [11:41]: "...There is no incentive to be authentic...as long as you’re required to follow an identity playbook…”

4. Vanity Fair, Susie Wiles & White House Drama

[13:42 – 23:33]

Key Points:

• Panel analyzes the fallout from a Vanity Fair profile featuring Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, who made blunt remarks about prominent figures (Elon Musk, J.D. Vance, Pam Bondi, and Trump himself).
• Trump responds good-naturedly, noting his “possessive personality” but reaffirms he does not drink alcohol.
• Dana Perino and others discuss why Republican figures still fall for negative media coverage, recounting personal experiences with “hit pieces.”
• The team praises Wiles's reputation and the Trump team’s unity in defending her; suggests her openness may have been calculated.

Notable Quotes:

• Kayleigh McEnany [13:42]: “She calls...President Trump as having the personality of an alcoholic. But the president himself was not offended, telling the New York Post, say no, she meant that I don't drink alcohol...it is a very possessive personality.”
• Dana Perino [16:04]: “If you are a Republican politician, you are not going to get the glossy treatment some people might think they deserve. But you're never going to get it. You would have to do it yourself.”
• Greg Gutfeld [16:49]: “I think that was a tremendous thing...to watch the media gobble up this narrative...Vanity Fair confirmed it: They are the crazies.”
• Jessica Tarlov [21:34]: “[Wiles] sat down with him 11 times and there were recordings...at least 99% of the time...she is telegraphing something..."

5. Brown University Shooting: Investigation & Critique

[25:19 – 33:37]

Key Points:

• Breaking story: Ongoing search for the Brown University shooter; panel critiques the slow response and lack of transparency.
• Discussion about the 17-minute delay in sending a campus alert, outdated security protocols, and lack of clear communication from university and city officials.
• Panel questions leadership and preparedness of both Brown and local law enforcement; points to serious lapses in campus safety and police accountability.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana Perino [26:54]: “This is insane. The manner in which this investigation has gone down...you have a multimillion dollar endowment and you couldn't afford cameras?”
• Jesse Watters [28:35]: “...They don't want to inflame the situation if it's Allah Akbar or something like that. And Brown's protecting its reputation, but they haven't even interviewed anybody that was there. ... the union of the Brown security force, they just put out a no confidence vote on him last month because he's a wreck...”
• Jessica Tarlov [31:03]: "...This is appallingly bad. It's bad. The police chief, it's bad. The locals, the Brown University campus folks, and the FBI..."

Insights:

The group is sharply critical of institutional failures, noting public distrust grows as information is withheld or delayed.

6. Media Focus: Jake Tapper, Trump, and Presidential Health

[34:32 – 38:09]

Key Points:

• CNN’s Jake Tapper admits he's more aggressively scrutinizing Trump’s health after “not asking enough questions” about Biden.
• The panel sees this as evidence of media bias, and that the focus on Trump’s health is a reaction to prior failures.
• Gutfeld suggests true journalistic credibility requires open admissions of past errors, which he feels remain lacking.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana Perino [35:10]: “So basically I failed with Joe Biden. So I'm going to concoct something about Trump.”
• Greg Gutfeld [35:14]: “Persuasion isn't what you tell yourself, it's what you tell other people...all of this originates...from ego. The Trump derangement bias was due to a disbelief that millions of people think you’re wrong...”
• Jesse Watters [36:33]: “He's using his failures in the past as an excuse to push more garbage...Jake Tapper...has stopped wearing his glasses! ...I like the color he painted his study. Oh, that is a nice forest green.”

7. Lighter Segment: Dating Apps and Parental Involvement

[39:07 – 41:16]

Key Points:

• The Wall Street Journal reports singles are enlisting parents to help swipe right; reactions vary from support to gentle mockery.
• Panelists recount their own (or their parents’) experiences with matchmaking and online dating.

Quotes & Moments:

• Greg Gutfeld [40:20]: “Families played a role in matchmaking. ...Now we’re like, okay, with algorithms? One dumb choice, you ruin our lineage...”
• Jessica Tarlov [41:00]: "After my dad died...I operated [my mom’s] account. And she has a nice boyfriend that we met online."

8. Closing: Announcements & Quirky Animal News

[41:59 – 43:57]

Features:

• Jesse Watters congratulates a distant family member on a newborn.
• Greg Gutfeld shares a story about a spinning gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, and Kayleigh McEnany presents “wrestling rats” vying for a bagel in NYC, injecting some humor to end the show.

9. Promos and Signoff

[44:04–end]

Brief mentions for upcoming special coverage of Trump’s address and routine show promos.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Trump’s Address & Administration Grades: [01:20 – 12:14]
• Vanity Fair / Susie Wiles: [13:42 – 23:33]
• Brown University Shooting: [25:19 – 33:37]
• Media Coverage of Presidential Health: [34:32 – 38:09]
• Dating Apps and Parents: [39:07 – 41:16]
• Fun Closing Stories: [41:59 – 43:57]

Summary:

This episode takes a critical and often sardonic look at Trump’s successes and controversies, how political narratives are built by both sides, and the inner workings (and gossip) within Trump’s White House. With characteristic banter, the "Five" explore deep divides in political messaging, media coverage, and institutional trust, while ending on a lighter, irreverent note. For those who missed it, expect energetic debate and plenty of quotable moments, especially regarding authenticity, media bias, and political optics ahead of Trump’s widely touted year-end speech.