When In Rome

Summary

The Five – “When In Rome”

Date: February 20, 2026
Hosts: Dana Perino, Kayleigh McEnany, Jessica Tarlov, Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Five dives into the current political landscape with a focus on President Trump’s economic messaging during his “affordability tour” in Rome, Georgia, the Democrats’ midterm strategies (with a controversy over a “potty-mouthed” campaign ad), and a variety of hot-button issues including wealth taxes, media bias, and masculinity in American culture. The panelists engage in their signature style: spirited debate, sharp commentary, and humor, punctuated by memorable moments and pop culture asides.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. President Trump’s Affordability Push

(00:40 – 04:49)

• Trump’s Speech in Rome, Georgia:

  • Emphasized his administration's economic gains: “Adding $9 trillion in value to your savings... 401ks... at the highest level they've ever [been].” (01:11 – Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters)
  • Asserts he “won affordability”: “Because I've won. I've won affordability.” (01:24 – Greg Gutfeld)
  • Blames Democrats for previous inflation: “We inherited a mess...the worst inflation in history.” (01:41 – Greg Gutfeld)

• Panel Reaction:

  • Jessica Tarlov: Skeptical of Trump’s economic claims, highlights job losses and healthcare threats in Georgia: “Georgia lost 80,000 jobs last year since Trump took office, 27 family farms have filed for bankruptcy… premiums are going to double for 1.4 million Georgians without ACA subsidy extension, which he doesn’t back.” (03:24)
  • Kayleigh McEnany: Praises focus on economy, cites improving inflation and earnings, and suggests further populist wins are key: “If you get a few of those populist wins, I really think you could break the historical trajectory of the party holding the White House, losing in the midterms.” (05:56)

2. Democrats’ Midterm Ad & Strategy

(02:10 – 04:34, 08:51 – 11:26)

• Illinois Senate Ad:

  • Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s campaign launches with a blunt message: “F--- Trump. Vote Giuliana.” (02:10 – ad segment)
  • Dana Perino: Critiques strategy: “It’s almost like a tipping point. An ad like this…does it energize them more, or does it hurt them?” (02:19)

• Greg Gutfeld: Frames this as Democrats leading with negativity vs. Republicans’ positives: “Trump leads with positives. The Democrats respond with F. Trump. ...You have a party of good thoughts versus a party of bad thoughts.” (08:51)

3. Royal Family Controversy

(11:56 – 13:56)

• Prince Andrew Arrest:
  • Stephanie Bennett reports on Andrew’s arrest for allegedly sharing confidential government documents with Jeffrey Epstein.
  • King Charles III: “Let me state clearly, the law must take its course.” (13:10 – statement summary)
  • Trump responds: “It’s so bad for the royal family, it’s very sad to me.” (13:46)

4. Media, Racism Claims, & Political Name-Calling

(14:57 – 23:05)

• Ed O’Keefe (CBS) Asks Caroline Levitt about racism accusations:

  • Watters rolls a montage of media calling Trump racist. (15:36 – 16:04)
  • Levitt & McEnany recall their own experiences fielding such questions, critiquing the repetitive use of "racist" as both hurtful and overdone.
  • Dana Perino: “It’s both the worst thing you can say... and also... kind of losing its meaning.” (18:10)
  • Greg Gutfeld: Satirizes media’s memory lapses: “It’s like when I go to you, Dana, do you remember what you did at the restaurant last night? It was very embarrassing. Right on the table.” (20:28)

• Jessica Tarlov: “We could go through the list of racist things Donald Trump has said and done...It’s old news. You want to run elections on policies people vote on.” (22:08 – 22:40)

5. Wealth Tax Debates & “Bread and Circuses”

(24:07 – 32:05)

• Bernie Sanders & Wealth Taxes:

  • Bernie Sanders: “The most significant addiction crisis in America is...the greed of the billionaire class.” (24:26 – Jesse Watters quoting Bernie)
  • Jessica Tarlov: Warns against the wealth tax, citing failed European models and the risk of driving wealthy residents out of California: “There’s going to be another round of flight if it actually goes through, I think it’s a mistake.” (26:00 – 26:49)

• Jesse Watters: Offers tongue-in-cheek “advice” to billionaires to preempt resentment: “If you’re a billionaire in California...how about you buy everybody there a $1 value meal at McDonald’s?...Do something big and bold.” (28:31)

• Greg Gutfeld: Characterizes wealth taxes as “confiscation,” not real taxation: “It’s a linguistic deception... It’s just a confiscation because no gains are being realized.” (29:54)

6. Masculinity, “Participation Trophy” Culture & Social Commentary

(32:32 – 37:27)

• Joe Rogan with Michael Jai White:

  • Discussion clip: “It’s like we’re not making men anymore. Everybody gets a trophy...These kids don’t know how to deal with loss or anything.” (33:34 – Capitas Announcer quoting podcast audio)

• Panel Reactions:

  • Greg Gutfeld: Defends participation trophies as a modern positive: “I would like people to participate.” (34:03)
  • Jesse Watters: Shares personal anecdote about refusing to display third-place trophies: “I ripped it down and I burned it in my backyard.” (35:28)
  • Jessica Tarlov: Points out the irony of Trump (the “participation trophy” critic) accepting medals and prizes, referencing the FIFA World Peace Prize: “He stole a woman [Maria Machado]’s Peace Prize himself... She had to make him his own plaque.” (36:15 – 36:52)

7. Marriage Habits and Bedtime Routines

(38:07 – 40:14)

• Bedtime Survey:
  • Couples who go to bed together are reportedly “happier.”
  • Personal anecdotes:
    • Jesse: “We just lay in bed and talk about what happened to Nancy Guthrie for hours.” (38:29)
    • Greg: Satirical take on the complexities of “women getting ready for bed.” (38:56 – 39:38)

8. Lighthearted Final Segments: Chicken Cappuccinos & Animal Noises

(40:14 – end)

• Jesse Watters tries “curuccino” (cappuccino in rotisserie chicken) from Belarus:

  • “You gotta really stick your mouth real deep in there. That’s why Em and I go to bed at the same time.” (40:52 – 41:06)

• Animal sounds game:

  • Greg: “Roll the animal sounds.” (41:19)
  • Panel attempts to guess animal calls, resulting in more banter and playful teasing.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s economic messaging:
  • Greg Gutfeld: “Because I’ve won. I’ve won affordability.” (01:24)
• On Democrats’ campaign ad:
  • Dana Perino: “The worst thing for me, it’s the beeps. I can’t stand it in my ear. It’s too loud.” (02:19)
• On racism accusations:
  • Kayleigh McEnany: “For 10 years, they have called Trump some rendition of racist, misogynist or xenophobe.” (17:53)
  • Dana Perino: “It’s both the worst thing you can say to somebody and ... losing its meaning.” (18:10)
• On wealth taxes:
  • Greg Gutfeld: “…not a tax. It’s just a confiscation because no gains are being realized. It’s a linguistic deception.” (29:54)
• On participation trophies:
  • Greg Gutfeld: “I would like people to participate.” (34:03)
  • Jesse Watters: “I ripped [the third place medal] down and I burned it in my backyard.” (35:28)
• On marriage routines:
  • Jesse Watters: “We just lay in bed and talk about what happened to Nancy Guthrie for hours.” (38:29)
• Rotisserie chicken cappuccino moment:
  • Jesse Watters: “You gotta really stick your mouth real deep in there.” (40:52)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s Economic Message & Midterm Ad: 00:40 – 04:49
• Panel Discussion on Georgia, Economy & Policy: 04:49 – 08:51
• Democrat Ad and Framing of Political Narratives: 08:51 – 11:26
• British Royal Family Scandal: 11:56 – 13:56
• Racism Accusations & Media Montage: 14:57 – 19:34
• Wealth Tax, Progressive Tensions: 24:07 – 32:05
• Participation Trophy & Masculinity Segment: 32:32 – 37:27
• Happy Marriage & Bedtime Habits: 38:07 – 40:14
• Rotisserie Chicken Cappuccino & Animal Noises: 40:14 – end

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Tone & Style

Throughout, the hosts blend sharp political analysis with characteristic sarcasm and banter, using humor to punctuate serious debates—showcasing classic The Five chemistry.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a colorful, lively roundtable with candid takes on the election cycle, cultural flashpoints, and the everyday absurdities of politics and the media. The conversation moves from hard political analysis to lighthearted panel stories, and even a culinary adventure with rotisserie chicken cappuccino.

If you want pointed debate, genuine disagreements, and a flavor of how politics and pop culture mesh on Fox’s flagship panel show, this episode is a prime listen.

Transcript

[Capitas Announcer]

You're a small business owner, but that means you're a lot of other things too. Accountant, handyman, payroll specialist, and IT expert, just to name a few. So how about you let Capitas make at least one thing easy for you. Capitas is the home of small business financing made simple. Compare multiple offers at once for business loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, revenue based financing and more. No appointments, no waiting days for approval. Up your cash flow and grow your business with Capitas. Today. Start an [e-mail] that's K A P I T U S dot com.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You're there.

[Dana Perino]

Hello, everyone. I'm dana perino along with kayleigh mcenany, jessica tarlov, jesse waters and greg gutfeld. It's five o' clock in new york city and this is the five. The multitasking president, he is at it again. He started his morning with a new board of peace meeting and that board of peace is meant to rebuild Gaza. President Trump was out in Rome, Georgia later in the day giving a speech on his affordability tour. Watch here.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Adding $9 trillion in value to your savings. I added 9 trillion. And your retirement accounts and 401ks are

[Jesse Watters]

at the highest level they've ever.

[Greg Gutfeld]

And then I have to listen to the fake news talking about affordability. Affordability. Do you notice what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability. Because I've won. I've won affordability.

[Jesse Watters]

I had to go out and talk

[Greg Gutfeld]

about it, but we inherited a mess. We inherited the worst inflation in history.

[Dana Perino]

And as President Trump sharpens his affordability pitch, the Democrats giving a preview of their midterm plan. It's a rather potty mouthed plan. The Lieutenant governor of Illinois, Juliana Stratton, is running for retiring Senator Dick Durbin's seat. And she just released the first ad of her campaign where the message to the voters is cursing out the president here.

[Capitas Announcer]

Trump. Vote Giuliana.

[Greg Gutfeld]

They said it, not me. Trump.

[Stephanie Bennett]

Trump.

[Jesse Watters]

Trump. Vote Juliana.

[Dana Perino]

The worst thing for me, it's the beeps. I can't stand it in my ear. It's too loud. Jessica, I don't know where you want to start, but I want to start with the ad because I do think that it's almost like a tipping point. So the midterms, it's well underway. The president's obviously giving a speech, even if he doesn't seem to really want to give a speech about affordability. He's going in there and he's doing it in Rome, Georgia. And then you have an ad like this that I think hurts the Democrats in the long run, but does it energize them more?

[Jessica Tarlov]

I'm not sure. I mean, it's a crowded field at this point. Governor Pritzker is backing his lieutenant governor. He's in the end of the ad. Standing there with her, I would have probably talked about my achievements in office and my story of why I got into politics. I believe she was a caretaker for her mother and it made her want to make life better for the average person who struggles, etc. So I perhaps would not have done the F. Trump ad myself. It gets attention. It's going to get a lot of likes and hits and things like that. In terms of the I want affordability speech, which is being cut up right now and put in every Democrats ads since it's obviously in great denial of the reality on the ground, the president is doing what it sounds like. Tony Fabrizio previewed in that big GOP midterm strategy meeting was going to happen. So he basically is trying to control the foot soldiers and admitting that Donald Trump is going to go out there and do whatever he wants. But the fact that he says more Americans are working today than in the history of our country when we just saw a million jobs Revision down for 2025, it was a quote, unquote, you know, Strong jobs number, 155,000, 61,000 still far below where Biden was, I don't think is it going to get it done. And he's in Georgia bragging about the results and just some results, real ones, I guess I should say, For Georgia lost 80,000 jobs last year since Trump took office, 27 family farms have filed for bankruptcy. 500,000 are going to lose their health care coverage without the ACA subsidy extension, which he doesn't back. And the premiums are going to double for 1.4 million Georgians. John Ostaf is running a very strong campaign in Georgia. There is a reason that we have two Democratic senators there and it's because of Donald Trump. And I don't think he's making things any better.

[Dana Perino]

Well, going there is one of the things that you can do, Kaylee. So that's also a tell in terms of what either Fabrizio or James Blair at the White House is saying. This is where we need to be, at least on this day. Your thoughts about his speech this afternoon on affordability?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I think he's doing what he should do, which is focusing on the economy. The economy is a tough beast. Right. Because people have to feel it. And you can tout the numbers. And you should tout the numbers. But you also have to say Biden badly broke this and we are fixing it. And we have the proven solution. Here is how we have the proven solution. When you look at 2.4% inflation, that has come way down, core inflation, at the lowest point it's been in five years. When you look at earnings outpacing inflation, you see people have gained $1,400 in their paycheck. You say that they lost. It was 3,000 under Biden. We've made progress. And finally, prices are catching up to inflation, and there's data to support that. And I think this year they have done great good in deregulating and the tax cuts and the big beautiful bill. And there's going to be a tailwind behind the Trump economy that people will start to feel and I think will help during the midterm simultaneously while he's doing foreign policy. I think it's been smart keeping the cameras out of the White House, away from the Netanyahu meeting, away from the Machado meeting, putting the focus domestically rather than internationally. Now Iran, we'll see how that goes. That could take away from the economy, but a big foreign policy wins. Never a bad thing. The one thing I will say about the Suzy Wiles meeting, it was interesting. Some of the policies that they say work are policies that I think would put a huge tailwind behind Donald Trump. If you partnered with Elizabeth Warren on credit card interest rates, if you partnered with, let's say, Mark Cuban, who wants to break up these health care companies, some of these more populous, not necessarily doctrinal conservative viewpoints, that puts the same tailwind behind you that no tax on tips did in the last election, that no tax on overtime. If you get a few of those populist wins, I really think you could break the historical trajectory of the party holding the White House, losing in the midterms.

[Dana Perino]

Wow. My free market heart. Just like I want to throw up. Jesse, we have missed you. Your wisdom. Yeah, Greg, my wisdom.

[Jesse Watters]

Now I know it's.

[Dana Perino]

Greg really missed you. And we are dying to hear what you think.

[Jesse Watters]

Well, Jessica doesn't seem like that confident. And she's saying like, oh, this is so terrible. We're going to clean up in the midterms. The way you're talking doesn't sound like you think you're going to win. Inflation's at 2.4%. Jessica. More Americans are working now than ever before in the history of the country.

[Jessica Tarlov]

A million less than last year.

[Jesse Watters]

Okay, well, then last year was a Record. Donald Trump is a fantastic salesman, and this is what he did. He went around the world and he sold the world's greatest product, which is America. And that's, for instance, what the Japanese trade deal was promising, a $500 billion investment in this country. And that's why he was in Georgia today. So this plant makes diamond cutters. You need them to build semiconductors. You think I knew that? I had no idea. But you go to an event like this and you learn something. And we can't have this stuff made in China. It has to be made in America. So it's a national security issue. And it brings in, I think it's a $36 billion investment. You got a oil export terminal and Texas, and then you got a natural gas pipeline in Ohio and then a $600 million investment in Georgia. This all would not be possible if it wasn't for the tariff. Only 15%. It's like nothing. It's like pennies on the dollar, tariffs. It's like pennies on the dollar. Jessica. So listen, well, let me just ask you this question. If you guys get in charge, do you want to repeal the Japanese trade deal? You're saying John Ossoff, or however you pronounce this stupid guy's name, the senator running for reelection in Georgia, he's going to say, Please repeal the $600 million investment in this high tech manufacturing plant in my state? Of course not. Just that's why Donald Trump just have

[Jessica Tarlov]

to let him sell Science, act investment.

[Jesse Watters]

Let the man cook. It'll all work out for all of us, Trump, and then you'll be happy.

[Dana Perino]

Either affordability or the new ad by the Democrat in Illinois saying all the bleeps.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I think that new ad echoed my theory that I introduced last week that Jesse missed. So I'll introduce it that Trump leads with positives. The Democrats respond with F. Trump. So again, you have a party of good thoughts versus a party of bad thoughts. And it shows you where both lead. Nobody likes that ad. One side, of course, when you hear Trump talking about things, whether it's gas being $2.70 a gallon in Georgia or that they found 132 missing kids that were missing under Biden, or that ICE has taken 43,000 criminals off the street, these are all positive, that leads you to a feeling of hope and promise. But when somebody says F Trump, it leads you to anger and resentment, which only feeds on itself over and over. No one benefits from it. It's like I said it before, nobody commits acts of violence from thinking Good thoughts. This is why the majority of political, political motivated crime comes from the left and not the right. It's one thing. They are now the Bad Thought party and it presents a challenge to thoughtful Democrats. How should you respond if you're on the negative side of this grid? Meaning that you can't feel good when Trump does good things because that concession hurts your ego. But you don't want to keep feeling bad because where does that lead you? The negative thoughts take over. You get Trump derangement syndrome, you move to Ireland, you know, or you know, you commit acts of violence, you attack Teslas and you don't know why. Or you leave your kids at home and block ice. These are all stemming from the Bad Thought party. This is not helpful. I can look at the Democrats and I can say, I like this idea. I like that idea. I like Dan Lurie now. I mean, Dan Lurie, we pointed this out. This guy is introducing a way to get drug use off the streets of San Francisco. He's breaking the seal for other Democrats to follow suit. He's gonna change the city. And in 2028 he'll be your nominee because he's not acting like a progressive woke Democrat and he finally had the guts to do it. Not to say we don't have tangible problems here, but all those problems that we have, whether it's debt, fraud or corruption, is based on the fact that the Democrats rejected oversight. They rejected oversight on economy, on the border, crime, budgets, fraud. Every time we try to show them the score, they call it oppressive because it's reveals their incompetence in every one of these areas. So I'll shut up now. I'm really excited. Dana, do you know why? My new toilet seat in the men's room.

[Dana Perino]

I think I was the first to use it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. Was it exciting?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It was.

[Dana Perino]

It's not a toilet seat in the men's room.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, it's gender neutral bathroom. But you know, it's new because when you lift it up and lift it down, it's very stiff.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Holding toilet seat.

[Jesse Watters]

What are we talking about here?

[Dana Perino]

Well, tell you when you drive.

[Greg Gutfeld]

While you were gone, we got a new toilet seat.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Remember it was loose.

[Jesse Watters]

No, I don't go to the bathroom at work.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

They just screwed it in.

[Dana Perino]

Okay.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You save it for home. Yes, yes.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I'm not here as long as you want that next.

[Dana Perino]

But first, I have a Fox News alert here. The royal family rocked after Britain's former Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He faces accusations of sending Confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein. Let's go right to Stephanie Bennett. She's in London with the latest. Hi, Stephanie.

[Stephanie Bennett]

Good evening, all. Yeah, it's been a very busy day across London and across the world with these headlines today, in fact, marking his 66th birthday. Take a look at some of these images we've received later this evening. Now, these are of Andrew, of course, being released from police custody in Aylsham almost 12 hours after his arrest. You can see him lying back in the seat to avoid cameras. Well, Thames Valley police say he has been released under investigation. They didn't release any further details than that, of course. He was arrested this morning around 8:00am local time at the Sandringham estate. Police were seen searching the property and also at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, where, of course, he lived before being stripped of his royal titles last year. The arrest comes after Thames Valley police said they were investigating claims that while serving as a UK trade envoy, Andrew shared confidential government documents with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, of course, has always denied any wrongdoing. King Charles iii, Andrew's older brother, released a statement saying in part, what now follows is the full fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly, the law must take its course. Despite all of this, the king carrying on with his royal duties today, attending an event ahead of London Fashion Week. He did not answer any reporters questions. President Trump also commented this afternoon saying it's so bad for the royal family, it's very sad to me. Now, of course, misconduct in public offense carries a potential maximum sentence of life in prison. Keeping a close eye on all of this. Back to you guys.

[Dana Perino]

All right, Stephanie, thank you so much. And coming up on the Five, a reporter stuns Caroline Levitt by asking for examples of when President Trump got called a racist.

[Capitas Announcer]

You're a small business owner, but that means you're a lot of other things, too. Accountant, handyman, payroll specialist and IT expert, just to name a few. So how about you let Capitas make at least one thing easy for you? Capitas is the home of small business financing made simple. Compare multiple offers at once for business loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, revenue based financing and more. No appointments, no waiting days for approval. Up your cash flow and grow your business with Capitas. Today, start an [e-mail] that's K A P I T U S dot com.

[Jesse Watters]

The liberal media have outdone themselves. CBS reporter Ed O' Keefe apparently has been living under a rock for 10 years. Shocking Caroline Levitt with this question.

[Dana Perino]

Listen, where or when does the President

[Greg Gutfeld]

believe he's been falsely called racist?

[Dana Perino]

You're kidding, right? I will pull you plethora of examples. I'm sure there's many people in this

[Stephanie Bennett]

room and on network television across the

[Dana Perino]

country who have accused him of the same. In fact, I know that because I've

[Kayleigh McEnany]

seen it with my own eyes finding

[Jesse Watters]

clips of the libs calling Trump racist. Come on, man, give our producers a real challenge.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The President of the United States is racist.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

He is a thin skinned racist.

[Dana Perino]

He has been racist.

[Jesse Watters]

There has never been a president in

[Capitas Announcer]

American history who has been so openly racist.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

A racist in chief.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The president oftentimes resorts to very bigoted, xenophobic, Islamophobic racist rhetoric.

[Jesse Watters]

But the racist Trump narrative didn't land with everybody. The President getting some love. At yesterday's White House Black History Month event, a grandma whose grandson was killed in D.C. set the record straight, praising Trump for cleaning up the city. I love him. I don't want to hear nothing you

[Greg Gutfeld]

got to say about that racist stuff.

[Jesse Watters]

And don't be looking at me on the news hating on me because I'm

[Greg Gutfeld]

standing up for somebody that deserves to

[Jesse Watters]

be stand up for. Get off the man's back.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Let him do his job. He's doing the right thing.

[Jesse Watters]

Back up off of it. And grandma said it. So we have one Black History Month. Kaylie, imagine you getting asked that question. I mean, you know Ed o', Keefe, right? I mean, is he that crazy?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yeah, I was asked a worse question. And Caroline's right that she has seen this happen because when she was working with me, she saw this happen in the briefing room at o'. Keeffe. And if he was paying any attention, saw this too. When Ryan Lizza looked at me in 2020, when all eyes were focused on Covid, there were a bunch of storylines and he literally thought a good use of his time was to say to me, does President Trump believe it is a good thing that the south lost the Civil War? I was dumbfounded. I looked up from my briefing book and I told him what an absurd question that was. It's truly absurd. But the implication there is that President Trump is a racist. That was the implication of the question. And it's not just President Trump that was called this. I mean, was Ed o' Keefe paying attention when Joe Biden decided to come out and call anyone who opposed the Democrats so called voting rights legislation. HR1 racist. He said, do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace, John Lewis or Bull Connor, Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis? Once again, calling half the nation that wants the SAVE act and not H R1 racist. For 10 years, they have called Trump some rendition of racist, misogynist or xenophobe. They did this to Mitt Romney, too. They do this to every Republican. And to act as if this has never transpired. And there were receipts. We've played the receipts. Ed o' Keefe is not paying attention or is intentionally misleading his viewers.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah, he's the CBS correspondent. How can he not know that, Dana?

[Dana Perino]

Because actually, I think a lot of his reporting actually has been fairly fair. He was pretty tough on the Biden administration, so that was kind of a weird question. I don't know where he was going with that. I do think that when you call someone a racist, it's both the worst thing you can say to somebody and the most hurtful. But also because it's been said so much for so long about every Republican, it's also unfortunately kind of losing its meaning. And you can look past it. You could have Grandma come, and that's good. I think it's a good thing to do. And obviously it's horrible what happened to her grandson. And there's a lot of grandmas like that out there, so she was speaking for a lot of them. I do think that a lot of the DEI stuff got away from the Democratic Party, and now there's a little bit of paying the price for that. But their ire about President Trump is all name calling, and it's very rarely policy. And what's weird, too, is that if. Let's just say that their big issue right now is ice, they have the opportunity to go to him and say, okay, look, can we just talk about dreamers? We messed up in your first term. You were willing to do it. We walked away. We were wrong, but we want to do it now. Can we do a deal with you? And I would bet that he would say, yeah, let's talk, let's do something. But they don't really want to do that. It's like the name calling supersedes everything else.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah, it's like we were talking about on the. In the first segment, Greg, it's either F Trump or he's racist. And then when you call him out, they're like, I didn't say that.

[Greg Gutfeld]

And worse, no one really speaks for the real racists, you know, who are. Who are basically suffering from Stolen valor. Every day you have David Duke sitting at home going, they're calling everybody racist. After all the work I've done, nobody even remembers me. And inside, instead, they're calling everybody. They're not really racist. They haven't worked for it. Like, you know, I don't know why he said that. I mean, it's like saying, like, Joe Biden never tripped or Hunter Biden never had sex with hookers. Everything's on tape. I feel like the media is just lost in the wilderness, and they don't even know how to salvage their credibility, so they're not even trying in the current state. It's just like, we just show up. The media is like, somehow they're, like, undergoing the equivalent of a blackout. You know, when they. When they're past embarrassments are pointed out to them, like covering up for Joe Biden or the Russian pee tape or whatever. They. They don't remember it. It's like they were. It's like when. When I go to you, Dana, do you remember what you did at the restaurant last night? It was very embarrassing. Right on the table.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It's not a restaurant.

[Jessica Tarlov]

You say stuff like that.

[Dana Perino]

I didn't go to a restaurant last night.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jesse Watters]

That's all you say.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Since I don't remember it. They treat it like a blackout. And they're so used to getting stuff that they just do it out of habit. I also don't think they're aware that you have, like, 200 million people who can grok the crap out of this stuff. Like, it's like that montage we used to go. Like, producers would have to take time to do it. There's like 10,000 people doing that this morning on Grok. Everyone now is a master debunker.

[Jesse Watters]

Are you bringing that up now? All right, Jessica, defend your party. Defend your pathetic people

[Jessica Tarlov]

at o'. Keefe. I don't know how Keefe votes, so I don't know.

[Jesse Watters]

I do. He's a Democrat.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Why? Because he asked Caroline Levitt a question. That could be.

[Jesse Watters]

You think that guy Edo Keefe is a Trump supporter?

[Jessica Tarlov]

I don't know. He could be impartial because he's a journalist.

[Jesse Watters]

He could be with that line. Come on. Haven't you watched these briefings?

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yes.

[Jesse Watters]

I don't sound like Republicans.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Oh. I mean, the new media side certainly sounds like Republicans that are in there is new media.

[Jesse Watters]

He's about as old as they get led.

[Jessica Tarlov]

He was actually very hard on the Biden administration.

[Dana Perino]

Biden people really didn't like him.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Okay, so there's like an equal, equal opportunity person.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Okay, all right.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, okay. But he was go for wasn't do.

[Jessica Tarlov]

See, he's religious, so he must be a Republican. I'm shocked you didn't go for that.

[Jesse Watters]

You guys believe in God, so.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Oh, that's so nice and different from what I feel like you said a couple of weeks ago. Obviously there are a kajillion montages of people accusing Trump of racism. I think a lot of it is very well founded. We just had a scandal or whatever you want to call it just a few weeks ago with the Obama 8 video that he wouldn't apologize for even though a staffer put it up. But he, quote, unquote, didn't do anything wrong. And, you know, even Republicans stood up and rebuked that so we could go through the list of racist things Donald Trump has said and done throughout his career. It's old news. You want to run elections on policies people vote on, kitchen table issues. His racism for the people who believe it is baked into the proverbial cake at this point. Black unemployment is up. His support with black Americans that he got in the 2024 election is back down to normal levels. So he's got to earn that, that support back. But he obviously has. Grandma.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Okay, okay.

[Jesse Watters]

I didn't really like what you said right there, but we're just going to go. We're going to continue the show.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Okay?

[Jesse Watters]

We're just going to let it slide. You said a lot of very offensive things.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Oh, I didn't.

[Jesse Watters]

Ahead Crazy Bernie's going on Greasy Gavin's turf to champion a wealth tax. Your little one grew three inches overnight. Adorable. Also expensive. Sell their pint sized pieces on Depop

[Greg Gutfeld]

and list them in minutes with no

[Jesse Watters]

selling fees because somewhere a dad refuses to pay full price for the clothes his kids will outgrow tomorrow. And he's ready to buy your son's entire wardrobe right now. Consider your future growth. Bird budget secured. Start selling on Depop where taste recognizes taste. Payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply.

[Greg Gutfeld]

See website for details.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

The far left radical is causing more headaches for the Democrats. This time it's a wealth task. Task tax. Excuse me. That's forcing well off Californians to get the heck out of Dodge. Gavin Newsom says he opposes it, but Bernie just went on Gavin's turf to rally the troops against the rich.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Do you know what the most significant

[Jesse Watters]

addiction crisis in America is today?

[Greg Gutfeld]

It is the greed of the billionaire class right here in California. These billionaires are going to learn that we are still living in a democratic society where the people have some power.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

And here in New York City, Mayor Zoran Mamdani is threatening to punish the middle class if New York Governor Kathy Hochul does not submit to a socialist tax hike.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The only option we have remaining is the second pass. At the heart of this path is

[Jesse Watters]

a property tax increase.

[Greg Gutfeld]

This would effectively be a tax on working and middle class New Yorkers. It would mean withdrawing $980 million from our city's rainy day fund in fiscal year 2026 and $229 million from the retiree health benefit trust in fiscal year 2027.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Jessica, I know you were no Mamdani fan, but I'm wondering if you're looking Forward to the 9.5% property tax increase.

[Jessica Tarlov]

I'm not. I also don't think it'll go through. I think he's going to have pretty significant pushback from a core part of his voter is they, you know, they call it the commie corridor that runs through Brooklyn where it's actually people who have millions of dollars but also feel like they can't get ahead because the city is so unaffordable and it just, it costs a lot to be here, to send your kids to school, etc. Those are people who are going to be struck with something like this.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So they're called stupid people because they vote for him and don't like his policies or are they hypocrites?

[Jessica Tarlov]

I don't, I don't.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Stupid hypocrites.

[Jessica Tarlov]

I don't live choose one of the wealth tax front. This is a very interesting setup because Newsom is against it and a lot of high profile Democrats will be out on the campaign trail talking about it. AOC Bernie Sanders is going to run for president again, but obviously doing that. The data though, just not back up that this works. So many European countries have tried it and then gotten rid of it. Sweden, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. If you want to tax tax specific asset classes, that's one thing. But this idea of a general wealth tax is going to make you not only lose a ton of tax revenue. I was just out in California having conversations with people who said that there's going to be another round of flight. If it actually goes through, I think it's a mistake.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I think that's very wise. And Dana, I'm sure Governor Gavin Newsom is looking at California leaves every minute and 44 seconds.

[Dana Perino]

Well, the far left progressives are the they're more difficult for the regular Democrats to beat than it is for them to beat Republicans at this point, because Democrats are really highly motivated to vote in the midterms. They've been showing that in all the little special elections that they've won in the last several months. And if I know that the media loves to focus on rifts within the Republican party, but the debates within the Democratic party are to me, much more interesting and of much more consequence. Here you have a guy in his mid-30s who's never run a business, never worked in finance, and he's saying that the only option available to him is this tax so that he can give free health care, free daycare. That's the only option. I mean, you have access to the smartest financial minds in the world. They are your neighbors, they live here. They're your constituents. You could call them up, you could go see them and say, do I have any other option? Is there any other option that they could put forward? Now, if you're a billionaire or a millionaire or someone who just makes, you know, the safe, let's say $200,000 a year and you're looking at all these stories about the fraud and $9 billion in fraud in Minnesota, we're wondering about the other fraud. There's fraud everywhere and nobody on the left is saying let's fix the fraud. And then we can see what else we need to do. Like we're not even going to try to do that because the only option is to raise taxes on your property owners. That's crazy to me. Childish.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Tim Walls is asking for more social programs despite the fraud.

[Jesse Watters]

I'm going to give the billionaires some advice.

[Dana Perino]

Oh, wow.

[Jesse Watters]

Because the wealth gaps, the widest has been since the Roaring twenties, which Greg remembers was a lot of fun. And what happens, you have a great, great time and then the market tanks and then the politicians punish successful people like fdr. So you got to get out ahead of this and you got to employ the bread and circuses strategy that they used to do in the ancient Roman times when wealthy emperors used to just throw lavish banquets and festivals and make the gladiators fight. So you feed and entertain the public in order to show how generous you are and maintain the social order. So if you're a billionaire in California before the peasants start storming the castle, how about this? How about you buy Everybody there a $1 value meal at McDonald's? How about you do an Oprah, free cars. How about you buy maybe everybody at skid row a one way ticket to Thailand that also gets them out of town or make the homeless people in skid row fight like gladiators. Entertain us. Do something big and bold.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Let's big and bold.

[Jesse Watters]

We're going for not necessarily that idea, but other ideas like that.

[Dana Perino]

What did you read while you were away?

[Jesse Watters]

Nothing.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

There was a lot there. But my takeaway was if you were alive during the Roaring twenties, you're roughly a century old, Greg.

[Greg Gutfeld]

No, you meant the roaring 20. 20.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Oh, got it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I always. I'm always troubled by why the woke don't call their policies what they are. That is not a tax. It's just a confiscation because the no gains are being realized. So that is not a tax. It's a linguistic deception. It's like calling three people who hate each other. Fox and Friends never understood that. There's no interest. He has no interest in the answers that you'd like. Why isn't he talking to people? Because he's not in charge. He was picked to enact some radical policies by the same people who are running all the corruption. He's just another puppet. I don't think you can get a clearer contrast. You know what is the first thing a Republican does when he's in office? He deregulates. He frees up capital. He gets businesses going. He'll fund the police. What is the first thing a Dem does, you know, besides moving out of their parents house? Raise taxes. It's not cut fraud. It's not, you know, look at waste or abuse. It's raise taxes, which only incentivizes more waste, fraud and abuse. The point is corrupt enterprises, they're not designed to reduce their corruption or their enterprise. It's, you know, the mob doesn't decide to go into actual sanitation. They're never going to change. Democrats are never going to change. They are. And Jessica, you. I don't can't believe you don't know this. They are the party of corruption. We're seeing it now. Billions and trillions of dollars that are being taken out of the government into these fake businesses. You have these like weird puppets from, from Joe Biden to, to Kamala Harris to Merriman, that they have no experience, no intellect. They're just here to do whatever. I don't know what dark forces are running your party, but there's something sick going on and you need to be aware of it.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Okay, a couple of things. One, the head of your party and the president is the greatest family president ever. $4 billion since coming into office.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That's not really. That's not for me. It's not Being stolen from me. Your party steals from us. Your party steals our tax money. Yeah, he's never taken money from me. I'm okay. He wants to make bitcoin money. I don't even know what that is.

[Jessica Tarlov]

That's not a good defense for it. And listening to robbing, going through my wallet.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Jessica, you guys are.

[Jessica Tarlov]

That is absolutely not true. And he is using taxpayer money for all of the things that he does when he flies around and they make backroom deals. And he sends Jared Kutcher.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He doesn't take a salary. Has any Democrat ever.

[Jessica Tarlov]

$400,000 for Billy?

[Greg Gutfeld]

My salary. Half of my salary.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Just said Dan Lurie was awesome and finished. So enough for the shows.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You unfair. And balance.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

All right, we'll finish in the commercial break. Well, coming up, does America still make alpha males? Of course we do. Jesse's at the table. Joe Rogan and a Hollywood action star are tackling America's masculinity.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I went there. Yeah. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink. Then straight to the gym. Pre K pickup back home to meal prep. Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius. Gotta keep the lights on when the three alarm hits. I'm ready. Celsius live fit. Go grab a cold, refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate [e-mail]. How did men like Jesse wind up being so dainty? Actor and MMA fighter Michael Jai White sitting down with Joe Rogan to talk about what's happened to men's T levels. Roll it, Ziggy.

[Capitas Announcer]

It's like we're not making men anymore. Everybody gets a trophy. You know, these kids, you know, they're. You know, it's about their self esteem and you gotta protect them. I'm like, come on. These kids don't know how to deal

[Greg Gutfeld]

with loss or anything. You know what, Dana? What bugs me about this segment is I'm tired of the everybody gets a trophy insult participation trophies are kind of a good thing at this point. I would like people to participate.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah. I mean, I just flashback to third grade when I got one green ribbon in the field. I got a couple blues, I got a couple reds. But the green ribbon meant that you just were there.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes.

[Dana Perino]

And you could take it home. But my mom and dad were like, yeah, we don't keep those.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Really?

[Dana Perino]

And you know what?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It made me a stronger person.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Did that affect you? Is that why you turned to drinking and drugs? Dana?

[Dana Perino]

Yeah. At the restaurant last night.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. That's amazing. You don't remember any of that, but we'll have a meeting afterwards. Jesse, I don't think it's masculinity that's the problem. It's the demonization of masculine traits which used to be lauded. Like being protective and brave and competitive and short and stocky.

[Jesse Watters]

You know, I'm tempted to make fun of you, but you did say you had a shoulder injury from lifting weights.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes.

[Jesse Watters]

And I saw pictures of you back in the day and you actually. You actually looked like you lifted.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I was? Yeah, I was pretty ripped. Remember, I was the editor of Men's Health while you were sitting around playing your little games.

[Jesse Watters]

Like what?

[Greg Gutfeld]

I don't know.

[Jesse Watters]

What games was I playing?

[Greg Gutfeld]

What were you? I don't know.

[Jesse Watters]

What games? I. Squash. Greg say, Greg what? Golf.

[Dana Perino]

Mario Kart.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Oh, I thought you meant cross country skiing.

[Capitas Announcer]

Skiing?

[Jesse Watters]

Is that where we're going? The trophies I had from cross country skiing. You have no idea how competitive my family was. We used to have all these trophies and medals for swim team.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah.

[Jesse Watters]

And I used to display them in my room on my master. And one time I had a third place and I was looking at it and I was like, I'm putting a third place medal on my mantle. Nope, I ripped it down and I burned it in my backyard.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Wow.

[Dana Perino]

That's right.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Good for you. You know, Jessica, you're married to quite a masculine man. I've seen him. He's a large man. How does he deal?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Very large.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Being married to a woman within a culture that doesn't appreciate men. He probably doesn't complain because he's a man. Isn't that the problem? Men just don't complain enough about the misandry of your party.

[Jesse Watters]

Act like women and complain more.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yes, we don't nag instantly.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We just don't nag.

[Jessica Tarlov]

The whole man flu epidemic, how you guys get barely sick and think that it's like going to kill you is a big thing. I don't really want to talk about Brian that much. I would just say that it is very funny to me that the party that railed against the participation trophy culture has as the head of it, the guy who got the FIFA world the Peace Prize, and he took Maria Machado's Peace Prize himself. I mean, he stole a woman who has fought for freedom for her.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He gave it to her.

[Dana Perino]

Yeah.

[Jessica Tarlov]

She had to make him his own plaque.

[Jesse Watters]

It would be little baby rude if he said no, you have it.

[Jessica Tarlov]

You all right? Everyone knows what a joke he is, okay?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

He got Maduro. He earned it. He deserved it. But I will Just say to Jesse's point, I do think there's a place for participation. Trophies. I got the pink ribbons in swimming. It was so frustrating. That means the last place and one time a swim coach said, you're going to get first place tonight. I feel it. It was in butterfly, which was my worst stroke. I got first place. I framed that blue ribbon and I found out 15 years later they put me against 5 year olds. I was 10. So it did give me inspiration though.

[Jesse Watters]

Congratulations. Poor 5 year olds.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I know I got him.

[Jesse Watters]

That's chicks, am I right?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Fastest up next,

[Kayleigh McEnany]

This is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52 episode podcast series the Life of

[Jesse Watters]

Jesus A listening experience that will provide

[Capitas Announcer]

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

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Welcome back.

[Jessica Tarlov]

First up, apparently the secret to a happy marriage is having the same bedtime. A new survey looked at the, quote, bedtime gap, which is the time difference of when spouses go to bed. And those who go to sleep at the same time are more likely to say they're, quote, very happy in their marriage compared to couples who don't. Are any couples at this table who go to bed at the same time? We definitely. You do.

[Jesse Watters]

Yeah, she wakes, stays up for me when I get back to feed you. No, I've already eaten. And then we just lay in bed and talk about what happened to Nancy Guthrie for hours.

[Dana Perino]

With doing a morning show, it's impossible.

[Jessica Tarlov]

So.

[Dana Perino]

No, but I mean, I think that this study is kind of obvious that that would make sen. Not that we are unhappy, but what really made me happy was the eight sleep bed that really changed my life.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Oh, yes, you have talked about that. Greg.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Do you buy, you know, I'm a night owl. When the sun goes down, I get up. You know, one of the great tragedies is that men don't tell other men about the realities of marriage. When you're dating and you, you know, and you may go to bed, it happens very quickly. It's the same time you're both like, let's go. But when you get married, men suddenly realize that women take a lot of time getting ready for bed. There are like 20 steps involved and you're like staying up, trying to stay up. And then it's like it's an hour and then it's two hours and then you're just waking. That's the issue is that just women take longer to go to bed with you. Yeah.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

I've totally adopted my husband's bedtime, so he dims the lights. I used to stay up till 1am we go to bed at 10pm I even do his little neck thing to reverse my posture. So I totally adapted to it and I love it now. I go to sleep early and wake up early.

[Jesse Watters]

What's the next thing?

[Kayleigh McEnany]

It's like this neck thing so that you don't get that hump on your back. You, like, lay down on the ground.

[Dana Perino]

And it's really the little round thing.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Yes, exactly. And you can't look at your phone. It's really good.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Wow.

[Jesse Watters]

The neck thing.

[Greg Gutfeld]

So it's good to see you guys are still interested in humping.

[Jessica Tarlov]

One More Thing is up next.

[Dana Perino]

Deliver. It's time now for One More Thing. Jesse's got something wild.

[Jesse Watters]

Let's go to Belarus. Many people don't know about that country. It's not really a country. Former. Who cares? You don't need a history lesson. It's technically a country, but they're kind of Russian. So you expect this. The guy went into a place, ordered a cappuccino. They serve it in rotisserie chickens. So I thought, why don't I drink a cappuccino from a chicken? Let's see how this tastes.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Oh, my gosh. You're, like, making out with that thing.

[Jesse Watters]

It is. You gotta really stick your mouth real deep in there.

[Dana Perino]

Yep.

[Jesse Watters]

That's why Em and I go to bed at the same time. This is delicious. Rotisserie cappuccino. Apparently it's called curuccino. This is great.

[Dana Perino]

Why don't we leave you with that?

[Jesse Watters]

I'm gonna keep eating.

[Dana Perino]

And, Greg, you are next.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You should start doing, like, a morning talk show.

[Jesse Watters]

Like Fox and Friends.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes. Because that's what.

[Jesse Watters]

Are you trying to get me fired?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yes.

[Jesse Watters]

He's very good at that.

[Greg Gutfeld]

He know who's on tonight? Martha McCallum, Michael Loftus, Joe Mackey, Tyrus. That's a pretty damn good show for tonight. Let's do this. All right. Let's roll the animal sounds. Roll the animal sounds.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Chicken.

[Greg Gutfeld]

A chicken.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Like a sick dog. A sick dog, also named Jesse.

[Jesse Watters]

What was the question?

[Jessica Tarlov]

What's that?

[Jesse Watters]

It's a duck.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's a duck.

[Dana Perino]

I'm gonna say a walrus.

[Greg Gutfeld]

A walrus. All right, roll the tape.

[Dana Perino]

What is it?

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's a barking meerkat.

[Kayleigh McEnany]

Wow.

[Dana Perino]

That's annoying.

[Jessica Tarlov]

Yeah.

[Greg Gutfeld]

All right. That was fun.

[Dana Perino]

I just have a video of Percy doing his trick and he has. We're not gonna show the video. There he is falling asleep after he

[Capitas Announcer]

was listen to the 5ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership or

[Greg Gutfeld]

subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.