Tensions inside The Five spilled into public view once again—this time with President Donald Trump weighing in directly on one of the program’s most controversial liberal voices.
During a March 26 call-in appearance, host Jesse Watters jokingly invited Trump to join the panel in person and sit beside co-host Jessica Tarlov, suggesting the president might serve as a “good influence.”
Trump didn’t exactly jump at the opportunity.
“I’ve watched Jessica, and I’m not a fan,” the president said bluntly, taking aim at what he described as her repeated reliance on misleading polling data. “She uses fake numbers… says I’m at 42 percent—that’s not right.”
Trump went further, drawing a broader comparison between questionable polling and what many conservatives have long criticized as biased media coverage. “Polls are just like bad journalists,” he added. “Bad journalists write fake stories—fake polls do damage also.”
Still, in classic Trump fashion, he tempered the critique with a personal note, saying he’s “sure she’s a lovely person,” even while rejecting her on-air analysis.
Watters clarified that Tarlov’s absence from the segment was due to a scheduling conflict—not a deliberate snub—though the exchange highlighted ongoing friction between conservative and liberal voices on the panel.
But this isn’t the first time Tarlov’s commentary has drawn fire.
In the aftermath of the September 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Tarlov sparked backlash by urging caution and calling for “more information” before assigning blame. She also pointed to the earlier killing of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman in an attempt to frame political violence as a “both sides” issue.
That argument didn’t sit well with her co-hosts.
Greg Gutfeld pushed back forcefully on-air, rejecting the comparison outright. “We don’t need more information!” he said, arguing that the circumstances surrounding Kirk’s killing were already clear. He went on to question why such acts of violence appear, in his view, disproportionately tied to left-wing extremism—a point that has become increasingly central to conservative critiques of media narratives.
When Tarlov challenged his remarks, suggesting he was dismissing other victims, Gutfeld fired back, accusing her of deflecting from the facts. “Don’t play that,” he said, arguing that attempts to draw false equivalencies only muddy the waters.
The broader clash reflects a deeper divide—not just between co-hosts, but across the political landscape. Conservatives have grown increasingly frustrated with what they see as a pattern: downplaying or contextualizing violence when it doesn’t fit a preferred narrative, while amplifying stories that do.
Trump’s comments on Tarlov’s polling claims fit squarely into that critique. For years, he and his supporters have argued that selective data and biased interpretation are used to shape public perception—particularly during election cycles.
Whether or not Trump ever takes Watters up on his invitation to appear in-studio, one thing is clear: the ideological battles playing out on Fox News are far from settled.
And if recent history is any indication, viewers can expect more sparks to fly.
