This is a rush transcript from "The Five," November 23, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: Hello everyone, I'm Kimberly Guilfoyle along with Julie Roginsky, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino and Brian Kilmeade. It's 5:00 in New York City and this is "The Five."
New announcements from president-elect Trump on this Thanksgiving eve. Mr. Trump has chosen South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to be America's ambassador to the U.N. He also picked Michigan businesswoman Betsy Devos for education secretary. She's a charter school advocate. Haley and Devos are the first two women to be tapped for key posts in his administration.
There are also conflicting reports over Ben Carson today. Just a few minutes ago, Carson's spokesman said Trump has not offered Carson a post of Housing and Urban Development secretary. Here is Dr. Carson talking about the potential position.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS: Dr. Carson, now they are apparently interested in having you -- if this is right -- to be a HUD secretary. Would you be interested in that?
BEN CARSON, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Well, you know, our inner cities are in terrible shape and they definitely need some real attention. You know, there have been so many promises made over the last several decades and nothing has been done. So, it certainly is something that has been a long- term interest of mine.
CAVUTO: Has it been offered, sir?
CARSON: We have had offers, yes.
CAVUTO: And is it the HUD position?
CARSON: I would say that was one of the offers that's on the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: All right, and no further (inaudible)
(LAUGHTER)
GUILFOYLE: Who is on first? Who is at HUD?
BRIAN KILMEADE, GUEST CO-HOST: Clearly the problem is he does not like not telling the truth. So when you are asked directly by somebody who is big like Neil Cavuto, since it happened but he doesn't play the game. He's a surgeon that is a great person that got an offer so he answered a question honestly. There is no place for honesty in politics.
GUILFOYLE: That's the problem we have here Bolling. This isn't the honesty game.
ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: Except there was a reporting that not only was he offered the job, he accepted the job --
KILMEADE: Right.
BOLLING: And then a couple of minutes later on the way down, no, no, no, hold on, he didn't accept. Not only did he not accept, he wasn't offered it yet.
GUILFOYLE: There was a Facebook post.
BOLLING: That's really -- it's really is -- right (ph), and there is policy and whatnot and the reporting -- reportage. But what we do know is Nikki Haley was in fact offered the job of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., which is fantastic. Early morning, I woke up to it. I e-mailed Dana. I said, "Dana, why would a successful, smart, well-respected governor of a south Carolina state, and Republican take a job as ambassador to the U.N.?" She said, "This is perfect." I`ll let Dana explain it why, but, why that's a fantastic --
KILMEADE: It was Dana Perino.
KIMBERLY: That was my Dana Perino question.
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: Well, one thing I would say for Dr. Carson is that if you are up for a job or anybody who is up for a job in the administration -- for the new administration, don't book yourself on television until it's settled because you're going to get put in that position and Dr. Carson is not alone in not wanting to lie, I would say.
KILMEADE: I just found out he's on "The Kelly File" tonight.
PERIONO: Of course.
BOLLING: What's likely is, it's a done deal. But it's not --
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: I think he should just like -- you should always let the president-elect make that announcement not yourself. On Nikki Haley --
GUILFOYLE: We have four hours to figure that out before the "The Kelly File."
PERINO: When I got Eric's e-mail, I thought, well, I will respond this way. I think she is a public servant at heart. She's had a long list of public service. She has probably not going -- she was not going to run again, I don't think for governor of South Carolina. She has an immigrant story, a successful family business in America.
She showed her ability to be an amazing diplomat after the shooting at the AME church in Charleston. And she handled the confederate flag issue in a way that pretty much everyone praised her at the end of that. So, I think this is a really natural step for her. She was not for Trump at the beginning. She was for Marco Rubio but she came around at the end and supported him and I think that shows that one, he respects her and thinks that she will be able to add to his foreign policy agenda.
And there will be a lot of issues that she has to take care of right away. First of all, it will be the refugee crisis and how the administration decides to handle that and how different it might be from what President Obama had. The other thing that will be just a major issue because it always is at the U.N. is climate change.
GUILFOYLE: Sure.
PERIONO: And she'll be right in the middle of that. So I think it's a really great pick for her. Plus, if she has plans for a future run for higher office, then foreign policy experience is something that she would need.
GUILFOYLE: It's a win-win for her.
PERINO: I think it's perfect.
GUILFOYLE: And if Pence didn't want to be VP after four (ph), she would also be excellent in that.
PERINO: And I think you'll see a really good governor's race in South Carolina and you'll probably see (inaudible) is on the national stage now decide to run.
GUILFOYLE: Any predictions on that?
PERINO: I think it will be Tim Scott.
GUILFOYLE: I love it when you answer those questions. Don't play hard to get, just answer. Yes, Julie.
JULIE ROGINSKY, GUEST CO-HOST: Well, first of all, I'm going to be on "The Kelly File" so I'm going to get to the bottom of this.
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: I'm going to investigate. I will report right back to you at 9:00 tonight. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Look, I actually agree with you on Nikki Haley. I think it's a smart pick. What I like about it is that Trump -- president-elect Trump is not just surrounding himself with sycophants. He's actually reaching out to people who weren't necessarily with him all along and hopefully looking for diversity of opinion on his foreign policy team.
BOLLING: Can I add now, diversity of opinion, but sheer diversity.
ROGINSKY: Yes, I mean --
BOLLING: I mean look at the three who were named or at least floated -- two names and floated -- Nikki Haley, Betty Devos and Ben Carson. An African-American, two females and one with pseudo immigrant past --parent, right.
PERINO: Her parents are from India.
BOLLING: So the things that they -- the two strikes they were saying about Donald Trump was that white males elected him, we proved that one wrong, and that he had a thin skin. If you have a thin skin, you don't tap Nikki Haley, someone who is aggressively campaigning for Marco Rubio throughout the primary.
ROGINSKY: No, you tap Mike Flynn. But I fear the thin skin, but I'm happy to hear he is rounding out his foreign policy team. I certainly hope he chooses Mitt Romney, who I share --
PERINO: Interesting.
ROGINSKY: I do.
KILMEADE: As Secretary of State?
ROGINSKY: As Secretary of State. I share his concern about Russia and so I'm happy to hear that hopefully he'll be considered as Secretary of State.
KILMEADE: Yes, I just would like to say at 44 years old, if I'm her current counselor, this is the best thing that happened to her. Number two, I think that Rick Grennell also would have been pretty strong.
GUILFOYLE: I was just going to say that.
KILMEADE: So, that would have been an excellent choice too.
GUILFOYLE: Fantastic.
KILMEADE: But I do think that Nikki Haley is going to be great. And by the way, it's just very hard for Donald Trump to find someone who is critical of him. That's the problem because of being sarcastic. He had so many critics and so many sides and he has no -- he does not care, I mean my goodness, he went to see "The New York Times" yesterday.
Everyone there is a critic. So I think it's going to be very interesting to see -- I think more pressure on Nikki Haley to go along with Donald Trump than Donald Trump to go over Nikki Haley because she's got to do what his policies say.
GUILFOYLE: And that is a for sure. And I hope they do find a great position for Rick Grennell. He'll be an asset to the party. All right, we are still waiting for word on the Secretary of State position and whether it will go to Mitt Romney like we're just mentioning. Now, Romney does not, as you may have been aware if you watch this channel -- I hope you do -- Newt Gingrich and Mike Hugckabee's vote. Take a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I would be concerned, one, I think the vast majority of Trump supporters will initially be very unhappy and will be reminded of all the things that Romney said over the year, and two, because Romney does represent a very different viewpoint authentically. I'm not sure whose Secretary of State he would be.
MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: I'm still very unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump. There's only one way that I think Mitt Romney could even be considered for a post like that, and that is that he goes to a microphone at a very public place and repudiates everything he said in the famous Salt Lake City speech and everything he said after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: OK, Dana, so your thoughts on that? The two opinions.
PERINO: Well, again I would say that if you are up for a possible cabinet position or somewhere in the government, it's probably smart not to be on television at the moment and just let the process play out because they don't get to decide. They can advise and they can comment and they can advise through the media if they want, but Donald Trump gets to decide. And he may or may not choose Mitt Romney. I don't know. But I think that in some ways when you are publically pressured like that, it makes you want do it more.
GUILFOYLE: Yes, interesting. All right, so Eric, we know -- Julie, I got your opinion on this and that was --
BOLLING: I don't like him for secretary of state. Everyone else in the world seems to like him for secretary of state and for the reasons that both Huckabee and Newt said. Look, Donald Trump was elected by people who love Donald Trump, who love Donald Trump's vision. Mitt Romney never had that. I do think Mitt is talented. He is smart.
I remember back when he was tapped to fix the Olympics and remember that was where he excelled so, what's the most broke -- possibly the most broken system in government right now? It's the V.A. Have Mitt go and turn that thing around. Get in there and shake that place up. Break some unions up. You know, bust some unions up and start offering some of the things that Donald Trump promised where veterans get vouchers.
GUILFOYLE: I don't think he has the right background, experience for veterans. And I also don't think he is being strongly considered for that, to be honest with you. Because I do know who is. All right Brian.
KILMEADE: Here's the problem for Mitt Romney.
BOLLING: Scott Brown.
KILMEADE: There was an interview with the BBC. He had an interview with the BBC yesterday saying if I'm asked, I'll serve. And my goodness, if you were a guy that's really motivated to change his reputation back to where it was, which is off the charts great, is David Petraeus. He's got a lot of international experience. He's got a lot of contacts. He understands what it means to go to war. He understands what it means to be a diplomat. He understands how to work the media. And he also understands what it takes to follow orders.
And the fact that he told the BBC that if asked, I would do it and twice he answered again, and the fact that General Keane was offered the job, was offered the defense job that he had a chance to talk to Trump afterwards for quite a long time. I'm sure he said, hey, the guy I mentored, David Petraeus, you got to keep him in mind. He'll be great for you. So that might be the greatest threat.
ROGINSKY: You know what's interesting about Petraeus though, and I sincerely mean this, this is not a snarky comment by a liberal --
GUILFOYLE: Of which are usual --
ROGINSKY: The comments, thanks, but David Petraeus, right or wrong has some of the problems that a lot of the Trump people castigated Hillary Clinton for and when you empower David Petraeus for the same job that Hillary Clinton had, who has the same problems that Hillary Clinton had, what does that say about how genuine you were about Hillary?
KILMEADE: You're not wrong to say that but I would say the magnitude of the two is very different. There's one guy with a legitimately a war record that will go down in history, in military history.
GUILFOYLE: Who also paid for his crime.
KILMEADE: He paid for it big time. And you know, he made a huge mistake as head of the CIA, which was the wrong place for him anyway, not to excuse it. But if he goes through the vetting process and goes through the Senate, I think that he's a guy who could join the club. Not perfect.
GUILFOYLE: Yes, but interesting Julie's comments too about Mitt Romney because he is somebody who is very capable -- just in general for some kind of appointment it sounds like --
ROGINSKY: Yes, listen --
GUILFOYLE: Your team would approve.
ROGINSKY: It's not that my team would approve but I'd be very curious -- well, it does -- but let me finish my thought though. What's interesting to me is that Trump has such close connections to Russia, whether through people that potentially financed his operation. The fact that his son met in France last year or earlier this year, I'm sorry, with a bunch of Putin people in Syria and to have somebody who is such a hawk on Russia, which I love, be his secretary of state would be incredibly fascinating to me.
KILMEADE: Romney.
ROGINSKY: Romney would be incredibly fascinating to me.
BOLLING: Yes, but also look at the problems you get into -- all right. Hillary Clinton worked directly with President Obama on the Benghazi strategy, worked together with them on the Iran strategy and look how it turned out. Mitt Romney doesn't see anywhere near eye to eye with Donald Trump's vision of foreign policy, anywhere.
GUILFOYLE: Would you put him someplace else besides the V.A.? Give me another one.
BOLLING: That's what I said. Well, I don't know, but he still wants -- I wouldn't want to see him representing President Donald Trump's vision of foreign policy. The guy is a non-interventionist. And you're going to send Mitt Romney in (inaudible) around the world.
KILMEADE: Just keep in mind, his dad always said -- because his dad always gave him advice, whatever you do, don't serve in a cabinet official for a president. He hated it when he served for Nixon. He is used to being in charge as CEO and a former governor, but as secretary of state, you kind of do your own thing. That would be a little bit different.
GUILFOYLE: Well it would be more -- yes, it would be more interesting.
ROGINSKY: Well, you can't show any daylight between the president and the secretary of state.
KILMEADE: I know but --
GUILFOYLE: I think there would be and I actually think they will think of this more as a business arrangement than anything personal.
GUILFOYLE: You want to get stuff done. Choose the best people.
BOLLING: Great. Put him in treasury. The guy knows money inside and out.
GUILFOYLE: It's what I'm saying. There you go. All right, we solved all the problems so now we're just going to go to commercial break until (inaudible). President-elect Trump held a series of high profile meetings with the press this week. Will the mainstream media consider covering him fairly now? His senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has a message for the press when "The Five" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: All right, welcome back to "The Five." There was an appointment that Donald Trump made today that we didn't get a chance to talk about, and that is for the Secretary of Education. He has tapped Betsy Devos. She is from Michigan. She has a long history of philanthropy and a strong supporter of school choice. I saw that Randi Weingarten of the Teacher's Union is not very happy about it, which actually should make some people very happy.
She said in a statement that she wants to help Donald Trump make American education great again, obviously the play on the slogan. And she also has said that the status quo in education is not acceptable. Agree. "Together we can work to make transformational change that ensures every student in American has an opportunity to fulfill his or her highest potential. And Julie, you thought this was an OK pick, right?
ROGINSKY: Well, I think it's an interesting --
PERINO: (Inaudible) talk.
ROGINSKY: I think it's an interesting pick. You are about to get me kicked out of the Democratic Party --
PERINO: Sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
ROGINSKY: -- by Dana Perino, but I think it's an OK pick in the sense that, look, I believe in standards and I hope she sticks -- she's a common core supporter. Donald Trump is not. I'm going to be curious to see how they thread that needle when she gets there.
KILMEADE: But you know what, she's walked that back. They said that she is not a common core --
PERINO: And she has standards.
ROGINSKY: Well, in that case, I may not think of --
PERINO: I think that you can be for standards and not support actual common core curriculum.
ROGINSKY: Right.
KILMEADE: Right. They went out of their way to make sure that we knew that she was not a common core.
ROGINSKY: I know, which I think is interesting because I think what's appealing about her to people like me is that I am for standards and I hope that she tries to maintain some sort of federal standard not because I want to federalize education, before everybody sends me crazy e-mails. But because I do think there needs to be something that everybody across the country aspires to regardless of the educational system or regardless of the funding or the district.
BOLLING: It should be an A not curriculum. It should be --
ROGINSKY: Well, but listen -- but Eric, an A for a lone school district is very different for an A in a really high performing school district, which is why I think you need an across the board (inaudible) of what it means to get an A.
PERINO: And she's not -- Kimberly, I don't see her as someone who is like a wrecking ball. She's not going to the Department of Education and be like, OK, to start tearing the place apart, right.
GUILFOYLE: Measured and deliberate. So I think that she's going to go through it methodically. I like that she's not, you know, in bed with the unions. You even saw that she was able to get praise, you know, from Jeb Bush, who right away did as well.
PERION: I know. I wondered if that helped her. I mean I think for some people I would think most -- obviously Jeb Bush was strong on common core, right, and I think for good reasons at the time. But I did wonder, Eric, if that maybe gave people a little pause.
BOLLING: Well, I think he gave Trump supporters -- I think the whole day is giving Trump supporters a little bit of a pause. But again, hopefully, just yesterday he was picking the most qualified people, it didn't really matter if they were male, female, black, white, gay, straight or a Trump supporter or a never Trumper.
That shouldn't really matter at the end of the day. And I think, you know, Newt and Rudy highlighted some of the pushback that they're having because of the support. For me, it's the issues. So, he's pro common -- she is --
PERINO: For standards. BOLLING: Pro school choice. Donald Trump as one of his main campaign promises, he wanted to bring $20 billion to offer more school choice. I think that resonated with a lot of females -- the female vote --
KILMEADE: How about the inner city?
BOLLING: -- so we have to stay with that, but common core, that's got to go, too. It's got to go.
KILMEAEDE: I'm sure -- Donald Trump is on record says we got to get rid of it so, we'll see what he does. But he said this, I think that she is going to make sure people in the inner city might have some federal money in order to make a choice to go some more to these charter schools and when he got mayors in New York City who tell these kids we're going to shut down these charter schools and jam you into public schools that are failing, I think that's quite frustrating.
So she has an opportunity to make a difference. She's used to having a lot of power. Her family owns Amway so you know she's clean. And you also know that she loves the Magic because they own the Orlando Magic. And I also know too that they know how to make things work because we understand that her brother is -- her brother is Erik Prince.
PERINO: Right. And who's Erik Prince for those viewers who might not know.
KILMEADE: He's got -- he had Blackwater for a while. Now he's got other para-armies around the world. He does some great things --
GUILFOYLE: Well that could come in helpful.
KILMEADE: Well, put it this way --
GUILFOYLE: To battle the union.
KILMEADE: Blackwater would do a lot of good things. He's used to making a difference and Erik prince is a big supporter of Trump.
BOLLING: Trump.
KILMEADE: Yes, big Trump supporter.
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: The one thing I do want to say though, she is for charters but she's also for vouchers for private schools and I think that's where people like me, who are pro-charter, would part with her because I have no problem with charters whatsoever. I think they're great expense of a lab (ph). I do have a problem with public money being -- as a common denominator in public schools and being sent to private schools.
PERINO: Well, and maybe she'll be able to thread that needle because, Kimberly, one of the things that I think this also does is, remember, she's from Michigan. Donald Trump's the first Republican to win Michigan in an age.
KILMEADE: He's about to, 84 I believe it.
PERINO: So, I think that in some ways Michigan looks pretty good.
GUILFOYLE: I think so. I mean listen, there's a lot of different choices he could have made. I think this is one overall that people are quite pleased with. I think she will do a good job and that she's got some great ideas about education. I was excited when I read it because big thing for me is I want to make sure that the education --
BOLLING: How did Al Sharpton get passed up? That's what I want to know.
KILMEADE: You know what, it's fixed.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: Never too late Bolling.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: -- good friend of Harold Ford --
KILMEADE: Yes.
BOLLING: He is in the mix. And I like that. I like getting Harold Ford in there.
GUILFOYLE: So by the way, a great guy. I like him a lot. He's fantastic.
PERINO: It has nothing to do with his last name.
GUILFOYLE: He's very personable.
PERINO: OK, President-elect Trump has had a rocky relationship with the press so far but after a series of meetings this week, will it get better? His senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway has a message for the press when "The Five" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLLING: President-elect Trump hasn't kept his feelings about the press very close to the vest on the campaign trail. He repeatedly lashed out at what he calls the dishonest media and has continued to do so since winning the election. On Monday, president-elect Trump held a meeting with journalists and news executives at Trump tower. The senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, characterized it as a reset but acknowledges the press will have a different kind of administration to deal with this time around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLANNE CONWAY, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Apart from the protective press pool questions structurally, I think you are going to have a very unconventional presidency in Donald Trump because he's unconventional. I think many in the press, Sean, are still in campaign mode. They are scratching their heads figuring out how to stop this guy from becoming president or from forming a cabinet in his likeness or from actually doing things, a flurry of activity in the first 100 days, which may in fact undo some of the legacy of their favorite president, President Obama. And they need to get over that.
(END VIDE CLIP)
BOLLING: Not only that, KG, Donald Trump actually went to the "New York Times" -- that's substantial. He went to the "New York Times." The media, the TV executives went to him. He went to the "Times" and gave them an on record interview that lasted somewhere around -- I don't know. I'm not sure how long the on record part, but he was there for 90 minutes. And what I saw -- and there were live tweetings of this "New York Times" -- reporters were live tweeting the on record part and three or four times they asked about the alt right movement. He disavowed it three or four times. They had to keep bringing this up. How does -- do you expect that --
GUILFOYLE: Badgering the president-elect.
BOLLING: -- the media have any different relationship than they're showing that they have right now?
GUILFOYLE: No, I think you can probably expect, like look at the past to predict what the future will be in terms of the relationship. I don't think if there's ever going to be a storybook romance with the mainstream media and with president-elect Donald Trump. And I think with the "New York Times" especially, it just, it got off to a rocky start to begin with even in the transition phase because there was information, tweets back and forth. Then he said it was canceled, then Kellyanne said, oh no, it's back on and then it was like, OK, we're going to go meet, what's on the record, what's off the record, but to his credit, like I said, he went. He went to them. He sat down. He did the interview. So, they're going to have to start to just, you know, build a relationship. Rebuild the trust
BOLLING: So, what is the evolution of the new Republican president coming in, the media seeing, you know, have our 18 months of primaries and general election and do they pivot at all? Do they get firmer? Do they get more focused? Do they get more fair?
PERINO: I think all of the above because the relationship between the press and the government is naturally adversarial. It's also mutually beneficial. So, Donald Trump both has attacked the media and then actually benefited from media exposure so. If you also think about the "New York Times," that's his hometown paper. It would be like me, like going to the "Denver Post" or maybe the (inaudible) paper. I bet you can't remember the name out in South Carolina.
The thing about the protective press pool, I think that he should consider it a badge of honor. This is something that started after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It is only bestowed to people who have achieved the highest position in the United States of America, the leader of the free world. It's important because you are now as the president-elect, the most important person in government to protect. And so the protective press pool, it's not because they're there for security but they are there because you are now public servant.
You work for the people of the United States of America. Starting on January 20. The protective press pool, I would consider it a badge of honor. It's the most high respect that you can get in the United States in the government.
BOLLING: What do you think, Jules? Is there a way to soften this tone, this...
ROGINSKY: Listen, I think he played the press this week masterfully. He went -- or they came to him. We're talking about the TV executives and the TV anchors. Went to him. He said to them, "This is totally off the record." They accepted that. He then -- or somebody close to him leaked to "The New York Post" that the whole thing was a dress-down by him. And they can't respond because it's off the record. And they can't do anything about it.
So he gets out his message, how he stood up to the press, how he was a tough guy, because he needs an adversary because, obviously, Hillary is no longer his adversary. And he played them like a fiddle. And predictably, and for...
BOLLING: What about this olive branch to the New York Times?
ROGINSKY: Well, the New York Times...
BOLLING: Where did that come from?
ROGINSKY: Listen, The New York Times is still the paper of record, whether he likes it or not. And he understands -- he's smart enough to understand that he has to...
BOLLING: That what?
ROGINSKY: That what? They're going to be covering him.
BOLLING: Yes, but they admitted they had horrible coverage of him as he was the nominee.
KILMEADE: Their public editor said it. But I thought it was interesting - - and Karl Rove said, read the 34 pages. They transcribed the entire hour. And it's posted on NewYorkTimes.com, so you can go get it.
But the part I read, I was fascinated to see he went up to Frank Bruni (ph), one of his biggest critics, and said, "Sooner or later, you're going to have to write something good about me."
And then he went up to Thomas Friedman and he says, "I hope after two years you're going to say, 'This guy is doing a good job. Not a good job for a conservative but a good job.'"
It shows, and the overall impression was that he wants to win them over. He wants to open up their minds. He was tough on Tuesday. What is today? Wednesday. He was tough on Monday. He was lighter on Tuesday. I don't know about what the reason was for him to go to The New York Times, though. Have the Times come to him, if anything. But when it's all said and done...
BOLLING: He went for a 90-minute sit down with them with -- on the record.
PERINO: It could have been logistics. It could have been logistics. There's a lot people.
GUILFOYLE: There's a lot of people there. Yes.
PERINO: So instead of having all of them traipse over to now which is the worst intersection in New York City.
BOLLING: Maybe in America.
GUILFOYLE: In the world. The world.
PERINO: It's unbelievable. You cannot go and get your hair cut over there. But I...
GUILFOYLE: That's a one-percenter problem.
PERINO: That's a one-percent problem.
GUILFOYLE: I can cut your hair here.
PERINO: But I do think -- I think it could have been logistical. You know, that he -- that it was easier, actually, for the president...
GUILFOYLE: I thought it was good. It's like...
KILMEADE: ... change policy.
GUILFOYLE: ... the king storming the castle or something.
PERINO: Of course.
GUILFOYLE: Like, he goes in there. He's got nothing to hide. He's like, "I'm going to go there. I'll meet there on your turf. I'm unafraid to play an away game and win." And dress them down. "I'm looking at you. I'm looking at you." I like it.
ROGINSKY: He told them everything they wanted to hear. That's what's so interesting. He was like, "I don't know..."
KILMEADE: About the Paris agreement.
ROGINSKY: "... about the Paris agreement. Maybe it's not..." But every single thing that they wanted to hear. And to me what's so fascinating is, they bought -- they bought it, but you have one audience he says one thing to and a different audience that he says something very different to. And ultimately, he's going to have to make some policy decisions...
KILMEADE: Are they going to have a harder time being -- being unbalanced with him?
BOLLING: You think?
KILMEADE: Are they? That's the big question.
BOLLING: Honestly...
GUILFOYLE: I think it's brilliant. Trump is playing -- yes.
BOLLING: It's optimistic to think that The New York Times is going to pivot...
GUILFOYLE: Right.
BOLLING: ... on the coverage of him because he went to shake their hand.
GUILFOYLE: I think President-elect Trump is playing -- he's playing chess. They're playing checkers.
PERINO: OK, he could be, like -- I bent over backwards to be nice to The New York Times.
KILMEADE: It didn't work.
PERINO: It doesn't help.
BOLLING: That's -- that's the point.
PERINO: That's the problem. I was too nice.
BOLLING: All right. Here we go.
GUILFOYLE: "Hunger Games."
BOLLING: President Obama bestowed the nation's highest civilian honor to a large group of celebrities yesterday, many of them outspoken anti-Trumpers. But our producers want to know, did he send a message to the president- elect during the ceremony? You decide next.
GUILFOYLE: Our producers?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KILMEADE: All right. Yesterday, President Obama awarded 21 Medals of Freedom, the final batch of his presidency. A lot of familiar faces and famous faces on the stage, including big names like Democratic -- who happen to be Democratic donors and were very much for Hillary Clinton. Guys like Robert de Niro, Bruce Springsteen -- he's a singer -- Ellen DeGeneres is not, and Tom Hanks is a wonderful actor.
GUILFOYLE: She's a dancer.
KILMEADE: Yes, thank you very much.
There were moments during the ceremony where it sure sounded like the president was trying to send a message to President-elect Trump, or is it me?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are folks who have helped make me who I am and think about my presidency and what also makes it special is this is America. This is what makes us the greatest nation on earth. Not because of our differences but because, in our difference we find something, common to share. And what a glorious thing that is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: He looks truly moved. One of his recipients was basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, still well over seven foot, and he's a Muslim American. Mr. Obama address the -- his faith at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The reason we honor Kareem is more than just a pair of goggles and the sky hook. He stood up for his Muslim faith when it wasn't easy and it wasn't popular. Kareem is one of a kind, an American who illuminates both our most basic freedoms and our highest aspirations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: And when he was here in New York City, he put a power...
BOLLING: Because he was a Muslim, that's why he was chosen as an honoree?
KILMEADE: Well, no. He -- I think he spoke up for Muslims in America.
BOLLING: I'm just teasing. I'm just teasing.
ROGINSKY: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the best scene in "Airplane" of all time. So if he has to be honored for anything, it's literally his fine Academy-Award-winning performance on "Airplane."
GUILFOYLE: What about his performance with Dana Perino?
PERINO: "Jeopardy."
GUILFOYLE: Wow.
PERINO: He was tall.
GUILFOYLE: And it wasn't just the size difference.
KILMEADE: So were there some politics, guys, involved in this? Do you think, Kimberly?
GUILFOYLE: What?
KILMEADE: Do you see -- I'm sorry to bother you.
GUILFOYLE: You know what I think? I'm talking to my friends here.
KILMEADE: This is like -- when I'm in a club, I can see you not paying attention to me. But on television...
GUILFOYLE: You're at the back of the line, and I'm with the VIPs.
KILMEADE: Right. I get -- I still can't get her attention.
GUILFOYLE: Here's the deal. Do I think so? Obviously. But these are, like, the cool kids on the block.
KILMEADE: Right.
GUILFOYLE: I'm waiting for some more names, like for some more distinctions to honor. Because I'm going, "Wow." This is a very big award to receive. OK?
KILMEADE: There were other people there that were mentioned. I mean, you've got...
BOLLING: Vin Scully.
KILMEADE: Yes, Vin Scully.
BOLLING: The Gateses.
KILMEADE: Michael Jordan.
BOLLING: I know. Michael Jordan.
GUILFOYLE: These are all people that are really close, obviously...
BOLLING: Here's what the common thread is.
GUILFOYLE: ... with the Obamas and...
BOLLING: Cultural icons. And cultural icons are typically celebrities, and celebrities are typically Democrats.
KILMEADE: Dana, is that true? Anything Eric said?
PERINO: Yes. But here's the thing. I think that -- I don't think that they came up with this in the last two weeks. These events and these decisions actually take a few -- a few months. And what happens is -- I don't know if they do this in the Obama White House, but I assume it's the same. That you gather around. People can send in their suggestions for who it might be that they would like to see get the Medal of Freedom.
And then there's a debate. And I remember Mark Teason (ph), you know, Mark, who comes on air often, he would -- he advocated very strongly -- he made a case for the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team.
KILMEADE: Sure.
PERINO: What were they called?
GUILFOYLE: Miracle on ice.
PERINO: Miracle on ice. And he --he would always come in and make a really strong case to have that in.
It's not easy to get one of these. But all of these people are actually very accomplished in their field. And I think what President Obama was saying is let's celebrate all sorts of different people through different sectors of the economy.
ROGINSKY: I love Michael Jordan.
PERINO: They are very accomplished. And when Donald Trump assumes the presidency, and he does his first Medal of Freedom event, you will probably see some very different people.
KILMEADE: I imagine so. Julie...
ROGINSKY: Yes.
KILMEADE: ... what was -- what did Bill Gates actually accomplish in his life?
ROGINSKY: I don't know. Saved a couple of billion lives in Africa. You know...
KILMEADE: Besides that.
ROGINSKY: Besides that?
KILMEADE: Forty billion dollars.
ROGINSKY: Windows 95 was amazing when I was in college.
KILMEADE: Right.
ROGINSKY: Did a lot for me.
Listen, I'm a Jersey girl. Bruce Springsteen got honored. That's all I really care about.
KILMEADE: Right. Who came out against Trump.
ROGINSKY: Doesn't really matter. Oh, come on, Bruce is -- What do you want, Kid Rock? Come on. Bruce Springsteen, he's The Boss.
KILMEADE: Kid Rock couldn't be reached or else he would have been there. They got a...
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: Ellen DeGeneres is very, very...
PERINO: It was funny, because she forgot to bring her I.D., and they wouldn't let her in the White House. I mean, they're sticklers.
GUILFOYLE: So when she danced, they let her in. They're like, "Oh, it is you."
KILMEADE: Remember the White House had -- did have some I.D. problems at their first dinner party.
PERINO: But how did she get to travel without I.D.? That's pretty impressive. She accomplished something.
ROGINSKY: Maybe she left it at the hotel. Or she was on a private plane.
PERINO: Private plane, you don't need it.
KILMEADE: The DeGeneres jet.
ROGINSKY: Yes.
KILMEADE: All right. You know what? I think I should...
BOLLING: Eighteen minutes before the top of the hour.
KILMEADE: Right, which means I should -- did you...
GUILFOYLE: Let's go.
KILMEADE: Did you say, "Let's go"?
GUILFOYLE: Come on now.
KILMEADE: Really? OK.
PERINO: Now it's 17 and a half. Come on.
KILMEADE: All right. Next, never, ever listen to Stephen Colbert when it comes to getting advice for a turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said you were a turkey expert. When they answered the phone, you're described as a turkey expert.
STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Well, that's mostly marketing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: People calling into Butterball's turkey hotline learned the hard way. See more when "The Five" returns. If we, indeed, come back.
GUILFOYLE: New banner. New banner.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROGINSKY: Some of the late-night shows have been having a little fun ahead of Thanksgiving tomorrow. The traditional story of Thanksgiving isn't very politically correct, so Jimmy Kimmel enlisted a group of kids to put on a P.C. holiday performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am cold and hungry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me too. But let's not dismiss the experiences of all those who are not cold and hungry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life partner, look, we have visitors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings, indigenous people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings non-indigenous people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or should we say, "How"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please don't. It's cultural appropriation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: That's fantastic.
ROGINSKY: That's really good.
KILMEADE: Right. The best thing they said -- did you call me? I'm sorry, Julie.
ROGINSKY: It's all yours. The floor is yours, my friend.
KILMEADE: The best thing, I think, that has come out of Donald Trump's candidacy so far has been the fact that both sides are realizing being politically correct sucks.
And I watched Bill Maher afterwards, an all-liberal panel come out and say, "One thing we can thank Bill -- Donald Trump for, he finally pushed back on the line on political correctness. And he got people to really look in the mirror and say, 'Have we gone too far?'"
Even Jimmy Kimmel is pointing it out with those children.
ROGINSKY: Well, Jimmy Kimmel has, I think, always been a little un-PC. I think he's always kind of made fun of...
PERINO: If you go to -- if you go to the Comedy Cellar, which is one of the clubs here that I like to go to. It's a comedy club.
KILMEADE: For the elite -- where the elite comics go to work out material.
PERINO: Elite? Oh, because it's in a basement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Dana. So edgy.
PERINO: Almost all of the laugh-out-loud funny jokes are not...
KILMEADE: Totally inappropriate.
PERINO: ... are not politically correct.
KILMEADE: Right. Totally inappropriate.
PERINO: And you cannot believe you're laughing at it.
ROGINSKY: And I hope some college students are watching, because I think some of these safe spaces are exactly what they're making fun of here, which I've been very much a critic of.
KILMEADE: You were offended by this. Am I right, Eric?
BOLLING: No, no, no. I actually wrote a book that dealt with that, pushing back on PC culture. And guess who signed the back of the book? Who put a quote on the back of the book? Donald Trump.
KILMEADE: Donald Trump, of course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Wake Up, America."
BOLLING: Fallon last night did this thing. It was hilarious. It was all eight of President Obama's pardoning of the turkeys. The first year he was excited. And he -- as he goes, by the end he's like, whatever.
KILMEADE: Why am I doing this? He goes why am I doing this?
BOLLING: Whatever. Anyway, Tater and Tot were pardoned today.
ROGINSKY: That's my "One More Thing" today.
KILMEADE: Oh, my goodness.
ROGINSKY: Thanks for saying so. I'm going...
KILMEADE: Good thing we're not live.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, what a spoiler.
ROGINSKY: All right. Listen, over at "The Late Show," Stephen Colbert has been a little depressed lately; had some fun talking over Butterball turkey's hotline. Here's Stephen masquerading as a turkey expert.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were no thighs.
COLBERT: There were no thighs?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
COLBERT: What happened to the bird? Why are there no thighs?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's -- the way it was sold was the breast and the wings. The way it was sold.
COLBERT: You got ripped off. I deeply apologize. I apologize. Can we get a number? We're going to send you out a fresh turkey with thighs. That's not right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is really a question about stuffing. If I...
COLBERT: OK. Do you call it stuffing or dressing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I call it stuffing.
COLBERT: OK. Wrong answer. Bye-bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: He's hilarious. I thought -- I liked this. I thought that was funny.
PERINO: Are those real people that were calling in?
KILMEADE:
GUILFOYLE: That's why it's funny.
PERINO: That poor lady.
KILMEADE: But here's the thing. Stephen Colbert goes so far left he's even left of Letterman. He opens up and does 12 minutes anti-Trump stuff to the point where it almost gets embarrassing. I don't know. He just shut out 50 percent of America. That was funny.
ROGINSKY: Are you talking about the fact that -- the old Stephen Colbert?
KILMEADE: He was great.
ROGINSKY: Comedy Central Stephen Colbert?
KILMEADE: I don't care if you agree with him or not. "The Colbert Report" was great. Even though his ratings, he's second in late night. I don't know why he decided to leave 50 percent of America out.
ROGINSKY: Eric, you want to pour cold water on anything else? Or anything else to add?
BOLLING: You can take my "One More Thing."
ROGINSKY: I will come up with a new one on the fly. It's OK.
KILMEADE: I will take that one and you can take mine.
ROGINSKY: I'm scared about what...
KILMEADE: And your "One More Thing" were your weekend plans, so I don't think she wants this.
ROGINSKY: I'm going to tell you all about Eric's weekend plans, coming up next.
BOLLING: What do you know?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUILFOYLE: It's time now for "One More Thing." Mr. Bolling.
BOLLING: Now, Julie, do you want mine?
GUILFOYLE: Here we go.
ROGINSKY: I'm going to totally do yours. You don't even know about it.
GUILFOYLE: Sounds sketchy.
ROGINSKY: Oh, yes.
GUILFOYLE: Sounds really weird.
BOLLING: By the way, my weekend plans that Julie alluded to were this. My son is in for college for the first time; he's been here since August. And we're just going to have a great weekend. So I won't see you on Friday. I'll see you tomorrow but not on Friday.
Tonight, before the weekend starts...
GUILFOYLE: Oh, my gosh.
BOLLING: ... you've got to watch "The O'Reilly Factor." I'm hosting that. We have Ari Fleischer on. Dana knows him very well. We're talking -- we're going to talk transition with Ari and a couple people who are on the inside on the executive committee of the transition -- the Trump team.
GUILFOYLE: Look at how happy your face looks on that full screen every time when you're hosting "O'Reilly." It's like this.
PERINO: You know what job Ari Fleischer had when I first met him?
BOLLING: Deputy press secretary?
PERINO: No. He was the spokesperson for the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
ROGINSKY: Oh.
KILMEADE: Pretty good job.
PERINO: Back then.
KILMEADE: Pretty good job.
PERINO: Yes, great job.
GUILFOYLE: Take it away, Dana.
PERINO: OK, so it is time for this. Do we have it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: Dana's Corny Joke of the Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: Animation!
PERINO: OK, Thanksgiving edition. Are you ready?
KILMEADE: Yes.
PERINO: OK, Brian. This is your first time.
KILMEADE: OK.
PERINO: Who doesn't eat on Thanksgiving?
KILMEADE: Who?
ROGINSKY: The turkey.
PERINO: The turkey. Because it's always stuffed.
KILMEADE: Oh!!!
GUILFOYLE: That's pretty funny.
You got the answer.
ROGINSKY: We've got to get...
KILMEADE: Is this the SATs?
PERINO: OK. Why can't you take a turkey to church?
KILMEADE: Why?
PERINO: Do you know?
BOLLING: Something with sin.
ROGINSKY: Can't commune.
BOLLING: A pardon.
PERINO: He uses fowl language.
GUILFOYLE: Well, so do chickens. So do chickens.
PERINO: That's true. You can't take a chicken to church either.
GUILFOYLE: You can't take either one.
KILMEADE: Someone...
PERINO: The third is my favorite. You ready? You can't look.
What do you get when you cross a turkey with a banjo? When you cross a turkey with a banjo?
ROGINSKY: "Deliverance"?
GUILFOYLE: What?
PERINO: It's a turkey that can pluck itself.
ROGINSKY: They told us to laugh, so we're laughing.
KILMEADE: That's not even appropriate.
PERINO: That's a good one.
BOLLING: They're going to cut it for the West Coast.
GUILFOYLE: What can I say, ladies and gentlemen?
PERINO: They want you to laugh.
OK.
GUILFOYLE: All right, Dana. Bring back jalapeno business. That's my favorite. That's what I want to know.
All right. So it's my turn now. So last night was the big thrilla in Manilla. Just kidding. It was the big finale of ABC "Dancing with the Stars." And while Laurie Hernandez was crowned the big winner, former Texas Governor Rick Perry is getting all the attention for this fantastic, fantabulous performance of "Ice Ice Baby" with Vanilla Ice. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PERRY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: You sing it.
Ice, ice baby ice, ice baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: I have a question.
GUILFOYLE: My favorite.
BOLLING: Is he still up for a job in the Trump administration?
ROGINSKY: Give him the job.
BOLLING: Does that help or hurt?
KILMEADE: I think it helps.
GUILFOYLE: Ice, ice baby. There we go.
BOLLING: There he is.
GUILFOYLE: There he is. He's everywhere, the fun is. That was last year.
BOLLING: Is that New Year's Eve? That's New Year's Eve.
GUILFOYLE: New Year's Eve, where Bolling and I were just, you know, enjoying our break time.
PERINO: Is that an annual event for you two?
GUILFOYLE: Yes. This is what it seems like. Rumor has it. Ice, ice baby, again.
All right. Well, that's fine. I'm done talking now -- Julie.
ROGINSKY: Well...
GUILFOYLE: What do you got?
ROGINSKY: Bolling took mine. I'm going to do two things.
One of them is I'm going to do a shout-out to my buddy Justin Lewis in Buford, Georgia, who's 11. Hi, Justin.
BOLLING: That's nice.
ROGINSKY: Secondly, Bolling, thank you so much for setting up my wonderful "One More Thing," because today was the eighth and final turkey pardon of Tater and Tot. I'm not going to go into much detail on them, except to say that this year the president was joined by his nephews, because his daughters...
BOLLING: Don't want any part of this.
ROGINSKY: ... probably they don't want to be around him with the corny jokes, which we will show you right now. He had a message for his daughters, because they decided to dis their father on this very, very solemn occasion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are thankful that this is my final presidential turkey pardon. What I haven't told them yet is that we are going do this every year from now on. No way I'm cutting this habit cold turkey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Dana's are better. You can do better than that.
PERINO: Pretty good.
GUILFOYLE: Aw, Dana.
PERINO: That's a good joke.
KILMEADE: You're all alone. Everybody else is gone.
GUILFOYLE: You should, like -- then you've got to run for president. And you can do, like, "POTUS' Corny Jokes."
PERINO: Of the day. Ha-ha!
KILMEADE: Mine is -- mine is just a thank you. I just -- we just found out the paperback "Thomas Jefferson, The Tripoli Pirates" is No. 1 in paperback. Really appreciate it. We put a new afterward is. The last appearance I'm going to have is December 9 in Jacksonville. If you go to WOKV.com, it's going to be a whole evening at the Ritz Theater and Museum.
PERINO: I was in Florida last weekend.
GUILFOYLE: Me, too.
PERINO: And your book was everywhere I went. At The Villages, at the airport, in the stores.
KILMEADE: Right. Well, that's a little bit...
PERINO: Books a Million, Barnes and Noble.
KILMEADE: Well, that's a little bit bad news. That means that no one's buying it.
PERINO: No, no. They were -- it was prominently displayed and for good reason.
KILMEADE: Thank you very much.
GUILFOYLE: Congratulations, Brian. I know that was a really important project for you. Great job.
All right. But we want to talk more. That's it for us. We want to wish you all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. And we hope you're going to join us tomorrow at 5 p.m. Eastern for our Thanksgiving special. "Special Report" next.
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This is a rush transcript from "The Five," November 23, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: Hello everyone, I'm Kimberly Guilfoyle along with Julie Roginsky, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino and Brian Kilmeade. Its 5:00 in New York City and this is "The Five."
New announcements from president-elect Trump on this Thanksgiving eve. Mr. Trump has chosen South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to be America's ambassador to the U.N. He also picked Michigan businesswoman Betsy Devos for education secretary. She's a charter school advocate. Haley and Devos are the first two women to be tapped for key posts in his administration.
There are also conflicting reports over Ben Carson today. Just a few minutes ago, Carson's spokesman said Trump has not offered Carson a post of Housing and Urban Development secretary. Here is Dr. Carson talking about the potential position.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS: Dr. Carson, now they are apparently interested in having you -- if this is right -- to be a HUD secretary. Would you be interested in that?
BEN CARSON, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Well, you know, our inner cities are in terrible shape and they definitely need some real attention. You know, there have been so many promises made over the last several decades and nothing has been done. So, it certainly is something that has been a long- term interest of mine.
CAVUTO: Has it been offered, sir?
CARSON: We have had offers, yes.
CAVUTO: And is it the HUD position?
CARSON: I would say that was one of the offers that's on the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: All right, and no further (inaudible)
(LAUGHTER)
GUILFOYLE: Who is on first? Who is at HUD?
BRIAN KILMEADE, GUEST CO-HOST: Clearly the problem is he does not like not telling the truth. So when you are asked directly by somebody who is big like Neil Cavuto, since it happened but he doesn't play the game. He's a surgeon that is a great person that got an offer so he answered a question honestly. There is no place for honesty in politics.
GUILFOYLE: That's the problem we have here Bolling. This isn't the honesty game.
ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: Except there was a reporting that not only was he offered the job, he accepted the job --
KILMEADE: Right.
BOLLING: And then a couple of minutes later on the way down, no, no, no, hold on, he didn't accept. Not only did he not accept, he wasn't offered it yet.
GUILFOYLE: There was a Facebook post.
BOLLING: That's really -- it's really is -- right (ph), and there is policy and whatnot and the reporting -- reportage. But what we do know is Nikki Haley was in fact offered the job of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., which is fantastic. Early morning, I woke up to it. I e-mailed Dana. I said, "Dana, why would a successful, smart, well-respected governor of a south Carolina state, and Republican take a job as ambassador to the U.N.?" She said, "This is perfect." I`ll let Dana explain it why, but, why that's a fantastic --
KILMEADE: It was Dana Perino.
KIMBERLY: That was my Dana Perino question.
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: Well, one thing I would say for Dr. Carson is that if you are up for a job or anybody who is up for a job in the administration -- for the new administration, don't book yourself on television until it's settled because you're going to get put in that position and Dr. Carson is not alone in not wanting to lie, I would say.
KILMEADE: I just found out he's on "The Kelly File" tonight.
PERIONO: Of course.
BOLLING: What's likely is, it's a done deal. But it's not --
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: I think he should just like -- you should always let the president-elect make that announcement not yourself. On Nikki Haley --
GUILFOYLE: We have four hours to figure that out before the "The Kelly File."
PERINO: When I got Eric's e-mail, I thought, well, I will respond this way. I think she is a public servant at heart. She's had a long list of public service. She has probably not going -- she was not going to run again, I don't think for governor of South Carolina. She has an immigrant story, a successful family business in America.
She showed her ability to be an amazing diplomat after the shooting at the AME church in Charleston. And she handled the confederate flag issue in a way that pretty much everyone praised her at the end of that. So, I think this is a really natural step for her. She was not for Trump at the beginning. She was for Marco Rubio but she came around at the end and supported him and I think that shows that one, he respects her and thinks that she will be able to add to his foreign policy agenda.
And there will be a lot of issues that she has to take care of right away. First of all, it will be the refugee crisis and how the administration decides to handle that and how different it might be from what President Obama had. The other thing that will be just a major issue because it always is at the U.N. is climate change.
GUILFOYLE: Sure.
PERIONO: And she'll be right in the middle of that. So I think it's a really great pick for her. Plus, if she has plans for a future run for higher office, then foreign policy experience is something that she would need.
GUILFOYLE: It's a win-win for her.
PERINO: I think it's perfect.
GUILFOYLE: And if Pence didn't want to be VP after four (ph), she would also be excellent in that.
PERINO: And I think you'll see a really good governor's race in South Carolina and you'll probably see (inaudible) is on the national stage now decide to run.
GUILFOYLE: Any predictions on that?
PERINO: I think it will be Tim Scott.
GUILFOYLE: I love it when you answer those questions. Don't play hard to get, just answer. Yes, Julie.
JULIE ROGINSKY, GUEST CO-HOST: Well, first of all, I'm going to be on "The Kelly File" so I'm going to get to the bottom of this.
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: I'm going to investigate. I will report right back to you at 9:00 tonight. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Look, I actually agree with you on Nikki Haley. I think it's a smart pick. What I like about it is that Trump -- president-elect Trump is not just surrounding himself with sycophants. He's actually reaching out to people who weren't necessarily with him all along and hopefully looking for diversity of opinion on his foreign policy team.
BOLLING: Can I add now, diversity of opinion, but sheer diversity.
ROGINSKY: Yes, I mean --
BOLLING: I mean look at the three who were named or at least floated -- two names and floated -- Nikki Haley, Betty Devos and Ben Carson. An African-American, two females and one with pseudo immigrant past --parent, right.
PERINO: Her parents are from India.
BOLLING: So the things that they -- the two strikes they were saying about Donald Trump was that white males elected him, we proved that one wrong, and that he had a thin skin. If you have a thin skin, you don't tap Nikki Haley, someone who is aggressively campaigning for Marco Rubio throughout the primary.
ROGINSKY: No, you tap Mike Flynn. But I fear the thin skin, but I'm happy to hear he is rounding out his foreign policy team. I certainly hope he chooses Mitt Romney, who I share --
PERINO: Interesting.
ROGINSKY: I do.
KILMEADE: As Secretary of State?
ROGINSKY: As Secretary of State. I share his concern about Russia and so I'm happy to hear that hopefully he'll be considered as Secretary of State.
KILMEADE: Yes, I just would like to say at 44 years old, if I'm her current counselor, this is the best thing that happened to her. Number two, I think that Rick Grennell also would have been pretty strong.
GUILFOYLE: I was just going to say that.
KILMEADE: So, that would have been an excellent choice too.
GUILFOYLE: Fantastic.
KILMEADE: But I do think that Nikki Haley is going to be great. And by the way, it's just very hard for Donald Trump to find someone who is critical of him. That's the problem because of being sarcastic. He had so many critics and so many sides and he has no -- he does not care, I mean my goodness, he went to see "The New York Times" yesterday.
Everyone there is a critic. So I think it's going to be very interesting to see -- I think more pressure on Nikki Haley to go along with Donald Trump than Donald Trump to go over Nikki Haley because she's got to do what his policies say.
GUILFOYLE: And that is a for sure. And I hope they do find a great position for Rick Grennell. He'll be an asset to the party. All right, we are still waiting for word on the Secretary of State position and whether it will go to Mitt Romney like we're just mentioning. Now, Romney does not, as you may have been aware if you watch this channel -- I hope you do -- Newt Gingrich and Mike Hugckabee's vote. Take a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I would be concerned, one, I think the vast majority of Trump supporters will initially be very unhappy and will be reminded of all the things that Romney said over the year, and two, because Romney does represent a very different viewpoint authentically. I'm not sure whose Secretary of State he would be.
MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: I'm still very unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump. There's only one way that I think Mitt Romney could even be considered for a post like that, and that is that he goes to a microphone at a very public place and repudiates everything he said in the famous Salt Lake City speech and everything he said after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: OK, Dana, so your thoughts on that? The two opinions.
PERINO: Well, again I would say that if you are up for a possible cabinet position or somewhere in the government, it's probably smart not to be on television at the moment and just let the process play out because they don't get to decide. They can advise and they can comment and they can advise through the media if they want, but Donald Trump gets to decide. And he may or may not choose Mitt Romney. I don't know. But I think that in some ways when you are publically pressured like that, it makes you want do it more.
GUILFOYLE: Yes, interesting. All right, so Eric, we know -- Julie, I got your opinion on this and that was --
BOLLING: I don't like him for secretary of state. Everyone else in the world seems to like him for secretary of state and for the reasons that both Huckabee and Newt said. Look, Donald Trump was elected by people who love Donald Trump, who love Donald Trump's vision. Mitt Romney never had that. I do think Mitt is talented. He is smart.
I remember back when he was tapped to fix the Olympics and remember that was where he excelled so, what's the most broke -- possibly the most broken system in government right now? It's the V.A. Have Mitt go and turn that thing around. Get in there and shake that place up. Break some unions up. You know, bust some unions up and start offering some of the things that Donald Trump promised where veterans get vouchers.
GUILFOYLE: I don't think he has the right background, experience for veterans. And I also don't think he is being strongly considered for that, to be honest with you. Because I do know who is. All right Brian.
KILMEADE: Here's the problem for Mitt Romney.
BOLLING: Scott Brown.
KILMEADE: There was an interview with the BBC. He had an interview with the BBC yesterday saying if I'm asked, I'll serve. And my goodness, if you were a guy that's really motivated to change his reputation back to where it was, which is off the charts great, is David Petraeus. He's got a lot of international experience. He's got a lot of contacts. He understands what it means to go to war. He understands what it means to be a diplomat. He understands how to work the media. And he also understands what it takes to follow orders.
And the fact that he told the BBC that if asked, I would do it and twice he answered again, and the fact that General Keane was offered the job, was offered the defense job that he had a chance to talk to Trump afterwards for quite a long time. I'm sure he said, hey, the guy I mentored, David Petraeus, you got to keep him in mind. He'll be great for you. So that might be the greatest threat.
ROGINSKY: You know what's interesting about Petraeus though, and I sincerely mean this, this is not a snarky comment by a liberal --
GUILFOYLE: Of which are usual --
ROGINSKY: The comments, thanks, but David Petraeus, right or wrong has some of the problems that a lot of the Trump people castigated Hillary Clinton for and when you empower David Petraeus for the same job that Hillary Clinton had, who has the same problems that Hillary Clinton had, what does that say about how genuine you were about Hillary?
KILMEADE: You're not wrong to say that but I would say the magnitude of the two is very different. There's one guy with a legitimately a war record that will go down in history, in military history.
GUILFOYLE: Who also paid for his crime.
KILMEADE: He paid for it big time. And you know, he made a huge mistake as head of the CIA, which was the wrong place for him anyway, not to excuse it. But if he goes through the vetting process and goes through the Senate, I think that he's a guy who could join the club. Not perfect.
GUILFOYLE: Yes, but interesting Julie's comments too about Mitt Romney because he is somebody who is very capable -- just in general for some kind of appointment it sounds like --
ROGINSKY: Yes, listen --
GUILFOYLE: Your team would approve.
ROGINSKY: It's not that my team would approve but I'd be very curious -- well, it does -- but let me finish my thought though. What's interesting to me is that Trump has such close connections to Russia, whether through people that potentially financed his operation. The fact that his son met in France last year or earlier this year, I'm sorry, with a bunch of Putin people in Syria and to have somebody who is such a hawk on Russia, which I love, be his secretary of state would be incredibly fascinating to me.
KILMEADE: Romney.
ROGINSKY: Romney would be incredibly fascinating to me.
BOLLING: Yes, but also look at the problems you get into -- all right. Hillary Clinton worked directly with President Obama on the Benghazi strategy, worked together with them on the Iran strategy and look how it turned out. Mitt Romney doesn't see anywhere near eye to eye with Donald Trump's vision of foreign policy, anywhere.
GUILFOYLE: Would you put him someplace else besides the V.A.? Give me another one.
BOLLING: That's what I said. Well, I don't know, but he still wants -- I wouldn't want to see him representing President Donald Trump's vision of foreign policy. The guy is a non-interventionist. And you're going to send Mitt Romney in (inaudible) around the world.
KILMEADE: Just keep in mind, his dad always said -- because his dad always gave him advice, whatever you do, don't serve in a cabinet official for a president. He hated it when he served for Nixon. He is used to being in charge as CEO and a former governor, but as secretary of state, you kind of do your own thing. That would be a little bit different.
GUILFOYLE: Well it would be more -- yes, it would be more interesting.
ROGINSKY: Well, you can't show any daylight between the president and the secretary of state.
KILMEADE: I know but --
GUILFOYLE: I think there would be and I actually think they will think of this more as a business arrangement than anything personal.
GUILFOYLE: You want to get stuff done. Choose the best people.
BOLLING: Great. Put him in treasury. The guy knows money inside and out.
GUILFOYLE: It's what I'm saying. There you go. All right, we solved all the problems so now we're just going to go to commercial break until (inaudible). President-elect Trump held a series of high profile meetings with the press this week. Will the mainstream media consider covering him fairly now? His senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has a message for the press when "The Five" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: All right, welcome back to "The Five." There was an appointment that Donald Trump made today that we didn't get a chance to talk about, and that is for the Secretary of Education. He has tapped Betsy Devos. She is from Michigan. She has a long history of philanthropy and a strong supporter of school choice. I saw that Randi Weingarten of the Teacher's Union is not very happy about it, which actually should make some people very happy.
She said in a statement that she wants to help Donald Trump make American education great again, obviously the play on the slogan. And she also has said that the status quo in education is not acceptable. Agree. "Together we can work to make transformational change that ensures every student in American has an opportunity to fulfill his or her highest potential. And Julie, you thought this was an OK pick, right?
ROGINSKY: Well, I think it's an interesting --
PERINO: (Inaudible) talk.
ROGINSKY: I think it's an interesting pick. You are about to get me kicked out of the Democratic Party --
PERINO: Sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
ROGINSKY: -- by Dana Perino, but I think it's an OK pick in the sense that, look, I believe in standards and I hope she sticks -- she's a common core supporter. Donald Trump is not. I'm going to be curious to see how they thread that needle when she gets there.
KILMEADE: But you know what, she's walked that back. They said that she is not a common core --
PERINO: And she has standards.
ROGINSKY: Well, in that case, I may not think of --
PERINO: I think that you can be for standards and not support actual common core curriculum.
ROGINSKY: Right.
KILMEADE: Right. They went out of their way to make sure that we knew that she was not a common core.
ROGINSKY: I know, which I think is interesting because I think what's appealing about her to people like me is that I am for standards and I hope that she tries to maintain some sort of federal standard not because I want to federalize education, before everybody sends me crazy e-mails. But because I do think there needs to be something that everybody across the country aspires to regardless of the educational system or regardless of the funding or the district.
BOLLING: It should be an A not curriculum. It should be --
ROGINSKY: Well, but listen -- but Eric, an A for a lone school district is very different for an A in a really high performing school district, which is why I think you need an across the board (inaudible) of what it means to get an A.
PERINO: And she's not -- Kimberly, I don't see her as someone who is like a wrecking ball. She's not going to the Department of Education and be like, OK, to start tearing the place apart, right.
GUILFOYLE: Measured and deliberate. So I think that she's going to go through it methodically. I like that she's not, you know, in bed with the unions. You even saw that she was able to get praise, you know, from Jeb Bush, who right away did as well.
PERION: I know. I wondered if that helped her. I mean I think for some people I would think most -- obviously Jeb Bush was strong on common core, right, and I think for good reasons at the time. But I did wonder, Eric, if that maybe gave people a little pause.
BOLLING: Well, I think he gave Trump supporters -- I think the whole day is giving Trump supporters a little bit of a pause. But again, hopefully, just yesterday he was picking the most qualified people, it didn't really matter if they were male, female, black, white, gay, straight or a Trump supporter or a never Trumper.
That shouldn't really matter at the end of the day. And I think, you know, Newt and Rudy highlighted some of the pushback that they're having because of the support. For me, it's the issues. So, he's pro common -- she is --
PERINO: For standards. BOLLING: Pro school choice. Donald Trump as one of his main campaign promises, he wanted to bring $20 billion to offer more school choice. I think that resonated with a lot of females -- the female vote --
KILMEADE: How about the inner city?
BOLLING: -- so we have to stay with that, but common core, that's got to go, too. It's got to go.
KILMEAEDE: I'm sure -- Donald Trump is on record says we got to get rid of it so, we'll see what he does. But he said this, I think that she is going to make sure people in the inner city might have some federal money in order to make a choice to go some more to these charter schools and when he got mayors in New York City who tell these kids we're going to shut down these charter schools and jam you into public schools that are failing, I think that's quite frustrating.
So she has an opportunity to make a difference. She's used to having a lot of power. Her family owns Amway so you know she's clean. And you also know that she loves the Magic because they own the Orlando Magic. And I also know too that they know how to make things work because we understand that her brother is -- her brother is Erik Prince.
PERINO: Right. And who's Erik Prince for those viewers who might not know.
KILMEADE: He's got -- he had Blackwater for a while. Now he's got other para-armies around the world. He does some great things --
GUILFOYLE: Well that could come in helpful.
KILMEADE: Well, put it this way --
GUILFOYLE: To battle the union.
KILMEADE: Blackwater would do a lot of good things. He's used to making a difference and Erik prince is a big supporter of Trump.
BOLLING: Trump.
KILMEADE: Yes, big Trump supporter.
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: The one thing I do want to say though, she is for charters but she's also for vouchers for private schools and I think that's where people like me, who are pro-charter, would part with her because I have no problem with charters whatsoever. I think they're great expense of a lab (ph). I do have a problem with public money being -- as a common denominator in public schools and being sent to private schools.
PERINO: Well, and maybe she'll be able to thread that needle because, Kimberly, one of the things that I think this also does is, remember, she's from Michigan. Donald Trump's the first Republican to win Michigan in an age.
KILMEADE: He's about to, 84 I believe it.
PERINO: So, I think that in some ways Michigan looks pretty good.
GUILFOYLE: I think so. I mean listen, there's a lot of different choices he could have made. I think this is one overall that people are quite pleased with. I think she will do a good job and that she's got some great ideas about education. I was excited when I read it because big thing for me is I want to make sure that the education --
BOLLING: How did Al Sharpton get passed up? That's what I want to know.
KILMEADE: You know what, it's fixed.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: Never too late Bolling.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: -- good friend of Harold Ford --
KILMEADE: Yes.
BOLLING: He is in the mix. And I like that. I like getting Harold Ford in there.
GUILFOYLE: So by the way, a great guy. I like him a lot. He's fantastic.
PERINO: It has nothing to do with his last name.
GUILFOYLE: He's very personable.
PERINO: OK, President-elect Trump has had a rocky relationship with the press so far but after a series of meetings this week, will it get better? His senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway has a message for the press when "The Five" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLLING: President-elect Trump hasn't kept his feelings about the press very close to the vest on the campaign trail. He repeatedly lashed out at what he calls the dishonest media and has continued to do so since winning the election. On Monday, president-elect Trump held a meeting with journalists and news executives at Trump tower. The senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, characterized it as a reset but acknowledges the press will have a different kind of administration to deal with this time around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLANNE CONWAY, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Apart from the protective press pool questions structurally, I think you are going to have a very unconventional presidency in Donald Trump because he's unconventional. I think many in the press, Sean, are still in campaign mode. They are scratching their heads figuring out how to stop this guy from becoming president or from forming a cabinet in his likeness or from actually doing things, a flurry of activity in the first 100 days, which may in fact undo some of the legacy of their favorite president, President Obama. And they need to get over that.
(END VIDE CLIP)
BOLLING: Not only that, KG, Donald Trump actually went to the "New York Times" -- that's substantial. He went to the "New York Times." The media, the TV executives went to him. He went to the "Times" and gave them an on record interview that lasted somewhere around -- I don't know. I'm not sure how long the on record part, but he was there for 90 minutes. And what I saw -- and there were live tweetings of this "New York Times" -- reporters were live tweeting the on record part and three or four times they asked about the alt right movement. He disavowed it three or four times. They had to keep bringing this up. How does -- do you expect that --
GUILFOYLE: Badgering the president-elect.
BOLLING: -- the media have any different relationship than they're showing that they have right now?
GUILFOYLE: No, I think you can probably expect, like look at the past to predict what the future will be in terms of the relationship. I don't think if there's ever going to be a storybook romance with the mainstream media and with president-elect Donald Trump. And I think with the "New York Times" especially, it just, it got off to a rocky start to begin with even in the transition phase because there was information, tweets back and forth. Then he said it was canceled, then Kellyanne said, oh no, it's back on and then it was like, OK, we're going to go meet, what's on the record, what's off the record, but to his credit, like I said, he went. He went to them. He sat down. He did the interview. So, they're going to have to start to just, you know, build a relationship. Rebuild the trust
BOLLING: So, what is the evolution of the new Republican president coming in, the media seeing, you know, have our 18 months of primaries and general election and do they pivot at all? Do they get firmer? Do they get more focused? Do they get more fair?
PERINO: I think all of the above because the relationship between the press and the government is naturally adversarial. It's also mutually beneficial. So, Donald Trump both has attacked the media and then actually benefited from media exposure so. If you also think about the "New York Times," that's his hometown paper. It would be like me, like going to the "Denver Post" or maybe the (inaudible) paper. I bet you can't remember the name out in South Carolina.
The thing about the protective press pool, I think that he should consider it a badge of honor. This is something that started after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It is only bestowed to people who have achieved the highest position in the United States of America, the leader of the free world. It's important because you are now as the president-elect, the most important person in government to protect. And so the protective press pool, it's not because they're there for security but they are there because you are now public servant.
You work for the people of the United States of America. Starting on January 20. The protective press pool, I would consider it a badge of honor. It's the most high respect that you can get in the United States in the government.
BOLLING: What do you think, Jules? Is there a way to soften this tone, this...
ROGINSKY: Listen, I think he played the press this week masterfully. He went -- or they came to him. We're talking about the TV executives and the TV anchors. Went to him. He said to them, "This is totally off the record." They accepted that. He then -- or somebody close to him leaked to "The New York Post" that the whole thing was a dress-down by him. And they can't respond because it's off the record. And they can't do anything about it.
So he gets out his message, how he stood up to the press, how he was a tough guy, because he needs an adversary because, obviously, Hillary is no longer his adversary. And he played them like a fiddle. And predictably, and for...
BOLLING: What about this olive branch to the New York Times?
ROGINSKY: Well, the New York Times...
BOLLING: Where did that come from?
ROGINSKY: Listen, The New York Times is still the paper of record, whether he likes it or not. And he understands -- he's smart enough to understand that he has to...
BOLLING: That what?
ROGINSKY: That what? They're going to be covering him.
BOLLING: Yes, but they admitted they had horrible coverage of him as he was the nominee.
KILMEADE: Their public editor said it. But I thought it was interesting - - and Karl Rove said, read the 34 pages. They transcribed the entire hour. And it's posted on NewYorkTimes.com, so you can go get it.
But the part I read, I was fascinated to see he went up to Frank Bruni (ph), one of his biggest critics, and said, "Sooner or later, you're going to have to write something good about me."
And then he went up to Thomas Friedman and he says, "I hope after two years you're going to say, 'This guy is doing a good job. Not a good job for a conservative but a good job.'"
It shows, and the overall impression was that he wants to win them over. He wants to open up their minds. He was tough on Tuesday. What is today? Wednesday. He was tough on Monday. He was lighter on Tuesday. I don't know about what the reason was for him to go to The New York Times, though. Have the Times come to him, if anything. But when it's all said and done...
BOLLING: He went for a 90-minute sit down with them with -- on the record.
PERINO: It could have been logistics. It could have been logistics. There's a lot people.
GUILFOYLE: There's a lot of people there. Yes.
PERINO: So instead of having all of them traipse over to now which is the worst intersection in New York City.
BOLLING: Maybe in America.
GUILFOYLE: In the world. The world.
PERINO: It's unbelievable. You cannot go and get your hair cut over there. But I...
GUILFOYLE: That's a one-percenter problem.
PERINO: That's a one-percent problem.
GUILFOYLE: I can cut your hair here.
PERINO: But I do think -- I think it could have been logistical. You know, that he -- that it was easier, actually, for the president...
GUILFOYLE: I thought it was good. It's like...
KILMEADE: ... change policy.
GUILFOYLE: ... the king storming the castle or something.
PERINO: Of course.
GUILFOYLE: Like, he goes in there. He's got nothing to hide. He's like, "I'm going to go there. I'll meet there on your turf. I'm unafraid to play an away game and win." And dress them down. "I'm looking at you. I'm looking at you." I like it.
ROGINSKY: He told them everything they wanted to hear. That's what's so interesting. He was like, "I don't know..."
KILMEADE: About the Paris agreement.
ROGINSKY: "... about the Paris agreement. Maybe it's not..." But every single thing that they wanted to hear. And to me what's so fascinating is, they bought -- they bought it, but you have one audience he says one thing to and a different audience that he says something very different to. And ultimately, he's going to have to make some policy decisions...
KILMEADE: Are they going to have a harder time being -- being unbalanced with him?
BOLLING: You think?
KILMEADE: Are they? That's the big question.
BOLLING: Honestly...
GUILFOYLE: I think it's brilliant. Trump is playing -- yes.
BOLLING: It's optimistic to think that The New York Times is going to pivot...
GUILFOYLE: Right.
BOLLING: ... on the coverage of him because he went to shake their hand.
GUILFOYLE: I think President-elect Trump is playing -- he's playing chess. They're playing checkers.
PERINO: OK, he could be, like -- I bent over backwards to be nice to The New York Times.
KILMEADE: It didn't work.
PERINO: It doesn't help.
BOLLING: That's -- that's the point.
PERINO: That's the problem. I was too nice.
BOLLING: All right. Here we go.
GUILFOYLE: "Hunger Games."
BOLLING: President Obama bestowed the nation's highest civilian honor to a large group of celebrities yesterday, many of them outspoken anti-Trumpers. But our producers want to know, did he send a message to the president- elect during the ceremony? You decide next.
GUILFOYLE: Our producers?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KILMEADE: All right. Yesterday, President Obama awarded 21 Medals of Freedom, the final batch of his presidency. A lot of familiar faces and famous faces on the stage, including big names like Democratic -- who happen to be Democratic donors and were very much for Hillary Clinton. Guys like Robert de Niro, Bruce Springsteen -- he's a singer -- Ellen DeGeneres is not, and Tom Hanks is a wonderful actor.
GUILFOYLE: She's a dancer.
KILMEADE: Yes, thank you very much.
There were moments during the ceremony where it sure sounded like the president was trying to send a message to President-elect Trump, or is it me?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are folks who have helped make me who I am and think about my presidency and what also makes it special is this is America. This is what makes us the greatest nation on earth. Not because of our differences but because, in our difference we find something, common to share. And what a glorious thing that is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: He looks truly moved. One of his recipients was basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, still well over seven foot, and he's a Muslim American. Mr. Obama address the -- his faith at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The reason we honor Kareem is more than just a pair of goggles and the sky hook. He stood up for his Muslim faith when it wasn't easy and it wasn't popular. Kareem is one of a kind, an American who illuminates both our most basic freedoms and our highest aspirations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: And when he was here in New York City, he put a power...
BOLLING: Because he was a Muslim, that's why he was chosen as an honoree?
KILMEADE: Well, no. He -- I think he spoke up for Muslims in America.
BOLLING: I'm just teasing. I'm just teasing.
ROGINSKY: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the best scene in "Airplane" of all time. So if he has to be honored for anything, it's literally his fine Academy-Award-winning performance on "Airplane."
GUILFOYLE: What about his performance with Dana Perino?
PERINO: "Jeopardy."
GUILFOYLE: Wow.
PERINO: He was tall.
GUILFOYLE: And it wasn't just the size difference.
KILMEADE: So were there some politics, guys, involved in this? Do you think, Kimberly?
GUILFOYLE: What?
KILMEADE: Do you see -- I'm sorry to bother you.
GUILFOYLE: You know what I think? I'm talking to my friends here.
KILMEADE: This is like -- when I'm in a club, I can see you not paying attention to me. But on television...
GUILFOYLE: You're at the back of the line, and I'm with the VIPs.
KILMEADE: Right. I get -- I still can't get her attention.
GUILFOYLE: Here's the deal. Do I think so? Obviously. But these are, like, the cool kids on the block.
KILMEADE: Right.
GUILFOYLE: I'm waiting for some more names, like for some more distinctions to honor. Because I'm going, "Wow." This is a very big award to receive. OK?
KILMEADE: There were other people there that were mentioned. I mean, you've got...
BOLLING: Vin Scully.
KILMEADE: Yes, Vin Scully.
BOLLING: The Gateses.
KILMEADE: Michael Jordan.
BOLLING: I know. Michael Jordan.
GUILFOYLE: These are all people that are really close, obviously...
BOLLING: Here's what the common thread is.
GUILFOYLE: ... with the Obamas and...
BOLLING: Cultural icons. And cultural icons are typically celebrities, and celebrities are typically Democrats.
KILMEADE: Dana, is that true? Anything Eric said?
PERINO: Yes. But here's the thing. I think that -- I don't think that they came up with this in the last two weeks. These events and these decisions actually take a few -- a few months. And what happens is -- I don't know if they do this in the Obama White House, but I assume it's the same. That you gather around. People can send in their suggestions for who it might be that they would like to see get the Medal of Freedom.
And then there's a debate. And I remember Mark Teason (ph), you know, Mark, who comes on air often, he would -- he advocated very strongly -- he made a case for the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team.
KILMEADE: Sure.
PERINO: What were they called?
GUILFOYLE: Miracle on ice.
PERINO: Miracle on ice. And he --he would always come in and make a really strong case to have that in.
It's not easy to get one of these. But all of these people are actually very accomplished in their field. And I think what President Obama was saying is let's celebrate all sorts of different people through different sectors of the economy.
ROGINSKY: I love Michael Jordan.
PERINO: They are very accomplished. And when Donald Trump assumes the presidency, and he does his first Medal of Freedom event, you will probably see some very different people.
KILMEADE: I imagine so. Julie...
ROGINSKY: Yes.
KILMEADE: ... what was -- what did Bill Gates actually accomplish in his life?
ROGINSKY: I don't know. Saved a couple of billion lives in Africa. You know...
KILMEADE: Besides that.
ROGINSKY: Besides that?
KILMEADE: Forty billion dollars.
ROGINSKY: Windows 95 was amazing when I was in college.
KILMEADE: Right.
ROGINSKY: Did a lot for me.
Listen, I'm a Jersey girl. Bruce Springsteen got honored. That's all I really care about.
KILMEADE: Right. Who came out against Trump.
ROGINSKY: Doesn't really matter. Oh, come on, Bruce is -- What do you want, Kid Rock? Come on. Bruce Springsteen, he's The Boss.
KILMEADE: Kid Rock couldn't be reached or else he would have been there. They got a...
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: Ellen DeGeneres is very, very...
PERINO: It was funny, because she forgot to bring her I.D., and they wouldn't let her in the White House. I mean, they're sticklers.
GUILFOYLE: So when she danced, they let her in. They're like, "Oh, it is you."
KILMEADE: Remember the White House had -- did have some I.D. problems at their first dinner party.
PERINO: But how did she get to travel without I.D.? That's pretty impressive. She accomplished something.
ROGINSKY: Maybe she left it at the hotel. Or she was on a private plane.
PERINO: Private plane, you don't need it.
KILMEADE: The DeGeneres jet.
ROGINSKY: Yes.
KILMEADE: All right. You know what? I think I should...
BOLLING: Eighteen minutes before the top of the hour.
KILMEADE: Right, which means I should -- did you...
GUILFOYLE: Let's go.
KILMEADE: Did you say, "Let's go"?
GUILFOYLE: Come on now.
KILMEADE: Really? OK.
PERINO: Now it's 17 and a half. Come on.
KILMEADE: All right. Next, never, ever listen to Stephen Colbert when it comes to getting advice for a turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said you were a turkey expert. When they answered the phone, you're described as a turkey expert.
STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Well, that's mostly marketing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: People calling into Butterball's turkey hotline learned the hard way. See more when "The Five" returns. If we, indeed, come back.
GUILFOYLE: New banner. New banner.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROGINSKY: Some of the late-night shows have been having a little fun ahead of Thanksgiving tomorrow. The traditional story of Thanksgiving isn't very politically correct, so Jimmy Kimmel enlisted a group of kids to put on a P.C. holiday performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am cold and hungry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me too. But let's not dismiss the experiences of all those who are not cold and hungry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life partner, look, we have visitors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings, indigenous people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings non-indigenous people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or should we say, "How"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please don't. It's cultural appropriation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: That's fantastic.
ROGINSKY: That's really good.
KILMEADE: Right. The best thing they said -- did you call me? I'm sorry, Julie.
ROGINSKY: It's all yours. The floor is yours, my friend.
KILMEADE: The best thing, I think, that has come out of Donald Trump's candidacy so far has been the fact that both sides are realizing being politically correct sucks.
And I watched Bill Maher afterwards, an all-liberal panel come out and say, "One thing we can thank Bill -- Donald Trump for, he finally pushed back on the line on political correctness. And he got people to really look in the mirror and say, 'Have we gone too far?'"
Even Jimmy Kimmel is pointing it out with those children.
ROGINSKY: Well, Jimmy Kimmel has, I think, always been a little un-PC. I think he's always kind of made fun of...
PERINO: If you go to -- if you go to the Comedy Cellar, which is one of the clubs here that I like to go to. It's a comedy club.
KILMEADE: For the elite -- where the elite comics go to work out material.
PERINO: Elite? Oh, because it's in a basement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Dana. So edgy.
PERINO: Almost all of the laugh-out-loud funny jokes are not...
KILMEADE: Totally inappropriate.
PERINO: ... are not politically correct.
KILMEADE: Right. Totally inappropriate.
PERINO: And you cannot believe you're laughing at it.
ROGINSKY: And I hope some college students are watching, because I think some of these safe spaces are exactly what they're making fun of here, which I've been very much a critic of.
KILMEADE: You were offended by this. Am I right, Eric?
BOLLING: No, no, no. I actually wrote a book that dealt with that, pushing back on PC culture. And guess who signed the back of the book? Who put a quote on the back of the book? Donald Trump.
KILMEADE: Donald Trump, of course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Wake Up, America."
BOLLING: Fallon last night did this thing. It was hilarious. It was all eight of President Obama's pardoning of the turkeys. The first year he was excited. And he -- as he goes, by the end he's like, whatever.
KILMEADE: Why am I doing this? He goes why am I doing this?
BOLLING: Whatever. Anyway, Tater and Tot were pardoned today.
ROGINSKY: That's my "One More Thing" today.
KILMEADE: Oh, my goodness.
ROGINSKY: Thanks for saying so. I'm going...
KILMEADE: Good thing we're not live.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, what a spoiler.
ROGINSKY: All right. Listen, over at "The Late Show," Stephen Colbert has been a little depressed lately; had some fun talking over Butterball turkey's hotline. Here's Stephen masquerading as a turkey expert.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were no thighs.
COLBERT: There were no thighs?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
COLBERT: What happened to the bird? Why are there no thighs?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's -- the way it was sold was the breast and the wings. The way it was sold.
COLBERT: You got ripped off. I deeply apologize. I apologize. Can we get a number? We're going to send you out a fresh turkey with thighs. That's not right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is really a question about stuffing. If I...
COLBERT: OK. Do you call it stuffing or dressing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I call it stuffing.
COLBERT: OK. Wrong answer. Bye-bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: He's hilarious. I thought -- I liked this. I thought that was funny.
PERINO: Are those real people that were calling in?
KILMEADE:
GUILFOYLE: That's why it's funny.
PERINO: That poor lady.
KILMEADE: But here's the thing. Stephen Colbert goes so far left he's even left of Letterman. He opens up and does 12 minutes anti-Trump stuff to the point where it almost gets embarrassing. I don't know. He just shut out 50 percent of America. That was funny.
ROGINSKY: Are you talking about the fact that -- the old Stephen Colbert?
KILMEADE: He was great.
ROGINSKY: Comedy Central Stephen Colbert?
KILMEADE: I don't care if you agree with him or not. "The Colbert Report" was great. Even though his ratings, he's second in late night. I don't know why he decided to leave 50 percent of America out.
ROGINSKY: Eric, you want to pour cold water on anything else? Or anything else to add?
BOLLING: You can take my "One More Thing."
ROGINSKY: I will come up with a new one on the fly. It's OK.
KILMEADE: I will take that one and you can take mine.
ROGINSKY: I'm scared about what...
KILMEADE: And your "One More Thing" were your weekend plans, so I don't think she wants this.
ROGINSKY: I'm going to tell you all about Eric's weekend plans, coming up next.
BOLLING: What do you know?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUILFOYLE: It's time now for "One More Thing." Mr. Bolling.
BOLLING: Now, Julie, do you want mine?
GUILFOYLE: Here we go.
ROGINSKY: I'm going to totally do yours. You don't even know about it.
GUILFOYLE: Sounds sketchy.
ROGINSKY: Oh, yes.
GUILFOYLE: Sounds really weird.
BOLLING: By the way, my weekend plans that Julie alluded to were this. My son is in for college for the first time; he's been here since August. And we're just going to have a great weekend. So I won't see you on Friday. I'll see you tomorrow but not on Friday.
Tonight, before the weekend starts...
GUILFOYLE: Oh, my gosh.
BOLLING: ... you've got to watch "The O'Reilly Factor." I'm hosting that. We have Ari Fleischer on. Dana knows him very well. We're talking -- we're going to talk transition with Ari and a couple people who are on the inside on the executive committee of the transition -- the Trump team.
GUILFOYLE: Look at how happy your face looks on that full screen every time when you're hosting "O'Reilly." It's like this.
PERINO: You know what job Ari Fleischer had when I first met him?
BOLLING: Deputy press secretary?
PERINO: No. He was the spokesperson for the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
ROGINSKY: Oh.
KILMEADE: Pretty good job.
PERINO: Back then.
KILMEADE: Pretty good job.
PERINO: Yes, great job.
GUILFOYLE: Take it away, Dana.
PERINO: OK, so it is time for this. Do we have it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: Dana's Corny Joke of the Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILMEADE: Animation!
PERINO: OK, Thanksgiving edition. Are you ready?
KILMEADE: Yes.
PERINO: OK, Brian. This is your first time.
KILMEADE: OK.
PERINO: Who doesn't eat on Thanksgiving?
KILMEADE: Who?
ROGINSKY: The turkey.
PERINO: The turkey. Because it's always stuffed.
KILMEADE: Oh!!!
GUILFOYLE: That's pretty funny.
You got the answer.
ROGINSKY: We've got to get...
KILMEADE: Is this the SATs?
PERINO: OK. Why can't you take a turkey to church?
KILMEADE: Why?
PERINO: Do you know?
BOLLING: Something with sin.
ROGINSKY: Can't commune.
BOLLING: A pardon.
PERINO: He uses fowl language.
GUILFOYLE: Well, so do chickens. So do chickens.
PERINO: That's true. You can't take a chicken to church either.
GUILFOYLE: You can't take either one.
KILMEADE: Someone...
PERINO: The third is my favorite. You ready? You can't look.
What do you get when you cross a turkey with a banjo? When you cross a turkey with a banjo?
ROGINSKY: "Deliverance"?
GUILFOYLE: What?
PERINO: It's a turkey that can pluck itself.
ROGINSKY: They told us to laugh, so we're laughing.
KILMEADE: That's not even appropriate.
PERINO: That's a good one.
BOLLING: They're going to cut it for the West Coast.
GUILFOYLE: What can I say, ladies and gentlemen?
PERINO: They want you to laugh.
OK.
GUILFOYLE: All right, Dana. Bring back jalapeno business. That's my favorite. That's what I want to know.
All right. So it's my turn now. So last night was the big thrilla in Manilla. Just kidding. It was the big finale of ABC "Dancing with the Stars." And while Laurie Hernandez was crowned the big winner, former Texas Governor Rick Perry is getting all the attention for this fantastic, fantabulous performance of "Ice Ice Baby" with Vanilla Ice. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PERRY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: You sing it.
Ice, ice baby ice, ice baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: I have a question.
GUILFOYLE: My favorite.
BOLLING: Is he still up for a job in the Trump administration?
ROGINSKY: Give him the job.
BOLLING: Does that help or hurt?
KILMEADE: I think it helps.
GUILFOYLE: Ice, ice baby. There we go.
BOLLING: There he is.
GUILFOYLE: There he is. He's everywhere, the fun is. That was last year.
BOLLING: Is that New Year's Eve? That's New Year's Eve.
GUILFOYLE: New Year's Eve, where Bolling and I were just, you know, enjoying our break time.
PERINO: Is that an annual event for you two?
GUILFOYLE: Yes. This is what it seems like. Rumor has it. Ice, ice baby, again.
All right. Well, that's fine. I'm done talking now -- Julie.
ROGINSKY: Well...
GUILFOYLE: What do you got?
ROGINSKY: Bolling took mine. I'm going to do two things.
One of them is I'm going to do a shout-out to my buddy Justin Lewis in Buford, Georgia, who's 11. Hi, Justin.
BOLLING: That's nice.
ROGINSKY: Secondly, Bolling, thank you so much for setting up my wonderful "One More Thing," because today was the eighth and final turkey pardon of Tater and Tot. I'm not going to go into much detail on them, except to say that this year the president was joined by his nephews, because his daughters...
BOLLING: Don't want any part of this.
ROGINSKY: ... probably they don't want to be around him with the corny jokes, which we will show you right now. He had a message for his daughters, because they decided to dis their father on this very, very solemn occasion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are thankful that this is my final presidential turkey pardon. What I haven't told them yet is that we are going do this every year from now on. No way I'm cutting this habit cold turkey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: Dana's are better. You can do better than that.
PERINO: Pretty good.
GUILFOYLE: Aw, Dana.
PERINO: That's a good joke.
KILMEADE: You're all alone. Everybody else is gone.
GUILFOYLE: You should, like -- then you've got to run for president. And you can do, like, "POTUS' Corny Jokes."
PERINO: Of the day. Ha-ha!
KILMEADE: Mine is -- mine is just a thank you. I just -- we just found out the paperback "Thomas Jefferson, The Tripoli Pirates" is No. 1 in paperback. Really appreciate it. We put a new afterward is. The last appearance I'm going to have is December 9 in Jacksonville. If you go to WOKV.com, it's going to be a whole evening at the Ritz Theater and Museum.
PERINO: I was in Florida last weekend.
GUILFOYLE: Me, too.
PERINO: And your book was everywhere I went. At The Villages, at the airport, in the stores.
KILMEADE: Right. Well, that's a little bit...
PERINO: Books a Million, Barnes and Noble.
KILMEADE: Well, that's a little bit bad news. That means that no one's buying it.
PERINO: No, no. They were -- it was prominently displayed and for good reason.
KILMEADE: Thank you very much.
GUILFOYLE: Congratulations, Brian. I know that was a really important project for you. Great job.
All right. But we want to talk more. That's it for us. We want to wish you all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. And we hope you're going to join us tomorrow at 5 p.m. Eastern for our Thanksgiving special. "Special Report" next.
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