Gutfeld on Trump's foreign policy wins
President Trump explodes the media narrative of his harmful foreign policy.
This is a rush transcript from "The Five," April 24, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: Hi, I'm Greg Gutfeld with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Juan Williams, Pete Hegseth and Katie Pavlich -- "The Five."
Well, as our president welcomes his French counterpart, let's not forget how the media portrays Trump's harmful foreign policy:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JOE SCARBOROUGH, MSNBC: Republicans really have a responsibility to talk about the imminent threat that they know because they've seen behind the scenes that this man poses to the safety and security of the United States of America.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN: I've asked Twitter spokesman, does this violate twitter's terms of service, making this kind of threat toward North Korea.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC: On the world stage, this president is humiliating America, no question.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
GUTFELD: Well, that didn't age well. So, does the president of France agree with them?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: We have a lot of work to be done together, but I'm very honored and very pleased because whatever the context could be, this relationship is stronger than the events. And on top of it, we have an excellent personal relationship, so I want to thank you for that.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
GUTFELD: Our poor media. The sophisticated European adores our president. And why shouldn't he? He is adorable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It's a great honor, great honor to be here. But we do have a very special relationship. In fact, I'll get that little piece of dandruff off. We have to make him perfect. He is perfect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Oh, my god. Someone break out the therapy llamas because every single narrative the media uses to slime Trump seems to flunk the reality test. It's the difference between Trump and Obama. Obama was beloved by our media, but our global adversaries saw him as a mark. Trump is despised by the media, but effective on the world stage.
Let's review that world stage, shall we? Well, ISIS is more than handled, for now. North Korea, bold moves by Trump may create an historic thaw. Syria, he drew redlines and then he enforced them. He made that historic visit to the homes of each major religion. He embraced the new Saudi leader, a key ally. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. And behind it all, he's rebuilding our military, telling the world that his priorities are that. And ain't the vanishing polar bears. In short, Obama was the substitute teacher you could spin in six different directions. Trump is the scary football coach who runs detention.
Here's what he said about Iran:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Wow. There's a pattern here: When Trump enters the equation, an actual reset takes place. A reset that creates chaos, but it's chaos by design. As any negotiator knows, you can't play an adversary that you can't figure out. Trump's greatest asset: unpredictability, and he knows it. It's only our media who hasn't figured that out yet. They're still stuck on Trumps spelling errors.
So, Peter, on the scale of 1 to nothing, to 10, everything, is Donald Trump the greatest president that has ever lived?
PETER HEGSETH, GUEST CO-HOST: Can I buy an 11?
(LAUGHTER)
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: That was a layup. I've got to tell you.
HEGSETH: You've nailed it. I will give you your kudos.
GUTFELD: Thank You.
HEGSETH: As I know you appreciate.
GUTFELD: I enjoy good kudo.
HEGSETH: The unpredictability is the key. When you're strong and you have confidence and you believe in American power, then people -- your adversaries fear you and your allies respect you. In some ways, what President Trump has done is a layup in foreign policy. He decided to stand by our traditional allies.
GUTFELD: Right.
HEGSETH: . and stand up to the enemies of the free world.
GUTFELD: Yeah.
HEGSETH: Whether it's China on trade, whether it's North Korea, whether it's dictators, whether it's Iran, I think he'll scrap the Iran deal in spite of Emmanuel Macron's attempts to do otherwise. Yeah, we haven't needed the French since, I think, 1775, but it's nice to have them.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: You know, Juan -- Juan, you're saying in the green room to me, earlier, I have to admit, Donald Trump is the greatest president that ever lived.
GUILFOYLE: I overheard it, yeah.
JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: He thought an 11. I'm looking for 12. But maybe it's a baker's dozen. I think 13 is the bad luck here.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: I am struck by what you're saying, because when -- I think about foreign policy and I think to myself, wait a second. This is the guy you say enforced a redline. Of course, he was saying we should get out of Syria. And then you have a Republican saying, oh, no, you better stay because you don't want to start any trouble. You need a force there. And then, he supposedly enforces a redline and, of course, then you have people saying, well, this was pretty ineffectual. He didn't do much here. So, what is exactly the strategy? We don't have a strategy. And then, I think to myself, well, let me listen to Greg. Greg is saying this guy is a great foreign policy leader. So, I think to myself, well, that must mean that Macron has come across the ocean and he's saying, oh, Mr. President, thank you.
GUTFELD: Right.
WILLIAMS: But, in fact, he's saying, you're wrong on the Iran deal. He's saying you're wrong on trade. He's saying you're wrong on Syria. And then, Angela Merkel is coming at the end of the week and she's going to -- oh, is she going to -- President Trump on -- no, she's going to enforce what Macron has said to Trump about this agreements.
KATIE PAVLICH, GUEST CO-HOST: But the thing that's interesting about President Trump when he had these meetings, whether it's with adversaries or whether with allies, is he always focuses on the agreement first. And as you've seen him come through the first year of his presidency, he's emboldened the allies. He's kind of distance himself from the people who aren't necessarily in our interests. Turkey is one of those examples. When it comes to Syria, he addressed that today. He talked about the Iran deal. Talked about the Syria strategy being, look, we want to get out eventually, but we have to have a plan because we don't want the Mediterranean, as he said, to be a free-for-all for the Iranians. And we're controlling that territory now. When it comes to the Iran deal, I also believe, based on the president's rhetoric in the past few months, and also today, he said it was built on decaying foundation and has continued to decay. That's the language is telling us he's going to scrap it. But the agreement is not -- or the disagreement isn't necessarily the Iran deal is bad. There's agreement on that. There's disagreement about how to fix it.
GUTFELD: What's plan B?
PAVLICH: Whether you can fix it.
GUILFOYLE: Yeah. They're going to tag team him a little bit, European, right? So, you have somebody that he has very good relationship with. Interpersonally, he has a lot of charm and warmth, and they seem to get along -- besides the dandruff comment, well with one another.
GUTFELD: Trust somebody when you do that, when you kick dandruff off their attire.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: But the problem is that he's calling out the guy for having dandruff.
GUILFOYLE: Well, that's like -- a little bit -- yeah, but, you know -- anyway.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: The French like that. They have a glass of wine later and they forget all about it. So, what's going to happen is, now Merkel has a more -- much more contentious relationship. She's been quite critical of the president, but she's going to have to roll that back a little bit in terms of trying to get some diplomacy, because there are things the two of them want. They want to be able to have -- reconsiders the Iran nuclear agreement, and he wants them to get involved and go along with what he wants to do as it relates to Syria and Iran, in terms of that, you know, geopolitical area that is strife with problems in the Middle East.
So, in terms of that, he's already gotten in his head some kind of negotiating chip. That they're going to have to play ball. They're going to have to be respectful. She's going to have to stop with the, you know, incessant criticism. Because, guess what? She's no longer the iron lady that she was. She has been tremendously weakened politically across Europe with the problems that she's had there in terms of the elections, et cetera. So, see what happens at the end of the week.
PAVLICH: And I would argue, too, that the president has actually taken a little bit of pressure off of the Europeans by calling on the Arab nations around Iran who are very concerned about them restarting their nuclear program or they've threatened to do. He has said this is your responsibility in your region, which allows the Europeans to take a step back and go, OK, this is in our interest to be involved here, but the people who really need to make sure the rules are being followed are the people in the neighborhood, and that is the Arab nations.
HEGSETH: He's reasserted the real power relationship between us and the European nations. I mean, Barack Obama was deferential to these countries that we have no business.
GUTFELD: We were inferior.
HEGSETH: Yeah. Well, we were equal to them. We were not -- you know, we were all exceptional nations to him. But, you know, you look at France, they've gutted their military to pay for their welfare state. They've open their borders. They don't demand assimilation. They've got terrorism problems, they've got demographic problems. They aren't the world power they used to be. Sure, they own a seat at the Security Council, that's thanks to us in the U.N. That whole global system is largely irrelevant. He's sort of just padding, you know, wiping off the dandruff and pat him on the shoulder.
PAVLICH: I do not have dandruff.
GUILFOYLE: For the record.
PAVLICH: For the record, I do not.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: In France, they call it shoulder snow, just as you know.
WILLIAMS: Shoulder snow.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Quite delightful.
GUTFELD: Yes.
GUILFOYLE: Juan's like, what am I doing here?
WILLIAMS: I don't know.
GUILFOYLE: You're in good mood because Trump made you laugh today.
WILLIAMS: Well, he did that. Well, actually, I was hoping that I would get some of the lamb. I understand they're having lamb at the state dinner tonight. (INAUDIBLE) last night, lamb tonight. I'm glad he's draining the swamp of all these elitists, you know, who behaves in this kind of behavior.
GUTFELD: But lamb elitist food.
WILLIAMS: Lamb chops.
GUTFELD: Yes.
GUTFELD: . you know, at a state dinner. Wasn't for a 150, not a big state dinner, a tiny state dinner, I love it. Next time, you know what? Jesse is not here, so you need somebody in there.
HEGSETH: What the liberal equaling the details.
GUTFELD: Going after his spelling and his food. By the way, can I show you, Juan. Juan, this is -- I just want to show you how special this relationship is. That every world leader when they meet Trump, they come away with a special feeling. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACRON: Thank you. Thank you very much.
MACRON: Thank you. Thank you.
TRUMP: I like him a lot. It's an honor to call you friend. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: It's a buddy comedy.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Well, it could be "48 Hours."
GUILFOYLE: Yes, "48 Hours."
GUTFELD: Lethal Weapon.
WILLIAMS: The problem here, the big problem is that you have Macron and the Europeans that you guys -- I mean, you sound like Don Rumsfeld, old Europe. But, I mean, Europe, guess what, as Macron has said, the United States needs allies.
GUTFELD: We do need allies.
PAVLICH: We have allies.
WILLIAMS: We -- they are our principal allies right now, especially on the war against terror. And so, when you look at Macron, you're looking at a guy who is a globalist. A globalist, and Trump is an isolationist, and that's why the tariff issue, the trade issue.
GUILFOYLE: So, he gets along. You should be celebrating the fact that he can work in this fashion with someone who, perhaps, is ideologically different or different from him. What a home run.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: I hope that Macron is able to talk to him about the tariffs. May be the tariffs is part of a bigger thing that Trump is working on to get -- like something we're not seeing, because I hate tariffs. And I hope that that changes. But it seems to me that he listens -- he listened to him about Syria. He listens.
(CROSSTALK)
PAVLICH: Is Europe exempted from the tariffs?
WILLIAMS: No, no. They have -- no, the tariffs would affect Europe, specifically.
(CROSSTALK)
PAVLICH: I recall Sarah Sanders saying that they took them off.
GUTFELD: That haven't happen yet. Shall we move on you, guys?
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: All right. Coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Stupid question. Go ahead, any other -- anybody else, please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Even Juan -- Juan, you are laughing. You love this man. You love this man. All right. Juan, the question that prompted that response from the president, next.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: President Trump was asked a lot of questions today by reporters during his event with French President Macron. This one didn't go over well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS: Mr. President, what about Michael Cohen? Are you.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
KARL: . considering a pardon?
(INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Stupid question. Go ahead, any other -- anybody else, please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: The president scolding ABC's John Karl for bringing up a possible pardon for his longtime lawyer. OK. So does this, stupid question is the way he says it, Juan. I mean, come on. He makes a point.
WILLIAMS: He makes a point.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: I think lots of presidents probably think that. It's just that they don't say that.
GUTFELD: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: But that was, you know -- what is it? Baseball player, Bryce Harper says clown question, bro. But it's not a clown question because, in fact, we know that the president has asked everybody about his pardon powers and he's been pardoning people quite recently, like Scooter Libby, and even Joe Arpaio, and.
GUILFOYLE: Thanksgiving turkey.
WILLIAMS: Yeah. And yesterday, you were talking about he was going to pardon.
GUTFELD: Jack Johnson.
WILLIAMS: . Jack Johnson.
GUILFOYLE: No, I didn't say he was going to. I asked him to along with Sylvester Stallone.
WILLIAMS: I think there's a lot of talk of pardons. And therefore, his ability to impact the Mueller investigation, but, specifically, very lot of interest in Michael Cohen, and whether Cohen is going to flip and provide evidence that could be damaging to the president.
GUTFELD: He should pardon Anthony Weiner as a thank you note for helping him win the election.
GUILFOYLE: And to flip him, yeah.
GUTFELD: About John Carl's question, though. It wasn't designed for an answer. It was designed for a reaction.
GUILFOYLE: Correct.
GUTFELD: And that's different. Like, for a question that wants an answer, what time is it? A question that wants a reaction, why are you a jerk? That's what it was. It wasn't like asking a specific thing, it was design just to get -- I thought he did.
GUILFOYLE: But he got it.
GUTFELD: Yeah, very entertaining response.
PAVLICH: Well, in order to pardon someone, you have to be convicted of a crime or charged with a crime.
WILLIAMS: No.
PAVLICH: Essentially.
WILLIAMS: No.
PAVLICH: Not legally and technically. But the president is not going to pardon someone before they've even been charged with a crime.
WILLIAMS: I think Nixon was pardon. Nixon was never charge.
PAVLICH: That's fair, but my point is -- the only thing that has happened to Michael Cohen is that it's a big deal. But, his office has been raided. We have not seen an indictment. We haven't seen charges. We have seen no connection in terms of Russian meddling or collusion.
(CROSSTALK)
PAVLICH: We haven't seen the documents. They still have to make sure that people who are qualified and capable of looking at documents that -- attorney-client privilege are not put into the category of being exposed. There's a long way to go here before we even talked about a Michael Cohen pardon. So, you could ask those questions, but the idea that he would pardon him before there's even a crime committed is pretty unrealistic.
HEGSETH: OK. They're obsessed with pardons because they're obsessed with obstruction. They're obsessed with Mueller. They're obsessed with the narrative. You know, I want -- not just question to you, but to the press generally. Are they ever going to look themselves in the mirror that they're grown men and women? They're yelling like kids at a 4th of July parade begging for candy. They just look pathetic in every moment. I can't imagine any scenario. I don't care if I see Mark McGuire -- walking down the street that I would yell, Mark, can I get your -- like, there's no situation.
(CROSSTALK)
HEGSETH: They do it every single day. And they look pathetic and small, especially when they ask questions like that. How did they help their credibility, which is already.
GUTFELD: Especially at a press conference.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: I'm having a moment. Just help me out, guys.
GUILFOYLE: You're going to last.
WILLIAMS: Yeah. Because everything was going so smoothly that I recall that the last president we have was often badgered by reporters asking questions that the conservatives thought.
GUTFELD: Like, why are you so beautiful?
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: Why are you so handsome? Why are you so smart and so right about everything?
WILLIAMS: Oh, my god.
GUTFELD: You've got a little bit of gray hair, is that.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: That was it. That was it.
(CROSSTALK)
HEGSETH: You're going to seriously posit that they treat this president.
WILLIAMS: That's a serious.
HEGSETH: . did to Barack Obama.
WILLIAMS: Well, I don't think he's Barack Obama. I think he's a very different president. But that's a very serious question by.
PAVLICH: I think.
WILLIAMS: Just as there's a serious question about Russia interference.
PAVLICH: It would be a serious question if there have been a crime or potential -- in the works. I mean, we just don't know enough at this point.
WILLIAMS: But, Katie, the FBI.
PAVLICH: . talking about pardon for Michael Cohen.
WILLIAMS: The FBI on a legitimate warrant went into the man's office.
PAVLICH: Doesn't mean there's any -- doesn't mean he's going to get charged with a crime, necessarily.
WILLIAMS: No, but it means the judges thought there was sufficient evidence.
PAVLICH: I will give you that is a legitimate question to ask down the road. But, at this point, I'm not so sure how that would serve the.
GUTFELD: There is time and place. It's weird -- the first block, we've talked about Syria, Iran, North Korea, and the media -- it's a great example of adults and children. You have the adult problem, and then you have kids. Can I ask a question about the porn scandal? That's what the press cares about, while we're on the verge of a historic event with North Korea possibly.
HEGSETH: I would say that every time they do that, Juan, they get him closer to reelection, because they remind everybody how much the swamp and the elites are against him, and hate him enough to get him.
GUILFOYLE: Sure.
HEGSETH: Every single moment they do that.
WILLIAMS: Really. So, all of the stuff with Scott Pruitt.
GUILFOYLE: This is the midterm election, too.
WILLIAMS: . all the stuff with Ryan Zinke, all the stuff with -- nothing of that is swamp like. All the tax benefit for the big companies, that's not -- but you think this is swamp like when reporters.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Yeah. When reporters ask adversarial questions of people in power and hold them to account, that's wrong.
HEGSETH: I said it was petty.
WILLIAMS: Oh, petty.
GUILFOYLE: But also, this is all about trying to distract because they want to make some problems for the president, and for Republicans and the GOP because midterm elections are coming up and they need to show some wins on the board, OK.
WILLIAMS: Wow.
GUILFOYLE: Total distraction away from important issues internationally that we face that here's a chance to come together for diplomacy, and they want to spin over there to the left.
GUTFELD: I mean, you can't underestimate -- I mean, if this North Korea thing pulls off -- gets pulled off by Trump, you can't -- it's historic. And I think it scares.
GUILFOYLE: You want to slow it down, Greg, we didn't get to that point. Midterm election and say we don't want him to have another win.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: They're like tripping in the playground, you know, when he's about to go in and kick some balls.
GUTFELD: You're going to have to take the peace prize from Obama and give it to Trump.
WILLIAMS: Yeah, I want to be there for that.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Let me ask you, guys. Like, even today, I'm sitting here and thinking he can't even get the Macron visit, the bromance, to be the main story because of the Ronny Jackson situation which everybody.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Great timing, right? Great timing leaking that information. He was Obama's doctor who leaked this.
WILLIAMS: Who leaked this?
GUTFELD: Yeah.
HEGSETH: There's plenty of motivation to take down any nominee.
(CROSSTALK)
GUILFOYLE: My goodness gracious. All right, this is what we have to say about the about the Nobel Peace Prize, return to sender. Ahead, Maxine Waters is so determined to get President Trump out of office, she's going to say anything, even if it's isn't true. Her latest, her greatest, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEGSETH: Welcome back. Well, Maxine Waters, she's got a long history of flubbing the facts on President Trump. Now, someone might want to get the Democratic congresswoman a calculator.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS, D-CALIF.: Everywhere I go, people are talking about, why can't you all get rid of him? Why don't they impeach him? What's wrong with the other members of congress, why don't they stand up? Wherever I am, I'm hearing it, and I'm told that 70 percent of women who have been polled say that they want him impeached.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: Now, we've done a little looking. We're not quite sure which poll is it that the congresswoman says 70 percent of American women want the president impeached, while all this impeachment talk from the left isn't a wise idea says far-left Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL: I'm angry at what he's done, but it is a legal, constitutional standard. When we get to it, we collectively as a country will know it, as we did with Richard Nixon. You don't just treat the principal or the policy standard of impeachment that is embedded how we deal with something as a political tool. It's a constitutional standard. And when that standard has been met, we'll know about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: All right. So, Juan, your party is debating to impeach or not to impeach.
GUILFOYLE: That is the question.
HEGSETH: That is the question. I did a little research, you had a piece on The Hill in November, the politics of impeachment, where you've said that it would be wrong for them not to, at least, wink at the activist calls for impeachment. So, you think there's a reason, right now, to call for impeachment.
WILLIAMS: No, no, no, we're talking politics here. And the politics are that 70 percent of Democrats, and the polls say, they think, Trump should be.
HEGSETH: So, 70 percent of Democrats, not 70 percent.
WILLIAMS: That's what I've just said. Yes, 70 percent of Democrats. OK. But, the key for the Democratic activists and the Democratic leadership is how do you signal to the base that, yes, we hear you. But, I think that Rahm Emanuel is onto something. You'll know it when you see it, in terms of getting to that point. I will say at this point, I think Republicans want to discuss impeachment more than Democrats because they're looking to fire up their base. And we saw Ted Cruz at his announcement of his run for the senate in Texas, guess what? He puts out a video with -- I think this is fake news, a fake anchor announcing, Senator Schumer announces impeachment hearings for President Trump. What do you think he's doing?
GUTFELD: I think the reason why Rahm said that is because he realizes how silly Maxine is, because if you impeach Trump, you get Pence. Pence is on the right of Trump on everything. It's like impeaching Dr. Jekyll and getting Mr. Hyde. By the way, that's an endorsement of Mr. Hyde. He's very underrated. But it's like crazy. It's crazy. You're going to get somebody way more right wing.
PAVLICH: In a independent poll, there's a Marist poll that came out last week that shows that independent voters do not want to impeachment. So, actually, this hurts the Democrats more than it would hurt Republicans in the midterms.
HEGSETH: Well, Tom Steyer, the famous Democratic donor, has been running ads, millions of dollars worth, saying need to impeach. I mean, can Democratic candidates afford to dismiss that base that wants that?
GUILFOYLE: That's fool's gold.
GUTFELD: Fool's gold.
GUILFOYLE: Knock it off. Knock it off. Alert.
GUTFELD: You have to alert now.
GUILFOYLE: All right, Juan.
GUILFOYLE: This is a Fox News alert. There's been some controversy today surrounding President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Senate delaying confirmation hearings for Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson over allegations of improper conduct at various points in his career.
Fox News has just obtained exclusive new developments and for that, we go to John Roberts.
JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS: Kimberly, good afternoon to you.
Getting from a source some fitness reports and counseling records related to Dr. Ronny Jackson that were signed by President Trump but also ones that were signed by President Obama with commentary. President Obama writing "Ronny's positive impact cannot be overstated. He's a tremendous asset to the entire White House team. Already, a level of performance and responsibility that far exceeds his current rank. Promote to rear admiral now." So this would have been seven years ago.
Here's one dated 24 October of 2016 from President Obama: "Ronny does a great job. Genuine enthusiasm. Poised under pressure. Incredible work ethic and follow-through. Ronny continues to inspire confidence with the care he provides to me, my family and my team. Continue to promote ahead of peers."
So a real vote of confidence there from President Obama. He also, in another of fitness report, wrote, "Exceptional physician and leader. Ronny has been a dedicated and valuable member of my team. He has tireless ensured not only my health and well-being but that of my family and entire administration. He has earned my complete trust and respect. Continue to groom and promote this highly capable officer."
One more, dated 23rd of October 2014: "A most impressive leader who continues to perform at the flag officer level. Ronny has earned my confidence and the gratitude of my family for his diligence and knowledge. Promote to flag immediately."
And then one from President Trump which would've been probably earlier this year: "Dr. Jackson is a great doctor and leader. Two-star material."
So there we have evidence from President Obama and President Trump. But President Obama more importantly, because he was not considering promoting him to be the secretary of Veterans Affairs, giving laudatory commendations to Dr. Ronny Jackson, the rear admiral.
But we have also confirmed that in 2012, Dr. Ronny Jackson ordered a watchdog report when he and another doctor in the White House medical unit, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, were going through something of a power struggle.
The watchdog report found that they both exhibited unprofessional behavior that led to low morale among staff members who described the work environment as being caught between parents going through a bitter divorce. It was recommended that either Jackson or Kuhlman or both leave the White House medical office.
So that inspector general's report could be what people are alluding to today about inappropriate behavior and low morale in the White House medical unit. But if you compare that with the laudatory comments that were given by President Obama, I mean, there's definitely some ammunition there that might help him in his confirmation.
So a struggle going on here between opponents of Ronny Jackson, supporters of Ronny Jackson. The president met with him in the Oval Office this afternoon. Earlier today at a press conference, I asked President Trump about Jackson. He said it's his decision, Jackson's, to make whether he wants to go through this confirmation process, which now, Kimberly, looks like it is going to be a fairly arduous process for Ronny Jackson.
So we don't know what he's going to do. But opponents and supporters are lining up here to give their say on what they think about Ronny Jackson.
GUILFOYLE: John Roberts, thank you. Excellent reporting. And Juan, I turn to you to get your reaction to this. You know, President Obama, that's the -- those are his words and comments. How do you think this plays out and interfaces with what we've heard today?
WILLIAMS: Leaks. I'll tell you, these White House leaks are terrible. Why can't the president trust anybody.
But the leaks are there because I think there's some people at the White House who are trying to make a last-minute stand for Jackson. But what the president said today, Kimberly, which is that if he was Jackson, he wouldn't do this anymore. I think that was a telling comment.
HEGSETH: Those are fitness reports. They're done annually. There always are officer evaluation reports. There's a lot of scrutiny that goes into those. I mean, you're told to promote in front of your peers. You're an exceptional officer, which is part of his background.
GUILFOYLE: Yes.
GUTFELD: Get your suit ready.
GUILFOYLE: The truth came out -- oh.
HEGSETH: Thank you very much, Greg.
All right. Moving on, Kanye West, a celebrity, is on the MAGA train, and he's not pulling a Shania Twain. Coming up next. I blame Greg.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIAMS: Welcome back. Yesterday we told you about Kanye West's defense of a Trump supporter. Apparently, Kanye is a big supporter himself. Listen to what he told Hot 97 host Ebro Darden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EBRO DARDEN, HOT 97 HOST: Then he said, "I do love Donald Trump." He said that. Kanye West. "I love Donald Trump."
Maybe that's just who he is. And you think about -- you think about who Kanye has been the entire time. Selfish, troll-y, materialistic. did I say selfish? He was like, "Why, we stopped (ph) Obama for years, and I couldn't get anything done. And Trump gave me a meeting."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUILFOYLE: My God.
WILLIAMS: Wow. So how do you understand this, Kimberly?
GUILFOYLE: Very well. I completely --
WILLIAMS: Explain it to all of us.
GUILFOYLE: Because, you know, one thing about Kanye West, he's not afraid to speak his mind, whatever it is at the moment, in fact. So he's saying that this is somebody that gave him an opportunity to come, look at the picture behind us here. If we take a shot of that, the two of them. During the transition time, he was invited, because President Trump was inviting -- at the time candidate Trump -- everybody to come, whether they were on a different side of the environmental issues or climate change or business or building the economy.
So when you show somebody respect like that, say, "I want to take the time to see it face to face, hear what you have to say," that is respect. That was good. So he's being honest. And the president treated him with respect.
So why should he be beaten down, because he told the truth about his own personal opinion?
WILLIAMS: Wait a second. Wait a second. Let me come back to you just very quickly.
GUILFOYLE: Yes, please.
WILLIAMS: We're short on time. But didn't -- but in fact, he had just been hospitalized or something. He gets out.
PAVLICH: OK.
WILLIAMS: Trump says to him, "Come on over." And then he says on that basis, "Because Trump met with me and Obama didn't, but I'm a big Trump supporter"? And you think that's --
GUILFOYLE: I didn't simplify it in that manner. It was actually much more expansive than that.
HEGSETH: But it is nice when people actually listen to you.
GUILFOYLE: Yes.
HEGSETH: So I'm allowed to be Trump supporter, but Kanye West isn't?
GUILFOYLE: I don't --
HEGSETH: So what's wrong with him being a freethinker? And the tweets that he did after the Candace Owens thing --
GUILFOYLE: Right.
HEGSETH: -- triggered all this were, "I'm a freethinker. The blinders are off. Question everything. The thought police want to suppress freedom of thought."
The mob is going after him, because he decided to speak his mind. Why can't you? I don't get with the controversy is.
WILLIAMS: No, no, he can speak his mind. But I think that it's a matter of, if you speak your mind, tell us why you are speaking, other than he is the guy who took the meeting.
GUILFOYLE: He's a freethinking black man in America.
(CROSSTALK)
PAVLICH: He's been clear about why he's speaking his mind. He thinks that you get punished, as he's seeing, for having a thought outside of the orthodoxy of what the left wants.
And it doesn't mean that Kanye West is now a Republican or a conservative.
GUILFOYLE: Right.
PAVLICH: It just means that he's able to say things that are contrary to what everybody else is saying. It makes him an individual in America, and more people should act like that.
WILLIAMS: OK. Greg, I was just going to ask you about Shania Twain.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Who then -- she said she would have voted for Trump, but she's a Canadian. Then she came back and said, "Sorry. I apologize."
GUTFELD: We are at a point in America where you have to apologize for expressing an opinion on an election in which you didn't even actually do anything. You still have to apologize.
We're seeing a combination right now of mob rule coordinated by the media- academic-entertainment complex. This is why thinking liberals like Dave Rubin, Bret Weinstein and Sam Harris are worried because of the speed and the intensity of slander, demonization by the modern left towards anybody who actually thinks outside the box.
It's going to happen to somebody that you know. Everyone -- and it may happen to us. Right now, what's happening to Scott Adams because Kanye West tweeted about him. Buzzfeed, Mediaite, Business Insider will assign some lowly blogger to write some smear about him, and that's what's going to happen. The new morality, it's not a church; it's not religion. It's actually the media mob.
GUILFOYLE: Oh, my God. Good point.
WILLIAMS: All right. Up next, we're going to check in with Dana and Jesse. They're in Nashville right now for a very special event with country music stars. They're excited to tell you about it. That's coming up on "The Five."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAVLICH: Well, there may be a swanky state dinner tonight at the White House, but the real hot ticket is down in Nashville this evening, where Dana and Jesse are waiting tables for charity. They're at the 17th annual Waiting for Wishes celebrity waiters dinner, and we want to hear all about it.
Hello to Jesse and Dana.
JESSE WATTERS, CO-HOST: Hi, guys. How are you? What do you think of my apron here?
PAVLICH: Yes, tell us all about what you're doing tonight. Who does it benefit? Who is going to be there? Are my favorite country artists going to be there? And most importantly, are you wearing cowboy boots?
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: No, actually, Jesse just asked me if I was actually wearing heels because I'm so short. But we were told to wear our flats.
WATTERS: Is that better? Are we framed up? There we go.
PAVLICH: There you go, Jesse.
PERINO: Anyway, it's the 17th annual Waiting for Wishes celebrity waiters dinner. It benefits the Kevin Carter Foundation and then the Make-a-Wish foundation for middle Tennessee.
So we are going to wait some tables. If you go to the Facebook page for Dana Perino or for "The Five," you can vote for either of us and that also helps raise more money for all these kids.
WATTERS: And here's the deal. Dana really doesn't know much about the event. I invited her to the event. OK? This was my connection. All right? So now she owes me. I want deference on the show. So the next time I say that Rasmussen has Trump at 60 percent approval, I don't want to see an eye roll.
PERINO: OK.
WATTERS: I just want to see deference, because this is what I'm doing here.
PERINO: Yes, I'll just bite my tongue. The other thing is that, well, I'm actually -- I was a waitress. So there's no doubt I'm going to be really good at this.
WATTERS: How many plates can you hold?
PERINO: But Katie, you asked me who else is going to be here. There's a lot of people going to be here. The Chrisley family, reality TV family. That's a big deal. But Hunter Hayes. That's a good one.
PAVLICH: Good. All right. Lots of good artists coming out for a great cause.
Kimberly, I'm sure you're concerned about the food.
GUILFOYLE: I'm very concerned about the food, and I'll tell you. Dana and Peter can cook. She's very handy with food in the kitchen and excellent with, like, waiting on people and being very hospitable.
So Jesse, I suggest you pick up some tips and tighten your apron a little bit.
PAVLICH: That suit's way too nice, Jesse, for this thing.
GUILFOYLE: I know.
PAVLICH: Should have worn a T-shirt.
WATTERS: The apron is not tailored. Sorry about that.
I was fired from my only job as a waiter after two days. So I'm in big trouble. But Dana and I have a strategy. I know no one in the country music scene, so she's going to identify those people for me. And she knows no athletes. Marcus Mariota is here, quarterback for --
PERINO: I know Kevin Carter.
WATTERS: -- the Titans. Yes, Kevin Carter is here. You have some MMA fighters. Tito Ortiz. Randall --
PERINO: He is the No. 1 waiter. Tito Ortiz. I heard that today.
WATTERS: The top waiter? OK, so there's going to be a little competition.
GUILFOYLE: He's great. He's done a lot for autism, as well. I worked with him in Culture City.
Dana, you had those country music stars today, too, that you've known for a long time. He first appeared on FOX a long time ago. He was on with you.
PERINO: Yes, it's pretty funny. So Josh Turner is a big star. He came in and was able to help out at the 2 p.m. show, "The Daily Briefing" today. And he said that Greg is a foregone conclusion, that Greg will never like country music, but he thinks that Jesse could be turned.
GUTFELD: I like really old country music.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: -- open to it.
GUTFELD: I like Patsy Cline.
GUILFOYLE: If anybody could do it, Dana could.
PERINO: You do like old. That's true. The older stuff Greg likes.
WILLIAMS: So -- so let me get this straight. So if I'm at my table and I get Jesse as my waiter and Dana as my busboy I guess, I don't know, and there's a fly in my soup.
PERINO: Excuse me?
WILLIAMS: A fly in my soup, and I say -- do I have to leave a tip? Do I have to leave a tip?
WATTERS: Juan, first of all, it's for the kids. Second of all, I really like how you characterized her as a busboy.
GUILFOYLE: No, bus person. Bus person.
WATTERS: That's very enlightened of you.
WILLIAMS: Kimberly is -- Kimberly is straightening me out.
GUILFOYLE: Helping out, yes.
WILLIAMS: A bus person. Yes, but anyway, I would give you guys a big tip if I was there.
PAVLICH: You'd better.
WILLIAMS: The No. 5, Hershel down (ph).
PERINO: You can go online and donate.
WATTERS: Yes, you can afford it, of all people at the table, Juan.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
PERINO: And you can go online and donate. We hope that you do.
GUILFOYLE: Well, great -- great of you to do this, fantastic. Great job.
PAVLICH: You should participate, Greg.
GUTFELD: But you still need a computer.
HEGSETH: Greg, you have tips, though.
GUTFELD: I do have tips. You have to approximate as possible what a waiter is. So Jesse, be sure and talk about your acting classes whenever you're waiting on a table. And Dana, bring up your screenplay. Because that's the only thing waiters do, at least in New York City.
GUILFOYLE: Exactly.
PAVLICH: Pete, do you have any comments?
WATTERS: That's good.
PERINO: The thing is that the apron is so big, it's like dragging on the floor for me. So we're going to have to figure this out.
GUILFOYLE: They'll think he's Schwimmer.
HEGSETH: So you're working as a team, but you're competing for tips? Which one of you is more likely to throw the other under the bus to win?
PERINO: Oh, no. We're not a team.
HEGSETH: Oh, you're not?
WATTERS: We're not a team at all. No, no. This is going to be very cutthroat. I'm probably going to sabotage her. I'm going to pull the string from the apron so she falls apart. And -- but it's for the kids.
PAVLICH: Well, it's a great cause. So Dana and Jesse, have fun and be careful.
GUILFOYLE: Be careful.
PAVLICH: "One More Thing" is up next.
GUILFOYLE: Bye, guys!
GUTFELD: See you later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUTFELD: All right. "One More Thing" -- Juan.
WILLIAMS: You know, every basketball team has a super fan at courtside. Last night in Salt Lake City, it was Mitt Romney. Yes. Take a look at this tape.
Romney is holding up four fingers to remind the Thunder star guard of Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook, that he's close to fouling out of the game.
HEGSETH: That's also how many minutes he's been --
WILLIAMS: Some people say Romney, like -- some people like Pete say Romney was out there politicking in front of the Utah fans after failing to secure the GOP nomination for Utah's Senate seat this Saturday, but he looked like a winner last night sitting courtside in this custom-made jersey, worn over a button-down shirt.
Former Massachusetts governor, once a Celtics fan. Now looks to have picked a winner. The Jazz hold a three-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series.
GUTFELD: There you go.
All right. OK. Time for this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAPHIC: Greg's Great Idea
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: "Greg's Great Idea." All right, so on Tuesday morning some guy was going to try to kill himself by jumping over an overpass on 696 in Detroit. Here's the great idea. Take a look at this. The cops called a bunch of semis, a bunch of truck drivers, told them to park underneath the bridge so when the guy couldn't jump -- he couldn't jump anywhere. So that actually prevented the suicide. The guy ended up walking off the bridge, where he was taken to a hospital for evaluation. That, my friends, is a great idea.
GUILFOYLE: I was really worried about it, but it seemed to come together well. So that was creativity.
GUTFELD: I nailed the landing. And he didn't, thank God.
All right. K.G.
GUILFOYLE: Thank you. I have prematurely put the crown on the head and the whole thing. Good reflexes. OK, "Kimberly's Royal News."
GUTFELD: I've had enough of this.
GUILFOYLE: I really don't care. And this is a specific FOX News alert. Royal FOX News alert, royal FOX News alert. And an update on a story that we covered yesterday. Prince William and his wife, Kate, introduced the world to royal baby numero three.
And since we're all royal in our own special way, Greg --
GUTFELD: That's true.
GUILFOYLE: -- there were a few other newborns who got to share the royal spotlight. News stations from all over the world were in front of St. Mary's hospital in London, awaiting the first glimpse of Duchess Kate and the baby. So surprise, they captured a few other wonderful, happy new parents and their babies making their way out of the hospital's maternity wing. Very nice to include them.
And two couples embraced the cameras as they stepped out and made an exit to remember. So God bless all of these beautiful families who got a little taste of the royal life and what a joy it is to have a baby.
GUTFELD: All right. Where are we? Katie.
PAVLICH: All right. Well, a college student was on the game show "Jeopardy" recently, and he's going viral for his answer to the question of what he would do with the grand prize if he won it. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lifetime supply of Taco Bell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAVLICH: That's right. He would spend $100,000 on Taco Bell. The student, Rishab Jain, didn't win the $100,000, but after "Jeopardy," he tweeted out his hilarious response, and Taco Bell responded in a big way. They offered him $500 worth of gift cards. I think Kimberly is a little bit jealous of that.
GUILFOYLE: Yes. Jealous.
PAVLICH: And if he eats off the dollar menu, that means that he could eat throughout his entire college career at Taco Bell.
GUILFOYLE: How great.
GUTFELD: He should have said half -- he should have said half on Taco Bell and then half on Imodium.
WILLIAMS: Eww!
GUILFOYLE: He's starting on Taco Bell. First it was Chipotle.
GUTFELD: It's incredibly expensive. Incredibly expensive. It's more expensive than the meal in many ways.
GUILFOYLE: Unbelievable. No, it depends. Fifty-nine, 79, 99.
GUTFELD: Yes, and they're very hard to open. All depends on -- Imodium, you've got to have fingernails.
All right, Pete.
PAVLICH: Next.
HEGSETH: All right. Well, moving right to Los Angeles, where there's a -- as you know, there's a big homeless vets problem across America, specifically in Los Angeles. Well, the V.A. in Brentwood there in L.A., finally made a common sense decision and partnered with Safe Parking L.A. to provide ten parking spots overnight for homeless vets to actually park their car and have somewhere to sleep.
Now, it sounds like a small idea, but there are 400 acres of property at that V.A. facility. It took ten years to get ten parking spots so that these homeless vets who have run into hard times have somewhere to sleep at night. It's an example of how the inhumane V.A. system treats people, not like humans. And in this case they finally got it right a little bit.
GUILFOYLE: Pete, this is such a great idea. And I work with Operation Renewed Hope for homeless veterans, and with the V.A. And you cannot believe how many veterans, they sleep in their cars. It's all they have left. They lose everything in life. And you know who lets them stay in the parking lot? Walmart.
GUTFELD: All right.
HEGSETH: Really? OK.
PAVLICH: Good for them.
GUTFELD: Set your DVRs. Never miss an episode of "The Five." Do not cry. Do not fret. If you want news, here comes Bret.
GUILFOYLE: Whoa.
BRET BAIER, ANCHOR: Thanks, Greg. This is a Fox News alert.
Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox