President Trump and Beto O'Rourke hold dueling rallies in El Paso
Trump pushes for a border barrier, while O'Rourke says walls won't work; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
This is a rush transcript from "The Five," February 12, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JESSE WATTERS, HOST: Hello, everybody. I'm Jesse Watters along with Morgan Ortagus, Juan Williams, Kennedy, and Greg Gutfeld. It's 5 o'clock in New York City, and this is The Five.
President Trump and possible 2020 Democratic contender Beto O'Rourke throwing down over the border wall. The pair hosting dueling rallies in El Paso, Texas, and wasting little time going after each other. President Trump bashing Beto with these stinging attacks. And Beto O'Rourke responded by going hard left when criticizing President Trump's border wall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETO O'ROURKE, D-TX, FORMER SENATE CANDIDATE: We know that walls do not save lives, walls and lives. We stand for America and we stand against walls. We know that there is no bargain in which we can sacrifice some of our humanity to gain a little more security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: And here's President Trump laying into the Texan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: We were all challenged by a young man who lost an election to Ted Cruz. Hey, you're supposed to win in order to run. But a young man who's got very little going for himself, except he's got a great first name. He has -- he challenged us. So we have, let's say, 35,000 people tonight, and he has 200 people, 300 people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: As for the wall, congressional negotiators have reached a deal in principle to avoid a new government shutdown. The plan calls for $1.4 billion to build new border barriers, but fall short of the 5.7 billion the president is asking for. So will Trump support it? Here's what he's saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I never cared about construction. I love construction and I know how to do it for the right price. Am I happy at first glance? I've just got to see it. The answer is no, I'm not. I'm not happy. But am I happy with where we're going? I'm thrilled. But the wall is getting built, regardless, doesn't matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: All right, Juan, I confess I've bought into the Beto hype. I thought he was the true believer. I thought he was a real superstar. I saw him last night, kind of spastic gesticulations (ph), lightweight slogans, bad advance work, there was a band in the background, empty pair of drums. I don't get it. What's there to get?
JUAN WILLIAMS, HOST: Maybe he was speaking the truth.
WATTERS: What truth was that, Juan?
WILLIAMS: Well, he said what does a wall do? It actually harms people. It hasn't stopped the level of illegal immigration --
WATTERS: How did he say the wall harms people? You know what he said? He said it sends them around to other places where they can't get through.
WILLIAMS: But, anyway, it doesn't matter. I mean, to me, what matters here is that Trump just -- you know, even in the size of the crowd thing just tells lies. He says, oh, this guys has 300, 500 people. Bloomberg said he had -- that Beto O'Rourke had, like, 10,000 to 15,000 people. Trump had at most according to the fire department 6,500 inside and another few thousand outside.
WATTERS: I'm glad you've mentioned that because we had our crack team at The Five investigate --
GREG GUTFELD, HOST: They have crack?
(LAUGHTER)
WATTERS: We're keeping it away from you. We've investigated and we've talked to the coliseum and the fire department, the police department, and they said they were 7,500 inside the Trump rally.
WILLIAMS: The place only hosts 65.
WATTERS: That's not true, Juan, holds up to 8,000, actually, and 6,000 to 10,000 outside. So that was double what Beto O'Rourke had because --
WILLIAMS: How's that double 15?
WATTERS: Because he didn't have 15.
WILLIAMS: He did.
WATTERS: According to the fire department and the police department, both didn't do official estimates and these were the estimates from his own people.
WILLIAMS: You know what? You have such trouble with statistics. I'm going to leave it alone. But I will say this, I notice that Donald Trump, last night, did not mention national emergency. And so I'm hopeful that today with the deal that's been announced we can finally move forward.
I know that people like Ann Coulter making fun of the green new deal call Trump's new compromise here, the yellow new deal for Trump. The far right is never going to get off his butt when it comes to this deal, but I think for the best of America, hopefully, Trump finally realizes enough with the lies and the distortion --
WATTERS: OK, Juan.
WILLIAMS: -- and the demonizing --
WATTERS: You know what the president didn't bring up were dogs, Greg. Let's listen to the tape.
GUTFELD: I like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You do love your dogs, don't you? I wouldn't mind having one, honestly, but I don't have any time. How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn? Feels a little phony, phony to me. A lot of people say, oh, you should get a dog. Why? It's good, politically. I've said, look, that's not the relationship I have with my people --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yeah, Obama had a dog. You're right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: You love that.
GUTFELD: I tell you why I love that because he's doing all politicians -- or future politicians a huge favor. He's talking about the typical political cliche's that seem phony. You don't have to get a dog. If you don't want a dog, you don't have to get a dog, seems a bit phony to me.
So he's basically saying for the future you don't need all this political theatrics that everybody has to bow too. This why Liz Warren looks so bad when she tried to hold the beer in her kitchen or when she tried to grab the kid. And even Beto last night, he sounds too earnest to be sincere --
WATTERS: Right.
GUTFELD: -- or vice versa. So what Trump is doing, Trump has opened the door for so many different types of people to become politicians because you don't have to play the same game. Can I just respond to the whole walls harm people thing? Trump --
WILLIAMS: Wait, before you do, can I jump in?
GUTFELD: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: I think a lot of people like dogs, including Dana -- Dana loves -- I mean, I don't think --
GUTFELD: That's not the point. That's not the point. I'm talking about not being fake.
WATTERS: Yeah, he doesn't have time to pet an animal --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: -- executive time.
GUTFELD: Trump is forcing -- somebody has to force this clarification on the Democratic Party because they're holding two competing ideas at once. You can't have a porous border and a country full of free things. OK. Those things --
KENNEDY, HOST: You have to pick.
GUTFELD: You have to pick one. If you want your utopia of free things, then you've got to have the greatest wall ever made because everybody in the world is going to come and get the free stuff. So, if you don't want a wall, then you've got to be a country that offers zilch. That if you come here, you get nothing. In fact, nobody gets anything because that, in itself, is a wall.
KENNEDY: Yes, Greg Gutfeld.
WATTERS: All right.
KENNEDY: Preach it.
GUTFELD: Thank you.
WATTERS: So, what do you think about the rallies and the deal in principle between the negotiators?
KENNEDY: Everyone is upset with the deal, which I think it's great. I love when people in Washington are unhappy because they're unpopular and they don't deserve my happiness. They also don't deserve my tax money. Let's go to Beto for a second. This is someone -- I think he's precious garbage and he drives me crazy. Here he is trying to do an impression of a cool band. He's trying to be a rock star.
WATTERS: Yeah.
KENNEDY: You know, people painted this image of him and projected this aura that Beto O'Rourke is a rock star.
WATTERS: I don't think he's that good-looking, anyway.
(LAUGHTER)
WATTERS: He's not.
KENNEDY: He's trying to be Mudhoney.
WATTERS: Everyone is like comparing him to RFK. I don't think he's that handsome.
WILLIAMS: He doesn't have your appeal.
KENNEDY: He's trying to be Mudhoney. He's Collective Soul. Even worse, he's Nickelback.
GUTFELD: Oh, wait a second.
WATTERS: That was a death blow right there.
KENNEDY: I'm sorry.
WATTERS: Morgan, take it from here.
MORGAN ORTAGUS, HOST: I think it was a Beto bust last night. I mean, what's really funny about this Democrat primary is how much Trump likes to gin up every one of them and he takes -- he's taking a different one every day. I think no one it's going to have more fun in this Democrat primary than President Trump. I think he mentioned yesterday that he was going to be live tweeting all of the debates.
But, listen, the bottom line when it comes down to this deal, this wall, whatever it's going to be, there's, you know, there's a couple questions here. Can the president -- can he take this $1.375 billion, build it on steel barriers anywhere he wants, and the deals, so that's important --
WATTERS: You don't even know that. That's the problem.
ORTAGUS: So that's a question that has to be answered. And what about this 40,000 bed cap? That's something -- I don't understand the politics of that, Juan. How is that a winning political argument that we want to have less detention beds for illegal immigrants?
WILLIAMS: Force ICE to focus on violent criminals rather than breaking up families or bothering people who are just here contributing to the American economy.
WATTERS: What if they haven't contributed, yet? What if they just got caught crossing?
WILLIAMS: No, I mean --
WATTERS: That's what the beds are for.
WILLIAMS: This is -- this is where –
KENNEDY: That's why you shut down the entitlement state. That's what Greg was saying. You shut down the entitlement state. It's one or the other. I'm fine having a bunch of people come in. I'm not fine giving people free stuff.
GUTFELD: Right.
KENNEDY: Back to you.
WATTERS: All right. Nickelback called and they're very upset they're being called --
GUTFELD: Very successful band. Canadian.
WATTERS: All right, President Trump unloading on scandal-plague Virginia Democrats. See that next.
GUTFELD: Married to the woman -- what's her name?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIAMS: New developments in the scandal rocking Virginia. Fox News has obtained what appeared to be Facebook messages from the second woman accusing Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax of sexual assault.
The woman, Meredith Watson, writing to a friend in 2017, and here I'm quoting, "I see you've been promoting Justin Fairfax on Facebook despite knowing he raped me which is mind blowing to me. Are you seriously voting for him today? #MeToo," end quote.
Fox News has not independently corroborated the authenticity of these messages, and Fairfax previously denied the claims. Meanwhile, President Trump is going after the states embattle governor, Ralph Northam, over his racist yearbook photo scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The governor, he's got a little publicity lately. I like him. Keeps us out of the papers. I like him. I like to find a few more guys like this one. He almost moonwalked. His wife stopped him. Darling, darling, it would be inappropriate. I want to see somebody try and imitate Michael Jackson in the moonwalk. This would not have been a good scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: That was pretty funny about the wife and the moonwalk, but, anyway. Morgan, what do you make now of this woman having this Facebook posting that seems to indicate that as far back as the last election, she was saying don't vote for him. He raped me.
ORTAGUS: Yeah, I mean, what can we all think other than this is horrible, right, for this woman to come forward and saying this. The lieutenant governor has called for an FBI investigation into this. The thing that struck me today is why isn't there already a process in place in Virginia for this.
Is this the first time that anyone in public office has ever been accused of something? And it seems like maybe it's because an election year. But it seems like that the party and leadership is sort of flailing. They're unsure what to do. And as we've said, there needs to be due process. There needs to be an investigation. But what is shocking to me is that there's nothing -- no standards in place for this.
And so they need to quickly get something together that's -- may be a bipartisan committee in Virginia, where they can establish the rules of the game any time that there is some sort of allegation like this, because everyone deserves their full hearing.
WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think we're on uncharted waters is the way I think of it.
GUTFELD: Uncharted waters. That's the title of your book.
WATTERS: Thank you, Juan.
(LAUGHTER)
WATTERS: He gets credit.
WILLIAMS: All right. But let me ask you a question, Jesse.
WATTERS: Yes.
WILLIAMS: So part of what she says is that Corey Maggette, who works for Fox Sports, also attacked her, raped her. And yet, Corey Maggette says nothing like this happened. The school says we're looking into it. Mike Krzyzewski who's been -- I think he's been the coach of Duke Basketball for like 39 years has a spotless record. He once put a kid off the team because of questions about sexual misconduct, but nothing about Corey Maggette.
WATTERS: We don't know what Duke know about that whole allegation, but I do know this, in the court of law is tough to prove these things. Fifteen years ago, he said-she said. No physical evidence. But in terms of Kavanaugh, Kavanaugh had airtight alibis. I'm not even talking about the calendar. His alibis were airtight. He had witnesses that poke holes in the accuser's story. He had everything locked down.
This situation, this is a second accuser, and this person now has corroborating evidence in terms of documentation that she told people. Politically, this is just really bad for Fairfax.
WILLIAMS: What do you make of it, Kennedy?
KENNEDY: I think that, you know, to Morgan's point, she asked a great question. Why aren't there safeguards in place to make sure that, you know, if there's someone whose moral ineptitude and ill character has finally made its way into the limelight, if that person is really -- you know, could harm the state or such a bad person may -- shouldn't be in power, there has to be a way of getting them out of power.
But unfortunately, Democrats in Virginia are in the kind of pickle you're rarely see in politics even in these crazy times because Justin Fairfax is book ended by two men who are involved in photo racism scandals.
Mark Herring will be just as guilty if Ralph Northam has to step aside because of his blackface passed because Mark Herring arguably has done, essentially, the same thing. So it's impossible for one of them to leave and the other to stay, and that leaves Fairfax who could be in real legal jeopardy here, and then the state flips over to a Republican governor. The fourth person in line is Kurt Cox who is the Speaker of the House of Delegates.
WILLIAMS: You know, obviously, there was due process, a hearing, a full hearing in front of TV cameras given to Justice Kavanaugh now. But I don't think people on either side felt that they know the answer.
KENNEDY: I think there's probably more to know here, particularly, if you've got a paper trail. So --
ORTAGUS: And they both admit to it, and encounter --
(CROSSTALK)
KENNEDY: The second accuser.
WILLIAMS: Consensual. Consensual.
KENNEDY: The second accuser --
WATTERS: Well, Kavanaugh said I don't even know her.
KENNEDY: Right.
WATTERS: It's a huge difference.
KENNEDY: You know, and this is -- this is a Facebook post that took place two years ago. It's not something that happened two weeks ago when she saw conveniently that she could come forward and get a little publicity for herself. And she even says it in painful detail, you know, oftentimes rape allegations aren't taken seriously.
I can't make an anonymous allegation because it won't have any credibility. And that speaks to the conundrum that so many victims are in. They're terrified because if they try and do it anonymously nothing happens, and if they come forward, then, you know, they're vilified or they have a kind of notoriety they certainly never wanted for something like this.
WILLIAMS: What do you make of this, Greg?
GUTFELD: Well, I want to go back to this irony and it should not be lost that for 2-plus years this two-headed dragon of the media and the Dems have been chasing scandals and creating scandals to bring down Trump. For 2 years, for 2 years this has been going on.
And now the establishment media has to look at their own side. Where -- I mean, what happened to all of the scandal rabbits, right? There was collusion. There was Stormy. Where is Stormy? Trump was insane, Trump was unstable. Trump was a Russian agent. And you have the Kavanaugh was a gang rapist.
This Christmas list of scandals all went away and what are we left with? Blackface, sexual assault, blackface, anti-Semitism, infidelity, all of these things are percolating and very real on the Democratic side. So for two years, they've been eating ice cream, the Dems and the media, and now they got to eat their vegetables.
WILLIAMS: Al Franken is gone.
GUTFELD: Yeah. Hey --
WILLIAMS: Well, I'm just saying.
GUTFELD: You win some, you lose some.
WILLIAMS: Well, I think --
KENNEDY: If Al Franken were accused today, I do think -- I know we talked about this a little yesterday. I do think that he would stick around.
WILLIAMS: All right. President Trump calling on a freshman congresswoman to resign over her latest anti-Semitic comments. Hear from him right here, next on The Five.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KENNEDY: It sounds like Kenny Loggins but it's not. A Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar apparently not that sorry after being slammed for making new anti-Semitic comments, Omar release a statement apologizing after accusing a lobbying group of paying members of Congress to support Israel, but then said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You apologized today, but what have you learned from your comments and your reaction today?
REP. ILHAN OMAR, D-MINN.: I stated all of it in my statement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you regret your comments, congresswoman?
OMAR: I'm pretty sure that was stated in my statement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you surprised by the criticism?
OMAR: Always surprised.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: So genuine. President Trump is blasting Omar for her offensive remarks and is calling on her to step down. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: What she said is so deep-seated in her heart that her lame apology, and that's what it was, it was lame and she didn't mean a word of it, was just not appropriate. I think she should resign from Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: Another freshman Democrat coming under fire, Rashida Tlaib, facing backlash for writing a column for Louis Farrakhan's magazine back in 2006. So, Morgan, we talked about this a little bit yesterday.
I didn't sense the same level of contrition from Congresswoman Omar as she expressed in her statement and, you know, even though she said the right words, she was talking to Jewish colleagues and, you know, really learning how her words hurt. It was sort of the Ralph Northam playbook. We have to be really mindful that anti-Semitism globally is certainly on the rise and it seems to be also the case with this freshman Democrat class.
ORTAGUS: Yeah, it's a huge problem globally. I mean, that's a good point. We were on the air yesterday, I think, you know, shortly after she issued the apology. I tend to people apologize. I want to take them at their word, certainly by seeing that video that did not seem very contrite. This is not her first apology.
This is actually, at least, her second apology that she's had to make for anti-Semitic remarks. So there seems to be a pattern here. I'm hoping that she can get coached and that she can, you know, actually be more contrite. But based on the public reaction, I actually think we saw more contrition from Governor Northam and what he's been through than her remarks. So we'll see if this happens again. She'll be watching closely.
But the best point you bring up is that how unsafe it is in many parts of the world to practice Judaism today. When you look at places -- even England, Jeremy Corbyn who is the head of the Labour Party, he's known for his anti-Semitic comments. It's routinely said in places like Hungary. There's many Jews who are attacked in France and fearful of wearing religious garb.
And so, it's -- when you start to see this stuff creep in the United States, I think that's why people of the Jewish faith are so on guard because the holocaust happened when there was no state of Israel. This isn't about Israel. This is about anywhere around the world you can be attacked for being Jewish and we have to be careful.
KENNEDY: And that's why Max Rose who is also a freshman Democrat in Congress, you know, gave her a pretty quick smack down. But where do we go from here, Juan?
WILLIAMS: well, I think that -- one, I think she's nervous and she's young and it's her first -- I guess, the first month or so in Congress, so I wouldn't take much --
KENNEDY: She should be used to the pushed back. She's been tweeting anti- Semitic things --
WILLIAMS: I don't think --
KENNEDY: -- at least 2012.
WILLIAMS: Let me say, I don't think it's anti-Semitic. I think she has trouble with some of Israel's policies and that there's a legitimate debate to be had. She has --
ORTAGUS: You don't think what she tweeted Sunday was anti-Semitic?
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Even on its surface, unless you tap into the meme about the money and, you know, who's controlling, and then you say --
ORTAGUS: Are we tweeting about hypnosis.
WILLIAMS: No, no, the whole thing about hypnosis. And that fits in to some of the tropes that have been previously used to foment anti-Semitic sentiment in the world, so you tap into that. If you want to believe she was tapping into that, OK. That's anti-Semitic --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: -- that's why she apologized.
ORTAGUS: I think, Juan -- I think the majority of your party believes that. I mean, Nancy Pelosi came out and said it was anti-Semitic.
WILLIAMS: No. I think people are saying don't get into this game because it will divide the Democratic Party --
ORTAGUS: Because it's racist.
WILLIAMS: Wait, hang on. When Donald Trump -- when Donald Trump is speaking to a group of Jewish supporters and Donald Trump says, hey, I don't want your money. I know you use your money to control politics. I want your support. I don't need your money. You think people said, oh, you're anti-Semitic. People said, hmm, boy, that was strange. But we're not going to take it negatively about Donald Trump.
ORTAGUS: She has a history that is well-documented by --
WILLIAMS: Well, I'm just saying.
KENNEDY: I think she is has used much more aggressive language toward Israel than the press --
WILLIAMS: Oh, how about a guy who is a Trump supporter shooting up the Tree of Life synagogue. You think that's pretty aggressive?
KENNEDY: Yes, I do.
WILLIAMS: Oh, OK. I'm just saying be careful if you're making this a political attack.
ORTAGUS: But it's the Democrats who have imposed the purity test.
WILLIAMS: That's not true.
ORTAGUS: So unless you're going to abide by it, I think that you have --
WILLIAMS: A lot of Jewish people are Democrats, Kennedy.
KENNEDY: I know that. And that's my question to Jesse, why is that?
WATTERS: Well, you have to ask them. I don't know. But they are always no matter what their political belief. They're very supportive of the state of Israel.
KENNEDY: But it seems as, though, there are Republicans who are much more supportive of Israel, and our only Democratic ally in the Middle East.
WATTERS: Yes. It's an amazing thing that there's not more Jewish Republicans in this country. But, you know, they always have their different belief system. I think what's happening here are there -- it's like the three musketeers. You have Omar, you have Rashida, and you have AOC. And they're all socialist. You know, you've got some anti-Semitism in there.
You've got Farrakhan association in there, some ISIS sympathy in there, and the Republicans are going to target these three women , these freshmen socialists. They're not really going to target Pelosi like they did; they're just going to go after these three radicals. And Politico says this, "This Republican strategy risks a backlash, as the party that has problems with women and minorities continues to focus attacks on women of color," and I just really dislike that because I think Republicans are going after these women because they're Democratic radicals, not because they're women or minorities.
For the Republicans, it's not about identity; it's about ideology. And this backlash is created by the media; there's no real backlash. They are just going to go after you because you're trying to change the country and they don't like your policies; that's what it has to do.
WILLIAMS: Wait a second, you say these two women are trying to change the country?
WATTERS: These three women are so to the far left one with what they've been saying about abolishing air travel and instituting massive taxation.
WILLIAMS: Oh my God!
MONTGOMERY: Oh, yes, I can't wait to get into the cow (ph) later in the show.
WATTERS: And writing letters to a judge.
WILLIAMS: You know what.
MONTGOMERY: I can't wait to talk about how delicious meat is a little later in the show.
WATTERS: Asking for sympathy to ISIS recruits.
WILLIAMS: You are so far off it. But I want Greg to get in here.
GUTFELD: Okay.
MONTGOMERY: Oh, Greg Gutfeld please.
GUTFELD: To Jesse's point though, we knew how radical they were. But if you pointed that out, you would be labeled sexist or Islamophobic.
WILLIAMS: Right.
GUTFELD: They had the intersectional force field.
MONTGOMERY: Right.
GUTFELD: Women, Muslim and leftist.
WATTERS: Right.
GUTFELD: That's a good force field and the media abides by that force field. We don't have that force field. So our idea, when we say something, we're immediately attacked and we're dragged for weeks. They try to get you fired, but they are more - the media is more forgiving to that - to that group of people. And in the thing is, I will always - I don't like how people chase apologies. If she apologized and then a reporter has to keep up and asking, this is just like, let them apologize and move on. I don't like the - it's like the media wants another bite of the outraged apple, right?
They're like they got him this time, they pulled another one, another bite, just let it go. But the problem everybody missed here - and if Dana was here, Kennedy, she would have pointed out --what was Omar doing, the gum chewing, she was chewing gum.
MONTGOMERY: She looked like a cow.
GUTFELD: She was chewing gum.
MONTGOMERY: No, no, no.
GUTFELD: You can - Dana would say, Dana would say this, she'd go, "Professional women should not be chewing gum at the workplace. Chew gum at home but don't chew gum at work because you don't look like a professional person when you're chewing gum." Now, I understand maybe you're trying to quit smoking--
MONTGOMERY: She might not be a professional person very long if the President gets his way and she resigns.
GUTFELD: Yes, but you know, enough of the gum chewing. I - by the way, I've gum all over these new jeans because some jerk--
MONTGOMERY: Throw down.
GUTFELD: Some jerk put gum. You know, they - I hate these people. They put gum under the table.
MONTGOMERY: No.
GUTFELD: You know what I'm talking about, yes, and then when you put your knee there and now I've got gum all over--
WILLIAMS: Your knees could reach the - underneath of the table?
MONTGOMERY: You've got gummy knees?
GUTFELD: Yes, I've gummy knees.
MONTGOMERY: Oh. That's (inaudible).
WILLIAMS: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Was it this table?
GUTFELD: It might have been because it's new. This is new.
MONTGOMERY: But then, it's your gum.
ORTAGUS: It's your gum.
WILLIAMS: No, no.
GUTFELD: Who else uses this table?
WILLIAMS: You know who sits there?
GUTFELD: Who?
WILLIAMS: What?
GUTFELD: Who?
WILLIAMS: Well, I can't say he's much bigger than I am.
GUTFELD: Oh, Tyrus.
(LAUGHTER)
GUTFELD: Never mind then, everything is good. Tyrus, we're all good.
MONTGOMERY: Oh, coming up next. Fake news fashion outrage. Why Bloomingdale's has just pulled this t-shirt into sale (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUTFELD: Anyway, Bloomingdale's pulled a shirt off a mannequin bearing the words "Fake News" after a triggered reporter tweeted a photo saying, "The shirt delegitimizes hard-working journalists." I'm not sure how a shirt on a dummy does that? I wear a lot of shirts with slogans and this dummy has no impact on anyone. I actually own an "Anarchy in the UK" shirt and I've yet to topple a government yet.
But this isn't really about shirts. It's about the modern spineless corporation cowed by a tweet, reacting like dandelions in a strong wind. The spokesperson said "We apologize to anyone who found this t-shirt distressing," as if distressed shirts are the problem.
But as you know, once you apologize, you just egg on those who are bored. Another member of the press safety patrol tweeted to Bloomingdale's that "Its apology wasn't sincere. Please try again." The tweet dripped as if 1,000 apologies could ever satisfy those who sniffed fear.
So good job, Bloomingdale's. Today, one dummy and a storefront window is cold and topless, while another dummy scores its scalp. I can hardly wait to see where this is headed. I saw a mannequin in Soho wearing fishnet stockings. Fishnets, they are used to trap fish. What kind of message does that send our youth?
Strong finish there. All right, Juan, I'm going to do your job for you today.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
GUTFELD: All right.
WATTERS: Quote me (ph) wrong.
GUTFELD: But Greg, last night, a reporter was shoved at a Trump rally by a surly drunk who is shouting, Fake News. Could this sort of have contributed to that? To which I say, "No, Juan. They never saw the shirt." If you notice, it's a Trump supporter holding back that drunk jerk. So, now, I can move on to another guest.
WATTERS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: I want to say that (ph).
GUTFELD: I played Juan.
WILLIAMS: Is that your point?
GUTFELD: Yes. I wanted to undercut your point.
WILLIAMS: Well, I know. I think it's not really. I just hope - I hope you understand that people can be fine (ph). For example, this business is going on right now with, is it Katy Perry's shoes?
GUTFELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: That look like black face?
GUTFELD: Right.
WILLIAMS: And then people say, hey, that's offensive. And so they put - I mean there are certain things you don't want.
GUTFELD: It's a weird looking shoe.
WATTERS: But, Juan, you are not offended by a fake news t-shirt, are you?
WILLIAMS: I don't like it if that's what you are asking.
WATTERS: But, you are not offended by it?
WILLIAMS: No.
MONTGOMERY: Don't buy it.
WATTERS: Okay.
WILLIAMS: No, I wouldn't buy it. That's exactly right.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, that's right.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: But I think - but I think that when you are talking about the kind of suggestion - by the way, this came from a local New York City TV reporter.
GUTFELD: And then another reporter, and then everybody else goes--
WILLIAMS: Right. What people are reacting to is the enemy of the press thing, right.
WATTERS: Okay.
GUTFELD: But you know what, the thing is, Kennedy, you are an operator of sarcasm.
MONTGOMERY: Sure.
GUTFELD: You could be wearing the fake new shirt ironically.
MONTGOMERY: Yes.
GUTFELD: You could actually be wearing it -
MONTGOMERY: On a news broadcast.
GUTFELD: On a news, yes, kind of as a symbol against Trump. I am wearing fake news because I think it's a joke.
MONTGOMERY: It's one of those phrases that has been inserted into our modern lexicon and that's okay. And it's funny to poke fun of things like that and that's exactly what they are doing. It's not a Trump 2020 campaign t-shirt.
GUTFELD: Not at Bloomingdale's, definitely.
MONTGOMERY: No, it is - all it's doing is, is showing sarcastically that this phrase is ubiquitous and it's making fun of that. I don't have a problem with it. I do have a problem with the outrage and the apology. Like, I am so offended that you are taking aim at a hardworking journalist. That's not the intent.
GUTFELD: No.
MONTGOMERY: And that's not - if fashion does startle people, if it does jar you a little bit, good for them. That's what it's supposed to do. Fashion is supposed to be unapologetic.
GUTFELD: Tell me about it.
MONTGOMERY: Like Dolce & Gabbana - Dolce & Gabbana make fun of everyone. They make fun of everyone and they don't care if you are Selena Gomez or Ariana Grande. They will make fun of you, which is great. There's not enough of that in the world. There's not enough pointing out absurdity. There is too much apologizing and too much easy offense. And I'm done with it.
GUTFELD: All right, Kennedy. Morgan, it's true though. It's like, you look at this, it's not a Trump t-shirt and still the reporters are like offended.
ORTAGUS: Yes, I think that the untold success story in all of this is for Bloomingdale's actually. They responded to the tweet right away. And I love Bloomingdale's. I think they have excellent customer service. I tweeted them about my shoes--
GUTFELD: This is terrible.
ORTAGUS: No, I think it's good. They respond to their customers the right way.
GUTFELD: That's idiotic. They should not be on Twitter.
WATTERS: She loves Bloomingdale's.
ORTAGUS: That's not true.
GUTFELD: I know what she's doing. I know - okay, all right, how about this?
ORTAGUS: They responded to me. Once, I got bad shoes. I had new shoes within a week.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Let's put shoe in the other foot. Let's say you say something on "The Five," right?
ORTAGUS: Yes.
GUTFELD: And that - because that - one person out there in outer space is offended by it and they contact Fox, and Fox goes, "We are so sorry that Morgan Ortagus," wouldn't you be pissed off if they didn't support you?
ORTAGUS: Isn't that called media eye?
GUTFELD: No, but that's what my point is. My point is companies are no longer standing by anybody.
ORTAGUS: No, I think Bloomingdale's is awesome and they have good customer service.
GUTFELD: You are - this is so selfish of you. Oh, gosh, that's so -
(LAUGHTER)
ORTAGUS: I want a discount.
WATTERS: Greg, you know what it is, I was going to get this shirt, but I don't look good in yellow, so I didn't buy it. But this is about the reporters--
ORTAGUS: That's not what your mom said.
WATTERS: This about the reporters who can dish it out, but they can't take it. Think about the industries the reporters have attacked. The NRA, the military, the police department, the NFL, Fox News, talkRADIO - all the stuff. The minute you say anything about their industry, they lock it down, you can't criticize.
GUTFELD: Right, how dare you?
WATTERS: Because they have to maintain their status and if their status is threatened, they run a mob at you.
GUTFELD: Yes.
ORTAGUS: All right.
GUTFELD: Well, coming up, more fun. Senator Spartacus, love that, has a new beef. His campaign against meat next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ORTAGUS: Senator Cory Booker is going to war against meat, all in an effort to save the planet. The 2020 vegan Presidential candidate is urging Americans to stop eating meat, saying "The tragic reality is this planet simply can't sustain billions of people consuming industrially produced animal agriculture because of its environmental impact. It's just not possible."
Booker also adding the eating eggs doesn't "align with his spirit."
MONTGOMERY: Oh God!
MONTGOMERY: I don't know what that means, but considering Greg is stuffing his face--
(CROSSTALK)
MONTGOMERY: I do - something I have to say about Booker, I think he's weird but I think it's authentic.
(LAUGHTER)
GUTFELD: That is true, he's authentically weird.
ORTAGUS: No, I think he means it. When he said eating eggs doesn't align with my spirit, I can visualize him, I can see him saying it, and I kind of like his weirdness.
WATTERS: Trump is blessed with the best enemies of all time. It's almost like he's casting his political opponents. He's the McDonald's President and he's running against a vegan. Think about the people running for President against this guy. You have a vegan, you have a fake Indian named Pocahontas, you have a coffee billionaire, you have people running around trying to abolish airplanes, people running around in black face.
This is going to be the greatest election of all time. This guy runs on a vegan campaign, Trump is going to say he's going to take away your hamburgers, he wants to take away your steak, Booker wants to take away your hot dog on the Fourth of July. This guy is going to be obliterated and it's going to be amazing watching the takedown.
ORTAGUS: Juan, you are not partaking in the meat festivities. We have some ribs and hamburgers here. Are you supporting vegan Presidential candidates?
WILLIAMS: I think mind supporting. I think as 10% of Americans are either vegans or vegetarians, so there obviously a lot of us who believe in this. I don't happen to eat a lot of it anymore. I once had prostate cancer and the doctors said maybe it's not the best. But you know what strikes me is you have Republicans, Ben Carson is a vegetarian.
WATTERS: Juan, don't try to normalize veganism. This is a political joke and the President is going to take full advantage of it.
WILLIAMS: I agree with you, this is a joke, this is a political joke.
WATTERS: It's funny.
GUTFELD: He wants to get rid of meat.
WILLIAMS: But you are making it out - and by the way, who called Warren Pocahontas? Only one guy I know who did that. But the point here is, oh this is supposed to be laughable, but you know what, a lot of people have serious questions about meat consumption. I remember Oprah Winfrey said this and then the meat companies went after her.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: No, no, wait, wait, wait, okay, I got to respond to that.
WILLIAMS: Good.
GUTFELD: Oprah Winfrey almost destroyed the cattle industry with false information. I mean, was it, pink meat?
WILLIAMS: She was not found guilty.
GUTFELD: Yes, but I will - I will say that there are legitimate - there are legitimate reasons to go vegan.
WILLIAMS: Yes, that's all.
GUTFELD: But I think that - being a apocalyptic about an issue never helps your issue. And saying that the Earth cannot sustain itself, you have to talk about, is there a way to move away from factory farming so you are less cruel to--
MONTGOMERY: You just go out and use a bow and arrow and--
GUTFELD: I have a great story, Cory Booker, a friend of mine had a friend who went on a date with him and said he was the perfect gentleman.
MONTGOMERY: Very good.
ORTAGUS: So, Kennedy, I-
MONTGOMERY: He's the one guy that--
ORTAGUS: There you go.
MONTGOMERY: And uses those—
GUTFELD: He's the perfect man, he's a vegan, he's into yoga.
ORTAGUS: I don't want a vegan eater.
MONTGOMERY: Yes.
ORTAGUS: So that's not perfect.
MONTGOMERY: You want to sit and talk about your feelings.
ORTAGUS: Shouldn't we be concerned about massive cow farts?
MONTGOMERY: Okay, first of all, sure. And as evolve as a society, people are eating more of a plant-based diet which is great. My problem is not with Cory booker's taste and his vegan fancies. It's with the fact that he wants to be the most powerful person in the world and he wants to impose his meat rationing on the rest of us. It's his world view and his--
WILLIAMS: Wait, Kennedy, where did you get that? Did he say that he wants everyone to follow his order? No.
MONTGOMERY: Absolutely. He's talking about--
WATTERS: He wants to phase out meat eating, Juan.
MONTGOMERY: He absolutely is, and that is--
WILLIAMS: I didn't see and maybe I missed.
MONTGOMERY: --that's a very thinly veiled subtext.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Let me ask you this, Kennedy, who's going to speak--
MONTGOMERY: It is demonizing cows. They want to get rid of cows, so people aren't eating beef. There's a war on beef.
WILLIAMS: You know what this is--
MONTGOMERY: I think we need to stand up for meat freedom.
GUTFELD: No, no, no, no.
WILLIAMS: No, in fact he said--
MONTGOMERY: Here's what I will challenge Cory Booker with, when you are eating a steak and you go nom, nom, nom, that is so delicious. What does Cory Booker counter that with?
WILLIAMS: He's fine, he says you have the right to choose.
MONTGOMERY: It's delicious. He did not say that.
WILLIAMS: He did, that's exactly what he said.
GUTFELD: Can I add one thing no one talked about. Who's going to speak up for the plants, right? Plants also are conscious. They feel pain.
WATTERS: Beto is going to speak for the plants.
GUTFELD: Thank God.
WILLIAMS: No, it's that chicken on the Chick-fil-A ad that says eat more cows.
GUTFELD: There you go.
ORTAGUS: I'm with Kennedy on this, and although Kennedy, you can't eat ribs or fried chicken with a fork, just FYI.
(CROSSTALK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATTERS: Time now for "One More Thing." Greg?
GUTFELD: Haven't done this in a while. I hate these people!
(LAUGHTER)
Nice. So I hate what I call the scroll of mortality. You know what the scroll of mortality is, is when you go online and you have to fill out a form to choose your birth date, and prove you are 21 and they start like at the late 2000s, like 2018, 2019, like somebody is actually that age one is filling out.
And so, I've got to scroll past the 2000s and then like scroll through the 1990s and the 1980s and the 1970s and 1960s. And then I'm wondering why am I even alive at this point? I get it, scroll of mortality, I'm getting old, I don't need to be reminded by you. Just start at the other end.
WATTERS: At least you can still use a computer.
GUTFELD: Yes, barely.
WATTERS: All right, Juan?
WILLIAMS: And by the way, my kids just say you have an AOL account?
(LAUGHTER)
ORTAGUS: Do you really?
WILLIAMS: No, I don't, I got rid of it. When you are blessed, you can be a blessing to others. That's what Reverend John-Wesley Howard of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Virginia and his church is - of his Church's decision to give $100,000 to help 34 Howard University students erase their student debts. Here's one student saying thanks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so thankful. I just wish I could come and just hug everyone. The fact that this weight is lifted off my shoulders, I am forever grateful. I will forever think about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: In addition, the church also donated $50,000 to North Carolina's Bennett College, it's one of the two remaining historically black schools for women. Here's to Alfred Street Baptist for making their faith so real, an enormous act of kindness, Judeo-Christian tradition, of faith made real, terrific.
WATTERS: Okay, speaking of terrific, Jesse's Hair News.
(LAUGHTER)
Well, that is not real. I like that. Okay, so there's this video from the biggest Kiss cover band in America, Greg's favorite Kiss cover band. This is Hairball guitarist Bobby Jensen, got a little too close to a pyrotechnic in Sioux City, Iowa.
MONTGOMERY: Is that a Pepsi commercial?
WATTERS: His hair caught on fire. He didn't freak out, just kept playing, like nothing was happening. His crew took good care of him though, didn't even stop the show.
GUTFELD: What is the name of the band?
WATTERS: Hairball.
WILLIAMS: Is that true?
WATTERS: And the actual Kiss, the real Kiss called these guys to make sure he's okay, and he's okay.
WILLIAMS: Really, Hairball?
WATTERS: Yes, that's the name of the Kiss cover band.
GUTFELD: That's what they call Gene Simmons.
WATTERS: Among other things. Kennedy?
MONTGOMERY: Wear your dreams before they may come true. There was a man in Jamaica, only goes by the name A Campbell, who won a $1.1 million lottery, and showed up to collect the check 54 days later in a Scream mask. I think this is so fantastic because it sucks when everyone knows who you are when you win the lottery, because then they want their money back from you and everyone still leech off of you. So, obviously this guy has friends and family with some real sticky fingers and high expectations. But he channeled his best A Campbell and went all the way to the lottery commission with the Scream mask to maintain his anonymity.
WATTERS: That's how I'm going to do it.
MONTGOMERY: Is that right?
WATTERS: That'll be white face. That's right, not offense. Morgan?
ORTAGUS: I've got one more thing about tigers and weed. So, apparently there is a nightmare that happened for some Houston residents. According to police, they received an anonymous call about a tiger that was found in an abandoned house. The callers admitted that they went to this abandoned house to smoke some marijuana and they thought they were hallucinating - it was some bad weed I guess - when they stumbled upon this large cat. Police say it was a 350-pound female tiger, well fed, living in an unlocked rinky dinky cage secured by nylon strap and screwdriver at the top of the cage.
WILLIAMS: Wow.
ORTAGUS: There you go. That was the moral of the story, it's there.
WILLIAMS: That's scary.
WATTERS: Yes, pretty good. All right, Greg, don't get any ideas.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: Set your DVRs. Never miss an episode of “The Five.”
"Special Report" is up next. Hey, Bret.
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