The Five react to Pelosi slamming media for not selling Biden agenda
Panel reacts to the House Speaker's marching orders
This is a rush transcript of "The Five" on October 13, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR (on camera): You can't see any of the people freaking out, you can't see any of the threats on supply of goods that will or will not make it for Christmas. All you see is the pristine beauty of a planet. And so, for Captain Kirk today, today that was good enough. Here's THE FIVE.
GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST (on camera): It's not exciting.
DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS CO-HOST: It's not exciting.
GUTFELD: Hi. I'm Greg Gutfeld with Judge Jeanine Pirro, Geraldo Rivera, Jesse Watters and if you lock your keys in the car, she can squeeze between the weather stripping, Dana Perino. THE FIVE.
President Biden finally addressing the supply chain jam that threatens to royal, yes, royal the holiday season. And also, Jesse, Jr.'s Christmas gifts. I know it's terrible. It comes amid a slew of bad headlines showing Joe's metamorphosis into Jimmy Carter is almost complete.
Americans are quitting their jobs at a record pace, 4.3 million left their posts in August. Inflation surging more than expected in September with consumers paying 5.4 percent more for goods compared to last year. And the White House is warning shoppers their stockings are going to look empty. Not mine. Outright saying there will be things that people can't get. Here's the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The port of Los Angeles announced today that it's going to begin operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Today's announcement has the potential to be a game changer. FedEx and UPS, two of our nation's biggest freight movers are committing today to significantly increase the amount of goods they're moving at night, but now we need the rest of the private sector chain to step up as well.
This is not called a supply chain for nothing. One of the reasons why I think it's very important that we get the infrastructure plan passed. We've seen the cost of inaction in the pandemic, in the delays, in the congestion that affect every American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD (on camera): Yes, it's up to you now to step up. The federal government that's in charge of the Postal Service saying earlier that they aren't actually the Postal Service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Can this administration guarantee that holiday packages will arrive on time?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are not the Postal Service or UPS or FedEx. We cannot guarantee. What we can do is use every lever at the federal government disposal to reduce delays to ensure that we are addressing bottle next in the system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD (on camera): No wonder the president's popularity is sinking faster than Hunter's nose in a mound of fine Bolivian flake.
PERINO: It's a chocolate bar.
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE: It's a cocaine joke.
GUTFELD: No, it's a chocolate bar. It's a Cadbury chocolate bar.
So, Dana when you hear about, it always comes down to now it's up to us.
PERINO: Yes.
GUTFELD: The government, we've already -- it's not really our fault.
PERINO: They build it, the president speech today, is the president is going to take action and then the action is that you are the problem. Like do you honestly think that there are any retailers or business people in America who don't want to sell stuff?
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: Of course, they do. And people, do you think the truck drivers don't want to get paid? Do you think the people -- the problems have been building for a long time? It takes about six months for one of these things to deal with it. So, Jesse Jr. might get his gift on Easter.
GUTFELD: Yes.
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: No.
GUTFELD: At this rate and, you know --
GUTFELD: He won't care. tell him it's Christmas.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: He'd be grateful. I also believe that we could actually -- we could have a segment on THE FIVE reading with a dramatic interpretation the chief of staff retweets and tweets about how great it is that unemployment is at 5 percent and this is great because now people are going to get paid more to do things.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: OK, however, sorry. Employers spent the last six months competing with the federal government for -- of enhanced unemployment, the benefits for the workers. They reduced their businesses. They cut their hours. They served fewer customers. You think that they don't want -- of course they do.
And maybe there are structural things that happened in the economy but what also has happened is the inflation. So, CNBC called it today a two percent pay cut for people in America. So, you can pay more but that means that people are also paying more at the grocery store, at the pump. It will be a dark holiday season. I saw one funny cartoon with Santa telling a little kid, sorry, we're also out of coal.
GUTFELD: You just bring up a great point. Judge, coal that creates energy, the Dems are saying, they're promising everything is going to get to every -- how does everything -- how this stuff get moved? It's fuel. It's fuel, which is like --
(CROSSTALK)
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST: Exactly.
GUTFELD: It's like, but what we're saying maybe is a premonition or a foreshadowing of what happens in the green new deal.
PIRRO: Yes.
GUTFELD: This is what we should be getting used to.
PIRRO: Right, right. Get used to the fact that you're not going to be able to get anything you used to get --
GUTFELD: Yes.
PIRRO: -- because we're now part of this new climate change, new green deal, --
GUTFELD: Yes.
PIRRO: -- you're not going to have anything. But what I love about this story the most is the ability of the White House to deflect. You know, while inflation is rising, wage earners aren't making more money, more people are quitting because they can make more money staying at home.
This is all the White House's problem and Donald trump predicted this last year. He said, this was going to happen. And, by the way, who's the genius who just figured out, you know, we can get more done if we work seven days a week, 24/7. Are you stupid? I mean, really.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PIRRO: So, this is what I think the problem is. I think people don't want to work. They're not getting paid to work. They think that there's a benefit at the end if they don't work, and the people who want to work can't get the jobs that they want to get.
GUTFELD: You know, Geraldo, I went and called BMW. Seems that your mini will not be arriving for at least another seven months.
RIVERA: I'm glad you brought it up, because my 16-year-old is driving, I'm very nervous about that but she's excellent. Here's my point and I think this helps solve this whole dilemma.
Unions have to listen to what I'm about to say. Come on board. Why do you have to be 21 years of age to drive these big rigs? Why not 18? Why not -- the hardest thing to do is employ inner city kids from 18 to 21. They graduate high school then you have to keep them legal until they can become a member of the police force or something like that.
It's very, very difficult. Eighteen to 21 let them be our drivers. They can pass these tests. It enormously increases the pool of available drivers and that I submit, it's not the ships, it's the trucks.
PIRRO: Yes.
RIVERA: That's why those containers are sitting on those docks --
PIRRO: Right.
RIVERA: -- and there's no one to drive them. Let the kids do it.
PERINO: Hey, that was on America's Newsroom this morning.
RIVERA: It was?
PERINO: High school student and professor. Yes, he's 18 years old, he's like I think I can have a career.
RIVERA: Great. Great.
PIRRO: But aren't they even talking about relaxing the requirements to be a commercial truck driver?
PERINO: Yes.
PIRRO: I mean, they should probably get to that.
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: Well, that one you could relax.
GUTFELD: I could never drive a truck.
RIVERA: And there's one more thing more controversial, if I may.
PERINO: It's hard to reach the pedals.
RIVERA: The Mexicans are great drivers. I just came back from Mexico, they're everywhere. Give temporary visas until my 18 to 21 plan comes into effect, give the Mexican drivers temporary, temporary, underline temporary visas and let them drive domestically in the United States to help.
PERINO: That was not on this room.
GUTFELD: You did not say Mexicans are great drivers.
PERINO: No. I mean, --
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: They're bringing -- they're bringing the best drivers.
PERINO: It can be true that they are great drivers.
RIVERA: This is the Geraldo plan. Good plan.
WATTERS: I don't know.
GUTFELD: Jesse.
WATTERS: It's not just the truck drivers, Geraldo. Look around the table. Where is this made?
RIVERA: China. China.
WATTERS: Where's this made?
RIVERA: China, China, China, China.
WATTERS: Everything around here is made in China. Now whose fault is that? It's Joe Biden and his buddies made sure that after the Cold War they brought all the factories from here all the way to China and East Asia. So now the American destiny is tied to China's destiny.
That's how we have a pandemic. That's how we have a supply chain problem. That's why Jesse Jr. is not going to get anything for Christmas. I'm sorry, Jesse Jr., it's China's fault and Joe Biden's fault.
GUTFELD: Have you talked to him about this?
WATTERS: No. But I hope he's not watching for many, many reasons. And Joe Biden had a great opportunity to do this, after the lab leak he could have been inaugurated and say guys we're going to make you pay the price, we're going to incentivize all these companies to remove these factories, bring them here, bring them to the western hemisphere, even if they're in our hemisphere. The shipping lanes are much quicker and much easier and just go south to north.
But, no, no, no. Imagine what the supply chain problem is going to look like if Taiwan blows up or the Chinese real estate bubble blows up or the next variant sweeps through that country. It's going to be a mess. You're going to order stuff off Amazon. It's never going to get here. You're going to have to build your own furniture. Do you want to sit in furniture I built?
GUTFELD: No.
WATTERS: Absolutely not. I don't even want to do that. So, he goes out there today and says, you know what, I'm going to call some companies so they can hire more drivers and then at the same sense he says, we need to go green.
PIRRO: Yes, right.
WATTERS: More truckers, make this a green economy, it doesn't make any sense. I could imagine Donald Trump if this had happened under his watch, he would have had in the Oval, he would have had the head of the trucking union guy, he would have had the shipping magnates there and he would have had a whole conversation, gotten some consensus there and said this is what we're going to do. Let's see it happens.
GUTFELD: It would have been great, just say your name, introduce yourself.
WATTERS: You remember what we used to do?
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Just around the table.
WATTERS: Right. And now Joe said he called someone.
PERINO: Steve Apple.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: I just want to mention one other thing. The president has not had a cabinet meeting since July 20th.
PIRRO: What I a shock.
PERINO: No time like the present.
RIVERA: Such a boring group.
GUTFELD: There you go. All right. Up next, Nancy Pelosi blames the media for the backlash to the Democrats radical agenda.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PIRRO: Democrats are getting upset that Americans aren't buying into their massive radical spending bills. So, are they looking inward and asking themselves why their agenda is so unpopular? Of course not.
Nancy Pelosi yesterday went after the media, blasting them for not doing the Democrats' job in trying to convince the American people to support the radical proposals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Do you think you need to do a better job at messaging and, going forward, how do you sell this if ultimately you have to --
(CROSSTALK)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, I think you all could do a better job selling it to be very frank with you because every time I come here I go through the list, family medical leave, climate -- the issues that are in there. But it is true. It is hard to break through when you have such a comprehensive package.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PIRRO (on camera): Well, you know, I love the fact that she says, you know, do you think that you need to do a better job of communicating what our job is in trying to get this bill passed. So, is this now like an open secret, Dana? Is she openly saying that the media is a messenger for the Democrats?
PERINO: Well, it's really interesting. Obviously, Republicans have reason to say that the media is bias, but if you ask a lot of Democrats, they think the media is bias against them as well. Hillary Clinton for sure will tell you that. When it comes to the New York Times and remember the Clinton global initiative, they broke that story all the e-mails, that kind of thing.
So, I would always just recommend this. If you're in the private sector and you have to hire a P.R. person, always hire a Republican. They've definitely had to work harder, they don't think anybody is going to be handed to them, they have to be more persuasive in their language and more precise in their -- on the merits.
Notice that we have not seen the text of this bill? And there's a good reason for that, because as soon as you start looking into it, people are saying, wait, we don't really like this. It's not a benign issue.
PIRRO: Yes.
PERINO: All the polls are saying, no, we don't really think we need this, we don't think it will help us. And so, they have an uphill battle. I just want to mention a couple things that are in here. Just to be clear for people. You need to talk about free child care? One of the things that they would do is gift this gift to the unions and they would require all pre- kindergarten providers to have a college degree.
RIVERA: Ridiculous.
PERINO: Do you think that that will reduce the cost of child care in America?
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: We already have a child care crisis. And they're demanding like how much they're going to get paid? There are already not enough child care providers.
PIRRO: Right.
PERINO: And do you need a college degree?
PIRRO: College graduate.
PERINO: You just don't need to have it. The other thing is, it would block faith based child care providers from participating in the program.
PIRRO: Yes. That's it.
PERINO: And that is wrong so that is where you get the culture war stuff into these bills.
PIRRO: Right.
PERINO: They don't have the text, but pay attention to it.
PIRRO: OK. So, Geraldo, she says only 10 percent know about what's in the bill, and --
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: I think that's an exaggeration.
PIRRO: But you -- let me finish, let me finish. Yes, I do, too. But she says, but if they knew what was in the bill, she's convinced Americans would support it.
RIVERA: Let's take the example that Dana makes about the pre-K. What is pre-K? I mean, I'm all for it, you get the kid and you want them to, you know, evolve as much as possible and be as ready for kindergarten as possible. Pre-K basically is day care, right?
WATTERS: Right.
PERINO: Yes.
RIVERA: I mean, in reality. So, when you insist that someone has a degree, a four-year degree to baby-sit your kid, of course it's going to just, you know, lard expense on -- an idea, you want pre-K, universal pre K, great. But to have a college degree unnecessary. I mean, none of my kids ever had, you know, that person.
PIRRO: Yes.
RIVERA: And they grew up fine and went to great schools, and you know.
PERINO: Not everybody has to go to college.
RIVERA: And that's the other thing, not everybody has to go to college.
PIRRO: OK.
RIVERA: And one thing I just want to say in my symbolic role here as progressive, I think that -- don't you think that Sinema and Manchin have to be more specific about what they want in --
PIRRO: OK. And that --
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: -- and what they want out rather than making people guess about what -- I think.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: They said they've been very clear.
RIVERA: It's very unfair.
PIRRO: I was going to ask Greg.
GUTFELD: What?
PIRRO: Will Manchin and Sinema fold or will they -- will they stick to their guns?
GUTFELD: I don't know. I don't know. I just think, I want to go back to what Pelosi said about the media because it's amazing that you can say that with a straight face but that's the advances of modern medicine.
WATTERS: Greg?
GUTFELD: Is it her fault to expect them to carry the water? I don't think it is.
PERINO: Right.
GUTFELD: She looks although the media the way you look at that friend that promises to help you move a sofa, and this is a huge, massive sofa, and they have just given up trying to move it for her. And she's like, come on you promised you were going to move this up the stairs.
She looked at the media in a way that, you know, they're in the same club. She's kind of right. She's kind of right.
PIRRO: She is right.
GUTFELD: But I do have to say she doesn't bother to hide her assumption of superiority. She really does see everybody else around her as like non- playing characters in a video game.
PIRRO: Right.
GUTFELD: Like she's playing the game and everybody else there is just there to deal with her.
PIRRO: OK. Jesse, AOC is actually warning Schumer and Pelosi saying you can't get rid of this, this and this so it looks like the progressives are at war with some of the mainstream Democrats there. I mean, she's basically threatening them. Is she the leader of -- the Speaker of the House?
WATTERS: Well, she's got a lot of juice, judge, and you know the progressives outnumber the moderates so she might be a leader in some regards. And the reason that the media doesn't want to cover the details of this thing because they know if they do no one is going to want it.
Because look at these details. Twenty-five million for butterflies. What do they need money for? How about eight billion for climate police.
PIRRO: Yes.
PERINO: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: I thought they want to defund the police. Not the climate police. How about illegal aliens get free college tuition, $643 million for culturally appropriate foods.
PERINO: Yes.
WATTERS: What is that?
PERINO: (Inaudible) at schools.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Taco Tuesday? Equity, eight million illegals get amnesty or they're going to fix racist roads and bridges, that probably just means they get to demolish statues that they don't like. Also, millions in grants for organizations that treat individuals suffering from loneliness, judge.
PIRRO: Wow. Tell them to watch THE FIVE.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: From loneliness now, people that are lonely get millions of dollars and it penalizes marriage --
(CROSSTALK)
PIRRO: It's terrible.
WATTERS: -- among crushing taxes for small business.
PIRRO: Thank you, Jesse.
WATTERS: You're welcome, judge.
PIRRO: Coming up, the Biden administration defending their plan for the IRS. This gets even better, to snoop around in your bank accounts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATTERS (on camera): Big government isn't backing down from snooping on your bank account. After causing a firestorm of controversy with a new proposal that would require banks to inform the government about accounts making transactions -- are you ready --over $600.
RIVERA: Big money.
WATTERS: Treasury Secretary Janey Yellen is trying to convince Americans that that really isn't spying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Does this mean that the government is trying to peek into our pocketbooks if you want to look --
JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Absolutely --
UNKNOWN: -- at $600 transactions?
YELLEN: Absolutely not. The proposal involves no reporting of individual transactions. We have a tax gap that over the next decade it's estimated that $7 trillion, namely a shortfall in the amount that IRS is collecting due to a failure of individuals to report the income that they've earned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS (on camera): But don't worry, Nancy Pelosi says the controversial provision will remain in the Democrats reconciliation bill despite a lot of public concerns.
Remember, judge, when they told us, no, the FBI is not going to be spying and listening to people? Next thing you know they abuse every law, spy and then leap.
PIRRO: Who was it who sat before Congress who said no, the NSA doesn't spy on us and then his eyes look left --
WATTERS: Clapper.
PIRRO: -- he said not witting -- James Clapper. Not wittingly.
WATTERS: Yes.
PIRRO: I hate it when people lie to me. I actually wrote a book called "Don't Lie To Me." Ok? Here's the problem with what's her name, Janet Yellen. She says it involves no reporting of individual transactions. We are not spying but there's a shortfall, a tax gap, a failure of some to report income.
There is a tax fraud. So, we're going to require banks to report every customer transaction over 600. She is lying to you. They are spying on you, $600 or more. Now the bank is now an agent of the IRS. OK?
WATTERS: And that's the point Geraldo, you can't have the banks deputized by the feds to snoop --
PERINO: Yes.
WATTERS: -- on American citizens
RIVERA: Well, we have that now. Let's remember that bank --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Not like this.
RIVERA: No. But my point is, the banks have been empowered and required to report transactions of $10,000 or more.
PIRRO: Yes.
RIVERA: Why? Because of dope dealers, you know, all the cash business. So, you get your stack of cash, you cash you write a check, you're laundering the money, the banks can see that illicit.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: But that's a lot different than $600.
RIVERA: No. It's a huge difference.
PIRRO: Right.
RIVERA: You know, many people don't let their spouse look at their checkbook.
PIRRO: That's right.
RIVERA: And to have the --
WATTERS: Many people including you.
RIVERA: -- IRS and the bank -- not me, my wife controls all our finances.
PIRRO: She does?
RIVERA: Yes.
WATTERS: That's not a good idea, Geraldo, especially with your finances.
RIVERA: At my age.
WATTERS: Dana, Yellen is not -- she doesn't have great P.R. right now. They put her out there, they tried to make this thing look OK and I don't think she did a very good job.
PERINO: Well, the other thing is, is that they are going --
PIRRO: She did a terrible job.
PERINO: -- I believe that they will drop this provision --
WATTERS: I do, too.
PERINO: -- before they ever actually pass it so they're taking on all of this water and negative press for a reason that -- for no reason really in the end.
WATTERS: And that makes it really bad.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: However, however, you know who this is really affecting? Young people who use Venmo.
GUTFELD: Yes.
RIVERA: Right? I didn't think of that.
WATTERS: Yes.
PERINO: Right? And like baby sitters and things like that.
WATTERS: Yes.
PERINO: And all of sudden, like wait, are you going to -- because it's income. If we were really serious about dealing with the issue of what Janet Yellen is saying is that people underpay, we would actually do a flat income tax or a national retail sales tax and end the income tax all together so that -- I think that would be a much more fair thing to do -- it's just that it's hard for people to get that in their heads and if anything is hard you don't do it in Washington.
WATTERS: Yes. The Venmo thing, I didn't even think about that, Greg.
GUTFELD: There are a lot of things you don't think about, Jesse.
WATTERS: I know. We could spend all day.
GUTFELD: Yes. I think that could be a special. It's that Jesse didn't think about.
WATTERS: On Fox Nation.
GUTFELD: Sunday at -- yes. Yes. Who wants --
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: We got room.
GUTFELD: But when you think about the fact that the Soho Gallery got a half a million dollars in PPP --
WATTERS: Yes.
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Yes.
GUTFELD: -- to show Hunter's paintings, right? You can flee -- that's taxpayer money that went to that gallery. But it's the taxpayers that are getting targeted and Hunter is not. That should make your blood boil. I love the fact that she didn't deny it. She said it's not happening, but then she goes, well, the reason we're tracking -- she gives you the reason. It's a shortfall. And they go, well, so the reason -- that -- you're -- that's not a denial.
You don't -- I am robbing you because I'm broke. No, you're supposed to say I'm not robbing you. But she didn't -- so she -- so she admits it's a power -- a power grab. And all of these people -- Tyrus said this a couple of nights ago on the show. It is about the waitresses, the bartenders, the small businesses. That money's not going to go into the bank.
RIVERA: Babysitters.
GUTFELD: You're going to have to start -- you're going to have -- it's going to go right back into the mattress.
PIRRO: That's right.
GUTFELD: 1800MATTRESS, the new bank.
WATTERS: That's right.
GUTFELD: A coffee can buried in the backyard. That's what I do, Dana, with money and other things.
PIRRO: And you won't need to see that dress.
DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: I was going to say, it goes into the basement.
GUTFELD: It's never been a better time to buy gold.
WATTERS: All right. William Devane and Greg Gutfeld.
RIVERA: I want to front one of those.
WATTERS: Coming up, Bret Baier is here with a brand new book and we have a surprise for him. Stick around. There he is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RIVERA: Elvis, my man. Our friend and colleague Bret Baier is here out with a brand new book. The book is called To Rescue The Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, The Fragile Union And The Crisis Of 1876, which is also the focus of a Fox Nation special that is available right now.
Bret, it's great to see him here at the table instead of on the -- you know, those awkward nightly handoffs to "SPECIAL REPORTS"
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: That's right.
RIVERA: Which we hear that Bret has been dreaming about.
BAIER: I know. I know.
RIVERA: So, we've cooked up a surprise for you, a special.
BAIER: Oh, good.
RIVERA: Here you go. Here you go. Here's the hand-off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: Dadbods, it's a thing. "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next with Bret Baier.
BAIER: That's a great way to end the show.
PERINO: Hey, Bret. The (INAUDIBLE) is done?
BAIER: I do. Thank you.
GUTFELD: Hey, Bret. Let's engage in some tomfoolery.
BAIER: That last minute and a half was titillating. Thank you, Dana.
What happened when Jesse went to the nude beach?
Twerking otters, that's a new one.
And I too was taken aback by the nipple ring news.
I'm just down here. I just can't seem to get rid of this filter. I'm here though. And I'm not a bear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERA: Do you worry, Bret, that your credibility as a serious newsman is imperiled by the fact that the juxtaposition following THE FIVE?
BAIER: You know, I think it really helps the ad-libbing you really have to be on your toes after you guys have --
PERINO: You got to watch "ONE MORE THING."
BAIER: -- your five bear stories and some other thing.
RIVERA: Ulysses S. Grant is one of my favorites. I mean, obviously Civil War general, became president of the United States. He also, and you make the point, save the republic by kind of horse-trading the White House for the end of reconstruction. So, does Ulysses Grant come out in your book as a good guy or a bad guy?
BAIER: Good guy. I mean, he's going to be, in history's eyes, I think, Geraldo, looked at as a much more significant president and consequential to terms in which you know, he fights the KKK. The 14th, 15th amendment are really because of Grant. And he holds the country together and that grand bargain that he makes as the 1876 election is happening.
So, he's gone up 13 spots in presidential historians rankings. And I think that they're going to look differently on him in the long, long term.
WATTERS: What I really like about this guy, I found out that he tried to annex the Dominican Republic. And that would have been a great deal, but the Senate rejected that and something that I'm not very happy with. But also I'm free to talk about the Indian Wars.
RIVERA: That's convenient. That's convenient.
WATTERS: Vicious during this presidency. I'm sure you learned some new things there.
BAIER: I did. You know, you have a really good researcher.
WATTERS: I do.
BAIER: He's really fantastic.
WATTERS: Johnny.
RIVERA: He toured that out of Wikipedia.
WATTERS: Wikipedia, yes.
BAIER: No, in fact, on Indian Affairs, he puts the first Indian American as the Interior Minister of Interior Secretary. He is trying to lean forward on a lot of things. Some things he falls back. A lot of times there are coverage of his corrupt -- corruption in his administration.
RIVERA: Drunk, was he drunk.
BAIER: He did not drink a lot in his presidency, but early on in his -- as a soldier, he did drank and he didn't hold his liquor well, unlike you. He was --
RIVERA: I'm drunk right now.
BAIER: He's pretty --
WATTERS: That explained it.
BAIER: He didn't hold his liquor well. But I think you're going to look back at this presidency and say, this is a big deal.
PIRRO: You know, I don't know his background, but he certainly, when it came to the Trans-Pacific or the transcontinental railroad in the east and the west, and then the markets from Asia, coming through the West Coast. I mean, that was a mission for him to make sure that that happened. Was this guy a visionary? What was he like as a person?
BAIER: He was pretty quiet, judge. I mean, he was really kind of an inner soul, sort of like Lincoln. He led by action and not by kind of, you know, run -- it wasn't all about him. He was pretty humble. Here's an example.
Lincoln calls him up to meet him as -- at the end of the war and says you're going to stay at the Willard Hotel. And so, he and his son go up there and he's rumpled uniform and his son goes in, and they look at him, and the guy at the desk says, we don't have any rooms for you. We've got a small little closet room.
RIVERA: This is when he's commander of the Union Army.
BAIER: He just finished winning the war. And he signs -- he says that's fine. He signs the registry. U.S. Grant, son Fred, and the guy looks at it and says, take -- come to the bridal suite. He was really well-liked by a lot of people.
PERINO: I have a question about kind of juxtaposing today. A lot of people will say like we're on the brink of civil war. How would somebody like Ulysses S. Grant who fought in one and helped prevent another one think of what we're going through today? It's like, are we really at the brink?
BAIER: So, as I'm finishing this book, I'm anchoring with you, actually, January 6th and the Capitol riot. And that's the start of the book as we're finding that out real-time. And I think going back to 1876, going back to the country literally on the brink of falling back into civil war, it gives you a perspective on things. And we've been through a lot as a country. And we could do a lot to look back uh to affect our future.
RIVERA: I just -- go ahead, Greg.
BAIER: I know you're going to save the best questions. Gutfeld.
GUTFELD: No, actually, it was -- it was a self-serving question because you are going to be on "GUTFELD!" tonight, exclamation point. Will you be rapping when you were on -- he's going to be on the show the whole time.
PERINO: About Grant?
BAIER: The whole time.
GUTFELD: Yes. Will you have a rap about Ulysses S. Grant?
BAIER: A Grant rap. I need to work on that.
WATTERS: So, what rhymes with Ulysses?
BAIER: It's a really tough one.
WATTERS: You have an hour.
BAIER: I have an hour.
RIVERA: So, as history is rewritten -- just very -- isn't it true though that Grant's great bargain perpetuated racism in the country, institutional racism?
BAIER: So, I love that question because as people look back at Reconstruction, they say this was -- this was a thing that institutionalized this to your point. The reconstruction was coming to an end anyway. The south was done with federal troops.
What Grant did was make a bargain that kept the Union together. And you know, the long term, there were many other presidents that could have come and changed the dynamics after that.
RIVERA: Thank you and good luck with the book.
BAIER: Thank you.
RIVERA: I'm delighted that tomorrow we'll see you at the big fiesta here in town.
Up next, hear with the great -- another great, William Shatner had to say about blasting off into space for real. That and more on "THE FASTEST."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: Welcome back. It's time for "THE FASTEST." First up, more than 50 years after playing the iconic Captain Kirk in Star Trek, 90-year-old William Shatner blasting off into space onboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin flight. And it was a very emotional moment once you landed. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR: It was so moving to. This experience is unbelievable. What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine. And I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. I hope I never recover from this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: I love that line. I hope I never recover from that feeling, Judge.
PIRRO: So did I. I mean, I love the line. That means he obviously loved the experience. He loved -- and for him, he's Captain Kirk. I mean, you know, it was great.
PERINO: Geraldo?
RIVERA: He went where no nonagenarian had ever gone. You know, a 90-year- old, he makes me feel young spry.
GUTFELD: You're next, Geraldo. I got -- I got a capsule out front. We're going to fire you into space.
RIVERA: Is the shape -- is the shape like Bezos?
GUTFELD: Yes. I put some wings on a mini. I was going to make a bunch of jokes, but I can't now because he's so sweet.
PERINO: He's so sweet.
GUTFELD: Yes, yes, yes.
WATTERS: You think those tears were real?
GUTFELD: Oh, yes, definitely. You know what? At least he didn't live up to his last name all over the capsule.
WATTERS: Greg.
RIVERA: You don't know that.
GUTFELD: Yes. I watched the whole thing. It was pretty fun to watch.
PERINO: Yes. How about you?
WATTERS: I just wish I knew Bezos and maybe he could get me up there one day.
PIRRO: Well, you could pay 250 and go on your own.
WATTERS: $250?
PIRRO: $250,000.
WATTERS: No, I have more better thing -- I had to pay for preschool.
PERINO: It's going to be expensive indeed. All right, we'll move on to the next one. A new survey finds four in 10 parents would ditch their kids in coach if the airline offered them a free individual upgrade to first class. Jesse?
WATTERS: Well, not Jesse Jr., but the twins I would definitely leave in coach.
GUTFELD: Wow.
WATTERS: They can -- they're 10.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: They can watch each other.
RIVERA: I think it's the gaudiest thing ever when you put little children in first class. It's so -- it's obscene.
PIRRO: Why?
RIVERA: Well, they need -- they're little skinny tissues and they're going to sit in first class?
PIRRO: Maybe -- look --
RIVERA: And the then lord over the people in row 17.
PIRRO: Look, here's the thing. The kids -- kids in the back, first of all, aren't going to go anywhere. They can't get off the plane. So, there's no problem with them sitting in coach. And there's no problem if you want to leave them in the back. But if you want to leave them -- if you want to buy a seat for them, buy a seat for them.
GUTFELD: I totally -- I just put them in the overhead bin. What's the problem there? You had -- end of discussion, right?
PERINO: What if they -- what if they put the kids in coach and then they're really misbehaving.
PIRRO: Yes, if they're like six or seven, what would you do?
PERINO: Yes, what would you do?
GUTFELD: Well, you know what, the thing is, that's the incentive. If you want to leave your kids in the back, that's an incentive to become an effective disciplinarian as a parent, so that you can leave your kids almost anywhere and they're like, perfect.
PERINO: Yes. You're one thing --
GUTFELD: Says the non-parent.
PIRRO: Or you could say -- you could say --
RIVERA: Easy for you to say.
PIRRO: The parents aren't on the plane. The kids -- the kids are orphans, you know, and then you don't have to -- you don't have to punish them.
RIVERA: So you're saying, like disavow them, they're your kids?
PERINO: No, I've never seen those children in my life. And finally, is Hollywood officially out of ideas. The classic American Christmas movie Home Alone is getting a reboot with a British family instead. Take a look at the trailer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my house. I have to defend it. Orange stripe, center pocket. That did not sound right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: Why do they sound smarter?
GUTFELD: They don't. Actually, I had an idea for ultimate Home Alone.
PERINO: OK.
GUTFELD: It's where the mom -- they just have abortions. So, there's just no --
WATTERS: Greg.
GUTFELD: No, so that the house --
RIVERA: That's like a crazy thing to say.
GUTFELD: So the whole house is completely empty.
PERINO: What?
GUTFELD: It's a moral statement.
WATTERS: The king of Late Night, everybody.
GUTFELD: It's a moral statement.
PIRRO: I have no idea what you just said.
PIRRO: I don't know what you're talking about either.
GUTFELD: No, it's like -- it's like we sit -- we sit --
PIRRO: Take it back.
GUTFELD: We celebrate children's movies in theaters but do we really -- does Hollywood really care? No.
WATTERS: Who wrote that joke, Gutfeld?
GUTFELD: I wrote it right here.
WATTERS: You did not.
PERINO: Jesse, would you watch this?
WATTERS: No. It's like the Office in reverse.
RIVERA: Yes, you will.
WATTERS: Remember how we took the Office from Brits.
PERINO: Yes. I live -- we lived in -- was there at the same time --
GUTFELD: The British office is so much better.
PERINO: It's good.
GUTFELD: But they only did 12 episodes.
WATTERS: Yes, I disagree.
RIVERA: Well, Kenan Thompson is in this one, my favorite Saturday Night Live comedian.
WATTERS: Of all the comedians, Kenan is your favorite?
RIVERA: Yes, he is. I really like him.
WATTERS: Geraldo, I give you permission to that back.
RIVERA: I ran into him at the -- not all comedians in the world.
PERINO: Oh, because you met him.
GUTFELD: Of course.
PERINO: Yes. This the standard. If Geraldo has met you --
WATTERS: If you met -- yes, if he met you.
PERINO: -- then you're the favorite. In fact, did you know he met Elvis and we don't mean Costello?
RIVERA: No, he --
GUTFELD: No, he met Costello in a Berlin bathroom.
PERINO: Oh, and also Elvis.
RIVERA: Elvis and Elvis.
PERINO: All right.
RIVERA: And my dog was named Elvis.
GUTFELD: There you go.
PIRRO: Did Elvis meet Elvis?
RIVERA: Elvis never met Elvis.
GUTFELD: That's a great question.
RIVERA: I don't know if Elvis Costello ever met Elvis Presley.
PERINO: Who is on first is his name Elvis. "ONE MORE THING" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUTFELD: Time now for "ONE MORE THING." Let's do this. Greg's Architectural Digest. You know, I'm very much into interior style.
PERINO: Oh, absolutely.
GUTFELD: So, this -- I was quite excited by this penthouse design for dachshund. Is that how you say it?
PERINO: Yes, I think so.
GUTFELD: Dachshunds. This is an actual penthouse. This man must not live in New York because that is the size of everybody's apartment in New York City.
RIVERA: So, that's for the dog?
GUTFELD: Yes. It's designed for the dog.
PERINO: Many dogs there, one -- I saw three dogs.
PIRRO: Oh, there's one, two --
GUTFELD: Yes, there you go. Yes, he's got it on fireplace. I don't know. I think it's -- I think he might have overdone it. I don't know. What do you guys think? He kind of overdone it?
WATTERS: I like it.
GUTFELD: Yes, of course, you would.
RIVERA: Let the kids fly in coach.
GUTFELD: Yes. All right, put them in the overhead bin. Jesse?
WATTERS: So, you remember it was Fox was his birthday a couple days ago. We have a new birthday to celebrate.
GUTFELD: I haven't even heard about that.
WATTERS: No? You didn't see it in the elevator?
GUTFELD: I did not. How old is it?
WATTERS: 25. Also, today is the Navy's birthday. Did you know on October 13, 1775, Dana, the Continental Congress commissioned two ships with 80 sailors each, and now we have tons of ships, tons of Navy personnel. And it our Navy, besides most of the other branches that military, that provides the dominance that we have as the world's largest superpower, greatest superpower ever.
We can project power all over the country -- all over the world.
PERINO: We need more though.
WATTERS: And fly aircraft off of it, and just dominate everywhere we want. So, Happy Birthday, Navy!
And tonight, "PRIMETIME," we have Senator Tom Cotton, Congressman Jim Jordan, Pete Hegseth, and Rachel Campos-Duffy, and Sean Duffy. We're just doing them together as a couple. That's the way we do things.
PERINO: OK. What's the topic?
WATTERS: I'm going to have to tweet about that.
PERINO: Would they ever -- would they leave their kids in couch.
GUTFELD: Have you even looked at the rundown yet?
RIVERA: Check Wikipedia.
GUTFELD: Have you looked at the rundown yet?
WATTERS: Of course I looked at it.
GUTFELD: Dana?
PERINO: All right, well, here are three bears. Here's some bears. They're just trying to figure out how to get in the hammock. I mean all of us have been there, right? Just like trying to figure out like whoa, can -- let me -- help me out here.
RIVERA: That's definitely (INAUDIBLE)
PERINO: We're just having the best time trying to get on there .There we go.
WATTERS: That's good.
PIRRO: That's adorable.
PERINO: It's pretty cute. I mean, you can't even get mad at them. You can't even shoo them away.
PIRRO: No. Come on. They may do it. No.
PERINO: No.
WATTERS: It's on a loop, Judge.
PIRRO: Yes, it's in a loop.
RIVERA: Your turn. Your turn.
PIRRO: Oh, it's my turn? OK, all right. Everybody loves a warm cup of Joe's from Starbucks.
GUTFELD: Not me.
PIRRO: I actually don't go to Starbucks. I go -- I go to Dunkin Donuts. But anyway, take a look. Here is a dog, a 12-week-old Rottweiler. And this is an adorable moment. He -- for the first time, Chico, this Rottweiler, is trying his very first puppuccino. The puppuccino is a mix of water and whipped cream.
Now, while owners should be careful how much dairy they give their dogs, an occasional puppuccino is considered safe. And not only is it safe for all you dog lovers, it's free.
GUTFELD: Where's it free?
PIRRO: Are you listening?
GUTFELD: No, I wasn't. I was --
PIRRO: OK, well, then you need to focus. At Starbucks.
RIVERA: I thought it's Dunkin Donuts.
GUTFELD: So, Starbucks now serves dog?
WATTERS: Yes. We gave Rookie a puppuccino.
GUTFELD: Really?
PIRRO: Starbucks --
RIVERA: I thought that was illegal.
WATTERS: He did a William Shatner everywhere.
GUTFELD: I thinking he would cause a bit of a mess.
PIRRO: OK, but it's a -- it's free.
RIVERA: There is no pumpkin shortage in Westchester County, your County.
PIRRO: That's right.
RIVERA: My grandchildren, this is Geraldo's these are my little pumpkins news with Geraldo. And here are my little pumpkins. That's Liam and Ella. She's six. He's four. In the back is JC. He's the big boy. In a couple of weeks, he'll be nine years old.
They're at Stewart's Fruit Farm in Yorktown Heights in Westchester. There's is plenty of pumpkins and the kids are having a bowl. And you know, the seasons are so vivid. That's the one thing you love about living --
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Do ever (INAUDIBLE) for great pumpkin, Geraldo?
WATTERS: In a bathroom in Berlin.
GUTFELD: Yes. He was out of --
RIVERA: That's a -- that's a real story.
GUTFELD: What a terrible --
RIVERA: And I am not going to tell you what happened.
WATTERS: Just tell us what happened.
RIVERA: No, I'm not going to tell you because he was naughty.
PIRRO: With Elvis or with the pumpkins?
RIVERA: About the pumpkins? No, he's talking about the Elvis Costello in the bathroom.
WATTERS: Just tell the story, Geraldo. We have 30 seconds.
PIRRO: You have 30 seconds.
RIVERA: No, he's a very cool guy. He just wanted to hang out.
PERINO: In the bathroom?
RIVERA: Not in men's room particularly. But he was also very humble. I mean for most crazy rockers, you think -- why are you laughing? You told me to talk about it.
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: Now the audience is going to be --
GUTFELD: You're not telling us what happened at the bathroom.
RIVERA: The audience is going to be -- we left the bathroom and hung out.
PIRRO: Where?
RIVERA: We're in Berlin.
WATTERS: You said, you got to hear what happened. And that's what happened?
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: That was a hell of a story. That's it for us. "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next. Hey, Bret.
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