'The Five' react to Trump challenging Dems to impeach him over Supreme Court pick
White House, Senate Democrats on course for political collision
This is a rush transcript from “The Five" September 22, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, everybody. I'm Jesse Watters, along with the Dagen McDowell, Juan Williams, Dana Perino, and Greg Gutfeld. It is 5:00 in New York City, and this is THE FIVE. It's game on. The political collision course over the Supreme Court is going forward. President Trump set to announce his nominee on Saturday, and Senate Republicans say they have the numbers to hold a vote.
The partisan infighting is just getting started. Here's just a small sample of what will likely be the nastiest confirmation fight we have ever seen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leader McConnell has defiled the Senate like no one in this generation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: None of them assert this majority would be breaking any Senate rule by holding this vote. It is just that our Democratic friends where they might not like the outcome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Senator McConnell is putting the Senate through now is so destructive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After Kavanaugh, everything changed with me. They're not going to intimidate me, Mitchell McConnell or anybody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: And that back-and-forth is just the beginning. Democrats making all kinds of threats to try to stop Republicans, that includes Nancy Pelosi doubling down on potentially impeaching the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your power to do this? I get the election, but you -- you can get up more -- you can speak out more. You can do more impeachments, things like that. Do you have enough power?
NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE SPEAKER: Well, we can impeach him every day of the week for anything he does. In fact --
(CROSSTALK)
PELOSI: Well, because -- look, American people want to know what we are doing that affects them directly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: And President Trump says bring it on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: They want to impeach me again if I nominate somebody as -- Constitutionally obligated to do to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Go ahead. I want them to do that. I want them to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: So Republicans were holding their breath the last 48 hours. And then Gardner, Alexander, and then today, Dana, Mitt Romney, I mean, I think everything is falling into place, it looks like.
DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: You kind of have to love Mitch McConnell who has the votes. And yet, is so calm and doesn't, you know, dance in the end zone or --
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: He's just calm, right? So he's like, yeah, I got the votes. And we'll have a vote. And he was very calm. And meanwhile, you have Schumer and Durbin and other Democrats outside with the poster board, you know, the old fashioned poster board, trying to say the McConnell is wrong on process. And McConnell wins that argument. So I think that was a huge game changer.
I do think that there will be a vote this year. I actually think it could be before the election, because in some ways, why wait.
WATTERS: Right.
PERINO: And also, I think when it comes to the Senate races that are on the line, and that is on the line. It helps Democrats in a couple but probably helps Republicans in more than it hurts for -- hurts them, probably four seats for Republicans and probably helps them have this fight.
WATTERS: Greg, did you know that Mitchell McConnell has defiled the Senate by holding this vote?
GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: What a verb. Put it -- a Democrat would know what defiling is. I mean, look at their cities. Dana, Happy Halloween. So I looked at the list of all the nominees, and they're all women, right? And we all have to accept that. It's like they're all -- there's going to be no guy, and that's not sexist, right? It's just that assume that it's going to be all women.
But there's one woman that is not on the list, hello, Judge Jeanine, right, right? I mean, if you are going to fill that seat -- I want her to be nominated because I have the title for her next book, which would be Courtrooms, Criminals, and Crooks, My Time as a Supreme Court Justice in Donald Trump's America.
WATTERS: Yes.
GUTFELD: Yes. OK, so to the impeachment thing -- you know what impeachment is for the Democrats and the media? It's the genie lamp that they keep rubbing, like assuming the impeachment is actually going to come out of the lamp. But those lamps only exist in cartoons like Aladdin. I'm pretty sure.
The Republicans should continue to employ the GFY of strategy, which is go after yourself.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: -- you guys have been smearing us for five years, calling us names. You keep threatening us. Why is -- when are you going to be nicer to us if we don't do this?
WATTERS: We expect that language out of Dana, not you.
GUTFELD: The bottom line is if you got the ball, you've got to score.
That's all you got to do.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Let's go to Juan. Juan, what is there -- I know. I know.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: -- not only that, but we go back to defile, because I think -- I was glad that he didn't tell us what that means. That's all what I'm saying.
WATTERS: Can the Democrats do anything procedurally at all to slow down or stop what it looks like is coming in the Senate?
WILLIAMS: I don't see it, Jesse. I think that what we learned today is that the Republicans are going to stack the Supreme Court. They're going to have a 6-3 majority. And I don't think there's much they can do about it.
In the short run, Trump will use this. The big question is how does it affect the presidential race? Because I think right now, it looks like, as everyone said, McConnell has the votes and he intends to use his power.
It's brutish, but he's going to do it. I think it really does hurt the institution. But so be it. That's the way it is in (Inaudible) polarized political system at the moment. But I say it's how -- it affects the presidential race. And right now, I think the president is using to distract from his primary liability, which is his failure to deal with Coronavirus.
So, you know, today we learned 200,000 plus have died from Coronavirus in this country. And I think right now, he doesn't have, you know, he doesn't have any answers. And I think, you know, the added vote on the court, given that there is an Obamacare -- case coming up right at the week after the election. So I think pre-existing conditions and the like right there on the ballot for Democrats to see.
He said because it's, you know, young people are not going to get sick.
Healthy people are not going to -- we know he's wrong. I think he knows he's wrong. He told Bob Woodward he's wrong, but he says this stuff. You know, to me, that's why -- you know, I think this former Pence aide, this young woman who came out and said, you know what, I can't do it, I quit.
And then she said Trump said, oh yeah, I'm glad to have Coronavirus because it means I don't have to shake hands. I think people should pay attention.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: And you paraphrased him completely incorrectly. As for the 200,000, that was a prediction that was even made by experts after you flatten the curve.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: If you flatten the curve --
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: -- between one to two million. And by the way, replacing -- filling a vacancy isn't stacking the court, right? We know what stacking the court really is. It's adding more judges, OK?
WILLIAMS: No. Stacking is when we don't let Democrats legitimately nominate a candidate --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: the president nominated Garland, the Senate just didn't --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: There's a difference --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Six weeks out. You say --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Dagen, let's let Dagen get in here. Juan says it's a distraction
-- that he's talking about this vacancy on the court from COVID-19. I see it as him fulfilling his constitutional obligation to nominate someone to fill that vacancy. What do you say?
DAGEN MCDOWELL, FOX NEWS HOST: You know who controls the power of the purse (ph), the Congress and Nancy Pelosi. So where the hell is she in passing a new stimulus bill? There's a compromise -- bipartisan compromise,
$1.5 trillion. You're going to get, what, $450 extra per week in unemployment benefits? There are -- more than 12 and a half million of people just collecting extra state employment benefits.
Extra $1200 checks, half a trillion dollars to the states, the blue states, the leaders of which don't know how to do math. Nancy Pelosi is talking about impeachment. Where is she on this? She left town. And she left unemployed Americans, millions of them in the lurch. She left town residents passing even a small, a skinny bill. And I've been thinking about this.
Why are the Democrats huffing and puffing so much and caterwauling about the hypocrisy, like, pulling their shirt collars? Because they got themselves into this, this is pure misdirected outrage and self-loathing.
It started with Harry Reid seven years ago, got rid of the filibuster. Then Donald J. Trump beat Hillary Clinton.
He's going to have three Supreme Court Justices appointed in his first term, potentially. And then you have -- the Senate is in a better position because of the four Democratic senators who voted nay on Justice Kavanaugh.
They lost their seats. So Mitch McConnell is in a better place. So you know what, I would be hating myself, too, if I was a Democrat, because here we are.
WATTERS: The self-loathing Democrats, more on that. Coming up, Sleepy Joe ignoring the Supreme Court fight to focus on COVID, will that end up costing him? That's next on THE FIVE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MCDOWELL: Welcome back. Joe Biden ignoring the Supreme Court fight on the campaign trail yesterday. Instead, the former VP focusing on blaming President Trump for the pandemic like he's been doing for months. It looks like the strategy is already starting to backfire. Biden is refusing to even answer questions about who he would nominate for the Supreme Court, President Trump quickly using that to his advantage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They don't want to show the judges, because the only ones that he can put in are far left radicals. And if he does something even toward the left of center, which would be acceptable, I guess, we have no choice. If he did that, he would lose the left. So he's going to have to put in radicals, so he doesn't want to show who his judges are. He doesn't want to do that.
Because if you found out who he was going to pick, he would be unelectable.
Hopefully, he's going to be unelectable anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCDOWELL: Dana, does this hurt Biden?
PERINO: The Supreme Court thing, possibly. Well, let's see. I think it helps Trump. And Trump needed a little bit of a boost, right? So for Joe Biden, this election is all about COVID-19, everything. And he ties everything to it, right, the economy, healthcare, jobs, racial injustice.
Everything about his campaign, he can tie back to COVID-19.
So I can understand why his campaign is saying let's just stick to our knitting. It's been working for us. Let's just keep going in this direction. But news happens. A little September surprise, we don't know what October could bring. I think -- I don't blame Joe Biden for not releasing a list of names, probably for what President Trump says, right?
Because there is a fractious Democratic Party and you have a center left group, and then you have progressives. No matter who he puts out there, they're not going to be satisfactory. Plus, the conservatives had a long history of working on judicial nominations. And so they had a list that President Trump was very willing to put forward.
The thing about for Joe Biden is if he wants to make the case about COVID-
19 and make this election a referendum on COVID-19, then he should do it.
But that means that he has to make the case. And yesterday, he tried to do that on a day when everyone's talking about the Supreme Court this morning.
They called the lid at like 9:15 in the morning, which means that you're not going to see the candidate for the rest of the day.
They're not out there making the case. So if he wants to make it about Coronavirus, fine. But you still have to get out there and do it. You can't just expect millions of people to come to their own conclusion.
MCDOWELL: Well, I think that that's why they're staying on Coronavirus, Juan, because he does really well in polling, just on fighting the pandemic. But he needs to justify the fact he's been locked up in his house and not really doing much for months and months and months, and that's his only excuse.
WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know. I don't know. But I do know about today, Dagen. And I think the reason he put a lid on early was because he had two fundraisers. He wants to maintain what is now an advantage in terms of cash on hand.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: -- I mean, Hillary Clinton had more money than Trump.
WILLIAMS: Right. But I think that right now he wants to maintain an advantage on the cash funds, so he had two fundraisers. It's not that he was an active. But, you know, just to get back to the topic you started on, Dagen. I think not having a list, in my experience, is normal. I think what's abnormal is Trump committing to a list, and a list provided by a conservative legal group, the Federalist Society, it's incredible.
I don't know if people realize that if Trump gets another person on the court, six of the nine people on the Supreme Court will have been recommended and are members of one group, the Federalist Society.
PERINO: What an accomplishment.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: -- no, it wasn't you. It was President Trump, Dana, who said, oh, he's afraid. You know, because if he puts a list out with all these far left people, wait a minute. Have you seen the Federalist Society?
(CROSSTALK)
MCDOWELL: That's a talking point from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse because he's trying to smear the people who are on --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: That's no smear. That's just the truth.
MCDOWELL: Yes, it is.
WILLIAMS: How's that a smear? Is it a truth? Is it a fact? It's a fact.
PERINO: The Federalist Society is like the Chamber of Commerce for lawyers.
MCDOWELL: Jesse.
WATTERS: I would say the story right now is that Biden is beholden to his radical base. And he got elected because he went just far enough in the primary to say, you know what, have those people think we can control the sky, because he went so far left on taxes, immigration, healthcare, and trade. And so after that, the Democrat base went so far left with the riots.
And now, they are saying they want to pack the court. Biden is stunned into silence. Biden didn't say anything about the riots all summer, Biden who was always kind of a law and order Democrat, is now saying nothing about that. And he said in June he was going to release a list of names for the Supreme Court. So there was going to be a list of black women.
And now, he is saying he's not going to say that. And a year ago, he's on tape saying that I don't think we should pack the court. But now, when he's asked that question, he says, no, I don't want to say anything. This is going to give Trump ammunition. The reason he's not saying anything, and Trump is right. If he says we will pack the court. That just admits he's the Trojan horse for the radical left.
If he says no, we will not pack the court, which I believe he believes in.
That depresses his base and they don't turn out. And it exposes the rift that's there. And that rift is being exposed right now. There's only one candidate that has a strong consolidated base right now. That's Donald Trump.
MCDOWELL: Greg?
GUTFELD: I love how the Dems do manipulate words, like packing the court is now called reform, right? But what is packing the court? It's basically adding more referees onto the field that are actually on your team. It's a flaw that anybody could exploit. So whoever is in power could just pack more judges under the court. It's a flaw that probably should be changed.
But the way they are framing it, they are framing it as reform by actually packing the court. And to the COVID thing, what drives me crazy is that the Democrats have first came out with this line of reasoning that we shouldn't be politicizing the virus, even though they called the travel ban racist because they hate Donald Trump.
And then they tried to hold up the funding because it's Donald Trump. And now, who is politicizing COVID? Joe Biden, it's his entire campaign. And I think that Trump has got to fight back on this, because the two -- you see everybody in the media is like 200,000, 200,000 in the prediction. That was the low end. It was like 140-200 if you did everything right. If you didn't do anything, it was two million.
So Donald Trump could actually argue that. If you are going to say I killed
200,000 people, I could say I saved 1.8 million lives. Because it's essentially the same argument, it's un-provable, because you don't have a parallel universe where Joe Biden or a Democrat was president, so nothing they say could be proved.
In fact, I guarantee you in a week they will say that Donald Trump had Justice Ginsburg killed. That's how crazy -- they are running out of crazy stuff to say. I'm going to help them with that completely absurd suggestion.
MCDOWELL: Up next, Joe Biden, he has a major blind spot, the one thing that Democrats fear could cost him the election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIAMS: President Trump getting ready for a big rally in Pittsburgh tonight, while Joe Biden off the campaign trail. It comes as all eyes turn to the big debate one week from tonight. Some Biden allies now concerned a poor performance could hurt him. A new article from The Atlantic saying, quote, "almost every Democratic operative I've spoken with in the past few weeks remains petrified that Biden is going to bungle the debates in a way that costs him the election", end quote.
Jesse, I'm thinking to myself, boy, those Democrats, they're sneaky. Are they are trying to lower expectations for Biden?
WATTERS: Probably. Juan, I've been following presidential debates since I was 18 in 1996. I've seen, like, 18 presidential debates. Only two times has the media declared the Republican the winner. Once, the first debate between Bush and Gore, when I was sighing heavily into the microphone, and then that first Obama-Romney debate, where Romney just decimated him.
And Obama seemed very bewildered. So according to history, Joe Biden will be deemed the winner of this debate no matter what happens. Yes, he's been debating for 47 years. I wouldn't say it was that difficult to beat this crop in the spring. How hard is it to debate a socialist? It's not that hard. But remember, he used to walk out on stage with bloody eyeballs.
He got cold cocked by Kamala. He confused his own website. He called Bernie Sanders President Sanders. I wouldn't say it was a strong performance. And here's is his weakness when he goes against the president, and he has to have been practicing because when he calls lids (ph) every other day. He goes out there. He gets very defensive when he has to defend his record, very angry and very frazzled.
That's where Trump will pressure him right there. He's also not quick on his feet. He doesn't have these quick retorts that the president has. All he'll say is come on, man. And oh, he's lying. But he won't be able to specifically counter that. And also, he's not having a strong field at the base. He doesn't know how his base feels about fracking or healthcare for illegals.
So there are kind of things where you're unsure. You make a lot of unforced errors. Then lastly, these debates are won in these kinds of moments, these viral moments. Trump creates the viral moments. Joe Biden does not have a history of creating those memorable moments that go viral and decide these big moments.
WILLIAMS: All right. So Greg, we were talking earlier about COVID. So is it reasonable to think Trump is going to have to produce something about Coronavirus? Is he going to have to say here's my plan?
GUTFELD: Well, he has already. But I mean, to the point that -- Joe Biden's expectations are so low for his performance, that if he shows up in the bathrobe isn't open, he wins. But this -- I think -- now to your point about COVID, OK? I think that -- if this debate doesn't go off the rails in the first 10 minutes, I will be shocked because of what Biden says about Trump.
His entire plank is about Trump, right? Trump is a murderer, to the COVID thing. Do you think Trump is going to let that slide? Trump is going to have to be, like, this is the first time he's ever had to defend his record in a debate. So he's got this guy who's basically got nothing but you're a murderer. You're a racist with the fine people hoax. You drink Clorox.
He's going to say these -- it's up to Trump to match every one of those things with a fist, you know, metaphorically speaking, right back at Joe.
Because -- if not, I think that Joe has a chance. But he's going to have to fact-check Joe.
WILLIAMS: All right. Well, Dagen, you're our financial expert. Now, what'll Trump do in terms of saying to the American people I know how to fix this economy.
MCDOWELL: Well, it goes back to his record before the pandemic shut down, where you had incredible gains in incomes. You had the poverty rate at the lowest level in 60 years. And work -- like, working men and women were making more money than even their bosses. He will focus on that.
He'll focus on the private sector getting a vaccine out where you're going to have probably the entire population of the United States vaccinated maybe by the middle of next year.
But all Trump has to do is some rope a dope. This debate is not won or lost for Joe Biden in the first 30 minutes, it's the last 30 minutes where his mind starts wandering and the briefing books have gone right out of both of his ears, and he's starting to think about that bedtime snack and that hot cup of cocoa. You go back and read some -- read the transcripts, I won't bore you. Read the transcripts of what Joe Biden, some of the answers toward the end of debates, their doozies. Remember the record player?
GUTFELD: How long is the debate? Do we know?
PERINO: An hour and a half, I think.
WILLIAMS: Yes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes.
GUTFELD: They should make it three hours.
WILLIAMS: So, Dana, the court is going to come up and the whole issue of the additional justice. And so, I imagine they might say to Donald Trump, do you want to overturn Roe v. Wade. What does he say?
PERINO: Well, I think that he'll say that if that case comes before the Supreme Court, I'm confident that the court will rule based on the rule of law, etcetera, etcetera. I think that he'll have an answer for that. I think on some of this is that remember, there won't be an audience. And I think that that is different. I think it's better for people that are watching so that you can -- there's no cheers or jeers, and so it is just the two of them.
Sometimes these viral moments aren't actually anything spoken. It could be the sigh, or remember, was it 41 that was looking at the watch, and then that was bad. And then do you remember Al Gore like came up to like, try to like, invade 43 space and he's like, looks at him. That's like that was the moment of the debate. It was like, who the heck do you think you are?
I don't know if they'll be able to do that with -- in this moment. We'll see. But I also think that Democrats, by putting this out there now, they call them bedwetting Democrats. They are so nervous. They have they always do this. I was I was listening to David Axelrod's podcast where he was talking about, they're always nervous that you're not going to have enough money. He does have enough money. You're not going to have ground game.
They do have the ground game. He's not going to do this. He's not going to do that. And it's just a little bit too much of a worrywart syndrome.
WILLIAMS: All right. Coming up, a CNN host calls to "blow up the entire (INAUDIBLE).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUTFELD: As President Trump prepares to fill a seat, Don Lemon fills his diaper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN: No matter what happens, everybody sticks with their team.
DON LEMON, ANCHOR, CNN: We're going to have to blow up the entire system.
And you know what we're going to have to do?
CUOMO: Yes, I don't know about it.
LEMON: You know, Oregon? You know what we have to do you?
CUOMO: You just got to vote.
LEMON: Honestly, from what your closing argument is, you're going to have to get rid of the Electoral College.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Yes. Extremism is in at CNN, a symptom of cognitive failure. For to hold such extreme notions, you must embrace the irrational. As for real problems, just deny. Yes, the guy who wants to destroy the system actually denies it when people are actually destroying the system. Remember, there's no crime because we dined in New York City.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We went out and had a great dinner in New York City tonight. People actually walked up to us and said thank you for -- I watch you every night.
I can't believe. They thought they didn't do a double take at as actually hanging out and not seeing us on the T.V. screen. But New York City was not, you know, hellscape was it?
CUOMO: I mean, that one guy ran by with the machete who tried to get -- no, of course, it isn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Nice journalism there, champ. No wonder CNN is now just weekly world news with Botox. Hey, I didn't get stabbed. Waiter, more Pino. This is the same guy who mocked the mayhem until the polls mocked him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Democratic cities are in chaos right now. Is this what you want from Joe Biden? And they're going to take your country away and they're taking down the statues and --
CUOMO: Crime is rising, and they'll defund police.
LEMON: Crime is rising. Oh, my gosh, it's so bad.
The rioting has to stop. Chris, as you know and I know, it's showing up in the polling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: So, the stats, the crimes, the victims, the torch city blocks, they don't exist until the polling says so. Worse, after forever denying provable violence, they still scream about an imagined hell that will come if Trump does X or Y. But these apocalypses never come unless they themselves create them. Meaning, they use their premise of a future Trumpian hell to validate the actual hell their own business model creates.
They envision Trump destroying society, but they're doing the real work excusing the real chaos, which happened. Here's a summary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nationwide unrest sparked by the police killing of George Floyd could lead to the highest insurance payout of its kind in history. Damage from looting and arson will cost one to $2 billion in claims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They took everything. They took medications like in a patient medications that we had. The empty all the shelves. They destroyed our computer system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) this new bar in a restaurant. This was like a dream. In the last 48 hours, it just -- everything just disappeared. It's gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: As crime surges, citizens flee cities and the police resign. We know what's coming. And when it comes, you know who will still be calling it a peaceful protest from a secure location? Pino in one hand, 9/11 on speed dial in the other.
So I'm always amazed, Dagen, that the Democrats can imagine this incredible apocalypse from everything Trump does, which never happens. Why the stuff that's actually raging, nothing to see here.
MCDOWELL: Well, because they only talk to themselves. They live in that echo chamber. You only need to go into the streets of New York City and ask people, hey, you know, anybody who's been assaulted in the last week? Hey, you know, anybody whose car has been stolen. And this bears -- this is in the numbers.
Now, I'm not going to sit here and quote statistics. But the reason that the liberals and the left-wing lemmings and the media want to shut you up and basically act like all victims are lying, because it doesn't fit their political narrative. And people are -- in the Democratic Party, they're worried because in this city, with the bail reform, no enforcement of quality life crimes, disbanding of the plainclothes street crime units, you name it, that's created a surge in crime.
They have turned their backs, these idiots, on the people who live here. It is coming to other cities. This is a place with the left-wing leaders, they coddle criminals, and they allow violent protests to just run amok. And it is coming for other cities because guess who's in favor of bail reform? Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
GUTFELD: Yes. Jesse, I'm sure you have montage envy.
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: That was pretty good, Gutfeld. I did like how Lemon use that as an opportunity to say he was recognized at dinner. I hope you guys caught that one.
GUTFELD: That's true.
WATTERS: In New York City, imagine. Listen, Greg, they've been lying and leaking. They've been unmasking and borking, and boycotting, and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. But now, now, they're going to blow up the system.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: Like, what have they been doing? Like, where we've been seeing them do this. So just 10 years ago, Barack Obama, he had the White House, the Democrats had the Senate, they had the House. He's won the Electoral College twice. He's put two people on the Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court ruled for gay marriage. Like everything was good, right?
PERINO: The system was great.
WATTERS: The system worked fine. Then the Republicans, they said, you know what, let's get the people to help us get our power back, and they did that within the system. They didn't try to blow it up. So, what we have now is this. The Democrats are like a football team that keeps losing, and they want to blame the rules. And they asked their fans to say, hey, we're playing fine. The coaches are doing great. It's the rules that are causing us to lose. And the stupid fans, AKA Democratic voters, they're going along with it. They're saying, yes, it's the rules, it's not the terrible players and the coaches.
GUTFELD: What do you think, Juan, what Jesse just said.
WILLIAMS: Well, before I get to Jesse, let me just say, you guys talk about, you know, anarchy chaos in the streets. And I think, wow, Donald Trump has nothing to do with this spike in hate crimes under which president?
GUTFELD: He didn't loot my neighbor.
WILLIAMS: Oh, Donald Trump. How about this? Now, what does the FBI --
GUTFELD: How do you -- you have to link it, Juan.
WILLIAMS: Hang on. Hang on. Let me finish. What does the FBI say is the number one threat, domestic terrorist or in country? White supremacy is what --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Did hate crimes cause $2 billion in damage? Did they cause $2 billion in damage, Juan?
WILLIAMS: No, you guys don't want to hear this because it's just so plain to everybody. What a divisive president. What a divisive president.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: But let me just say -- I want to go back to your monologue, because I think you're missing something here. I think you don't understand how frustrated people on the left are, Democrats, at the idea, for example, that, you know, the Republicans are the majority of the Senate, but actually Democrats represent 40 million more people in this country in terms of their democratic minority in that senate. You don't understand how
--
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Hang on. Hang on. You don't understand how frustrated Democrats are that they have won, I believe it's four of the last five elections in terms of popular vote, but guess what, the game gets changed because of this or that. And suddenly, Republicans are in the White House with the exception of the two Obama elections.
So when it comes to saying how do we deal with racial justice, how do we deal with economy economic issues? Hey, Democrats say wait a minute, this is a tyranny. We never get a voice. The Republicans who are a minority of the voters are in fact dominating this democracy.
WATTERS: Juan, it's not a tyranny, it's a constitutional republic.
WILLIAMS: Oh, yes.
WATTERS: Those rules about the government, they've never changed. They've been in place since the 1700s. To complain now because you're out of power, just looks like you're being a whiner.
WILLIAMS: No, it doesn't. It looks to me like you're saying this country has changed and we need to address it because right now we're allowing the minority to rule over a majority.
WATTERS: No, no. You've changed. The country stayed the same.
WILLIAMS: The country has not stayed the same. Most Americans don't live in the country anymore.
WATTERS: Juan, the Senate has been there since the 1700s. Don't complain now when you're out of power.
WILLIAMS: And you're a farmer? Are you a farmer? Are you a farmer? That's what Americans were back then.
WATTERS: No, but I go to Whole Foods. I love Whole Foods.
PERINO: I can make it quick.
GUTFELD: It's so great to back together.
PERINO: You know, I love the Electoral College and I can do a whole thing on it, but I won't. I was (INAUDIBLE) right now. I would just say this. Do you remember when Sarah Palin said that she had targeted sites for --
GUTFELD: Right.
PERINO: Right? And then the media said, oh, she is targeting actual people for violence.
GUTFELD: Right.'
PERINO: Or when President Trump has done some of these memes and they're funny but they're like he's inciting violence. When they say that they're going to blow up the entire system, nobody bats an eye.
GUTFELD: Yes, especially after all the -- all these cities are burning. Bad language, Don. So, what's it really like being back in studio? We'll tell you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: So, we are thrilled to be back in the studio, but we're still getting used to the new set. We're a little far apart so we won't take it around the semi-circle. I love the idea yesterday of the Lazy Susan for food to like come around. What about you, Greg?
GUTFELD: I don't know. I feel bad for all those women named Susan.
PERINO: Yes.
GUTFELD: But what's great about this distance, I don't have to shower. You guys can't smell me which is really, really good. But although I do feel like that I'm having to yell when I don't have to.
PERINO: Yes, we're good.
GUTFELD: Because we're far away and I'm yelling and everybody can see my shoes, there were better lit so I have to make better shoe choices.
PERINO: Those are pretty good ones.
GUTFELD: I loved these.
PERINO: I mean they're wrapped with green duct tapes.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: Why do they have duct tape?
GUTFELD: These are Garcon.
PERINO: That was the fashion.
WATTERS: You are a man of the people, Greg.
GUTFELD: Really?
WATTERS: Expensive French shoes. That was French, was it?
GUTFELD: I got in Japan.
WATTERS: OK.
PERINO: Anything you would do different, Jesse, on the set?
WATTERS: The only thing that worries me with the distance is because, you know, we used to have a thing, Dana. When I was about to say something controversial, I would ask for you to hold my hand and squeeze it. We can't reach anymore. I have a solution.
PERINO: OK.
WATTERS: Before I say something controversial, I'm going to ask you to squeeze my -- what do I call this?
GUTFELD: I don't know. Is it a can grabber?
WATTERS: OK, maybe you should -- yes.
GUTFELD: A can grabber.
PERINO: Do we put this around your neck, or how does it work?
WATTERS: Yes. Many people would like that.
PERINO: All right, Juan, what about you? I like a -- I need a pointer stick.
WILLIAMS: A pointer stick. I think that's for picking up trash, isn't it?
WATTERS: That's right.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
WATTERS: You know what, De Blasio won't do it, so I'm going to --
WILLIAMS: I know. I know.
PERINO: A do it yourself city.
WILLIAMS: No. Well, I mean, actually, this is fine with me. I think it's kind of interesting. And I like the conversation when -- as a group. I think the dynamic is good.
PERINO: How about you, Dagen?
MCDOWELL: I have problems with my posture, so this chair is not good for me.
PERINO: I know.
MCDOWELL: In real life, I look like Mr. Burns, like this. And clearly, I was feeling overconfident because I chose this dress. It's not a good pick.
PERINO: I think it's a good pick.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
PERINO: We're working on it.
GUTFELD: Do you know how I pick up trash, Dana? Beer and cigarettes.
PERINO: All right, "ONE MORE THING" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATTERS: It's time now for "ONE MORE THING." Dana?
PERINO: OK, it's time for this.
WATTERS: Yes.
PERINO: Corny jokes. I have them over from yesterday because they are so good. These are New York related, OK.
GUTFELD: Oh, great.
PERINO: Coming back to New York related. Number one. Why did Eve move from the Garden of Eden to New York City?
GUTFELD: Great ribs?
WILLIAMS: Big Apple.
WATTERS: Big Apple.
PERINO: Yes. Very good. Juan is good at these. Where does Dwayne Johnson go when he visits the city?
WATTERS: Rockefeller Center.
PERINO: 30 Rock.
WATTERS: Darn it.
WILLIAMS: No, you got it.
WATTERS: Oh, it was perfect.
PERINO: Why did all the Staten Island's girls' wishes come true?
GUTFELD: Because there's a fairy there.
PERINO: Yes, fairy god mother. How does the honey enthusiasts get around the city?
GUTFELD: Takes the B.
PERINO: Yes, the B train. I know you guys would do well. Where do Trump supporters go when they visit New York?
WILLIAMS: Wall Street.
PERINO: Yes, very good.
WATTERS: Oh, Juan.
PERINO: OK, the last one. Where did I get these amazing jokes?
WATTERS: I don't know.
PERINO: Come on. Corny Islands.
WATTERS: Oh, that was really good.
WILLIAMS: I like -- I like the New York thing.
PERINO: You guys are good.
WILLIAMS: You know what -- you know what my favorite New York joke is? I think it's Jeff Garlin, you know that comedian? He says New York's the only city in the world where you -- a smell can wake you up.
GUTFELD: Or kill you.
PERINO: That's true. I'm not kidding. Walk a mile.
WATTERS: All right, let's do some mom text.
PERINO: Well, all good stuff today.
WATTERS: All right, now that we're back in studio. Number one, "Your comments about voting by mail are inaccurate and entirely irresponsible.
You are giving credence to Trump's undermining of a process and behaving like his pawn." Number two, "You'd better put your tie back on and trim the mullet." And I did. I definitely did.
PERINO: She was right.
WATTERS: Number three. "Greg does look exactly like a middle school math teacher." Remember that? Let's see him. Yes, there he is.
GUTFELD: I do.
WATTERS: You did. And number four, "Jesse, do not denigrate experts. You sound like Trump. And let's please remember you are not an expert regarding the virus. Listen and hush." Oh, I got a hush.
GUTFELD: Yes. You'd be unemployed if you did that.
WATTERS: Oh, yes. Greg?
GUTFELD: All right. Let's do this thing of a jig.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Animals are great. Yes, they are. Animals are great. Animals are great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Like every normal person, I suffer from a bit of insomnia. Now and again, I found some things to put me to sleep like this little fella here who discovers the sound of scissors. Look at this. Watch him just -- all you do, I'll just sleep. Yes, look at that.
WATTERS: What is that?
GUTFELD: It's like an ASMR video for dogs. Anyway, I've been watching this before I go to bed and you know what, it works. But the dreams I'm having, kinky. Anyway --
WATTERS: Wow. And that haircut costs $1,700. Juan Williams.
WILLIAMS: All right. For you old timers, I want you to take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Candy Man. Candy Man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Yes. You remember Sammy Davis thinking about the Candy Man? Well, I've got a real-life nominee for the title of today's Candy Man. Take a look at Keith Tordoff. He owns the oldest candy store in England. But according to Guinness, it's the oldest sweet shop in the world dating back to 1827. Mr. Tordoff is a retired policeman. He took over the business with his wife 25 years ago. The building goes back to the 1600s. And during the pandemic, the store has been doing booming business. Now, that's today's real-life Candy Man. It's so sweet.
PERINO: Nice.
WATTERS: All right, Dagen McDowell.
MCDOWELL: Since we -- with the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I wanted to give a woman who changed my life a thank you on national T.V. Barbara Bass was my math teacher in high school. And she looked at me and said Miss McDowell, I know where you're from. Pull your head up. You're not stupid, you're just uneducated.
And she changed that, changed my life.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: That's it for us. "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next with Bret.
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