President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Fox News host Jessica Tarlov through his Truth Social platform Tuesday evening, calling her “a real loser” moments after she delivered an emotional segment advocating for gun control reform following a deadly Manhattan shooting.
The president’s post came at 5:13 p.m. EST, coinciding precisely with Tarlov’s on-air commentary about Monday’s mass shooting in a Manhattan office building that killed four people, including a New York Police Department officer. Trump wrote on his social media platform that he cannot stand Tarlov and branded her with his signature “DJT” sign-off.
During her segment on “The Five,” Tarlov expressed heartbreak for the victims while questioning how the suspected shooter, Shane Tamura, obtained a concealed firearms permit despite having a documented mental health history. The 27-year-old suspect had received the permit from the Las Vegas Police Department and used an assault rifle in his rampage before taking his own life on the 33rd floor of the office building.
Tarlov referenced statistics shared by Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who called for reinstating federal assault weapons legislation on CNN’s “Inside Politics” Tuesday. The Fox News host indicated that when the country maintained an assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004, mass shootings decreased by 70 percent, only to spike again after the ban expired under President Bush.
The liberal co-host of the conservative-leaning panel show questioned the circumstances that allowed the shooter to obtain weapons, stating she did not believe it would hurt the conversation to consider prevention methods. Tarlov noted, “You will never be able to stop all of the lunatics.”
This marks the latest in a series of public criticisms Trump has directed at Tarlov over the past year. In June 2025, he questioned why Fox News allows her to appear on “The Five,” describing her voice, manner, and commentary as disgraceful to television broadcasting. He suggested that people associated with his MAGA movement despise Fox News partly because of her presence on the network.
In October 2024, Trump included Tarlov among what he termed “Harris Radical Left Democrat mouthpieces” and criticized Fox News for losing its way. During a 2023 Truth Social review of “The Five,” he described her as “wacky” and “absolutely terrible,” criticizing her presentation style and voice as “grating and unendurable.” He accused her of knowingly presenting wrong facts and declared her impossible to tolerate.
Tarlov, 40, brings extensive academic credentials to her role as the program’s primary liberal voice. She holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, along with a bachelor’s degree in history from Bryn Mawr College. Before joining Fox News in 2014, she worked as a Democratic strategist under pollster Douglas Schoen and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Research and Consumer Insight for Bustle Digital Group.
The shooting that prompted Tarlov’s commentary occurred Monday when Tamura drove across the country with a semiautomatic rifle and entered the Midtown Manhattan office building. He opened fire in the lobby before taking an elevator to the 33rd floor, killing four people including NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who leaves behind two children and a wife who is eight months pregnant. One additional person was injured before Tamura turned the weapon on himself.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that the suspect had a documented mental health history, raising questions about how he obtained the concealed carry permit in Nevada. The incident has renewed debates about gun control measures and background check procedures across state lines.
During the same Tuesday episode, Tarlov also highlighted Trump’s declining approval ratings in recent polling, suggesting his numbers had gone “underwater” in a Wall Street Journal poll due to backlash over mass Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations. She later shared CBS News polling data on social media showing movement in what she characterized as the wrong direction for the president.
Despite Trump’s repeated attacks, “The Five” remains one of cable news’ most-watched programs, with Tarlov serving as a rotating co-host since 2022. Her presence on the network represents Fox News’ effort to include diverse political perspectives on its most popular talk show format.
