A televised dispute over polling data and Iran policy on Fox News’ “The Five” prompted President Donald Trump to unleash a scathing personal insult against host Jessica Tarlov while aboard Air Force One on April 17, 2026, demanding network executives “GET HER OFF THE AIR, SHE IS BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY!”
Trump launched the attack via Truth Social during his flight to Las Vegas and Arizona for “No Tax On Tips” campaign events. The 79-year-old president called Tarlov “one of the least attractive and talented people on all of television” and complained that her voice was “so grating and terrible, I had to ‘turn her off!'” He also expanded his criticism to include former allies Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens, calling them “FAKE MAGA.”
This marked Trump’s second public attack on Tarlov within two weeks. On April 6, he posted a late-night demand that Fox “take Jessica Tarlov off the air,” calling her “one of the worst ‘personalities’ on television, a real loser.” That post also criticized Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream for allowing Democrats to “spew out Democrat propaganda and lies.”
During the April 17 broadcast, Tarlov, the program’s liberal voice among conservative commentators, had sparred with colleagues over polling numbers and the administration’s Iran policy. She responded to Trump’s attack on social media by promoting her upcoming book “I Disagree,” writing, “Guess I’ll take this opportunity to mention that my numbers are far from fake – Trump really is that unpopular.” Right-wing commentator Candace Owens also weighed in, calling Trump’s post a “meltdown” and requesting the news segment that prompted it.
Trump has a documented pattern of attacking female journalists and commentators. Earlier this month, he snapped at NewsNation’s Libbey Dean during a press conference, saying, “You’re a fresh person, you know? We’ve had a lot of problems with you, haven’t we?” In March, aboard Air Force One, he attacked an ABC reporter, calling her network “maybe the most corrupt news organization on the planet.”
The presidential outburst occurred during one of the most volatile periods of Trump’s second term. The administration is enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports following the collapse of peace negotiations in Islamabad. On April 17, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine clarified that “The U.S. action is a blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline, not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,” with more than 10,000 personnel, over a dozen warships, and dozens of aircraft enforcing the operation.
The blockade costs Iran an estimated $400 million daily in lost revenue. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the U.S. would not renew general licenses on Russian and Iranian oil, saying Wednesday during a White House briefing, “We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil.”
Hours after Trump’s attack on Tarlov, Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” following the announcement of an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. Trump responded on Truth Social that while the strait was open, the U.S. naval blockade on Iran “will remain in full force and effect” until negotiations with Tehran are “100% complete.”
That episode of “The Five” covered multiple contentious topics beyond Iran policy, including immigration enforcement and the scandal surrounding former Rep. Eric Swalwell. The California Democrat resigned from Congress this week amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations, with the Department of Justice, Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department all opening investigations. Swalwell has denied the allegations while acknowledging “mistakes in judgment.”
Media watchdog group Media Matters has tracked numerous instances of presidential criticism directed at individual journalists and hosts throughout Trump’s second term, adding the April 17 attack to their documentation of what they characterize as threats to press freedom.
“The Five” features co-hosts Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, and Jesse Watters alongside rotating liberal voices Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr. Gutfeld also hosts the late-night program “Gutfeld!” while Perino, who served as White House press secretary during the George W. Bush administration from 2007 to 2009, co-anchors “America’s Newsroom.” Juan Williams, who previously served as the show’s liberal voice, departed in May 2021 to remain in Washington, D.C. with his family, though he continues as a Fox News political analyst.
The controversy unfolds as “The Five” continues to dominate cable news ratings. In March 2026, the program averaged 4.1 million viewers, maintaining its historic streak as the top non-primetime program in cable news for 18 consecutive quarters. The show’s success has made its hosts influential voices in conservative media and frequent subjects of presidential attention—both positive and negative.
