Trump Provides His Own Review of 'The Five' as Show Dominates Liberal Media in Ratings
Everyone seems to be watching Fox News’ roundtable show “The Five” nowadays — including former President Donald Trump, who wasn’t shy in offering his praise for the cast.
On his Truth Social media platform on Friday, Trump said he “really like[d]” the show, “with the exception of wacky Jessica Tarlov, who is absolutely terrible.”
“The Five” has been a big winner for Fox News, both of which have been dominating its competitors.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the weekday 5 p.m. discussion show led cable news ratings with an average of 3.5 million viewers in 2022, toppling previous cable news-champion “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Tucker was still second with 3.3 million viewers — and Fox was the most-watched cable news network for the 21st consecutive year, with an average of 1.49 million viewers last year, a 12 percent gain.
The show features conservative pundits Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Jeanine Pirro and Greg Gutfeld, along with a rotating chair for a fifth, and liberal, voice.
This includes the reliably obnoxious Geraldo “Still Remember Al Capone’s Vault?” Rivera, former Democratic congressman Harold Ford Jr. and the aforementioned “wacky” Tarlov, a Democratic strategist.
He’s absolutely correct. She’s a typical liberal elite. pic.twitter.com/dECKtmE2Sq
— Lady (@lovingit111) January 27, 2023
What’s notable about the success of “The Five” is that it airs at 5 p.m., outside the usual primetime window of 8 p.m.-11 p.m., which is where most ratings-leaders fall.
When it came out on top of the cable news ratings in the third quarter of 2022, with 3.3 million viewers, it was the first time that a non-primetime show had ever led in the ratings for four consecutive quarters.
Of course, not every network is having the same success outside of primetime that Fox News is. CNN’s attempt to make a splash in the morning ratings race, for instance, has fallen flat on its face. The network’s revamped 6 a.m.-9 a.m. show — which features big names like former CNN primetime host Don Lemon and chief network White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins as anchors — only managed 331,000 viewers during the week of Jan. 16-22, with rival “Fox & Friends” easily besting it with an average of 1.3 million viewers in the same time slot.
And, at the very least, “The Five” carries the Trump seal of approval.
“REVIEW: I really like The Five on FoxNews, especially the hosts, with the exception of wacky Jessica Tarlov, who is absolutely terrible,” he said in the Friday post on Truth Social.
“Her facts are knowingly wrong, her jittery presentation is horrendous and, forgive me, her VOICE is grating and unendurable. Juan Williams was terrible, but better than her.”
Juan Williams, the Fox News commentator and former NPR staple, was once the sole liberal on the panel before leaving in May of 2021, Vanity Fair noted.
Tarlov is now one of the rotating liberal voices, as previously mentioned. Apparently, Ford and Rivera pass muster with Trump; in the latter case, perhaps it’s because it’s difficult to truly loathe a man whose star peaked over 30 years ago when he got hit in the face with a chair thrown by a Nazi on his tabloid talk show.
“I know the show is doing well, but no thanks to Jessica,” he continued. “I find her impossible to take in large doses, & put out this ‘REVIEW’ because it is important to expose Fake News, & Fake People!”
Later on Friday, he would follow with a post about other “failing” media outlets having issues in the ratings.
“Fake News Media, like CNN, MSDNC (MSNBC) The Washington Post, The Failing New York Times, are doing really badly and closing up shop all over the place,” he wrote.
“CNN is shuttering its longtime Headquarters Building, and the money losing Washington Post is being peddled all over the place while they fire massive numbers of people.”
As part of changes at CNN, its longtime headquarters in Atlanta was sold to a Florida company in 2021, according to The Associated Press.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, announced layoffs would be coming in December. The paper, which leaned hard on growing subscribership through scare-mongering during the Trump years, was now losing both readers and money, The New York Times first reported last August.
The first round of layoffs — 20 positions cut and 30 open positions that will go unfilled — were announced Tuesday by the company. In an interview with The New Yorker, publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said the publication was moving beyond just news and opinion because readers “want some diversions.”
“Not reporting with credibility has its consequences! The future for Fake News looks bleak, but beware the Marxists & Communists, which are well represented in our Government!” Trump concluded.
In other words: Be on the lookout, Jessica Tarlov. Just sayin’.
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