Heated Exchange on Fox News Over Trump's Pelosi Remarks
A discussion about Representative Nancy Pelosi's retirement announcement on Fox News's 'The Five' turned into a fiery debate on Thursday. Former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed that Donald Trump was "genuinely concerned" about Paul Pelosi when the former president joked about the 2022 hammer attack that fractured his skull. This assertion was immediately met with strong pushback from fellow panelist Jessica Tarlov.
Recounting the Insults and the Attack
Marking the California Democrat's decision not to seek reelection in 2026, McEnany criticized Pelosi's past comments about Trump, including labeling him a "domestic enemy" after the Capitol siege and calling him "the worst thing" on Earth. McEnany concluded that Pelosi was an "instrument of division." Tarlov, who often provides a Democratic perspective, then interjected to revisit Trump's own comments on the campaign trail.
She specifically referenced a September 2023 rally where Trump, after calling Pelosi "crazy Nancy," asked the crowd, "How’s her husband doing? Anybody know?" The crowd laughed and Trump smirked during the incident. When McEnany again insisted Trump was concerned, Tarlov responded with disbelief, saying "Kayleigh, come on."
Broader Context and a Sharp Pivot
Tarlov continued her rebuttal by highlighting the severity of the attack on Paul Pelosi and bringing up Donald Trump Jr.'s social media post that suggested the hammer assault as a Halloween costume idea. She connected this to the gravity of Donald Trump running for commander in chief again. Host Jesse Watters abruptly cut Tarlov off, making a controversial comparison by stating, "Well, Jessica, Charlie Kirk got shot and you guys cheered, so OK. At least Paul survived."
Watters then awkwardly pivoted to a pre-planned gag, tearing up papers in a reenactment of Pelosi ripping up Trump's 2020 State of the Union speech, which McEnany praised. Meanwhile, Trump reacted to Pelosi's pending retirement by calling her corrupt and evil, adding another layer to the deeply polarized political discourse.
