After her cohorts on this Thursday's The Five pretended anyone can believe a word that comes out of Trump's mouth on Iran, Jessica Tarlov, once again, injected some sanity into the conversation.
After her cohorts on this Thursday's The Five pretended anyone can believe a word that comes out of Trump's mouth on Iran, Jessica Tarlov, once again, injected some sanity into the conversation.
GUTFELD: So, do you agree with everything Jesse said? Looks good — cautiously optimistic?
TARLOV: He did not say "cautiously."
WATTERS: Kind of... Oh, I'm cautious. Yeah. We've been down this road before.
TARLOV: At least 37 times, actually. We have been down this road of "we're almost at a deal." I'm glad that you said that we're in a war, though, because the president says that we're not — so that Congress can't assert their right to actually decide whether we should go to war or not. So I'm glad you've broken with him on that.
It is, though, Greg, the first time that you have actually told the truth about the conversation in the green room that you were having with Paul for the setup.
But I have a different hostage to bring to the table, which is the Strait of Hormuz. So yes, the end game is, of course, you want to take care of the nuclear dust and Iran's aspirations to have a nuclear weapon.
But the Strait of Hormuz is the linchpin of this, and it has been since Iran predictably closed it. And that's really what needs to get open. I mean, the longer this goes on, the more damage we see.
I mean, issues like — a couple of days ago, U.S. strikes took out three Indian nationals who were on a tanker going through. We can't have stuff like that happening. It makes people who are already angry at us even more angry at this point.
In terms of how Iran is faring — of course, it is not all sunshine and roses, and they're not having the best time, and there's a huge economic toll and there has been a military toll to some degree, but I think it's quite clear...
GUTFELD: Some degree? Well, but I'm being...
TARLOV: I know what you're doing.
GUTFELD: I'm letting you condition this stuff with the greatest words — "a little bit here, a little bit there." They don't have an Air Force!
TARLOV: But then — I mean, Laura Ingraham, even a couple nights ago, asked on her show — she had a guest on who said, if we obliterated them, then how are they striking us? They have been able to rebuild and rearm certainly faster than we thought could happen. There's been—
GUTFELD: There's some missiles and drones — we can't stop them all.
TARLOV: Okay, fine. That's right.
GUTFELD: That's the only card they have left.
TARLOV: Yes, we have no problem. Everything has gone exactly to plan. You're absolutely right.
GUTFELD: I didn't say that. I'm just trying to—
TARLOV: Also — no, but you're trying to—
GUTFELD: Keep you on the path to truth, Jessica.
TARLOV: I walk alone on my path, and— What I'm saying is rooted in what reporters from the region are putting out there, and even questions that some of Trump's biggest supporters are asking.
We also know on the domestic level that Donald Trump needs this deal done. He doesn't have the appetite for the war himself anymore. He's said as much.
The Republican Party doesn't either. They're breaking with him more than they have before because they have concerns at home. People are saying it's four-dollar gas. Democrats are now up ten points on the generic ballot. His approval is in the mid-30s, inflation is at 4.2 percent, outpacing wages.
The toll of this war is too much for him to bear electorally, and for what he's interested in anymore. So maybe we get to a deal from this, but it's just a memorandum of understanding at this point.
And Iran and Israel — the key linchpins to making this come to fruition — are out there signaling that they're not interested in what is at least being proposed for Saturday in Europe with JD Vance.
I guess he misses the UFC fight, though, which is...
GUTFELD: I— everybody— (crosstalk)
TARLOV: Can we get that — he's going to sign Saturday? I think Trump was like, "I would rather go to the UFC fight than stand around here," while — they probably won't sign that.
GUTFELD: Well, everybody wants this finished, especially the Gulf states. But no one is really rallying to the Iranian side except the American left, and the difference between Democ...
TARLOV: The Chinese?
GUTFELD: Well, obviously.
I'm surprised they didn't try repeating Trump's lie that the Strait is open:
Trump: "The strait is open. But the straits have been open for a number of months already and you just didn't know about it."
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