President Donald Trump unloaded on Fox News host Jessica Tarlov after she used a segment on “The Five” to claim his approval rating was sitting near the mid-30s in most polls. Tarlov made the comment during a discussion about Trump’s standing with voters, and the president responded with a brutal Truth Social post calling her one of the “Least Attractive and Talented People” on television. Tarlov then fired back online, defending her numbers and using the attention to promote her book.
The back-and-forth started during the Thursday, April 16th episode of “The Five,” where Tarlov serves as one of the show’s liberal voices. The panel was talking about Trump’s popularity, his handling of major issues, and the political effect of his recent decisions. Tarlov argued that voters were not giving Trump the approval numbers he and his allies claimed, pointing specifically to what she said was his poor polling.
“And what do people think of him now?” Tarlov said during the Fox News segment. “He has a 35% approval rating in most polls.” She then argued that Americans did not want Trump’s tariffs, did not want the war in Iran, and did not want his White House ballroom. That line appeared to be enough for Trump, who was watching from Air Force One and soon responded on Truth Social.
Trump wrote, “I am watching one of the Least Attractive and Talented People on all of Television, Jessica Tarlov.” He continued by saying, “Her voice is so grating and terrible, I had to ‘turn her off!’” Trump also accused her of using “FAKE” Democratic talking points and claimed she makes up poll numbers without anyone on the show challenging her.
The president kept going, writing that he had “among the best Poll Numbers” he has ever had. “Why shouldn’t I,” Trump asked, “ALL THE COUNTRY DOES IS WIN.” He then added, “GET HER OFF THE AIR, SHE IS BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY!” before turning his attention to other media figures, including Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens, whom he accused of being “FAKE MAGA.”
TV Insider reported that Trump’s post came after Tarlov cited the 35% approval figure during the Fox segment. The outlet also noted that Tarlov responded to Trump’s criticism later that night by standing behind the numbers and promoting her upcoming book, “I Disagree,” in a post of her own.
Tarlov responded on X by writing, “Guess I’ll take this opportunity to mention that my numbers are far from fake – Trump really is that unpopular.” She added that people could preorder her book, “I Disagree,” which she said was available that day. Rather than directly respond to Trump’s comments, she focused on defending the polling claim and self-promotion.
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Newsweek reported that Tarlov’s response pointed back to polling from The Economist and YouGov that showed Trump underwater nationally. The same report said Trump had called for Tarlov to be taken off the air and accused her of making up polling data. Tarlov, however, insisted that the figures she mentioned on “The Five” were real.
The exchange also pulled Candace Owens into the fight because Trump named her in the same Truth Social blast. Owens posted a screenshot of Trump’s remarks and asked if someone could send her the news segment that caused the “meltdown.” She added, “Looks like he may have accidentally heard the truth?” That response gave Trump critics another way to frame the post, while Trump supporters treated it as another classic takedown from the president.
The Independent reported that Tarlov had criticized Trump on “The Five” over his approval rating, tariffs, the Iran war, and the ballroom. The outlet also noted that Trump insisted his poll numbers were strong while rejecting Tarlov’s figures as fake. Tarlov’s position was that Trump was simply angry because she had said on Fox News that he was unpopular.
The public fight came after Trump had already targeted Tarlov in previous posts and interviews. Earlier in April, he called on Fox executives to take her off the air, describing her as one of the worst personalities on television. He also criticized her during a call-in appearance on “The Five” when she was not present, saying he was “not a fan” after Jesse Watters joked about Trump sitting next to her.
For Trump supporters, the latest post was another example of the president roasting a Fox News liberal who regularly attacks him on air. For Tarlov and her defenders, the fight was about polling and whether Trump was angry that his numbers were being discussed on friendly turf. Either way, the president saw Tarlov criticize his popularity on Fox News, hit back with a personal Truth Social zinger, and turned one “The Five” segment into a full media spectacle.
Watch Gutfeld trigger Tarlov here: