President Donald Trump found a clever way to troll liberal Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov, sending the frequent critic customized “Trump 2028” hats as a Christmas gift. Tarlov revealed that the hats came with a message thanking her for her supposed support of the president. She conceded that the gift was intended as a joke, but quickly turned the gag into a serious warning about Trump trying to remain in office. Her irritated response showed that the personalized present had landed exactly as intended.
Tarlov discussed the unusual gift during an appearance on MeidasTouch’s “On Sunday with Jack Cocchiarella,” where she was promoting her forthcoming book, “I Disagree.” The Democratic political strategist serves as the rotating liberal voice on Fox News’ highly rated panel program “The Five,” frequently sparring with her more conservative co-hosts. The conversation shifted to whether meeting Trump personally might soften her opinion of him.
According to Tarlov, colleagues have suggested that she would find Trump charming if she ever met him. She rejected the idea and said she would rather keep her distance from the president than risk being won over by his personality. Although she had no interest in developing a friendly relationship with Trump, the President still managed to send a personalized gag gift her way.
As People reported, Tarlov said Trump customized the hats for her and included a message along the lines of, “Thank you for your great support.” The note played off Tarlov’s regular criticism of Trump on Fox News, where she is routinely outnumbered by the other members of the panel. Tarlov acknowledged that the trolling was “funny for a cheap laugh,” but she appeared unwilling to leave the matter there.
She argued that Trump could make a serious effort to remain in power beyond his current term, particularly if former White House adviser Steve Bannon had any influence over the matter. That concern apparently prevented her from enjoying the Christmas joke on its own terms. Tarlov declared that she was “not really interested in palling around or playing nice,” despite the president’s jovial outreach.
The conversation shifted to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s November 2025 meeting with Trump at the White House. Tarlov defended Mamdani’s decision, arguing that the mayor secured billions of dollars in investment for New York without abandoning his political positions. She said that such a result justified the photo opportunity and pointed out that Mamdani did not appear particularly pleased while posing alongside Trump.
Watch Tarlov fume about Trump’s gift here:
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Tarlov suggested that she might have more difficulty concealing her feelings during a similar meeting. She predicted that she would look visibly unhappy and admitted that pretending to smile is not one of her strengths. Her remarks came despite the subject of her new book, which is marketed around the idea of “winning arguments without losing friends” and maintaining relationships with people who hold sharply different political views.
The Fox News co-host has said the book draws from her experience debating conservative colleagues before millions of viewers while attempting to remain committed to her own beliefs. It also proposes methods for handling political disputes in private settings, including disagreements among relatives gathered around the dinner table. “I Disagree” is scheduled to be released on September 15th, 2026.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.