dq. Kayleigh McEnany and Jessica Tarlov’s Explosive On-Air Exchange Leaves Fox Viewers Stunned
Jessica Tarlov was visibly stunned during a heated segment on Fox News’ The Five when co-host Kayleigh McEnany argued that former President Donald Trump’s crude joke about the violent hammer attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was actually a sign of “genuine concern.” The exchange came just hours after Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that she would not seek reelection in 2026, ending a political career that began in 1987 and saw her rise to become the first woman to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
During the panel discussion, McEnany took aim at Pelosi’s long record in Congress, claiming that her legacy was one of divisiveness rather than leadership. “I looked up some things she has said,” McEnany began. “We all remember the State of the Union address in 2020 when she tore it up — the actual printed copy. That was after President Trump honored a Tuskegee Airman, reunited a soldier with his family, and celebrated American heroes. She ripped it right down the middle in front of everyone.” McEnany went on to recall other moments that, in her view, reflected Pelosi’s hostility toward Trump, including the time she referred to him as “a domestic enemy sitting in the White House” following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Continuing her criticism, McEnany referenced Pelosi’s recent remarks earlier in the week, when the 85-year-old Democrat called Trump “a vile creature” and “the worst thing on the face of the Earth.” McEnany repeated the quotes for emphasis and said, “She was not an instrument of peace. She was an instrument of division. And now, she gets to exit stage left.” Her tone implied that Pelosi’s retirement marked the end of an era of partisan bitterness in Washington — a claim that immediately drew a sharp rebuttal from Tarlov.
“Can I say something quickly?” Tarlov interjected. Without missing a beat, she brought up one of the more infamous moments involving Trump and Pelosi — his comments about her husband’s near-fatal assault in 2022. “September 2023,” Tarlov said, citing a speech Trump gave at the California Republican Convention. “Donald Trump was riling up the crowd and said, ‘We’ll stand up to crazy Nancy Pelosi, who ruined San Francisco. How’s her husband doing? Anybody know?’” The comment drew laughter at the event and was widely condemned at the time as mocking a violent attack that left Paul Pelosi hospitalized with a fractured skull.
Rather than acknowledge the insensitivity of Trump’s words, McEnany attempted to defend them. “He was genuinely concerned, Jessica,” she insisted, prompting Tarlov to stare back in disbelief. “Kayleigh, come on,” Tarlov responded, incredulous at the suggestion that Trump’s sarcastic tone and history of personal mockery were somehow meant as compassion. McEnany fired back, asking rhetorically, “Did he call her ‘the worst thing on planet Earth?’”
Tarlov countered sharply, reminding her co-host of the gravity of the situation: “Her husband was attacked and got a hammer to the head,” she said. “Donald Trump Jr. posted a Halloween costume suggestion — underwear and a hammer — mocking the attack, and now Donald Trump is running again for president. This isn’t something to laugh about.” Her frustration underscored the larger criticism that Trump and his allies have often downplayed or joked about acts of violence when politically convenient.
As the exchange grew more tense, co-host Jesse Watters tried to interrupt by mentioning unrelated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, though his comment appeared confused and out of context. The moment only heightened the chaotic tone of the discussion, which reflected the growing political divide over how violence and rhetoric are treated in American politics.
Later that same day, after Pelosi’s official announcement of her retirement, Trump released a statement of his own on Truth Social, calling her “evil” and “corrupt.” The comments reaffirmed his long-standing animosity toward the California Democrat, whom he frequently used as a political foil during his presidency. Pelosi, who served as Speaker twice — from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023 — has long been one of Trump’s fiercest critics, often framing him as a threat to democracy and American institutions.
The back-and-forth between McEnany and Tarlov captured a deeper tension that has defined American political discourse in recent years: whether violent rhetoric and demeaning personal attacks from political leaders can ever be excused or reframed as concern. McEnany’s defense of Trump’s joke illustrated the loyalty many of his allies continue to show him, even in the face of statements that others interpret as cruel or disrespectful. Tarlov’s disbelief, meanwhile, mirrored the reaction of millions of viewers who saw Trump’s remark as another example of his refusal to show empathy.
The attack on Paul Pelosi in October 2022 remains one of the most shocking incidents in recent American political history. The assailant, armed with a hammer, broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home while shouting “Where’s Nancy?” and struck Paul Pelosi in the head. He was hospitalized for several days and underwent surgery for a fractured skull. The attack was widely condemned across the political spectrum, yet it also became the target of conspiracy theories and internet jokes, particularly among some right-wing circles who falsely claimed the assailant was a personal acquaintance of Pelosi’s husband.
For many, Trump’s joke months later — “How’s her husband doing? Anybody know?” — symbolized how desensitized political rhetoric has become. To hear McEnany reinterpret that comment as an expression of “genuine concern” was, to critics, emblematic of how partisan loyalty has eroded basic empathy in American politics.
By the end of the segment, Tarlov’s expression said it all — a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. “Kayleigh, come on,” she had repeated, as if words alone could capture the absurdity of the defense being offered. In that moment, the exchange on The Five was more than a debate over Pelosi or Trump; it was a snapshot of a nation still struggling to reconcile the cost of cruelty in its public life
