President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Fox News host Jessica Tarlov on Tuesday evening, posting on Truth Social that he cannot stand the liberal commentator and calling her “a real loser!!!” The outburst came moments after Tarlov delivered an emotional segment about the victims of Monday’s mass shooting in Manhattan and advocated for stronger gun control measures.
Trump’s post arrived at 5:13 p.m. EST on July 29, 2025, precisely as Tarlov was concluding her remarks on The Five. The timing of the President’s social media response suggests he was watching the program in real-time as he traveled home from Scotland aboard Air Force One.
During the segment that triggered Trump’s reaction, Tarlov expressed heartbreak over the four people killed in the Manhattan office building shooting. She revealed personal connections to two of the female victims, Julia Hyman and Wesley LePatner, noting that she knew people who were acquainted with both women. Tarlov paid particular tribute to fallen NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who left behind two children and a wife who is eight months pregnant.
The Fox News co-host then shifted to discuss gun control policy, specifically endorsing New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s call for reinstating the federal assault weapons ban. Tarlov cited statistics showing that when the ban was in effect from 1994 to 2004, mass shootings decreased by 70 percent, only to spike again after the legislation expired. She questioned how the shooter, Shane Tamura, who had a documented mental health history, was able to obtain a concealed carry license in Nevada.
According to Tarlov, “You will never be able to stop all of the lunatics.” She argued that preventing even one such incident would have saved the four lives lost in the Manhattan attack. The 27-year-old gunman had driven across the country with an M4 semiautomatic rifle before entering the Midtown office building and opening fire in the lobby, then taking an elevator to the 33rd floor, where he killed himself.
This marks the latest in a series of public feuds between Trump and Tarlov, who serves as the resident liberal voice on the popular conservative panel show. In June 2025, the President criticized her after she highlighted his unfavorable polling numbers, writing that Fox News should not allow the “failed TV personality” to appear on the program. He described her voice, manner, and commentary as “a disgrace to television broadcasting.”
Trump’s hostility toward Tarlov dates back several years. In October 2024, he included her among what he called “Harris Radical Left Democrat mouthpieces” and claimed Fox News had “totally lost its way.” A year earlier, he posted a lengthy review of The Five on Truth Social, calling her “wacky” and “absolutely terrible,” while criticizing her “jittery presentation” and describing her voice as “grating and unendurable.”
The president’s attack on Tarlov occurs amid broader tensions with News Corp, the media conglomerate that owns both Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. Trump is currently pursuing a defamation lawsuit against the Journal over a story about an alleged birthday letter he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein. His legal team has suggested that 94-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch should be deposed immediately due to his advanced age.
Despite Trump’s repeated criticism, The Five remains one of cable news’ most-watched programs, with Tarlov continuing to serve as a rotating co-host. Her willingness to confront conservative talking points and highlight Trump’s legal controversies has made her a polarizing figure, drawing both support from liberal viewers and condemnation from the president’s supporters.
Social media responses to Trump’s latest attack showed fans rallying behind Tarlov, praising her for maintaining her positions despite the president’s public hostility.
