Why Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov Wishes Trump Won in 2020

Jessica Tarlov
The New Yorker YouTube

What To Know

  • Jessica Tarlov expressed regret that Donald Trump did not win the 2020 election.
  • She compared Trump to Disney villain Ursula, saying he gained more power during his absence.
  • The Five co-host also said the Democrats need to communicate their ideas more clearly.

Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov said she wishes Donald Trump had won the 2020 presidential election so “we were done” with him by now.

Tarlov, a political strategist for the Democratic Party who is a rotating cohost of The Five, made the statement in a recent interview with The New Yorker. She explained that Trump’s four years out of office only helped him, comparing him to Disney villain Ursula, saying he got “stronger.”

“I look back to the 2020 lines of argumentation about why we needed Donald Trump out and what Joe Biden could provide, and it was a safe pair of hands,” Tarlov said. “And I believe without COVID that Trump would have won re-election, and I wish that he had. I wish we were done now.”

She continued, “Because he, like Ursula, got stronger in those four years. He established a cadre of advisors that understood the challenge. Like, Russ Vought wasn’t as powerful round one. Stephen Miller is certainly not as powerful. Project 2025, not a thing, right?”

Tarlov said she hates “that we gave them four years to take a sledgehammer to the country, and [the Democrats] haven’t found a way to deliver our vision for the future in simple slogans.”

Host David Remnick asked her why that is, wondering, “Because we’re too decorous? Too mild?”

“I don’t know,” Tarlov answered. “I mean, I have a Ph.D, so I get it. I get why it’s interesting to write a big policy paper or dig deep into what happened. But for me, it’s like, just give me the bumper stickers. Where’s your ‘no tax on tips’? But we, like good liberals, have ingested all of these learnings and have yet to spit something out that can win an election on our ideas and our merits, and not just not being the other guy.”

Tarlov has served as a cohost on The Five since 2022, where she rotates her seat with fellow liberal commentator Harold Ford Jr. Earlier this week, Fox announced Emily Compagno will join the show as a permanent co-host, filling the empty seat left by Jeanine Pirro, who exited in May 2025.

The Five, Weekdays, 5/4c, Fox News




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  1. K

    KBNOYB

    She’s insufferable. She doesn’t do story research, and often lies. Thankfully, the panel calls her out almost every time she appears. Her comments often just come across as stale Dem talking points.

    Funny that The Five leads its time slot, and you do a story on the least interesting member of the panel? Why not just add “Sponsored by the DNC” to the byline?