Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov Says Democrats Are Falling for Trump’s Clever Ploy

Fox News’ liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday (October 27) to discuss her thoughts on President Donald Trump‘s recent fixation with people’s backsides. And she warned that Democrats are falling for Trump’s clever diversion tactics ploy.

“You’re a former pollster, and you think a lot about how messages are getting through. I’m wondering, with the midterms coming up, the president is going with the message of ‘Republicans are really hot, and he looks at their butts all the time,'” Meyers said. “As a pollster, do you feel like this is good midterm messaging?”

In the past few weeks, Trump has praised the looks of various Republican politicians and MAGA supporters, most notably Senator Jon Husted (R-OH), whom he admitted to checking out his ass, and “Anaconda” rapper and admitted Trump fan, Nicki Minaj.

“I think Donald Trump is a special, special man,” Tarlov joked. “And Jesse [Watters] actually called it ‘the gayest midterm of all time’ today, and I appreciate that they’re leaning into it.”

.@JessicaTarlov breaks down the messaging surrounding the upcoming midterms https://t.co/cZpxc21Yg5

— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) October 28, 2026

Tarlov serves as the lone liberal voice on Fox News’ The Five, which she cohosts alongside Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, and Emily Compagno.

“But the ass component of this midterm, I think, has taken everyone by surprise,” Tarlov continued. “Maybe even his doctors. And I think they’re leaning into the idea that there is a greater message to all of this.”

She added, “This is what I tell people about politics when they say, like, they can’t believe this stuff, or, you know, ‘They’re stepping out of line – they criticized this,’ or you know how everyone on Capitol Hill loves to report, ‘Behind closed doors, they all know he’s insane.’ It’s like, stop it. Everyone is fine with this. That’s really what’s going on here. I’m so sick of these stories. It’s a complete waste of our time.”

Tarlov said “the ass stuff” is a great distraction, and Democrats are taking the bait. Meanwhile, “It’s fine for [Republicans] because they believe in the larger project. They always tell me, we’re directionally going the right way. And if that means talking about how obnoxious we are about The Cheesecake Factory or Jon Husted and Nicki Minaj’s backsides, they are cool, because they’re on this ride.”

The former Democratic strategist said she’s focused on voters. “The question is, how do the people who might hear someone with an alternative point of view feel about it when they go to vote next Tuesday?” she said. “And those are the people that I think about.”