Fox News personalities Jessica Tarlov and Greg Gutfeld clashed again this week over the role of political violence in the United States, trading sharp words on “The Five” as the nation reeled from another shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
The exchange followed Wednesday’s attack in Texas that left multiple people injured and triggered a federal investigation.
Tarlov pointed to what she described as the growing danger of right-wing extremism. She pressed the issue by asking why a Department of Justice study on the subject had been taken down from public access.
“Why did the DOJ take down the study that showed how much right-wing extremism there is?” she asked.
Gutfeld quickly challenged her framing, countering with examples of violence he said came from individuals aligned with the political left. He pointed to last year’s shooting of a healthcare CEO and other incidents, arguing that political violence is not confined to one side.
“You have to understand, since Kirk’s death, there is no both sides,” Gutfeld said, referring to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month.
The back-and-forth grew tense as Gutfeld disputed the DOJ study Tarlov cited.
“What study was that, which one?” he asked. “The one in The Economist that was sponsored by a group run by a guy in Antifa? That study? Jessica, I did the deep dive on that study. That study was authored by a project that was run by a guy who says he was in Antifa.”
Gutfeld said ideological labeling itself can fuel hostilities.
“It’s real simple,” he said. “You label someone a fascist, or a racist, or a Nazi, it makes you free to attack them, and that has been the ideology from the start.”
Tarlov attempted to interject several times but showed flashes of humor in the tense discussion. “I’m enjoying this,” she quipped at one point.
“You won’t be for long,” Gutfeld shot back, accusing the left of regularly calling political opponents “hate mongers.”
“They’ve called me a hate monger because I ridicule the left, I ridicule protesters, I ridicule academia, Hollywood, the news media,” he said. “I make fun of The View every day. I make fun of the UN.”
Gutfeld argued that criticism from conservatives does not equal incitement to violence.
“No one acts on the things that I say because my side doesn’t do that,” he said. “We say people are stupid. We say people are wrong. But we don’t say they’re evil. That is your game.”
He also explored the link between mental illness and political influence.
“People who do this stuff are always that way,” Gutfeld said. “The question is who points them in that direction?”
He ticked through a list of politically motivated targets.
“Why pick ICE? Why pick Kirk? Why target TV stations, put bombs under Fox trucks? Why vandalize memorials? Why kill kids in Catholic schools?” he asked.
“Two things can be true: A person can be mentally ill, and you can guide him to that place in his life. That is how brainwashing works,” Gutfeld added.
The fiery exchange underscored the deep divide over how to interpret political rhetoric and its role in acts of violence. As federal investigators continue to probe the Texas ICE shooting, the debate over responsibility, influence, and motive is expected to remain at the center of public discussion.