Jessica Tarlov | with Trump Brags About Oil & Gas Profits, Musk Tries to Buy Texas, Obama Triggers Fox News: A Closer Look

0:02During a rally yesterday in Lubbock, Texas, President Trump said that solar panels are killing all the animals and added, quote,

0:14It's what RFK Jr. calls a real time saver.

0:21Those things are like his George Foreman grill.

0:30From 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, please enjoy this podcast edition of Late Night with Seth Meyers. On today's show, Seth talks to political strategist and TV host Jessica Tarlov. But first, a closer look.

0:48Donald Trump was in Texas on Tuesday for two rallies where he addressed crucial issues like the war in Iran and the high cost of living. And I'm just kidding. Can you imagine? What did he actually talk about? Oh, right, a sitting U.S. senator's ass Again For more on this, it's time for A Closer Look

1:09We've got dueling presidents on the campaign trail these days Obama in Ohio, Trump in Michigan Obama talking about stuff like this We need to remember the words of a 25-year-old preacher

1:22Jessica Tarlov: who gave a sermon in 1954 where he said, if we are to go forward today, we've got to go back and rediscover some mighty precious values that we've left behind. Salient words about the mission of government and the wisdom we can mine from our nation's history. What you got, Donald? I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before, Nicki Minaj.

1:52That's hard to miss. That's stand-up. That's hard to miss. Now, in fairness, he is quoting Abraham Lincoln, an ass divided against itself cannot stand. Okay, but so what? So that was one offhand comment about Nicki Minaj who was standing right there. That's got to be the end of the ass stuff, right? I mean, surely Nicki Minaj is the final boss of ass jokes. Surely he's on to more important things now.

2:49I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline. First of all, thanks for pantomiming the ass. Without that visual, I didn't believe you. But when you grope the invisible ass, I can tell how hot it is. Also, who looks at someone's ass, then their shoulders, then their feet, then their hand, and then their jawline? You sound like an alien about to do an autopsy. I have examined the specimen's hands, feet, shoulders, and jawline Now we can proceed by inserting the probe into his ass But on Tuesday, Trump claimed it's not just a joke It's actually making a difference in the polls But I made the mistake of studying his anatomy and explaining it to the audience And the audience loved it By the way, he went up 12 points that day He went from being down to being up Now, if you're thinking to yourself, did that really happen?

3:48The answer is yes, Trump is correct A poll from Quinnipiac University and the American Research Institute Found that before Trump's comments Ohio Senator John Husted was trailing his Democratic opponent, Sherrod Brown By about three percentage points, which is within the margin of error But after the comments, Husted surged by double digits Among some of Ohio's key constituencies and Democratic groups And of course it's not f***ing true! You think a candidate for U.S. Senate surged by 12 points In one day because the president said you could bounce a quarter off his ass? You think Kornacki was standing in front of a display showing butt firmness And past cost of living is the top concern for voters Now when Trump made this comment on Tuesday night He was actually in Texas where he was campaigning for scandal plate Senate candidate Ken Paxton And as we've noted before, Trump has been far less kind about Ken Paxton's appearance.

4:41We have a guy named Ken Paxton. And some people don't like the way he dresses, or some people don't like the way he interviews or talks. I said, I'm not sure if I like your look. I'm not sure if I like the way you dress. I don't like the way you talk. He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly. And he may not be the best looking guy I've ever seen. And if you were waiting for Trump to shift to a compliment at the end of his list of insults, he didn't. He may not smell good or comb his hair right or know how to read. So you want to see my new ballroom? But now that Trump is in such a complimentary mood, maybe he'll change his mind on Paxton.

5:23After all, he was right next to Paxton in Texas when he made his glowing comments about Husted. Maybe he'll do Paxton a solid and throw him in there just to make him feel good. I made the mistake of studying his anatomy and explaining it to the audience. The audience loved it. Maybe I should do that with Ken Paxton, but I'm not sure your body is going to qualify.

5:48What the hell is going on? Are you trying to get this guy elected, or are you trying to convince him to jump off a building? You're supposed to be his hype man, not the mom from Carrie. They're all going to laugh at you. Voters have made it clear that they would rather hear real, concrete solutions to the problems they face, even voters who supported Trump. You voted for Trump all three times. I did vote for Trump. How do you feel about how things are done? A little disillusioned these days. You are. Oh, yeah. I'll put it this way. I've got a grand Cherokee, and I never had to pay$100 to fill it up until last week.

6:24A lot of over-promising, underperforming by Trump. Mr. President, please, people are hurting. Let's put all this nonsense aside in BC. We're less than a week away from a pivotal election. Your own voters feel betrayed. Is there anything you can say to reassure the American people that you are laser-focused on the issues that matter most to them? I love the meat. Ah! I love it. Look. What?

6:53Certainly an interesting twist on let them eat cake. Look at me. I'm eating invisible meat. You idiots can't even afford that. Oh, no. Seriously, and I mean this with all sincerity, how is this real life? That guy's the president. If he presses a button, the world ends. It's like if the narrator who does the Arby's commercials was out sick so they had to hire a crazy guy off the street. Arby's. I love the meat. Ah.

7:27Oh, no, that was more fun. Yeah, they deserve that They deserve that Trump doesn't care about anything voters care about Like healthcare, housing, cost of living Because he and his rich friends are making bank And Texas is a perfect example of that Ken Paxton isn't just, to paraphrase the president An uggo who sucks at talking He's also cartoonishly corrupt The Wall Street Journal now reports The state's attorney general was caught on camera Ringing in the new year in Dubai Back in 2024 partying with two Americans who were facing federal health care fraud charges back at home. Fugitives. Financial records show one of them had even donated nearly$200 ,000 to Paxton.

8:08The journal has video of the event on the balcony of a luxury high-rise building. You see it there. Paxton, who was married at the time, is seen with his girlfriend also in the video. One of two Americans indicted months prior to this event on federal health care fraud charges. You know a story is bad when they throw in Paxton, who was married at the time, is seen with his girlfriend, and that's not even the biggest part of the scandal. They just toss that out there like it's a Snapple fact. Even more embarrassing, Paxton's girlfriend found him on the dating app Bad Butts. It's not what you think.

8:44It's just guys who have super dumpy butts. So now you might be asking, how could a guy who is notoriously corrupt, who was impeached by his own party, who's lost the support of many prominent Republicans and who is now most famous in the public's mind for being ugly and dumb. How could that guy be a viable candidate with a shot at winning? Well, it turns out he has one very powerful benefactor. The Senate race between Democrat James Tallarico and Republican state attorney general Ken Paxton is both closely watched and one of the most expensive. Elon Musk is a big reason why. He is the largest single-disclosed donor of this election cycle with more than$400 million spent, much of it in Texas.

9:24So far, Elon Musk has donated about$158 million to help Ken Paxton beat James Tallarico. In all likelihood, if you've seen an attack ad on your TV, that was Elon. If you've gotten lies in your mailbox, that was Elon. If you've received a text message saying scary things about me with scary black and white photos, that was Elon too. If you saw a white guy dressed as Morpheus for Halloween, that was Elon. If you saw a guy at the hair salon telling his barber To give him the Kim Jong-un, that was Elon If you saw a dumbass holding a chainsaw and screaming, chainsaw Chainsaw! That was Elon I guess bad dressers who are bad at talking have to stick together Elon spent$158 million just on this one race in Texas Normally when you spend that much in Texas You at least come back with a hat, some boots Every time I go to Texas, someone tells me I have to buy some cowboy as a souvenir to take back to New York.

10:25So now for Halloween, I'm going as an oil tycoon from Landman. You know I auditioned for that show? I got down to the final two. They gave it to Billy Bob Thornton, but you guys want to hear my audition? Hey, that's my land, man.

10:44You heard me. You heard me.

10:50It's obvious why Musk has been bankrolling Republicans under their watch. He's won billions in government contracts, subsidies, and during Trump's first year in office, Musk's wealth increased by 52%. And by the way, Trump isn't even hiding the fact that the people benefiting most from his presidency are huge companies and the mega-rich. The United States oil and gas business is making hundreds of billions of dollars. So we're making hundreds and hundreds of billions, trillions of dollars. But my people said, please don't mention that, sir. because people are paying a little higher. We're making money like this country has never made before.

11:26So I said, let me say it very gingerly, very softly, because somebody would say the fake news. He's bragging about making money while people are suffering. No, I could just see the fake headlines. President Trump is talking about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. That'll be the headline. But I said, I don't give a damn. I'm going to say it. We're making a freaking fortune. I love how he says something crazy and then says that will be the fake news headline. I'm going to invade Cuba, and, of course, the fake news will say, oh, he's going to invade Cuba. It's glaringly obvious to everyone what's going on here.

12:03The only people who have benefited from Trump's presidency are the mega-rich and the corrupt, the oil, gas companies, the Elon Musks, the Ken Paxton's of the world. Republicans don't want you to think about that when you go to the voting booth to pull that lever, so instead, they're trying to distract you with bull like this. What does the White House, the Cheesecake Factory, and Saddam Hussein all have in common? Apparently, Obama is disgusted by all three.

12:28Jessica Tarlov: Former President Barack Obama compared Trump's White House renovations to Saddam Hussein opening a Cheesecake Factory. The internet has erupted over his Cheesecake Factory punchline, pointing out that millions of Americans love the famous restaurant chain. Going to the Cheesecake Factory was like a special treat. I think about all the birthday parties that people have at the Cheesecake Factory. It's a special place. It's a lot of fun. I love the Cheesecake Factory. I'm not sure he's ever sat at a Cheesecake Factory. Making fun of people who go to Cheesecake Factory. He wasn't making fun of the Cheesecake Factory.

13:00He was making fun of Trump's dumb White House makeover. I love, by the way, how none of them seem to be upset by the Saddam Hussein part. I'm sorry, are you comparing the president to a dictator who repressed his own people and enriched himself financially? Okay, I can see that. But listen up. You lay off the Asian chicken nachos, or the New Orleans Cajun shrimp, or the chicken and waffle skewers, or the Baja bowl with pork carnitas. I'm not gonna do the whole menu. It's only an hour show. If you want to get mad at a president for making condescending remarks about restaurants, allow me to direct you toward the actual sitting president, who told his own supporters they could never afford to eat at his fancy private club.

13:38You could even come to Mar-a-Lago. I said it the other night. You'll be my guest at Mar-a-Lago The problem is that for$5 ,000 The most you'll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert I'm not even sure you could buy that No, don't go there, that's not a good place If you're price conscious Do go to Mar-a-Lago if you're price conscious I'll be dining with the oil and gas CEOs who are making a fortune You should go behind Mar-a-Lago by the trash bins It's where we throw out the gristle and fat from our high-end steaks, but you won't be able to tell. You'll just eat it up and say, I love the meat.

14:22If you're a billionaire and you're an oil and gas company or if you're a corrupt politician, you've done very well under this administration. Everyone else is getting screwed, but Trump couldn't care less. He's hoping you'll be distracted by him talking about and acting like an ass. This has been A Closer Look.

14:46My guest co-hosts The Five on Fox News As well as the popular podcast Raging Moderates Her national best-selling book I Disagree, Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends Is available now Please welcome to the show Jessica Tarlov, everybody

15:13Jessica Tarlov: Hello, I'm so happy you're here. I made it all the way across the street. You made it across the street. You just filmed today. Thank you for doing double duty. Yeah, no, this is a pleasure. I'm so excited to be here. Congrats on your book. Thank you. So on The Five, you are the lone sort of liberal voice, and you seem very prepared with your arguments. You lay them out very well. Thank you. I would imagine it sometimes looks as though it might be frustrating to do, And yet I've also heard you say that there You feel like there's a lot of value In getting your message out on this network As opposed to one that might have And might share your progressive views more Yes, I do feel that way I'll start by saying it is infinitely worse for you Than it is for me So Infinitely worse Like you watching it Gotcha Is much harder than me living it Okay, that's good to know So like, I'm okay Gotcha Don't worry about me So I have to bear your burden?

16:12Jessica Tarlov: That's how it works. Okay, great. It's very Jewish of me, actually, to put that on you. You look at the sizes of the audience, and we have, you know, three and a half to four million people that are watching The Five every day, and then the algorithms do their thing. And I'm sure there are people in the audience who have seen what I do. A lot of them might not be traditional Five watchers, but they see clips of me being passed around, and that's another way to keep disseminating your message. and the opportunity is so enormous and so exciting to be able to show up and represent a point of view that I believe in deeply.

16:49I don't I'm not if your next question is,

16:51Jessica Tarlov: do they tell you what to say? No, they don't. I'm not programmed in any particular direction. But I get to talk about the way that I see the world and the political outcomes that I think would be better for all Americans. And I don't understand why people don't take that opportunity, especially when they're... Yeah. It's true. I do, I will admit, like, I consume a lot of it via clips, and often it is just sort of you making your argument. And I will say that I sometimes see your co-hosts maybe scoff. Would that be a fair, would that be... That would be fair. accurate to say that they... That's a nice...

17:32And yet, you know, I've also read a lot of interviews with you. These are your friends. You have a good relationship with your colleagues. And I was interested to hear as well, so, you know, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Waters, they maybe take the most opposing views to you, that you actually text with Jesse Waters.

17:50Jessica Tarlov: Anne texted me tonight. Okay, so and this is his mom, and she is texting you to say what during the show? Kick him. Kick him. Yeah. and the best. Okay. And Jesse is the black sheep of his family. Got it. I think it actually has created some degree of common cause, even though I'm not blood relatives with my colleagues, he understands what it's like to be sitting there and thinking, what a pack of morons. Oh, so Jesse is the Jessica of his family. He's the only conservative in his family. Got it. Right. And, like, we have the same name, basically. Yeah, basically. And in real life, I go by Jesse.

18:28Jessica Tarlov: You know, we can't have, you know, Jesse W and Jesse T. It would slow down the whole show. Anyway, there's a lot in common, but his mom is wonderful. And I love, especially as a parent, to see how deeply supportive she is of him. Watches every show, but then how horrified she is also by the politics. Which is how I feel about it. Look, there is something, I don't know, optimistic about watching the show and hearing that you are people who get along. And I've also read you say, like, some people will maybe ask you the question, these people can't possibly believe what they're saying on the show.

19:05But you would speak to the fact that they authentically do believe in the arguments they're making.

19:10Jessica Tarlov: It's television. Yes. So, you know, you do stuff for a fact. When I'm not speaking, because it's one versus four, and I get interrupted between, like, 30 and 35 seconds of speaking anyway. You have to make use of the visual medium. So a lot of people, like the memes of me like this, right? There are ways to communicate without your words. So there are things that everyone is doing because you're on television. So when people are cutting you off, this is a good way to say. Yeah, you know exactly what I'm feeling and going through when that happens. Although now I'm finding out you're not going through it, only I am.

19:47Jessica Tarlov: No, it's just not as bad for you. Okay, got it. Makes me happy to know. I'm used to it. It's like Stockholm Syndrome for politics. You also, I've heard you say you're looking to open minds more than change minds, which is a fascinating distinction. Can you explain how you make such distinction? Yeah. So this was something in thinking about the book, which I really I wanted to tell my story because that was the big question that I get from people, no matter their political leanings, is how do you do this? Right. How do you sit one versus four? And these are people who agree with Jesse and Greg or who agree with me, who are all interested in the dynamic and how I prepare for something like that.

20:25Jessica Tarlov: You know, what does your algorithm look like? How do you decide what it is that you want to talk about? And then the next question that I get is, well, how many minds do you think you've changed, especially for people who don't think that it's worthwhile to do it? Right. And so in doing research for the book, I looked into, you know, how do people actually change minds from a social science point of view and realized it is so much harder than you think. Even when you have someone who's a swing voter, for instance, the idea that they have fully changed their mind to some degree is a cable news creation.

20:58Jessica Tarlov: Right. It's the person that they essentially hired who thought I can't get paid doing this old thing anymore. so I'll say that I'm a complete convert, and then I'll come on and just crap on the way that I used to feel. But what you can do is you can plant a little seed of doubt. You can open up someone's mind to the idea that there's an alternative point of view worth considering, not that they have to buy it wholesale, and then you have to be annoying, and you have to be there every day. And I say this, I'm in a long-term relationship with my co-hosts, but also with the audience. It'll be five years of doing this in January.

21:37And I've become partisan furniture to these people to some degree.

21:44Jessica Tarlov: And they've gotten to know me as much more than my politics. They've seen me get married. They've seen me not literally have both my children. And there was like a weird, Jesse said he wanted to catch, which we didn't do. But they, you know, went through the death of my father with me, and it has created more of a rich tapestry as to my character, which has allowed for more of what I'm saying to embed in the way that they think about the world. Well, I think in general, right, like the idea of opening minds, it always helps when people see those who have conflicting opinions as human beings. Right.

22:20As opposed to just an opposition.

22:23Jessica Tarlov: Yeah. I'm wondering how you're a former pollster, and you do, as we, you know, just from your thoughtful answer there, you think a lot about how messages are getting through. I'm wondering, you know, with the midterms coming up, the president is going with a message, which is Republicans are really hot, and he looks at their butts all the time. How do you feel like, as a pollster, do you feel like this is a good, like, midterm messaging? I think Donald Trump is a special, special man. I would agree. I think Jesse actually called it the gayest midterm of all time today. And I appreciate that they're leaning into it.

23:00Jessica Tarlov: They're not even doing the, like, well, you don't understand. They used to say this, you know, when he was talking about, like, what happens to magnets when they get wet. Yeah. Right. So that was a long phase. Like, years of the magnets. And by the way, I got a good feeling it's going to come back around. Well. I don't think we're done with magnets. We're never done. we're not done with that neurological exam that you give to people after a traumatic car crash that he's boasting about. But the ass component of this midterms, I think has taken everyone by surprise. Maybe even his doctors. And I think that they're leaning into the idea that there is a greater message to all of this.

23:41Jessica Tarlov: And 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 criticize this. Or, you know, how everyone on Capitol Hill loves to report. Like, behind closed doors, they all know he's insane. It's like, stop it. Yeah. Everyone is fine with this. Right. That's really what's going on here. I'm so sick of these stories. It's a complete waste of our time. Like, oh, Mike Johnson, you know, his spine is actually forming as we speak. And it's done. Yeah. It's like those stories where they're like, you know what? I think we heard a new president today.

24:13Oh. I think the change of tone we saw today. Have you ever seen him like this? Sorry.

24:21Jessica Tarlov: And I think that we can just put all the ass stuff in that category. Like, it's fine for them because they believe in the larger project. They always tell me we're directionally going the right way. Yeah. 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. Directionally, we're the right way. 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? Yeah. And those are the people that I think about.

25:02Yeah. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you. And congratulations so much on the vote. Jessica Talao, everybody. I disagree is available now.

25:15Late Night with Seth Meyers airs weeknights on NBC at 1235, 1135 Central. Original music on the Late Night Podcast is by the HE Band. Don't forget to follow the handle LateNightSeth on social media and tell your friends to subscribe to the Late Night Podcast wherever they get their podcasts.