On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Fox News hosts Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld engaged in a contentious debate with their liberal co-host Jessica Tarlov over the government shutdown, as she disputed Republican narratives concerning the deadlock.
During “The Five,” Watters insisted that President Donald Trump would likely not yield first in the standoff between Democrats and Republicans regarding the shutdown, which started at midnight on Wednesday after Congress failed to agree on a temporary funding measure. The deadlock involves Democratic attempts to prolong Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year-end and to reverse significant Medicaid reductions in Trump’s legislative agenda.
Watters reiterated the Republican assertion that Democrats were closing the government because they wanted unauthorized immigrants to receive free healthcare. However, Tarlov quickly refuted this claim, explaining that unauthorized immigrants are already barred from receiving federally funded healthcare under a 1996 law, and Democratic budget proposals do not aim to make them eligible for programs like Medicaid and Medicare.
When Tarlov stated that the Republican assertion was incorrect because such funding “is prohibited,” co-host Greg Gutfeld challenged her, questioning where it was prohibited and sarcastically asking whether states like New York and California adhered to these restrictions. Tarlov clarified that states could make their own decisions, prompting Gutfeld to ask where states obtain their funding, while Watters claimed they receive money from the federal government.
The Republican assertions likely originate from Democratic efforts to reinstate eligibility for certain “lawfully present” immigrants for Obamacare subsidies. Tarlov emphasized that Democrats aim to restore eligibility for lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, domestic violence survivors, and human trafficking victims, though her conservative co-hosts remained skeptical of the distinction.
Watters dismissed the complexity, suggesting that anyone claiming to be trafficked at the border could gain entry and receive free healthcare. Tarlov responded by emphasizing that ACA tax credits are central to the dispute, noting that 21 million of the 24 million people benefiting from these subsidies reside in states that voted for Trump, implying the president should want to keep those constituents satisfied.
This exchange follows a pattern of tense discussions on “The Five,” where Tarlov, as the show’s sole liberal voice, often defends Democratic positions against multiple conservative co-hosts. The dynamic has caught the attention of President Trump, who criticized Tarlov in a June 2025 Truth Social post, labeling her a “failed TV personality” and accusing her of “soiling” the show.
In that prior post, Trump praised Watters and Gutfeld as “terrific” while criticizing Tarlov’s demeanor and career. He wrote that “nobody can stand Tarlov” and alleged she “lies over and over again,” adding that MAGA supporters were complaining about her frequent appearances on Fox News.
Wednesday’s discussion on the shutdown represents another instance where Tarlov has attempted to fact-check her co-hosts on air, often focusing on immigration and deportation policies. In previous segments, she has challenged the Trump administration’s deportation practices, including cases involving individuals sent to El Salvador’s maximum security prison under questionable circumstances.
During those earlier debates, Watters and Gutfeld displayed similar dismissive attitudes when Tarlov raised due process concerns about deportations, with Watters at one point stating it was “just a gay barber” when discussing a Venezuelan man incorrectly deported to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison.
Tarlov, who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, continues to serve as the primary liberal voice on Fox News’ flagship roundtable show despite regular pushback from her conservative colleagues and criticism from Trump and his supporters.
The government shutdown discussion highlighted the broader tensions within the network as hosts navigate between supporting Republican positions and addressing factual accuracy in political claims. The exchange demonstrated how quickly conservative panelists moved to shut down fact-checking efforts, even when the corrections involved easily verifiable legal statutes.
