Media pile on President Trump over Harvey response

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Media piles on President Trump over Harvey response

Press outlets continue relentless negative coverage; reaction and analysis on 'The Five'

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," August 31, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JESSE WATTERS, CO-HOST: Hello everybody, I'm Jesse Watters along with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Juan Williams, Gillian Turner, and Greg Gutfeld. It's 9 o'clock in New York City and this is "The Five."

We begin tonight with our continuing coverage of the utter devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey. Some areas in Texas received over 50 inches of rain creating what one scientist is calling a once in every thousand years flooding events. Vice President Mike Pence visited with storm survivors in Texas today and President Trump is donating $1 million of his own money to storm victims.

The latest on Harvey and its aftermath, let's go to Steve Harrigan in Silsbee, Texas. Steve?

STEVE HARRIGAN, FOX NEWS: Jesse, no rain here right now but east of Houston, the floodwaters keep rising. And that's really caught a lot of people here by surprise. Throughout the day, we saw a number of water rescues. Some people going out and flat boats to pick up neighbors, others to pick up their pets. And in the case were about to show you, both.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It didn't really have much flooding until just this morning, it started coming fast and started rushing towards us. I want to say probably four fifths is underwater.

HARRIGAN: Why did you decide to come?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut off the power, we didn't have no water or food.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIGAN: The rescuer in that case actually came from Arkansas. He told us that he had the resources and the time and wanted to help. He's been saving people for two days. Jesse, back to you.

WATTERS: Steve, thank you. The press is covering President Trump's every move related to Hurricane Harvey and no matter what the President does, it seems the mainstream media says it's not enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think he understands the human scale of misery. I don't think that he can connect with the sort of compassion that you normally have when you see a disaster like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it was very striking that he didn't mention the number of people who died. Or even, you know, sort of try to empathize with the fact that people are genuinely suffering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that he saw no damage firsthand did not stop him from claiming on Twitter, he witnessed, quote, first-hand the horror and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: And today, at the White House press briefing, the press corps seemed the more concerned about illegal immigrants than anybody else affected by Harvey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are 575,000 undocumented immigrants in Houston, one of the largest populations in this country. Does this White House believe they should be eligible for long-term federal recovery assistance?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Undocumented immigrants giving long-term funding, is that a "yes" or "no"?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you are undocumented immigrant and you did have a home or you are in a shelter, what happens?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: What happens, Greg? All those undocumented immigrants, they're probably more deserving according to the press corps of relief than actual residents of Texas.

GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: I would get to being concerned, and being concerned about everyone, from the undocumented to the documented. But it seems, when you listen to the press, it's as if only undocumented or illegal immigrants are involved in this disaster. Which makes me think they really don't care that this is a political point that they are trying to make. I would never say the media is trying to do this. By the way, it was, you know, both sides do this.

The side out of power always goes after the site in power during Hurricane Sandy, there was a lot of criticism about Obama hugging Chris Christie, do you remember that? But the interesting thing, I think this is a different time. I don't think President Trump is as big a factor in this because it seems like Texas represents such a positive unifying force that people can't really turn this into a bad thing. It's like, Texas is a new motto should be we got to this.

WATTERS: Yes.

GUTFELD: I mean, it's like, Trump is not, the unity speaks for itself. So, when you start talking about Donald Trump not being warm and fuzzy like a bunny slipper. People are like, we don't need it, we got this, we are fine. We don't need a cozy fuzzy banana, you know, bunny slipper as a leader, as a leader.

WATTERS: Right.

GUTFELD: We can do it ourselves. And you see it every day. So, I think it's really hard for the media to go after him at this point because the visuals convey the message. It conveys the message that he wants to convey that which is making America great again, which is the positive nature of people coming together. He's just kind of in the background. So, they can't really -- this stuff is baby games.

WATTERS: That's right. And the media thinks Texas wants tears.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: And they want volunteers, they want food, they want shelter, that's not what Texas need right now, Kimberly. But for some reason, the press wants the photo op of the President crying and hugging like a Bill Clinton or Obama.

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: Well, if he did that, they would say that oh, this is just totally put upon. It's field with artifice, this is someone trying to save his political presidency.

WATTERS: Uh-hm.

GUILFOYLE: They would not have any time wasted hitting him and attacking him into saying that it was crocodile tears. What I think here is to be celebrated is the fact that people have come together incredible unparalleled humanitarian efforts to be able to help one another, to be able to provide the funding, provide the food, the resources, the rescue efforts to bring people together.

This to me is a really shining example of the best of American cooperative efforts, trying to help one another of our unity, about what unites us rather than what divides us. So, I think it has been in a way a time of healing through tremendous tragedy, or people have said, you know what? We really actually have so much more in common than what the mainstream media or press would tell us that divides us, and that I think is really important.

WATTERS: It is important but the press seems focus on the empathy factor, Juan. And they're saying, I don't know how they get this information that they believe that the President doesn't care and he lacks empathy towards the actual victims. Back up to the election. I think Hillary Clinton was the robot that couldn't connect and couldn't show empathy. President Trump won in November because he get empathized with that forgotten man, the victims of unfair trade deals, the victims of open borders and bad deals. That's what got him elected.

JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: I'm not sure, but okay. I mean, I think -- I mean, people say lots of things about what got him elected, I don't know for sure. But I'll tell you, when it comes to this issue, I think that, you know, Kimberly to me was right on target. No matter what he did. If he had gone down to Texas, if he had actually gone to the front lines. People say, well, you know what, he's going through the motions to try to create an image that will appeal to Americans, well, he didn't do it.

So, when the press then says, but you didn't do it and guess what, we have a FOX News poll out today that says only 26 percent of Americans think of him as a compassionate person. I think it plays into a negative image about his weaknesses. And so, the press then says, well, I mean, this guy doesn't seem very compassionate and you guys say, oh, that's the mainstream press. Or on the immigrants' issue, who has made immigration the centerpiece of his campaign?

Maybe that's the reason he got elected, because he was hard on illegal immigrants, immigrants in general. And now when people say, well, what about, you know, are they stopping immigrants at the checkpoints? Are they going to do some kind of sweep at the shelters to find illegal immigrants? Are illegal immigrants eligible for benefits? All these questions bubble up because he has demonstrated such an antipathy towards immigrants.

GUTFELD: I don't -- nobody looks for a surgeon based on empathy. They look for skill sets. It's like, that is the worst thing -- may be a psychologist or a priest.

GUILFOYLE: Right.

GUTFELD: If you want empathy. That's fine.

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

GUTFELD: But the thing is, you are asking Trump for empathy, you don't get it. That's not what he's elected.

WILLIAMS: Well, I agree with you.

GUILFOYLE: You don't even have to like Trump if you think he is a good president.

WILLIAMS: Right. But I agree with you but I am telling you, he's a politician. And we have seen, I think it was a highlight of President Bush's time when he stood there and says, I hear you in the wreckage after 9/11.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: But I think they're trying to fit Trump into the political mold and they are upset, the media is, because Trump is not playing by the media playbook. He's not going down there and hugging and crying like every politician does. So, the media will write a story that says because he's not acting, quote, "acting like a politician."

GUILFOYLE: He's not a presidential Jello mold, that's why.

WATTERS: Right.

GILLIAN TURNER, GUEST CO-HOST: Well, I kind of feel like, this is a question of leadership style if we break it down to what we're really talking about here. Right? I think it's fair to compare and contrast different presidents in the wake of national disasters. I think it's fair to evaluate all of them. It's fair to say, okay, President Trump is not taking on this sort of consoler in chief attitude.

He has not maybe been so overly emotive, he is not been hugging people. But I think that to extrapolate from that, the idea that he is somehow not empathetic is not fair. And I think that is lazy analysis. I also think it's weird sort of like pop psychology.

GUTFELD: Right. It's mind reading.

TURNER: I think that, if we're going to talk about his leadership style in the wake of this storm, I think it has really been him adopting his chief executive officer mode.

WATTERS: Right.

TURNER: He's put that hat on. He's established a clear chain of command. VP Pence is out on the ground today. Clearly, I think is the COO, you know, America, this corporation, I think this is how he approaches it. It's like, we've got this strategic problem, how am I going to fix things, who was going to handle what? Whom am I delegating too? That's the style we've seen from President Trump. So, it's fair to talk about what we think about that. But I think to condemn him for choosing one style over another is not fair.

WATTERS: And shoe gates continues everybody. "The Washington Post" I believe Kimberly, doubled down on attacking Melania's high heels, saying it totally fair game to go after the First Lady's choice of footwear, what do you think about that?

GUILFOYLE: I don't know but if she had tennis shoes on or sneakers or whatever you are going to call them these days.

WATTERS: Yes.

GUILFOYLE: I guess they didn't have a problem with that. I think this is childish.

WATTERS: Yes.

GUILFOYLE: And I think it's immature. Why don't they cover the real stories that are out there about the human suffering and the people's will to live and to help and to give back and to try to, you know, unite people? They don't want to do that because that's not a fun story. They would rather poke fun at somebody who's actually been a fantastic First Lady and represented us well in an elegant way.

TURNER: Why is it always only the women, that annoys me, I think it is sexist.

GUTFELD: Okay. This is what Washington posted which is so hilarious. They wanted to do the story but they wanted to protect themselves from the criticism of being sexist. So, the headline is, "It is not sexist to go after Melania." Because the shoes implied that she wasn't thinking about others. I believe that The Washington Post was sexist in choosing a woman to do the story.

Kayla Epstein because that provided them with a camouflage to trash the First Lady. It's about trashing the First Lady. If you look at the Twitter feeds of Kayla Epstein, not a Trump fan by any means but they used her, they used her sex to cover this. So, she's just upon in The Washington Post to avoid looking sexist. But I think Kayla Epstein, she's on her way to getting a Pulitzer if they have a category for shoes.

WILLIAMS: Well, let me just say -- first of all, let me just say, I think it war Robin Givhan who is the Post fashion writer who first wrote about this until maybe you could say, oh, well, the fashion people, where they doing in politics and they bring in --

GUTFELD: They assume that men can't write about shoes. They assumed that only women can do it. Let the chicks write about these shoes. That's sexist.

WILLIAMS: That sexist!

GUTFELD: That's sexist.

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE: I'm going to let you write poems about my shoes.

GUTFELD: I've written for dozens of women's magazines. I've written for dozens of sexists.

WILLIAMS: But let me just say -- but let me just say, I saw in The New York Times today that their top story, the story that was most read in The New York Times yesterday was, guess what?

GUTFELD: The shoes.

WILLIAMS: The shoes.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WILLIAMS: So, I think there is widespread interest in this. Now, why?

GUTFELD: Pandering.

WILLIAMS: Oh, pandering. I don't know. I think there are a lot of people who see this as evidence that this is the high class, the superrich, the billionaires, like out of touch.

GUTFELD: It's class warfare.

WILLIAMS: Okay. But nonetheless, what it suggests is, she's out of touch. And that, you know, Kimberly, I hate to tell you this but Kimberly said, they didn't get to the sneakers, they did get to the sneakers. They said the sneakers were glistening.

GUTFELD: Were glistening.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

WATTERS: They've never been worn before.

GUILFOYLE: They didn't say, she was the worst person for wearing the sneakers.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Wait a second, they did talk about wearing the hat and the jacket that you can buy.

TURNER: All right. Fine.

WATTERS: Yes.

TURNER: But you know, no criticism that he picked --

GUILFOYLE: But he also gave a million dollars --

GUTFELD: Don't you see my point that "The Washington Post" goes out of its way to find women to attack the women --

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

GUTFELD: So, they don't look sexist. But it's actually sexist to choose the women to be the attackers.

GUILFOYLE: It happens all the time.

GUTFELD: It's sad and weird.

WATTERS: And Greg would gladly write about women's shoes if you just get him the chance.

GUTFELD: I can write a me piece on shoes.

WATTERS: Up next, Greg gives some much-needed context to the debate over monuments, stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD: If you were to describe these last few days with one word, it would be "rescued" because all we see are people being rescued. Pets too from rooftops, from cars. But you're also seeing another kind of rescue, one from all of those conflicts that occurred before the flood. Stuff about statues and privilege and gender identity and trigger warnings. These stories still exist. But in times of crisis, they seem to fade. But some still pop up as a reminder of how things used to be.

Right now there are cities planning to replace Columbus Day with "Indigenous Day." I don't know what to think except that it's got to be cool to have all that time on your hands to debate that stuff in dry comfortable weather. Meanwhile, people are being airlifted from certain death. It's such a powerful contrast at least to me.

Now, these conflicts over statues and historical figures, they exist in good times because we have the time to discuss it. But a disaster rescues us from such a reoccurring division. Now I know, we're supposed to hate each other says the media. And it must be hard for identity activists to see folks in trucker hats or hoodies, rescuing people of all stripes. They can't wait to get back to the rage when the waters recede. But for now, tribulation silences all tribes.

It's the calm that came with a terrible storm.

Kimberly, I'm trying to contrast between reality and made-for-TV outrage. You can talk -- we can have discussions about indigenous day and all that stuff if were not living a horrible life. If were not thinking about how we're going to get back to our home.

GUILFOYLE: Uh-hm. Well, yes, this is the problem, yes, and when you see the full outrage and the stories of people trying to create and manufacture this, it just seems so disingenuous. Especially in the face of what we are witnessing and the Hurricane Harvey, the aftermath, the human struggling. What in fact is going on on a daily basis, you can't even imagine it if you're put in this position with our family and friends and wondering if our loved ones were they are, they haven't begun even recovery efforts in terms of the waters because they're too high.

So, the contrast is very difficult. Because now everything has become this completely elevated, blown out of proportion, hyperbolic catastrophe and crisis that nobody can seem to try to get their heads around no matter how small it is. It becomes something that is magnified, you know, to 1,000 X.

GUTFELD: Uh-hm. You know, Juan, I am really -- Mayor Bill de Blasio said before the flood that he was going to review all the hate of statues in New York City. And I think it's a really good thing that he's doing this because obviously he's so shameful of the Democratic past and their love for slavery that he's finally agreeing to get rid of these reminders of his party's shameful past.

WILLIAMS: Wow! Now that's a question?

(LAUGHTER)

GUILFOYLE: It's called loading.

GUTFELD: What do you think about Columbus Day?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think, I can't wait to have it off. Oh, I can't get it off.

GUILFOYLE: And Columbus Circle.

WILLIAMS: Columbus Circle. You know what strikes me is that, we talk about the fact that the storm comes and that's the moment when we come together when there's a crisis, I think it's true. I'm reminded there was a piece in The Wall Street Journal today written by James Baker and Andy Young. So, James Baker used to be secretary of state and Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta, UN Ambassador, I believe.

And it basically said, you know, we have to start talking to each other. We have to get back to the idea of solving problems. It reminded me of what the Defense Secretary Mattis said, he said, the biggest problem we have is not ISIS or the terrorists, the biggest problem is our political structure is so broken, so polarized, we can't resolve anything here at home. We can't talk to each other.

GUTFELD: Right. And so to me, when you see the storm, speaking up of what you see, Greg, I think you're right. I think that it's a moment, it's almost like, you know, you see people in the military, you see people in the Police Department. When you are dealing with something terrible, even with Jessie and me yelling at each other.

GUTFELD: Uh-hm.

GUTFELD: Guess what, I have his back. I mean, I trust you would have mine. It's just that kind of moment in a life where, you know, what? So, I don't like the statue, you don't like the statue. You know what? I didn't like your mama, oh, okay.

GUILFOYLE: Take it easy, Juan!

(LAUGHTER)

GUILFOYLE: Oh my God! Mrs. Watters, Mrs. Watters, were not talking about you.

GUTFELD: I think your mother, she agrees with Juan more than she agrees with you.

WATTERS: A hundred percent at a time.

(LAUGHTER)

GUILFOYLE: She's long suffering. Long suffering.

TURNER: You noticed some people in life and you just can't picture the fact that they have parents? Like Seinfeld? That's you. I can't believe that you have parents.

(LAUGHTER)

GUILFOYLE: Oh my God!

GUTFELD: Well, now that we've veered off topic. Jesse, these certain conflicts can only happen if everything else is going great. Right?

WATTERS: We are so spoiled, being offended by a statue or by a holiday or a luxury that Texas wished they had.

GUTFELD: Right.

WATTERS: And you know, they are renaming holidays, I just care if I'm off or not. I don't care what they call it. Indigenous, Columbus, it doesn't matter. Speaking of indigenous peoples. Indigenous people all over the world live in Harvey-like conditions almost every day where they lose their homes, they are worried about how wet they are, they are cold, they are hungry. That's the norm for those people.

People act like being offended is worse than being starving, being wet, being homeless, being broke, being poor. I would rather be offended instead of all of that stuff. But people are so coddled in this country, they can't experience discomfort. They can't experience offense. They think that's the worst thing in the world so they walk around on eggshells protecting other people, protecting themselves and they have all their priorities out of whack. The L.A. City Council is voting on a holiday. Meanwhile LA is like, is like going to hell in a hand basket.

GUTFELD: Uh-hm.

WATTERS: And they are worried about a holiday.

GUILFOYLE: And it's like 100 degree there too, by the way right now.

WATTERS: Come on!

GUTFELD: Gillian, I think that all social justice warriors should be forced to watch the coverage of the storm nonstop, just to see what real suffering is like and how people come together and all these lines of demarcation kind of fade away.

TURNER: You know it's interesting because someone -- this guy walked into my office in the week of Charlottesville and he said, this is the only country where we are so short fused, so short fused that we are going to spark a civil war in response to monuments that were erected in the wake of the last civil war.

GUTFELD: Uh-hm.

TURNER: And I thought that's a really good point, I hadn't thought about it that way before.

GUTFELD: You're welcome.

TURNER: So, there is like the idea of like transformative justice and that is really important. Right? People have to feel like they are welcome and people have to feel like their own unique individual, you know, cultural heritage is a respected at the very least. Right. But it gets to a point where you can't -- I lived in a country in South Africa for two years during graduate school where, in the wake of apartheid there, people are so scared of anything that is unique nationally, culturally in any way that they have a list of like 75 national holidays and they are called things like family day. Women's day. Youth day. You know, that's where we are headed here.

GUTFELD: I don't mind that. I don't mind that.

WILLIAMS: Just go down to Texas and Louisiana, I think they have the most holidays in the country.

TURNER: But you don't want to get to the point where nothing is celebrated. You know what I mean? Everything is so generic that it actually doesn't mean anything.

GUILFOYLE: I think we just have to put our priorities. I mean, do a reset as a country in terms of putting things in perspective about what really matters in life, the health and safety of your loved ones. Look at the people out there. Their lives have been deleted. Everything they knew, things that they loved, their possessions, anything that was tangible that they created or had for their families, gone.

WATTERS: So, more holidays, more statues? That is the consensus?

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: All right.

GUTFELD: I think we solved every world problem.

Coming up, the Russia story the press doesn't want to report. We'll be right back with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, FOX "The Five" SHOW HOST: The media might have a tough time covering this story because today the Trump administration said it had ordered three Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States to close. That is in response to the kremlin's demand last month that the U.S. reduce its diplomatic staff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We've taken a firm and measured action in response to Russia's unfortunate decision earlier this year. We want to halt the downward spiral and move forward toward better relations. Will look for opportunities to do that but we also want to have equity in the decisions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUILFOYLE: The tough on Russia move by the Trump administration doesn't fit into the media's collusion narrative, does it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump is afraid. He is trying to exude power and strength. He is afraid of something that Mueller and the prosecutors are going to find out. What you see time after time as a President who is within himself, seized with fear. That is going to bully a political hurricane for him. We'll call it hurricane Vladimir, the whole Russian thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUILFOYLE: Greg, have fun.

GREG GUTFELD, FOX "The Five" SHOW HOST: I feel like Dan rather has been right fewer times than a stopped clock. I don't think anybody has ever said that on television before. The Russian story is there stressful. They have to squeeze the Russian story, squeeze. It builds no muscles. It's so funny to watch the Democrats who used to think the USSR were wonderful when they could destroy it. They now think they are ok, when they are one eighth the size. Be like Dianne Feinstein, give the President the chance. Or cling to the Russian story, you're going to go insane, you are insane.

GUILFOYLE: You are witnessing it live.

GILLIAN TURNER, FOX "The Five" SHOW GUEST HOST: If we put politics aside for a second, we talk about what actually happened with this. I worry that we can cut and cut and cuts, this all started with President Obama expelling 35 Russians at the end of 2016 right before he left office in retaliation for election meddling. Then they cut to 750 Americans, now we cut, we can cut until there's no one left on diplomatic channels on either side, on either country. Then everybody loses because we have no way to communicate with the Russians anymore. Whether we like them or not, whether we want to talk to them or not, we have to communicate to them about some very important issues. The Syrian civil war. Like Afghanistan. Like a rock, like all kinds of different things. I do commend the Trump administration in this instance, they did say they are closing consulates in a few small offices. Those people, the Russians who work there can be reassigned. We're not expelling them from the country which is smart.

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX "The Five" SHOW HOST: But I mean on the other hand, is it comparable? The way you guys talk about it, President Trump is punishing the Russians, but in fact the Russians kicked out 60 percent of our diplomats at our key embassy in Moscow. That damages our ability to do what you are talking about which is communicate and talk. We didn't kick out any of their people now, we kicked out 35 earlier. That is a minuscule by comparison, 60 percent of all diplomats. What compounded this from a position of the state department is when the Russians, we're talking about the evil Vladimir Putin kicked out the Americans, President Trump's reaction was thanks for helping us cut the size of government.

JESSE WATTERS, FOX "The Five" SHOW HOST: It went right over your head.

WILLIAMS: It went right to the heart of people who work in the state department.

WATTERS: I think everyone knew it was a joke, because it was funny. He is so friendly with Russia he is closing down consulates, he is bombing their allies. He is exporting cheaper energy. Vladimir Putin for a KGB must be not very good at blackmail, because it's not working very well. I don't think anything is happening here. You think that he is pretending to be tough on Russia so it looks like he is not colluding? That is what the conspiracy is paired he is sitting around, close some consulates. MSNBC is hot on the tail. And it sends some steaks over to Paul Manafort. Dan Rather is connected the dots, we better fire Mueller. Conspiracy theories have run totally wild and it's hilarious that Dan Rather of all people is out in front of it.

WILLIAMS: But you've got to agree that we can't do anything.

WATTERS: I don't have to agree with anything you say, Juan.

(LAUGHTER)

GUILFOYLE: Why the Omaha steaks?

WATTERS: Trump steaks. Only the best, most (inaudible).

GUILFOYLE: Wow, you are a walking infomercial. You didn't give anybody the Trump tie.

WATTERS: It throw some ties in, why not?

GUTFELD: It does hurt a lot of people, I'm speaking personally. A lot of people want to see their family, they go back and forth. This retaliation moves it do end up hurting people that have family in Russia and had family in the United States. It's a little bit of a problem, hopefully it's temporary. These steps resemble action when they really aren't.

WATTERS: They've been happening for decades? It's what you do diplomatically. We are always good to be adversaries with the Russians, no matter how many people try to warm them up. This a lot of hawks from a lot of defense contractors that want us to be adversaries, and we will for a very long time.

WILLIAMS: What happened to the Trump reset?

GUILFOYLE: Every President that comes to office tries to reset with Russia and it lasts a couple months.

One of the NFL's most popular stars has a surprising take on the Colin Kaepernick debate that is next, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIAMS: welcome back to The Five, two-time MVP winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers surprised many this week when he told ESPN that he thinks Colin Kaepernick should be on an NFL roster. And wasn't signed yet because of his refusal to stand for the national anthem. At least one sports fan was highly skeptical of his comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he was really down for the cause, he is got a lot of power. You know what, Colin Kaepernick should be my backup quarterback. He should be on our roster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It clearly isn't going to happen because it's not what he believes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: You know what's interesting is Tony Romo, famous for quarterbacking the Dallas cowboys he also says Colin Kaepernick is good enough, no question. He would be on the team if he could bring a championship.

GUILFOYLE: He is not a closer.

WILLIAMS: He is not a championship quarterback anymore.

GUILFOYLE: I totally agree, listen, I didn't like him before the whole take anything, he is not the kind of quarterback that we were accustomed to. This is a dynasty that we had in San Francisco. People delivered, Joe Montana.

GUTFELD: Steve Young.

WILLIAMS: How far you're going to go?

GUILFOYLE: If he was that is good, they would overlook it. When Michael Vick wasn't beating dogs in the dog fighting, people still wanted him, didn't they? After he came back, they were like will sign him.

WILLIAMS: Give me your bottom line, is he being blackballed by the NFL?

GUILFOYLE: I don't think he is being blackballed. I think people want championship and want wins on a table. If they want people on the stadium. You have to have a quarterback at a backup quarterback was going to deliver. It depends on the individual needs of each team. Whether they have somebody who's a backup. If I thought he was great enough and I was a top quarterback I would say bring him in as my backup. That is not the case here. I really don't think so.

TURNER: You can literally torture dogs and still find a place in the league.

WATTERS: If you have 4.4 speed and a rocket arm.

WILLIAMS: The other point is you see people who are talent evaluators saying he is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league and he doesn't have a job.

WATTERS: He could be a decent backup quarterback for every single team, but what owner wants us on the guy like that? He is a lightning rod, the fans are going to like it, the media is going to come in and go crazy in preseason. Every single game, every question is going to be thrown at you after the game about that. He is going to be divisive in the locker room, no one's going to want to deal with it. Football is a team sports. What you have someone like that causing so much controversy inside and outside the locker room, he is not worth it, he is not talented enough to deal with it.

WILLIAMS: You don't think there's a blackball situation.

WATTERS: I think owners don't want to sign him because he attracts a lot of negative attention and is not worth the risk.

WILLIAMS: So a distraction, Greg?

GUTFELD: Blackball implies that everybody met in a room and says were not doing it. People don't like its people making a business decision saying is this going to hurt tickets. I have a solution for Colin Kaepernick. He needs an exit ramp out of this controversy. I think this week or next week he should announce that after watching the heroism that took place this week, I realize how unique and special this country is and how lucky I am to be here. I allowed myself to get bogged down in a lot of negativity but now I'm woke. I see what America is. Now I'm redefining my patriotism by the heroism, the individualism and the stick intuitiveness come out that we've got this in Texas. I am proudly standing for my country from now on after what happened with the storm.

WILLIAMS: Wow.

GUTFELD: That is what he should do.

GUILFOYLE: They would sign him as a third-string quarterback.

WILLIAMS: Gillian, here's the thing, when we heard from Aaron Rodgers in green bay. He not only said this guy deserves a job and was being blackballed. He also said when he talks to his teammates, he understands that Colin Kaepernick is protesting being unfairly pulled over, stopped, and harassed. He says I don't have experience with this, he is a white quarterback. Do you think that Rogers is feigning apathy or truly seeking to understand?

TURNER: If you read the transcript, I thought it was really smart. I like what he said later on which is that I personally am not going to join this standing movement, the way I feel about the American flag. However, I respect the civil rights issues that my teammates, my league mates are trying to bring into the national spotlight by doing this. I'm never going to denounce them for doing this. He is taking an issue that has been so racially charged and deciphering the core which is a free speech issue. Which is a smart thing to do.

WATTERS: No one is denying his right to kneel and disrespect the flag. Business owners have a choice to also say were not going to hire a guy like that. He doesn't represent our brand.

TURNER: Isn't free speech part of the issue there?

WATTERS: If I don't like the message of someone being unpatriotic reps and in their franchise.

GUTFELD: If I set on the five that I wanted to throw the football around during the show, I would be fired because that is not my role.

WATTERS: Hannity does it. (LAUGHTER)

WILLIAMS: You stole my line, yet another Hillary Clinton scandal over pay for play allegations that report up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TURNER: During the 2016 Presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was plagued with pay for play allegations involving her foundation that is not stopping her from selling access in the private sector. Tickets to meet Secretary Clinton on her book tour coming this fall at certain locations will cost readers over $2,000. You guys are all pretty familiar with the book circuit. What do you make of this? What should this cost?

WILLIAMS: I'm glad would anybody shows up.

GUILFOYLE: You're a national best seller, Juan.

WILLIAMS: Typically you or I - you know what, she is charging almost $3,000 in Toronto and sold out, you know what the free market said apparently people said what you get this you get a front row seat, you get to meet her, take a picture with her.

WATTERS: They are benefiting.

GUTFELD: How many pantsuits does she need? $2400, front row seats, a photo and signed book that is what you get. It's a great deal when you consider the alternative, her being President. This is a bargain for everybody involved.

WILLIAMS: So all the Trump voters should go.

TURNER: Maybe you should get to signs copied to.

GUILFOYLE: They love the money. They love it. They wake up like, how can we make some more money. I think this really is about trying to test the waters to see if she can run again. She won't accept that she lost. This is campaigning. That is what it is, she gets out in front of as many people as she can, rehabilitate her image so she is still got some zhing and her step, she is in good health, she knows how to make a buck and she gets to tell her side of it. This makes total sense to me. For the Clinton dynasty, I think the Democratic Party is probably going to say no mas.

TURNER: It does make sense from a political strategist perspective, what else are you raising money for? For her, $2,000 a pop, she can get millions of dollars just from going.

WATTERS: Every penny counts. Clintons are greedier than Trump.

GUILFOYLE: People want to pay for me, mom is still got it.

GUTFELD: The big winner is bill, she is out of the house, and she goes into the backyard. She will gone for three months. I'll get to the m.

WILLIAMS: Joe Biden has a book coming out.

GUTFELD: is it a picture book?

WILLIAMS: Bernie Sanders had a book about this month about revolution. You've got Elizabeth Warren already had a book out this year, Al Franken had a book out this year. I guess these people are kind of trotting out ideas, building profiles and their personal story in order to potentially write books. If you think she is meant to run again?

GUILFOYLE: I do think so. For people that I know that are close with her, they feel like she was cheated out of it, she should have her moment as the first female President. If you ask her in her truest heart, it's not the money but it is the opportunity to try to campaign and show people that she is still got it and she should still leave the Party.

WATTERS: I support another Hillary candidacy, I would donate to the campaign.

GUTFELD: I knew that Bernie Sanders at her new book out. Donna Brazile got it for me.

TURNER: The web, the intellect is sharp as a razor's edge.

GUTFELD: It was a convoluted joke, I agree.

TURNER: The four of us will be right back but Kimberly had to take off to host "Hannity" which airs right here at 10:00 p.m. stick with us and check her out then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATTERS: That is it for us tonight, we're going to be right back here tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. If you can't make it, don't forget to set your DVR's. Be sure to turn into "Hannity" tonight with "The Five" own Kimberly Guilfoyle in the anchor chair. For all our viewers impacted by Harvey, you are in our thoughts and our prayers, where rooting hard for a quick recovery for you and your love ones. Good night, everybody.

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