Fox News’s token liberal commentator was quick to poke fun at the absence of crowds at President Trump’s Great American State Fair on Thursday.
Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic Party strategist and co-host on The Five, visited the fair in Washington, D.C., on Thursday while co-hosting a special broadcast from the site with colleagues Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, and Joey Jones.
“Plenty of room at the State Fair!” she wrote in one post alongside a photo of a completely empty field.
The 42-year-old also posted a video, telling viewers, “I’m at the state fair. It is as empty as advertised. It is also so hot that it’s not really safe to be out here.”
Thursday was the hottest July 2 on record, with afternoon temperatures above 100 degrees. An extreme heat warning was in effect throughout the day.
Fox News also inadvertently drew attention to the lack of crowds, with Michael Estime reporting live from the fair and stressing just how hot it was.
“The current temperature outside right now by the way, 101 degrees, you factor in the humidity and it feels like 110 degrees outside right now,” he said.
“But let me tell you something, that does not stop our true patriots,” he continued as the camera panned over a largely empty field with some two dozen visitors visible in frame.
Backtracking slightly, Estime noted that “the heat though certainly keeping the crowds at bay,” while at the same time claiming that “plenty of folks” were “still braving the heat to be a part of America’s 250th birthday.”
The extreme heat is expected to continue through the weekend, including during the president’s planned Fourth of July celebrations.
The Five panel argued over the heat during its show in front of the state fair, arguing about the fact that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani suggested New Yorkers set their thermostats to 78 degrees to help conserve energy.
The festivities are expected to kick off with military flyovers at 1:15 p.m., though the main program is not scheduled to start until 7 p.m. The temperature is expected to reach 100 degrees, and thunderstorms are forecast for the afternoon.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 9:45 p.m., at which point the temperature is likely to be around 84 degrees. The fireworks show, billed as the largest in history and already mired in controversy over the pollution it could cause, is expected to start at 10:30 p.m.
The president has already vowed to push through the heat, telling the audience at the opening ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, “By the way, on July Fourth, it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I’m going to go, and I’m going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.”
In response to the extreme heat warning, Freedom 250, U.S. Park Police, National Park Service, U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency released a joint statement on Thursday detailing the ways they have coordinated to prepare the site for visitors on Saturday.
“The safety and well-being of every guest remains our top priority as we celebrate this historic 250th Independence Day,” the statement reads. “In light of current heat conditions, Freedom 250, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have coordinated closely to adjust event timing and expand cooling resources, water stations, and medical support across the grounds. We are proud to welcome the public to a safe, well-prepared, and truly memorable celebration of America’s 250th birthday.”
CNN medical analyst and cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Reiner warned on Wednesday that the celebrations should be canceled in light of the extreme heat and weather warnings.
“The same way the outdoor inauguration was canceled last year because of the cold, the rally on the Mall this July 4 should be canceled because of the intense heat (> 100 degrees),” he wrote on X.
“Dangerous weather and large crowds is a bad combination.”
