watters, dana perino, and greg gutfeld. it's 5:00 in new york city. this is "the five." an explosive gop debate before voters in iowa make their voices heard in the republican primary race. this time four of the top candidates taking the stage and trying to seize the momentum. the contenders brawling from the opening bell and clashing on the key issues that voters care about. the biggest target of the night, remember forker south carolina governor nikki haley. >> you have other candidates up here, like nikki haley, she caves anytime the left comes after her, anytime the media comes after her. these wall street liberal donors make money in china. they are not going to let her be tough on china. she will cave to the donor. the only person more fascist than the biden regime right now is nikki haley who thinks the government should identify every one of those individuals with an id. nikki is corrupt. this woman will send your kids to cue so she can buy a bigger house. >> the donors are jealous. they wish they were supporting them. the level of the attention, fellas, thank you for that. >> that was the only bad blood on stage. chris christie and vivek ramaswamy were particularly at each other's throats. >> this is the fourth debate, the fourth debate, you would be voting in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blow hard in america. so shut up for a while. >> chris, your version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from new jersey to new york. >> yeah. >> so do everybody a favor, walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this race. >> the race's frontrunner, former president donald trump, was absent from the debate stage. he certainly was still on the minds of the candidates. >> father time is undefeated. the idea that we're going to put someone up there that's almost 80, and there's going to be no effects from that, we all know that's not true. >> i'm in the race, because the truth needs to be spoken. he's unfit. >> okay, harold, i'll start with you. first of all, i'm going to ask everyone who they thought won the race. nikki haley was taking a lot of hits. one of the most interesting, not so much boeing, but china, where desantis comes out and says, you know, i precluded china from doing business, got rid of the conconfusous issues. >> nikki haley on the stage was the best. she absorbed a lot of blows, and very coy, saying "look at all the attention the guys are giving me. she enjoys support from a lot of people who may do business across overseas, maybe in china, all those people were supporting him before, and now they're supporting her. vivek ramaswamy i think was unlikable last night. i think some of the things that we saw. i watched a little bit of it after i got off the plane last night. didn't see him as serious. the back and forth, you're reminded when you see the kind of back-and-forths, there's a lack of couthe and etiquette. it's been declining over the years, and i hope we can get back to that as a norm as opposed to something that's an aberration. finally i found most interesting when chris christie asked the other candidates how many would support donald trump if he were the nominee, at that point it was clear that donald trump had won the debate, in my mind. number two, when governor haley said she didn't raise her hand, it signaled to me if donald trump is the nominee, decides that nikki haley might be a viable running mate, she's open to being on that ticket with him. >> okay. dana, what was your take on this? >> well, i thought that the moderators did a great job. the questions were good. i don't know if the format works. the format is very difficult when you have highly accomplished people with pretty much they agree on a lot of things. what they disagree is on the margins and also personality-wise they disagree. i'm not sure that's the ideological or philosophical debate that the voters need to help make a stage. president trump's strategy of not participating in the debates has worked for him. if you're wondering about a winner, maybe it's that. desantis' supporters, if you were watching last night, as i read, i think desantis supporters would feel he had the best of the four debates he's been in. then, of course, chris christie has his fans. vivek has his fans. nikki haley has her fans. you wonder about the format. there's no more official debates before the iowa voting. and i would love, just having worked on that debate, and realizing, we talk about it all the time, the problems america has. there are some deep, very difficult problems to solve. it would be interesting to see if there's a way to get any of the candidates to go deeper as to the how. a lot of things they argued about last night we've heard four times in a row. the cultural issues are super more to america. i don't know how we feel about all the differences within their opinions. again, they're all sort of, like, on the margins. one thing this has proven is that the republicans are at least getting to have this kind of conversation, and a chance to watch these candidates. democrats are getting none of that amongst themselves. they absolutely have a lot of differences. there's generational divides, ideological divides. there's the moderates versus the liberals. i read this piece today called "the democratic coalition is falling apart" by a democrat who wants the democrats who do well. if you read through this, wow, they have a lot of problems. the debate we need to see is one among the democrats as well. >> greg, who did you think did the best, s number one. number two, it appears that biden is not interested in debating at all. that's the signal we're getting from the democrats. >> hmm. i can't answer the first question, because i didn't watch the debate. couldn't find it. no. actually i worked last night. had to tape my show. i got home, i tried to find it. then it was, like, you know what, i don't feel that good, i think i have the flu, so i'm going to bed. got up and watched the highlights. a lot of highlights. i don't know if that says something good or bad, because the highlights only focus on the conflicts, because, i guess, that's what highlights are meant to be. and so desantis wasn't among the highlights. that says something about what we value in debates, i guess. i believe he's the most accomplished governor in america. he still isn't able to leave an impression. you know, i don't want everybody who's pro-desantis to climb on "x" and spam me, because that doesn't nothing for the cause. i'm echoing your frustration, you know, when you have a governor that is so far ahead of the game on so many issues, you know. look at disney. look at the parents issue and covid. he was way ahead. yet, he's so behind here. i don't know if it's because you can't hate the player, you got to hate the game. it's like what you're talking about. it's, like, maybe it's the format that doesn't suit really, really capable people, because they don't have the personality for it. i don't know. in terms of vivek, i know he's getting a lot of grief. i think he's a very effective, even when he's kind of grating, because i don't think there's anybody around that can explain a problem so directly, succinctly and effectively, without all the political fat. you know, all the run-up to the point, you know, all -- he doesn't have the cliches, you can only put lipstick on a pig, is gone. he speaks like he thinks. he's the youngest in the room. comes off as an arrogant prodigy. that's annoying to people. people don't like young smart people like me. that's my opinion as someone who did not watch the debate, but has an opinion anyway. >> thank you for sharing that. jesse, first of all, did you have a favorite? number two, does any of that matter if donald trump is 40 points ahead? >> it dis. it's the undercard. we still like to watch and talk about it. i have to confess, i didn't see it either. i do know what you're talking about with desantis. there's a difference between governing and campaigning. >> yeah. >> he's good at one. he's not great at the other. vivek, i agree with greg, is concise. i eat that up. you're right, these highlights, he's the only one creating real friction. i respond to friction. i look at my phone after the debate is over, and i'm, like, vivek, give it to them. i talk to some people who love vivek because he's so articulate, he's so smart, and he does tap into something inside me. i talk to other people who hate the guy, like really hate the guy. i can't really -- am i wrong? i can't be wrong. there's no way i'm wrong. it must be something vivek is doing. >> because he's such a good guest on shows? >> have you seen his minutes? [laughter] i'm just kidding. the fascist line is a little bi. there's a likability factor there. i would think that desantis coming off of that excellent newsom debate would be able to capture that momentum and rise above. he was more combative. but again, you're left with, like, he's steady, and that's all you're getting there. nikki, everybody went after her because she's raising. the money is leaving desantis and going to her. she's been effective when she's been counterpunched, but she didn't do it that much this time. i wonder if she's thinking, she doesn't want to punch down. she's not up by that much anyway. i did see she tangled with desantis on bathrooms, and desantis kind of clocked her and said, wait, i banned the bathroom thing, you didn't do anything about it. she looked good. physically she looked good. she looked calm and composed. >> desantis did not look good. >> not as physically as i would have liked. >> really? >> the deeper issues that we're talking about, maybe they sit them down, they're not allowed to attack each other, and you get into what are you going to do about my taxes? has anybody taxes? has anybody mentioned the spiritual disease that -- we're not getting to the root core issues here. >> to what you said, which is that when everybody largely agrees on these things, you're left with a very tiny amount of real estate to argue over. so you end up becoming personal, calling people names, because you kind of already agree, what else are we going to do? >> you can agree, but then the question is how do you implement your suggestion, change it? anyway, coming up, the squad hatching a ridiculous new plan to lift joe biden have and democrats in 2024. let the people in jail vote. ♪ ♪ if you have chronic kidney disease you can reduce the risk of kidney failure with farxiga. because there are places you'd rather be. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract, or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ diabetes can serve up a lot of questions, like, "what is your glucose?" and "can you have more carbs?" before you decide... with the freestyle libre 2 system know your glucose level and where it's headed. no fingersticks needed. manage your diabetes with more confidence. and lower your a1c. the number one doctor prescribed cgm. freestyle libre 2. try it for free at freestylelibre.us >> forget about vote-by-mail. how about vote-by-jail? squad congresswoman diana presley that would with let people convicted of a felony to vote in federal elections, including criminals currently locked up. she also wants to lower the age at the ballot box by letting 16-year-olds vote. >> a historic first of its kind bell that ends disenfranchisement in america and guarantees the right for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens. our bill is a reflection of bold progressive democrat values. republicans and the supreme court stopping at nothing to undermine voting rights and to exclude black and brown folks from participating in our democracy. >> our justice system has not been equally fair to all our citizens. denying people the right to vote, they're paying their price. if they're in jail. >> jesse, you know, criminals are bad, but let's be honest, 16-year-olds are worse. we can't let 16-year-olds vote. their brains aren't even formed. >> i agree. >> it's the prefrontal cortex. >> that's right. >> you have to be 18 to enlist, buy a pet, get a tattoo, get a lottery ticket or sign a contract. you have to be 21 to adopt a child, buy alcohol, weed or gamble. 16 is way too early. >> but you can change your gender at 6. >> that's true. if you're in prison, all my prison pen pals, writing me, that i write to back and send them photos, they say they can't wait to get out of prison to vote for trump. and, you know, you don't believe me? it should be left to the states. if you do serve your time, if you come out, i believe you should have the right to vote. that's all i have to say about that. >> to quote the judge. >> aren't they trying to expand their base beyond dead people? >> it tells me they're losing their base without telling you they're losing their base. i have a couple of thoughts. first of all, you want to reduce the voting age to 16, which means you have enough of a cognitive formation that you can decide who should be the president, who should be this, who should be that, but you shouldn't be responsible for criminal activity. they keep raising the age of young people to be charged with a crime, but now they want to lower it for you to be able to vote, which makes no sense. but i think the most important thing is this issue of felons being able to vote. some states a felon cannot vote, depending on the severity of the conviction. you've got, like, wyoming, alabama, tennessee, virginia, arizona. then there are other states like vermont, which says even if you're convicted of a felony, you can vote. the states are different. in new york, you have to ask for a certificate of relief from disabilities where the court gives you the ability to vote again. but honestly, i believe even though i'm a prosecutor, always the one looking to put them in jail, once they serve their time, they should be entitled to vote. now, democrats have to be careful what they wish for. they're assuming if you're in jail, you're going to vote for the democrats, penalty that's not working out, because a lot of people in jail are going to vote for donald trump. i really believe that a lot of that has to do with the fact that they feel they've been unjustly by the justice system, and so that is donald trump. >> felons for trump. >> yes. [laughter] >> so you've got the democrats thinking this is going to be great for them. it may be just the opposite. >> hmm. harold, in the greenroom, you said that the people who should vote only to be on death row, you only want death row voters, because they have nothing to lose. >> we share so much in the greenroom. >> you have a problem with teenage voters, don't you? >> i think 16 is too young. i'd agree with the judge on that. i think you gave some metrics. we don't charge people with crimes that young of an age. the argument on the other side, kids go to school, politicians lie every four or two years how they'll improve the education system. the jury is still out -- actually the jury has decided they've not done that. >> they don't pay taxes. >> a lot of people don't pay taxes. when you get out of prison, you should be able to vote. there should be a restoration of all one's rights, if they serve their time, and pay their penalty, it should be restored. that's something four of us have agreed on. >> i'll take care of that, harold. jeez louise. away for a couple of days. thinks he owned table. dana, isn't the big picture, everything we're going these days is about criminals. it's like we don't hear about the -- we don't hear about the victims anymore. it's just, like, i introduced a law, i don't know if you remember this, where victims get three votes. >> you did? >> yes. >> assault me. >> i think a couple things. one, i like it that the states get to decide, because i think that makes our system best. i also think that states should be allowed to decide what to do about repeat offenders. right? >> hmm. >> committed multiple felonies, given up their part to be part of society, i don't know a state should give them their rights back, but the state should be able to decide. i also believe that -- the other thing is, states will say, yes, you can definitely get your rights back, and then there's barriers, you got to pay fines, do all these things. that happened in florida. there was a referendum in the state. the state decided, yes, we want to allow felons to have have an opportunity to get their voting rights back, and they started laying on fees. that went to court and pretty much has been taken care of. when it comes to voting able, i'm for 18 for everything. military, voting, drinking, smoking pot, even though i hate smoking pot, whatever. >> alcohol, huh? >> here's the things, the democrats are never consistent. they want to reduce the age for voting to 16, but you can be a child until you're 26 and be on your parents' healthcare insurance. that doesn't make sense. >> it makes no sense at all. i'm glad you brought that up. coming up, can the democrats save joe biden simply by stepping aside? ♪ ♪ >> democrats getting another serious warning on how joe biden could blow it in 2024., calling on the president to step aside, and give democrats a fighting chance. >> the point is we don't need biden to beat donald trump. the facts are, biden is not getting any younger, he's not getting more popular, not getting a new running mate. please, mr. president, give america the ultimate christmas gift and step aside. >> wow. and a comedian lacing into liberals for trying to lock up donald trump. >> liberals are so [bleep] stupid the way they handle trump. >> what do you mean? >> you should shut up. you indicted him. he's a martyr and coming back. with any luck, they'll both die of natural causes before the election. maybe you could get somebody that's still has something to live for. >> greg, what would you like to say? >> there's a word in there at bill burr, the word "martyr." that's what you have to think about, because he's right, they're making trump a martyr, but how do you become a martyr? you have to get somebody to kill you. i've been talking about this. the his hysterics are getting me and more whenever you look, screaming how he's going to end democracy and cause world war iii. that's the elevation of trump to existential risk. i think that's something that -- you know, i think he's -- i'm going to leave it there. >> i understand. he's going to be in court in a bunch of these cities for a very long time. everyone will know where he is. dana? >> the media and liberals have gone from he's indicted on 91 counts. that's not working. so they're doing entire magazines, "the atlantic" magazine dedicated to trump being a dictator, and he'll cause world war iii. where do you go from there? >> you're waving the green flag to make everything permissible. >> yes. and charlemagne will be the person, if i had to bet my entire retirement account on that, that's going to happen -- >> you should do that. >> i'm not going to. >> why not yours? you chose your mom's? >> i think that charlemagne, if nothing changes, he'll be the one saying "i told you so." >> you heard the audience members clapping when he said, "step down." that's "the daily show." >> you are to run against the incumbent to be the nominee in that party or run in another party to be the nominee there. thus far no one is running against biden. i'm always interesting in hearing a variety of opinions, from public figures, including entertainers. sometimes they're funny about how they say it. there's still a basic thing in politics. you have to run against a person to beat the