Fox News host Jesse Watters made comments about Donald Trump’s physical strength that quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons. During a July 29, 2025, episode of The Five, Watters defended Trump against criticism from Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who had posted a gym workout video expressing anger about Republicans taking an early August recess.
Watters argued that Trump has “real strength” compared to Swalwell, who was just “trying to look strong.” The Fox News host claimed that people respect Trump for “doing things that are hard and lifting things that are heavy” and described Trump as “politically jacked.”
But Watters took his defense of Trump to an uncomfortable place when he said Trump “has dad strength” and explained what he meant. “You know Dad’s strength? He doesn’t look like he’s in shape, but when he grabs you – one time my father grabbed me and I was like ‘Oh my God this guy is stronger than I am!’ and I was like 18,” Watters said during the segment.
Social media users mock Watters’ comments about Trump
The clip was shared widely on social media by Acyn, a verified account that posts political media clips. The post received thousands of views and hundreds of comments, most of them critical of Watters’ remarks. Users on the platform mocked the Fox News host’s description of Trump’s supposed physical strength.
Political commentator Nkunda Amahoro responded to the clip by saying that Trump “doesn’t flex, just dominates when it counts” and that Trump “might not look the part, but he plays it well.” Attorney Barry Phillips noted that while Trump “does not look like he’s in shape,” he would be “the first to admit that round is a shape.”
Watters: Trump golfs. He has dad strength. You know dad strength? He doesn’t look like he's in shape but when he grabs you—One time my father grabbed me and I was like oh, my god, this guy is stronger than I am. pic.twitter.com/TmFANmZHSd
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 29, 2025
Other users were more critical of Watters’ comments. Dr. G wrote that conservatives who claim to uphold Christian values seem “comfortable with the sin of idolatry” and suggested they might “canonize” Trump. States Radar pointed out that strength is not just physical but also about “resilience and presence in every challenge faced.”
The segment represents another example of Fox News hosts making provocative comments about Trump, following Watters’s controversial career trajectory that has been marked by questionable on-air statements. In June, Watters previously said that “Europe’s calling Trump ‘daddy'” during another segment on the show. Critics have described such comments as part of what they call inappropriate fixation on Trump’s supposed strength and authority.
Several news outlets also covered the story, with some describing Watters’ argument as having ‘daddy issues,’ amid ongoing legal troubles for the Fox News host related to his on-air claims.” The comment has generated significant mockery across social media platforms, with many users finding the description of Trump’s physical abilities to be over the top and inappropriate for television news commentary.
