CNN’s resident MAGA foil Scott Jennings scorched by colleagues for claiming: ‘I’m just a journalist’
CNN’s resident MAGA foil, Scott Jennings, was scorched by his network colleagues Wednesday night after claiming to be “a journalist.”
A NewsNight panel, hosted by anchor Abby Phillip, erupted into chaos as Jennings and Richard Quest, CNN’s international business correspondent, traded barbs over the effects of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs — culminating, once again, in some exuberant shoe-waving live on-air.
Jennings, a former political adviser to President George W. Bush and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell — who is a staunch Trump supporter — often spars with his fellow, more liberal commentators and CNN anchors.
Jennings was defending Trump’s tariffs by citing the Commerce Department’s new report that U.S. gross domestic product — the total value of all the goods and services — grew at a 3 percent rate from April to June, indicating economic growth, before he claimed: “I’m just a journalist.”
“No, you’re not,” Quest interrupted.
”All I can do is read the economic data,” Jennings responded, appearing unfazed by Quest’s remark.
Phillip piled on and called Jennings’ journalist claim “a bit of a stretch.”
In addition to his work on CNN, Jennings has written opinion columns for the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He joined the LA Times’ editorial board in 2024, and also hosts, Flyover Country, a political podcast. He also worked under President George W. Bush’s administration.
In April, Trump announced “Liberation Day” tariffs on nearly every country, including higher “reciprocal tariffs” on certain countries, most of which were postponed amid trade negotiations. The latest tariff deadline is August 1 and “will not be extended,” Trump said Wednesday. The president has also announced tariffs on specific goods, like steel and aluminum.
Economic experts, including analysts at JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, have warned that sweeping tariffs could cause costs to go up, and a July survey by the Federal Reserve revealed consumers are already paying higher prices, particularly on products like auto parts and speciality foods. Businesses are facing rising costs “related to tariffs” and passing these costs to their customers, the report found.
During Wednesday night’s panel, Quest argued that Americans don’t yet know the full effects of Trump’s tariffs. But he also pointed to the report that showed U.S. GDP grew at a rate of 3 percent.
“Don’t get me wrong, it is a good number, but it can’t be necessarily taken to the bank just yet,” Quest said, noting that the Federal Reserve held national interest rates steady because tariffs impacts remain to be seen.
Jennings then turned on Quest, reminding him that he said Trump’s tariffs would cause a U.S. recession.
“I’d like to build a DeLorean and go back to April when everybody here was predicting, ‘Likely to cause a recession,’” Jennings said, referring to Marty McFly’s Back to the Future time machine.
“You called the recession, you took your shoe off,” Jennings told Quest.
The commentator was referring to panel back in April during which Quest took off his shoe, waving it as an example of a product that could cost more under Trump’s tariffs.
“Would you like to see that again?” Quest replied, before taking his shoe off and holding it aloft.
“You took your shoe off and said there was going to be a recession,” Jennings shot back. “GDP is three percent.”
“He’s basically calling me out here,” Quest responded. “It’s too early to give a final verdict on the tariffs. You may wish to, but at the moment, it can’t be said what the long-term effect is going to be.”
The conservative commentator has previously made headlines for his controversial remarks. Jennings said that Trump should “absolutely defy” judges who block his executive orders during a CNN panel in February.
“Should the president, the singular president, should he have to share the presidency with 300 district court judges? No. Absolutely not,” Jennings said.
