‘Hold on a second’: CNN host calls out Trump ally over inflation ‘hysteria’ claim

CNN anchor Abby Phillip pressed former Trump White House lawyer Jim Schultz during a heated panel exchange over inflation Friday night after Schultz argued that Americans are ‘overreacting” to the state of the economy.

“We’ve had inflation – the rate of inflation has been cut virtually in half since the Biden administration versus the Trump administration,” Schlutz said, adding that what is being debated are merely “snapshots in time.”

“What happens is there is hysteria over some of these things, right? You have folks that are overreacting to some of these things – a reaction to it that, quite frankly, isn’t justified," he said.

That’s when Phillip interrupted sharply: “What do you think is not justified?” the host asked as other panelists at the table also jumped in. “What do you think people are overreacting to?”

While the Trump ally insisted that “inflation is coming down,” Phillip continued to push back on his assessment.

“Hold on a second,” she said. “The point on the inflation piece as it relates to Trump is that inflation was trending downward; now it’s trending back up, that’s part of the problem. Yes, inflation is lower than it was during the peak of inflation. But the trajectory is the wrong trajectory."

The “NewsNight' host added: “That’s the problem for this economy.”

Schlutz’s comments prompted a round of pushback from other panelists, including former MSNBC host Tiffany Cross, who said Americans’ frustrations are grounded in reality.

“People are spending over $200 more at the grocery store,” Cross said. “In September of 2024, we should remember, that was when Trump was running around the country screaming about inflation being out of control. This is a result of his own policies.”

Cross told the panel that it should be acknowledged that Trump “is a liar, a toddler from the Oval Office calling ‘sleepy Joe Biden,’ lying about numbers, it's ridiculous.”

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