'They've lost their cojones!' Two Republicans on CNN get in heated Trump trade debate

Two prominent CNN commentators led a lively debate Wednesday night over President Donald Trump’s sweeping set of tariffs – which quickly went south as "The View’s" Ana Navarro refused to back down from Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton.

Singleton, who expressed support for Trump’s steep new tariffs targeting China and the European Union, found himself the lone voice on CNN’s “NewsNight” defending the policy – and slamming free trade.

“I think the president is right in his critique that free trade has ravaged towns and cities across this country,” Singleton told the panel as host Abby Phillip attempted to jump in.

“Let me finish,” Singleton insisted. “There are some comprehensive ways that the administration can do this, I would argue to some great effect for the American people.”

As Phillip delivered a lesson on her understanding of “conservative economic principles,” she told the Republican to “hold on” as he tried to cut in.

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Navarro, a CNN political analyst, said she didn’t think it was a coincidence that Trump scheduled his “liberation day” tariff announcement the day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.

“We don't have April Fool's Day anymore,” Navarro said. “All the entire year has been nothing but a joke, a bad one.” But when she slammed Trump administration officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio for refusing to place “guardrails” on the president’s policies, Singleton pounced, and a tense back-and-forth between the CNN regulars took flight.

“Could it be possible that some of those Republicans of the past were partially incorrect?” Singleton asked

“No,” Navarro quickly fired back. “It's possible that they've lost their cojones and that they are doing nothing but kowtowing to Donald Trump." Singleton continued to insist that the “original argument” in favor of free trade “is indeed flawed.”

The two political commentators couldn’t seem to find common ground, as Navarro concluded, "there are a bunch of coward pusillanimous people" around Trump. She added that “most Republicans for their entire career believe” that free trade has “been good for the American people, for hard-working people.”

"I could watch that all day, so I wasn't going to interrupt," CNN commentator Ashley Allison quipped about the feud at the table.

Watch the clip below or at this link here.