MAGA commentator Scott Jennings found himself repeatedly on the defensive Friday during a tense CNN segment as host Kaitlan Collins and Democratic strategist Paul Begala pushed back on his economic and political claims.
Jennings argued during his appearance on “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” that Republicans should “remind the American people how we got to this cost-of-living crisis in the first place.”
“And it was Joe Biden,” Jennings said, insisting that “the rate of inflation is normal and has come down.”
But Collins quickly challenged him, noting that inflation is “higher than the day Trump took office.” That prompted Jennings to respond defensively: “So you all are arguing that we should have rapid deflation.”
Begala, a former advisor to Bill Clinton, mocked the GOP line of attack, comparing it to a legal excuse for criminal defendants. “Some other dude did it,” he said. “That dog don’t hunt.”
“The problem is you can’t persuade two-thirds of the American people who think this guy is doing a terrible job,” Begala insisted Friday.
Jennings attempted to pivot and accused Democrats of pursuing “a mad power grab,” but Collins steered the conversation back to economic issues.
“Democrats are saying Trump’s not doing what he said he would do in office,” the anchor said, adding, “And I think that’s a powerful argument because he did say he would bring prices down and they’re up.”
As the back-and-forth ramped up, Jennings found himself talking over interruptions while insisting that inflation has “normalized.”
“Don’t argue with me,” Begala told Jennings. “You’re not going to persuade me.” The Democratic strategist predicted Trump would oversee GOP midterm losses in the House “and maybe even the Senate because he’s doing such a terrible job.”
