All posts tagged "scott jennings"

Scott Jennings reduced to stammering as he's forced to eat his Trump defense

Conservative political commentator Scott Jennings found himself stammering as an entire CNN panel turned on his argument that the Iran war is won.

During a Thursday appearance on CNN's NewsNight, Jennings tried to defend President Donald Trump's "mission accomplished" declaration. Other members of the panel, including former White House GOP staffer Sarah Matthews and pollster and Democratic political strategist Joshua Doss, argued that Iran still has nuclear ambitions and is emboldened after the war.

"Their economy is in freefall. They have hyperinflation. Their leader is a cardboard cutout," Jennings said about Iran when Doss argued that Iran is emboldened.

"They're not emboldened," Jennings said. "The economic stranglehold we have on them has not emboldened anybody."

Trump has similarly argued that Iran is weakened by the war in Iran and has repeatedly declared that Iran is losing the war. However, Trump has not been able to strike a deal with Iran that ends the hostilities.

"Then why won't they make a deal?" CNN anchor Abby Phillip asked as Jennings argued that Iran is not emboldened.

"Because they're religious fanatics who are trying to bring about the end of the world," Jennings said.

"Then you're agreeing with Josh," Phillip pointed out, making the argument that Jennings is saying Iran is emboldened enough to reject negotiations with Trump. Phillip also told Jennings he was arguing that Iran is the same despite Trump's war, suggesting it didn't accomplish anything.

Jennings responded to Phillip by shaking his head and asking, "About what?"

"Josh just said that Iran is emboldened. The regime is the same. They are now back against the wall," Phillip said. "You just confirmed that they're religious fanatics, so you're saying nothing has really changed."

Jennings responded by stammering and looking down as he tried to regroup. "Well, I mean, I-I-I have argued from the beginning it was going to be near impossible to make a deal with religious fanatics," Jennings pivoted.

Meanwhile, Matthews yelled out, "So, mission accomplished?" as Jennings tried to save face.

Powerful White House insider demands 'grownup' take over as Trump's press secretary: CNN

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has reportedly made clear her new criteria for picking a new press secretary.

On Thursday, CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes reported that Wiles has laid out what she's seeking in the person she hires to replace outgoing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who will leave at the end of August.

"One of the things that I was told by a number of sources is that Wiles has said that she is looking for a 'grownup,' somebody who understands the job and is also professional in that job," Holmes said. "It's one thing to just stand at the podium and attack, but they also want somebody who can work with reporters behind the scenes to actually try and shape the narrative."

Leavitt announced earlier this month that she's leaving her role to focus on her family. CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings has been reported as an early favorite, and he reportedly met with Wiles about the job over the weekend.

"I'm told this came at the request of the White House," Holmes said about Wiles' meeting with Jennings. "This really was, for all intents and purposes, a preliminary meeting. This was the two of them meeting face-to-face for the first time as Susie Wiles is really starting this process to find a new press secretary."

Holmes reported that the decision of who will replace Leavitt will be up to Wiles and President Donald Trump. Wiles' meeting with Jennings was her "laying out exactly what she wanted from a press secretary and introducing herself to Jennings," Holmes said.

"There's a belief in the West Wing that she backs Jennings," Holmes added. "But I did get some pushback from that, essentially saying it was too early to determine that the chief of staff had backed anyone."

Wiles is asking, "Can he do all the closed-door legwork that has made Karoline so effective? No one knows," Holmes said. "It's not so much about Jennings. It's so much about Karoline Leavitt leaving, and again, the critical role she has played."

Trump insiders secretly sabotaging Scott Jennings' shot at replacing Leavitt: report

Allies of President Donald Trump are trying to "derail" conservative commentator Scott Jennings' chances of winning the press secretary job.

According to a Thursday article by the New York Post, Trump's "fiercest allies" are trying to ruin Jennings because of his longstanding ties to his mentor, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Trump is still trying to fill the post that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will vacate at the end of the month.

"It's not going to be him," an anonymous source close to the administration told The Post.

The Post noted that Jennings met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles this past weekend, but a senior administration official said that no clear favorite has emerged for the job.

"It's an open book," the senior administration official said. "There are no favorites or preconceived ideas."

However, reporting by The Post framed the indecision as Trump insiders trying to sabotage Jennings' chances over his ties to McConnell. Jennings, a Kentucky native, has talked about his relationship with McConnell in light of the senior senator's extended absence.

The Post also noted that Jennings aligned himself with McConnell's position about holding Trump responsible for the violence at the Capitol on January 6. Jennings wrote a CNN op-ed declaring, "Trump caused this insurrection with his lies and conspiracy theories about the election process being rigged."

When The Post reached out to Jennings for comment, he responded with a gif of Patrick Swayze's character from the 1989 film "Road House," with the caption, "Opinions vary."

Jennings recently took the Trump position when responding to Sen. Jon Ossoff's comments about how the president prefers to "travel with Natalie Harp" instead of doing his job. In a fiery CNN debate, Jennings insisted that Harp doesn't deserve to be attacked because she doesn't have a public-facing role, but he refused to denounce Trump's attacks on women, including female reporters.

Harp herself has emerged as a possible dark-horse candidate for Leavitt's job, and insiders have also said that Trump would prefer to hire a man for the job, while others report that Trump wouldn't mind holding off on hiring until after the midterms.

Scott Jennings brutally grilled as his 'dishonest' Natalie Harp defense ignites CNN panel

Conservative commentator Scott Jennings had to face a shouting and relentless CNN panel after he defended Trump aide Natalie Harp.

During a Wednesday appearance on CNN's NewsNight, Jennings reacted to comments from Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) about how President Donald Trump likes to "travel with Natalie Harp," his executive aide, who has found herself in the spotlight because of her close relationship with the president.

"I expect Ossoff to criticize Donald Trump. I expect every Democrat running for president to criticize Donald Trump," Jennings said. "What I thought was appalling about this is that Harp is not a public figure. She's not a household name. Nobody knows who she is, and when he injected her into this, he knew what he was doing, which is punching down on someone who's effectively defenseless."

"Doesn't Donald Trump do that all the time?" Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) quickly responded. Moskowitz pointed out that Trump attacked Rob Reiner after he died and has gone after CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins for doing her job.

The panel's moderator, Abby Phillip, played a montage of Trump attacking women, including female reporters, Hillary Clinton, and Rosie O'Donnell.

"If you're going to be outraged over traveling on a plane with Natalie, are you going to be outraged over all those things?" Phillip asked.

"I do not believe in demeaning women in any way," Jennings said.

Democratic political strategist Keith Boykin repeatedly called out Jennings for not answering the question. Jennings tried to go on making the point that Harp is not a public figure, but Boykin pointed out that members of the media that Trump attacked aren't either.

As Jennings kept talking, Boykin began yelling at him, saying, "You are not answering the question, Scott Jennings," and "You're avoiding the question again, Scott." Jennings even leaned away because he accused Boykin of yelling in his ear.

"By the way, you at home have no idea how loud this is," Jennings said before laughing.

"You have no idea how dishonest you are," Boykin shot back.

Scott Jennings' tirade defending Trump's close ties to aide backfires immediately

CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings sparked backlash on Tuesday after he went to bat for President Donald Trump.

Jennings tried to defend the president, who has come under fire over his close relationship with aide Natalie Harp and faced new scrutiny after Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) delivered a takedown of the president this weekend during a campaign event. On an episode of his self-titled show on conservative network Salem Radio, Jennings pushed back on Ossoff, attacked Democrats, and called the Democratic senator's comments "despicable."

Political commentators and media experts responded to Jennings' remarks.

Jon Favreau, co-founder of the popular Pod Save America podcast and former Obama speechwriter, mocked Jennings.

"'Jon Ossoff unleashed a comment so vile against a young Republican woman that every woman in America, no matter your ideology, ought to listen carefully and never forget it.' The comment: '[Trump] wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie,'" Favreau wrote on X.

Mehdi Hasan, editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo, brought up how Jennings had reacted to Jan. 6, 2021 and called out the conservative pundit.

"The last time I saw Scott Jennings this worked up about an attack was when he condemned Trump for doing a violent insurrection at the Capitol. Remember that Scott Jennings?" Hasan wrote on X.

Progressive Tennessee-based media outlet The Tennessee Holler suggested Jennings should remember his previous actions.

"Guy who spliced up video to slime @hasanthehun has thoughts about 'despicable attacks,'" The Tennessee Holler wrote on X.

"Jon Ossoff unleashed a comment so vile against a young Republican woman that every woman in America, no matter your ideology, ought to listen carefully and never forget it."

The comment: "[Trump] wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie" https://t.co/H6DW4Z3dUx
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) August 18, 2026

Kaitlan Collins traps Scott Jennings with one line about the Trump job he won't deny

CNN's in-house conservative commentator Scott Jennings was chided about being the frontrunner to replace the outgoing White House press secretary.

During a Thursday evening appearance on CNN, Jennings was again asked directly whether President Donald Trump or his administration had reached out to him about taking over for Karoline Leavitt, who announced on Wednesday that she's leaving her role as White House press secretary.

Jennings was asked about it on Wednesday night, when he was on the roundtable for CNN NewsNight. He told guest host Lulu Garcia-Navarro, "No," he didn't plan on taking the job, but that hasn't kept him from the murmurs about Leavitt's possible replacement. The prediction market Kalshi even has him as the frontrunner.

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins decided to ask again on Thursday evening if the White House had reached out about the job. This time, Jennings danced around the question.

"I don't really have anything to say about it other than, I mean, I would get to see you every day," Jennings told Collins, who frowned and seemed to mull over the answer. "And I would think you'd be happy about this."

"I already see you every day," Collins responded.

"Not really. We see each other one or two days a week, but can you imagine every single day getting to go to work where I am?" Jennings said.

"Okay, but that's not a no," Collins said.

Jennings was joined on the segment by Democratic political commentator Paul Begala. Collins jokingly turned to him and said, "I'm not going to ask you because I already know the answer to that."

Still, Begala offered his two cents by describing the role of White House press secretary as "a thankless job, and I don't wish that on anybody. I especially don't wish it on Scott because he's my friend." Collins laughed at the comment while Jennings smiled.

Jennings has been a CNN contributor since 2017 and previously advised Mitch McConnell's campaigns. He was also a special assistant to George W. Bush.

'Wild card' aide who prints Trump's articles emerges in press secretary race: report

Speculation over who could replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is intriguing gamblers, who are betting on wild-card picks.

According to reporting by The Daily Beast, the prediction market Kalshi is taking bets on who will replace Leavitt. President Donald Trump's devoted aide, Natalie Harp, has recently emerged as a "wild card" pick, but CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings remains the frontrunner, The Daily Beast wrote.

Jennings is leading with a 29 percent chance of landing the job, The Daily Beast reported on Thursday. Jennings appeared on CNN NewsNight on Wednesday night, and guest host Lulu Garcia-Navarro put the suggestion to him directly.

Jennings said "no," and pivoted to praising Leavitt, calling her "maybe the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years, at least." Fellow CNN commentator Bakari Sellers chimed in, saying, "Democrats are afraid of Scott Jennings becoming press secretary. There you go. Now you've got the job."

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly followed in second place at 17 percent, and Trump's former legal spokesperson Alina Habba sits at 16 percent. MAGA commentators have supported the idea of appointing Habba. Former GOP congressman and convicted fraudster George Santos wrote in a Thursday evening post on X, "I freaking love her energy."

Below them, Kalshi has stacked up a field of dark-horse contenders. Among them is Natalie Harp, the 35-year-old personal aide who prints out articles for Trump to read and posts on his behalf on Truth Social, according to The Daily Beast. Kalshi gives her a 5 percent chance, which means a $100 bet on Harp would pay out roughly 20-to-1, about $2,000, if she's picked.

Harp's inclusion is notable given her low public profile, The Daily Beast noted. She is not active on social media and has never spoken publicly about her White House role.

Other long-shot names include White House Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston, longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller, Don Jr.'s wife Lara Trump, Communications Director Steven Cheung, and Roma Daravi, a public relations executive at the Kennedy Center, per The Daily Beast.

Scott Jennings faces wrath of skeptical CNN panel over McConnell claims: 'Is he aware?'

Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings was grilled during a live broadcast after claiming he spoke with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)— again — and that the longtime Republican told him Tuesday that he was planning to return to Congress.

Jennings told the group of commentators that he spoke with the GOP senator on the phone, describing his condition as "improving position." He indicated that McConnell had said he's continuing his recovery and will return to Washington, D.C. after the recess to complete his final term in Congress, which ends in January 2027.

CNN anchor Pamela Brown asked Jennings to clarify how he was communicating with McConnell, whether he called the senator or an aide.

"He called me directly from his phone today," Jennings said. "We've had a relationship for a long time. I worked on a lot of his campaigns over the years, so it's not unusual for us to chat. But in today's case, he was really up on the campaigns. You know, he's a political operative at heart. We talked a lot about the Michigan Senate race. We talked about Maine a little bit, talked about just the map in general."

New York Times journalist and CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro expressed skepticism and asked why the public hadn't heard from McConnell.

"Scott, why isn't he calling in to a credible news organization? I mean, why is he talking to you and not talking to—" Garcia-Navarro asked.

"You saying it's not credible to call me, Lulu?" Jennings joked.

"I'm saying it's totally credible," Garcia-Navarro responded. "But as you said, you're calling your friend ... I'm just wondering how you view that. Why isn't he calling in to even one that he would consider friendly, like Fox News? That's the prevailing question."

Jennings suggested that McConnell might not be comfortable talking about his health, especially as a polio survivor.

The panel asked Jennings multiple questions to gather more information.

"Does he know about all of the brouhaha around this?" Garcia-Navarro asked.

David Chalian, senior vice President, Washington Bureau chief and political director for CNN, had a similar thought.

"Is he aware of the whole swirl?" Chalian asked.

Brown pointed out that McConnell hasn't voted since June, asking if he has spoken with any constituents since he was hospitalized.

"He told me today, he said, 'I know this is an unusual circumstance. I'm sitting here. The doctors tell me I don't have any life-threatening issues. It must seem rather strange,'" Jennings said. "I got the feeling he's somewhat aware of it and, frankly, somewhat frustrated by it."

'Bomb after bomb': CNN pundits rip into Trump's 'mean and small' WHCD speech

President Donald Trump's White House Correspondents' Dinner speech drew sharp criticism from CNN pundits immediately after it finished.

On Friday night, Trump delivered his first speech as president at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and it took just over an hour. Shortly after it wrapped, CNN pundits tore into it, with conservatives even having trouble defending it.

"It just wasn't funny at all," political commentator Van Jones said. "It just wasn't funny. It was mean and small, but you could be mean and small and funny. This was mean and small and not funny."

CNN anchor Laura Coates said that Trump "shot himself in the foot" by missing an opportunity to speak to people. Jones agreed, saying, "He didn't talk about any American besides himself and his enemies" when he could have talked about people at home "and maybe make fun of their enemies."

Former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said that "even from a performance standpoint" and compared to previous presidents, "he bombed. He objectively bombed." She also pointed out "missed opportunities."

Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings noted that Trump started the speech by denouncing political violence and ended it by saying he respected journalists and people in their profession.

"Now the middle of it is going to be controversial because some of the jokes landed and some of the jokes didn't," Jennings said, noting he liked Trump's jab at RFK Jr. during the speech. "Some of the jokes veered off into very, sort of, ornery insults, and that's not going to land for many audiences."

Jones made a joke of his own about Trump's speech, saying, "It was just bomb after bomb after bomb. It's like, we're not Iran. We're the American people. Quit bombing."

CNN's Kasie Hunt throws Scott Jennings' prediction about his old boss back in his face

CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings was teased on-air Thursday for suggesting that Sen. Mitch McConnell would likely release a new statement sometime by Monday.

During a segment with CNN anchor Kasie Hunt, Jennings was asked if he had heard anything new from McConnell. Jennings claimed earlier this month that he had a 17-minute phone call with McConnell, whom he has known since he was a teenager and previously worked for. The MAGA commentator has faced growing criticism over his comments, including a network statement that the company would not vouch for Jennings' comments — and that they don't represent the organization's reporting.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about McConnell's absence since he went missing from Congress 39 days ago for undisclosed medical treatment. Two weeks ago, his team released an image of him with his wife Elaine Chao, but that hasn't quelled the skepticism and questions surrounding his unknown condition.

"I know he continues to do his rehab activities," Jennings said. "I know he's still following doctor's orders, and my assumption is sometime between now and Monday, they'll probably issue another update on how he's coming along. I don't know if they've made any decisions about whether he's going to be cleared to come back to work or not, but I would be surprised if we don't hear from them again by the weekend or by Monday."

Jennings argued that he thinks McConnell should "routinely" update his constituents on his health and "keep people apprised of the issues that he's looking in on, of the work that he's doing with his staff, and just be transparent about the things that he can do, even while he's convalescing and recovering."

"Truthfully, I think a little transparency on the front end here would have saved him a whole lot of grief," Jennings added. "But that didn't happen. And they are where they are now. But I think regular updates on things are good to do, and that'd be my advice."

Hunt commented, "I think last time that you and I spoke about this very topic, you said the exact same thing. You were like, 'Ask me on Monday.'"

Jennings joked that "the oracle of Kentucky" was right.

Fellow CNN panelist and commentator Xochitl Hinojosa had a direct question for Jennings: "At what point do you think that maybe he should resign from his seat?"

Jennings seemed surprised by the question.

"Give up his seat because he is not able to do the job of a U.S. senator," Hinojosa said.

"Well, he's not voting, Scott," Hunt added.

"And he's getting paid," Hinojosa said.