All posts tagged "Scott Jennings"

A CNN pundit who once made President Donald Trump's shortlist for a high-profile job squirmed when an anchor asked if he still wanted it.

Republican strategist Scott Jennings was pressed Friday on CNN's "The Source" about the White House press secretary job, hours after Trump pushed out Katie Zacharia just five days into the role. Jim Sciutto, filling in for host Kaitlan Collins, twice asked Jennings whether he was angling for it.

Jennings had been laying out what Trump should look for in a replacement, arguing the president needs "the most qualified person you can get with the most experience, somebody who can stand behind that podium with credibility and not just carry your message, but also handle the incoming that is sure to come if the Republicans don't do well in the midterms."...

CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings pleaded with fellow panelists to stop laughing after he tried to defend President Donald Trump's backhanded praise of Ken Paxton.

The exchange unfolded on CNN's "The Arena" after host Kasie Hunt played a clip of Trump talking about Paxton, the Texas attorney general who is running for the U.S. Senate.

In the clip, Trump ran through a list of Paxton's apparent shortcomings before praising his loyalty....

Conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings grew colder behind the scenes for weeks before cursing at a fellow panelist on live television.

Adam Mockler, the political commentator on the receiving end of that outburst in April, described the buildup on a Wednesday episode of "The Daily Beast Podcast" with host Joanna Coles.

Mockler said he and Jennings had been on "a lot of panels over the past few weeks" as the war with Iran slid into "a pretty bad stalemate," with Jennings repeatedly insisting "that the war was going to be over soon and that we were winning."...

Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings botched an attempt to defend President Donald Trump's tariffs with a hypothetical that led to everyone laughing in his face.

On Wednesday, Jennings was part of the roundtable on CNN Newsnight, and he tried to back up Trump's handling of the economy by posing a question to the other pundits, including former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Times reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Democratic political strategist Bakari Sellers.

"I have a sincere question for you because you all very concerned about the tariffs as taxes," Jennings said, referring to critics' argument that tariffs function as a tax on American consumers because importers pass the cost along as higher prices. "If Donald Trump tomorrow said, 'I'll trade you elimination of all tariffs for elimination of all corporate income taxes,' would you take the deal?"...

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....

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."...