A shouting match erupted Monday night during CNN’s “NewsNight with Abby Phillip” during a quarrelsome panel discussion over former President Donald Trump‘s controversial remarks earlier in the day, claiming there were “a lot of bad genes in our country right now” in reference to immigrants.
Video clips from the segment have since gone viral, with many social media users calling for Republican political strategist Scott Jennings to be fired after he lost his cool and pointed in the face of fellow panelist Michael Eric Dyson, saying, “I don’t answer to you.”
The argument started after Jennings defended Trump’s comments, saying it’s “perfectly fine to acknowledge” that some individuals in the country may be “genetically predisposed to violence.”
Jennings then tried to spin the facts, saying there was a concerted effort to frame Trump’s remarks as an attack on immigrants.
“All he is commenting on is the violent murderers who are in the country. It’s simply not true what is being said about him today,” Jennings said.
Trump’s remarks came during an interview with a conservative news show, where the Republican nominee stated: “How about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers. Many of them murdered far more than one person, and they’re now happily living in the United States. You know, now a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”
Trump’s comments came amid a continuing misinformation campaign, as he reiterated false claims that FEMA lacks funds to assist struggling Americans because money has been allocated to migrants living in the country illegally.
Rabbi Jay Michaelson and Vanderbilt University professor Dyson, both well-known political commentators, challenged Jennings, arguing that Trump had deliberately targeted immigrants. Dyson then called the former president a “white supremacist,” which infuriated Jennings.
The tension in the room was palpable as Jennings’ face turned beet red before he exploded at Dyson and Michaelson, saying, “First of all, I don’t answer to you, (pointing his finger at Michaelson), and I don’t answer to you (pointing his finger at Dyson), that’s number one,” Jennings griped, coming close to getting in Dyson’s face as they sat shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Number two, it is my sincere —” but that’s when Michaelson cut Jennings off to criticize his finger-pointing. “Well, I don’t point my finger at people,” someone said as several voices talked over each other.
“He’s generating nativist language to appeal to the genetic basis of behavior. That is a classic definition of what we mean by white supremacy,” Dyson explained, but Jennings dismissed his claims.
Madison Gesiotto, a former spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, defended Jennings and pushed back on Dyson’s criticism of Trump.
The conversation took a more heated turn when Gesiotto asked Michaelson if he was comfortable with the idea of allowing 13,000 murderers into the country based on data showing that crime rates among immigrants are lower than those among U.S.-born individuals.
“That’s not how it works,” Michaelson fumed, sparking a battle royal of heated exchanges among the panel members.
Moments earlier, Jennings criticized Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz for allegedly making false statements regarding his military record and a trip to Hong Kong.
At one point, Dyson put Jennings on the spot, asking, “Are there any lies that Donald Trump tells that you are disturbed by?”
“I don’t want any politician to lie ever, I wish they would all tell the truth all the time,” Jennings said, deflecting at first instead of answering the question, which prompted Dyson to ask again, ‘Are there any lies —’” but that’s when Michaelson interrupted, confronting Jennings over some of Trump’s recent falsehoods on the campaign trail.
“What lies does Kamala Harris tell that you’re mad about?” Jennings shot back. “Can you give me a list? Have you brought it? Is it in your jacket?”
Michaelson replied: “Sure. You want me to say some things that Kamala Harris has sort of shifted her position on health care?”
But Jennings protested. “No, not shifted. Lies.”
Still furious, Jennings finished making his point, though less aggressively, after Michaelson and others called him out for getting worked up. “Well, I don’t answer to these two guys,” Jennings began again. “It is my sincerest hope that all politicians do the best job they can …”
Unwilling to let the earlier disrespect slide, Dyson confronted Jennings later in the segment for “putting your finger in my face.”
“You put your finger in my face, and you were aggressive, and you said you didn’t answer me; let me ask you a question, though.”
Jennings folded his arms and pursed his lips.
However, just as it seemed Dyson was poised to confront Jennings, he redirected his focus to the host, Phillip, opting instead to make a broader statement about civility on the show.
“I thought you told us, Abby, that we should all speak among each other, not wait for you,” but here, Jennings cut Dyson off again, not allowing him to finish the point he was making.
“You gonna ask me for my number after the show?” Jennings quipped and grinned before adding, “Brother, don’t start.”
Phillip then tried to regain order. “Scott and Michael,” she pleaded in a raised voice. “We’re going to keep the conversation at the table. We’re not going to have side chats because it’s not helpful.”
The latest controversy over Trump’s falsehoods echoes a similar argument that erupted last Friday between Jennings and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper during a discussion about Trump’s recent trips to Georgia and North Carolina following Hurricane Helene last month.
The former president continues to criticize the Biden administration’s response to the storm.
A week ago, Trump got caught in a lie after falsely asserting that President Joe Biden had not contacted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in the aftermath of the storm, which devastated several states, leaving more than 200 dead.
However, earlier that day, Georgia’s Republican governor clarified that he had initially missed Biden’s call but later spoke with him on Sunday night to discuss the state’s emergency needs.
Biden and Harris have since visited the disaster zones after previously awaiting safety assessments from FEMA, which advised postponing visits due to the hazardous conditions caused by flooding and downed trees and power lines.
This basically allowed Trump to swoop in and establish a fake narrative about the federal response, even as Biden had granted emergency declarations for Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama.
On the day of Trump’s Georgia visit, Biden said that more than 3,600 federal personnel had been deployed to assist in the multi-state recovery efforts.
During his visit to South Georgia, Trump stressed that it wasn’t the time for political games amid a deadly natural disaster, yet that seems to be all he has engaged in, Cooper argued with Jennings during his segment.
He questioned Jennings about whether Trump’s presence in the storm-ravaged areas was “appropriate,” leading to a tense exchange where they discussed the purpose of Trump’s visit.
“He’s basically just making stuff up for political reasons,” Cooper charged.
But Jennings toed the line for Trump, criticizing Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their response to the storm.
“He’s down there with Brian Kemp today, and he was praising Brian Kemp’s actions on the recovery in Georgia, and Kemp thanked him for bringing national attention to it,” Jennings said.
Cooper replied, “But he lied about Brian Kemp earlier.”
Jennings responded, “I mean, look, if you guys want to say that Donald Trump is messing up the hurricane while we have a current administration, Biden/Harris, that are in office, go ahead. It’s Donald Trump. He has things to say about the things that happen in this world, and it’s October of a presidential election. So, you know, what do you want him to do, Not comment on it?”
“Just not be sleazy, I guess,” Cooper said coyly.
