Abby Phillip, host of CNN’s “NewsNight,” called out MAGA loyalist Scott Jennings for a stark difference in expectations when it comes to Democrats’ and Republicans’ bad behavior toward reporters.
“I feel like we’re in an era of politicians behaving badly when it comes to journalists,” she said.
On October 9, the NewsNight panel discussed California Democrat Katie Porter’s recent media gaffes, which made her viral for all the wrong reasons. But when Trump’s unsavory behavior toward the press came up, conservative Jennings hit back, doubling down on criticism of Porter — for the exact thing Trump does nearly every week.
Porter is running for California governor and threatened to shut down an interview with a local CBS News reporter because she didn’t like the line of questioning.
When the reporter asked Porter what her message was to the “40 percent of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” she became visibly frustrated and attempted to remove her microphone as the line of questioning continued, saying, “I don’t want to keep doing this… Not like this, I’m not. Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask.”
That video was only hours old when another clip surfaced of Porter berating her former staffer in 2021, when she was a member of the House.
During the CNN discussion, Jennings piled on, referencing the gubernatorial candidate’s recently dredged-up divorce documents, which detailed an alleged nasty fight with her ex-husband, Matthew Hoffman.
“In her previous negative interactions with other human beings, she once, I think, poured a pot of hot scalding mashed potatoes on someone. She didn’t even physically assault this reporter, so maybe she’s improving,” Jennings quipped. He then turned to the CNN cameras and asked, “California, are you really going to look at that face on the television screen for the next four years and tolerate this behavior?”
Abby Phillip was not about to let that slide. Pointing out the double standard when it came to Trump, she asked him, “You’re comfortable with that treatment of reporters from Trump but not from Katie Porter?”
“I don’t care what Katie Porter does to reporters,” Jennings replied. “I thought it was legitimate questions and any legitimate candidate for governor, especially in a state that size, ought to have a better answer.”
Barely a week passes without Trump lashing out at journalists. As recently as Oct. 9, he called CNN White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes, “one of the worst reporters you’ve ever seen,” during a loud press conference at the White House, where she struggled to make herself heard by the President. He also criticized MSNBC, saying, “MSNBC is dying and CNN is dying like a dog.”
Phillips has also been publicly insulted by Trump, as she revealed on NewsNight: “He told me I ask stupid questions. I’ve been there, didn’t take it personally.”
Both parties have been dragging Porter since the three-minute interview was released on Oct. 7, with one opponent calling for her to withdraw from the race. But according to her campaign manager, Nathan Click, Porter stayed for another twenty minutes after the tense exchange, and a CBS spokesperson told the New York Times that she stayed for the full interview.
