Scott Jennings’ Temper ERUPTS At Former Biden Official On CNN
Scott Jennings turned up the volume Tuesday on CNN.
The resident Republican foil on “NewsNight” lost his temper in an exchange with former Joe Biden adviser Neera Tanden over vandalism at Tesla sites. (Watch the video below.)
“So let me educate you about my position!” he screamed in a rant that had him trending on social media.
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Even without regular host Abby Phillip, Jennings still ratcheted up the tension with fill-in moderator John Berman trying to play peacemaker.
Jennings reportedly is getting a hefty raise for being the political version of a pro wrestling heel on the show, but he presumably is not acting.
The friction the former George W. Bush staffer generates appears to be working in terms of ratings. AdWeek reported that “NewsNight” is CNN’s most popular show in the important 25-54 age demographic.
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Jennings’ regular support for President Donald Trump and his DOGE hatchet man Elon Musk is fairly predictable, but viewers might be tuning in for volatile confrontations like Tuesday’s.
Jennings sided with Trump’s assessment that the suspects involved in vandalizing Tesla sites were domestic terrorists protesting Tesla owner Musk’s cuts in the federal government.
“That’s the American left right now,” Jennings said. “It is one angry mob after another willing to take things into their own hands, up to and including keying, firebombing, and otherwise vandalizing cars and car dealerships and charging stations.”
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“So, when they do it to a Tesla dealership, it’s really bad,” Tanden interjected. “But when they do it to the halls of Congress, we should pardon them? Is that your position?”
Amid crosstalk, Jennings said: “I know you haven’t been around for a while, so let me educate you about my position about Jan. 6.”
“I’m so sorry,” Tanden said sarcastically.
Rattled by Tanden and the panel din, Jennings could take no more. He warned her about being condescending and then went Vesuvius.
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“So let me educate you about my position!” he bellowed.
Berman tried to direct traffic as the two mixed it up. “Guys, let’s do this. Jan. 6 and then Neera.”
“I’m sorry you’re getting emotional,” Tanden said.
“Yeah, I’m sorry you’re a condescending person who hasn’t been paying attention to what I do,” Jennings replied. “So here’s the issue. I didn’t support what happened on Jan. 6 and was one of the first Republicans to call it out. I don’t support the pardons. I have repeatedly … said that no violence in our political system is acceptable. But this right here, what’s going on with a guy who helps our country, who runs successful companies, who doesn’t have to be doing this, and now one of his companies is under systematic terroristic threats and violence all over the country. And people seem to be laughing about it or fine with it. It’s outrageous. I’ve sat at this table and had people say we should cut Elon Musk from the government totally. He rescued our astronauts today. Is that what we want? The treatment of this guy is outrageous. These people who are doing this need to be found and put in jail and made an example of. That’s my point.”
Or perhaps the point is, Jennings got triggered and it’s exactly what CNN viewers want to see.
Tanden took the liberty of owning Jennings with the last word on X, formerly Twitter: “Some men are so emotional,” she wrote.
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