A CNN panel discussion went sideways on Monday when Republican commentator Scott Jennings pushed back on the other panelists, who were insisting that Americans — Republicans included — are upset with the way in which President Donald Trump is governing.
Jennings argued that Republicans were, in fact, getting exactly what they had voted for when Trump — through the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — began to make good on his promise to shrink the size of the federal government in addition to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.
WATCH:
“You guys keep trying to create this fantasy land where Donald Trump is not popular, where Republicans are mad.”
“Can you name a single Democrat in Congress who is more popular than Donald Trump right now?”
Scott Jennings continues to be a nightly one man wrecking ball on CNN. pic.twitter.com/1RxOdkVZ9X
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) March 4, 2025
“Republicans absolutely voted for this, number one,” Jennings declared.
“Okay, people do not want government waste, that’s for sure, but they didn’t vote for foresters to get fired —” another panelist objected.
“Yes, they did,” Jennings pushed back.
“— they didn’t vote for the parks to be closed. They didn’t vote for veterans to get fired,” she continued.
“Look, you guys keep trying to create this fantasy land where Donald Trump is not popular, where Republicans are mad,” Jennings said.
“Republicans are mad, they shut down the town halls!” another panelist repeated the debunked talking point that recent town halls had been disrupted by outraged Republicans rather than by astroturfed activists funded by left-wing groups.
Jennings was not convinced, turning back to the panel to ask, “Can you name a single Democrat in Congress who is more popular than Donald Trump right now?”
None of the panelists attempted to answer Jennings’ question — and one even deflected, saying, “Scott, Abby’s the host, she can ask me the questions.”
“Republicans are so happy with this,” he said. “They’re not upset about it —”
“No, they are,” another panelist insisted.
“— the American people are happy about what’s going on right now because for the first time in a long time, a president said, ‘I’m actually going to reduce the size of government,’” Jennings concluded.
