CNN Trump Ally Scott Jennings' Pettiest On-Air Moments
Scott Jennings certainly keeps things interesting on CNN's "Newsnight" segment. The network is typically considered to be more left-leaning, and Jennings serves as a bit of a counterpoint to this, regularly disagreeing with his fellow panelists and offering a different perspective. At times, it can be refreshing. Other times, Jennings takes things a little too far, often leading to petty interactions that have sometimes gotten personal. Other times, his expressions are worth a thousand words.
One of Jennings' infamous facial expressions made an appearance on air while former President Joe Biden's deputy cabinet secretary Daniel Koh passionately spoke about the job creation that took place during Biden's tenure. The topic came up during a heated discussion about President Donald Trump's tariff war. Koh asserted that the number of jobs created under Biden paled in comparison to that of Trump's first term. "President Biden created 15 million jobs [...] more than many presidents in modern history, " Koh said (via Mediaite). Jennings pulled a face and shook his head as Koh spoke, eventually raising his mug in a display of dismay, making it clear, without saying a word, that he disagreed with Koh's claims.
Jennings might disagree, but 14.6 million jobs were created within three years of Biden taking office. The pandemic meant unemployment was at an all-time high as Trump left the White House. Some of the rebounding that took place after the pandemic occurred during Biden's tenure, of course. Even when taking these external factors into account, however, Biden's administration still fared better. As labor economist and a senior fellow at the National Foundation for American Policy Mark Regets told Forbes, "If you look at Trump's full presidency, the numbers look very bad for him—a loss of 2.1 million jobs versus a gain of 13.4 million under Biden."
Jennings took a jab at one of his fellow panelists on air
Several scandals have rocked CNN over the years, and while Scott Jennings wasn't responsible for any of them, he sure makes up for it with his controversial on-air moments. For instance, he got into a confrontation with former MSNBC anchor Tiffany Cross on CNN Newsnight in April 2025 while discussing President Donald Trump's plans to annex Greenland.
Cross was making it clear that she thought it an insane venture. "You cannot just go and say, 'I like it, it's mine now,'" Cross argued (via the New York Post). "It doesn't work that way." Jennings uttered a sarcastic laugh at her comments, saying he never said that's what's happening, calling Cross' argument "crazy." But then things took an even uglier turn as Cross clapped back, "I'm not even talking about you. You're not a member of government. So you're irrelevant on that point. I'm talking about the president of the United States." Jennings did not take kindly to this and replied, "You got fired from your job. How relevant are you?" Ouch.
It was a low blow from Jennings, who doubtless knows all too well that Cross and MSNBC didn't exactly part on good terms. Cross spoke candidly about her departure on the "Native Land Pod," claiming that the network dropped her without good reason. "I was never given an official reason for why they canceled my show, but it was pretty obvious that I had drawn the ire of white conservatives," she said (via The Root). However, it's worth noting that her departure from the network was announced barely 24 hours after she referred to Florida as the "d*** of the country" (via the National Review).
Jennings criticized a congresswoman to her face during an interview
When TikToker Sulhee Jessica Woo partnered with some prominent Democratic women to hop on the "choose your fighter" trend in March 2025, the video made waves. The goal appeared to be to make people aware of the female powerhouses who serve the Democratic party and featured prominent figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who made congressional history, Lauren Underwood, and Jasmine Crockett, among others. Some called the video "iconic," while others dubbed it "cringe." Scott Jennings agreed with the latter.
When Washington Representative Marilyn Strickland made an appearance on CNN Newsnight shortly after the video went viral, panelists peppered her with questions about the clip. Strickland argued that, despite some of the criticism, the clip still got people talking, and that was the whole point. (Note: Strickland did not make an appearance in the clip). Jennings pulled some faces at the camera as Strickland spoke before addressing her directly, saying, "I am not accustomed to helping your party do anything, but let me give you some advice; this was the dumbest thing I've ever seen." He added, "Scrambling for new social media and communication strategies is not a replacement for fixing what's actually wrong."
Perhaps Jennings should drop his job at CNN and become a social media advisor for the Trump administration, since the White House's social media page oftentimes resemble a meme account rather than that of the country's highest office. Anyone remember Trump's problematic pope pic? Or the one of him with a lightsaber that was posted in celebration of Star Wars Day? There's no record of Jennings publicly commenting on either, but the advice he gave Strickland could surely help out the White House social media manager.
He had a tense moment on air with a guest he disagreed with
Scott Jennings loves handing out criticism on CNN Newsnight. Taking it from fellow panelists, however, is not one of his strong suits, it seems. There was a tense moment between Jennings and former South Carolina Representative Bakari Sellers as they argued about who is really responsible for inflation — Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Jennings argued that Biden was solely responsible. Sellers put the blame firmly on Trump but did admit that Jennings was right about one thing — the Democrats didn't focus enough on the topic during Biden's tenure, leading many to assume their administration had been largely responsible for rising costs.
"What Scott was not accurate about, which kind of happens around the table sometimes, although I know you want to be," Sellers started, putting a hand on Jennings' arm as if to comfort him ahead of directing some criticism his way. Jennings was clearly already riled up and told Sellers in a warning tone, "Don't touch me" (via Instagram). The former representative seemed to think Jennings was joking and placed a hand on the anchor's back. "I can't touch you now?" he asked, laughing amicably, but Jennings wasn't amused. One of the other panelists tried to defuse the tense moment by telling everyone to "keep your hands to yourself at the table." Sellers then continued, explaining that Jennings' claims that the Biden administration's policies caused an inflation hike is untrue. The CNN anchor vehemently disagreed.
Donald Trump promised voters a drastic drop in grocery prices and has even made claims that he's managed this feat. The truth, however, is far more complex, especially where groceries are concerned. In fact, Consumer Price Index data indicates that grocery prices have increased, not decreased, since Trump took office.