A Trump-supporting talk show host was left reeling on CNN after his attempt to defend the business dealings of the president’s sons was greeted with howls of laughter.
Jason Rantz was on the network’s NewsNight panel with Abby Phillip on Wednesday night when he tried to defend the business ventures of the president’s two sons since their dad took office.
Eric and Don Jr. Trump have become the figureheads of the Trump Organization in their father’s absence, but have raised eyebrows through their involvement in the worlds of capital, tech, defense, and cryptocurrency, to name but a few.
A clip of former first lady Michelle Obama’s podcast was played during the show, which featured her guest, Daily Show host Jon Stewart, ripping into Trump’s crypto-crazed sons and accusing them of profiteering.
“A Michelle meme coin,” Stewart said on the podcast clip. “You guys didn’t do a pump and dump. You could have had a weapons company. You could have sold missiles to yourself. Don and Eric have a drone company. I don’t even know what to say.”
After the clip, Phillip said: “Apparently, a missed opportunity on the part of a lot of past presidents and first ladies.”
Rantz went in, trying to defend Trump and score points on Obama, claiming it was ironic that her podcast has the platform it does because of her former office.
Co-panelist and former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers hit back, sharply pointing out that Obama isn’t in government.
“She isn’t in government, and neither are Eric and Donald Trump,” Rantz said. “I mean, look, this would be different if Donald Trump and his family didn’t come to it with the business background that he already had.”
The retort made Sellers laugh, before Phillip jumped in.
“They were in the real estate business. They were not in the rare earth mineral business. They’re not in the drone business. They’re not in the bank business. I mean, come on,” she said, a smile on her face.
“It’s not a good hill to die on,” Sellers added.
Filings in July revealed that Trump made $1.4 billion in 2025, the BBC reports, a year in which he spent 346 days as president.
The brothers operate a diversified portfolio. They have their finance firm World Liberty Financial, and are thought to be involved in drone company Unusual Machines.
There have been memecoins too, the official $TRUMP for the president and MELANIA for the first lady. Both have largely crashed in value since they launched.
There’s also Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Trump’s main communications outlet, Truth Social, which is now charging vast sums to give interested parties early access to the president’s words.
That venture has been slammed for reportedly charging up to $100,000 a month to paying customers, prompting two media groups to sue Trump earlier this month.
The New York suit describes the move as “extraordinary, corrupt, and unconstitutional” and raises concerns about Trump’s posts’ ability to move the market.
