Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings teased a U.S. Senate run Friday.
Jennings, 47, hitched a ride with President Donald Trump on Air Force One this week, and the two posed for a photo together. Trump flashed a big smile and Jennings smirked as the president held up a blurred-out piece of paper.
“Something big is coming,” Jennings posted to X, along with the photo. “Stay tuned.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Jennings, of Kentucky, would be running to replace longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell. McConnell has suffered from a trio of scary medical episodes since 2023 and recently announced he will retire at age 84 in January 2027.
The Daily Beast first reported on Jennings’ 2026 Senate aspirations in The Swamp newsletter. He discussed the possibility of running during an after-party to the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday.
“If the president wants me, I’ll run,” he said, according to a Beast tipster. “If he wants somebody else, I’ll support that candidate.”
Friday’s photo suggests Jennings may have gotten the president’s blessing.
Jennings grew up in western Kentucky and attended the University of Louisville, like McConnell did decades prior. He was even a longtime aide and adviser to the senior senator from his home state, who has since become a thorn in Trump’s side.
On CNN, Jennings has been a fierce defender of Trump, challenging the network’s left-leaning pundits. He is often on an island praising and making sense of the president’s increasingly more controversial policies and decision-making.
There was one on-air screed MAGA likely will not appreciate, however. Jennings eviscerated Trump in 2022 for his role in inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol the year prior.
“I think the reckoning on this will come in 2024, if he seeks the nomination for the presidency again,” Jennings said. “I mean, look, I voted for him twice. I’m quite pleased with most of the policy outcomes of the Trump administration, but what’s become clear is that he violated his oath of office, and I think we already knew a lot of this. He did not act on that day to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.”
Criticizing Trump over Jan. 6 has been a scarlet letter in the eyes of MAGA, but the president appears poised to look past it. After all, who else would be willing to go on CNN day after day to defend Trump’s chaotic first 100 days in office?
However, the CNN star has gone above and beyond to make amends with the president. He joined Trump on stage in Michigan on Tuesday to celebrate 100 days of MAGA 2.0. Trump gave his network soldier glowing praise.
“We have a man here that—I don’t know but he’s defending me all the time on CNN, and he defends me really well, but he can’t go too far, because if he goes too far, he’ll get fired,” Trump said as he introduced Jennings.
The president then hinted that Jennings’ days at CNN were numbered.
“CNN, this is the end of Scott,” the president said. “Oh, who cares? Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you, Scott.”
Jennings kept his remarks to the crowd brief, but they were in the MAGA spirit.
“We were flying in here today, and I said, ‘Look at these farms. I gotta get a farm in Michigan, because when you own as many libs as I do, you got to put a place to put them all,’” he said.
Jennings’ shilling for the president on CNN occurred as recently as Thursday, when he claimed Ana Navarro was going over the top by suggesting Trump ran on becoming a dictator and was now delivering on that promise.
“Oh, come on. Come on, Ana. He did not promise to be a dictator,” he said. “You still don’t get it. All these months later, the left still doesn’t get it.”
Navarro, 53, brushed Jennings off and asserted he was playing suck-up to get an invite on Air Force One.
“Listen, I’m not going to shill for him, even if it doesn’t get me a ride on Air Force One,” she said.
