CNN’s token MAGA pundit Scott Jennings had his own words thrown back at him after declaring that the U.S. has already defeated Iran.
The war, launched with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, has dragged on for nearly seven months with no end in sight, despite President Donald Trump initially suggesting the conflict could be over within weeks. The grinding conflict has sent oil and gas prices soaring and piled political pressure on Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
During a roundtable discussion on CNN’s NewsNight on Tuesday, host Sara Sidner pressed Jennings over the political fallout of the Iran war.
“[Trump] says he’s not worried about politics. Shouldn’t he be?” asked Sidner. “The Republicans are running, and they are starting to… more and more people are coming out saying, this war is costing us. We need to end this war immediately.”
“All presidents and all political actors have to worry about politics at some level,” Jennings responded. “But I do think there’s an argument to be made for just operating on national security and what you think is in the best interests of American national security, even if there are political consequences.”
Sidner added: “Even if Americans say, ‘hey, we can’t afford this war…this is really hurting us?’”
Jennings said he had “had my doubts about whether we will ever be able to make a deal,” before adding: “I think the U.S. military has performed the most heroic mission and created results beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.”
CNN political commentator Ashley Allison then confronted Jennings with his own assessment of the war from the previous night’s show, during which he said of the U.S. and Iran: “We are defeating them. We’ve already defeated them. They’re defeated.”
“We sat here last night, and you said, ‘we have won the war,’” Allison said.
“Well then, why do we need to ‘annihilate’ these folks?” she went on, referring to Trump’s threats at the United Nations General Assembly to destroy the Islamic Republic.
Allison added: “That is why you’re losing the American people on this. Because there is a duplicitous nature to this war, and there seems to be no end, and the American people don’t want it.”
Jennings remained silent after Allison pointed to the apparent contradiction in his remarks.
Trump has himself suggested the conflict remained unresolved.
Jennings, 48, is reportedly angling for a job defending Trump, 80, from behind the White House podium. CNN reported in August that he was an early favorite to replace Karoline Leavitt as press secretary and had met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Trump said he faced a “big decision” between reaching an agreement with Tehran and further military action.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” Trump said. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell?”
Trump said he believed an agreement would ultimately be reached after November’s elections, and later told reporters that U.S. officials and the Iranian delegation held a “very productive” three-hour meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
