CNN conservative Scott Jennings melted down live on TV after clashing with a young pro-Democratic star.
Trump ally Jennings, 48, was seated next to MeidasTouch podcaster and commentator Adam Mockler, 23, on CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip on Thursday. The pair had been arguing back and forth when Jennings launched an explicit tirade at his TV colleague.
The first sign of trouble came when host Phillip was forced to interject when Jennings told Mockler in a patronizing tone, “When you get up past your bedtime, you get hyper.” The pair was discussing political concessions the U.S. received from the Iran war.
The pair then got heated after a discussion on Trump’s ongoing war with Iran. Mockler claimed Jennings was “more than happy” to defend the war, which he claimed the U.S. was “currently failing” in.
“I was only a few years old while you were in the administration defending prior endless wars,” Mockler said, referring to Jennings’ past role as deputy director in the office of political affairs at the White House. Jennings worked under President George W. Bush when the Iraq war began in 2003. The war lasted nearly nine years.
Debating over the length of Trump’s war with Iran, Jennings asked Mockler, “Eight weeks is endless to you?” Mocker replied, “You said it was going to be four to six weeks.”
Jennings then accused Mockler, who has 2 million followers on YouTube, of having “the attention span of a gnat.”
Mockler responded, “What a minute, dude, hold on... now you’re making condescending remarks because you can’t defend the fact that this war is not going your way...”
Mockler, who was using his hands to gesticulate when talking, continued, “Name me one political concession...”
An angry Jennings then snapped at him, “Get your f---ing hand out of my face, first of all!”
Host Phillip intervened again, stating, “Hey, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa guys, excuse me.”
Jennings turned to Phillip, “I’m not going to have this guy’s hand in my face.”
Phillip attempted to defuse the situation. “Everybody calm down, we’re having a debate” she said, before asking Jennings to respond to Mockler’s question about a political concession the U.S. has gotten from Iran.
“I would be mad about it if I had to defend that war too,” Mockler said.
Jennings responded, “We have a very simple goal: to keep terrorists and a terrorist regime from having a nuclear weapon that can threaten the United States, our interests in the region, our allies in Europe, anybody else in the world.”
Mockler replied, “So you can’t answer the question.”
“That is our goal,” Jennings answered.
“Thank you. I would get mad too,” Mockler added.
Mockler continued his victory lap on X, posting after NewsNight aired, “Grown man on the verge of tears because he can’t answer a question.”
He also commented on an Instagram story covering the feud, “My hand wasn’t even in his face.”
Gavin Newsom’s Press Office X account shared a picture of the exchange, with a snowflake replacing Jennings’ face and the caption “gEt YoUr hANd oUt oF mY FaCE.”
MeidasTouch posted on X that Jennings had been “shut down by Adam Mockler over the Iran war—then starts cursing him out when he realizes he has no good response.“ It added Jennings’ response was “absolutely unhinged behavior.”
The Daily Beast has contacted CNN for comment.
