Scott Jennings Schooled by CNN Host After Trainwreck Trump Defense
The MAGA political commentator’s attempts to share misleading claims were met with immediate pushback.
CNN’s Abby Phillip corrected MAGA pundit Scott Jennings to his face after he wrongly insisted that gas prices are lower now than when Donald Trump re-entered office.
During a typically argumentative roundtable debate on Wednesday night’s episode of NewsNight, Jennings sparred with Democratic political consultant Neera Tanden over Trump’s deeply unpopular war in Iran.
Tanden said the result of Trump declaring the peace deal with Iran “over” and renewing attacks on Tehran will ultimately mean “we all pay more for gas because prices of gas and prices of oil go up, as they did today.”
Jennings tried to shut Tanden down by asking her what the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is currently, and how it compares to the highest price under President Joe Biden.
Jennings then tried to argue that gas prices are “lower today” than they were when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
“No, it’s not, no, it’s not, and no, it’s not,” Phillip said as the panel talked over one another.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“Gas is not lower today than when Trump took office, and it’s not lower today than it was before Trump started the war.”
Biden’s term in office was plagued by record-high gas prices and decades-high inflation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2022, the national average gas price hit an all-time high of $5.02 a gallon, according to AAA. However, by the time Biden left office, it had fallen to $3.12.
Scott Jennings is often argumentative and dismissive toward other guests during his CNN appearances.
Screengrab/CNN
The current national average is $3.84, following a slight rise after Trump declared he has no intention of negotiating with Iran to end the conflict after the two countries exchanged fire this week.
While that figure is down from the $4.16 average recorded a month ago, it is still higher than the level when Biden left office in January 2025, as well as the national average in July 2025, and the $2.98 cost recorded just before Trump started the war in Iran on Feb. 28.
Gas prices in the U.S. will remain high while Donald Trump's war in Iran continues.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Gas prices during Trump’s second term have also approached the record high set in 2022, peaking at $4.56 in mid-May.
“You can dismiss the gas thing, but it’s a real thing that people are going to the gas pump, filling up their tank, and it’s costing them 70 bucks,” Phillip said.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…