Scott Jennings, known as CNN’s outlier due to his support for MAGA, had an amusing response to President Trump’s recent decision on tariffs, which caused a plunge in the stock market.
As a regular conservative commentator on the network, Jennings appeared on CNN News Central with anchor John Berman and Meghan Hays, a Democratic strategist, discussing the implications of Trump’s tariff policies.
At the end of the segment, the stock market ticker was displayed on the screen near Jennings, who hid under the table in an effort to escape it.
Berman jokingly apologized to Jennings for having the stock market ticker in front of him on screen.
‘Why didn’t you position it next to Meghan? Can’t we just move it to the other side of the screen? I’m perplexed. It seems intentional,’ jokingly remarked Jennings.
Berman coyly responded that moving the ticker to the other side of the screen won’t change the problem for Republicans.
When the camera panned out, the ticker was still positioned near Jennings and Berman joked that it was ‘following’ him.
‘Literally! Let me just get down here,’ Jennings responded as he hid under the table to escape the plummeting stock market.
Scott Jennings joked that he didn’t want the stock market ticker in front of him while commentating on CNN
Jennings jokingly hid under the table to escape the plummeting stock market while discussing Trump’s tariffs
Trump announced a 10 percent tariff on imported goods on April 2, branding the date ‘Liberation Day.’ The move has been slammed by economists for raising prices
‘And as if to make the point,’ Berman concluded before thanking Jennings and Hays for being on the broadcast.
Before Jennings’ comedic outro, he offered a lukewarm stance on Trump’s tariffs, noting, ‘If it’s right, it will be the ballsiest thing that ever happened, and if it’s wrong, the consequences will fall on one shoulder.’
Although Jennings has offered criticisms of Trump in the past, most notably the president’s role in the January 6 insurrection, the CNN commentator backed him in the 2024 election.
He wrote in an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times in November that even though Trump ‘tested’ his fortitude to the Republican party, he would still be voting for him.
Since then, Jennings has supported Trump’s policies on numerous CNN panel discussions.
However, he was hesitant to fully support Trump’s tariffs during Friday’s broadcast. In response to a question on whether the tariffs were a ‘good bet,’ Jennings replied, ‘we’ll find out.’
Jennings did stand firm that Trump was ‘betting his presidency’ on the tariffs adding that the issue is, ‘the longest held political and economic belief that he’s [Trump] ever had.’
Hays, however, said that it was ‘confusing’ why Trump would decide to implement tariffs as the stock market was soaring when he took office.
Jennings typically defends the president’s actions, but offered a less enthusiastic take to Trump’s tariffs
Jennings sounded off on Trump’s tariffs with Meghan Hays (left) on John Berman’s (middle) segment on CNN
She added that the tariffs would negatively impact the middle class and could hurt Trump’s approval rating.
Jennings argued that the tariffs were ‘just one part’ of the president’s economic strategy.
He compared the tariffs to an apple tree, noting that even though there might be negative short-term impacts, the policy is meant to help Americans over an extended period of time.
Jennings echoed a similar stance during an appearance on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillips on Thursday.
He got into a tiff with British journalist and CNN’s Business editor-at-large, Richard Quest, on the economic consequences of Trump’s tariff policy.
Jennings argued that American voters knew that the tariffs were a part of Trump’s economic plan when they voted for him in November.
Quest fired back that he ‘never expected this madness,’ and slammed the tariffs as ‘economic vandalism.’
He argued that the tariffs won’t result in more American jobs and even took off his shoe to illustrate that most products are made outside of the country.
‘It’s my shoe, right! It is made in China. You talk about these luxury products, but you take your shoe off and see where it’s made,’ Quest said.
‘Made in China, made in Vietnam. This is going to be 34 percent more expensive,’ he said, pointing at his shoe.
Jennings also discussed the tariffs on NewsNight with Abby Philip and argued about the policy with British journalist and CNN’s Business editor-at-large, Richard Quest
Trump announced the highest tariff hike since 1930 on April 2, which was branded by the administration as ‘Liberation Day.’
The 10 percent tariff on all imported goods is taking effect on Saturday with additional tariffs beginning on Wednesday.
Trump claimed that the tariffs would ensure fair trade, prioritize US manufacturing, and address trade imbalances.
However, the stock market has plummeted as a result of the tariffs and economists have warned that consumers will see higher prices due to Trump’s policies.
Prices for a variety of goods will be impacted including grocery items, electronics, and auto parts.
