The fallout of Tuesday’s presidential election has boiled over into a full meltdown at CNN, where a guest and one of the network’s top pundits nearly came to blows last night.
Here’s what happened.
Comedian and CNN guest Pete Dominick lost his cool during a panel discussion hosted by anchor Abby Phillip, verbally fighting with Republican commentator Scott Jennings and writer Coleman Hughes over the fallout from Tuesday’s presidential election.
The segment got testy when Jennings pointed out that Biden’s presidency had effectively been stuck in a slump since his administration’s disastrous exit from Afghanistan in August 2021.
CNN Panelist’s TDS Goes off the Charts During Heated Debate With Scott Jennings
PETE DOMINICK: “Donald Trump hates veterans! He called them suckers and losers. He absolutely despises them.”
SCOTT JENNINGS: “I know you're super emotional.”
PETE DOMINICK: “Of course I am. I'm… pic.twitter.com/ry4mTeiauX
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) November 8, 2024
“If you look at the arc of the Biden presidency, he was in really good shape until August of 2021. When Afghanistan happened, he went under 40 — [Harris] went under 40 — and they really lived there until the end of the presidency,” Jennings explained.
“Why?” Dominick interrupted. “Why?”
“He’s still there,” Jennings continued over Dominick’s interjections. “Because — because he ran and told us that the adults were back in charge, and that was the opposite —”
“Yeah, they were,” Dominick insisted. “Because Donald Trump is a child.”
“And you know what — and you know what else? The fact that they wouldn’t give these 13 service members’ families the time of day,” Jennings continued without raising his voice, referencing the families of the 13 service members killed at Abbey Gate during the withdrawal — families who were ignored by the Biden administration and who Trump took the time to visit and get to know. “They would not. They would not.”
“Bulls***, dude!” Dominick objected, shouting as he cited The Atlantic and insisted despite all evidence to the contrary, “I’m sorry, but Donald Trump hates veterans. He called them ‘suckers’ and ‘losers.’ He did! He absolutely — despite — he has his whole life. He has his entire life.”
“I’m telling you the political reality is that when they made that decision —” Jennings again said.
“It doesn’t matter, when you don’t admit that Donald Trump hates veterans,” Dominick said again. “You don’t, you don’t admit it.”
Dominick continued his rant, claiming that Jennings was calling former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly a liar — and making no mention of the people who had worked both with and for Kelly in the Trump White House and didn’t believe his claims.
“You’re still campaigning,” Jennings said calmly, shaking his head. “It’s over, brother.”
That apparently angered Dominick even more, and he shot back, “It’s not over, it will never be over! It’ll never be over! You wish.”
Yikes!