CNN’s Kate Bolduan had enough of Scott Jennings on Monday when their heated back-and-forth over the January 6 Capitol riot reached a boiling point. In a moment of exasperation, she bluntly told her colleague to “zip it!” as the two went head-to-head over President Joe Biden’s legacy and Donald Trump’s political comeback.
It all started when Bolduan called out Jennings for ignoring the political fallout from the riot, pointing out how, just days after the chaos, many Republicans were quick to blame Trump. Some even suggested he should be impeached. Fast forward four years, and Trump’s back, stronger than ever.
Bolduan asked, “Is this comeback due to how Trump handled things afterward, how Democrats handled it, or something else?” Jennings shot back, claiming it was “a mix of everything,” but insisting that the ultimate decision lay with the people. “After four disastrous years under Biden, they chose to bring Trump back. Simple as that,” he said, adding that voters looked at January 6, listened to Democrats attack Trump, and compared it with Biden and Harris’s decisions before ultimately deciding to give Trump another shot.
Bolduan wasn’t having it. “It’s tough, though, Scott, because on January 6th, people were literally trying to stop the process of letting people decide,” she shot back, clearly frustrated.
As the exchange heated up, Bakari Sellers jumped in, pointing out that Trump inherited a solid economy and lower border migration. But Jennings pushed back, arguing that voters had “rejected” those arguments in the election.
The trio continued to clash: Sellers argued that prices were going down, but Jennings countered that they were not. When Sellers insisted they were, Jennings pushed back, claiming inflation was still rising. Sellers pointed out that inflation had plateaued, and Bolduan intervened, clarifying that the rate was decreasing, which was the Federal Reserve’s goal. Jennings, not ready to back down, asked, “So, are prices going down or not?” Bolduan responded, “They are down from where they were—yes. Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Let’s move on. Next topic!”
Frustrated by the constant back-and-forth, Bolduan decided to take control of the conversation. “Zip it!” she told Jennings. When he protested, claiming they were trying to “paint a picture of a country that doesn’t exist,” Bolduan fired back, “I’m not painting anything, I’m painting stop talking! That’s what I’m painting.”
The debate raged on, but the tension was palpable.
Watch the clip below from CNN.
