What To Know
- The CNN NewsNight panel discussed the derogatory comments made toward former First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House UFC event.
- Ana Navarro condemned the remarks and dropped an uncensored F-bomb on air, visibly shocking Scott Jennings.
- Jennings shared his reasons for why President Trump himself hasn’t condemned the remarks.
CNN’s conservative commentator Scott Jennings was thrown for a loop on Monday night (June 15) after Ana Navarro dropped an F-bomb while condemning an insult against former First Lady Michelle Obama.
On Monday’s episode of CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, the panel discussed the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House and derogatory comments made by fighter Josh Hokit. While being interviewed by Joe Rogan, Hokit said, “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?”
The comments sparked immediate backlash, and the UFC scrubbed the remark from its social media posts. UFC boss Dana White even condemned Hokit’s remark, telling Time magazine, “I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families.”
However, neither President Donald Trump nor his administration has publicly condemned the comments. “These people in the White House, [Communications Director] Steven Cheung, the president, nobody has the guts to say, ‘That’s inappropriate, it shouldn’t have been said, it’s wrong.’ Why?” Phillip asked on Monday’s show.
Jennings said that he personally would condemn the remarks, but also gave an excuse for why the Trump administration is staying quiet. “My assumption is that they get asked to condemn things all the time, everybody everywhere that says something, they’re constantly being asked to condemn things, and my guess is they just sort of have a policy not to do it,” he stated.
The panel didn’t buy that reasoning, with Phillip responding, “Aren’t there some things that they should condemn? The idea that they always have to condemn things is not an excuse for not condemning things that should be condemned.”
Navarro then chimed in with her thoughts, saying that “This line of attack against Michelle Obama has been going on in right-wing extremist circles for years and years and years.” She said that Trump “doesn’t want to confront it because it would mean confronting part of his base.”
She then turned her attention to Robert De Niro, who made headlines on Sunday for leading a “Shut the f*** up” chant against Trump. “All I’ll say is this,” Navarro said. “Whenever there is a Democrat back in the White House and they invite Robert de Niro and [he] stands in the White House and says, ‘f*** Trump, or starts talking about what Melania Trump did, I don’t want anybody who has remained silent right now raising their hand or saying a thing… there’s things that are just condemnable.”
When Navarro dropped the uncensored F-bomb, a shocked Jennings looked directly into the camera and raised his eyebrows.
Jennings himself dropped the F-bomb on CNN NewsNight last month after growing agitated with MeidasTouch commentator Adam Mockler. As the pair debated Trump’s Iran war, the progressive commentator gestured with his hands to emphasize his point. That’s when Jennings snapped, telling Mockler, “Get your f****** hand out of my face!”
You can watch the segment here.
CNN NewsNight With Abby Phillip, Weeknights, 10/9c, CNN