CNN anchor Abby Phillip defended her decision to feature supporters of President Trump on her nightly program, saying critics who object to her booking “MAGA people” are missing the point — even as her recurring on-air fights with Republican pundit Scott Jennings continue to spill into social media.
Phillip addressed the backlash during a Tuesday appearance on the popular nationally syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club,” where she promoted her new book on Jesse Jackson and reflected on her approach to political coverage.
“I get a lot of criticism from the left, from people who are like, ‘Why does she have MAGA people on the show?’” Phillip told host Charlamagne Tha God.
“Well, you should know what they are saying.”
She argued that tuning out Trump supporters amounts to political blindness.
“Just so you know, half the country voted for Trump and for Trumpism, and it’s not helpful to be completely unaware of what is happening in those media ecosystems,” Phillip said.
The journo added that she wants ideological clashes to play out openly.
“I want the debate. We need to have that debate. I want it to be right there out in the open.”
Her remarks came weeks after a pair of heated exchanges with Jennings, CNN’s resident conservative commentator and a regular on Phillip’s “NewsNight” panel.
Earlier this month, the two tangled over Trump’s justification for airstrikes on vessels that he claimed were smuggling fentanyl from Venezuela to the US.
The clash re-ignited online when Jennings posted an edited version of their exchange on X.
Phillip fired back, writing: “Absolutely no one defended Venezuela’s regime at this table. That’s a lie. Fentanyl is responsible for 70% of the drug overdose deaths in America. And 90% of it comes from Mexico, not Venezuela. Those are the facts.”
Two weeks earlier, Phillip cut Jennings off during a debate about Trump’s government shutdown tactics.
Jennings claimed that Democrats were offering Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants, prompting Phillip to interject: “Scott, that is a lie, OK?”
“Medicaid does not go to undocumented immigrants,” Phillip said on air.
“SNAP does not go to undocumented immigrants. You know, CHIP does not go to undocumented immigrants. Show me the law.”
Phillip told “The Breakfast Club” that the political left’s discomfort with hearing from Trump loyalists only deepens the divide between partisan audiences.
“The media is so fragmented right now. Everybody is consuming media in their own silos,” she said.
“A lot of people on the left have no idea what’s being said in those conservative ecosystems.”
Phillip said she sees value in confronting misinformation head-on rather than excluding guests with opposing views.
She pointed to a recent on-air exchange with fitness personality Jillian Michaels, who drew criticism for suggesting that Americans overemphasize slavery’s role in US history.
“It does not do us any favors to pretend like a lot of people don’t agree with Jillian Michaels,” Phillip said.
“It’s an opportunity for us to correct the record, to educate, to inform, to put facts on the table.”
Phillip, 35, has anchored “NewsNight” since 2023, when CNN tapped her to help rebrand its 10 p.m. slot as a nightly roundtable of contrasting viewpoints.
Jennings, a longtime GOP strategist and former George W. Bush aide, has been one of her most frequent guests.
The Post has sought comment from Jennings and Michaels.
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