‘Unless You Want Trump In 2028!’ Never-Trump CNN Analyst Griffin Warns Democrats Against Running Left

CNN political analyst Alyssa Farah Griffin warned Democrats against running to the left in response to President Donald Trump — “unless you want Trump in 2028!”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have been on a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally tour that has been drawing huge crowds and creating 2028 buzz. Meanwhile, David Hogg announced he’ll run progressive challengers to Democrats even as he remains a DNC vice chair.

On this week’s edition of CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five, CNN anchor Abby Phillip was joined by Griffin, Harry Enten, Melik Abdul, and Jemele Hill for her weekly panel show on current events.

Griffin praised the “energy” around AOC but said Democrats need to run candidates “who can beat Republicans”:

ABBY PHiLLIP: Addition or subtraction? AOC is putting putting out 12-15,000 people in places like Idaho. David Hogg is like we got to take some people out.

HARRY ENTEN: I mean crowd, oh crowd sizes, we’re back to this argument.

ABBY PHiLLIP: I mean, I’m just talking about energy and, you know.

HARRY ENTEN: Look, we know from the polling that, you know, if there was essentially you ask who is the leader of the Democratic Party right now, Ocasio-Cortez lands very much near the top of our list. We had in our CNN poll, but it’s like 10 percent, right? So it’s, you know, the tallest of some very short folks out there. So, but I mean, look, we know that the Democrats, congressional Democrats are pulling at an all-time low with their own party. But David Hogg’s job, being part of the Democratic National Committee, is to help Democrats get It’s not to take them out. You see it right there. I mean the view of the democratic party over 29 percent, I mean it’s abysmal.

JEMELE HILL: But that’s not a bad thing, and listen, unlike in the Republican Party where they just capitulate and bend the knee no matter what’s said, there’s actually a process in which open ideas are welcomed. And I didn’t find a lie in anything that David Hogg said. There is very much at the root of it, a lot of Democrats are pissed and they want to see more action. Chuck Schumer, do you think that played well? No, they want him up out of the paint. So they- Cory, go get him out of there. Exactly. And like it or not- In this moment of uncertainty or tumult, if you will, AOC and Jasmine Crockett and younger people have been the ones that are grabbing. You can say that all you want. Don’t pray for something that you don’t want. Andrew Yang.

ABBY PHiLLIP: Andrew Yang, who ran at the Democratic primary, you remember that, he says, the Democrats should be two separate parties. Same with the Republicans. If we were a healthier country, that would have already happened.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Andrew Yang is a friend of mine, he’s full of ideas that are never happening in the last 20 years.

ABBY PHiLLIP: It’s just a great choice for me. Yeah, bring choice forward. It’s not going to happen, but it’s a nice idea.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Listen, there’s a place for both of these things, people who can be the national spokespeople for parties who energize people, fine, AOC.

But you need to be able to beat Democrats, you need, or I’m sorry, you need be able beat Republicans, you meet people like Elissa Slotkin who are going to win in places that Trump won.

You don’t win by running to the left, unless of course you want Donald Trump in 2028.

ABBY PHiLLIP: Okay, . That’s a whole other story.

Watch above via CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five.