Erin Burnett Confronts Former CNN Colleague-Turned-Candidate Who Switched Parties Amid Trump Attacks: ‘Has That Helped?’

CNN host Erin Burnett confronted former CNN contributor Geoff Duncan on Tuesday over his choice to switch parties, pressing him on whether President Donald Trump’s attacks on him have “helped” him in his run for Georgia governor.

The former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia joined OutFront to discuss his gubernatorial run as a Democrat. Duncan was expelled from the Georgia Republican Party after backing former President Joe Biden and endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Duncan, a vocal anti-Trump critic, testified in the investigation into possible election interference in his state, despite Trump warning him against doing so.

Burnett questioned Duncan on his party switch, asking him about how much the president played a role in that choice.

“So, just people say, okay, look, lieutenant governor, and at that time, popular Republican administration, all of a sudden, now a Democrat. How much does President Trump have to do with your decision to switch parties?” she asked.

Duncan claimed that while Trump was a part of his calculus, there was a broader problem with his former party that triggered his conversion.

“It’s certainly part of it. I mean, a sitting president trying to steal an election as a statewide elected official, like I was, certainly is part of it,” he said. “But I think it’s the toxic, corrosive leadership style that spread like an infection across all Republicans in all circles. It’s really just been an unfortunate series of missteps by them.”

The CNN host then pressed her former colleague on the president’s many attacks on him personally, asking the former Republican if Trump’s stance against him had helped him in his race. Duncan responded that Trump’s opposition had aided him in his run, calling the president “the worst decision this country has ever made.”

Read their exchange below:

BURNETT: Trump has called you out as a “failed former lieutenant governor.” He’s called you a “total lightweight.” He’s called you a “total loser.” All of which is obviously consistent with things, words, he uses to describe opponents or people who’ve challenged him. Has that helped you out at all in this race?

DUNCAN: Yeah. Everywhere I go, I get, you know. pats on the back. You know, Thanks for your courage to stand up to Donald Trump. And the reality is, almost everybody that I meet would have done exactly the same thing. Most people don’t wake up wanting to tell bold-faced lies about an election, or try to steal an election, or be willing to embrace conspiracy theories that make no sense. And so that’s certainly been part of the story. But I think it’s also about we all need to have more political courage in this tough moment. I mean, Donald Trump is the worst decision this country has ever made, and even Republicans are figuring that out firsthand. And so we’ve got to have honest umpires that show up and be able to call balls and strikes, right? In Georgia, expanding Medicaid is a must. Republicans have lost the narrative. I was on the other side of this argument for a number of years, and I was wrong. The same with affordability crisis. We can no longer demonize poverty. We’ve got to figure out ways and solutions to wrap our hands around folks that are in need of help. And the list goes on and on and on. Look, Donald Trump is not making a decision that helps a single Georgian, no matter what your political party is.

Watch above via CNN.

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