‘Incredibly Disrespectful!’ CNN’s Ana Navarro Hits Back At Trump Defender For Calling Her ‘Hysterical’
CNN analyst Ana Navarro ripped pro-MAGA sports reporter Emily Austin for calling her “hysterical” over President Donald Trump’s decision to ban the Associated Press.
Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day changing the name of The Gulf of Mexico to The Gulf of America — an edict with which several organizations have begun to comply.
But the AP has thus far resisted, and this week Trump punished them for it by banning the wire service from several White House events — a move that drew widespread condemnation.
On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, CNN anchor Abby Phillip led an intense discussion of the ban, during which Navarro took exception twice to Austin calling her “hysterical.”
“I think that’s incredibly disrespectful! I don’t do it to you!” Navarro told Austin.:
NAVARRO: Brian, what are the other media outlets doing?
STELTER: Right now, they’re still showing up. They’re still asking questions. But that’s right, the Correspondents’ Association has condemned this and called it unacceptable. I think you’re suggesting maybe reporters should, what, skip the briefing?
NAVARRO: Should band together because, I mean, listen, if the bully manages to bully one, he’s not going to stop at one.
EMILY AUSTIN, SPORTS HOST AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don’t think this is as emotional as you’re making it out to be. You know, take away the hysteria for a moment. First off, Trump doesn’t need —
NAVARRO: Who’s being hysterical?
AUSTIN: Both of you. Trump doesn’t need, first of all, A.P. to —
NAVARRO: You obviously don’t know what a hysterical Ana Navarro is like.
AUSTIN: I just believe it comes down to compliance. Trump put out an executive order. There was an executive order. He changed the name legally to Gulf of America. They’re United States-based. I know they’re international as well. But right now, they’re covering U.S. politics. So, if he makes an executive order, they should respect that. And if they don’t, being there is not a right. It’s a privilege.
MATTHEWS: I’m just going to add in here though, this has been called the Gulf of Mexico for 400 years, and every other nation calls it the Gulf of Mexico. So, just because Trump claims that we need to —
AUSTIN: We’re operating in the United States.
MATTHEWS: Okay. But doesn’t this feel like a really weird like wokism thing on the right? Like it feels like the rights version of like Latin X or like birthing person? It just feels like a really weird hill to die on.
PHILLIP: Nobody — by the way, just to be clear, nobody had to comply with any of that.
MATTHEW: Yes.
(CROSSTALKS) PHILLIP: And if they did, you know, heads would be exploding at this table.
NAVARRO: They should adopt the Prince method. Just have a little symbol. Call the Gulf, formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico, which should now be called, whatever the hell he wants.
STELTER: But there’s a much broader danger. Today, it’s the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf America. Tomorrow, what is it? The president says there’s only two genders in this world. We all know transgender people. What happens when the A.P. reports on transgender Americans? What happens when CNN or ABC or The New York Times? Are those the next outlets to be punished?
AUSTIN: I believe that there’s two genders, and then Biden tells me that there’s 73. Well, I don’t comply with that. But the Biden administration isn’t barring Fox News from covering press conferences.
PHILLIP: Right, he’s not going to ban you from coming to the White House because you have a different —
(CROSSTALKS)
STELTER: Well, for the last two days though, the A.P. has been blocked from attending events and it’s intended for decades.
AUSTIN: (INAUDIBLE) executive order.
NAVARRO: I really would rather you not refer to me hysterical for expressing an opinion. I think that’s incredibly disrespectful! I don’t do it to you!
Watch above via CNN NewsNight.
