‘That is Not What Happened!’ CNN’s Abby Phillip Calls BS on Pro-Trump Writer Over Gerrymander Fight

CNN anchor Abby Phillip called BS on pro-Trump New York Post writer Lydia Moynihan in a brawl over President Donald Trump’s gerrymandering war with Democrats and a handful of Indiana Republicans.

The president touched off an ever-escalating redistricting war when he demanded that red states redraw their maps to gain advantages in the 2026 midterms — and dared Democrats to do the same.

This week, Trump watched as most of the Indiana Republicans who defied his edict were defeated by Trump-backed candidates.

On Thursday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, anchor Abby Phillip hosted Moynihan and a panel that included Peter Meijer, Leigh McGowan, Tezlyn Figaro, and Bobby Ghosh.

Moynihan drew an objection from Phillip when she claimed that Indiana Republicans tried to stop the escalation and told her “That’s not what happened, okay?”:

PHILLIP: But where does this end?

MCGOWAN: It ends at the For the People’s Act, with the Democrats tried to pass an all-voted board that banned partisan gerrymandering. It ends where we make money, dark money out of politics. It ends when you put Democrats who already voted for the John Lewis Voter Rights Act back in power, and you actually pass those things that make voter election day a holiday, that give us mail-in ballots, that give us safety in voting.

All the things the Republicans are currently trying to rip away. It started — the voter suppression started with gerrymandering, then closing polling stations, then limiting drop boxes, and then mail-in voting and early voting and same-day registration. Those are all taking away from certain communities that vote Democratic. We have to stop doing that and it ends when you put Democrats in charge and you actually passed the laws that they tried to pass before all voted for Republicans —

(CROSSTALK)

MOYNIHAN: Ends when Democrats in charge? That’s the goal? Okay, what is the goal?

(CROSSTALK)

MCGOWAN: But this is why gerrymandering things happen. Democrats in charge and you actually pass the law that they tried to pass before when all voted for Republican —

PHILLIP: Lydia —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: But Lydia, should Republicans — should Republicans end — put their weapons down and say, hey, let’s stop.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: Let’s —

MOYNIHAN: They actually did. They actually did. In Indiana, they tried to do just that.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: No, no. Wait a second.

MOYNIHAN: They you know what?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: No.

MOYNIHAN: And you know what?

(CROSSTALK)

MOYNIHAN: In Indiana they said we’re not going to gerrymander.

PHILLIP: Hold on, hold on, Lydia. That is not what happened, okay? Republicans did not say we’re going to stop doing this. Some Republicans —

MOYNIHAN: They actually voted against it.

PHILLIP: Some Republicans voted against it and they were targeted by the President this week, and five out of seven of them voted out of their seats. And while that was happening, down in Florida, the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said that he was going to redistrict his state to eliminate Democratic representation.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: There is no ceasefire happening on the part of Republicans.

(CROSSTALK)

MOYNIHAN: In response to the ceasefire in Indiana, Virginia said hold my beer. Let me get rid of —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: You know, it wasn’t a ceasefire, it was more like a mutiny. And President Trump hated the fact that they pushed back on him. And you know why he hated it so much? He hated it because it’s not —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: I’m just saying, that’s not the same — that’s not the same thing as Republicans saying, we’re not going to gerrymander anymore because at the same time that was happening, they were planning to gerrymander in Florida.

MOYNIHAN: But you know what?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: So, no.

(CROSSTALK)

MOYNIHAN: All of those Republicans who were upset were right, because Indiana said, we’re going to stop it, and then —

(CROSSTALK)

FIGARO: And guess what?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: And then Republicans spent $6 million voting them out of their seats.

FIGARO: And Democrats —

(CROSSTALK)

FIGARO: So, no ceasefire.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: All right, everyone, we’ve got to leave it there.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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