‘We’re Grownups Here!’ CNN Anchor Hits Back at Scott Jennings as He Gloats About Trump Deal

CNN anchor Abby Phillip fought back when GOP analyst Scott Jennings began to gloat about President Donald Trump’s trade announcement — and tried to throw Phillip’s own words back at her.

Trump scored a long-awaited victory when he announced a trade deal with the United Kingdom Thursday, then held an Oval Office photo op complete with a call-in from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

But even during his celebratory announcement, Trump faced skepticism from reporters about the significance of the deal, and one conservative commentator — longtime radio star Erick Erickson —  called the deal “pretty shitty.”

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip and a panel comprised of Jennings, Bakari Sellers, Ben Ferguson, Ana Navarro, and Alexis Glick discussed the state of play after that deal.

When Jennings tried to dunk on Phillip over remarks she made recently about other countries forming trading blocks to counter Trump, the host pushed back, telling him “We’re grownups here” and “both things can be true”:

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: It — it seems like, I mean, to Bakari’s point, that Trump is trading higher prices for consumers, basically, the — the sort of base of the economy in exchange for deals for, the incumbent players, autos, even agriculture, which are large players here. I — there’s an aspect of that that’s happening right now, as well, because what — what this is, is a baseline tax increase on every American that buys anything, anywhere in the world.

SCOTT JENNINGS: But deals — but you — you were — you were acting like that these other countries were forming alliances against us. What I think this signals — what I think this signals —

PHILLIP: Some of them — some of them are.

JENNINGS: This signals —

PHILLIP: I mean, Scott. Scott.

JENNINGS: Is that our oldest ally —

PHILLIP: Scott, hold on.

JENNINGS: — the United — I understand why the United Kingdom is at the White House today —

PHILLIP: Okay.

JENNINGS: — and it sends a signal to the rest of the world that the United States is the people that do business with them.

PHILLIP: We’re grown-ups here. Both things can be true at the same time, that the U.K. can strike a deal with the United States that essentially, opens up some things that Donald Trump wants, and he needs this deal as much as they do.

(CROSSTALK)

BAKARI SELLERS: Because by cutting out — by cutting out USAID —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: And also, hold on a second, guys.

JENNINGS: Narrative has been and we’re isolated, and it’s not true.

PHILLIP: It is also true that — that Asian countries and other parts of the world are trying to be around us. They are negotiating around us.

UNKNOWN: Yes, they are.

PHILLIP: Canada is doing deals with other countries.

JENNINGS: It’s not the picture that’s been painted.

UNKNOWN: Yeah. It’s —

PHILLIP: Okay, the picture — okay.

JENNINGS: The narrative was —

PHILLIP: I — I know.

JENNINGS: — you’re isolated and now we the deal and you know it.

PHILLIP: I know that you’ve been waiting to say this, but it is true. It is true that other countries are trying to create other blocks so that they can protect themselves from the capriciousness of this administration.

UNKNOWN: So —

PHILLIP: Both things can be true at the same time.

JENNINGS: So you don’t like — you don’t like this deal? Do you like it that we have to deal or not?

PHILLIP: We’re going to leave it there.

(CROSSTALK)

ANA NAVARRO: Can I — can I tell you something though?

PHILLIP: We do have to go.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.