Anderson Cooper's On-Air Tension with Guest Over Live Remarks
In response to critiques about focusing his presidential race coverage more on Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign than former President Donald Trump’s statements, CNN’s Anderson Cooper found himself in a tense exchange with a guest whose progressive stance clashed with his audience.
Cooper joined Charlamagne tha God, host of the widely popular morning show The Breakfast Club, for a televised panel where they discussed Black Americans’ views on Harris in light of Trump’s recent commentary about her biracial identity. Harris has both Indian and Black heritage. When questioned on whether Harris should engage with “bro”-style podcast hosts like Joe Rogan, similar to Trump’s approach to media, Charlamagne, whose legal name is Lenard McKelvey, responded with measured assurance.
“I think that she should keep calling Donald Trump a fascist,” McKelvey remarked, alluding to a recent interview where Harris implied as much. “And I think Americans need to keep looking at the rhetoric of Donald Trump, because I don’t know why we’re even considering electing someone who talks about ‘putting people in camps.’ I don’t know why we’re having this discussion around a candidate who wants mass deportations and has suggested terminating the Constitution to overturn an election. Aren’t we supposed to be a patriotic country?”
McKelvey’s critique of Trump’s rhetoric soon veered into an accusation, targeting CNN and other media outlets for fixating on Black figures like Harris and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who publicly criticize the state of the nation. “Whenever someone like Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, there’s an uproar about how ‘unpatriotic’ it is. Yet a guy can talk about terminating the Constitution to overturn an election, and no one cares?” he challenged Cooper, pointing out that the CNN anchor redirected his criticism about Trump back to Harris and popular white podcast hosts. “Even when I bring it up now, you brought it back to Kamala and Joe Rogan, Anderson. Who cares?”
Initially, Cooper played along with a chuckle. “Well, I think you care about who’s president and that—”
“Yeah, a president, that president is a fascist,” McKelvey interjected. Anderson defended CNN’s coverage, saying, “I talk about this every night,” in response to McKelvey’s assertion that media outlets minimize Trump’s more authoritarian statements. But McKelvey wasn’t convinced. “I don’t think y’all discuss it enough,” he said. “I think I hear more about ‘is Kamala Harris Black’ than Trump being a fascist.”
Usually composed, Cooper’s frustration showed. “Honestly, that’s bulls***,” he stated, eliciting audible reactions from those off-camera. Admitting he’s a “huge fan” of McKelvey and The Breakfast Club, Cooper tried to clarify his stance. “To say we’re always discussing ‘is Kamala Harris Black,’ like, I…”
“Now that’s bulls***, Anderson, to say y’all don’t have those conversations,” McKelvey fired back.
On CNN, known for structured panels and town halls, the tense exchange was unusual. The network’s highest ratings often come during elections or major events, although it generally trails more established partisan networks like Fox News and MSNBC. As CNN’s most experienced political analyst and its longstanding star, Cooper is rarely caught off-guard like this.