CNN Let a Conservative Join Its Network: He's Tearing Them to Pieces

Mainstream media outlets, often cautious about airing opinions that challenge the establishment, rarely feature anti-establishment voices.

This context makes CNN’s 2017 hiring of commentator Scott Jennings all the more remarkable. At the time, network executives could not have predicted that, seven years later, Jennings would become one of the most compelling voices for President-elect Donald Trump’s conservative-populist MAGA coalition.

Despite frequently facing CNN panels stacked four or five to one against him, Jennings has held his ground, delivering sharp rebuttals to his pro-establishment counterparts.

Since Trump’s landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, Jennings has used his platform to expose the growing disconnect between establishment Democrats and the American electorate.

In one notable instance, shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Nov. 9, Jennings referred to the Democratic Party as a “professional fainting society,” a remark so biting that even liberal commentator Van Jones couldn’t suppress a laugh.

This quip reflected a broader critique: Democrats have become so entrenched in "woke" politics that they seem perpetually offended.

Jennings has also spoken to frustrations among traditional conservatives, particularly young men alienated by Democratic messaging.

“I think the Democrats in this election made men feel like — that, ‘The patriarchy is over, boys, and we’re gonna put you in the back seat for a while, and you’re just gonna have to accept it,’” Jennings remarked in a clip posted on X on Nov. 20.

He didn’t stop there. Speaking for many Trump supporters, Jennings criticized COVID-era policies that MAGA voters view as authoritarian overreach.

On Nov. 15, just one day after President-elect Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Jennings denounced lockdowns and mandates as “garbage,” echoing sentiments widely held within Trump’s base.

Jennings has even managed to rattle his CNN colleagues to the point of self-contradiction.

In one example, shared on X, Jennings praised Elon Musk’s platform X as “the most ideologically balanced social media platform.” This claim drew skepticism from other panelists.

“Who’s your source?” they demanded.

Jennings, unflustered, replied, “We reported it on this network.” The clip then cut to CNN’s own data analyst Harry Enten, who confirmed a near-even split of Democrats (48%) and Republicans (47%) on X.

The morning after the election, Jennings described Trump’s victory as the “revenge” of ordinary, working-class Americans, further solidifying his role as a champion of the MAGA movement.

Jennings’s effectiveness as a pro-Trump voice on CNN has become increasingly evident.

Indicative of his impact, The Washington Post published a critical profile of him less than two weeks before the election, labeling him as combative and accusing him of hypocrisy for not always supporting Trump.

What critics fail to grasp, however, is that Jennings embodies the Trump coalition.

Elon Musk, for example, didn’t endorse Trump until July 13, the day of the first assassination attempt. From there, their alliance grew stronger.

Similarly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined the Trump team in August, followed shortly by Tulsi Gabbard, another former Democrat. Even Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, a staunch traditional conservative, wasn’t always aligned with Trump.

When CNN viewers watch Jennings denounce COVID-era “tyranny,” defend Musk’s vision of free speech on X, critique the alienating effects of wokeness, and advocate for the working class, they’re hearing the voice of millions of Americans who came together to return Donald Trump to the White House.