Scott Jennings , a conservative commentator for CNN, is facing harsh criticism over his response to remarks from former President Donald Trump , who repeated a racist lie about Haitian immigrants during Tuesday’s presidential debate.
During an appearance on a segment of “NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” Republican commentator Ana Navarro asked Jennings whether he thought Trump sharing debunked claims that Haitian immigrants have been eating the pets of people who live in Springfield, Ohio was rooted in racism.
“He was amplifying a conspiracy theory that, I think you would agree, puts a target on the backs of Haitian immigrants, and that it is based on racism. Would you agree on that?” Navarro asked.
Jennings met her question with momentary silence.
“Do you think that if there were 20,000 Scandinavians that had been sent to Springfield, people would be saying that they’re eating cats and dogs and geese?” Navarro pressed further.
“I’m not going to answer for [Trump], for his memes, or for anything else,” Jennings responded, before he and Navarro engaged in a back-and-forth.
Host Phillip pointed out to Jennings that that was a “long pause” before responding to Navarro’s question, to which the conservative pundit said: “Because I don’t know the answer.”
“I’m not going to sit here and answer for somebody,” he continued. “I don’t talk to Donald Trump about what the motivations are.”
“And I don’t answer to you either,” he added, looking at Navarro.
Former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, photographed during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Philadelphia.
Jennings then insisted that conversations surrounding immigration this election should focus on how immigration impacts communities as a whole.
Navarro argued that the topic of false claims surrounding Haitians eating pets was only being addressed because those lies were boosted by Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
“ In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs . The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said during the ABC News debate. “And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
Vance spread the rumor about Haitian immigrants on X, formerly Twitter, the day prior to the debate. It has since been debunked by city officials and local police.
The Haitian population in Springfield has grown over the years. Haitian immigrants are present in the community legally, according to the city.
Elsewhere in the “NewsNight” segment, Navarro warned that Trump’s lie about Haitians and similar rhetoric can put lives at risk .
“It may be funny to some people. ... It’s also incredibly racist and incredibly dangerous,” she said, before referencing a 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas . “I remember when a whack job, triggered by things that were said against Latinos, took a gun and went and hunted down Latinos in an El Paso Walmart.”
Navarro shared a clip from the segment in an Instagram post on Thursday, captioning it: “When silence speaks louder than words...”
Check out more responses criticizing Jennings’ Wednesday appearance on “NewsNight”:
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