CNN analyst Scott Jennings scolded fellow panelist Bakari Sellers for touching him as the two clashed over President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to help bring down grocery prices.
During Thursday’s “Newsnight with Abby Phillip,” the former Democratic South Carolina representative and Jennings were split on who was at fault for inflation and the prices.
“During the campaign, Donald Trump said that he was going to bring prices down,” Sellers said, claiming Trump’s comments were a “lie.”
Sellers partially agreed with his conservative counterpart.
“One of the things we know is Scott was actually 50% correct, and that Democrats did not do a good job in telling our story,” he said. “We did not do a good job of addressing the pain that Americans felt.
“One of the mistakes we made throughout Biden‘s presidency was saying that inflation was transitory,” Sellers added. “Those things were not accurate because there are people who were out there feeling the pain of the price of eggs.”
The 40-year-old’s mannerisms then caused tension between the two men as they sat next to each other in the studio.
Sellers disagreed with Jennings and attempted to be playful with his body movements, which the former George W. Bush administrator did not take lightly.
“What Scott was not accurate about, which kind of happens around the table sometimes, although I know you want to be,” Sellers said as he grabbed Jennings’ arm.
“Don’t touch me,” Jennings warned.
Sellers went back and placed his hand on Jennings’ back rather than listening to Jennings’ request
“I can’t touch you,” Sellers laughed as Jennings’ disapproving shook his head.
Host Abby Phillip reiterated to all panelists to “keep your hands to yourself at the table” to stop the quarrel from escalating.
Jennings’ facial expression seemingly changed as Sellers brought his hands back to his side of the table.
The 47-year-old Republican sat up in his chair, crossed his arms at his chest and stared at Sellers, who had gone back to his point.
Sellers argued that President Joe Biden’s policies were not responsible for inflation.
“Yes it is,” Jennings fired back. “Sure it is.”
Jennings scoffed at Sellers who began arguing with the remaining panel members.
“Of course, it’s not,” Sellers said, instead saying inflation was caused by COVID. “You know what happened across the globe? You had inflation rise across the globe. You know who addressed that issue? Joe Biden addressed that issue.”
“One of the things that Scott was again right about is that Democrats did not label it: that’s Trumpflation,” he added
Trump’s election win over Vice President Kamala Harris last month was owed partially to his campaigning on the economy, comparing inflation during his first term to when Biden took over.
“We had no inflation, and we had a very strong economy. And we’re going to do that again, but I think we’re going to even up it because now we have experience that we didn’t have,” Trump said Thursday while ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange after being named Times person of the year.
Trump alluded to prices winning him the election during a recent interview with NBC News.
“I won on the border, and I won on groceries,” Trump told “Meet the Press.”
With Post wires
