CNN
A heated debate unfolded on CNN as two political strategists fiercely argued over former President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Republican strategist Scott Jennings sparred over Trump’s legacy, particularly the impact of his actions during the pandemic.
Cardona took aim at Trump’s pandemic response, arguing that his mismanagement led to devastating consequences for the American economy and the lives of its citizens. “Under Republican rule, with Donald Trump at the helm, he absolutely put our economy in the toilet when he refused to understand how to be the leader during a global pandemic, refusing to accept the science of Covid, lost millions of American jobs, hundreds of thousands of Americans died on his watch,” she said.
Cardona credited President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for rebuilding the economy after Trump’s tenure, asserting that cities, including Detroit, were recovering under their leadership. Republican strategist Scott Jennings pushed back, accusing Cardona of distorting the facts and rewriting the history of the pandemic’s early days. “First of all, viruses don’t care who the president is, they don’t care what party you’re in,” Jennings countered. He argued that Democrats had pushed for widespread shutdowns and that more Americans died of Covid under Biden’s administration.
Jennings defended Trump’s leadership, emphasizing his role in spearheading Operation Warp Speed, which led to the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. “Kamala Harris was saying she’d never take a Trump vaccine,” he added, implying that the former administration had made significant strides in fighting the pandemic.
NBC News host Kate Bolduan intervened, reminding both strategists that the early days of the pandemic were marked by uncertainty. “No one knew what was going on – that’s what happened. We all lived this,” she said, challenging Jennings’ portrayal of the response as clear-cut. Jennings, however, insisted that blaming Trump for the course of the virus was unfair, sarcastically remarking, “I’m sure the virus cared very deeply what he said.”
Cardona countered by highlighting Trump’s controversial statements, including his suggestion that injecting bleach might be a solution. She pointed to reports that Trump had secretly received the vaccine before leaving office, while publicly sowing doubts about Covid treatments. Bolduan jumped in to affirm the infamous bleach comment: “You can’t deny the actual bleach commentary… He said it publicly.”
As tensions rose, the debate underscored the stark partisan divide over Trump’s pandemic response and its lasting impact on the nation’s economy and public health.
