Tipsheet

Here's What Scott Jennings Says You Should 'Sear Into Your Brain' for Midterms

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  May 03, 2025 4:00 PM

As the conservative voice of reason for CNN, Scott Jennings offered some advice during Thursday's episode of "CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip," specifically when it comes to the upcoming 2026 midterms, and what he even advises viewers to "sear... into your brain" ahead of them That would be taxes, especially given the misinformation from Democrats, including liberal guests on the panel, as well as the discussion of the hot button issue of tariffs and what Congress' plans are. 

Not only did Jennings remind that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his team "are currently negotiating dozens of trade deals with the 17 to 20 countries that actually matter," and "obviously talking to the Chinese government as well," he addressed Congress and taxes, with a message for President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans.

"Failure is not an option," he made clear. "And as a message to the Republicans, you have to pass the president's agenda. You have to cut taxes for the American people," especially since it's such a "huge" issue. "And it's good policy, but it's also good politics. Right now, the biggest bright line, and you're going to see this argued for weeks between the Republicans and the Democrats, other than immigration, which is huge, is on taxes," he said. 

"President Trump wants to cut them. The Democrats want to raise them, and the Republicans need to get behind the commander in chief and do it," Jennings continued, again offering that message for Republicans, as well as offering a simple distinction between the parties on the issue. 

CNN's Xochitl Hinojosa jumped in to claim that "Democrats do not want to raise taxes. I just want to say that right there," with host Abby Phillip jumping in to say they do, "on rich people," which another panelist, Batya Ungar-Sargon concurred with. 

"So, I mean, like your friends like Elon Musk and Donald Trump and all of those people," Hinojosa continued. As Jennings pushed her to clarify more, she again brought up Musk, and as a friend of Jennings, giggling in the process. Jennings continued to push her by asking "who's rich," as Hinojosa kept focusing on "your friends."

"No, this is the big problem for Democrats," Jennings pointed out about the illuminating exchange. "You can never define who's rich." Continuing to giggle and smile, Hinojosa still mentioned Jennings' "friends," even insisting that she was answering his question. "I'm telling you exactly. Your friends," she again offered. 

"Because when you come right down to it, what Democrats believe is that anyone who pays taxes is rich enough to have an increase," Jennings continued to the ire of other panelists. "If you vote against this bill, then you will, the president, the tax cuts will expire and everybody with a job who pays taxes, their tax will go up. That is a Democrat position. Is it not?"

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Hinojosa did not answer, and neither did any other of the guests, as Phillip insisted asked about spending bills, with Jennings offering his view that members of Congress "do need to restrain spending." 

The discussion on illegal immigration was indeed "huge" on Thursday, as Jennings alluded to, as it also was earlier in the week, with other liberal co-panelists, including Ana Navarro of "The View." 

One particular segment, which included Law Professor Donte Mills, played a clip of Vice President JD Vance talking about the use of the Alien Enemies Act for removing criminal illegal immigrants from the country, noting the administrating is "aggressively appealing this stuff" when it comes to a recent court order that the administration could not make use of such a law.

As Mills offered his view of the role of judges, Jennings quickly jumped in to debate that, especially as it applies the need for such an act, given the problem of illegal immigration, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration. 

"Because I think I understand your point, and you and I have a disagreement about these individual district court judges," Jennings said once Mills responded to the clip of Vance. "But when you think about what's happened in this country, millions of people have come in, it's the biggest invasion in the history of the United States. We've never been invaded this way, number one, these illegal aliens and they are predatory. It is an incursion," he continued, with Phillip asking who was doing the invading, as if that weren't already obvious. 

Jennings also brought up the heinous acts committed by violent criminal illegal aliens. "And I would ask you to ask any of the families who've lost loved ones if they think maybe that we are at war with the people who have come here, who have committed violent acts, who have murdered people, who have raped people, who have human trafficked people," he reminded. "It is a disaster what's happened in this country. And the president is trying to pull every lever that's on the books to take care of it and these individual judges," he continued, as Mills tried to cut in to say he "appreciate[s] that."

"These individual judges are overstepping. If what you're essentially saying is that the president, who is the commander in chief, cannot determine when we are being invaded, an individual district court judge is going to decide that?" Jennings asked. "No, thank you."

Phillip then insisted on jumping in to bring up Congress' involvement in deciding whether we are at war. "You're asking if we're being invaded. You want to call Congress and see if we're being invaded? We'll be taken over before they ever get to the committee," Jennings pointed out, making clear he is not satisfied with such a suggestion. 

Later still in the segment, the panelists were discussing due process, specifically as it applies to illegal immigrants being deported. 

"What if another group of people, say, not illegal aliens, but just some other group from somewhere else actually came to the shores of the United States, not a nation, but say a group, any kind of group, and actually did come ashore and try to invade, I don't you what else you would call it, the United States," Jennings pointed out, asking, "Would you run to court and ask a federal judge if the president of the United States, can we defend the nation now? Can we stop it?" He continued to passionately point out that "it is" an invasion.

As the panelists argued about the distinction of illegal immigrants, with Hinojosa putting words into his mouth, Jennings pointed out that while "they're not all violent," they are "all criminals," certainly a key reminder, not merely for the liberal panelists, but other key Democrats, such as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).