CNN anchor Abby Phillip shot down a pro-Trump guest’s take on President Donald Trump’s transportation chief filming a reality show with his family, saying the excuse doesn’t make it better.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is under fire for spending seven months filming a reality TV show documenting his family’s road trip across America, as Americans struggle to afford gasoline and other necessities.

On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Jason Rantz — a conservative radio host — objected when anti-Trump CNN commentator Ana Navarro ripped Duffy for the “seven-month road trip” on the basis that the filming did not encompass all of his time.

Phillip and Navarro pointed out they never said it did, and Phillip added that “I’m not sure that makes it better”:

NAVARRO: And listen. It’s true. It is true. And it probably is part of the reason that it cost Democrats the election. It is true that Democrats were slow to acknowledge and recognize the pain that Americans were going through. But what Democrats were not doing — what Joe Biden was not doing at the same time was repainting the pool for $15 million and walking around with a rendition of a ballroom that’s now going to cost $1.5 billion — billion with a B, and unveiling gold plated statues of —

(CROSSTALK)

RANTZ: He renovated the Situation Room and he spent tens of —

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: And you know, so the tone deafness, the Secretary of Transportation wasn’t on a seven month road trip with his nine children for a TV show.

RANTZ: Tone deafness is not —

NAVARRO: So —

RANTZ: You know that he was not on a road trip for seven months. You know that that is factually inaccurate. Come on.

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: He has been on a road trip during those seven months.

(CROSSTALK)

RANTZ: A couple of days at a time. He was not on for seven months. That’s just not fair and not accurate.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: He was filming a reality show, “Road trip.”

NAVARRO: Exactly.

PHILLIP: Road trip reality show.

RANTZ: A couple days.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: Over the course of seven months.

NAVARRO: While TSA agents aren’t getting paid.

PHILLIP: I’m not sure that makes it better.

RANTZ: It does make it better. Come on.

NAVARRO: $5.99 a gallon. While we are having all sorts of FAA issues, while there’s cruise lines with viruses.

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: And that is what —

(CROSSTALK)

RANTZ: My point is, you don’t have to make something up to make a point. I think you can make very valid points here.

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: I’m not making it up. During the seven months, he has taken days off, during the seven months to go on a road trip for a TV show. Which part of that is inaccurate?

RANTZ: Well, you said he was taking off seven full months.

NAVARRO: No, didn’t say he was taking off —

RANTZ: That’s exactly what you said.

MOYNIHAN: I think he was allowed to see his nine children every month for a couple days.

UNKNOWN: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: And tell America to go on road trips while the gas is $5.99 a gallon.

PHILLIP: I guess at the end of the day, if what we’re talking about is the transportation secretary filming a reality show, it’s probably not a good sign for this administration.

RANTZ: I’m fine with the secretary celebrating the 250th anniversary of country.

PHILLIP: We’ll leave it there.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!