'That’s not a fact': CNN host cuts off Republican congressman after tense confrontation

06 March

An interview between a CNN host and a Republican member of Congress quickly grew heated as the two discussed budget cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

On Thursday, CNN host Pamela Brown spoke with Donalds about President Donald Trump's administration slashing tens of thousands of jobs at the agency. She also asked him about Trump's decision to halt tariffs on Mexico until April 2, 2025.

“New employment data shows recession level cuts for February, with more jobs lost than any month in 15 years, are you worried about that?” Keilar asked.

“Let's be clear about the numbers that you're reporting. The reason why the job growth numbers are down is because government workers are the ones who are starting to lose their jobs at the federal level," Donalds responded. "But the other elements of our economy are very, very strong, and they're going to remain that way."

Brown pushed back, noting that "consumer sentiment is down," and is "the lowest it's been in three and a half years." But Donalds insisted that the "tariff policy is one piece of the overall economic picture."

"You have deregulation at the federal level, which is critical for the future health of our economy,” the Florida Republican said.

“I just spoke to a farmer who said American farmers are being hammered by Trump's policies right now, and that will only cause the price of food for Americans to go up,” Brown countered. “How do you answer this farmer?”

“What I will say is that when you have to unwind the terrible inflation from the previous administration, you have to go through several processes," Donalds said, opining that South African centibillionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was the "first piece." And when Brown asked if he could assure his constituents who are veterans that the VA's cuts wouldn't affect their services, he said they "absolutely" wouldn't.

“The VA has been an albatross of an agency. It is heavily bureaucratic,” Donalds said.

Brown then pivoted to trade, and asked Donalds about the news that Mexico "will not be required to pay tariffs on any products that fall under the USMCA [United States-Mexico-Canada] agreement" inked during Trump's first term. She then asked Donalds if "Trump's back-and-forth decision" was "the right call, especially given the volatility of markets."

“Well, look, I'm going to repeat myself a little bit here. It is important that we stabilize not just our economic relationships around the globe, but also the fact that we got to secure our border and we got to stop the flow of fentanyl, give Donald Trump the opportunity to actually negotiate with the Mexican president, and with Canada, and with China. You've gotta give him that opportunity," he said. "Because when prices we're rising in the United States, I didn't hear CNN talking about that much, and as a matter of fact, you ignored it. That’s not my opinion. That’s a fact. Okay?”

“[That’s] not a fact," Brown said, before ending the interview.

Watch the full exchange below, or by clicking this link.

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