Larry Kudlow and Julaine Appling speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Image via Gage Skidmore.
Fox Business host Larry Kudlow has clearly had it with Republicans’ escalating failures in the House and Senate — enough to hit guest lawmaker Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) with an on-air meltdown.
Kudlow preceded his guest’s Wednesday appearance with a nearly ten-minute rant about Republicans losing “their mojo” and blowing their thin majorities in Congress under Trump’s leadership.
“The GOP leadership is letting everyone down,” Kudlow ranted, says Mediaite. “Whether it’s swag, swagger, rizz, aura, or how about just plain bad messaging? Anyway, the GOP doesn’t have it.”
Kudlow then welcomed Lankford with an apology — but his generous feeling did not last.
“Mr. Lankford, I’m sorry you had to bear the brunt of the opening. But I’m telling you right now, you, the leadership in both houses, are bungling everything, Sir! I say that with all due respect, and we are personal friends. But you are bungling everything!” Kudlow complained. “Nothing is getting done! Your messaging is nonexistent! You’ve lost your swag, your swagger, your rizz, or whatever young people say. No one knows what the heck you’re doing Sir! They have no idea!”
What followed, according to Mediaite, was a series of meek rationalization by the GOP lawmaker.
“… [We] got with all of our media friends out there that continue to be able to beat up on Republicans and say, ‘Republicans are all the problem.’ But apparently, the socialist Democrats in New York City, they seem to be perfect because most conservative media right now is beating up on Republicans and just ignoring the socialists who are running rampant all over the country–“
“Oh Jim,” Kudlow moaned.
“So, I look back on what happened with the One Big Beautiful Bill …, Lankford continued.”
“Come on,” Kudlow said.
“– [T]he housing bill we just passed, there’s a lot of things going on that are good–“
“Don’t go there!” Kudlow pleaded, before reminding Lankford that Kudlow himself made sure to attack Mamdani more than anybody.
“I wasn’t saying that just about you,” Lankford insisted.
“That isn’t the point,” Kudlow raged.
“Well, this is the challenge that we’re up against right now,” Lanford argued.
“What is it that your policy is?” Kudlow then hammered. “Senator Lankford, my friend, what is your policy? Where are the tax cuts? Where are the spending cuts? Where’s the waste, fraud and corruption reduction? Where is all of that? Where is the reconciliation bill? Where’s the straight talk and messaging for the midterm? Where’s the growth messaging? Where’s the ‘We’re gonna make it better for taxpayers and working folks’ messaging? Come on, Senator.”
Mediaite reports this isn’t Kudlow’s first grumpy interrogation, having cut off Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) to point out that he was unhappy with the Republicans’ forthcoming legislative strategy after Republicans won back control of the Senate in 2024.
Kudlow may also be feeling the heat of a likely November rout as unhappy voters prepare to judge Trump and the Republican Party’s failure to improve lives and lower gas and food prices, in addition to voters’ mounting animosity with Trump’s unilateral war on Iran.
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