Cuomo: Sununu made Anderson Cooper 'look like a fool' during DOGE debate
News anchor Chris Cuomo knocked Anderson Cooper over the way he handled a debate on CNN earlier this week with former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), which was centered on federal funding and President Trump's plans to trim government spending.
“My old friends at CNN were using a panel to gang up on former Governor Chris Sununu about a lack of receipts at DOGE,” Cuomo said Wednesday night on his NewsNation show, referring to tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. “Fair point. There is a lack of receipts, but there were leaning into the lefty argument that all the efforts to find waste are somehow Fugazi.”
Cuomo, in remarks highlighted by Mediaite, called the CNN clip "a shallow defense of the status quo," and said the former governor made Cooper "look like a fool."
During the segment, Cooper pressed Sununu about the work of the DOGE commission, which is working on behalf of President Trump to weed out "government waste." He specifically pointed out the administration's fight with New York over funding for migrant housing in New York City.
At one point during the debate, Cooper admonished Sununu telling him, "Don't be a d‑‑‑," before later apologizing.
"I believe Anderson Cooper is the best in this business and when he surrenders to this ugliness, you know things are out of hand," Cuomo said. "He said it because that's what the left is demanding, the muscularity, you've got to be mean to them."
Sununu, as he appeared Wednesday on "CUOMO," said there are no hard feelings between him and Cooper.
“So really quick when he said it, of course, I had like six I thought, really funny comebacks, but I thought this is going to get out of control, pretty because, you know me, I just want to extend the joke, and it's CNN, and I'm trying to be all serious," Sununu told NewsNation. "And if anything, I thought, I said, Oh, this is great. We're having a political argument, like me and my buddy would over a beer."
"You know, he's just kind of giving it to me and I'm giving it back," the former governor said. "So I think he just, he's a great guy. I don't take any offense to it whatsoever."
Topics
-
Anderson Cooper to Sununu: 'Don't be a d‑‑‑'
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper admonished former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) during a debate over federal funding on the cable network this week. "It’s 23 days in here, guys, 23 days. You’re ...The Hill - 1d -
Next ad banned as pose made model look too thin
The advertising watchdog says it was "irresponsible" to emphasise the thinness of the model's legs.BBC News - 1d -
Trump empowers Musk by ordering agencies to cooperate with Doge
President’s order notes agency heads ‘will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force’ with some exceptions. Donald Trump handed Elon Musk even more control over the federal government by ...The Guardian - 1d -
Smuggling gangs have taken hold, Cooper says during border debate
MPs are holding a debate in the House of Commons on Labour's plans to overhaul border measures.BBC News - 2d -
Fed Rate Cuts Are Looking Less and Less Likely for 2025
The January jobs report and inflation concerns have pushed back bets for lower borrowing costs.Inc. - 3d -
LOOK: Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean gets first career INT for pick six vs. Chiefs in 2025 Super Bowl
The rookie helped put Philly up bigCBS Sports - 3d -
The Eagles made Patrick Mahomes look mortal
The Eagles cruised to a dominant 40-22 win in Super Bowl 59 thanks to one of the best defensive performances in title game history.NBC News - 3d -
Germany's Scholz slams Merz on AfD cooperation in heated TV debate
Yahoo News - 3d -
Pres. Trump gives Elon Musk and DOGE permission to look at Pentagon
President Donald Trump continues his efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, including the Pentagon, with the help of Elon Musk and his DOGE commission. NBC News Correspondents Kelly ...NBC News - 5d
More from The Hill
-
83 percent say president is required to follow Supreme Court rulings: Survey
Most Americans say the president is required to follow the Supreme Court’s rulings, a new survey found. The survey, released Thursday by Marquette University, found that 83 percent of respondents ...The Hill - 21m -
President Trump stops the global assault on America’s steel industry
President Trump's new Steel Tariffs 2.0 aim to end foreign producers' exploitation and circumvention of trade laws, protecting America's steel industry and national security.The Hill - 23m -
Record rainfall failed to replenish Los Angeles groundwater supply in 2023: Study
The Los Angeles area's groundwater remained depleted even after a series of historic atmospheric rivers struck the region in 2023, a new study has found. Record rainfall filled both shallow basins ...The Hill - 23m -
Senate Republicans say they won't support tax bill that doesn't make Trump cuts permanent
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other top Republican senators vowed to only vote for a permanent, rather than temporary, extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, throwing a wrench into ...The Hill - 25m -
Trump signs off on proposed reciprocal tariffs
President Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum proposing reciprocal tariffs that he maintains will crack down on unfair and discriminatory tariffs from both adversaries and allies. ...The Hill - 27m
More in Politics
-
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sues the Trump administration over funding freeze
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its broad freeze of federal funding.NBC News - 8m -
83 percent say president is required to follow Supreme Court rulings: Survey
Most Americans say the president is required to follow the Supreme Court’s rulings, a new survey found. The survey, released Thursday by Marquette University, found that 83 percent of respondents ...The Hill - 21m -
President Trump stops the global assault on America’s steel industry
President Trump's new Steel Tariffs 2.0 aim to end foreign producers' exploitation and circumvention of trade laws, protecting America's steel industry and national security.The Hill - 23m -
Record rainfall failed to replenish Los Angeles groundwater supply in 2023: Study
The Los Angeles area's groundwater remained depleted even after a series of historic atmospheric rivers struck the region in 2023, a new study has found. Record rainfall filled both shallow basins ...The Hill - 23m -
Senate Republicans say they won't support tax bill that doesn't make Trump cuts permanent
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other top Republican senators vowed to only vote for a permanent, rather than temporary, extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, throwing a wrench into ...The Hill - 25m