Author calls out fellow CNN panelists for siding with China over Trump

Author and journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon called out CNN panelists Thursday for blatantly trusting China more than President Donald Trump.

China has denied that there are any talks with Trump to negotiate trade agreements, though the president has said otherwise. While the panelists appeared to believe China, Ungar-Sargon said their trust in a foreign adversary is “insane” and an embarrassment.

“We don’t know if China’s lying or not, but I’m just saying that there’s no doubt that there’s a different story coming out of China,” former NewsNation host Dan Abrams said.

“Why are you guys on China’s side in this? It’s insane!” Ungar-Sargon said.

Sirius XM host John Fugelsang then asked how the public can trust Trump to tell the truth.

WATCH:

“How can you not trust China but trust Donald Trump?” Fugelsang asked.

“Are you kidding me? I think that’s very sad that you trust our greatest adversary over the President of the United States who was elected by over 80 million of your fellow Americans,” Ungar-Sargon said. “That’s pathetic.”

“Excuse me, the majority of people who showed up to vote against him in 2016, 2020, and 2024. There’s no mandate to speak of. I don’t trust China, but there is no reason … I’m telling you that the majority of folks who showed up to vote in all three elections voted against him,” Fugelsang said.

Trump became the first Republican to win the popular vote since 2004 against former Vice President Kamala Harris. His approval ratings have also remained higher than they were during his first term.

Fugelsang claimed that no countries will trust Trump or want to make deals with the U.S. because he is not trustworthy. Ungar-Sargon pointed out that over 100 countries are communicating with the Trump administration to make negotiations on the reciprocal tariffs.

“Are you not embarrassed to give preference to China over the United States?” Ungar-Sargon asked.

“Why should I believe that Donald Trump is telling the truth about anything at this point? How can our allies believe it at this point? Who is going to make a deal with us after pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris Accord? We can’t even get tourists to come anymore. People are deciding, you know what? This year I’ll try North Korea. Tourists aren’t even coming here anymore. But he wants to be in business with us because of this. He’s not an honest man.”

Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. intends to ease tariffs on China “substantially,” though they will not be eliminated completely. After Trump’s initial tariff announcement on April 2, the U.S. entered a trade war with China as the country imposed steep tariffs of its own in retaliation.

By April 9, Trump said he would raise the tariffs on China from 104% to 125% after he had implemented a 90-day pause on every other country to leave room for negotiations. The next day, Trump announced that the tariff rate would rise to a minimum of 145% on all Chinese tariffs, according to The New York Times.

China currently faces tariffs of up to 245% as a result of its retaliatory actions, the White House said on April 15.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a Tuesday speech that he expects a “de-escalation” in the tariff war between the U.S. and China, according to The Associated Press.

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