CNN guest takes heat after saying America was 'never great'
Former MSNBC host Tiffany Cross argued that America "was never great" during an appearance on CNN on Tuesday.
The liberal journalist appeared on CNN as a guest to discuss the recent security breach where Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, was added to a Signal group chat with senior Trump officials discussing plans for an upcoming strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Cross bashed President Donald Trump and his administration as "inept," arguing that the administration put national security at risk, before taking a shot at Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.
"They ran on this whole idea of this pseudo-patriotism, this aggressive, masculine patriotism, yet everything they're doing runs against 'making America great,'" Cross said. "It was never 'great,' so I'm not going to say the 'again' part."
Cross doubled down on her statement after Republican guest Joe Borelli, former Minority Leader of the New York City Council, started to protest.
"I absolutely feel that way. I think if you had the history my people had in this country, then you might have a modicum of understanding and respect for that. America was never great for me," Cross continued.
She added that it was a "common understanding" that America was only "great" for certain people.
Cross, who previously hosted the MSNBC weekend program "The Cross Connection," was pushed out of the liberal network in 2022 and now co-hosts the podcast "Native Land Pod."
Cross's comments were shared on X, where they drew criticism from conservatives.
"This is why the Democrats continue to lose," Republican strategist Thomas Hern wrote.
Ohio state representative Josh Williams also disagreed with Cross.
"Tiffany Cross does not speak for all Black Americans," he wrote. "This country gave me the chance to rise from homelessness to the Ohio House of Representatives. I am living proof of the American Dream."
Cross later returned to the Signal chat leak during the Tuesday discussion, saying that the administration had not yet "taken responsibility" for the matter.
The Trump administration has maintained that no classified information was shared in the chat, doubling down on Wednesday that the Atlantic's story was a "hoax" after Goldberg published specific texts from the chat. The messages included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth outlining that combat aircraft were set to take off and strike drones were ready for the operation, which were accompanied by timestamps.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted to X on Wednesday, "The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans.' This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this article.
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Los Angeles Times
10 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
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Newsweek
10 minutes ago
- Newsweek
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Politico
13 minutes ago
- Politico
Rep. Jim Himes warns Iran strike could lead to ‘dead soldiers and sailors'
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, warned on Sunday that President Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran could lead to a 'worst-case scenario' that draws the U.S. into another prolonged conflict in the Middle East. Himes, a Democrat, told host Jonathan Karl on ABC's 'This Week' the Iran strike is a 'massive, massive gamble' that could embroil the nation in an overseas conflict similar to previous U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. 'We've seen this movie before,' Himes said, referencing the ascension of the Taliban in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021 after maintaining a military presence in the country for 20 years. Himes outlined the 'worst-case scenario' as the possibility that Iran suffered minimal damage to its nuclear facilities and strikes back at U.S. military personnel leading to 'dead soldiers and sailors in the region.' On Sunday, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the U.S. inflicted 'severe damage' on the three Iranian nuclear sites it targeted, but added it was too soon to determine whether Iran still possessed nuclear capabilities. When asked if it's possible that Trump's strike on Iran would result in a best-case scenario, Himes conceded there is 'some chance' of a positive outcome. 'But if you look at the history — and again, all we have is history to go on, if you look at the history of our military involvements in the region, they almost never end with the best-case scenario,' Himes said. 'In fact, they usually end in something approximating the worst-case scenario.' Himes also expressed concern that the strike on Iran could destabilize other nations in the region, inciting further danger to U.S. allies. He highlighted Jordan as an example, citing popular unrest in the country. 'It's not inconceivable that his people may decide, 'Hey, we've had it with you being allied with the Israelis and the United States,'' he said. 'And now we have chaos in Jordan.' Himes reiterated that it may take 'months or years' to determine whether Trump made the right decision in striking Iran, but said it would be 'crazy' to expect the best-case scenario to play out. 'Looking at history, you would be sort of crazy to put all your chips on the best outcome anytime we enter into military conflict in the Middle East,' he said.
