Trump rebranded the GOP. Scott Jennings understands how

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I not too long ago spoke with CNN political commentator Scott Jennings about his guide and if he thinks President Donald Trump is conservative.

If you could have a TV or social media, chances are high you’ve seen Scott Jennings in his ingredient: when he’s proudly owning the libs.  

No one does it higher. 

The CNN senior political commentator and Republican strategist has turn into one of many main voices for conservatives across the nation. He’s typically the one Republican on the desk, and he deftly takes on his liberal counterparts with rationality and humor. 

Jennings’ meme-perfect expressions of amused disbelief at what progressives say often speak for themselves. 

Leading as much as Donald Trump’s second time period, Jennings was in a position to break down the president’s enchantment to many conservatives for CNN viewers, whereas detailing how Democrats had misplaced their method by shifting to this point to the left. 

When the president gave his inaugural address in January, he stated, “We will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”

Trump’s triumphant return to workplace and his plan to revive sanity to the federal authorities impressed Jennings to pitch a guide – his first – to the president. Trump agreed. 

Jennings’ guide, “A Revolution of Common Sense: How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization,” was launched on Nov. 18. 

I not too long ago spoke with Jennings about his guide. Our dialog has been edited for size and readability.

So that is your first guide. What made you wish to dive into this venture?

After the election, I used to be desirous about the monumental second. Trump had the best political comeback since Napoleon. It’s an enormous story. And then I’m sitting there at CNN in January watching the inaugural handle, and he used this phrase ‒ “a revolution of common sense.” And I simply thought, nicely, that’s the good approach to describe the rebranding of the Republican Party below Trump. 

And so, I used to be pondering that this actually must be written about by somebody who will get it, by somebody who likes the president, and by somebody who is not devoted to the narrative that every thing he does should be inherently evil, which is what a lot of the information media does. 

I used to be struck by one thing you wrote early in your guide: ‘The way forward for the West hangs within the steadiness, and Trump is main the struggle to put it aside, so far as I’m involved.’ What provides you a lot confidence within the president? 

First of all, he believes in America. And while you discuss to him, he believes in an American future. When you discuss to (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio, while you discuss to (Treasury Secretary) Scott Bessent, while you discuss to Elon Musk, who I interviewed within the White House whereas he was there, all of them have this understanding that Donald Trump has ordered them to do every thing inside their energy to advance America and American pursuits.

And America is the final greatest defender of the West on planet Earth. Europe’s been overrun. We don’t have loads of nice allies on the market. And so simply conceptually, I feel Trump’s protection of and development of American pursuits is inherently a protection of the West.  

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On high of it, he’s proven excessive ethical readability on international affairs, significantly within the Middle East. He can inform the distinction between proper and improper and who the nice guys and the unhealthy guys are, significantly within the wake of Oct. 7 (2023). I feel he inherently is aware of that what’s happening over there may be the central entrance and the struggle for the way forward for Western civilization.

You focus quite a bit on frequent sense and what you call 80/20 issues, like males should not be in girls’s sports activities. Do you see the deal with frequent sense persevering with to be a successful message for Republicans even previous Trump, versus extra conventional conservative speaking factors like free markets and restricted authorities?

It all does fall below the rubric of frequent sense. And I feel his rebranding of what he’s attempting to do as frequent sense has enchantment to individuals who do not consider themselves as political. They don’t actually consider themselves as Republicans or Democrats. Maybe they hardly ever even vote. But typically these visceral points come alongside, they usually’re like, wait a minute, you imply to inform me they’ll put a boy in a woman’s locker room, or they’re going to have a boy out right here spiking a volleyball in my daughter’s face? Well, that is senseless. 

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And for 4 years below the Biden administration, individuals had been browbeaten to simply settle for this new norm, and no one thought it was proper. But you had the ability of the federal authorities and the ability of the president coming down on you if you happen to received out of line. And so Trump comes alongside and sort of breaks that. This has at all times been one among Trump’s superpowers. He’s simply keen to say what everybody else is pondering, however they’ve been too afraid to say it. He’ll simply do it. And so if I had been a politician attempting to inherit his motion, that’s a trait I’d carry with me.

You’ve labored intently with former President George W. Bush, Sen. Mitch McConnell and different extra conventional Republicans. Do you suppose that Donald Trump is a conservative – or is he in a class all his personal?

I requested him as soon as, do you think about your self to be extra conservative or extra frequent sense? And he stated, nicely, more often than not being conservative is frequent sense, however you realize, typically I’m simply attempting to do the commonsense or the best factor for America. He doesn’t like being hemmed in by events or by ideologies. I do not suppose he seems to be on the world that method. And he’s attempting to get outcomes. And he doesn’t actually respect outdated ideological boundaries which were drawn by individuals who he does not know, he does not like or who did not assist him.

What stunned you most after spending time with the president? It appears individuals at all times have a unique perspective on him after truly speaking to him and seeing him in motion.

He is humorous. He’s like Don Rickles, Rodney Dangerfield and Dave Chappelle had a child and Donald Trump was what got here out. He is hilarious. He is an expert towel snapper. He is heat. He is an efficient listener. I watched him have interaction in dialog with advisers.

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I feel the caricature of him wouldn’t lead you to know that, the media caricature. But watching him in individual, he listens to debates, he asks good questions, he absorbs data, after which he’s extraordinarily decisive, which I feel was a failing of Joe Biden. He was famously indecisive, which ends up in weak spot. Trump is decisive, and that’s a powerful character trait for a president. I’ll let you know one thing else. He’s hospitable, and we must always know that as a result of he comes from the hospitality trade. But the time I spent with him, he’s solicitous of everybody within the room. 

You’ve made a reputation for your self because the conservative who ‘owns the libs’ on CNN. But you are often the one one. Bill Maher has called you ‘lonely Scott.’ Are you lonely? Or is it enjoyable?

It’s fairly enjoyable. Some nights it’s lonely as a result of I’m the one individual on the desk who has the capability to articulate the views of half or 80% or 90% of the American individuals. And it’s loopy to me that that’s the best way it’s constructed typically. But that’s my job, and I’m pleased to have it, and it’s a privilege to have it. And, by the best way, CNN deserves loads of credit score, in my view, for placing a debating present on the air that permits a conservative to articulate the point of view of that many Americans. Most cable is six individuals sitting round agreeing with one another, and it’s boring, and also you don’t be taught something.

These debates are instructive, and I feel I’m typically in a position to each articulate the conservative or center America view, however on the similar time, I’m typically in a position to expose the hypocrisy or the holes within the liberal arguments. And with out me sitting there, you wouldn’t get that. 

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques