Our item of yesterday pointed out the paucity of pro-Trump Republicans on CNN This Morning under its new host, Audie Cornish, a former host of NPR's All Things Considered.
Shockingly, it looks like Audie didn't read, or certainly did not take to heart, our item. Her panel today consisted of two confirmed liberals: Jackie Kucinich of the Boston Globe and Chuck Rocha, a former Bernie '20 campaign advisor, whose shtick is sporting a big cowboy hat.
And for the Republican on today's panel, Cornish chose Ashley Davis, a former aide to President George W. Bush.
Davis promptly proceeded to employ a metaphor about Trump that was in stunningly poor taste, claiming that the recent stock market drop is "around Trump's neck."
This, in respect of someone who has been the target of two recent assassination attempts. Imagine if a conservative had employed the same metaphor about Obama.
Davis also criticized the Trump administration's suggestion that the economy continues to suffer a hangover from the Biden years. Cornish teed up Davis, asking: "Can you complain about Bidenomics without Biden?" Replied Davis: "I don't think that blaming a prior administration is ever a good idea, because you're automatically looking like you're on the defense."
This kind of visibility is good for Davis, who runs a bipartisan lobby firm called West Front Strategies and wants paid speaking gigs.
Except for her ill-advised comment about Trump, Davis came across as something of a trimmer: someone who tries to ingratiate herself with all others. But her attempt to do so fell flat with Cornish. Thanking her host for having been invited on the show, Davis led off by gushing over Cornish: "your voice is so calming."
For a network trying to stir some audience excitement given its ratings plunge, a host with a soporific voice is presumably not what CNN is looking for.
Then again, perhaps CNN can turn it into a positive, creating a promotion for the show:
"Trouble sleeping? At bedtime, play a recording of Audie Cornish, with her 'so calming voice.'"
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
3/11/25
6:03 am ETAUDIE CORNISH: Joining me now to talk about all this, Jackie Kucinich, CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe. Chuck Rocha, former senior advisor for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, and Ashley Davis, former White House official under George W. Bush.
I want to bring it to the group chat now because -- and maybe start with you, Ashley. Welcome to the table.
ASHLEY DAVIS: Thank you.
CORNISH: Can you have and complain about Bidenomics without Biden?
DAVIS: I don't think this ever works.
First of all, good morning.
CORNISH: Good morning.
DAVIS: And thanks for having me on your show. And your voice is so calming.
I, I don't think that blaming a prior administration is ever a good idea, because you're automatically looking like you're on the defense.
CORNISH: Yeah. Also, checks notes: it's March. Like, it's not a January conversation.
DAVIS: Exactly. But it is 50 days in. However, this is, this is around Trump's neck right now. And obviously what the market's like, we are still in a bull market, which I think is very important.
However, I think that what markets obviously love is certainty and stability. And that is not what these, what Trump's doing in regards to tariffs is really what's happening and showing them you know what the stability that they need. So I think we're going to continue to see this for a while.
