Scott Jennings is not usually the kind of guy who dominates CNN panels. A senior political commentator for the network, he often finds himself outnumbered and shouted down by the liberal majority. But during a recent segment of “Newsnight,” Jennings delivered a sharp, unapologetic defense of Donald Trump’s perspective on how America’s history should be told, and he did it with a clarity that the Left has no good answer for.
Jennings began by addressing the obvious: Slavery was evil. “My personal view is slavery was a reprehensible institution,” he said. “I agree with your words, that it was our original sin. We also fought a war to eradicate it and to get over it as a country. And that was a necessary thing that happened, and a lot of people died. And we did eradicate it. And that’s a good thing.”
That part isn’t up for debate, but for the Left, it’s never enough to acknowledge it. Teaching about slavery isn’t sufficient in leftists’ eyes; they insist that our institutions weaponize it as the defining feature of America, forever chaining the nation’s identity to its darkest chapter.
And that’s exactly what Jennings zeroed in on. “Are we going to be defined by the worst moment or the worst institution, or the worst mistake we ever made, or are we going to be defined by what we’ve done moving forward to get over it and to become the greatest nation on the Earth?”
That question cuts to the heart of Trump’s approach to history and patriotism. The Left insists on dragging America through the mud, endlessly rehashing our sins and teaching young people that they should be ashamed of the country they inherited. But Jennings made the point that Trump’s concern isn’t about erasing slavery or pretending it didn’t happen; it’s about refusing to let it be the single story that defines America.
“My belief is that he wants to look at these museums, not because he wants to do away with the idea that slavery occurred but that he wants to ask a very simple question: are we going to present ourselves as being exceptional or not?” Jennings explained. “He believes there is an effort by some to continue to try to define us from our worst moment, instead of trying to focus and define us based on our best moments, which started when we eradicated slavery and began to move forward as the light of the world.”
That last phrase — “the light of the world” — is exactly right. America didn’t just end slavery; it became a global example of freedom, prosperity, and human dignity, which is why so many people want to come here.
But that’s not the story the Left wants told. Instead, it clings to the narrative of systemic oppression, as if nothing has changed since 1865.
Predictably, Jennings’ defense of Trump drew pushback from CNN’s Sabrina Singh, who insisted that dwelling on America’s darkest chapters is what makes us “exceptional.” “Those museums, like to your point, make America exceptional,” Singh claimed. “In museums all around the world that document atrocities, whether it be, you know, from Nazi Germany to eradicating slavery here in the United States, you have to learn the lessons of the past. And to deny it is to defend it.”
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That’s the straw man the Left always falls back on: If you don’t let slavery dominate the narrative, you must be “denying” it. Jennings immediately called that out.
“I don’t think he’s denying it,” he replied. “As we present our history, are we spending most of our time focused on something terrible? Are we going to spend more time as we enter our 250th anniversary focused on what this country has done to improve the lives of every single person who lives here? We are the light of the world for a reason because we’re an improving commodity.”
🚨WATCH — @ScottJenningsKY has to remind CNN that slavery existed, but has been eradicated in this country.
“Are we going to be defined by the worst…mistake we ever made? Or are we going to be defined by what we’ve done moving forward…to become the greatest nation on Earth? pic.twitter.com/2U4FB7xJkR
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 20, 2025
Exactly. America is not a stagnant society stuck in its past sins; it is a nation that has continually grown, reformed, and advanced the cause of liberty. That’s the story worth telling as we approach the 250th anniversary of our founding. But the Left doesn’t want that story told because it contradicts its narrative of perpetual grievance and victimhood.
Jennings exposed that double standard brilliantly. Trump isn’t trying to whitewash history; he’s rejecting the Left’s obsession with defining America by its failures. And for once on CNN, that truth got a fair hearing.
The Left wants you to drown in shame over our darkest past, but we’re more than that. Scott Jennings nailed it on CNN: America isn’t defined by slavery, but by the triumphs that followed. PJ Media exposes the lies the mainstream won’t touch. Join PJ Media VIP with the code FIGHT for 60% off. Defend the real American story. Don’t wait, join today!
