A fed-up New York Times journalist yelled at a Republican strategist on CNN on Tuesday evening during a heated discussion over President Donald Trump's decision to send troops to Washington, D.C., and his threat to do the same in Chicago to address crime.
Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Shermichael Singleton joined Erin Burnett on her show, "OutFront," to react to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's fiery response to Trump's threat to send troops to Chicago, which Trump called a "hellhole."
Garcia-Navarro noted that residents of Washington, D.C. aren't in favor of the federal government's federalization of the city, and that its Democratic mayor likely won't get re-elected over her decision to have local law enforcement cooperate with the National Guard.
"The polling here shows that about 80% of D.C. residents think that this is an absolute overreach," said Garcia-Navarro. "And so this is not happening in consultation with the people. The people whom both the mayor and the president are supposed to represent. They do not like this. They see this as an infringement on the city itself. And they see this as an occupation and not as some sort of liberation from crime."
As Burnett tried to ask Singleton a question, the GOP strategist demanded to "push back a little bit," and asked, "Who's saying this?"
He noted that another CNN show aired a several-minute package of residents who live in some dangerous areas saying the opposite.
"Mixed-race people, young and old, older people saying, 'You know, at my age, I have to go home before sundown because it is too dangerous.' So maybe if you're talking to some milquetoast liberal who lives in Northeast D.C. or Northwest D.C. in a $2 million house, then maybe they're saying, 'Oh it's great!'"
His forceful response drew an equally forceful response from Garcia-Navarro, who shouted back, "Shermichael, you live in Virginia and I live in Washington, D.C.!"
Singleton agreed with critics who say troops aren't a long-term solution. But he called out Democrats and insisted cities must increase police presence and funding.
"But hell, that's pretty hypocritical coming from the other side, who demonized the hell out of police for four years. I mean, give me a break here," he shouted back.
Garcia-Navarro smacked down the Republican, noting she's a journalist.
"I am a reporter, I am not the other side. I'm simply saying that there was a recent poll that said 80% of the residents of this city do not agree. That's a fact," she said. "Now, you can try and cherry-pick who you want to talk about, but that is just the way that the people feel here."
Singleton tried to discredit the poll, insisting he's worked with many surveys, knows focus group size, education, ethnicity and more all matter.
"It's easy to come up with a poll and say, 'Well, this demonstrates what most people believe.' You know that as well as I do," he retorted.