In a CNN moment that went “viral” last week, Democratic commentator Adam Mockler challenged conservative Republican panelist Scott Jennings‘s assertion that President Trump’s military actions in Iran had produced concessions. Jennings took issue with Mockler’s questions and also with his gesticulation.
See below as Jennings blasts Mockler, saying “get your hand out of my [expletive face],” during an incident Mockler later described this way: “Scott Jennings claimed I got in his face; Watch what actually happened in the full CNN segment. He throws a personal jab…then folds the second he gets pressed. Scott loves to dish it but can’t take it.
Scott Jennings claimed I got in his face; Watch what actually happened in the full CNN segment.
He throws a personal jab… then folds the second he gets pressed.
Scott loves to dish it but can’t take it. pic.twitter.com/4aYQ2CIMwU
— Adam Mockler (@adammocklerr) May 1, 2026
Commenters on the incident tended to remain on the side of the aisle they were on beforehand, with Jennings defenders saying things like “Adam you should stay out of his personal space. Jennings has dominated your ideology for years now, don’t make it personal when you are losing like you did here.” A Mockler supporter, in a response that echoed others, wrote: “You destroyed Scott Jennings. You should have told him to fight in Iran if the war is going so well. He is literally repeating Administration talking points.”
You destroyed Scott Jennings. You should have told him to fight in Iran if the war is going so well. He is literally repeating Administration talking points.
— Andy froemel (@FroemelAndy) May 1, 2026
As the story echoed in the media echo chamber, conservative TV veteran Geraldo Rivera responded to the exchange by labeling Mockler an [expletive] and insisting the young commentator “go out and get some life experience” before questioning the wisdom of Trump and, by extension, Jennings.
On NewsNation, Mockler replied to the accusation and used the same expletive hurled at him to describe Jennings, saying the conservative commentator is commonly disrespectful.
One former darling of the left, Michael Avenatti — the jailed former attorney for Trump accuser Stormy Daniels — popped into the comments to issue a warning to Mockler, which he modestly said Mockler could throw in “the garbage” if he chose.
Avenatti, who — before his prosecution for fraud — saw his star rise swiftly in Democratic politics as he attacked Trump publicly from Daniels’s corner, told Mockler: “I’ve walked this walk. You need to dial it back two clicks. You are flying far too close to the sun but you can’t see it because you’re blinded by the adulation. Be smart and play the long game. And don’t count on any of the people in the media or politics who presently claim to adore you so much to be there to protect you if the [expletive] hits the fan, because they won’t.”
[NOTE: Commenters note that Avenatti’s statement reads like a confession — “blinded by the adulation” — and also fails to account for the idea that people on the Left abandoned him because of his crimes.]
.@adammocklerr You can throw what I am about to say in the garbage or chalk it up to the words of a convicted felon. Or you can listen because I’ve walked this walk.
You need to dial it back two clicks. You are flying far too close to the sun but you can’t see it because you’re…— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 5, 2026