CNN host Abby Phillip is pushing back at critics on the left who accuse her of platforming MAGA voices, arguing that it’s essential for Americans to understand what millions of voters actually believe.
In a recent interview about her new book on civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Phillip appeared on “The Breakfast Club” with host Charlamagne tha God, who noted she brings together a wide spectrum of political voices—what he jokingly called her own “rainbow coalition.”
Phillip acknowledged that she regularly faces backlash from liberals who say she shouldn’t host guests aligned with former President Donald Trump. She rejected that argument, saying those critics are missing the point.
“People are very easy to be like, ‘Well she shouldn’t give this person a platform’… and I do think it’s super easy to say that when you’re just at home watching the clips on your phone,” she said, emphasizing that engagement is not endorsement.
“I get a lot of criticism from the left, from people who are like, ‘Why does she have MAGA people on the show?’ and it’s like, well, you should know what they are saying,” Phillip continued.
Charlamagne agreed, telling her, “Yeah, I agree.”
Phillip went on to remind viewers that ignoring the MAGA movement is not an option. “Just so you know, half the country voted for Trump and for Trumpism, and it’s not helpful to be completely unaware of what is happening in those media ecosystems,” she said.
She added that one of the most revealing aspects of her show is how unaccustomed some guests are to real pushback. “A lot of people aren’t used to being challenged. When someone looks them in the eye and says, ‘I disagree with you,’ some are really taken aback — they don’t know how to deal with that.”
Phillip also defended her decision to air controversial viewpoints, using her recent tense interview with Jillian Michaels as an example. “I also think it does not do us any favors to pretend like a lot of people don’t agree with Jillian Michaels and that it’s an opportunity for us to correct the record, to educate, to inform, to put facts on the table.”
She said those views aren’t limited to fringe elements. “I know Black people who agree with Jillian Michaels,” Phillip said. “Her talking point about how slavery existed all in the world, and we overemphasize it here in the United States—I have had Black people say that to me, you know, 10 years ago, 15 years ago.”
Charlamagne echoed the importance of confronting opposing viewpoints openly rather than pretending they don’t exist.
Phillip warned that too many Americans are siloed in partisan media bubbles, uninformed about what others believe until it’s too late to react politically. “The media is so fragmented right now. Everybody is consuming media in their own silos,” she said. “There’s a whole other world that’s happening over here that you don’t even know about, and you don’t find out about until people vote. And by that point, it’s too late.”