A CNN anchor made a major misstep after a heated exchange with his guest left him rattled on-air.
On Friday, CNN News Central co-host Boris Sanchez invited GOP Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan to discuss former President Trump’s trade policies, particularly his approach to tariffs on Canadian goods. What started as a tense debate quickly spiraled into an awkward moment for Sanchez.
Sanchez attempted to corner McClain by claiming she accused Democrats of working with auto industry executives to stoke fear about rising prices due to tariffs. McClain immediately pushed back, calling out Sanchez for misrepresenting her words. Instead of backing down, Sanchez doubled down—only to find himself outmatched.
“All you need to do is turn on your TV, look at your show,” McClain said as Sanchez scoffed. “It’s all the Democrats do.”
She then pivoted to economic data, pressing Sanchez on whether inflation was rising or falling.
“What’s inflation doing? Is it up or down?” she asked. “It’s down.”
“What’s the price of eggs? Oh, they’re down. What’s the price of mortgages? Oh, it’s down.”
She accused the media of ignoring positive economic trends in favor of fear-mongering, stating, “We only cover the negative things to get people worked up.”
McClain then laid out two possible scenarios regarding tariffs, explaining that while they may pose short-term challenges, they could also lead to long-term economic benefits.
“This could be a potential problem, but it could be a potential long-term solution,” she noted. “But when you don’t cover the other half… of course, that’s what people will believe.”
Sanchez appeared visibly flustered, struggling to regain control of the conversation. He stammered, “Chairwoman, I, I,” before pausing as McClain continued to press her point.
“That’s what real journalists used to do—present both sides of the story,” she said. “Instead of stirring people up, let’s focus on the vision we’re working toward—restoring America’s strength and respect.”
Then came Sanchez’s biggest blunder of the night. As he attempted to wrap up the segment, he made a glaring mistake—he forgot McClain’s name.
“Chairwoman, thank you so much for joining us,” he said, before adding, “I wish you would watch our show more often because you’d see that we do present both sides.”
But then, in an embarrassing slip, he referred to her as “Chairwoman Linda McClain.”
Without missing a beat, McClain corrected him: “Lisa, thank you.”
The moment served as an exclamation point on an already rough interview for Sanchez, who had spent most of the segment struggling to keep up.
