A tense exchange erupted Monday on CNN NewsNight when CNN senior political commentator Ana Navarro pointed to conservative journalist Brad Polumbo’s race and gender while defending her stance on former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
The disagreement began when Polumbo challenged Navarro’s characterization of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda as a "reign of terror." Polumbo argued that such language was "hyperbolic" and undermined serious policy debate.
"When the doomsday alarm from Democrats or media critics is always at a ten, it doesn’t hit the same," Polumbo said.
Later in the segment, Navarro responded sharply. "It might be hyperbolic for you as a White man," she said, adding, "It’s certainly not hyperbolic for me as a Latino." Her comment drew immediate criticism from Polumbo, who accused Navarro of dismissing his perspective based on his race.
"So we’re being racist now?" Polumbo asked. Navarro denied the accusation. "No, I’m not being racist," she replied. "I’m telling you that what the Latino community, the Brown community in America, is experiencing—"
Polumbo interrupted, saying, "A lot of them disagree with you. You do not speak in one voice for them."
Navarro pushed back, "OK, well let me speak in my voice. You said I was being hyperbolic—"
"Until you insulted me racially, sure," Polumbo retorted.
The heated exchange escalated further when Navarro asked, "Being a White man is an insult?" Polumbo responded, "When you invoke it to dismiss my opinion, yes."
Host Abby Phillip stepped in to deescalate the conversation, asserting that Navarro was expressing a differing lived experience rather than issuing a racial insult.
"All she’s saying is that her view of the situation is different from yours," Phillip said. "I don’t think that’s an insult."
Polumbo, however, stood by his criticism, arguing that his opinion had been dismissed on racial grounds. Phillip reiterated, "She said ‘I see it differently from you’ — which is not an insult. And it’s also not a racial insult."
The exchange sparked broader debate online about identity, perspective, and the tone of political discourse on cable news.