‘Can You Answer My Question?’ CNN’s Brianna Keilar Bombards Trump Defender in Tense Exchange

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar pushed Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) hard as he defended President-elect Donald Trump, repeatedly challenging him to “answer my question” when she felt he was evading.

Trump held a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort this week that was chock full of bonkers moments that included, among other things, plans to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada — by “force” (military or economic) if necessary.

On Wednesday’s edition of CNN News Central, Keilar pushed Gill to stay on point as he defended Trump, and avoided answering Keilar’s questions about how Trump’s plans help Americans “better afford their day-to-day expenses” and whether Americans should die in pursuit of them:

KEILAR: In this press conference yesterday, Trump was asked if he’d rule out using military force to get control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, and Trump would not rule that out. How would acquiring that land help everyday Americans better afford their day-to-day expenses?

GILL: Well, first of all, Brianna, thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.

Listen, President Trump is bringing us into a golden age of America. This is the new manifest destiny. Acquiring — reacquiring the Panama Canal, acquiring Greenland, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, this is the light of America expanding.

We have a very clear strategic interest geopolitically both in Greenland and in the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal, as you know, was created with the blood, toil, tears, and sweat of American citizens. We put an enormous amount of money into it. I don’t think we ever should have relinquished control of the Panama Canal.

So President Trump is really just undoing some terrible decisions that have been made in past administrations. And that’s going to be a key theme of his presidency. The biggest job for Republicans coming in this election cycle, after this election cycle, is cleaning up the chaos and destruction that Democrats have unleashed on this country over the past four years.

President Trump was a leader in border security. We had a secure border under President Trump.

KEILAR: Can you answer my question? Can you answer my question?

I’m asking you a question about the economy, because that really — if he does have a mandate, that’s so much what it’s about. I will also note that, when it comes to the labor on the Panama Canal, so much of it was not American. We know that.

But when it comes to helping Americans before…

GILL: Well, you know, I think it’s hilarious that Democrats spent four years telling us that the economy was in the greatest shape of our lives, telling Americans to not believe the evidence of their eyes and ears, not believe their pocketbooks that they were looking at the end of every week, and trying to force Americans to believe that we were in a booming economy.

And now, all of the sudden, Democrats are obsessed with bringing inflation down. And inflation not long ago they said didn’t exist.

So, the economy was great under President Trump. It was horrible under President Biden. We’ve got a mess to clean up.

(CROSSTALK) KEILAR: I understand your frustration with Democrats.

GILL: And it’s a mess that the Democrat Party created.

KEILAR: I understand you have some frustration with Democrats, but looking forward here, as Republicans will be controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, how does something like acquiring the Panama Canal, Greenland, how is that going to help economically?

I hear you saying there are geopolitical advantages. Maybe you can make more of a case there, but how is this going to help everyday Americans?

(CROSSTALK)

GILL: Brianna, we have got clear trade interests in the Panama Canal specifically.

But you know what? I want to know, what’s going to help Americans is going to be securing our border. I will tell you, because you want to look forward, let’s look forward. Let’s look at what happened just yesterday with the new Congress, where Republicans, under Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership brought a bill to the floor, the Laken Riley Act, which was a modest proposal, which simply stated that criminal illegal aliens who are in on our territory, on our soil, who are committing burglary and theft should be detained by DHS.

That is unbelievably modest. That bill, had it been enacted two years ago, would have saved Laken Riley’s life, and 159 Democrats voted against it. I find that absolutely disgusting. This is a Democrat Party that is more interested in advancing the interests of criminal illegal aliens on American territory committing crimes against American citizens than they are in advancing the interests of this nation.

I find that utterly repugnant, and that is something President Trump is going to fix. And, listen, I think that the people of Panama, I think that the people of Greenland, I think that the people of Canada, for that matter, should be honored that President Trump wants to bring these territories under the American fold.

KEILAR: OK. They don’t seem honored, just to be clear.

But I do want to ask you, because of this idea of using American military force. You were born on a military base. You were a military kid. Your dad was there, of course.

GILL: I was.

KEILAR: Do you support Americans fighting, which always means potentially dying, for the U.S. to acquire Greenland or the Panama Canal?

GILL: It’s really funny that you bring that up. I’m going to leave the methodology to President Trump and follow his

lead here. But Democrats have made the world a much less safer place over the past four years. We have had over half-a-million people die in the war in Ukraine that would have never happened if President Trump was in the White House.

KEILAR: Can you answer my question, please?

GILL: That would have never happened if President Trump was in the White House.

KEILAR: I’m talking about American lives, Congressman. I’m talking about…

GILL: And it’s amazing to me that all of the sudden you’re concerned about people dying in war, when our weak foreign policy under President Joe Biden is the reason that the entire world has erupted in chaos.

KEILAR: My concern, Congressman, in people dying in wars is not sudden, and it is earnest.

And so, when you’re talking about the possibility of Americans, as we are here, can you please answer my question?

GILL: I’m telling you, and President Trump mentioned it at the press briefing yesterday, he’s leaving options on the table. I will leave that up to him.

KEILAR: You have an opinion. You’re a congressman. You can leave that up to him what he wants to do, but you have an informed opinion on this. What are your concerns about that?

GILL: Listen, what I’m concerned with is advancing America’s interest. I don’t think we should have ever relinquished control of the Panama Canal.

I think that we have a clear strategic geopolitical interest in Greenland. President Trump can handle the process for how that goes about over the next few years, but I’m interested in America’s interests.

And that’s something that’s quite refreshing to see from the White House. We have had an America-last foreign policy over the past four years with Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress, and that’s changing. And it’s great. And it’s incredibly refreshing to see.

KEILAR: Congressman Brandon Gill, thank you so much for being with us.

Watch above via CNN News Central.