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By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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Anderson Cooper got into a heated debate with former Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu on air, during which the CNN host called him a "d***."
The incident occurred Tuesday during CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, while the host and his guests were discussing Elon Musk's defense of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside President Donald Trump.
Cooper later apologized to Sununu for the outburst. The former governor brushed off the incident and told Newsweek it was like a political argument friends would have "over a beer."
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Newsweek contacted Cooper and CNN via email outside of regular working hours for comment.
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Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has frequently criticized Cooper and CNN for their coverage of him over the years, describing the network as "fake news."
What To Know
Cooper swore at Sununu after the former governor defended Musk and the work of the newly formed DOGE, which aims to overhaul government bureaucracy and reduce federal spending.
Musk has been criticized by Democratic figures for dismantling federal agencies and letting thousands of workers go. Members of the DOGE team were also given access to Treasury Department payment system information.
On Tuesday, Musk defended DOGE's work in the Oval Office alongside Trump. The tech billionaire cited examples of government waste, including saying that someone who was 150 years old—"so probably dead"—was still receiving Social Security checks.
During his CNN appearance, Sununu said Musk listed several "specific examples off the top of his head of where the corruption and fraud were," including the alleged 150-year-old still receiving Social Security payments.
Cooper said Musk did not "present any actual evidence" to back up his claims during the White House press conference.
Sununu asked if Cooper expected Musk to "come in with 10,000 pages" of supporting documents.
Cooper then attempted to discuss the Trump administration's firing of four Federal Emergency Management Agency employees for allegedly using federal funds to house migrants in New York City hotels. In a Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, Musk said FEMA had spent $59 million to house immigrants in "luxury" hotels.
"You're talking about the FEMA money that was abused for migrants. That was FEMA money for migrants. That's OK now?" Sununu asked.
"I'm not saying it's OK. Don't put words in my mouth," Cooper replied.
"So, would you stop that? Would you stop that process?" Sununu said.
"Don't be a d***," Cooper said. "What I'm saying is the portrayal by him [Musk] is just not factually accurate."
Cooper later apologized to Sununu for swearing at him. "I was mean, I was rude to you," he said.
Sununu replied: "Are you kidding? I grew up with seven brothers and sisters, and I'm a Sununu. I'm a former governor. You want to know what I'm normally called?
"It's post-eight o'clock. Have some fun on CNN," Sununu added.
What People Are Saying
Chris Sununu told Newsweek: "I think it was great that Anderson got comfortable enough to have a political argument with me like any of my buddies would over a beer...but I still don't think I'm getting an invitation to that New Year's Eve party."
Trish Regan, journalist and podcaster, posted on X: "Anderson Cooper gets SO frazzled by fmr NH Gov Sununu's appreciation for DOGE... that Anderson actually cuts him off with... 'DON'T BE A D***.' Yeah. THAT's the CNN anchor response. When confronted [with] reality. What a network."
X user Steve Redmond, who has over 60,000 followers, wrote: "Calling Trump apologists a d*** is like calling the Pope a Catholic, it's kind of redundant. Anderson Cooper is going to be interviewing a lot of d**** for the next four years."
Update 2/12/2025, 9:34 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Chris Sununu.
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