Republican commentator Scott Jennings triggered the CNN panel on Thursday night’s edition of News Night with Abby Phillip when he brought up the use of the term “pregnant people” by a woke CDC official in his protest resignation letter this week.
The resignation letter posted Wednesday night by “Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)” over the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez reads in part:
“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health. The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.”
My resignation letter from CDC.
Dear Dr. Houry,
I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.…
— DrDemetre (@dr_demetre) August 27, 2025
Jennings used the letter as an example of politicized science at the CDC, “Call me crazy, but if you tell me men can get pregnant, you have ZERO credibility with me on anything to do with health. Why would I listen to a word you say if you fail basic biology? Once again, I find myself being screamed at for taking the top side of a 97-3 issue”
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) August 29, 2025
JENNINGS: The criticisms from this person, I just — I just have to say he did use the term pregnant people in his resume.
PERNELL: Oh, come on, come on. That’s a ruse.
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: I’m sorry, if that is like the way you’re — if that is like the way you’re presenting information —
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Hold on.
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: That’s a ruse.
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: I have questions about your credibility.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Is that — Scott — it’s like, it’s so amazing —
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: It’s not a ruse. He really wrote it down.
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: It’s a ruse because people have —
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: We are talking — we are talking about —
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: This guy’s not credible to me. That’s all I’m telling you.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Scott, are you serious?
PERNELL: Come on.
JENNINGS: That he is not credible —
PHILLIP: No, no. Are you serious that this is — that of all the things that we’re talking about here — immunizations, vaccines, autism —
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: — research about — on communicable diseases, on cancer, and you are the most concerned about someone’s use of the word people.
JENNINGS: Yeah, because —
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: That’s the most important thing to you?
JENNINGS: — because you were just complaining about the politicization of science —
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: That’s not politicization. That’s not —
(CROSSTALK) JENNINGS: — and I can’t think of — I can’t think of politicization of science more than that.
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: That’s not politicization. Come on, Scott.
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: Or what some of these people said to the American people during COVID.
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: Come on.
JENNINGS: The credibility of some of these folks who are complaining — look.
PHILLIP: Okay so —
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: Well, well, I’m complaining and I’m public health and preventive medicine physician.
SKIP
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: You realize that you’re accepting some politicization of science but not others, right?
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: What’s the politicization of science that’s been accepted?
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: What is the — what is the politicization of science?
JENNINGS: Can men get pregnant or not?
PHILLIP: Scott —
PERNELL: Scott, we’re talking about — we’re talking about —
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: If you’re in the CDC and you believe that, I’m saying —
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: — we’re talking about —
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: — you’re not a very credible person.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Listen —
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: The CDC —
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: — that is responsible for —
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Scott, Scott —
(CROSSTALK)
PERNELL: — the health and well-being of the nation.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: That has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation we are having.
Six minute video panel meltdown:
“I just have to say he did use the term ‘pregnant people’ in his resignation. This guy’s not credible to me.”
Scott Jennings points out the left’s hypocrisy on the politicization of science and the entire CNN panel loses their mind and derails their segment. pic.twitter.com/XYmhyh9b8b
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) August 29, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Daskalakis at Thursday’s press briefing:
Karoline Leavitt on resigned CDC workers:
“One of those individuals wrote in his departure statement that he identifies pregnant women as pregnant people. That’s not someone who we want in this administration anyway.” pic.twitter.com/d1EXG7dwNm
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) August 28, 2025
Daskalakis answered criticism of his use of the term “pregnant people” and pronouns in an appearance on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlin Collins:
Daskalakis: I very specifically use the term pregnant people, and very specifically added my pronouns at the end of my resignation letter to make the point that I am defying this terrible strategy at trying to erase people and not allowing them to express their identities. So I accept the note from the press secretary and counter that with I don’t care.
Daskalakis: I very specifically use the term pregnant people, and very specifically added my pronouns at the end of my resignation letter to make the point that I am defying this terrible strategy at trying to erase people and not allowing them to express their identities. So I… pic.twitter.com/DxN1aCtBgg
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 29, 2025
Previous TGP article on Daskalakis: Slutty Dr. Demetre Daskalakis Resigns as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
The post “Pregnant People”: Scott Jennings Triggers CNN Panel Over “Politicized Science” at CDC After Protest Resignation of Woke, Pronoun Using Official appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.