CNN host Anderson Cooper had some choice words for fellow commentator Jeffrey Lord on Friday evening.
Lord, CNN’s resident conservative pundit, joined Cooper on his nightly program to talk about President Donald Trump’s recent “nut job” comments referring to recently terminated FBI Director James Comey. “You can’t defend what the president of the United States just said,” Cooper told Lord.
Lord, however, did defend Trump’s comments, prompting Cooper to respond, “If Trump took a dump on his desk, you would defend it.”
“If [Trump] took a dump on his desk, you’d defend it.”-Anderson Cooper to Jeffrey Lord. pic.twitter.com/yhqb0gwVlm
— Jack Runyan (@JackDRunyan) May 20, 2017
Cooper later walked back his statement to Lord in an apologetic tweet. “I regret the crude sentence I spoke earlier tonight and followed it up by apologizing on air. It was unprofessional. I am genuinely sorry,” he wrote.
I regret the crude sentence i spoke earlier tonight and followed it up by apologizing on air. It was unprofessional. I am genuinely sorry.
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) May 20, 2017
The host is no stranger to actions and comments on his show that viewers may mark as “snarky.” While interviewing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway recently, footage of the CNN host rolling his eyes during one of her responses quickly went viral. Conway responded to Cooper’s eye roll, calling it a form of “sexism.”
