CNN ‘s Scott Jennings might soon say goodbye to the station, but his next daring career move is set to leave liberal viewers seething. Jennings – affectionately referred to as the ‘black sheep’ of the left-leaning network – could potentially run to become a 2026 Senate GOP contender, he told Daily Beast’s The Swamp. ‘If the president wants me, I’ll run,’ he told the outlet during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner soiree Saturday.

Although he would love to be the next senator from Kentucky , he said he will support what Donald Trump wants. ‘If he wants somebody else, I’ll support that candidate,’ the Daily Mail columnist added. When asked if he thinks his name and others would still be in the running come next year, Jennings said he is confident Trump will still have a standing over Republicans, despite the president’s low approval ratings in his first 100 days in office.

According to the outlet, Trump and Vice President JD Vance seem to have already chosen who they think will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell after the 83-year-old announced his retirement in February. McConnell served Kentucky since 1984, and according to businessman Nate Morris, ‘The last thing Kentucky needs is another puppet for Mitch McConnel running for office.’ ‘If you’re asking for a permission slip to run for office here in Kentucky from Mitch McConnell, then you shouldn’t be running in the first place,’ Morris said on X.

Morris has also been touted as a possible contender, and according to a veteran GOP political consultant Jennings’ might have good standing with Trump, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get the job. ‘I can’t imagine Trump endorsing Jennings against Morris, even if Jennings is a good TV presence,’ they told the outlet. On Tuesday evening, Jennings, 47, joined Trump on stage during a Michigan rally celebrating the president’s first 100 days in the White House.

Trump gave Jennings a generous introduction to the boisterous, partisan Michigan crowd. ‘We have a man here that I don’t know but he’s defending me all the time on CNN and he defends me really well,’ Trump said. The president joked that Jennings ‘can’t take it too far’ but added that it’s ‘amazing’ how he can ‘take it right to the edge’ for their left-leaning audience. ‘He really does a good job. I think he’s terrific,’ Trump said before bringing him up.

As he waited for Jennings to make it to the stage, he joked about what it would mean for his career at CNN: ‘This is the end of Scott!’ He then embraced Jennings and allowed him to speak briefly to the assembled crowd. Jennings told the crowd: ‘Michigan, we were flying in here today and I said “look at these farms!” I gotta’ get a farm in Michigan cause when you own as many libs as I do, you gotta’ get a place to put them all!’ He then thanked the audience and gave a final handshake to a beaming Trump.

The father-of-four and grandson of a Democrat-elected official has recently made headlines for his opposing Republican views on CNN’s NewsNight. ‘Often the show sort of comes down to several people versus Scott. Part of my job here is to honestly help translate from Red America,’ Jennings previously told The Wall Street Journal. His coverage of President Trump’s re-election, and his defense of his policies and allies, has welcomed the Republican party viewpoint to CNN – boosting the outlet’s ratings and viewership.

In June, prior to the show turning to a round table discussion format, NewsNight averaged 485,000 viewers. So far this year, the show attracted about 500,000 viewers, WSJ reported. In July alone, the show brought in 669,000 viewers, and in October, just before the election, it attracted 717,000.

Although some of his critics have torn into Jennings for the apparent shift, CNN host Van Jones has branded Jennings a ‘genius’ that Republicans who tune into CNN ‘love to hate.’ ‘The genius of Scott is that he somehow has managed to be the Republican that all CNN watchers love to hate,’ the processive Democrat said, adding, ‘Emphasis on the love.’

Jennings previously served as a White House aide, reporting to Karl Rove, and was a longtime advisor to Senator McConnell who aided in several re-election campaigns and also helped Bush win New Mexico in the 2004 election. Outside of his job at CNN, Jennings is also a contributing columnist for Daily Mail, helps lead RunSwitch PR in his home state – a crisis communications firm – and recently joined the Los Angeles Times’ editorial board.

Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.