Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) was abruptly stopped mid-sentence Tuesday when CNN’s Manu Raju confronted him with a blunt fact-check about rising fuel prices.
The moment unfolded on “Inside Politics” when the Pennsylvania Republican, who won his battleground district by just one percentage point in 2024, launched a forceful defense of President Donald Trump’s economic record as Raju turned to soaring fuel prices amid the war in Iran.
“We always want to see lower fuel prices,” Mackenzie said, arguing they had been “sky high under the Biden administration.”
“And now that you see the Strait of Hormuz opening up, prices are starting to come down,” Mackenzie continued.
But Raju stopped him there.
“Diesel is still about three bucks higher than it was at the beginning of the war,” Raju said, cutting in.
Mackenzie then pivoted to refinery capacity, arguing that the U.S. needs to build more refineries and blaming “far-left radicals” for blocking progress.
Raju had earlier pressed Mackenzie on the cost of living, noting that “nearly everything is higher” than when Trump took office in 2025, including gas prices and mortgage rates.
The Republican lawmaker defended Trump’s agenda and repeatedly steered the conversation toward his Democratic opponent, Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and former president of the state’s firefighters’ union.
Raju ended the interview by noting CNN had invited Brooks to appear.
“Good luck getting him to answer any questions,” Mackenzie replied, after accusing Brooks of being “a con man and fraudster,” a line of attack he has leaned on throughout the race.
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