California Rep. Ro Khanna challenged a CNBC host over President Donald Trump’s “to the victor goes the spoils” UN remark. The exchange centered on whether Trump’s America First approach undermines traditional American leadership abroad. It gained attention as Khanna pressed the host on declining trust in the United States.
The exchange aired on CNBC during a discussion of Trump’s United Nations remarks. Khanna asked whether Trump’s language offended the host and contrasted it with past Republican presidents. “Shouldn’t America lead the world on principle?” he asked.
The host responded, “I don’t have a problem with America first, I don’t.” Khanna countered that America First should still reflect American principles. He then pointed to Canada, the UK and Germany while arguing that U.S. standing had fallen.
When Khanna said those countries trusted China more, the host replied, “I don’t spend time thinking about it.” The host then criticized Canada for “sucking up to China” despite concerns about China’s human rights record. Khanna returned to Germany and argued that America should remain “the leader of the free world.”
The exchange ended with lighter ideological sparring. Khanna said he sometimes viewed the host as “too right,” prompting a joke about being “right about everything.” Khanna closed by saying, “He always gets the last word.”
Ro Khanna’s CNBC Clash Draws Mixed Reactionb
The exchange sparked criticism of Khanna’s approach, while other responses argued the CNBC host sidestepped his underlying question.
“Khanna sounds incredibly naive if he genuinely thinks any empire maintains its status by playing fair,” one user wrote. Another argued that Khanna and others who expect Republican media figures to change “need to be cut out of the 2028 process.”
A separate response questioned his conciliatory approach: “I thought Ro was kind of smart until he called Keenan reasonable.” Another asked, “Why is @RoKhanna kissing @JoeSquawk’s ass?”
Others defended Khanna’s challenge. “He didn’t ask whether you support ‘America First,’ Joe. He asked whether you support America behaving like a pillaging empire,” one response stated. Another wrote, “When Kernen’s ignorance was put on display by Khanna, he suddenly got tongue-tied.”
The disagreement remains focused on whether “America First” justifies Trump’s broader approach to international power. Khanna’s challenge left that dispute unresolved.
