A CNN panel discussion turned heated Monday night when Republican strategist Ryan Girdusky made a controversial comment to former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, saying, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.” The remark, a reference to pagers and communication devices tied to an Israeli attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon, was delivered during a conversation on CNN’s NewsNight about recent racist comments heard at a Trump rally.
Hasan, now editor-in-chief at Zeteo, began the segment by suggesting that even one racist remark at a rally would have derailed the campaigns of past Republican candidates like Mitt Romney or John McCain. “We can’t even talk about them. There’s just too many to get through,” he commented after a supercut of rally attendees making inflammatory statements.
Touching on the use of Nazi comparisons in Trump’s rhetoric, Hasan remarked, “If you don’t want to be called Nazis, stop —” before being interrupted by Girdusky, who retorted, “You’re called an anti-Semite more than anyone else at this table.”
The exchange quickly escalated, with Hasan responding, “Yeah, by you,” leading to a back-and-forth. Girdusky then made the remark, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” which visibly stunned Hasan. “Did you just say that?” he asked, prompting Democratic panelist Ashley Allison to intervene, demanding clarification. Hasan shouted, “You said you hope my beeper doesn’t go off! A supporter of the Palestinians!”
“Of Hamas?!” Girdusky countered, though he soon apologized after CNN’s moderator tried to regain control. Hasan, visibly upset, questioned Girdusky’s intent, saying, “Are you a racist, violent person, inciting violence against me?” adding, “Good job CNN — let’s have the Muslim guy blown up on TV.”
Girdusky, in defense, claimed he misinterpreted Hasan’s support for Palestinian rights as an alignment with Hamas, which Hasan immediately rebuked, clarifying, “I said I support Palestinian rights!” He later exclaimed, “This is 2024… Forget the racism! It’s I should die!” The tension only cooled after a commercial break, with host Abby Phillip apologizing to viewers and confirming that Girdusky had been removed from the panel.